Group items tagged

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.

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.

In collaboration with several content area organizations, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills developed a series of ICT Literacy Maps illustrating the intersection between Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Literacy and core academic subjects including English, mathematics, science and social studies (civics/government, geography, economics, history). The maps enable educators to gain concrete examples of how ICT Literacy can be integrated into core subjects, while making the teaching and learning of core subjects more relevant to the demands of the 21st century.

Could Texas' Gingrich-Based High School History Curriculum Go National?

The GOP-controlled State Board of Education is working on a new set of statewide textbook standards for, among other subjects, U.S. History Studies Since Reconstruction. Approved textbooks, the draft standards say, must teach the Texan student to "identify significant conservative advocacy organizations and individuals, such as Newt Gingrich, Phyllis Schlafly, and the Moral Majority." No analogous liberal figures or groups are required

"The Maine Memory Network, a project of the Maine Historical Society, provides access to thousands of historical items belonging to over 200 organizations from across Maine."

A number of organizations have made studying and understanding young people's engagement with digital media a full time endeavor. One outfit studying young people's use of digital media is Ypulse, a youth insights group operating in San Francisco and New York. In this interview Ypulse discusses, among other things, how youth culture and lifestyles have changed; the evolving role of games in our lives; a wired classroom for third graders; and kids, social media, and privacy.

Awesome visualizations of current events

Webspiration is online mindmapping from the creators of Inspiration. Many of the same features as the for-purchase Inspiration and completely free. Includes plenty of templates and you can download mindmap as Inspiration or Word file. Key feature is collaborative editing; simply invite a colleague/student via email and you can collaborative form anywhere with an Internet connection. You can post mindmap on a web page, too.