Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Brilliant or Insane Promotes Anna Turner to Editor
Turner has degrees in journalism and theatre from Miami of Ohio and has written widely on many subjects. Most recently, she has served as Brilliant or Insane's pop culture writer.
"Anna's consistency and professionalism make her the perfect candidate for this position," publisher, Mark Barnes, says. "She has been on board with our vision from the beginning, and she's a tremendous, up and coming writer.
"Says Turner, "I like to bring a humor and quirk to my pieces, giving them a little bit of pizzazz. With Brilliant or Insane, there is an established readership that I need to write for. It is challenging, but rewarding, to write about what's important to me in a way that makes it enjoyable for the readers."
While she will continue to write those quirky articles on an array of topics, Turner will take on many other responsibilities in her new role, including planning articles, editing content, checking facts and representing Brilliant or Insane at some major events, as the site expands its news coverage.
"Moving forward with Brilliant or Insane is all about cultivating diverse content," Turner says. "The blog is a frontrunner in education and Cleveland-area stories, but I want to bulk it up with new areas of interest, satiating every bit of a reader's palate."
Stay tuned to Brilliant or Insane for more of Turner's work and follow her on Twitter here.
From Brilliant or Insane staff reports
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Write for Brilliant or Insane
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| via: allthingslearning.wordpress.com |
Before you leap at the opportunity to write for such an edgy, trendy amazing blog, please realize that the only benefit to writing for Brilliant or Insane right now is getting your name and work in front of a growing audience (some of our posts get thousands of page views weekly) and having your bio on our contributors page. There is no pay (that might change in the future).
Our Needs
- We need a Cleveland blogger (all things Cleveland -- plays, downtown, events, trends, etc).
- We need a variety blogger (celebrities, news, political events, social media, world news, etc).
- We need a teacher blogger (classroom practices, edtech, mobile learning, common core, etc)
- We need a sports blogger (focus on the biggies -- NBA, NFL, MLB, fantasy sports)
- We need real writers -- you don't have to be a novelist or a professional journalist, but some experience is helpful
How to Apply
Email us here with the following info:
- Your name
- Position of interest
- Writing experience
- Twitter handle, if you have one, and/or link to a blog, if you have one
- A sample blog post or article you've written
Let's see if you are Brilliant or Insane. . . or both!
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
A meme is a terrible thing to waste
If you don't already know, a meme is an idea or action that spreads -- usually through social sharing. It sometimes looks like a chain letter, except for the fact that you'll actually enjoy participating in memes. This meme is good for promoting blogs and helping readers better know the passionate authors whose names, in most cases, don't appear in bookstores or libraries.I was invited to participate in this one, known as the Sunshine Award Meme, by my friend Al Gonzalez, who blogs here and tweets here. Check out Al's work, as he is a fine, progressive-minded educator.
Sunshine Awards guidelines
- Acknowledge the nominating blogger. See above.
- Share 11 random facts about yourself.
- Answer the 11 questions the nominating blogger has created for you.
- List 11 bloggers you'd like to nominate (keep it going).
- Post 11 questions for those bloggers, and alert them that you have nominated them. Please don't nominate a blogger who has nominated you.
11 Random Facts about me:
- I have two amazing kids, whom I occasionally write about on this blog.
- I have played in the same fantasy football league for 24 years (I've made the playoffs 20 times).
- I was once a card-carrying Republican. Now, I'm about as liberal as they come.
- I've seen every episode of every Star Trek series.
- I love to end each day with my wife in our rec room, with a glass of chardonnay, debriefing and unwinding with some mindless TV.
- I think Buffer is the coolest new social media tool.
- I've written five books (you can find four of them here).
- I don't like pets, but I love my dog Max (picture inset).
- I don't believe the Cleveland Browns will win a Super Bowl in my lifetime.
- I love coffee, but it has to be from Starbucks.
- Performing on The Voice is on my Bucket List.
My answers to Al's 11 questions:
- Where are you from originally? Cleveland, Ohio. Been here my whole life.
- If you were stuck on a deserted island and a plane dropped a box of food, what would you want it to be? A perishable item would be steak. Nonperishable would be cereal bars.
- What's your favorite animal? I've always thought elephants are ridiculously cool; plus, they never forget who I am.
- What is your favorite part about being a teacher/administrator/education professional? The never-ending hope that I'll change the world.
- What is the most pressing issue facing education right now? Poor reading, due mainly to outdated strategies and a frightening lack of access to books.
- What do you do for fun that is not related to education? Family stuff, fantasy football, golf, read for pleasure.
- What book(s) would you recommend? Nonfiction: Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. Fiction: The Giver by Lois Lowry.
- What is the airspeed of an unladen swallow? In MPH or Knots?
- Do you like this sunshine meme thing? Sure, it's fun and forces me to reflect on my life.
- Do you like to sing? Uh, hello, see #11 in Random Facts about Me above.
- Is there a question I should have asked that I didn't? No. I like these.
My nominations
- Jen Robinson on Jen Robinson's Book Page
- Scott McLeod on Dangerously Irrelevant
- Wes Fryer on Moving at the Speed of Creativity
- Justin Vail on Education Shift
- Jessica Lahey on Coming of Age in the Middle
- Scott Merrick on scottmerrickdotnet
- Maureen Devlin on Teach Children Well
- Kelly Tenkely on iLearn Technology
- Bill Ferriter on The Tempered Radical (arguably the coolest blog title ever)
- David Wees on The Reflective Educator
- Jacqui Murray on word dreams
My 11 questions
- When you were a kid, what did you dream of being?
- How do you take your coffee?
- What is one thing you've done that you're really proud of?
- I'm a student teacher, what's your best advice to help me succeed?
- You can use a magic wand one time. What will you fix in education?
