Bedford Bits | pedablogical

Celebrating 30 Years! Bits Flashback for April 10

April 11, 2011 by Traci Gardner

Thanks for helping us celebrate our 30^th anniversary publishing books and media for the composition classroom. We had a great time in Atlanta and enjoyed seeing so many of you at our party at Turner Field.

Now we have a present for you. Sign up for email updates about what we do for teachers and request our free professional resources today.

Read on for details on all of the new entries posted on Bedford Bits last week:

Holly Pappas took a critical look at diagnostic grammar tests and asked What Can Be Automated?
Andrea Lunsford requests help from all students and instructors who use The Everyday Writer in Calling All Students.
Why is the study of popular culture as a profoundly serious matter? Jack Solomon explains in Populists vs. Pessimists.
Nancy Sommers talks about Writing in the Margins: Teachers’ Comments through Students’ Eyes.
Barclay Barrios has some suggestions for helping students think about what’s happening in Japan and how it affects us all in Teaching the Disaster in Japan.
Steve Bernhardt discusses how timing and team review increase the success of checklists in the writing classroom in Following a List
Traci Gardner explains why one question derails nearly every writing assignment in Does Length Matter?
Jay Dolmage points to resources that explore how to accommodate students with disabilities in the classroom in Disability and the Teaching of Writing.

A Few Extra Links

Check out our #CCCC11 roundups to find links and resources shared in Atlanta:
- What’s On Your Plate at CCCC? The virtual convention & other resources
- The First Day at CCCC 2011: Session materials on IP rights and basic writing
- The Second Day at CCCC 2011: Almost live blogging, presentations updates, and photos
- The Third Day at CCCC 2011: Full body Twitter, coding, the ongoing hashtag debate, and blogs
- The Last Day at CCCC 2011: Some final thoughts on Atlanta, and info on next year’s convention
For those of you who didn’t attend CCCC in Atlanta this year, we missed you at our party at Turner Field, but we invite you to browse our latest offerings online, and request your exam copies today!
Picked up an exam copy you’ve realized you don’t need? Download pre-paid mailing labels and return items free of charge.

We’re always looking for suggestions. Tell me what you want to know about teaching writing or about using digital tools in the composition classroom by leaving a comment. Your response will help shape upcoming posts.

[Photo: "30" by Lincolnian (Brian) – BUSY, on Flickr]

Filed under Bedford Bits

Cake! Bits Flashback for April 3

April 3, 2011 by Traci Gardner

The solution to writer’s block is cake! A round-up of Tips for Fighting Writer’s Block, from the Inside Higher Ed’s University of Venus blog, includes everything from setting rigid deadlines to sitting down for some cake and coffee.

Cake may not be the answer to every problem, but it can’t hurt to give it a try. My suggestion for curing writer’s block? Why not take a break and read one of the new entries posted on Bedford Bits last week?

Holly Pappas discusses her techniques to foster a sense of curiosity, inquiry, and wonder in Learning to Ask the Questions.
A picture might be worth a thousand words. But words paired with pictures? That’s worth even more! Andrea Lunsford discusses Words . . . and Images, and teaching graphic novels.
What role does the Writing Center play in Writing-About-Writing? Blogger Doug Downs explores how tutors contribute to the pedagogical approach in WAWriting Center.
What kind of progress students can make in one semester? Barclay Barrios shares another student paper and his comments in More Sample Work: Student Progress.
High School Bits blogger Jodi Rice asks why people read literature and what reading will look like in the digital age in Storytelling 2.0.
Where does the military get names for their operations? Reflecting on the Operation Odyssey Dawn, Traci Gardner talks about Naming and the Rhetoric of War.
Susan Naomi Bernstein reflects on classroom assignments and her own writing in Writing for the Catastrophic Moment.

A Few Extra Reminders

National Poetry Month is here, and so is the Third Annual (TYCA) National Poetry Month Celebration!
Read the top intellectual property developments of 2010 in the CCCC IP Caucus Annual. The free document can be downloaded as a Word document or PDF from the CCCC web site.
A Comic Book Lover’s Guide to Going Digital has for resources and tips you can use when discussing comic books graphic novels.
If you’re heading to CCCC, check out C’s the Day! CCCC – the Game? Level up through a series of quests, earn special prizes and titles, and more. Follow the game on Twitter: @csthedaygame.
Don’t forget to tag your Tweets with #CCCC2011 or #CCCC11 so we can follow your comments on this year’s conference online.

