Disqus - Latest Comments for Alexa27

Re: Sin and Songbirds — Jon H.M. Chan

Alexa Scordato — Tue, 08 Aug 2017 07:42:05 -0000

" It's said that Roman Emperors used to stab their eyes out and blind them into a perpetual night to make them consume even more." 😮

Re: Destination: Faith — Jon H.M. Chan

Alexa Scordato — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 20:18:26 -0000

Yay, you enabled comments! So about the yoga... I know nothing about hinduism and I went from being a skeptic to a total convert (as you know). I'm loving all of the introspection, exploration, and writing you're doing these days. Keep it up!

Re: back in New York and feeling better than ever

Alexa Scordato — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 22:00:17 -0000

Where's the "love" button?

Couldn't be more excited for the year ahead and the moments we'll share together. How lucky am I to have someone who brings this type of energy, optimism and inspiration home every single day?

You make a fabulous addition to the Upper West Side and my inner circle of people I keep close. Looking forward to long walks in the park, slow bottles of wine, co-working, brunches, window shopping, serendipity, exploration, learning, and laughter together!

Every day is an adventure when you're Alexa and Amber. What good things will happen when the two join forces? The world will just have to wait and see!

Re: Academic Nourishment

Alexa Scordato — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 11:07:50 -0000

Great post, Heather! First of all, big props for dropping all of that weight. That's certainly no easy feat and says a lot about your conviction and discipline.

The analogy you use in the post is something that I think we can all relate to. Just like weight loss, there aren't any short cuts when it comes to long-term academic success. If we want students to succeed, we need to instill good habits early on.

Thanks for writing and fight on!

Best,
Alexa

Re: We have a new website!

Alexa Scordato — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 23:33:31 -0000

I love Paper.li, Margaret! Thanks for creating/sharing a @uscteacher version.

There's so much we can share and learn from each other. I think the biggest challenge we have is the number of channels there are to distribute all of this content. Hopefully between Twitter, this blog, sites like paper.li, our newsletters, etc. we can reach everyone!

Re: We have a new website!

Alexa Scordato — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 00:45:27 -0000

Sarah, that's so great! Thanks :) Feel free to email me at your earliest convenience... alexa.scordato (at) usc.edu - Can't wait to read your story.

Re: http://tumblr.heyamberrae.com/post/1262158645

Alexa Scordato — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 20:05:29 -0000

Amazing! Congrats on this new chapter and cheers to believing in work, love, and passion. Looking forward to catching up when you're back in the Big Apple. On behalf of the city, we've missed you!

Re: Staying in Touch, Online and Offline

Alexa Scordato — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 12:24:24 -0000

I will have to make it to Hawaii one of these days! Get through guided practice first and then we'll celebrate :)

You're going to be a great teacher, Sig. You care so much about the people around you and that will make all the difference in the classroom. Fight on!

Re: Cesar Riojas

Alexa Scordato — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 00:32:45 -0000

Cesar, Thanks so much for submitting this bio! Looking forward to getting to know you better and following your teaching career. Best, Alexa

Re: NBC Kicks Off Education Nation with President Obama Interview

Alexa Scordato — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 18:26:05 -0000

Measuring teacher performance is something that is still up for debate. I don't think anyone has quite figured out the best formula for determining whether a teacher is effective or not. There are so many variables that come into play, but I think at the very least, we need to look at low-performing schools and try to understand why students are dropping out and ill-prepared for college. If you see the film "Waiting for Superman", they cite a statistic that over 2,000 high schools have a dropout rate of more than 50%!

Re: The Virtual Classroom: A Student Perspective

Alexa Scordato — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 18:07:19 -0000

Hi Sandy,

All of our classes are taught in real-time, meaning you meet at designated times with your professor and peers. The program is designed to be taken in a certain order as one class builds upon the next; however, there is the flexibility to take classes out of sequence as there are currently no prerequisites after the first class. You can see a listing of the classes here:

http://mat.usc.edu/aspiring...

For the most part, our pedagogy classes are 10 weeks. Guided practice (student teaching), encompasses the last 20 weeks of the program and requires students to meet four days a week in a local school for a full day, bell to bell.

I hope this answers your question! If I can be of further assistance, feel free to reach out at alexa.scordato@usc.edu.

Re: Facebook Down Again [UPDATED]

Alexa Scordato — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 16:58:53 -0000

Here's a screenshot of the error message many of us are getting: http://twitpic.com/2r9qf0

Re: http://theteachingbog.tumblr.com/post/1049071968

Alexa Scordato — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:38:05 -0000

Absolutely loving this tumblr! It would be awesome if other students doing guided practice or alumni chronicled their experiences in this format. Fun, friendly, and makes me feel like I'm right there with you for these tiny moments.

