GEM Training Outline

Total Time: 45–60 minutes

Quick Intro (5 minutes)

Digital Learning Commons Homepage

• Introduce staff to the website and show them how to access resources.
• Point out the Search box (appears on every page) and the About section.
• Explain differences between Students, Educators, and Parents sections.

GEM (Gateway to Educational Materials)

GEM allows you to quickly and easily search for educational resources, such as lesson plans and curriculum units. GEM draws from some of the country's best museums, universities, and government programs, including NASA, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, the National Science Foundation, and the Exploratorium in San Francisco. GEM is sponsored by the National Education Association.

Intro Activities (30–45 minutes)

Search the GEM Catalog: You'll find the Search field on the right-hand side in a yellow toolbox. You have the option to search by full text, title, keyword, or description. Enter a word(s) that describes the information you are looking for. Generally, GEM retrieves a fairly large set of resources.

Browse the GEM Catalog: Click on the yellow Browse tab located at the top of the page to access the Search/Browse webpage. If you click on any of the categories, a list of subcategories will appear narrowing down the content until you reach the area that you are trying to find resources in. For more information, click on Help.

• Refine by Subject: Refine your search results by clicking on the terms listed on the right side of the search results screen. For example, if you are interested in only lesson plans, click Lesson Plans to refine your search. Clicking additional terms refines the search results even more. You can also refine the search results by typing more search terms in the text box, selecting Search in Results, and clicking Go.
• Connecting to a Resource: Resources in the GEM catalog are all accessible online and are described in more detail at their respective websites. To connect to a resource that appears in the list of search results, click on the title of the resource.

Additional Resources (5 minutes)

About Folder: You'll find this folder in the blue navigation toolbox located on the left-hand side. It includes more information about GEM, its mission, and other administrative information.

Publicity Folder: This folder includes various tutorials and PowerPoint presentations that will help you understand how to use GEM and locate helpful educational materials for the classroom and your students.

• GEM Handout: Download these PDFs, which explain the GEM project and how to use The Gateway.
• GEM Demo Slides September 2004: This PowerPoint presentation demonstrates searching The Gateway.

Help Folder: Inside the Help Folder is a First Time User's Guide and other useful materials for supporting you in using GEM.

Assessments (2–5 minutes)

Return to the Digital Learning Commons website. Click on the Training Evaluation link, which appears at bottom of every page on the site.