Online Partnerships Around Social Studies Content

One of the most exciting uses of Web 2.0 tools today in the classroom is for collaborating - either with a content provider through video conferencing or with another classroom in a different location around the U.S. or world. The Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration (CILC) is one nonprofit that you can use to do both (CILC is the site that Sean Wallace used to find his partners in the story above.)

Content

Educators can choose from more than 900 teacher-evaluated, national standards-based programs at www.cilc.org. CILC partners with over 150 national and international content providers to offer programs ranging from the sciences to math to history and more.

Collaboration
Through CILC’s Collaboration Center, you can post and search for collaborative learning
opportunities to engage students in active learning exchange. The following are some examples of requests that teachers are currently posting:

· I'd like my newly formed Debate Club (grades 7 & 8) to hold a live debate with another middle school. We meet after school 3-4:30. We're located in NJ.
· Are your 3rd graders studying a country in Africa? If so, a Long Island, NY, 3rd grade class would like to collaborate with you. The NY class has been studying Kenya and would like to share what they've learned with another class.
· Some students from our school are travelling to Japan in April 2009. We would like to meet up with Japanese school to learn more about the culture and share some of our Canadian culture.
· Our 2nd grade classes study rural, urban, and suburban communities. We would like very much to find rural and urban partners for an opportunity to compare and contrast our communities
· Looking for partnering classrooms who were originally a part of the Louisiana Purchase, which include AR, OK, MO, IA, MN, ND, SD, KS, CO, WY, and MT.
· We would love to have a school in Alaska collaborate with us on a year long building wide project as we explore Alaskan culture, history, education and the actual Iditarod race.
· I am looking for a partner school outside the U.S. that would be interested in using a Polycom video conferencing system. We would use it to discuss cultural similarities and differences as well as key topics such as global warming, childhood poverty, genocide, the new flat world.
· "I am a Citizen of the World" Media literacy course of High school students looking for same age group or college students who are interested in having dialogue on cultural and global issues of varying topics.
· Students in the grade levels 8, 9 are working with GPS Units; this has been great for our students and would like to collaborate with another school using GPS!

Visit CILC's website at http://www.cilc.org/ to find out about content or collaboration opportunities for your classroom (click on the "Content for Students" tab at the top of the page.)

Women's History through a Current Lens: The Status of Girls and Women in Vermont

March is Women’s History Month. One fascinating way to bridge women’s history to what is happening today is by looking at the newly released report “The Status of Girls and Women in Vermont” by the Vermont Commission on Women. You can find the full report at http://www.women.state.vt.us/pdfs/VCW%20Status%20Rpt%2009.pdf.

Would any of the following statistics change if women’s contributions to our country - both historic and current - were fully understood by today’s students?

Politics and Government:
In her book, Pearls Politics & Power: How Women Can Win and Lead, Governor Madeleine Kunin lists a number of reasons why women are reluctant to run for public office: lack of confidence, enduring public criticism, raising money, taking the risk of losing, and giving up their privacy. However, in Vermont, when women decide to run for the legislature they are much more likely then men to win.

Colorado has the largest percentage of women in the legislature at 39%; New Hampshire is in second place with 37.3% and Vermont is a close third with 37.2%.

In 2008 there were 283 select boards with a total of 1,010 members. However, only 19% were women. Overall, 88% of select boards had no women members or were male-dominated.

Jobs and the Economy:
The wage gap is real in Vermont. In 2006 the median wage for a man was $16.08/hour while the median wage for a woman was $13.82/hour resulting in almost $5,000 less a year for the typical Vermont family to take care of basic needs. Vermont’s wage gap is smaller than some other states because Vermont has fewer manufacturing jobs and fewer minority women who historically have been paid only 50-60% of what men make.

What Vermont Teen Girls Say About Health and Wellness:
Body Image
• 95% felt appearance was somewhat to very important
• 39% were concerned about being overweight
• 40% reported thinking negatively about their body one to three times a week
• 60% compare their bodies to celebrities

Habits and Behaviors
• 1 in 20 reported considering suicide every day
• 1 in 8 struggles with feeling sad and hopeless every day
• 1 in 33 binge and purge to lose weight
• 21% skip breakfast
• 67% of respondents spend 1‐3 hours on the phone, computer, playing video games, text messaging or watching TV
• 60% indicated they had ridden in a car with a driver who was talking or text messaging on a cell phone

Over twice as many girls as boys in grades 9-12 reported depression in 2005.

Education
More women have a bachelor’s degree or higher than men in Vermont for every age group under 65. Having a college degree pays off in future earnings for both men and women. However a woman with a college degree only earns a few hundred dollars more than a man with a high school diploma; a woman with a graduate or professional degree earns less than a man with a bachelor’s degree.