We’re still looking for suggestions. Tell me what you want to know about teaching writing or about using digital tools in the composition classroom by leaving a comment. Your response will help shape upcoming posts.

[Photo: Chocolate cake slice by alexanderward12, on Flickr]

Filed under Bedford Bits Tagged with assessment, CCCC11, CCCC2011, comics, graphic novels, inquiry, naming, poetry, storytelling, trauma, TYCA, war, writer's block, writing

OMG! LOL! Bits Flashback for March 28

March 28, 2011 by Traci Gardner

Last week, the OED announced a new batch of words that have been added to the dictionary. Among this year’s inductees are OMG, short for “Oh My God,” and LOL, short for “Laughing Out Loud.”

My favorite part of the announcement is the background on the word LOL: “the letters LOL had a previous life, starting in 1960, denoting an elderly woman (or ‘little old lady’; see LOL n./1).” Other fun new words include ego-surfing, smack talk, meep, and muffin top.

OMG! It’s hard to compete with all these new words, but I’ll try. LOL! Here’s a run-down on the new entries posted on Bedford Bits last week.

To Tweet or Not to Tweet, that is Andrea Lunsford’s question! Can students tweet and still write well? Andrea shares several ways they can.
High School Bits blogger Crystal Farrell argues for a modern classroom that is a mixture of lecture, interaction, practice, assistance, and technology in Technology and Education: Together at Last.
What makes a hero a hero? Jack Solomon considers characteristics of modern-day heroes: Official Heroes, Outlaw Heroes, and . . . Charlie Sheen!?
Barclay Barrios shares the lessons a teacher can learn by grading students’ papers in Paper Two: Possibilities and Problems.
Nedra Reynolds describes student reactions to online assignments and wonders whether students are suffering from Blogging Overload.
Steve Bernhardt explores how lists can improve performance in writing classrooms in Make a List.
What lessons do you recall from your school days? Traci Gardner reflects on what makes a lesson memorable and asks, What Lessons Are You Leaving with Students?
Jay Dolmage considers rhetoric and the Online Genres represented on Facebook and Twitter.

A Few Extra Reminders

Share Teaching Resources for First-Year Writing on the new NCTE Community Board and connect with other CCCC members on the CCCC Connected Community.
Early registration for the Computers and Writing Conference ends April 15. Information on the conference, lodging, and travel online. The conference happens in Ann Arbor, Michigan, May 19 to May 22.
Read the top intellectual property developments of 2010 in the CCCC IP Caucus Annual. The free document can be downloaded as a Word document or PDF from the CCCC website.
Looking for some new resources for the classroom. Check the Top 10 Web Tools for Teachers, according to The Harvard Education Letter.
If you’re heading to CCCC, make sure you check out C’s the Day! CCCC – the Game? Level up through a series of quests, earn special prizes and titles, and more. Follow the game on Twitter: @csthedaygame

Finally, let me hear what you want to know about teaching writing or about using digital tools in the composition classroom by leaving a comment. Your suggestions will shape upcoming posts.

—Traci Gardner

[Photo: 15 by Cofrin Library, on Flickr]

Filed under Bedford Bits Tagged with assessment, blogging, checklists, dictionary, hero, OED, twitter

March Madness! Bits Flashback for March 20

March 20, 2011 by Traci Gardner

It’s the time of year for basketball and brackets, underdogs and dream teams, last-second miracles and heartbreaking losses.

In the classroom, why not try a March Madness Poetry Tournament? It’s an activity you can easily customize for your class. Don’t have time for all 64 participants? Just move down a level or two to the Sweet Sixteen or Elite Eight. Not teaching poetry? Focus your tournament on whatever you’re reading, viewing, or talking about in class (or out). How about a Final Four showdown among four authors you’ve studied?

