Hey everyone! I'm Mike Saracini a 7th/8th grade Social Studies teacher at Freedom Middle School in Berwyn, Illinois (Just outside of Chicago). I have been fortunate enough to have met some of the worlds greatest educators through conferences, Twitter and Snapchat. They have shared their creative ideas on how to make the classroom more relevant to today. I know our time is valuable and we don't often have the time to sit and read all the blogs that are out there. This past summer during a Twitter chat, I promised educators that I would create a succinct VLOG (video blog) sharing some of the great ideas that are out there and how I and other educators implement them in the classroom. It is my hope that you find this VLOG useful and will begin using some of these ideas in your own classroom/school in your own way. I'd love to know how you are changing education and you can share those ideas with me on Twitter, Snapchat, Touchcast, and my website.

Steve Jobs Robber Baron or Captain of Industry?

This podcast compares Steve Jobs to the Titans of industry at the turn of the century. Robber Baron or Captain of Industry? You decide.

Using Snapchat in the Classroom

Snapchat is one of the most powerful social media tools being used today but still has a bad rep for being the "dirty picture" platform. It's use of stories and groups has changed this media to be one of the most powerful tools for students to demonstrate learning and empathy in and out of the classroom.