The New Teach_J

The packet-driven classroom

Sun, 19 May 2013 13:14:27 -0400

Jeff Bliss got our attention when he shared his frustration with his teacher, classmates, and the world about his learning environment.

The now viral video captures a room of students, some with their heads down, some with a facepalm, some staring into space, all silently sitting at their empty desks seemingly disconnected not only from each other, but also from their behind-a-desk-fortress teacher.

That is until Jeff Bliss got up and spoke:

Jeff Bliss: [I’m tired of] hearing this freakin’ lady go off on kids because they don’t get this crap. If you can just get up and teach them instead of handing them a freakin’ packet, yo. There are kids in here who don’t learn like that, they need to learn face-to-face. You’re just getting mad because I’m pointing out the obvious.

According to classmate Colleen Hunt, “Everyone at our school is proud of him for speaking his mind and not being rude about it.” Jeff reignited a national conversation about the state of the educational system, the seemingly indifferent attitude of teachers and an administration that could allow teaching (or lack thereof) like this to go on in the classroom right under their noses. But many of those who work in or with, attend, and/or have children in schools, understand that in many cases it is not the teacher or administrator, but forces outside the school that has led to the development of the packet-driven classroom.

I experienced this first hand. Two years ago I was overseeing a project where my staff was working with schools to support teachers in partnering with students to create passion-driven learning environments. I had a great visit, during what we called an innovation field trip, to one of these schools. What a day it was as students excitedly presented their worthy-of-the-world projects. They clearly owned their learning and demonstrated this in a variety of ways. Some had created videos, some PowerPoint presentations, some wrote articles, and more. Students learned with and from one another, and they found places to share their work beyond the classroom.

As I was leaving the school I happened to run into their teacher and commended her for doing such wonderful work. I was struck by the fact that she didn’t smile when I did. Instead, she thanked me but told me this would likely be her last year in the classroom. What? Why? I didn’t understand. She explained that once they got back from their February break (the following week), the school goes into full test prep mode and she would be required to stand by complicit as she watches the shining light fade from the eyes of her students.

Read more at the link…

carry-on-my-wayward-castiel: trollcatty: t0nystarkhasaheart: b...

Sat, 18 May 2013 09:49:15 -0400

carry-on-my-wayward-castiel:

trollcatty:

t0nystarkhasaheart:

batheinhisblood:

avengeallthethings:

Tony Stark, everyone.

Robert Downey jr everyone.

it had to be corrected

Tony Stark pretending to be Robert Downey Jr pretending to be Tony Stark.

There, corrected even more.

#this is from due date

Tumblr has officially lost the ability to tell the difference between Tony Stark and Robert Downey Jr.

Robert Downey Jr has lost the ability to tell the difference between Tony Stark and Robert Downey Jr.

There is NO difference between Tony Stark and Robert Downey Jr.

redplebeian: kyssthis16: nospockdasgay: nievie: arachnis-deat...

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:36:50 -0400

redplebeian:

kyssthis16:

nospockdasgay:

nievie:

arachnis-deathicus:

Gonna quickly throw in an epic quote I found on this article.

KJKJ: Gene Roddenberry, with balls of brass, got up on national tv and said, “hey people, if a geneticist took all the best DNA from planet Earth and put it together to make the best human the world has ever seen - he wouldn’t be a white guy.”

This is why I find the casting of a white actor in this role to be so repugnant. They are not whitewashing an Asian role, they are saying that the best genetic material that the entirety of this world and it’s diversity has to offer….still comes from a white guy.

Reblogging again for that

Omg yes

Basically.

Gene Roddenberry was the shit and J.J. Abrams is just shit

So MANY good Asian actors passed over.

EDD: What is your favorite tech gadget, app, program, etc. to use in your classroom?

Wed, 15 May 2013 20:23:46 -0400

itssnix:

theimprobablefiction:

I’m curious, since I was asked a similar question in my interview today.

OneNote. I use it to organize all my notes and lesson plans; I’ve got them divided by week and am excited to use them again next week. All in one place!

Quizlet - so easy, so cool

EDD: What is the number one must-have item for a first year teacher's classroom?

Wed, 15 May 2013 20:21:49 -0400

positivelypersistentteach:

ambedu:

Good question! Help me out! What do I need?

Hand-sanitizer.

Emergency kit: band aids, peppermints, safety pins, rubber gloves, tylenol, portable pepto bismol, Aleve, cough drops, etc.

We need this so bad…

Mon, 13 May 2013 18:11:40 -0400

We need this so bad…

Now That’s Camping

Sun, 12 May 2013 09:38:33 -0400

Now That’s Camping

geekmythology: Nine ridiculously awesome fan-made posters for...

Thu, 02 May 2013 19:16:43 -0400

geekmythology:

Nine ridiculously awesome fan-made posters for Star Wars Episode 7.

Seriously, Hollywood, find whoever made these posters and commission them for the real movie in a year and a bit’s time. via Comic Book News.

awesome

British historical figures as they might appear today.