Alexa

Re: 7 SXSW Interactive Presentations You Should Vote For

Alexa Scordato — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:27:06 -0000

Hi Jeff, I'm the Community Manager at 2tor and I just wanted to reach out and say thanks for voting for our panel. We're really eager to have a good conversation about online education at SXSW in 2011. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Great list you've compiled here, btw. Should be a good conference all around. Looking forward to connecting down there if we have the opportunity.

Best,
Alexa

Re: A New Chapter at 2tor and USC

Alexa Scordato — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:11:52 -0000

Laura, thanks so much for stopping by! Such a surprise to see you here. Til this day, I'm still fascinated by the rate at which we can communicate and connect with individuals on the web.

I meant what I wrote on that NYTimes blog... it's so great to see you as an educator utilizing this medium. There are so many traditional teachers/professors who are just not taking advantage of web-based resources and social technologies.

I've been meaning to write more on here about what I do and the experiences I'm having. Your comment is the perfect little nudge for me to actually do it and so thank you. Feel free to shoot me an email if you ever need to get in touch -- alexa.scordato (at) gmail (dot) com

Re: Leaving Education Up to Chance: A Reaction to "The Lottery"

Alexa Scordato — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 13:49:02 -0000

Michael -- I'm so glad you decided to write this post. I saw a lot of great feedback about the film in 2SC from other students who were at the screening. I think it's pretty clear to anyone reading this that you are *so* incredibly passionate about this subject. Education reform can be such a polarizing topic of conversation for many, but it's definitely something that needs to continue to be addressed from all angles.

As for the charter school debate, as you mention above, I don't think they're the be all end all solution to our failing public school system. They certainly give many parents hope for providing their children with a quality education, but as today's LA Times points out, charter schools may also be breeding grounds for corruption: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-charter...

I think in the end, we need to constantly re-examine our metrics for success, push past the social barriers that obstruct innovation, and reward individuals who prove to be agents of change in the classroom. In the past few months interacting with students in the MAT program, I've become even more convinced that passionate, talented, and dedicated teachers will be the truly instrumental in fixing our education system.

Thanks again for writing!

Re: Hot Fun in the Summertime

Alexa Scordato — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 21:22:14 -0000

What a beautiful boat, David! Glad you were able to make some time to enjoy yourself. You deserve it!

Re: Making the Most of Your Summer in the MAT@USC

Alexa Scordato — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 14:55:34 -0000

Hi Mike,

Have you tried requesting information on our International page? http://mat.usc.edu/internat...

Please click the green "i" to request info and you'll see a drop down menu where you can specify that you're in Korea. Also, I'll have an Admissions Counselor get in touch with you and he or she will be able to answer any questions you may have. You can also feel free to reach me at alexa.scordato@usc.edu.

Best,
Alexa | MAT@USC Community Manager

Re: Los Angeles to Host First Local MAT@USC Meet-up

Alexa Scordato — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 18:53:18 -0000

Whoops.. will fix that right now! :)

Re: Los Angeles to Host First Local MAT@USC Meet-up

Alexa Scordato — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:44:05 -0000

Looking forward to meeting everyone too! Glad you can make it :)

Re: The Framing Experience

Alexa Scordato — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 11:47:25 -0000

Just changed it! Thanks for the catch, Jenna.

Re: The Framing Experience

Alexa Scordato — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 12:59:08 -0000

David, thanks for sharing such a great recap of the Framing Experience! A lot of prospective students often ask what our classes are like and this definitely gives a nice overview along with helpful tips.

Looking forward to your future posts and following your journey in the program!

Best,
Alexa

Re: New beginnings and community building

Alexa Scordato — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 11:09:56 -0000

Michael! You crack me up, haha. Instant chat is on our list! Another one of mine: email notifications for follow up posts to threads!

And yes, more meetups will be happening. Stay tuned for updates. :)

Re: New beginnings and community building

Alexa Scordato — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 11:08:29 -0000

Hi Burt! Say hi next time you're in NY! Would love to meet up when you're in the area.

USC is most definitely on the up swing of technology. We'll continue to innovate and embrace new technologies in hopes that it will create a dynamic and unique experience for our students.

Re: Connecting the Dots

Alexa Scordato — Thu, 13 May 2010 03:25:55 -0000

Really thoughtful post, Michael. Thanks for sharing! I couldn't agree more about how vital community organizers are... we need more connectors in this world. I think you'll enjoy two books: 1) Lynchpin by Seth Godin (he talks about how we all possess the ability to be artists/influencers/change agents and how indispensable this role is in today's economic landscape) 2) Love is the Killer App by Tim Sanders (a feel good book about how knowledge, compassion, and networks can transform organizations)