Tip of the Week: Joe Harmon and shared Social Studies PLN goodness

I love Twitter. And I love Google.

So when Dr. Joe Harmon posted his idea on Twitter for a collaborative Social Studies resource Google folder, it was the perfect day. Taking advantage of my Twitter PLN and the awesome #sschat hashtag. Using Google Drive to share, view, and use teaching and learning resources. The only way it could have gotten any better was if Roy’s Pit BBQ had delivered some ribs and toast while I sat there getting smarter.

This is what the Internet was designed to do and what we should be using it for – connecting people and ideas in ways that make the world a better place. What does this look like in this specific case?

WorldGeoChat is my new best bud. I couldn’t be happier.

I get the chance to meet lots of people around the country. And I consider almost all of those people to be friends of mine, even the Denver Bronco tee shirt wearer folks.

But I just found a new best friend. And I couldn’t be happier.

WorldGeoChat has a relatively new website with a bit longer Twitter hashtag presence. And while I’m just getting to know them, am pretty sure that we’ll end up together for the long term.

Seriously. This is good stuff.

Worldgeochat began in

Twitter chats are your best friend. So why are you ignoring them?

“Twitter chats are your best friend.”

If you already know this and the two of you already hang out together, feel free to go find something else to do. You’re good. ( You might enjoy Smithsonian’s O Say Can You See blog or maybe head over to National Geographic slightly quirky but always fun All Over the Map site.)

But if you haven’t noticed the many Twitter chats taking place all around you, stay put cause you need to hear it again:

“Twitter chats are your best friend.”

I get it. For many of us, social media of any kind can be just one more thing that adds to the load. We may not understand how best to use it as an educational tool. Maybe we’re not convinced that it actually has a place in education. We haven’t seen a real use for it.

Or maybe we just aren’t sure how to go about it.

And so, at best, we ignore it. At worst, we rail against it.

For the record, I believe that social media and especially Twitter can have a positive impact on student learning. And I’m okay if you disagree about using Twitter in the classroom.

But . . . even if you choose to not use Twitter as a teaching tool, sit back and

Fake news is why you exist. And 12 tools that can help

Okay. Basic question.

“If I asked you to describe what you do every day as a social studies teacher, what would I hear?”

Let me rephrase that a bit.

“If I asked you to describe what you should be doing every day as a social studies teacher, what would I hear?”

Here’s my point. I think that we can get so caught up in the everyday that we sometimes forget why we exist. Grading papers. Taking roll. Going to meetings. Calling parents. Trying to keep middle school kids from setting things on fire. That’s a typical day in your life. I get that.

But I’m going to suggest today that we need to keep our eyes on the prize.

What’s the prize? Why do we exist?

The National Council for the Social Studies College, Career, and Civic Life Standards does a pretty good job of summing it up:

Tip of the Week: 5 things every social studies teacher needs to know about Twitter

I joined Twitter about nine years ago in late 2007. As a social studies guy trying to learn more about how tech could be used in instruction and learning tool, I was a bit underwhelmed during my first few months with the tool.

Most posts fit the stereotypical – I learned a lot about what people did the night before, what they ate the night before, and how disappointed they were about the third Pirates of the Caribbean movie. But it got better. And I am becoming more and more convinced that Twitter is now one of the those non-negotiable things that we all should have in our tool belts.

It’s not the silver bullet that will solve all of your problems (And I will admit it may create some.) But it does do some pretty handy things – we can connect with experts, connect our students with experts, connect with each other, find and share content, ask questions, help others, and apparently save the world at the international, national, state, and local levels.

So today five things I think all of us need to know about Twitter. (New to Twitter? Get set up here. And remember that you can have multiple Twitter accounts – so think about creating both personal and professional versions.)

How to Transform the Social Studies Classroom in 140 Characters or Less: #mcss16

Twitter is a powerful tool. But what can it look like in a social studies classroom? Missouri teacher Jordan McGaughey spent a hour this morning sharing his ideas of using Twitter as a teaching, learning, and professional development tool. 

Jordan started by sharing what the use of Twitter can look like at different levels of Bloom’s. I really like this image – great way to jumpstart personal and professional conversations:

So what are the ideas?