Let me inspire your teachers & students

After 15 years in middle school, high school, and college classrooms, I now spend my time as an education and technology consultant excited about the learning process and the power we have as agents of change in shaping that process. I especially enjoy facilitating conversations on the intersection of inquiry-based learning and technology integration.

My educational career began at Derby Middle School, finding ways to help thirteen year olds enjoy American History. I earned a Master’s in American History in 1995 and continued developing innovative practices and sharing them with my students. That was followed by five years working in higher education, designing effective instruction and integrating video games into social science classrooms at Tabor College. I now travel across the country as an ESSDACK education specialist providing keynotes, presentations, and curriculum development.

My passion for social studies was kindled in elementary school when I fell in love with my first National Geographic map. Even at a young age, I was beginning to understand what Robert Louis Stevenson meant when he described his treasure map as having the “power of infinite, eloquent suggestion.” My passion for history and the social studies continued to grow and is now expressed in sharing that passion with others.

I write here at History Tech, a Edublog finalist, and maintain Social Studies Central, a repository of resources targeted at K-12 educators cited in national professional journals. You can find my published articles in the National Social Studies Supervisors Association journal, at EdSurge, Tech & Learning, and Teaching History. I have also had the chance to help author numerous discipline specific curricula. Starting in 2011, I acted as co-chair for the Kansas State Department of Education state social standards writing and state assessment committee through two major document revisions. After working on the KSDE committee to revise the state assessment scoring rubric, I helped lead the work in creating a state level Teacher Toolkit designed to help classroom teachers find success in delivering the state social studies assessment.

I’m currently serving as the President of the National Social Studies Supervisors Association and have served on the board since 2017. I’ve also served as president and past president of the Kansas Council for the Social Studies and currently am on the executive board.

As director of two US Department of Education Teaching American History and multiple Library of Congress grants, I’ve had the chance to work alongside with both elementary and secondary teachers  while we learned about inquiry, primary sources, edtech, and the integration of literature. I’ve worked together with the Center for Children and Technology to help roll out their Zoom In online historical thinking software and have piloted a variety of video games and simulations. As a Google Certified Educator, I also travel frequently to assist schools as they integrate Google products.

Presentation Style

I believe that learning should be more than just cute and engaging activities. Our task is simple – preparing kids to think critically and to have skills needed to be effective citizens.

Using visuals, stories, and an animated personality, I create an enjoyable and energetic learning environment that participants call “relatable” and “practical.” The most effective sessions are those that build relationships between my audience, myself, and the content while building capacity. So my focus is always providing practical ideas coupled with research that teachers and administrators can use to improve the learning process. My C4 Framework – Collect, Collaborate, Create, and Communicate – provides a structure for all of my workshops and presentations.

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What Others Are Saying

Wow! What a great session you gave our audience on Friday! You got them engaged right from the start and they gobbled up your information like hungry children!
– South Dakota State Librarian

I attended your December session and just wanted to thank you for all the cool strategies you shared. I’ve used several of your activities with my 6th graders and they are eating…it…up. I’m enjoying it and they are too (I even got a victory dance out of one of my students who normally is either head down or causing trouble around the room). Thanks so much!
– Michael M, MS teacher

Best workshop I’ve been to in 15 years! Teaching students to think is replacing what facts they need to know – today will help me do that.
– Scott W, MS teacher

Glenn was an outstanding trainer! My teachers loved him. A fast two days!
– Omaha, Nebraska Administrator

This should be required learning for all social studies teachers!! Glenn did a great job of highlighting tons of great tools without overwhelming and really got me excited about the opportunities for teaching process AND content!
– Julie O, MS teacher

I have trained teachers before and Glenn did an excellent job keeping everyone engaged and active. The pace of the workshop perfectly matched the skill levels of the participants. Glenn has a sense of humor that made the day fun. Thank you!
– Sturgis, South Dakota Instructional Coach

I enjoyed learning from Glenn W. It was what we needed most. As a vet for almost 20 years, I am usually hard on presenters . . . he wasn’t one of them. Great job! Very informative!
– Jackson, Mississippi Teacher

Glenn was one of the BEST presenters I have ever seen! The presentation content was relevant, relatable, and most importantly SO applicable to my classroom. I learned many new tools and strategies that I can’t wait to use in my classroom. This professional development was extremely engaging and useful!
– James M, HS Teacher

Keynote Topics

Historical Thinking and Other Strategies for Building Engaged Citizens
One hour / half day
Learning should be more than simply memorizing facts and data. Our true task is to develop informed, knowledgeable, and engaged citizens that will make the world a better place.

Inquiry-Based Learning: Making it Engaging, Effective, and Practical
One hour / half day / full day
We know inquiry is good for kids but what does it look like in practice?

Having Fun is a Good Thing: Using Play as a Powerful Learning Tool
One hour / half day / full day
Many teachers now understand that games and simulations can help encourage high levels of learning. What does the research tell us about how to integrate these tools into our instruction?

Creating Academic Discomfort: The Problem is the Solution
One hour / half day / full day
School should be about developing great questions, not providing easy answers. Let’s explore the possibilities when things aren’t easy and when kids are doing the learning, not us.

Integrating Literature & Art into the Social Studies
One hour / half day / full day
We know how powerful the humanities can be as part of learning. Let’s explore strategies and resources designed to incorporate fiction, non-fiction, and art into your instruction.

Google Awesomeness: More Than Just a Search Tool
One hour / half day / full day
The Google world is full of useful tools and resources. Jamboard, My Maps, Earth, Arts & Culture,and Keep are just a few of the gadgets we’ll investigate.

Breakout Sessions

Social Studies Best Practices for Integrating Literature in the Social Studies Integrating the C3 Framework into your Social Studies Classroom Reading and Writing in the Social Studies Classroom Google Earth and Geography Best Practices: Seeing is Believing The Problem is the Solution: PBL in the Social Studies Using Primary Sources in the Social Studies Classroom Using Technology to Teach Social Studies

Technology Video Games as Learning Engines 30 Tech Tips in 60 Minutes Google Workspace for Education: Tools, Tips, and Tricks Chromebooks 101

Connect with me

Glenn Wiebe ESSDACK 1500 E. 11th Hutchinson, KS 67501 620-694-7565

Email – glennw@essdack.org Twitter – @glennw98 Slideshare – glennw98 Skype – glennw98