Meenoo Rami's Blog

I recently had a chance to talk with Catarina from Define AI and share my experiences in tech and how I try to show up as my authentic self in this arena.

From the description of this event:
“We’re celebrating International Women’s Day throughout the month of March by honoring Queens of Tech: women who are leading the push for equality and inclusivity in the tech industry, simply by being themselves. 
Today, we introduce you to our first guest in this interview series: Meenoo Rami, Principal Product Manager for Xbox at Microsoft and a successful author, teacher, and community influencer. Find out how Meenoo made the jump from teaching to tech, and how she sees the tech industry evolving in the future.”

You can view the interview above and let me know if something resonates with you from my experience. Thank you!

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Safer Internet Day 2022

For Safer Internet Day 2022, I had the opportunity to lead a cross-company effort and work with my old team Minecraft: Education Edition to bring together a new world and resources to help young players and their families about tips to stay safer on the open web.

Check out the trailer here. Find the lesson here. And please share widely with parents and educators in your network.

It took countless people across Microsoft to bring together this resource and announcement. You can read the full blogpost on the Xbox site here.

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Computer Science Education Week is an annual call to action to inspire K-12 students to learn computer science, advocate for equity, and celebrate the contributions of students, teachers, and partners to the field.

I had the honor of being chosen as a CS Hero for their classroom poster series and share how my work at Xbox is helping to keep young players and their families safe on our platform. Checkout the entire cohort of CS Heroes and download the posters here. Thank you to CSEdweek for the honor of joining this incredible group of problem solvers!

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On December 8th, 2021 I had the honor of being part of Debug Summit, and share my current thinking on my team’s work related to keeping children safe on the internet. See the advertised description of my talk below:

Debug Summit Agenda – Meenoo Rami

Throughout my talk, I tried to share my thinking on how this work can be done while keeping young people centered in the experiences that we are trying to improve, one concrete example of this is, to perhaps involve young games/players/users involved in the games reviews we produce to guide parent’s decisions on the platform.

There were numerous questions about how use user research in our work and how the pandemic has affected the way we’ve involved parents and children’s voice in our work. Overall, it was a great summit and I am grateful for the opportunity to share my current thinking.

Queer spaces matter in tech and I am committed to being an ally to all those who I met virtually and champion their voices in the work we do everyday.

I look forward to attending the next Summit from Lesbians Who Tech.

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This post was originally posted on Kirrin Finch’s Dapper Scout page, I am honored to represent their excellent work.

Feeling and Looking Good In The World Of Tech and Education

Meenoo Rami(she/they) is an author, national board certified teacher and a Senior Program Manager at Microsoft helping education, nonprofit, and government organizations to accelerate their digital transformation. Meenoo also worked as a teaching fellow with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, where they led the portfolio to help teachers refine their practice through collaboration. We chatted with Meenoo about life as a teacher and what it’s like to work in tech as a queer, gender non-conforming person.

WHAT IS IT LIKE WORKING IN TECH, A MALE DOMINATED FIELD?

Tech can be a lonely especially if you, like me, are an outsider – South Asian, Non-binary, Masculine presenting person. What has been helpful to me is to intentionally seek out mentors, sponsors, and communities like Lesbians Who Tech, who intentionally create opportunities for folks like me to find each other, mentor one and another, and share knowledge and opportunities. I am grateful for my mentors inside and outside of Microsoft who have also helped me to get a wider perspective and add to my skillset as a leader.

AS A SEASONED TEACHER, HOW DID YOU GET INTO TECH?

Working in tech wasn’t an intentional plan. While teaching my students high school English in Philadelphia, I created a network for English teachers around the world to share resources, ideas, and find support in one and another. Forty percent of teachers leave the classroom within 5 years. As a result I was inspired to write a book called, Thrive so I could provide a resource to help fellow teachers survive and thrive in the classroom. Some of this work brought me the opportunity to work at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and from there, I was asked to join Microsoft’s effort to build world-class education solutions for schools and universities around the world. I feel lucky to do the work that puts students at the center of technological innovation.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE AND HOW HAS IT EVOLVED OVER TIME?

I would describe my style as minimal preppy. I like classic pieces that fit well, and stand the test of time. I don’t follow trends or focus on brand names. Essentially, I look for items that fit well and make me feel like myself when I put them on.

WHAT CHALLENGES DID YOU FACE WHILE FINDING YOUR STYLE?

Conversely, any gender non-conforming person feels the disappointment of being excited about a shopping trip or new item, that just doesn’t make you feel like yourself. Finding your own comfort and power in how you dress is what I seek when choosing meaningful pieces.

HOW IMPORTANT ARE CLOTHES IN EXPRESSING YOURSELF IN THE WORKPLACE?

The old adage, first impressions do matter, and they get reinforced over time. Feeling great in what I’m wearing gives me the ability to feel confident in myself. It is invaluable especially when you’re trying to influence outcomes, confidence in yourself is invaluable. For example, if I am giving a keynote speech there is a lot of pressure on the content, but people also make judgements about you based on what you’re wearing, so it is important for me to look and feel good. The right fit brings out the innate confidence most people possess but don’t get to express often.

