Joe is lead learner at Knapp Elementary School in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. He recently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education while completing a dissertation on social media’s impact on school-family partnerships. As a school leader where 20 languages are spoken at home, Joe is always looking for ways to differentiate for his families and meet them where they are. He writes a weekly blog that offers ideas on connecting families using technology called eFACE Today. He is also an avid Tweeter and can be followed @Joe_Mazza or at his school’s family engagement Twitter account at @KnappElementary. Feel free to participate in #ptchat (parent-teacher chat), which Joe co-hosts on Wednesday nights at 9EDT. He has a M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from National Louis University, and a B.S. in Elementary Education & Spanish from Penn State University. Joe lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with his wife Lauren and new son Mark.
Blog Posts
Since Knapp Elementary held its first "ParentCamp" on April 27, our learning community has been engaged in conversations far beyond those 27 discussion sessions led by local parents and teachers.
Read More.As we near the end of the school year, it's time to take stock of our efforts in teaching, learning and leadership, and how well they’ve worked. We should also be looking at what has or has not worked in regards to engaging all of the families in our school community.
Read More.Last week, the annual Silfen Forum was held at the University of Pennsylvania. The theme, Open Learning and the Future of Higher Education, brought together educators from around the...
Read More.The PennFinn13 team has been in Helsinki, Finland this week learning about education in Finland. They have been asking critical questions about core values in place, curriculum, professional development, student voice and culture, governance,...
Read More.Have you ever wanted to see what really goes on in classrooms of the world's number one educational system? Well, here's your free virtual plane ticket to Helsinki, Finland.
Doctoral learners from the University of...
Read More.I have a 45-minute commute to Knapp Elementary School each morning. Aside from sipping on my coffee, I'll tune into Philly sports radio, some Mumford...
Read More.Back in May, our team at Knapp Elementary was busy planning our annual summer reading program. Some of us had just participated in a parent-teacher chat via Twitter on maximizing opportunities to keep the learning going...
Read More.I recently had an opportunity to attend the first Digital Family Summit (DFS) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Presenters and summit attendees were both parents and students. The "summit" included families from as far away as Canada, Utah,...
Read More.We exist in a world where almost everything in real time is streaming online -- from concerts and sporting events to breaking world news eight time zones away. Technology has truly made the world a smaller place. Yet schools are slow to catch the technologies available for streaming, due to...
Read More.Everyone is on Twitter these days, so why not your school district? Twitter provides an easy platform to keep your followers updated -- moment by moment, if necessary! -- about developing situations, sudden brainstorms and calls to action. Following are 12 reasons to get your school district...
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