Do Ink and Other Takeaways from the MFPE Educator Conference

This year's educators conference in Belgrade was fantastic, full of great conversations! I mostly didn't get to go to sessions because I was working our booth in the exhibit hall, but that doesn't mean I didn't learn new things.

Do Ink Green Screen

For about $3.00 you can install this app on an iPad. With the app, still images, and a green piece of fabric tacked to the wall, you can "combine photos and videos from the camera roll with live images from your iPad."

How does this relate to Montana history? Well, how about doing "live" news features about the fur trade in front of the painting Free Trapper? Or from an 1880s round up in front of Bronc to Breakfast? (Images of both of these Charlie Russell paintings--and more--are available as part of our Montana's Charlie Russell teaching material.)

MHS Teacher Leaders in History Rock!

Three years ago we started a teacher leader program to improve our outreach across the state. The Teacher Leaders showed up in force this year at the Educator Conference, allowing us to give a record eight different presentations! These teacher leaders are experienced social studies teachers, who are willing to provide professional development to your school or district. Looking for PIR programming or one-on-one advice/mentorship? Find a Teacher Leader near you for trainings on a range of topics from teaching with primary sources, incorporating Indian Education for All, and teaching Montana history to using visual thinking strategies, hands-on learning, and engaging students with National History Day.

Speaking of National History Day...

National History Day (NHD) is growing in Montana! I've written about NHD before (see this post from way back in 2012) and everything I've said before still holds true: National History Day is a great way to get students working as historians, digging into primary sources, and making arguments (evidence-based claims) about the past. Engage your students with NHD and you will engage your students in an inquiry arc (as recommended by the National Council for Social Studies C-3 Framework) and meet most (maybe all) of the Common Core ELA Literacy in Social Studies standards.

The big news this year is that not only will there be regional competitions in Billings and Missoula (and a statewide competition in Bozeman) but the statewide competition will allow students, competing in select categories, to Skype in if they are too far away to make the competition in person.


This year the NHD theme is "Breaking Barriers in History" (not my favorite theme, to be honest, but workable). Check out our NHD web page for information on the prizes the Montana Historical Society is offering and suggestions for Montana topics/people who fit the theme, including Elouise Cobell (blackfeet banker), Hazel Hunkins (Billings suffragist), and the 1918 Montana Sedition Act--a barrier created by the Montana legislature and broken at great cost by 76 Montanans.