- Android or iOS?
- What is your go-to social network?
- The person who interests you most has the seat next to you on a plane. Who is it?
- What is the one blog or website you absolutely must read daily?
- Where do you go when you have to escape reality?
- What's at the top of your Bucket List?
Enjoy the meme, and don't forget to share.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
How the Huffington Post cheats readers
As an avid reader of The Huffington Post, I'm not suggesting that everything there is bad. My problem is with the shameless way the site draws readers in with titles, links, pictures and little or no content, which seems to be a recent change in editorial policy.
The picture above provides a perfect example. I read this post's title in my Feedly reader and clicked through to see the entire article. Of course, when I got there, I found a few sentences, followed by a link to the real story -- posted at NBC News.
I don't have a problem with linking to other sites; this is what good curation is about. Far too much of The Huffington Post's content, though, is nothing more than a title, link and a bunch of advertising.
If the policy is to glean stories from other news outlets, fine; how about adding some insight of your own, though?
The Huffington Post is cheating readers with this spammy ploy, and I'm done being drawn in by it.
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Around the web: my 5 favorite blog posts from 2013
As a writer and content curator, I read a ton of blogs. As a teacher, I read mostly about education and education technology, but I do love numerous sports and variety blogs as well. |
| via: 1000awesomethings.com |
Although it was an extremely daunting task, I have gone into my "saved-for-later" Feedly folder and selected my five favorite blog posts from 2013.
They are in no particular order and appear with the post title linked, followed by blog name.
- I used to think -- Stump The Teacher
- Becoming invisible in my classroom -- TeachThought
- Seven facts you should know about the new Common Core tests -- The Answer Sheet
- Dear Bammy Awards, where did I go wrong? Blogging Through the Fourth Dimension
- #622 When the dog's really excited you're back home -- 1000 Amazing Things
Please share one of your favorites in the comment section.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
What do you want in 2014? Take this survey, drive content
At the Brilliant or Insane blog, you are the most important person. I curate content on a variety of subjects to inspire readers and spark conversation. With this in mind, I am hoping you will take a few moments to answer the questions below.Remember, your opinion is most important. Here's your chance to drive content.
Be sure to scroll, as there are four questions. Answer all or as many as you like.
Thanks for participating and, as always, for reading.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Chasing connections
In an effort to gain followers, friends and blog readers, I find myself chasing connections on social media more than ever before.I've spent a good portion of two days creating a Google+ page, which will house links to posts from this blog. The Brilliant or Insane Google page is located here.
So, I built the Brilliant or Insane Google+ page -- which is just an extension of this blog. Will it bring more readers here? Will it spark conversation? I really don't know.
Sometimes, I just feel like I'm chasing connections.
Is this a bad thing?
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Most popular posts of 2013: are they brilliant or insane?
It's been an exciting and wild year in writing for me. ASCD published two of my books, Role Reversal and The 5-Minute Teacher. I wrote articles for Teacher Librarian, Learning and Leading with Technology, SmartBlog on Education and eSchool News, to name a few.Because of my love of blogging and the popularity of my work, thanks to you, I decided to post daily content here at the newly-named Brilliant or Insane Blog.
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| via: nobelprize.org |
Here are the most popular posts of 2013
- KidBlog is no longer completely free -- When I realized that the popular education blog host moved to a paid upgrade platform, I wasn't happy. This post prompted a social media uproar and a mix of upset users and KidBlog defenders.
- Dear Parents: I want to stop grading your children -- With a promise to redouble my efforts to end traditional grading, I started by giving teachers a letter that explains the reasons for ending grades.
- Top 5 reasons homework fails children -- This post originated earlier at ASCDEDge but was hugely popular here, when I posted it this year. Homework is always a hot-button issue among educators.
- Top 5 reasons to eliminate guided reading -- What can I say, teachers are passionate about what they teach and Top 5 posts typically generate a lot of views. This one was no different.
- Hey Major League Baseball, I'm breaking up with you -- I began my journalism career as a sports writer, so I enjoy the occasional post about sports. I'm not completely sure why, but this one got plenty of run here at Brilliant or Insane?
- KidBlog CEO defends move to pay platform -- After many shares of my original post revealing KidBlog's move to a freemium model, co-founder and CEO Matt Hardy commented, sparking even more dialogue from the blog's users.
- We must teach our kids about Nelson Mandela -- The death of the former South Africa president inspired this post. Hopefully, it will encourage teachers to keep Mandela's memory alive.
So, what do you think? Are any of these blog posts brilliant? Are any insane?
Please comment. There's much more to come in 2014.
Thursday, December 26, 2013
New blog name, even better content
I read many blogs, and some have amazing names that clearly represent the author and the content. So I decided to change the "Mark Barnes" blog to an eye-catching hook that defines what you will find in my daily posts. |
| via: markramseymedia.com |
The blog is now called, "Brilliant or Insane?" The theory behind the title is that each blog post is edgy, perhaps controversial, and I'd like you to decide how to qualify it.
Is it brilliant or insane?
Sunday, October 27, 2013
New blog has "Grand Opening"
Pop the cork on the champagne, toss the confetti and shout "Woo-hoo." The new blog, Brilliant or Insane, is having its grand opening today.The blog is located at www.markbarnes19blog.com. Please spread the word.
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| Photo courtesy Epiphany Learning |
As you can see on the top menu, there's lots of content on a wide array of subjects here everyday. That's right, there will be something new 365 days a year.
If this is your first visit, you might start with a few of the most popular posts so far:
- I weep for Adrian Peterson
- I'm tired of my child's A's
- Buy or Sell Peyton Manning as best QB ever
- Spare the rod, save the child
Please read, comment and share.
Most of all, have fun and let us know your thoughts on any post.
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