Teaching Writing in 21st-Century Demands Change

At a recent press conference in Washington, "Writing in the 21st Century," the National Council of Teachers of English promoted a new literacy based on omnipresence of technologies that demand adjustments. Kathleen Blake Yancey, a chief spokesperson for the organization, advocated for incorporating in the curriculum new modes of communication, such as Facebook, Twitter, and blogs. She stated, today we write "with new audiences, for new audiences, and to new audiences," and called for the recognition of modes of communication that have relevancy for our students in this century. Yancey’s report, "Writing in the 21st Century," proposes that educators formulate curricula and teaching methodologies that prepare students for the multifaceted, multimedia ways in which communication will emerge in this century. Skim her report, and post your responses regarding her plea to teach writing in new ways. Do you believe shifts are essential? If so, how might your teaching require adjustments in respect to your discipline and target population?

www.universalworkshop.com credit for image.

The End of Books as We Know Them

Kindle books already available speak to the possibility that in the near future, books as we know them might be a palm away. In a palm-size computer device, thousands of books are available, readily accessible, readily organized, and ready to end the clutter of home and office bookcases.

What do you believe the future of books online will mean for education K-12? We already use the Internet to access information from online databases, limiting our need to find magazine, newspaper, and journal articles on the shelves of libraries, unless libraries are conceived of as virtual spaces and no longer as physical spaces within the school building or the local community.

To learn about Kindle books, which are just the tip of the iceberg, dive into this New York Times article, assuming a password log-in does not lock you out. If it does, do an online search to find out about Kindle books or e-books, or try this link to another New York Times article featured on Feb. 26th, A Walk Through A Crop of Readers

Be sure to post your comments on this controversial topic. Remember that when Guttenberg invented the printing press, people of his time mocked his innovation. Online e-books seem hardly as revolutionary, but are they? Do you think they will be the innovation of the future? Will they end the clutter of personal book collections? Will they mean the end of libraries and bookstores as we know them today? What advantages do e-books offer? What disadvantages? Is the onslaught of technological books inevitable?

Here are the URLs for both the articles referenced in the post.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/technology/internet/06google.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/26/technology/personaltech/26basics.html?scp=3&sq=Kindle%20Books&st=Search

credit for image: last URL provided above

PowerPoint Tutorial

Check out this tutorial to learn about PowerPoint and how to use it.

PowerPoint versions prior to 2007

PowerPoint version 2007

Post your response to the tutorial.

Tips on PowerPoint

Check this article, "Of PowerPoint and Pointlessness," and this YouTube Video, "Death by PowerPoint." Post your responses.

Where Goes the Librarian?

In the age of the Internet, school librarians are no longer responsible for solely shelving books and encouraging reading. They now also face the daunting task of teaching young students to do online searches and check the credentials of web authors.

In one case, a school librarian taught students a valuable lesson using a backdoor method. Confident that students accepted content on the Internet at face value, she designed a lesson using a website with conspicuously erroneous information. One bright student noticed the error at the bogus allaboutexplorers.com site, but most other students glossed over the claim that the Indians enjoyed cell phones and computers brought to America by Columbus.

Librarians today teach students how to use tools like PowerPoint and social networking sites for debate platforms and the sharing of creative writing. However, in the age of budget cuts, librarians may be the first on the chopping block.

For an overview on the status of school librarian, consult this front page story, "In the Web Age, Library Job Gets Update," which appeared in The New York Times, Feb. 17, 2009, . The photo is taken from the story. Also check out http://www.allaboutexplorers.com/ for a valuable site to use with students, and let us know what you think about the newspaper story and the Explorers’ site. Here is also the URL for the newspaper story, which might not be accessible without a password, but try, and still post your thoughts on school librarians today. When you visit the Explorers' site, be sure to check out "About This Site."

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/16/books/16libr.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=librarian&st=cse

Do We Need Black History Month?

The below posting was found on the Teacher Magazine blog in a discussion called, "Is Black History Month Outdated?"and was posted 2/10/2009.

“Claims that African-American history month is no longer constructive are growing, according to a recent Associated Press story. Critics, pointing to shifts in American culture, say its observance in schools is ‘paternalistic’ and potentially divisive. Others, however, contend that it is still needed ‘to solidify and build upon America's racial gains.’ What do you think? Does the month-long celebration discourage or encourage separatism? Does it disrupt the curriculum? Would the teaching of African-American history be more effective if it were incorporated into the curriculum year-round? How are you incorporating it into your instruction this year?”

To read the discussion, click here:
Image from http://www.paterson.k12.nj.us/

Do you think Black History Month is relevant today? Post your comments.

