PD Resources are articles created by the KATE staff for professional development purposes.
TrackStar home page - http://trackstar.4teachers.org/trackstar/index.jsp
Track of Interest:
If you are a returning user, click "Login to make or edita Track". Enter your e-mail address and TrackStar password.
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If you are a new user and want to create a Track...
Enter an appropriate title for your Track. The TrackStar search engine will search title for key words. If you are creating this Track for practice, you may want to name it "Demo Track" or something similar.
Description
Write a brief description of your Track. "Describe the content, goals, objectives, and activities in your Track. Tell whether the Track is part of a greater project or a self-contained lesson, and what state standards tha Track meets, if any. The most valuable and utilized Tracks are those that present material as an organized lesson rather than simnply as a list of resources on a topic."
Keywords
"The TrackStar search engine will search Track Descriptions for keywords. To speed the search, include keywords" in this field.
Type
Specify a format for your Track. Choose from Resource List, Worksheet, Extended Learning, or Demo. See the descriptions provided.
Subject Area and Grade Level
Select the subject area(s) and grade levels relevant to your Track. You can select any or all that apply here also.
Keep Until (optional)
"If this is an assignment, or otherwise temporary Track, please provide a date after which the track may be safely deleted. Leave blank to keep indefinitely."
Password (optional)
"Secure your Track by requiring a password to access it. Including a password will make your tracks unavailable to other educators"
Click "Next"
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"See the example below for an example of the fields in the TrackStar form. A Track is a collection of annotated links on a chosen topic. Each link in your collection needs a title, a URL (web address), and an annotation (questions, directions, and tasks for students to complete while visiting that link), as shown in the image below."
Complete the Title, URL, and Annotation. "...Scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Save". By clicking on the "Save" button, you submit any addtions or changes you have made. These changes are stored on the TrackStar server. If you do not lick on the "Save" button, your new Track will not be made, or changes to an old Track will not be saved."
You will now be shown your Track ID number. You may give this to your students/viewers so they canaccess your Track.
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