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.

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?

'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.

Entrepreneurship series: A different bottom line

Submitted by Samuel Reed III on Fri, 09/02/2011 - 17:27 Posted in Class notes | Permalink

I recently participated in a provocative panel session entitled “Entrepreneurship in Education.”  My co-panelists Christina Rose Dubb, the executive director of the Spells Writing Lab, and Michelle Loucas, the co-founder of Philly Free School, embodied the social entrepreneurial mantra of “doing well by doing good.”

It’s debatable whether education reforms of the past decade driven by privatization and corporate influence have made any significant impact in narrowing the “achievement gap.” So I can understand why some educators would cringe at the thought of teachers as entrepreneurs.

I am not proposing that teachers sign up as free agents and place shingles up in front of our classrooms. Nor am I proposing we place billboards in front of our classrooms and provide our services to the highest bidder. However, I am proposing that some successful principles of social entrepreneurship could improve teaching and learning in our struggling schools.