Thu, 02 May 2013 18:46:25 -0400

British historical figures as they might appear today.

How many teachers do this?

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:30:02 -0400

How many teachers do this?

The Political Hazards of Changing High School Standards

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:23:20 -0400

Of the three primary arguments about public schools under way in Austin, two are relatively easy for lawmakers to sell to the voters who put them in office.

Lawmakers are trying to replace billions cut from the public education budget in 2011. They haven’t reinstated all of the $5.4 billion that got whacked, but they have replaced most of it. And lawmakers will probably be back next year for a special session on school finance that might well replace the remainder.

A matter that might have been concerning for a politician preparing to walk into postsession town hall meetings has been defused.

Candidates who survived the campaign obstacle course in 2012 received one message loud and clear from voters: something must be done about the excessive number of high-stakes standardized tests in public schools. And you can see the results in legislation barreling its way through the Legislature that would lower the number of those tests to as few as five from 15. Message received. Another town hall problem defanged.

The third education issue is shaping up as fodder for an expected flurry of 2014 campaign ads. Lawmakers are talking about changes in high school graduation requirements.

They are not increasing the levels of mastery required to leave high school with a diploma. They are not trying to make sure more Texas students are ready for college.

What they are trying to do is make sure that more children get diplomas and that fewer of them drop out. Because not every student is university-bound, why should every high school diploma indicate that the holder is ready for college?

Nowhere in that description about the proposed changes in graduation requirements do you see the two words that will likely be featured prominently next year — in deep baritones and big red letters — in those campaign ads: “Dumbing Down.”

As they read this, some lawmakers are turning to their phones, their computers and their email, to protest. They want to recognize something not acknowledged in many high schools: Some students are going into skilled jobs without going to college, or without going for four years, and should be prepared for that work. Those students, the argument goes, don’t need algebra II or four years of science and social studies.

You can tell by lawmakers’ reactions to criticism about the proposal that they know this is a delicate issue. Still, it is difficult to say they are raising the standards for high school students. It is also hard to say they are even holding the line.

It’s going to be easier to get out of high school with a diploma, right?

Students will be graduating with insufficient coursework for college admission, right?

Some of the hard courses that might prompt teenagers to think about dropping out will no longer be a default requirement, correct?

That might raise high school graduation rates and lower dropout rates, which is good politics. That, too, can be turned into a campaign ad. But it does so at the cost of graduating students who don’t have the skills to go to college if they want to. It leaves colleges with the job — if they’re willing to do it — of teaching new students the things they should have learned in high school in order to perform at the levels required in college.

If they built cars like this, Texas would be heaven for mechanics.

Behind the scenes at the Capitol, different factions from the business community are busy lobbying on this, with one saying the marketplace demands skilled laborers who don’t necessarily want or need four-year college degrees. Another camp, veterans of No Child Left Behind, the state’s sweeping education reforms in 1980s and other fights, is trying to hold the line on standards and accountability. The debates over money and tests are important, and voters were clear about those issues.

Voters wanted to get rid of many or all of the tests. Some of them wanted money restored to schools. But through the other battles on schools, from vouchers to finance to testing to teacher pay to property taxes, voters have been relatively steadfast in wanting children to get good educations in Texas public schools — excellent educations, even.

Were they really complaining that high school in Texas is too hard?

Zelda NES Cartridge Ring

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 20:39:00 -0400

Zelda NES Cartridge Ring

tofusnow: Cosplay is for everyone!

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 13:42:12 -0400

tofusnow:

Cosplay is for everyone!

spaceplasma: Sea Launch Sea Launch is a Russian spacecraft...

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 09:41:06 -0400

spaceplasma:

Sea Launch

Sea Launch is a Russian spacecraft launch service that uses a mobile sea platform for equatorial launches of commercial payloads on specialized Zenit 3SL rockets. It has assembled and launched thirty-one rockets, with three failures and one partial failure.

The sea-based launch system means the rockets can be fired from the optimum position on Earth’s surface, considerably increasing payload capacity and reducing launch costscompared to land-based systems.

Sea Launch was established in 1995 as a consortium of four companies from Norway, Russia, Ukraine and the United States, managed by Boeing with participation from the other shareholders. The first rocket was launched in March 1999.

All commercial payloads have been communications satellites intended for geostationary transfer orbit with such customers as EchoStar, DirecTV, XM Satellite Radio, and PanAmSat.

The launcher and its payload are assembled on a purpose-built ship Sea Launch Commander in Long Beach, California, USA. It is then positioned on top of the self-propelled platform Ocean Odyssey and moved to the equatorial Pacific Ocean for launch, with the Sea Launch Commander serving as command center.

All Sea Launch missions to date have used the custom-designed three-stage Zenit-3SL launch vehicle, capable of placing up to 6,000 kg of payload in geosynchronous transfer orbit.

Advantages of equatorial launch site:

The rotational speed of the Earth is greatest at the equator, providing a minor extra launch “boost”.

