Comments for Nebraska Change Agent

Comment on Networking on the Clock by Beth Still

Beth Still — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 03:32:51 +0000

Linda,
We are both so fortunate that our schools allow us to tweet during the day. If it weren’t for the things I have learned because of Twitter I would not have nearly the base of knowledge that I have today!

Comment on Networking on the Clock by Beth Still

Beth Still — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 03:30:56 +0000

That is a wonderful example of using Facebook to network. I never said Facebook was not valuable. What I question is the value of it during the school day. While I know some great links come across while I am in school there is much more that comes across that is not professional that I would find completely distracting. If I were to venture onto Facebook during the day I would get caught commenting on the latest pictures of my niece or chatting with my friends from high school. I am not paid to do that. Most of my teacher friends who post professional things to Facebook crosspost to Twitter so there is no need for me to be on there.

Comment on Networking on the Clock by Lindy Buckley

Lindy Buckley — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 23:56:07 +0000

I totally agree! That’s me too. During work time, when students are not with me I will check Twitter and I feel that’s OK because it’s almost all work related, but even though I have some facebook work related “friends” I don’t check it in school. It’s for home with the feet up and a cup of tea!

Comment on Networking on the Clock by Brandt Schneider

Brandt Schneider — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 23:30:21 +0000

There is a band director group on FB with over 9000 members. It has great discussions. Facebook has some quite valuable spots

Comment on Networking on the Clock by Beth Still

Beth Still — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 17:48:55 +0000

Thanks for your comments Brent. I fought hard as well to make sure that Twitter was not only open, but that it was seen as a valuable networking site. I cannot look my administrator in the eye and say the same thing about Facebook. I love the way that you use Twitter in your district. I see the chats you have once in a while and I think it is such an effective way to not only share within your school, but with others who follow the hashtag as well.

This last Friday I had the chance to promote Twitter at a meeting with teachers from around my region. I pointed out that one of the reasons I enjoy the connections I have made on Twitter is because nearly all of the interactions are either positive or they help push my thinking. In my experience, the vast majority of conversations with my f2f colleagues focus on immediate issues that relate to students or to my school. Due to the way my school is structured we don’t typically plan joint lessons and each of us is our own department. My connections online allow me to dive deeper conversations about what is happening in the world of education. Engaging in these conversations online allows me to explore ideas that I simply don’t have time to do with the people with whom I work with directly.

What you are doing with Twitter provides a prime example to show districts that still have not quite embraced Twitter as a legitimate form of communication.

Comment on Networking on the Clock by Mr. Catlett

Mr. Catlett — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:00:57 +0000

Hi Beth!
Ok, here are my thoughts, I think you or someone else were once quoted as saying, “Facebook is the people I went to HS with, Twitter is the people I wish I went to HS with.” anyway, I am not on FB, however I know many people who are including many teachers & I would have to agree with you about the educational content on FB vs Twitter. Anytime I am on Twitter I am growing professionally & what is wrong with that. I fought so hard to get Twitter unblocked in my district because I see so much VALUE in being on Twitter during my work day much like you have mentioned.
I think Twitter has huge potential for communication within a district if utilized correctly. My colleagues and I held a “virtual on line” meeting with a group of “building tech coordinators” from our district with a Chat via Twitter that accomplished the same thing as a meeting with the exception of driving to a central location. It was very successful.
I think networking on the clock is perfectly fine. I think it makes me a wiser, more inspired educator burning to bring my new passions to the students I serve!

Comment on Beyond the Textbook by Julie Spang

Julie Spang — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 11:09:44 +0000

Great post Beth. My school is slowly trying to implement a 1-1 BYOD model at a middle school and there is talk of textbook abandonment in favor of teacher developed curriculum, but I fear that many teachers may be uninterested in investing the time to do that. I am encouraged to hear that some MA schools are considering collaborating in the effort to develop curriculum which makes more sense than every school going off and developing similar work…I wish MA DESE was visionary enough to coordinate this kind of effort, but I think this will be a ground up kind of thing.

Comment on What School is REALLY Like for Students by Beth Still

Beth Still — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 01:25:18 +0000

Thank you for your comment. Teachers who are in the classroom because they love what they do don’t need an incentive to do what is best for kids. Nothing will motivate a teacher to treat students with dignity and respect. There are teachers who demand that students respect them no matter what without ever stopping to remember that kids will be kids. Some of my “best” students have bad days. They might snap at me, but they also know that the next day is always a new day.

