Exploring Computer Literacy

The ideas in this week’s NCTE Inbox focus on “Exploring Computer Literacy.”

Tags: English language arts |
K12 instruction |
NCTE Inbox |
technological literacy

WordPress

Apparently my new hobby is to install a piece of software each weekend. Last weekend, Gallery; this weekend, WordPress. Folks in the blogshares online discussion were comparing MT and WordPress, and I was inspired to try WordPress.

It was another easy setup, once the fantastic and fabulous Eric Crump gave me a mysql login. He didn’t even make me explain why I’m fiddling with WordPress when he already has Drupal installed. (It’s cuz I wanted to play, Eric.)

Installation was only a few minutes, but making it do what I want is another issue. I managed to get it to list my bloglines subscriptions as a blogroll, and I added a customized calendar. And I’ve fiddled a great bit over the weekend with the layout. I’m trying to figure out whether I can get it to do what I’m already doing with flat pages AND whether it will go beyond what I’m already doing in ways that would make the trouble of converting everything worth the bother. I’m told that I can easily import the Blogger entries that I already have. The biggest concern is managing the Lists of Ten and other resources that are outside of blogger but that would benefit from the RSS feed.

You can peek at my current status, but realize it is a very rough work in progress. I’m not sure yet, but after two days of playing, I do feel like I accomplished something. Even if I decide not to use it, I’ve learned a good bit about PHP and RSS in the process. Not bad for a weekend procrastination project (e.g., a project that’s real purpose seems to be to provide an excuse not to work on those 125 pages I’m supposed to be writing).

Tags: WordPress

Travelogue Slacker

Yes, okay, so I am a slacker. I am trying to catch up. See, here’s the
problem. I truly believe in a process-based approach to writing, for
everyone except me. My writing is supposed to be complete and perfect
before anyone reads it. So, in tengrrl world, all the travelogues need to
be perfect and up to date before I share them.

Dr. Cheryl Ball, gizmologist from Utah State Universe, says the following
in response, reformatted as a list of ten:

1. Just post the damned thing.
2. You are denying your public. We are hungry for your words.
3. No one really cares that it’s a week late.
4. You’re pissing me off. Now go away so I can get work done.
5. Really.
6. Quit your needy shit and get out of here.
7. Look, bitch, I’m busy. Publish the damned thing.
8. If you don’t move along soon, I’m calling the cops.
9. Woman, you have about three more seconds before I call Alex.
10. Gizmo! Attack!

Based on this interaction, I was compelled to publish my travelogue
from the first day of CIWIC today. It’s okay. They tell me that they can get the blood off the keyboard, and I’ll only need a small transfusion. As if the pain of backdating things isn’t enough. Damn that vole killer.

Tags: tengrrl’s travelblog

Job Search List of Ten

Today at CIWIC, I participated with Cheryl Ball and Barclay Barrios in a roundtable on the job search. As I am known to do, I panicked that I wouldn’t have anything to say, so I created a List of Ten Job Search Tips. It’s not your usual list, but it’s well illustrated. I need to integrate it with the larger lists page, but for now the PDF is available. Cheryl is planning to share it at C&W 2005 in Stanford, so my baby pictures will be widely published before the month is out.

Tags: job search | tengrrl’s lists of ten

C&W Online Presentation

Finally finished posting (e.g., gave up on) my Computers and Writing Online 2005 presentation, “From Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine to The Secret Blog of Raisin Rodriguez.” It turns out that I made some major mistakes in preparing for the presentation—like not bringing any of the picture books with me. They are really important to establish some of the points, and I didn’t have them on hand as I was writing.

Another problem is that I just didn’t have time to do what I wanted to with social communication in these books. So many are now including e-mails, IMs, blogs. It’s a topic that I really want to explore in depth, but I ended up just giving up. There wasn’t time to go into the detail that I wanted to, so I decided it would wait for the future. I need to get the reviews on all of the books up to begin with I think. After that, I can go back and rewrite that section of the presentation. For now, this has to be good enough.

Tags: children’s literature |
computers in fiction |
juvenile fiction |
technological literacy |
technology

Pod People

Read about ways to use podcasting in the classroom in “Pod People: Teachers find cool new uses for Apple’s ubiquitous music player” from Edutopia.

Tags: podcasting

Gallery

A friend mentioned Gallery, a PHP-driven image album. Only took a few minutes to get it downloaded and installed. I’ve probably spent more time fiddling with settings and how I want my albums arranged.

I’m guessing it may come in handy for arranging and sharing images. In fact, I already sent my family the URL for the Daisi photos. Daisi gets around almost as much as Duck.

To be honest, the shared albums are a by-product. For me, the real benefit of this program is that I can find images more quickly. When I need a picture, it should be much easier to find this way—especially when compared to my old way of quitting pine, changing to the right directory, searching for what I think the file is named, testing it in the browser, and then repeating the search about 6 times before I find what I’m looking for. Online albums should be MUCH easier. And since you can hide albums and images, I can post various things that I use internally (e.g., wallpaper jpgs) so that they’re much easier for me to find later.

