Check Out Our Place-based Learning Twitter Chat on Storify!

The Rural Schools Collaborative believes digital technologies and social media have the potential to level the playing field for rural schools and communities. Not only do these tools bring an entire world of resources and information to students, teachers, and school districts, but new media "connects" teachers and programs that have worked in what are often perceived as isolated places or settings. We were most pleased to participate in Tuesday night's #RuralEdChat on place-based learning. Thanks to #RuralEdChat's Tammy Neil of Florida for putting together this storify feature.

[<a href="//storify.com/MathNeil/placed-based-learning-ruraledchat-5-3-2016" target="_blank">View the story "Placed Based Learning #RuralEdChat 5-3-2016" on Storify</a>]

Editor's note: Original story is below.

A wonderful example of this connectedness is #RuralEdChat, a Twitter-based weekly discussion on rural education issues and trends. Embracing the motto, "Teaching in the country for the good of the country," #RuralEdChat has explored issues ranging from experiential education, to dealing with "change," to "Zen and the Art of Rebel Teacher Maintenance." Hosted by a number of forward thinking rural educators from throughout America, #RuralEdChat is an excellent forum for rural school advocates, small town development folks, and teachers and school leaders who think "otherwise."

We are pleased to be participating in the Tuesday, May 3rd, 7:30 p.m. C.S.T. #RuralEdChat online discussion, where we will explore the value of place-based education. We believe the importance of learning in place is self-evident. The sensibility of grounding educational activities in community and neighborhood is obvious, and the advantage here goes to the small rural school. Access to the outdoors, local government, the town square, and agriculture is more readily available to teachers and students in rural school districts. In addition, local decisions to implement these kinds of learning activities should be less bureaucratic, and there are ample opportunities for student work to contribute to community problem solving.

Place-based education gives meaning to learning, strengthens the bonds between school and community, and instills pride and wonder in the cultures and histories of rural places and small towns. You can go to our web-based section on place-based learning for more information, and we hope you will join us Tuesday evening for #RuralEdChat!

#RuralEdChat's Robin Hosemann, a librarian for the Viroqua Area Schools in Wisconsin, hopes people will engage in the dialogue. "It will be fun and a great way to introduce our community to Rural Schools Collaborative and broaden folks' thinking about what's possible in education."

We invite you to follow #RuralEdChat, and, of course, we strongly encourage you to follow the Rural Schools Collaborative on Twitter as well!