High stakes testing in the form of annual state assessments has caused angst for teachers, administrators, parents, and students for the last 12-13 years.  The new assessments being used this year are aligned to the new state standards and designed to better measure critical thinking skills rather than the memorization of facts.  Even though Dr. Diane DeBacker, Kansas Commissioner of Education, has told teachers to “Breathe. Don’t worry about the test.” many educators are having trouble following her advice.  Join Glenn Wiebe as he discusses the format of the new social studies assessment and reassures teachers that their good teaching practices should allow them to breathe easier in the future.

Glenn Wiebe can be contacted at:

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With our ever increasing use of technology, it was only a matter of time before the use/overuse of devices spawned its own affliction:  Phantom Vibration Syndrome.  Those suffering from this condition have a recurring false belief that they feel their phone vibrate with no actual incoming call.  While this condition might not be very widespread, research indicates that many adults and students are struggling to manage the daily use of their devices that demand more and more attention .  Without clear objectives for integration in the classroom, students are in danger of losing focus on the task at hand because they are too distracted with the technology.  Join Glenn as he  shares ideas that will help students and teachers achieve that perfect balance and avoid becoming tech rich crazy people.

Striking a Balance:  Digital Tools and Distraction in School

Glenn Wiebe can be contacted at:

Email – [email protected]

Skype – glennw98

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Access to primary sources is a must for every social studies classroom, and most teachers have their favorite sites that yield many valuable documents.  However, newspaper articles published during the time of specific historical events are often overlooked resources.  Join Glenn as he provides step by step directions for using Google to guide you to primary source newspaper accounts.  If you are looking for another great resource for primary source documents, check out Glenn’s History Tech website.

Glenn Wiebe can be contacted at:

Email – [email protected]

Skype – glennw98

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If you didn’t know the answer to that question, more than likely you would get out your smart phone to check Google Maps or you might enter some data into your GPS.  The one thing you probably wouldn’t do is ask for directions.  A mainstay of navigation just a decade or so ago, asking for directions has largely been abandoned because of digital maps.  Another important change brought about by digital maps is location awareness.  Join Glenn as he explains this concept and it’s implications for the future both in and out of the classroom.

Glenn Wiebe can be contacted at:

Email – [email protected]

Skype – glennw98

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Twitter – glennw98

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How would your students do on a test where they received some primary source documents, a few guiding questions, a graphic organizer, and two writing prompts?  If you’re not sure, you still have some time to prepare before the new Kansas state social studies assessment is released.  Join Glenn as he shares three great resources that teachers can use to help students get ready for the extended analysis questions (sometimes called testlets) that will align with the new Kansas standards approved in 2013.

The first website is called America in Class, a collection of historical documents, literary texts, and works of art.  The material is thematically organized and aligned to common core state standards with notes and discussion questions provided with each lesson.

The second resource is the Wilson Center Digital Archives.  This is a collection of once secret documents from around the world that have been declassified.  Letters, telegrams, journals, and reports are just a few examples of the material that will provide a fresh insight about past international relations and diplomacy for the world history classroom.

The final resource is EDSITEment! where teachers can find lessons plans built around primary source documents.  Supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the available materials are organized into the following subjects:  art & culture, foreign language, history & social studies, and literature & language arts.

Glenn Wiebe can be contacted at:

Email – [email protected]

Skype – glennw98

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Glenn is back to share the second half of his Ten Best Social Studies Stuff “s” of 2013.  Join him as he shares some of his favorite resources and professional learning materials that will enhance any social studies classroom.

6. or 1. The C4 Framework is a series of resources and teaching strategies compiled on easy to use laminated cards that will encourage quality teaching and learning in the classroom.  Glenn created this series of instructional tools in response to the questions and requests for help he receives from teachers around the country.

