Apps for #totallyrossome...It's Not What You Think

Usually when an educational chat announces they're talking about Apps, you can expect to see some amazing programs, Web 2.0 tools, websites, and tablet features that improve student performance. Those are so great!

That's not what this is. This is about apps. Appetizers. We're #totallyrossome, and we think a bit differently around here. Appetizers are amazing, and they are designed to set your palate and your mood for the rest of the meal to come. And that's what we're going to do to this week.

There was an overwhelming mood in my Twitter timeline yesterday.

(img credit: http://seckora.com/2014/09/22/monday-can-help/)

Everywhere I turned, there was another member of my community bemoaning the start of the week. There were lamentations, whines, teeth-suckings, cursings, and ragings. Librarians displayed the language of lumberjacks; Mathletes had the mouths of masons; Teachers with the tongues of truckdrivers. (Sidebar: I've either worked with or lived with the latter in each of those comparisons, and each lived up to the reputation.) So I thought - my community needs to get this table set better for what lies ahead!

So this week on #totallyrossome, we're restarting. With appetizers. My metaphorical questions will come from a place of delicious premeal eats. There will be traditional - think soup cups or small salads. There will be non-traditional - perhaps some Irish tacos? There will even be some pop-culture - who can forget Chotchkie's Pizza Shooters, Shrimp Poppers, or Extreme Fajitas?

As usual, all of this metaphorical app discussion will center around our ability to improve the school experience for our students, so dust off your creative thinking; it's time to be #totallyrossome!

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#totallyrossome meets Tuesday nights at 9 PM EST. That's 6 PM for our friends on the West coast!

A #slowchatela for Products

Teachers of the English Language Arts (ELA) are often pigeon-holed into being one type of teacher. Read a book; write an essay. If you're really outside the box, you may even allow your students to write a short story!

However, there are great ELA teachers out there putting together some amazing thematic lessons that have some amazing products attached to them. This week on #slowchatela, I want to hear from you! What products are you using to allow your students to show what they've learned! How are we seeing skill mastery from our young scholars? How are we engaging them in interesting ways?

Please share, and give other teachers the opportunity to see what great things you're doing.


Questions for the week:
Q3/9 - What was your favorite product to turn in as a student?
Q3/10 - What is your favorite product to assign as a teacher?
Q3/11 - What product do you feel is the most outside the box? Do you use it for your classes?
Q3/12 - What multimedia products do you see as overused with limited impact on student learning?
Q3/13 - It's Friday the 13th, did you ever assign your students a product that failed across the board as though it was cursed?

To My Fellow Administrators and For My Teachers: On Meetings

img credit: http://tickietackie.blogspot.com/2010/11/bored-meetings.html

I was recently speaking with the parent of one of my son's friends. After being told that he might be heading up a project in the Caribbean, I asked, "So what do you do? For real?"

"Basically, I solve problems."

For the record, that's not a job title.

So what does this mean? Well, I asked, and he described his meetings as a "for instance".  They're called stand-ups ("because when we sit, we get comfy and stay too long").

How it works:

1. The group stands in a circle.
2. Each person answers 2 questions:
1. What projects are you working on?
2. What are your roadblocks?
3. If there are roadblocks, we look for a way to crowd-source the solution. ("Has anyone else encountered this? How was it resolved? Is something we can resolve here?")
1. If yes, we solve it.
2. If no, we set up another time to meet individually and discuss.
4. Go around the circle until all have answered the 2 questions.
5. Adjourn 

This whole process should take no more than 10 or 15 minutes. Because we're standing, people have not had the opportunity to settle in to their comfort zones. Distractions are minimized, and people are not allowed to turn the session into a complaint meeting.

The keys to success will be in the follow-up. Grade-level discussions can be had following the initial stand-ups. Teachers experiencing similar roadblocks will have time scheduled to sit with the supervisor to discuss strategies. Those teachers not experiencing roadblocks are able to break out to continue planning or grading that needs to be done. Ultimately, the teachers have captured more of their time for themselves.

And if you ask any classroom teacher what they need more of, time is high on the list.

Give it a try with your staff! Let me know how it turns out.

The #totallyrossome Band Experience: A #FF List for Educators

(img credit: http://memecrunch.com/meme/P2V1/we-re-getting-the-band-back-together)

If you’re anything like me, an hour of #totallyrossome goes screaming by. And in the words of Ferris Bueller, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” I know with all the recommending and name-dropping that happened this week, there was a lot to miss.

