Of the many pandemic-induced disruptions in education, the lack of professional development opportunities for elementary and high school teachers hasn’t received much attention in the general press. We’ve seen educators band together to share resources and moral support on social media. The WHA’s Under the Baobab series is among the online experiments that have emerged to connect teachers and scholars in a period when our usual conferences have been cancelled. These initiatives don’t replace the feel or interaction of the conferences and workshops we’re used to, though.
To that end, the WHA is excited to be working with the OER Project to bring you the OER Conference for Social Studies, a three-day virtual conference and professional development opportunity specifically for K–12 social studies teachers.
This will be different from any conference you’ve ever attended.
Together with the OER Project we’ve lined up TED-style educator talks, live discussions on key topics around teaching and learning social studies in today’s uncertain environment, and fantastic keynote speakers: John Green, Nate Bowling, Linda Darling-Hammond, Yohuru Williams, and Jill Lepore. I encourage you to visit—and frequently revisit—the conference website to register, review the schedule and track topics, and see video previews of talks. We’re working closely with the OER Project to add conference content and information updates every day.
I hope you’ll take this opportunity to connect and discover—and log clock hours, too.
For information about how eligible participants in specific states can request credit for attending the conference, consult this part of the conference website:
Clock hours – OER Conference for Social Studies
Don’t see your state listed? Keep checking back as we get closer to August for new additions. If you have any questions, please email us at ocforss@oerproject.com.
Over 2,500 educators have already registered! You’re welcome to share this free online continuing education opportunity with your colleagues. #OCSS2020