Many teachers imagine my flexible submission system is probably a nightmare and that students will simply choose to not work. That is simply not the case. My students are not allowed to move on until the complete the previous assignments. The exception to this is if we do something as a whole class. Once that activity is over then students go back to working on whatever assignment or project they were working on. Are there some students who will end up with zeros? Yes. If Johnny makes the decision to not do his work he has made the decision to accept zeros for that choice. Out of the 40 or so students I have each quarter there are one or two that blow off my class. Their motivation to pass the class is the fact they can only flunk 4 classes before being removed from the program where I teach. There is a waiting list to get into the school where I teach and students who fail to make progress are taking up a slot that some other student would be happy to fill.

Comment on Following a Different Path by Leslie Fail

Leslie Fail — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 19:05:21 +0000

My name is Leslie Fail. I am happy to see that you are passionate about teaching. It is sad to say that there are many teachers still in the classroom who do not enjoy teaching. I really hate to hear that your school might close. I hope that it stays open. The students need you. It is wonderful how the students are voicing their concern through social media. I wish you all the best.

Comment on What School is REALLY Like for Students by Dalton Jackson

Dalton Jackson — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 00:28:05 +0000

Beth,

I really like your approach here. There’s a lot of talk being bandied about among teachers and administrators about what’s wrong with the system, and I appreciate the someone took the time to listen to the kids, who ought to have been at the center of the discussion from the beginning.

One theme we’re seeing is that part of the problem is the teachers.

I think the negative teachers being referenced by the students are part of the dead weight that plagues every district – embittered people who care very little, do the bare minimum to get by, leave every day at 3:15, and rob the kids of an education in exchange for a paycheck – heaping abuse as they go.

Do you have any thoughts on how we can best incentivize teachers to do the right thing by their kids? What can we focus on that will give teachers hope and motivate them to go the extra mile? I realize we all ought to be doing it for the kids – but it’s easy to get demoralized when the guy in the next classroom over is collecting the same check for heaping abuse on the kids.

I like your overall ‘carrots, not sticks’ approach – and I wonder if it could trickle up. How do we use a similar system on the administrative level to retain good teachers who want to teach?

Additionally, I’m curious as to how your flexible assignment submission system meshes with the finite length of the school year. What happens when Johnny gets to the end of the year and has a number of assignments missing? I understand that poking, prodding, and encouragement can remedy a good deal of this. Is it a 100% fix, in your experience?

Comment on What School is REALLY Like for Students by Leslie

Leslie — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 20:28:36 +0000

Hey! My name is Leslie Fail. I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I really liked how you have one rule because all situations fall under that area. If you respect someone, you will not hit them or yell out in the middle of class. I also find it very disturbing that some students are called names by their teachers. This is very sad because some students experience poor home lives and come to school and have horrible experiences also. It is important as educators that we are positive role models for our students and encourage rather than discourage our students. Your post was very interesting and I look forward to reading more posts in the future.

Comment on Following a Different Path by Ashley Fallo

Ashley Fallo — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 05:09:53 +0000

I am an Elementary Education Major at the University of South Alabama. I am in a class called EDM 310 and I have been assigned to your blog. I am very sorry to hear about you school. I really hope they keep it open. These students need people to be there for them. If this is taken away from them that would just be horrible.
Best of Luck.

Comment on Mentions by Molly

Molly — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 08:51:35 +0000

It’s great that schools are catching up with today’s fast-advancing technology. In some schools, students no longer carry notebooks with them, but iPads!

Comment on What School is REALLY Like for Students by Ashley Fallo

Ashley Fallo — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 05:33:25 +0000

I am an Elementary Education Major at the University of South Alabama. I am in a class called EDM 310 and I have been assigned to your blog. I completely agree with you that students need to be treated with respect. When I was in school it really did feel like prison. Students are more willing to learn that way. I really like how your post was set up by telling the problem and what works for you. I think this is a great post that all teachers need to read. I really enjoyed reading your post.

Comment on Following a Different Path by Penny

Penny — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:24:09 +0000

I am taking a self paced course on blogging from Idaho Digital Learning Academy. Your blog was listed as 1 of 4 to read and comment on. I found your work to be quite inspiring and exceptional.

Currently I am a student working towards a teaching certificate and find the thought of learning a traditional style of classroom learning quite depressing. I am not interested in teaching in a traditional classroom.

If you are interested in teaching in an alternative school with an emphasis on blended learning it would be helpful to have a teacher training program geared toward that style. Have you heard of any?

Right now I am limited to very few educational options because of location and family so have decided to find as many online edu tech courses and work on my own. I am creating my own blended learning style. Where there is a will there is a way!