Education does not erase or mitigate the wage gap.

Poverty is highly correlated with educational attainment. However, at almost every level of educational attainment, women are almost twice as likely to live in poverty.

Go go http://delicious.com/sigridlumbra and click on the tag "womenshistory" to find many women's history resources you can use in your classroom.

Women's History Month Events in Vermont

For more information about women's history in Vermont, visit the Vermont Women's History Project web site at http://www.womenshistory.vermont.gov/.

March 3
7pm. Madeleine Kunin at Johnson State College. Former three-term Vermont Governor Madeleine Kunin will give a talk entitled Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin: What Impact Have They Had on Women in Leadership?. Stearns Student Center Stage Space, Johnson State College. Info: www.jsc.edu/

7pm. Women, War, and Displacement Series Film Showing: The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo. Hoehl Welcome Center, St. Michael's College. Info:www.smcvt.edu/admission/events/events.asp

March 4
7pm. The History of Herbal Medicine in America. Presented by prominent herbalist Rosemary Gladstar. Part of First Wednesdays Lecture Series presented by the Vermont Humanities Council. The Atheneum, St. Johnsbury. Info: #(802)748-8291

7pm. Women, War, and Displacement series discussion: Rape as a Weapon of War: Violence against Women in Eastern Congo. Jocelyn Kelly, research coordinator at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiatives, will speak about sexual violence against women in Eastern Congo, the Panzi Hospital, and the importance of advocacy for rape victims. Hoehl Welcome Center, St. Michael's College. Info:www.smcvt.edu/admission/events/events.asp

March 5
7pm. Women, War, and Displacement Series: Stories of Local Women. A panel of local refugees share their stories. St. Edmund's Hall Farrell Room (3rd floor), St. Michael's College. Info:http://www.smcvt.edu/admission/events/events.asp

March 6
7pm. Women, War, and Displacement series film. Taxi to the Darkside: the story of Dilawar, a taxi driver who was detained in Afghanistan in 2002 and who died in American custody at the prison in Bagram a few months later. Center for Women and Gender Studies, St. Michael's College. Info: www.smcvt.edu/admission/events/events.asp

March 14
10-5pm. Vermont Women's Expo 2009. Vendors, Sponsors, Charity Auctions, and more. $5 admission at door. Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center. Info: http://www.celebratevermontwomen.com/

March 23
Time and Place TBA. Being the Change You Wish to See: Women of Color & Social Justice Advocacy A panel discussion with women of color on their work in social justice. Panelists are Jacqui Patterson of Action Aid and Health GAP, Mercedes Mack of Jubilee USA, and Siham Elhamoumi of Vermont Global Health Coalition. St. Michael's College.

March 26
Time and Place TBA. Samantha 'Rastles' the Woman Question: a one-woman show about Samantha, a late 19th century rustic philosopher, with humor planted squarely on the side of sensible women's rights. Solo performer Jane Curry has a knack for provoking thought and laughter with her shows, and has performed since 1983, all over the U.S. St. Michael's College. Info: #(802)654-2667.

Union Elementary Teacher Wins Civics Award

Kristie Bush was presented the National Association of Secretaries of State Medallion Award from Secretary of State Deb Markowitz last week at the State House. Following are the Secretary's remarks from the ceremony:

Kristie Bush began teaching in the Montpelier School district over two decades ago. She started her career as a social studies teacher at Main Street Middle School, but has spent most of her time as a 5th grade teacher for Union Elementary. Every student Mrs. Bush ever had would tell you that she stresses the importance of civic engagement, and honoring those who have served our country.

Kristie was chosen as a recipient of this year’s award because of her leadership and longstanding commitment to promoting civics education in her classroom, her school and her state. She was a founder member of “Kids Voting,” which has evolved into Vermont Votes for Kids. She was instrumental in developing and promoting our mock election program.

She has incorporated initiatives such as the student mock election into her classroom every year to teach her students the importance of being active citizens in this great country. Mrs. Bush’s class also writes birthday cards to kids turning 18 to remind them to register to vote after their birthday. Kristie Bush works hard to instill democratic values in her elementary students, encouraging them to partake in their civic duties and helping them to encourage high school students to do the same!

Kristie also takes the time to honor veterans each year with her class in a unique and engaging way. They recognize the relatives of students who have served our country with a VIP (Very important Person) project, and her class also attends the annual VFW Veteran’s Day Luncheon.