Virtual Tours

Interactive websites with virtual tours bring into the classroom places students cannot easily visit. Online tours provide exciting ways to achieve interdisciplinary teaching and crossing grade-level boundaries. For instance, a tour of the White House can work for a kindergarten class or a high school physics class. It all depends on how the teacher decides to integrate the site. What's more, with immersive panoramic photography, students can view buildings from above, below, and the side, as well as sweep down into rooms and feel a "live" view of the site. Students gain a sense of behind the camera lens, changing focal lengths and angles. Virtual tours reinvent field trips, bringing the site to the classroom, instead of the reverse. The value of virtual tours in the school setting, however, depends on the creative, ingenuity, and lesson planning of the teacher. Take a tour of the White House, or try out the site United States Panoramas, or look at one of our National Parks online, and figure out how you can use the site in your teaching. Post your comments.

White House Tours: www.whitehouse.gov/history/whtour/360index.html
For more White House Information: http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/
United States Panoramas: www.mountainvisions.com/QTVR/otherpans.html
Mountain Visions: www.mountainvisions.com/gallerys/immersivepans.html
The New 7 Wonders: www.panoramas.dk/7-wonders/

Check the National Parks by doing an online search of any one of them, and linking directly to the Park.

Let us know your thoughts about virtual tours, their place in your curriculum, and how you would use a specific site in your teaching.

English-Only School Policies

Should students be able to speak languages other than English in school? As part of the English-only movement, schools have prevented students from speaking other languages. In a recent case, a math teacher in New Jersey issued a policy banning any language other than English in the classroom. Some schools ban the speaking of another language even on school buses.

To read more about the New Jersey case, refer to Dennis Baron’s weblog. Dennis is a world-famous linguist, and his blog is an excellent example an educator's use of blogging. Poke around his blog. Save his blog as favorite for future reference. Let us know what you think of Dennis’s blog or the language ban.

Inauguration Expedition: Road to the White House Video Reports

GlobalSchoolnet is sponsoring a wonderful activity for students, K-12, helping them to understand different views across the country as the Inaugural of President Barack Obama is underway. Check out the site, listen to at least a couple of the videos, if not more than a couple, and post your comments about the potential of the site and the use of online expeditions.

Phillip K. Ireland has created the Inauguration Expedition, traveling from California to Washington D.C. over 10 days in time for the Inauguration, January 20. Each day, he interviewed people at different stops, gathering their views of the country and the direction they would like to see Obama and the country go. Topics include hope, courage, unity and division, and tolerance. Ireland has stopped as of last Friday in Escondido, California; Willcox, Arizona; Merykl, Texas; Gurton, Arkansas; and Stanton, Tennessee: his stops and short videos at each will give viewers insights into small-town America's views on country.

After viewing a couple or more of the videos, post your comments about the project. As time permits, also explore other expeditions that GlobalSchoolnets has been sponsoring. Bookmark the site under your Favorites, and return to explore further, considering how you might use the site in your own teaching. The site covers many areas of the curriculum, often in cross-disciplinary ways.

For now, let us know what you think of the Inauguration Expedition: Road to the White House Video Reports. Post a comment, please! Use this direct link to go to the page with the videos: http://www.globalschoolnet.org/gsnexpeditions/inauguration/index.cfm

Mobile Technology

Recent research and observation of trends indicate that mobile technology, such as smartphones, will increasingly be used in schools to enhance the curriculum and invigorate learning. Already, a movement is afoot to lift cellphone bans in schools to allow students to use this convenient communication tool to interact with programs found on websites and through other technology sources. For now, the problem resides with teacher training; teachers need to grasp how mobile technologies can be used effectively in the classroom.

Project K-Nect, implemented in four North Carolina high school, uses smartphones to teach 9th graders algebra lessons. As noted in a Digital Dimensions article, “Teachers, from their laptop computers, send specially designed activities related to curriculum topics to students’ smartphones.”

To learn more about the national call for increased use of mobile technology to re-shape learning, consult the Digital Dimensions article. Also, take the time to skim this 52-report: Pockets of Potential: Using Mobile Technologies to Promote Children’s Learning Carly Shuler, Ed.M.January 2009

Please post your comments after reviewing the article and/or report. How do you envision mobile technology affecting your teaching and students' learning?