The need for a “plane change” to the zero degree inclination of geostationary orbit is eliminated, providing a major extra launch “boost”. This allows 17.5%-25% more mass to be launched to geostationary orbit than the same rocket launched from Cape Canaveral, which is at 28.5 degrees north latitude.

Any orbital inclination could be reached, thus (for example) combining in one launch site the attainable inclinations of both Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg.

Advantages of ocean-based over a conventional land-based launch platform:

An ocean launch reduces risks related to launching over populated areas, providing better safety to third parties.

Absence of range conflicts with other launch systems and a near total absence of ship or overhead air traffic that would constrain launch

Sea Launch was awarded the Space Foundation’s Space Achievement Award in 2000.

Official website: http://www.sea-launch.com

Super cool!

tastefullyoffensive: [via]

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 16:16:37 -0400

tastefullyoffensive:

[via]

What it truly means to be a teacher

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 16:13:53 -0400

thingsforteachers:

I haven’t posted in nearly 2 years. But after a few stressful weeks at work, I was inspired to write this when I got home today.

I read about teaching constantly in the news, and it doesn’t seem to reflect what I experience each day. It’s been increasingly frustrating to me. While it’s very difficult to express in words what a teacher’s day is like, I gave it an honest shot here (warning: there is a little bit of profanity).

What it truly means to be a teacher

12:45pm. I am teaching a 7th period class; we are focusing on the costs and benefits of British rule in India. The students are working on a t-chart on their own, referencing a textbook.

A girl in the front looks upset. Her eyes are glassy. She is finished the assignment far before the others because her reading level is on grade level while many of the students in the same class are still struggling at grammar-school reading levels (I teach 10th grade). She is drawing circles on her paper.

I know she was supposed to audition for the X-Factor, a TV show, yesterday; she had been excited about it for months. I heard through the grapevine that her dad wouldn’t let her go. I kneeled down. “Are you okay?”

Another student shouts from a few rows over: “Ms. D, I need you to show me my grade.” (Yesterday, as I tried to get him to start his work, he told me to shut the fuck up.)

I ignored him for a moment to see if he would notice I am mid-conversation with another student. She nods and says, “I’m fine” unconvincingly.

Again- “My grade Ms. D, I need to see my grade.”

“I’ll show you your grade after class- I’m trying to talk to another student right now.”

“I need to see it though,” he insists. “Is this good? Am I done?” He holds up his t-chart. I’m still kneeling in front of X-Factor girl as she absentmindedly traces the already-drawn circles on her paper.

“Ms. D,” another student shouts from across the room. “Can I stay after class and see my grade too?”

It’s been 1 minute.

1:01pm. We have 4 minutes in between classes and the bell has just rung to mark the end of 7th period. My 8th period class is honors-level and they are preparing for a debate. I need to move the desks from their standard position in rows to 2 large groups before too many students file in. I start in the back and manage to get 2 desks flipped around.

A girl runs in who should have been in my 7th period class but wasn’t. “I came to say bye, Ms. D. I’m not gonna be here anymore.” She’s standing by my desk at the front of the room.

“What?” I ask, not fully processing what she’s said.

“I’m not coming back,” she repeats.

I walk up to my desk. My 8th period has started to file in. “Guys, if you could group the desks into your 2 teams, please,” flitting my hand at them since I’ve been pulled aside.

“My foster mom kicked me out and I’m going to a homeless shelter,” the student continues. “I can’t go to this school from there.”

A student I advise in NHS comes in. “Ms. D, I need to see the papers I gave you earlier today- I think I stapled something to them that I wasn’t supposed to.”

I reach for the file of papers that I had put hers in earlier that day. “You can’t come to CHS still while you’re at the homeless shelter?” I’m flipping through the pages.

“No,” the homeless student says. “Ms. M says I can’t until I’m placed, then maybe I can get transportation.”

I hand the papers to the NHS student that she’s requested. “I need you to sign these- they’re from the donation drive,” she says. I put them on my desk and sign quickly, looking over them to make sure they are what she says they are.

I turn to the homeless student again, not sure even what to say. “Do you have paper? Will you keep in touch? Call me if you need anything? Please?” I write down my phone number for her.

NHS girl waves a paper in front of my face. “Do you need this to verify my hours?” I shake my head.

“Ms. D, I have a question!” calls a student from across the room. I walk over.

The bell rings for 8th period to begin. I turn around and the homeless girl has disappeared; I didn’t even get to truly say goodbye.

It’s been 4 minutes.

1:20pm. My honors students are in their teams, preparing for their debate. There was tension in this class yesterday; the teammates weren’t getting along well. One of my students approached me in the morning saying she felt as if her team was not taking her comments seriously.

Read More

Thanks NYC

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 19:56:24 -0400

Thanks NYC

fastcompany: A glowing message of support, from New York to...

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 17:28:28 -0400

fastcompany:

A glowing message of support, from New York to Boston.

NY <3 B

NYC ❤ BOS

Why do we even have that lever.

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 09:35:54 -0400

Why do we even have that lever.

Back to the camera shot. One in almost every movie.

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 22:04:45 -0400

Back to the camera shot. One in almost every movie.