7. or 2. Kevin Bleyer’s book, Me the People:  One Man’s Selfless Quest to Rewrite the Constitution of the United States of America, is a tongue-in-cheek attempt to provide historical context for the writing of this important document.  In addition to many little known facts about the Constitution, Bleyer shares ways the Constitution could have been improved to eliminate much of the discord it causes today.

8. or 3. Would you like to have over 100,000 books available on your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad at any moment?  That’s what you get for $9.95 a month with Oyster.  This tool makes it easy to have a complete library at your fingertips with choices ranging from today’s best sellers to beloved classics.

9. or 4. The Kansas State Social Studies Standards were approved by the State Board of Education in April 2013.  These standards focus on the equal importance of content and process in the development of historical thinking skills for students.  Explicit in the standards is the expectation that students will read and write in the discipline.  The standards provide a guiding framework for teachers while allowing for a wide range of creativity and flexibility in lesson design.

10. or 5. “How to Escape Education’s Death Valley” is Sir Ken Robinson’s TED Talk from April 2013.  In his humorous, inimitable way, Sir Ken shares the three things that are crucial for the mind to flourish.

Glenn Wiebe can be contacted at:

Email – [email protected]

Skype – glennw98

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If you know Glenn, you know he is full of big ideas including the invention of new words like “stuffs” when the current lexicon doesn’t fully meet his needs.  Join him as he shares his ten best social studies stuffs from 2013.  He shares his first five in this Part I podcast.

* Kahoot, a student response system, allows teachers to post questions online that students can answer using their mobile devices.

* The Memory Hole, a book by Fritz Fischer, chronicles how anti-historians attempt to re-write history in American classrooms to support their political agenda.  It is a must read for all history teachers.

* 12 Years a Slave is a raw but brilliant look at slavery in America.  The historical accuracy makes the film both disturbing and thought provoking.

* Padlet is a communication tool that provides a way for teachers and students to collaborate in a secure online environment.

* 100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People is a book that explores the psychology of design.  It offers great insight for teachers to help them design effective, engaging lessons and materials for their students.

Glenn Wiebe can be contacted at:

Email – [email protected]

Skype – glennw98

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Twitter – glennw98

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How panicked would you be if your computer crashed?  If you said not at all because my data is backed up on the server, you might want to explore another option after you hear what happened to Glenn’s wife.  Join Glenn as he shares a a free solution to the data storage issue called Dropbox.  Even if you think you already know all about Dropbox, Glenn also offers 5 ways that Dropbox can be used as an instructional tool to maximize student productivity.

 

Dropbox

 

 

Glenn Wiebe can be contacted at:

Email – [email protected]

Skype – glennw98

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Abraham Lincoln: avid reader, astute politician, and inventor of the “selfie.”  Okay, maybe that last one isn’t true, but with the power of Photoshop and a graphic organizer, you can use this premise to introduce content or assess learning in your social studies classes.  Join Glenn Wiebe as he offers multiple ways to engage students in deep historical thinking by analyzing the contents of Lincoln’s iPhone.

 

 

 

(Download a PDF version of the graphic organizer here.)

 

Glenn Wiebe can be contacted at:

Email – [email protected]

Skype – glennw98

Plurk – glennw98

Twitter – glennw98

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Diigo – glennw98

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What can you do in six seconds?  Pour a cup of coffee, look up a phone number, or make a video.  If you don’t believe the last one, join Glenn Wiebe as he describes some of the ways that teachers and students can use Vine, a mobile app that that lets you capture six seconds of video and post it online. Just as Twitter is a micro-blog of 140 characters, Vine is a micro-video of just six seconds, and both resources can be valuable tools that will help students summarize and focus on important ideas.

Get a feel for the possibilities by watching a quick video tutorial by Online Universities.

Check out the Vine FAQs. Learn more about Vine Best Practice. Learn even more by heading over to Larry Ferlazzo’s Vine resource page.

Glenn Wiebe can be contacted at:

Email – [email protected]

Skype – glennw98

Plurk – glennw98

Twitter – glennw98

Slideshare – glennw98

Diigo – glennw98

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