Archive for Category: "The Disruptors"
May 17, 2013 2:25 pm
Your Students Are Not Geniuses
I’ve noticed a dangerous trend develop recently where, in an attempt to empower students, teachers have started calling them geniuses. I disapprove of this trend–mostly because I am not a genius, and I am jealous of those who are, especially those of you in this EdReach Network community.
May 9, 2013 3:18 pm
You, Disruptor…Are Still Dangerous.
I am usually the “gets along with everybody guy”, the gentle disruptor…not last week though. Last week I learned from a colleague that I am “dangerous”. Really. Me of all guys.
April 30, 2013 11:54 am
Social Color Commentary: Learning From a Play-by-Play of Real-Life Tragedies
Having just returned from a trip to Boston and living in the heart of Texas, we’ve seen our share of tragedy the past couple of weeks. In the case of both the Marathon Bombing and the explosion in West, Texas, I used social media to tell me the story.
April 12, 2013 9:00 am
The First Disruptors: Yvonne Corley
Who was the crazy one? Who disrupted you? When I reflect with colleagues on how far we have come as educators most of us can point to one or two people early in our careers that showed us there was a better way, a different way to do our life’s work. Yvonne Corley, then a second grade teacher at Cholla Elementary School in Casa Grande, Arizona changed everything for me.
April 4, 2013 8:33 pm
Roger Ebert: The Man Who Taught Me How to Read
So, one of my childhood heroes is gone. I can safely say that, besides John Denver, for me, there is no greater public influence on my work in education, my work as a writer, my obsession with visual, audio, and written media- than Roger Ebert. This hurts.
March 26, 2013 9:12 am
The First Disruptors: Alan November’s BLC10 Event
I know when you think of disruptors, you generally think of people. However, I found that an actual event caused me to be the disruptive person I am today.
March 21, 2013 1:19 pm
The First Disruptors: Eleanor Roosevelt
When I first read the book , “The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt,” I was mesmerized by this courageous woman. One of my favorite quotes from her is “Do one thing everyday that scares you.” You will be surprised by your capacity to continuously rise to this challenge.
March 19, 2013 2:36 pm
The First Disruptors: Inspired Disruption
For me, the notion of being a disruptor has been in my blood since I was born the middle child with an older and younger brother. You learn very quickly how to complain and question everything. My older brother was able to do everything because he was the oldest and my younger brother got away with everything because he was the younger of the boys.
March 5, 2013 9:00 am
Connected for Communication, Yet Still Disconnected
What the 4 parties in the education community can do better to be in the know and live in the now. I hear some of the same lines year after year from all the parties involved.
February 26, 2013 12:22 pm
Why Email Should Die
This year for Lent, I decided to give up email. Now, I know what a lot of you might be thinking. “We would all LOVE to give up email, we’d have so much free time.” I heard comments like that as well as smirks and off-hand remarks about how I’ll surely get fired. Now, while I can’t claim that I won’t get fired for this, I’m now two weeks in and it has been EYE-OPENING.
February 24, 2013 11:03 am
10 Reasons Facebook Fails Education
So – I know what you’re going to say, right. It’s not Facebook’s responsibility to do anything for education right? I totally agree with that sentiment.
February 15, 2013 10:16 am
Be Linchpins. Ferret out the Weasels.
You might have guessed by the title, what book I just finished reading. Linchpin is from Seth Godin who also wrote Tribes, The Dip, and The Icarus Deception – How High Will You Fly? In the book, Godin advocates that we all need to move beyond just taking orders and start bringing more of our own personalities and overall humanity to our jobs. If we just show up and do only what we are told then we are just “cogs” in a factory system no [...]
February 7, 2013 9:49 am
Have you made learning personal this year?
As I sit back and reflect on this school year (yes, we should be doing this on a regular basis and not just at the end of the year), realizing it is already the beginning of February, I want to challenge you as parents, students, teachers, and administrators, and even the overall community to stop and reflect on this question: Have you made learning personal this year?
January 31, 2013 2:33 pm
Are We Drinking The Common Core Kool-Aid?
The Common Core/NGSS bandwagon is being jumped on by districts and states all over the country including mine. I am beginning to wonder: why? Is it because it’s going to be good for students, or because they fear if they don’t, their test grades on the new Smarter Balance tests will suffer and, in turn, their AYP?
January 24, 2013 6:25 pm
Standardized Testing: 20 Percent Time Gone Wrong
Some of you out there will try to tell me once the Common Core/Next Generation Science Standards come in, it will be alright. But at the pace the science group is moving we are going to have to do some major scrambling to catch up on the new tests. The other frustrating part of Common Core is it seems that only English and Math matter.
January 22, 2013 3:00 pm
A Phenomenal Leader? Depends on Your Definition
As we unwrap from our winter down here in Texas (yes, it only lasts a couple of weeks) we look forward to a new and exciting season – legislative season. Our state legislature reconvened last week and, like many states, funding for education is a big topic. Unlike our brethren states, we actually have a surplus of funds coming in.
January 17, 2013 9:39 am
Find A Wolf Pack Using The Little Blue Bird
In my first post for the Disruptors I wrote “Disruptors: Get Comfortable with being the Lone Wolf.” This post is about using that little blue bird to find your wolf pack. Over the past few months I have found three packs to run with and they are all groups of Disruptors. I found then all on Twitter and they are all lone wolves in their districts or schools.
January 10, 2013 3:10 pm
Quit your moping. It’s conference season!
Three of the greatest academic days of my year are ten weeks away, Michigan’s annual MACUL Conference. Every March educators gather to share their new discoveries, triumphs, and tribulations integrating technology into the classroom. Many other states have their own version of MACUL just around the corner too. There are a lot of things that can bring us as educators down this time of year. We can sit in the teachers’ lounge and wallow or we can invest a little [...]
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