Overall, it seems like a very nice piece of Open Source software. I’m glad I happened upon it.

Tags: Gallery |
photo album

First Week’s First

Truth Goggles.

CIWIC now distributes truth goggles to all participants. Cindy has arranged for a display in the lovely glass case in the West entry way to Walker Hall that explains all.

“Step into the hermeneutic circle, my friends,” says Cindy.

They step. Oh my, do they ever step. In their Keen footware, they step forward, resisting the evil font of Mister Frisky and Uncle Stinky.

Members of the secret circle, they create threads. Their sense of embodiment glows in tides of rhythmic light. The intentionality of their commentary—typo crossing emote to say what is not that is.

They chant…. chant….. chant…..

“I respect everyone in this room. There is no lockstep technology, no pass-the-buck pedagogy.”

Memories mixing with desire.

Will got fresh with Jane over strawberry cookies, and Catherine didn’t even mind. Cheryl still likes those terrorists though. The coast guard better leave them alone or she will stop up someone else’s drain. Cheryl is a clogger. Watch those feet move. If you do not, Chopping. Cannot. Stop. The. Chopping. There. Must. Be. Chopping.

The voice of morality enters, interrupting memory. “Remember,” it says, “recycle your aluminum.”

It’s like walking through Jell-O, hearing words, knowing they are words, but having no idea what is being said.

“Don’t worry,” says Cindy. “You will understand. Just listen now. Later. Understand.”

Tags: tengrrl’s travelblog

Breaking the Fast at CIWIC

The first day of CIWIC is always a challenge. I am normally asleep at 7:30 in the morning, the time when the Welcome Breakfast begins. It is a frightening hour to be searching campus for the Alumni Room. Frequently there are bikers with rat-tails who hover about as you trek across the campus, dodging squirrels and boll weevils.

I’m late, of course. I’m always late. Really for me, being on time isn’t possible, so I guess I’m not really late, given that being on time would be early for me and late is normal. So really, everyone else was early, which we all know is in very poor taste. Alex was still having all of the machines in the lab ghosted. The CIWIC breakfast always coincides with the crash/ghosting/rebuilding of computers in the lab.

Even though the breakfast occurs at a completely unacceptable hour in the morning, it is vitally important to attend. It is at this breakfast that you learn the important details that will shape your entire CIWIC experience. The process is to grab loads of food and table up. Unfortunately, the food available is normally of the bacon and eggs and danish variety. There are none of the real breakfast foods like pizza, leftover spaghetti, or ice cream. Still, people are polite and they eat—though their eyes betray their longing for spumoni and onion rings. Oh, and cheese curds.

Once it is certain that everyone has a full mouth, the introductions begin. The breakfast room is designed so that it is impossible for a speaker to see everyone. Large support beams cut through the space. Michigan Tech is an engineering school, and that means that it’s important to show engineering feats everywhere. Who would realize that a building has a support structure? Thank goodness for these designs that show the great work that went into their building. But I digress. Cindy, our hostess extraordinaire, begins the introductions, asking various people in the room to say a little about who they are, what they do, and, most importantly, their specialities.

This is the time when we learn the real and important information about CIWIC. These important observations were all shared during this first meeting. As you can see, they are all drastically important to the success of anyone in the field:

• Michigan’s motto is “Something something, look around you.”
• Beware of morning trips to the dumpster, for there are bears inside. Big bears. Fortunately, they are scared of trash. This might lead one to ask, “why are bears who are scared of trash in a dumpster, which is typically filled with trash?” If one thinks this, one needs more coffee. One is clearly not of the Yooper mindmeld yet.
• If you rob a bank in Houghton, the best escape route is not to head north across the bridge into Hancock.
• Nascar is a French scientist who is well-known for pottery-based car forms.
• In the morning, there is rarely enough ketchup.
• People who come to CIWIC buy lots of things: warm fuzzy jackets, walking shoes, bug spray, sunscreen, more bug spray, new bikes, and houses.
• Dickie announces that it would be great for someone to buy a house this year.
• Cindy frequently sentences participants to “death by additional readings.”
• The only way to avoid “death by additional readings” is to keep Cindy far away from any and all texts. If she reads it during the two weeks that you’re at CIWIC, it will show up on your reading list the next day.
• Alex passes out copies of a vodka label, three billboards, and a newspaper article on the best time to plant coconut trees. Cindy has been reading for hours already.
• Italy is in a different time zone from Houghton.
• Everyone likes semi odd ticks. The semi odd ticks of the great UP are not so bad this year however. In a truly symbolic gesture, the semi odd ticks have been assigned to another portion of the northwoods.

After these important life lessons, everyone goes to Walker Hall for the start of the sessions. Wisely, I go back to my room and take a nap. After all, I am tengrrl. And more importantly, I am a helper this year, and I don’t need to be in the lab till 3 pm, a far more reasonable time.

Tags: tengrrl’s travelblog

The contest

Every year at CIWIC there is a contest to see who will do it. It’s a secret kind of thing, discussed only by the inner circle of the inner circle. It will happen. It always does. The question is when…….and who. In the meantime, they wait.

Tags: tengrrl’s travelblog