This is a blog about my life, education, challenging discussions and what I learn. The mission and goal of this blog is to promote the sharing of ideas and resources to improve student performance.
Anthony Orsini sent an e-mail blast to the Benjamin Franklin Middle School community in Ridgewood, New Jersey, on Wednesday, urging parents to take down their children's online profiles on Facebook and elsewhere.
"There is absolutely no reason for any middle school student to be a part of a social networking site!," he wrote. "Let me repeat that - there is absolutely, positively no reason for any middle school student to be a part of a social networking site!"
After issuing a rallying cry --"It is time for every single member of the [school] Community to take a stand!" -- Orsini enumerated the reasons he opposes social-networking by his students.
The main problem, he wrote, is that tweens do not have the resilience to withstand internet name-calling.
"They are simply not psychologically ready for the damage that one mean person online can cause," he said.
First of all...WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO!!!!???? But I digress....
I've been catching a lot of heat lately about my dependance on said organization from my phone to my resources, in fact so far I've handled my entire dissertation using Google's resources.
So why make this post...just to show others I am capable of change :-) Happy Googling!
Here is an interesting video from the 140 character conference. I think Chris Lehmann has some powerful ideas, some are contoversial, but all ask us some very intersting questions and challenges us to rethink education.
Daniel Pink's book called Drive is fascinating to really seek to understand the core of what motivates us. Through numerous interviews I often hear a question about working with a student or teacher who is underperforming. Truly understanding how motivation works would help all managers, leaders, teachers, etc. get more out of the people we work with. In other words, check the book out!
Chec out Daniel pink's talk on motavation as animated by RSAnimate. I liked the talk before the animation, I like it even more with it....
This question has been asked of me in every interview I have had as I am seeking new employement as an educational leader. My answer is always short and susinct. But I have to say my ideas of professional develpment are constantly changing.
When I first started teaching I use to attend professional develpment one special days or half days. I would be, through this structured activity, encouraged to learn and grow during those times. The porblem was they were never long enough, they never met everyones individual needs and they were always planned by someone who has been out of the classroom for a while, leaving me often wanting so much more.
In the past few years my image of professional development is no longer something that is done on certain days of the year. My professional develpment happens every day, mutliple times a day. I use my google reader and my twitter account to find more resources that I ever would have from a workshop, conference, or half day inservice. Twitter, when used for this purpsoe (and not just following Shaq and John Mayer) is a powerful tool in interacting with other educators around the world. I've grown more and helped students more through these interactions and I'm a better teacher and leader for it.
All thanks to Al Gore for inventing this crazy thing called the internet :-).
To find out more develop your PLN through twitter:
Why do we connect? I know I do this simply to try to help other people grow and develop. This also challenges me to think of new ways to interact with the world around me. I want to be a better teacher and leader. How can I do that without reflecting and conversing about what's best for kids, what's best for education. I just can't make an impact on the world, thinking and interacting only locally. We have to as a society be willing to put ourselves out there and take a risk. RIght now I have two followers, two people that check this blog. Who knows where this blog may lead, who it may inspire, who it may help. That's why I connect!
1. Wear your bluetooth to your phone while teaching a concept
2. Dial in to a number listed
3. Your notes can then be downloaded, linked, and shared online....even to an ipod to a website!
Okay, I wish it was mine....but it isn't. It's a member of my PLN. Don't know what a PLN is? Find out that and so much more. This is a MUST read/MUST watch for every educator.
I just watched this video on leadership and was profoundly moved. Outstanding information. See some notes about the talk below and watch the video.
The golden ring of leadership demonstrated that everything we do as a leader stems from "WHY?".
People don't buy what you do, they buy WHY YOU DO IT!
Human brain is broken to three "parts." The first is the neocortex, the rational part of the brain that focus on the "WHAT?" in a message/concept or product.
The limbic brains focuses on the middle two sections of the ring, the HOW? and the WHY? This part of the brain is focused on feelings, trust, loyalty and directs all decision making. Interestingly enough it is not connected to language. So here is where those GUT decisions come from. Why people say they have a bad feeling about something but can't put into words what that is.
Facts will not translate to feeling right.
If you don't know what you do and why you do it, who's going to buy it?
We don't hire people to do a job, we hire people because of what they believe. Here's a secret: If you hire people to work for you, they will work for the money, if you people that believe what you believe in, they'll work for your drive.
Why were the Wright brothers successful at flight? Their passion was based on beliefs, hopes and dreams. People worked for them because people believed in them. Are you hiring people that will work for your money or for your beliefs?
What motivates you? Money or shared beliefs?
If you talk about what you believe, you will attract those who beleive what you beleive.
Law of diffusion of innovation - first 2.5 % are innovators, 13.5 early adopters, 34% are early majority, late majority and laggards wrap up the rest of the chart.
Between 15 - 18 percent market penetration must be converted before an idea/concept or gadget can TIP and become popular. Early Majority won't try something until others have already. Geoffery Moore calls it Crossing the Chasm when translating an idea into a successful one. TIVO was a failure only because of it's WHY even though we use the phrase non-stop in today's culture.
Why did people show up to hear Martin Luther King Jr.? They showed up for themselves not for him. They showed up for what he believed and why he believed it.....
We follow those who lead because they inspire us. Not because we have to, but because we want to. We don't do it for them, but for us. Are you the type of person that gets to the WHY? or are you too focused on the what and the how?
Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous phrase was "I have a dream"......not, I have a plan....
People will follow a dream, there is no inspiration in a plan.
