Disqus - Latest Comments for mbteach

Re: Things I Know 356 of 365: The network worked as it’s supposed to

mbteach — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 11:40:16 -0000

What I think that conversation showed, Zac, is that when networks and technology work the way they should, we don't even think about the avenues of communication because they're second nature. I'm excited to see how Aaron's project works out (no pun intended)!

Re: Learning Should Be Messy....Right?

mbteach — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 18:15:40 -0000

Our students are no longer allowed to bring mp3 devices to school and cell phones are locked away. So much for allowing my 7th graders to listen to their mp3 players to help them focus during class. Dunno about you, but I need background sound (not voices of classmates) to help me focus.

Re: Things I Know 214 of 365: I’ve been thinking of two superintendents

mbteach — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 11:35:51 -0000

Part of the problem, Gary, is that the SRC (School Reform Commission) just gave her a raise a few months ago for 'all of the great work she'd done' and then a series of events took the shine out of their eyes. They couldn't fire her (which would have meant no payout) because there was no 'cause' to argue after that bonus.

As for the Governor--he and the Mayor appoint members of the SRC, so it would look bad for the Gov to fire somebody hired by someone he appointed.

What Philly really needs to do is stop hiring these 'superstar' Supers and look within the city for a leader who knows the city, knows the kids and knows the players. That and actually installing a locally elected School Board.

Re: Natalie Munroe Blog: ‘Rude, Disengaged, Lazy’ Students

mbteach — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 13:04:10 -0000

Just so you know, Fah Fah Fah, Central Bucks is FAR away from inner city Philadelphia (where I teach). In fact, she's probably complaining because her students are from upper-middle class families and she feels that they act as if they have a sense of entitlement, not because their families are struggling with poverty and the issues that it brings.

That said, I have a blog and I would NEVER think of blasting my students or my parents on my blog. She made a stupid mistake and deserves whatever repercussions may ensue.

Re: Adventures in copyright

mbteach — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 20:48:57 -0000

Copyright is a hard thing to teach! Mostly because it is time consuming and because the images are never as 'good' as those that are copyrighted. Have you seen this search engine? http://compfight.com? It's a great way to search for CC licensed works on Flickr.

I can't wait to teach it to my students this year (ha ha). The librarians are right--good for you!

Re: What Twisted Sister Can Teach Us About Education Reform

mbteach — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 18:51:24 -0000

EduPunks all the way! We need to stand up for ourselves and refuse to accept the bashing and negativity.

Re: Question 181 of 365: What is a vendor? #iste10

mbteach — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 13:14:43 -0000

Ben, I am so glad you started this conversation. I have had such mixed feelings about vendors and education over the last few days. I am struggling with the way that education is being monetized, but I also understand that ideas and time are worth money. At the same time, I have a lot of respect for companies like Edublogs and Wikispaces who didn't buy ridiculously huge booths, but rather hung out with teachers talking education and getting real, practical feedback about their products. In talking with Adam from Wikispaces I learned that at first he didn't care about what teachers had to say, but opening his mind and ears has completely changed his point of view and his product. These are the kinds of vendors that I don't mind supporting, that I don't have mistrust for because, as you stated, their intentions are out in the open. In fact, he even ran a session at edcamp Philly for teachers to teach them how to talk to vendors to have them serve teachers better.

Perhaps we as educators need to show our support for those vendors who include us in conversations and don't hide their agendas. Then others will get the clue.

Thanks again for starting this conversation. I'm still not sure where I stand on the issue, but its an important discussion.

Re: What Motivates You?

mbteach — Sun, 16 May 2010 19:49:33 -0000

Steve (both of you!)

I just finished Drive and it has really got me thinking about not only the classroom, but also in how we prepare teachers for the classroom and provide them with learning opportunities as professionals.

I'd love to discuss/share ideas. My Kindle allowed me to take notes and highlight sections of the text for later. It's a great way to look back and reflect on the book.

Re: Chalk Talk 03/19/10 : Twitter Hashtags Edition

mbteach — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:41:59 -0000

Angela,

There is another wonderful Twitter hashtag: #edchat!

Every Tuesday hundreds of educators from around the globe converge on Twitter to discuss a topic voted on by the community itself. For more: http://edchat.pbworks.com.

Re: 2009 in Review

mbteach — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:46:09 -0000

Wow, Paula, we had similarly transformative years! Congratulations on the grant, that's fantastic!

I look forward to meeting you in June!

Re: My Decade

mbteach — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 10:51:17 -0000

Great reflection, Andy. I'm not sure that the 'average' person does all that in morning---maybe people WE know :) Nonetheless, this digital, constantly connected lifestyle is a reality and indicative of a change in how we interact with the world.

I hope that your vision of the future of education comes to be--it sure sounds nice! What we will probably see is more risk-taking schools and districts moving forward, dragging more risk-averting schools and districts slowly behind them. Sadly, I am in the latter :(

Best wishes for 2010!

Re: My 50

mbteach — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:31:59 -0000

What a wonderful way to commemorate your 50th post, through your students' voices. I agree with the Anonymous comment that you should try to connect with other classes using technology. It would be a great way to share your ideas and teach each other!

Re: Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Tips on Twitterpaneling from the #educhat Experiment

mbteach — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 22:32:20 -0000

Vicki,

What a great overview of the process! I am excited for the next one, now that I know you all used TweetLater to set up your tweets!

I agree that it can't be done too often, as it can get annoying for followers to have their TweetDeck columns filled w/your tweets.

I think 2 hours may have been a little long, though for the first time around it helped to have more time to figure out how it would work and how the discussion would go.

I am excited to read @plnaugle's spreadsheet of the tweets, as I'm sure they are chock full of good stuff! These discussions can also be a way to find new people to follow as well.

Thanks for starting this!

Re: So What is a Tweetpanel?

mbteach — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 22:34:55 -0000

Paula,

I just lucked out to stumble upon the #edchat. Now that I know you gals were using TweetLater, I'll be more prepared for next time. I was tweeting away like crazy trying to keep up!

What's great is how you guys pulled in others in your PLN into the conversation, even if they had no idea what #edchat was about!

I will definitely be checking out TweetGrid & TweetLater.

Thanks for sharing about the experience--it was awesome, I agree!

Re: Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Learning at NECC And Beyond

mbteach — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:11:18 -0000

I'm glad you enjoyed it (you inspired it!) Thanks for the link. Technically I'm supposed to be 'Off The Grid' today--I'm using "OTG" on Twitter to let people know--but I did decide that checking my email was important. I'm going to try to do it once every week.

Re: Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Learning at NECC And Beyond

mbteach — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 03:15:39 -0000

Vicki,
I commented through Blogger, but found this thread. I hope you have a great time "Off the Grid." Your recent post really got me thinking about how I use technology. When you get back, if you want to see what you got me thinking, you can check it out here: http://philly-teacher.blogs... (not sure if html works here!) Enjoy your vacation-it is well deserved!

Mary Beth
@mbteach