WNET Thirteen

The New York–based public television station WNET/Thirteen founded the National Teacher Training Institute (NTTI) to assist educators with the integration of new technologies into curriculum and teaching techniques. The NTTI and Thirteen EdOnline websites offer workshops, lesson plans, classroom activities, and advice from mentors in multiple subject areas, including specific units on New York City history.

Classroom materials: The NTTI website contains lesson plans along with activities and handouts developed by master teachers on topics including the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, the Erie Canal, the Hudson River, immigration through Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty and the poem "The New Colossus," life in a Lower East Side tenement in the 19th and 20th centuries, and the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. Additional plans linked to PBS programming involve the musical version of the E.L. Doctorow novel Ragtime and the history of immigration and Ellis Island. (Grades 4–12; free) The WNET/Thirteen website provides access to a searchable database of more than 2,600 videos, along with related support materials, activities, and handouts. (Grades K–12; free)

Professional development: NTTI offers both in-person and online training opportunities that address educational theories and practices. Regional institutes nationwide bring Master Teachers together with educators to explore the use of technology in the classroom. Web-based workshops are designed to offer the same resources to teachers unable to attend in-person sessions. (Most online workshops are free.)

General information: Address: 450 West 33rd Street, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10001; Phone: (212) 560-3519; Web: www.thirteen.org/edonline/ntti.

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