Even if you aren’t following basketball, we have some slam-dunk strategies for you, all posted on Bedford Bits in the last week:

Holly Pappas considers the challenge of student diversity in the composition classroom in One Size Does Not Fit All.
High School Bits blogger MG Gannon focuses on occasion, argument, and research using Internet news sources with Rhetorical Context: Rhetoric in the Wake of the Arizona Shootings (Part 2). Read Part 1 of the series for an activity that analyzes political speeches.
Andrea Lunsford explores The Importance of the Writing Center and their impact upon students’ abilities to think and write critically.
Dan Martin shares his experiences with Writing About Writing pedagogy in WAW: Increasing Credibility and Course Personalization.
Barclay Barrios talks about electronic tools and feedback on student work in Commenting with Word: The Basics.
Traci Gardner has a solution that takes the torture out of poetry analysis in Using Pop Culture to Hook Students on Poetry.
High School Bits blogger Jodi Rice suggests some strategies teachers can use them with Cool Google Tools.
Susan Naomi Bernstein explains how the familiar music people love can help learners to connect to unfamiliar material in Listening to Learn.

A Few Extra Reminders!

Start planning now to participate in Collaborvention 2011: A Computers & Writing Unconference. (It’s all online, so it fits your travel budget!)
If you’re heading to CCCC, make sure you check out C’s the Day! CCCC – the Game? Level up through a series of quests, earn special prizes and titles, and more. Follow the game on Twitter: @csthedaygame
Be sure to check out Bedford/St. Martins’ brand-new website. It has a cleaner look and feel, new navigation elements, and helpful resources that make your search for course materials quick and easy.
Bedford/St. Martins’ online reference Writer’s Help has a Facebook page! Become a fan!

[Photo: March Madness by toddwickersty, on Flickr]

Filed under Bedford Bits, Teaching Composition Tagged with diversity, march madness, music, poetry, writing centers

Spring Ahead: Bits Flashback for March 13

March 13, 2011 by Traci Gardner

When I was little, I couldn’t remember the difference between Daylight Savings Time and Standard Time. Mom always repeated a little saying: “Spring ahead; Fall back.” I haven’t seen a flower pop its head above ground yet, but as I set my clock ahead this weekend, I know Spring can’t be too far away.

We’re springing ahead with a brand-new website for Bedford/St. Martin’s. It has a cleaner look and feel, new navigation elements, and helpful resources that make your search for course materials quick and easy. Check it out, and let us know what you think!

You probably noticed that we’ve been busy at Bedford Bits this past week too, with posts on posts on plagiarism, class discussion, video games, and more. Here’s a look back before you spring ahead into a new week:

High School Bits blogger Dan McDonough discusses Teaching the Evils of Plagiarism and points to current events as a strategy.
Holly Pappas invites colleagues to discuss ways to encourage literature students to do more Talking in Class.
Andrea Lunsford asks whether students are really "Academically Adrift" and discusses The Value of Writing Classes.
Jack Solomon considers Why Historical Accuracy Matters in the Movies as he reflects on The King’s Speech and other films.
Barclay Barrios shares essays from Emerging that are perfect for Teaching the Protests in Wisconsin.
Steve Bernhardt explores whether classroom desks are conducive to collaboration and laptop use by looking at what happens when teachers ask students to Have a Seat.
Traci Gardner explains the benefits of using her flaws to open up student conversations in What I Gain By Sharing My Mistakes.
Jay Dolmage proposes some creative writing assignments that connect gaming to literature and narrative in his Masterpiece Video Games?
Writer’s Help, a complete online reference from Bedford/St. Martin’s, now has a Facebook page! Become a fan!

—Traci Gardner

[Photo: spring by Aunt Owwee, on Flickr]

Filed under Bedford Bits Tagged with class discussion, gaming, movies, plagiarism

In Like a Lion! Bits Flashback for March 6

March 6, 2011 by Traci Gardner

According to the old adage, March should come in like a lion and go out like a lamb. With rain and flood watches here in Blacksburg and reports of new snow from colleagues across the country, I guess the saying is true to its word. Here’s hoping that you got a mild, little lion cub rather than a big growl lion of weather.

This past week, Bedford Bits has had posts on everything from poetry to propaganda. Here’s the round-up, in case you missed something!