So I am please to present to you the list of #totallyrossome bandmates. The roles served as metaphors for the types of people who bring certain attributes to our educational Twitter experiences. These names all come highly recommended from the participants of the chat that asks you to be totally committed to all of the hats you have to wear in a given day as an educator. I hope you’ll consider adding these names to your PLN.

Happy learning!

Lead Singer
Lead singers are often the face of the band. They’re recognizable. They speak more in interviews. There’s an element of prima donna. They may, in fact, be full-tilt divas.
@SchleiderJustin @TheWeirdTeacher	@mmecushmore @finleyt @barrykid1	@sjsbates @rachealrife
Guitarists
Guitarists get a lot of the attention. They’re the ones making a bunch of noise and creating the noise that seems to drive the melody.
@SKwikkel @miamayer	@Thrasymachus @TheWeirdTeacher	@SchleiderJustin @MrLeBrun
Bassists
Bassists are not as often celebrated, but they provide consistency and strength. You know what you’re going to get, and you’re going to get it over and over and over and over…and it’s always good.
@kristenswanson @garystager @smartinez @tritonkory @earlsamuelson @LizWillobee	@JoyKirr @LisGurthie @barrykid1 @Glennr1809 @sandyrotto @andre_meadows @HalLRoberts	@iSuperEit @web20classroom @shahlock @TheTeacherBride @SchleiderJustin @cybraryman1
Back-up vocals
These singers fill holes. They complement the lead singer. They round out the performances. They complete the music.
@mmecushmore @degracia31 @dubioseducator @NMcCutchen @TocarraF @Mr_Fishpaw   @libertykrauss	@jimlerman @MrLeBrun @KarenBlumberg @mr_isaacs @heathjw @fpgina @DougTImm34	@MmePoulet @FRTeacherLove @tritonkory @LTaylorELA @YYCfrancophile @MathNeil @melsa777
Drummers
Like bassists, the drums keep that beat consistent and strong. However, drummers have a bit of the lead singer in them. Every now and again, they bust out a solo that wows even the most subdued of audiences.
@GregBCurran @LisGurthie @SchleiderJustin @artlaflamme	@TheWeirdTeacher @SchleiderJustin @FarleyJeffrey @paulpichurski @casas_jimmy	@pernilleripp @MagicPantsJones @RafranzDavis @ChrisStogdill
Pianists
The sound of a piano is a backdrop to all of music at once. Mozart, Vaudeville, church, Little Richard. They all tickle the ivories.
@shahlock @TheWeirdTeacher @JessLifTeach @jedipadmaster @artlaflamme	@SchleiderJustin @sjsbates @jabellpepper @LisGurthie @cybraryman1	@sandyrotto @sarahdateechur @fredbartels @jaymesdec @mrsci_techkitty
Technical Support
These people are the ones who use technology to take the show to the next level. That memorable laser show that seemed to mirror the beat? That’s the techs.
@Mr_Fishpaw @libertykrauss @MsPopp5 @mrslitras @MrsLaws4 @nolagirlfromtx @LisGurthie @mmecushmore	@GustafsonBrad @mrgfactoftheday @mrbadura @mitchellarogers @TheCoachAdair @watsonedtech @KristinCHarr @mtnsatheart	@mrsjpalmatier @MathNeil @cybraryman1 @TeacherCast @kjarrett @LTaylorELA @miamayer @nathan_stevens
Security
They keep everyone safe. There is no greater condition in which to create than the feeling of safety.
@LTaylorELA @sjsbates @tritonkory @MrsStevensonSS @scoleman21898 @Mr_Fishpaw @MarkZiebarth	@HalLRoberts @CatherineKU72 @burgessdave @btcostello05 @markbarnes19 @cultofpedagogy @joemanko @libertykrauss	@johnwick @gcouros @TheWeirdTeacher @rachealrife @ShawnaFord1 @RusulAlrubail @ashleyhhurley
Managers/Hype
This role is critical for getting things done on big levels. Without this one, there is no show. If there is no show, there is no band. There is just a group of people who play music.
@tritonkory @joemanko
Honorable Mentions
Folks who were mentioned - for honor.
@Braz74 @STLinOK @MrBarry628 @JoyKirr @LTaylorELA @ShiftParadigm @GregBCurran @miamayer @artlaflamme	@SchleiderJustin @approx_normal @DawnBrown11 @jamestsanders @JennyWamsley @kwessel10 @tomwhitby @Technobiologist @shannonmmiller	@TheWeirdTeacher @timneedles @keelybshannon @TravisPhelps80 @k_e_lafferty @paulpichurski @PMcPeake1 @nolagirlfromtx @btcostello05