When I feel good in what I’m wearing, I perform better.

HOW MUCH HAS THE PANDEMIC IMPACTED YOUR WARDROBE CHOICES? HOW DO YOU SEE YOUR CLOTHING CHOICES CHANGING WHEN WE ARE ABLE TO GO BACK INTO THE OFFICE?

It has been hard to not get in a rut like most other people, but lately since I have been vaccinated, the weather is getting better, I have a renewed sense of hope and want to express it through my clothing choices. I will continue to look for ways to express my sense of style via video calls because they’re not disappearing completely.

HOW TO CONNECT WITH MEENOO.

Instagram: @meenoorami
Meenoo’s Book: Thrive: 5 Ways to (Re)Invigorate Your Teaching

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Repost from Mary Beth Hertz’s blog

This post is an introduction to an information book club conversation on Twitter centered around Audrey Watter’s new book, Teaching Machines. Information on the logistics and how to purchase the book are below. Continue reading for some context around why we are excited to read this book

How it Started

When I first started my career in edtech back in the 2007-2008 school year, it was an exciting time for all of us blogging, tweeting and attending conferences about all of the possibilities that tech could bring to our classrooms. We shared ideas, took risks and tried to push the envelope around how this new “Web 2.0” could amplify student voices, give them agency and create a global community of learners. It felt magical. 

As the years passed and more and more schools began investing in technology, and technology and broadband became more commonplace in schools, it was clear that this magical feeling wouldn’t last. My computer lab was taken over for a month to drill kids on Study Island to prepare them for the annual standardized tests they would take in the Spring. Reading programs that required kids to sit in front of a computer with headphones on and click buttons became commonplace. Schools lauded the fact that now kids could type their essays and create slideshows to share what they had learned instead of turning in handwritten work or poster boards assembled with glue and scissors. This latter piece really only happened in schools with enough resources to provide students with this kind of access, which my school most definitely did not. Neither did any school I worked in for most of my early career. While many schools were teaching kids things like podcasting, video editing, and digital storytelling that allowed them to process what they were learning in completely new ways, others were simply replacing analog processes with digital ones or leveraging computers for “drill and kill” type programs aimed at improving students’ skills for standardized tests.

EdTech Now & Teaching Machines

I wish I could say that things have gotten better, but, well, that’s why Audrey Watters’ new book, Teaching Machines is so important. With the introduction of AI and Machine Learning and algorithms and the broad reach of the Silicon Valley mindset into edtech we are in a place where those of us in the field need to be conscious of how we got here and what, if anything has changed and what needs to change to ensure that edtech remains a way that lifts up student voices, helps them tap into their creativity and gives the avenues to help solve some of the massive societal and global issues that will permeate their adult lives. Audrey has always been that important voice re-centering the conversation, pushing back against the status quo and pointing out hypocrisy or practices that harm students rather than help them in the edtech sphere.

I haven’t read a physical book since last Spring when the world slowed down a little (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil–it was great). All of my reading is done these days is by audiobook. I knew, however, that this book was one that I wanted to hold in my hands and read. 

I also know that, realistically, my capacity to stick to reading on a regular basis is limited, so I enlisted my brilliant friend, Meenoo Rami, in an endeavor to hold ourselves accountable to finish the book and process it together. I figured I could probably manage a chapter a week.

When I presented this idea to Meenoo, she suggested that we share our informal reading club plan on Twitter to see if others would be interested in some accountability as well. So, here we are…

Reading Together

If you already have a copy of Teaching Machines, feel free to play along! If you need a copy, you can purchase one here. I got mine from Indiebound, since I am trying to avoid supporting Amazon at the moment. If you are interested in the book but aren’t familiar with it, I suggest you read this brief post of hers (and the longer interview linked there) to get a sense of what makes her voice so important in education.

We will start our informal book club on September 13 and read a chapter a week for 14 weeks (this includes the Introduction and the Conclusion). Throughout the week, we will use #teachingmachines on Twitter to share our thoughts about what we are reading. So far we don’t have any guiding questions or specific structure. Really, this is more about having a place to go to discuss or ask questions and to hold ourselves accountable to reading it closely. 

You can follow me and Meenoo and #teachingmachines for more info and to connect around the book. We’ll post more leading up to and on September 13th to remind you to start reading!

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The Year Ahead with Meenoo Rami

Welcome to The Year Ahead, a mini-series from the Heinemann Podcast, hosted by Meenoo Rami, author of Thrive: 5 Ways to (Re) Invigorate Your Teaching. Meenoo has always believed that teaching is harder if you do it alone, and teaching during a once in a lifetime pandemic is as hard as it gets, but by meeting educators around the world who are going through this too, maybe together, we can share ideas, commiserate, and be a witness to each other’s experiences. In this podcast series, we’ll meet educators who are getting ready to return to school under the most challenging and unusual circumstances.

via Heinemann Publishing

Episode 1 – Sarah Gross

In the first episode I spoke with Sarah Gross from New Jersey. Sarah teaches her students high school English and if you’re curious about how a reading/writing workshop educator pivots her practice in a hybrid learning environment, stay with us.

