Free Resources for Educators, by Educators
What if you could offer your educators unlimited access to teacher-reviewed, standards-aligned resources and expert-led professional development—without adding a line item to your budget?
At TeachersFirst, we believe every educator should have access to quality resources and professional learning. That’s why we create, curate, and review trusted, classroom-ready resources that can help your teachers grow and your coaches reach more educators.
The best part? No per-seat fees and no surprise invoices! Everything we offer is completely free thanks to The Source for Learning, a nonprofit organization that's helped teachers support students for more than 45 years.
Professional Learning That Scales
OK2Ask Virtual Workshops
Give your teachers access to practical, immediately applicable professional development—without the logistics headache or cost of traditional PD.
What makes OK2Ask different:
- Live workshops (90-120 minutes) on current edtech topics—bring your entire staff with no registration costs.
- 60+ on-demand sessions available any time for differentiated, self-paced learning.
- ISTE Standards-aligned content created by practicing coaches and teachers who understand your team’s classroom, planning, and implementation challenges.
- Authentic, classroom-tested strategies and 100% free edtech tools.
How edtech leaders use it:
Embed OK2Ask sessions into existing in-service days to stretch your PD budget further or assign on-demand sessions for targeted support based on individual teacher needs. Your coaches can focus on implementation while TeachersFirst handles the content delivery.
TeachersFirst Blog
Get fresh ideas and practical integration tips from educators who've been in your teachers' shoes.
What you'll find:
- Multiple posts weekly from practicing teachers, coaches, and library media specialists.
- Real classroom implementation examples—more than just theoretical best practices.
- Topics aligned with your priorities: AI integration, digital citizenship, differentiation, assessment, and more.
How edtech leaders use it:
Curate posts into monthly themed PD packets, feature a post in your district newsletter for instant inspiration, or use posts as conversation starters in team meetings to spark meaningful collaboration.
Curriculum Support That Works
Curated Special Topics Collections
Discover more than 200 collections of educator-reviewed resources spanning every subject area and grade level—essentially, a pre-vetted edtech resource library for your entire district.
What makes our curated collections valuable:
- Easily source teacher-vetted resources on topics like AI for productivity, Science of Reading, digital literacy, teacher self-care, and more.
- Quality assurance built in—each collection features 25–30 carefully reviewed resources with lesson stems for implementation.
- Budget relief—free, high-quality tools that fill gaps without sacrificing instructional quality.
The bottom line:
Your teachers get instant access to safe, relevant materials. Your coaches get a head start on their vetting process. Your district maintains high standards while managing a tight budget.
Reading Treks
This TeachersFirst exclusive resource transforms popular trade books into interactive geography adventures using Google My Maps—perfect for building background knowledge and engaging reluctant readers.
What's included:
- Interactive maps that anchor frequently taught stories in real-world locations.
- Teacher guides with standards-aligned lesson ideas and extension activities.
- Support for diverse learners, including struggling readers and multilingual students.
- An on-demand workshop teaching educators how to create their own Treks.
Cross-curricular value:
This one resource strengthens literacy, geography, and digital skills simultaneously—exactly the kind of integrated learning your strategic plan calls for.
Free, Safe Edtech Tools for Middle School
We know interoperability and data security keep you up at night. That's why we made both MyCivicsLife and MySciLife completely COPPA-compliant and able to seamlessly integrate into any curriculum at no cost.
MyCivicsLife
This free, secure platform prepares middle school students to be responsible digital citizens while helping you meet civics education standards.
What edtech leaders appreciate:
- 100% free—no limits on class sizes or student accounts.
- COPPA-compliant with rigorous privacy standards and built-in verified parental consent.
- Ready-to-go resources provided by the Lou Frey Institute at the University of Central Florida.
- A safe place to hold teacher-moderated discussions that promote safe, meaningful civic engagement.
Real impact:
Save your social studies teachers' time while enhancing civic learning. Give students a safe space to practice digital citizenship skills they'll use for life.
MySciLife
Transform middle school science into an engaging, social-media-like learning experience—without the security risks of actual social media.
What makes MySciLife work for teachers:
- Students design science-based identities, conduct research, and connect to topics by personifying science concepts.
- Robust library of NGSS-aligned resources ready to share with your class communities.
- 100% free with unlimited classes and students.
- COPPA-compliant with built-in verified parental consent and rigorous safety standards.
Why science teachers love it:
Leverage the social interaction students crave to deepen their connection to scientific concepts. Use it for a single lesson, an entire unit, or year-round engagement.