Professional Organizations

The first organization that I found that would be relevant to my classroom teaching is the National Council for Social Studies. This is the largest association in the country that focuses on social studies education. There are several tiers of membership available according to the online application. As a students, a retired teacher, and a beginning teach the cost is $43.  For a regular membership it is $72 for one year or $130 for two years. A comprehensive membership is $85 for one year or $145 for two. A regular membership includes the choice of subscription to Social Education or Social Studies and the Young Learn, plus Middle Level Learning and TSSP; conference discounts and other membership benefits. The comprehensive membership includes everything the regular benefits include and alos bulletins. It is not clear what the bulletins are from the application. There are also different benefits according to grade level, which I found helpful because the organization is recognizing that different grade levels have different challenges. For example, the benefits for middle school teachers can be found here. The 2016 NCSS conference will be in Washington, DC, in December. The theme will be “Civic Learning and Cultural Inquiry in a Changing World.” The cost for the conference is not up yet, they are however currently accepting proposals for programs.

Their twitter handle is @NCSSNetwork

They can also be found on Facebook by searching National Council for the Social Studies.

The second organization that I found was the National Council of Teachers of English. Like the National Council for Social Studies, there are several tiers of membership for NCTE. There is a standard membership ($50) as well as a student membership ($25). There is also an option to be a “Green Member” which offers a discount at both tiers for receiving publications via email versus print. The major difference between the student membership and the standard membership is that a person that is part of the student membership cannot vote on issues in the council. An individual membership includes many things.  an online community where teachers are able to connect. They also include an option to receive a variety of journals published by the NCTE. For example, middle school teachers may opt for the Voices from the Middle publication, whereas a high school teacher may prefer the English Journal. Like the National Council for Social Studies, I like how the NCTE distinguishes between the different levels of teaching. Along with webinars, the NCTE has an annual convention. This year’s convention is November 17-20 in Atlanta, Georgia. The theme is the Faces of Advocacy. The cost of the conference is not available at the moment, they are accepting proposals for programs.

Their twitter handle is @ncte.

They can also be found on Facebook by searching National Council of Teachers of English.

The NCTE also have Linkedin, Pinterest and Instagram accounts.

The state level organization I found was the Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL). This is an organization that “helps educations identify sound educational practices related to technology.” Unlike the preview two organizations it does not cost anything to join MACUL. The benefit of joining this organization is that it provides a variety of conferences and workshops, communication, and publications, awards and grants, reduced rates on discounts on courses and other online resources and professional networking. This year the conference is in Grand Rapids at the Devos Place. It will be in March on the 9^th,10^th, and 11^th. This year’s conference topic is Engage Learning. The cost to attend the conference is $195 before 2/23/2016 and then the price goes up $245 after that date. There are special rates for single day rates, student rates, as well as for specific workshops. Those prices can be found here.

Their twitter handle is @MACUL

They also have social media accounts on Facebook, Linked In, and Instagram.