Students to learn STEM with 3-D printer

Submitted by Samuel Reed III on Wed, 05/02/2012 - 14:16 Posted in Class notes | Permalink

Beeber Middle School and Boys’ Latin of Philadelphia Charter School will host the Cube Odyssey on May 7. The Cube Odyssey, sponsored by 3D Systems, is a two-month road trip that includes four drivers, four printers, and one car to showcase the potential of 3-D printing.

With the explosion of 3-D movies, one might think 3-D printing involves a 2-D image that looks 3-D with special glasses. Instead, a 3-D printer heats up and prints out plastic in a form that you can hold in your hand. The process works like a traditional inkjet printer – the print head just moves in three dimensions instead of two.

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A canopy view: 'The Village Proposal' book

Submitted by Samuel Reed III on Thu, 04/12/2012 - 11:58 Posted in Class notes | Permalink

“Reforming our schools to deliver a world-class education is a shared responsibility – the task cannot be shouldered by our nation's teachers and principals alone…” (U.S. Department of Education, ESA Blueprint for Reform 2010)

Christopher Paslay brings his expertise as a high school English teacher, contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer and Chalk and Talk blogger to make The Village Proposal a timely and compelling read. The book examines the problems in education by juxtaposing Paslay's personal memoir with solid documented research.

You may not agree with some or all of the arguments, but that is exactly what makes Village Proposal a good read. Paslay argues using a narrative structure not found in many books about education reform. He doesn’t bore the reader with an overly complex or over-simplified problem-and-solution approach to education. He presents a nuanced view of shared responsibility.   

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PhilaSoup: Eclectic support for teacher innovation

Submitted by Samuel Reed III on Fri, 04/06/2012 - 14:00 | Permalink

Typically, Sunday evening is the time when many teachers make final preparations for a grueling week ahead. PhilaSoup offers an alternative for one Sunday out of the month. It is an event that brings together an eclectic mix of educators and community members to celebrate and support teacher innovation.

For a donation of just $5, folks get to break bread, enjoy homemade soup, and fund some cool education projects. PhilaSoup offers micro-grants for education-based projects that directly impact students’ learning and engagement. Cash awards are given on a competitive basis.

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One Voice for teaching and learning and the next superintendent

Submitted by Samuel Reed III on Wed, 02/08/2012 - 19:24 | Permalink

One Voice, an alliance of parents, students, and teachers, is gathering a group to testify at the next School Reform Commission meeting on Monday. The next SRC meeting will be another strategy, policy, and priorities community discussion, and it will be focused on curriculum and career and college readiness. Wendell Pritchett, chair of the curriculum committee, will run the meeting with Chief Academic Officer Penny Nixon.

One Voice plans to testify about how the budget crisis may be causing the District to overlook the importance of teaching and learning.

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Continue the EduCon conversation on #engchat

Submitted by Samuel Reed III on Mon, 02/06/2012 - 15:29 | Permalink

Tonight 7:00 p.m. I will host #engchat and continue the conversation that Timothy Boyle and I convened at EducCon 2.4, entitled "Teachers as innovators and social entrepreneurs."  

#engchat is a community of English teachers collaborating with one another via Twitter to share ideas and resources. It attracts teachers from all over the country for rich conversations and sharing every Monday from 7-8 p.m.

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District axes TransitChek program

Submitted by Samuel Reed III on Fri, 01/13/2012 - 18:49 Posted in Blogger commentary | Permalink

Thanks to the School District of Philadelphia’s budget cuts and staff reductions teachers like myself and my blog mate Timothy Boyle (we are both avid SEPTA riders) will not be able to benefit from the TransitChek program any longer. 

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Connected: The networked teacher

Submitted by Samuel Reed III on Thu, 11/03/2011 - 17:00 Posted in Class notes | Permalink

I recently sat down with Kira Baker-Doyle to talk about her book and the panel she will moderate during the Philadephia Writing Project's 10th Annual Celebration of Writing and Literacy.

Reed: Why do teachers need to build social networks? Does the connotation of the word “network” mean that teachers need to spend more time connecting with each other online?

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'One Voice' for governing the School District of Philadelphia

Submitted by Samuel Reed III on Fri, 10/07/2011 - 13:16 Posted in Class notes | Permalink

In unity there is power. Students, teachers, and parents will test this philosophy when they gather to attend a forum to advocate for having a voice in how the District should be governed.

The forum organized by Ed Voters PA, Public Citizens for Children and Youth, and the Philadelphia Student Union, will take place on Tuesday, October 11 at 5:30 at the United Way Building, 1709 Ben Franklin Parkway.

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Books & chocolate event: 'The Networked Teacher' book release party is Oct. 6

Submitted by Samuel Reed III on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 09:26 Posted in Class notes | Permalink

Kira Baker-Doyle, author of the book The Networked Teacher (and a Notebook member), is hosting a book-release event  on Thursday, October 6 at 7 p.m. at the Big Blue Marble bookstore  (551 Carpenter Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19119)

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PhilWP celebrating 25 years as a powerful teacher network

Submitted by Samuel Reed III on Fri, 09/23/2011 - 14:29 | Permalink

The Philadelphia Writing Project (PhilWP) is celebrating its 25th anniversary of teachers teaching teachers.

The mantra of “teachers as the best teachers of teachers” represents the power of PhilWP, a local site of the National Writing Project.

For its silver anniversary, PhilWP is commemorating its impact on literacy and writing as a critical tool for learning in all Philadelphia schools. Through the PhilWP network, education reform is not about top-down mandates or rigid accountability measures but represents teachers working together in professional and collegial communities.

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