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"After two frustrating weeks of trying to get connected with a teacher who has used cell phones in the classroom, I finally spoke to Thomas Daccord, an educational technology specialist and author of Best Ideas for Teaching with Technology: A Practical Guide for Teachers by Teachers and The Best of History Web Sites. He was a "laptop teacher" who instructed in a wireless laptop environment for seven years."

What do our textbooks omit? A sort of homage to James Loewen's "Lies My Teacher Told Me."

"And I just replied to Monika with this - which I hope some of you, again, will chime in on to show me the error of my ways: I'll start with saying I'm still uncomfortable with the opportunity cost notion. As a history teacher - which to me means "preparation for informed citizenship" teacher - I'm not sure I want to sacrifice time that could be used learning and drawing conclusions from human history on the altar of failed web 2.0 experimentation. I see the value of both, though. I'm thinking a separate course - a sort of "Intro to Web 2.0″ - might be more useful than teachers across the curriculum failing and flailing about with the tools when their primary job is teaching content. And I'm still traditional in thinking content is more important. Without it, we risk churning out what I've recently been calling, in my internal monologues, "barbarians with laptops."

"FindingEducation met up with Elizabeth Devine at the annual National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) conference in Atlanta, Ga. in November. At the conference, Devine was named as one of the NCSS Outstanding Secondary Social Studies Teachers of the Year for 2009-2010. She also hosted a panel focused on helping teachers integrate the study of human rights into their curriculum."

The Massachusetts Council for the Social Studies (MCSS) is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit educational organization. It is a network of social studies educators who work at every level of schooling. They communicate with each other through publications and meetings. They broaden their communication by working with related professional associations, government, and private agencies. MCSS is affiliated with the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and participates fully in that organization's efforts to advance the profession. NCSS encourages the highest standards of teaching, teacher preparation, and curriculum development. NCSS has developed and published both a code of ethics and academic freedom standards. It has established a defense fund to provide first-line legal assistance to teachers threatened with actions that violate this freedom. Social Education , the official journal of NCSS since 1937, is an outstanding organ of information and commentary. The Social Studies Professional is a newsletter of resources and opportunities. Social Studies and the Young Learner is a quarterly journal devoted exclusively to elementary social studies education. In addition, the NCSS publications program features a wide variety of bulletins, special publications, and standards. The program of the NCSS annual meeting provides major speakers, clinics, sessions, tours, a major exhibit of instructional materials, and several awards honoring those who have contributed to the advancement of social studies education.

MilestoneDocuments.com combines famous primary source texts with expert analysis by esteemed historians. Designed for teachers, students, and researchers, MilestoneDocuments.com explores the speeches, laws and legal opinions, proclamations and executive orders, and other documents that influenced the course of history. At present the site only covers documents from American history, but we will be adding coverage of primary documents from world history later in 2009. Also coming soon is a greatly expanded set of resources for teaching with documents. For now, see our free monthly e-newsletter for U.S. history teachers.

"Drool in the textbook. That's one of my most lasting impressions of high school. I can't tell you the number of times that I fell asleep -- face down in my textbook -- during various history and foreign language classes. And these days -- as a history teacher and as a foreign language teacher -- that's one of the memories I'd rather not impart to my students."

"David Brancaccio gives an impassioned plea for teachers to go beyond the text book approach to teaching economics in an effort to meet real world challenges and build a economic foundation for the next generation." [Video 2 mins. 49 secs.]

"NewsTrust has created a set of teacher guides that will help you teach your students the difference between good and bad journalism. These guides include interactive lesson plans for college and high school classes in journalism, civics, social studies, communications and more."

Teachers' Domain is an extensive library of free digital resources from public television and other leading media producers, designed for classroom use and professional development.

eachers' Domain is an extensive library of free digital resources from public television and other leading media producers, designed for classroom use and professional development.

A review of free technology resources and how teachers can use them. Ideas for technology integration in education.

A place where teachers can share lesson plans integrating social tech into teaching and learning.

As an artist and teacher, Shelly Blake-Plock is an everyday instigator for progressive art, organization, and education. In addition to his work teaching high school Latin and Art History, Shelly is a member of both the experimental Red Room Collective and Baltimore's High Zero Foundation; he also works daily as lead blogger at teachpaperless.com to promote fresh ways of thinking about new culture and new education for a new millennium.

As an artist and teacher, Shelly is an everyday instigator for progressive art, organization, and education. In addition to his work teaching high school Latin and Art History, Shelly is a member of both the experimental Red Room Collective and Baltimore's High Zero Foundation; he also works daily as lead blogger at teachpaperless.com to promote fresh ways of thinking about new culture and new education for a new millennium.

The NHCSS fall conference will be held on October 29, 2009 at the Center of NH in Manchester. Almost 400 teachers of Social Studies and supporters of social studies education attended the Conference in 2008

The NHCSS fall conference will be held on October 29, 2009 at the Center of NH in Manchester. Almost 400 teachers of Social Studies and supporters of social studies education attended the Conference in 2008 and the Council is working toward another successful event for 2009.

"The Virtual Field Trip is a field trip that students and teachers take via the Internet. A great benefit of this activity is that it utilizes technology tools to help students visualize and understand subject matter through exploration and active learning. It's also a great way to "travel" without leaving your classroom! Look for sites with QuickTime VR, which allows you to view panoramic views of your virtual field trip location. Visit our recommended links, which may inspire you to create your own virtual field trip. You can also find thousands of Virtual Field Trips by doing a Google search online."

Primary Sources Galore!

Schools Dump Textbooks for iPods, Laptops Teachers Say Students Learn Better From the Devices, Even Eultitasking

Schools Dump Textbooks for iPods, Laptops Teachers Say Students Learn Better From the Devices, Even Eultitasking

The Google Search Education lessons were developed by Google Certified Teachers. The lessons are short, modular and not specific to any discipline so you can mix and match to what best fits the needs of your classroom. Additionally, all lessons come with a companion set of slides (and some with additional resources) to help you guide your in-class discussions.

The Google Search Education lessons were developed by Google Certified Teachers. The lessons are short, modular and not specific to any discipline so you can mix and match to what best fits the needs of your classroom. Additionally, all lessons come with a companion set of slides (and some with additional resources) to help you guide your in-class discussions.

I thought I would comment on how I use Twitter as a teacher. I don't Twitter with students but the podcast discusses how I use the application as an educator