Holly Pappas shares an assignment she’s using to counter the notion that poetry is a hard-to-crack code in Gen Ed Poetry: Finding a Real Toad or Two.
High School Bits blogger John Golden shares a video explanation of Teaching Strategies: Twenty Questions, an analytical strategy students use to work through tough texts in class.
Andrea Lunsford asks how teachers of writing face the challenge of Making Room for Both Old and New in today’s increasingly complex classroom.
Doug Downs presents Writing-About-Writing as Survival Guide to College, one that give students the skills to write effectively in any college class.
Andrea Lunsford gives us An Update on her post-earthquake travels in New Zealand.
Barclay Barrios says that the key to effective commenting is focusing on “Promising Moments” in student texts. He shares a concrete example of how the strategy works in Promising Moments: Putting It Together.
Traci Gardner asks if you Know What Not To Post Online, and discusses what can and will go wrong if you misstep.
High School Bits blogger Nathan Odell shares Propaganda Critic, a site with background readings and related resources on propaganda.
Susan Naomi Bernstein shares ask if we are prepared to imagine students, not as numbers to crunch, or statistics to be lamented, but as rock stars in Writing Beyond Statistics.

[Photo: “Lions & Lion Cubs by fortherock, on Flickr]

Filed under Bedford Bits Tagged with bedfordbits

Educational Resources You’re Guaranteed to Like

November 18, 2010 by Traci Gardner

If you are an English teacher, I’m here to make you a promise. Every day, I gather the latest news stories on literacy, literature, and composition and post them online. When I finish that, I publish details on the wonderful educational resources that teachers can use in the classroom as well as links to thought-provoking professional development materials.

The Promise
Follow me on these sites, and I guarantee you’ll find something you can use or that makes you think about an educational issue differently!

It may be a lesson plan or writing assignment that you can use in a class you teach. It may be a link to an article that relates to your favorite literary author. It could be a new educational research report. It might even be a link to a text that you can ask students to read in class tomorrow.

If you’re an English teacher, I promise you will find something you can use in the next month. If I fail you, write me and tell me why!

Follow Me on These Sites

Blog Entries

Bedford Bits on “Teaching in the 21st Century”
Ink’d In Newsletter—contact your Bedford/St. Martin’s rep
Pedablogical (where you’re reading this post)

Facebook Pages Updates

Bedford/St. Martin’s (new blog posts and useful resources)
ReadWriteThink (calendar entries, lessons and more from ReadWriteThink)

Twitter Updates

@BedfordBits (new blog posts and useful resources)
@RWTnow (calendar entries, lessons and more from ReadWriteThink)
@newsfromtengrrl (daily news links on literacy, literature, and tech)

Tell Me When You’ve Found It?
Let me know when the guarantee has paid off and you’ve found something you can use. Just leave a comment on Facebook or the blogs or reply to the Tweet where I fulfill my promise. I look forward to hearing your comments on these sites and here.

[Photo: 365.14 (Blogging) by kpwerker, on Flickr]

Filed under Bedford Bits, ReadWriteThink

Bits Post: Warning: No Yelling in the Food Court

December 10, 2009 by Traci Gardner

Try this incredibly simple but quite useful analogy to reach students who are struggling with issues of audience and style. Soon they’ll be speaking to, and not at, their audience.

Filed under Bedford Bits, classroom activities Tagged with audience, style

Bits Post: Getting Beyond Words in Visual Analysis

December 2, 2009 by Traci Gardner

Take a poster into the classroom, and what will students see when you ask them to analyze the message? Most of the time they zoom in on whatever words are included. They may later come back to other aspects of the poster, but the words color what they see. Here’s an easy technique to emphasize the other aspects of these visual messages using posters from The Spanish Civil War.

Filed under Bedford Bits Tagged with posters, Visual Argument, war posters

Does THIS Make Me a Real Blogger?

November 15, 2009 by Traci Gardner

So what makes a writer really a writer? It’s when you believe that you’re a writer. Course having a super important badge that says so also helps, especially if they look at you funny when you try to crash the writer’s parties:

Made this while playing with BigHugeLabs toys and utilities for a Bedford Bits blog entry. :)

Filed under Bedford Bits, Personal Journal

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