Image from: http://www.uberphones.com/

Global Networking

Numerous exciting projects exist to link classes across the globe. Check out, for instance, iLearn, Global Schoolnet, Taking IT Global, and ePALs. Participation in any one of these global networking sites can revolutionize your teaching and excite your students. I am leaving the URLs to locate the sites for you to learn how each connects students internationally. Feel free to explore one or more, and please post your comments upon your review.

ePALS: http://www.epals.com/
Global Schoolnet: http://www.globalschoolnet.org/
International Education and Resource Network: http://www.iearn.org/
Taking IT Global: http://www.takingitglobal.org/

Sites to Evaluate

Lookong for some websites to use for the evaluation project. Check to see if any of these work for you. Whether they do or don't, post your response to any of the sites you explored. Also, check the links listed on the blog under "Resources for Teachers."

Interactive Websites

The Branding Game (upper elementary-middle, social studies, language arts) http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/features/branding/index.php

Interactive Manipulatives (math)
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/features/branding/index.php

Dole SuperKids (home economics, middle school):
http://www.dole5aday.com/#banana

Fast Food Explorer (home economics)
http://www.fatcalories.com/

Food Safety (home economic)
http://www.foodsafety.gov/

The Meaning of Food (home economics)
http://www.pbs.org/opb/meaningoffood/

General Index to find site from Bernie Poole:
http://www.pitt.edu/~poole/tableRef.htm

Four Nets for Better Searching (any area in which students do research online)http://webquest.sdsu.edu/searching/fournets.htm

Shawshank!

Here is a review by famed movie critics Siskel and Ebert, who rarely agree, but do agree that Shawshank is topnotch. Take a look at what they have to say, and post your comments.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2ZtUetXlXk

By the way, if you find other YouTube clips on Shawshank that you like, let us know. There is plenty on YouTube about the film, and many of the clips have been viewed over and over again.

Community Service

As many of you know, the economic times of the present are hitting food banks hard, and there is a shortage of food to give out at food banks. As a result, many people are lining up for food and finding there is none or little available when they get to the front of the line. Although we might think we have been hit hard by the economic downturn, we are in college, attending classes, and relatively healthy.

As you also might know, Barack Ohama signaled in his campaign speeches and election night victory speech, he is interested in helping college students afford tuition. One of his ideas was for college students to do community service and be remunerated in some way through college tuition reimbursements. Although this plan might be off in the distance, with Thanksgiving around the corner, this might be a good time for students in FYS to help out.

I spoke with Sr. Beth Fischer today to see if Saint Joseph College will be running a food drive this year for Thanksgiving donations and if the FYS class on "Homeless in America" might be spearheading an effort. If so, I suggested our class might want to get involved, given one of the themes in our course is social justice.

In her last paper, Beth Pollette addressed the silent, average citizen, who recognizes social injustice but remains passive. Well, do we remain passive, or can we help out? How do you feel about setting up a food drive on campus or contributing to one spearheaded through Sr. Beth's work on campus? Post your comments.


Photo: courtesy of The Hartford Courant, Nov. 8, 2008 frontpage: http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-foodpantry.artnov08,0,6817193.story
To read The Hartford Courant story, "Unemployment Up, Donations Down; Food Pantries Struggle ," follow the URL above.

Retribution and Vigilantism

Kelly and Hannah distributed in class an excellent article about the themes of retribution, vigilantism, and racism in A Time to Kill. Skim through the article, and post your responses to the points made in the article. Which points do you agree with? Which do you disagree with? Why? If you don't have time to read the article, just feel free to post your thoughts about how the film addresses retribution and vigilantism. Does what Carl Lee does (shoot the two men who beat, raped and left for dead his daughter) represent vigilantism, or is it retribution? If it is retribution, how so?

History in the Making: Fast Forward

What does the election of Barak Ohama as the next president of the United States mean to you? How does his election relate to themes we have studied in our course, Hollywood's Rebels and Justice Seekers? Post any comments you like.

Image from: New York Times, Oct. 28, 2008

Is the Insanity Plea Sane?

The M’Naughten Rules, alluded to in A Time to Kill, state the insanity plea can be used if the defendant at the time of the crime did not understand the wrongful nature of the act.The“irresistible impulse" rule adds if the defendant understood the action was illegal but was mentally incompetent at the time, the defendant may be found innocent. The Durham rule requires a psychiatrist to testify as to the defendant's competency, whereas the Brawner rule allows jurors to make that decision while reaching a verdict.

The Insanity Defense Reform Act of 1984, following the attempted assassination of President Reagen, ruled a person may be found not guilty by reason of insanity if severe mental disturbance existed and the person could not understand the wrongfulness of the act committed. “Temporary insanity” is deemed as "a lack of substantial capacity to control one's behavior.” A defendant found to be temporarily insane can be released without psychiatric treatment mandated. (To study the insanity plea, consult: Frontline online and a Cornell University Law School document.)