The National Association of Secretaries of State Medallion Award was established by the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) in 2001 to honor individuals, groups, or organizations with a record of promoting the goals of NASS in one or more of the following areas: improving elections, with special emphasis on voter education and increasing voter participation; civic education, including the teaching, promotion, and study of this subject; and service to state government--specifically, as it relates to improving democracy in the state.

photo: Kristie Bush and Secretary of State Deb Markowitz

Industrial Revolution in Northern New England: A New Traveling Kit

The American Precision Museum in Windsor Vermont has launched a traveling education kit about the Industrial Revolution in northern New England. Designed for grades 7-12, the kit is keyed to NH and VT standards and includes artifacts, photos, primary source documents, activities, books, CD’s a video, and lesson plans. The four modules each contain a teachers guide and focus on an essential question. The modules are I – Background: 1750 – 1850; II - Invention and Technology; III - Life and Labor, and IV - Legacy & Impact (for advanced students & high school).

The kit will help challenge your students to study the world around them, to discover how innovation and hard work transformed a farm and forest-based economy into a world of factories, machines, and mass-produced consumer goods. Much of this transformation originated in New England, in towns and villages where you can still see the evidence of early factories and mills, and where you can study local community records to find out what life was like during early years of industrialization.

The kit is available for a three-week rental period and costs $40.00, which includes shipment to your school. Your school is responsible for return shipping costs. The rental fee is $30.00 if you pick the kit up in person from the museum.

The kit is a great way to prepare for a visit to the museum, where they offer three activities your students can do in small groups: The Windsor in the 1860s Quest, a walk around the museum’s historic neighborhood; guided exploration of the exhibit Muskets to Motorcars; Yankee Ingenuity and the Road to Mass Production; and demonstrations at their working machine shop, seasonally staffed by high school interns.

The museum exhibits are open to the public May 23 through October 31, 2009. If there is sufficient interest, the museum may open during May for school groups. Please contact them for more information (see link at beginning of article).

National Museum of American History Online Exhibits

Last week, NPR featured a story about the reopening of the National Museum of American History after an $85 million renovation. My first thought was how I'd love to hope a flight to D.C. and experience it first hand, but then the reality of the current economic crisis (and personal and professional budget limits) prompted me to do the next best thing: check out their online exhibits.

Of the 53 exhibits, the following seem like they might be the most relevant to your local curriculum. These also appear to all have linked educational materials and resources. See the entire list of exhibits here or at the individual links below:

A More Perfect Union: Japanese Americans and the U.S. Constitution

Abraham Lincoln: An Extraordinary Life

America on the Move (transportation)

The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden

America's New Birth of Freedom: Documents from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum

Between a Rock and a Hard Place: A History of American Sweatshops, 1820–Present

Edison Invents: All About Thomas Edison and His Inventions

The Gettysburg Address

Jamestown, Québec, Santa Fe: Three North American Beginnings

Photographing History: Fred J. Maroon and the Nixon Years, 1970–1974

Produce for Victory: Posters on the Home Front, 1941–1945

Separate is Not Equal: Brown v. Board of Education

The Star-Spangled Banner: The Flag That Inspired the National Anthem

The Price of Freedom: Americans at War

Within These Walls . . . (historic home in Mass.)

Social Studies and Web 2.0 - The Perfect Match!

Curious about how to use Web 2.0 tools in a meaningful way in your social studies classes? Want to possibly win an iPod Nano or iPod Touch? Then please think about attending the spring social studies network meetings. We've partnered with VITA-Learn, VTCite and your local ESA to further explore social studies in the 21st century.

You’ll leave these workshops—conducted by fellow teachers—able to start using Web 2.0 tools with your students.

Montpelier, March 27th:
Create Your Own Country Using Google Earth (Lucie deLaBruere): Redesign a traditional social studies activity—creating your own country.
Pharaoh’s Wiki (Jody Emerson): Use Web 2.0 tools such as del.icio.us, wikis, blogs, and videos to analyze a Pharaoh’s governing decisions.
Revolution and Propaganda (Don Taylor & Lauren Chabot): Learn how to examine revolution and propaganda through the integration of 21st century skills and technology such as Moodle, Google Docs, Podcasting, Wikis, and Inspiration.
Getting to Know You...Through a Collaborative Social Studies Project (Lori Morse & Sarah Ibson): a World War I unit that allows the students from different schools to collaborate via a wiki after reading Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo.
To register go to: http://www.lapdavt.org/

Castleton, April 2nd:
Wikis Wow! (Lauren Kelley-Parren): Come see the wiki used by ALL 140 10th grade US History students at Mt. Abe.
Collaborating on Social Studies Projects Using Google Presentation (Maureen Dobart and/or Bjorn Behrendt): Using Google Presentation, multiple students can be working collaborativelyo n the same document at the same time using their own computers.
Looking at Ourselves—Google Earth and Google Maps (Dave Davidson): Explore many of the features of Google Earth and Google Maps.
To register go to: http://www.castleton.edu/centerforschools/courses.htm

• How do you use Web 2.0 tools in a meaningful way in your classroom?