Listen on blog, Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Episode 2 – Katharine Hsu

In the second episode, I met Katharine Hsu. Katherine will be teaching 2nd grade in a title I school this year and will need to adapt many of her current practices to meet this moment. 

Listen on blog, Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Episode 3 and 4 dropping soon. As always, your feedback means the world to me and if you listen, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Thank you!

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Recently, I had a professional opportunity that I had to pinch myself to believe was actually happening. I was a guest on the Teaching Tolerance’s The Mind Online podcast with Monita Bell. I have been a fan and supporter of Teaching Tolerance since I started my teaching career more than a decade ago. I have personally used many of their resources to tackle issues of social justice in my own practice. It was an honor to be part of the conversation via this podcast. If you’re curious what we discussed on the episode, check out the description and link to the episode below:

Episode 10
Video games in the classroom can help young people learn a wide range of skills. But gaming can also expose them to radical ideologies. We talk about game-based learning with Meenoo Rami, manager for Microsoft’s Minecraft Education. We also explore how educators can counter hateful messages in games with Keegan Hankes from the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Project.

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Recently, I had a professional opportunity that I had to pinch myself to believe was actually happening. I was a guest on the Teaching Tolerance’s The Mind Online podcast with Monita Bell. I have been a fan and supporter of Teaching Tolerance since I started my teaching career more than a decade ago. I have personally used many of their resources to tackle issues of social justice in my own practice. It was an honor to be part of the conversation via this podcast. If you’re curious about what we discussed on the episode, check out the description and link to the episode below.

Episode 10

Video games in the classroom can help young people learn a wide range of skills. But gaming can also expose them to radical ideologies. We talk about game-based learning with Meenoo Rami, manager for Microsoft’s Minecraft Education. We also explore how educators can counter hateful messages in games with Keegan Hankes from the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Project.

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I am so excited to be at the Badge Summit on June 22nd, 2019 to kick off the event with a keynote. I’ll be creating a new keynote for this event but will keep some of the themes that are true to my practice and beliefs. My hope in this keynote is to bring up the following essential questions for our consideration:

What role, if any, do badges play in creating a culture of lifelong learning in schools?In what ways is community necessary ingredient for any system of learning?How do we give the power of learning back to our students using perhaps badges or other methods of organizing learning?

I hope to see you there, and I hope this event sparks a great conversation for variety of people to come together to set some intentions and make some connection before ISTE takes over our lives for few days.

To hear from the organizer of the summit, please continue to read below.

cross-post from Noah Geisel

Conference organizers are obsessed with offering attendees powerful learning and amazing experiences. The choice of keynote speaker is an important decision because of the out-sized impact they will have on both.

The search can be arduous and the rejected invitations humbling. These did not come into play in the case of the 2019 Badge Summit keynote speaker however, as Meenoo Rami approached me with an unsolicited offer to bring her out-sized impact to our conference.

I pretty much died right then.

If you’ve been following Meenoo on Twitter, read her book Thrive, or had a conversation with her, you know why I’m so excited for her Badge Summit keynote. She has a special way of showing up and touching everyone around her.

I caught up with Meenoo to ask about her motivations and to learn more about what we can expect from her talk.

In my version of the movie, dark clouds parted, ominous background music gave way to a harmonious choir that sounded exactly like the light beam looked as it struck the ground in front of me and you suddenly appeared with an invitation for me to accept you as the keynote speaker of this year’s Badge Summit. What is your version of how we got here?

I was lucky enough to get a last minute invite to last year’s badge summit via Participate learning, I was so moved by the keynote and the entire day’s experience that I wanted to return and perhaps have an opportunity to share my own thoughts on how we define and measure learning would be an interesting challenge to take on.

You’re well-known for your advocacy of Growth Mindset and your promotion of Lifelong Learning. How do you see those important themes tying in with digital badges and credentials?

I think the way we think of learning is already changing, in my current role at Microsoft, I am constantly learning about new approaches, new business strategies, and new execution levers to reach our goals. We betray our students and educators if we don’t embrace the ethos of lifelong learning that is required in all of us. When you stop growing, you stop being.

What takeaways and impacts do you hope to see for Badge Summit attendees?

I hope that this summit becomes the place to start thoughtful conversations at ISTE, I hope it draws people from differing experiences and opinions together so that we can tackle ideas such as how do we define and recognize learning for all.

Your experience teaching in the classroom was in Philadelphia. Is it still special when you have the opportunity to come back to a place that was home in order to share your message?

Yes, absolutely, I actually got my teaching cert and Master’s from Temple University so it is a special honor for me to return to the same campus for this keynote. I love many cities but because I taught students of Philly, it will always have a special place in my heart. Thank you again for this invite and I am so excited to kick this summit off.

Registration for the 2019 Badge Summit is live at  bit.ly.badgesummit , where you can also get more information about the conference and see content from previous years. If you’ve got awesome work to share, please do click on the Present tab and lets us know about it so we can give you space to amplify how you too are changing the world!

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