How is the insanity plea used in A Time to Kill? What are your views on the insanity plea? Post your comments.

Image from A Time to Kill movie website.

Civil Rights Bill Changes History

The Mississippi Burning case of the three civil rights workers listed as missing culminated in the tragic discovery six weeks later of their murders. Their disappearance garnered national attention in June of 1964, simultaneous to the contentious national debate on the proposed Civil Rights Act, which was finally passed July 2, 1964.

The landmark act prohibited discrimination based on race, gender, religion, and country of origin in the workplace, and also outlawed segregation in public places, including schools, restaurants, theaters, and hotels, thereby challenging the long-term Jim Crow segregation practices of the South.

Initiated by John F. Kennedy in 1963, upon his assassination, the banner of the Civil Rights Act became the legacy of President Lyndon, and not without struggle, during a tumultuous year until the bill’s final passage in the summer of 1964. This historic act not only made segregation illegal but also paved the way for many of the rights Americans enjoy today. The Equal Employment clause in hiring practices stems from the act, and the act established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to oversee the administration of the policies set forth. Under Title VI of the act, discrimination in federal funded programs was prohibited, resulting in considerable reforms in educational institution policy and practice.

The Civil Rights Act also set the stage for passage of the Title IX of the Education Act of 1972, which forbade gender discrimination in education programs receiving federal funding. The result of this newer act led to a multitude of athletic and other programs giving females parity with males. For instance, although not the stable, athletic teams for girls were now introduced in high schools and the map of college sports changed forever.

How do you believe the Civil Rights Act has affected your own life, be it academically, in the workplace, or otherwise? What differences do you see it making in the lives of others? How does the period of upheaval witnessed in the film Mississippi Burning help us appreciate the rights granted by the act? How has this film helped you to understand history in terms of where we are today?

Image from: www.corporateservices.noaa.gov

John Grisham: Prolific Writer

John Grisham, author of the novel, A Time to Kill, started his career as a lawyer. On the side, he wrote A Time to Kill, which became his first succesfully published work and the impetus behind his career as a literary figure. As a writer with background in law, he enjoys unusual expertise as a novelist. He writes novels based on firsthand knowledge of the criminal justice system. Although A Time to Kill was his first novel, it was not his first work to be adapted to the cinema. The following titles as adaptations predate A Time to Kill:

§ The Firm. Dir. Sydney Pollack. Paramount Pictures, 1993.
§ The Pelican Brief. Dir. Alan J. Pakula. Warner Bros., 1993.
§ The Client. Dir. Joel Schumacher. Warner Bros., 1994.
§ The Chamber. Dir. James Foley. Universal Pictures, 1996.

A Time to Kill published as a novel in 1989 was not released as a film until 1996.

Since 1996, Grisham has had the following works adapted to film.

The Rainmaker. Dir. Francis Coppola. Constellation Films, 1997.

The Gingerbread Man. Dir. Robert Altman. Enchanter Entertainment, 1998.
A Painted House. Dir. Alfonso Arau. Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions and CBS-TV, 2003.
Runaway Jury. Dir. Gary Fleder. New Regency Pictures, 2003.

The Street Lawyer. Dir. Paris Barclay. Touchstone Television and ABC-TV, 2003.
Mickey. Dir. Hugh Wilson. Original screenplay by John Grisham. Mickey Productions, 2004. Christmas with the Kranks. Dir. Joe Roth. Skipping Christmas Productions, 1492 Pictures, and Revolution Studios, 2004.

By no means is Grisham not successful as both a novelist and collaborator; he often collaborates on adaptations of his work, including writing the screenplays. Of note, his recent work, Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town, is his first work of non-fiction, and it traces the innocence of several men sentenced to capital punishment for murders they did not commit. Some escaped execution within a matter of minutes. Grisham, a popular writer, enjoys a cult following as well as broad appeal. His works consistently expose readers to theme of social injustice mitigated by the possibilities of redemption.

To learn more about Grisham’s commitment to social justice, complemented by his background in the field of law, visit this website maintained by the University of Mississippi, his alma mater: The Mississippi Writers Page: John Grisham. Post your responses about Grisham as a writer, film collaborator, and expert in the law field upon previewing the site, and let us know if you have seen any of the movies based on upon his works or read his books, and if so, what your response was.

Photo of Grisham is from the Mississippi Writers' site, specifically: //www.olemiss.edu/depts/english/ms-writers/dir/grisham_john/

Justice For All

Review from YouTube the video on Mississippi Burning called by clickin on this link: "Justice for All." After reviewing the video, post your responses to it on our course blog.