tengrrl’s thoughts & news on teaching writing, literacy, and literature
May 8, 2005
Just found that not only is my plan to use technorati to track different technologies in the book reivews okay—it’s even got a name: meblogging! The practice that site describes is slightly different, but it’s the same idea really, so I feel a bit less guilty about perverting technorati to fit my needs :)
Tags: meblogging |
tagging |
technorati
May 8, 2005
Took time today to read the technorati documentation and begin tagging my changelog entries. I’ve finished all of May, which sounds impressive unless you realize that it’s only the 7th. Still, I think I have a system set up, and I like the idea that even if people don’t use the technorati links, the keywords will help with generic search engines.
I decided it was also time to figure out how to handle book reviews. I want to post details on the books I read, both those that have a technology connection and those that don’t. I like the idea of building a library of reviews that I can return to when I need to remember something about a book. I did a bit of research on the available tools. There’s a drupal book review module, for instance. Ultimately, I decided that just adding another plain, old blogger account was enough—and I can get underway much more quickly than would be the case if I had to learn and configure a new tool.
So I’ve added reviews @ tengrrl.com to manage the project. I think I’ve allowed for everything that I want to list, and I’ve created a basic template that automatically pops up whenever I create a new post. I decided to try using the technorati keywords for my own purposes to get things started. In addition to the basic keywords, I want to tag the technologies that are mentioned in a particular book. The goal is not only to have the info for anyone reading the review but also to help with sorting and finding (e.g., if you want to locate the books that refer to chatrooms). Until I figure out a better way, I have created custom technorati tags, which work out generally to [technology in the book] + tengrrlreview. For instance, chatrooms + tengrrlreview should get you a list of books about chatrooms that I have reviewed. There’s only one right now, so it’s not very exciting to clickthrough. I think the strategy can work for the short term. It’s not quite what technorati had in mind, I’m sure; but it’s a good compromise for now.
Tags: book reviews |
tagging |
technorati
May 7, 2005
xposted to Kairosnews.org
Quick—how would you say children first learn about and experience technologies? My typical answer used to point to television and movie depictions, commercials and advertisements, video games, access to computers in the home. As I’ve spent more and more time reading and exploring children’s and young adult literature for my work with ReadWriteThink, I’ve found that computers and other technologies are more and more frequently integrated in the books that students read. Students without computer access may first experience the format of instant messages and e-mail in a novel, and students’ experiences with the many netiquette and social issues surrounding technology issues may stem just as often from picture books and novels as it does from what they see on television or at the movies.
Over the last 3 years or so, I’ve been gathering fiction (and some nonfiction) that is directly aimed at pre-K to 12th grade readers to try to determine how the books that students read shape their attitudes about technology. The earliest picture book, The Little Red Computer, published in 1969, entertains listeners with the tale of a computer that doesn’t understand numbers but ultimately succeeds because it is “a computer with a mind of its own” (27). Over the intervening years, children could choose from such picture books as Kermit Learns How Computers Work, Franklin and the Computer, Patrick’s Dinosaurs on the Internet, and A House with No Mouse. Chapter books over the years have included The Computer That Ate My Brother, The Boggart, and Doing Time Online. Books published most recently not only include computer technologies as part of the setting, but they also include faux computer-mediated messages and texts as part of the story. M.T. Anderson’s Feed shows readers a sci-fi vision where computers feed directly into the characters’ heads, feeding these characters just-in-time facts and information. Lauren Myracle’s TTYL and Ellen Wittlinger’s Heart on My Sleeve are told through IMs and e-mails (and some letters). Click Here: To Find Out How I Survived Seventh Grade by Denise Vega and The Secret Blog of Raisin Rodriguez by Judy Goldschmidt tell their stories through blog entries and Web pages.
I’d like to propose a conversation about the resources that students are likely to encounter, how they are likely to think about technologies as a result, and how we can tap these experiences in the classroom. It’s unlikely that participants in the conversations will know (let alone, have read) the various texts that will contribute to this conversation. As a result, I’m thinking of this discussion as a highly hypertextual series of book talks that provide summaries and key issues from several of the books and then invite discussion about these texts. Rather than a polished piece, I am thinking of this presentation as an extended opportunity to make online resources that share the information that I have been gathering on my bookshelves. My goal is to begin and develop a project on technologies in children’s literature that will be an ongoing source of information for K12 teachers as well as college teachers who are exploring how students’ literacy skills are shaped before they reach the college classroom.
Tags: children’s literature |
computers in fiction |
juvenile fiction |
technological literacy |
technology
May 6, 2005
Chicago Tribune
The Beauty of Brevity (editorial)USATODAY.com
English Teachers Group Says New SAT Test Could BackfireMinneapolis Star Tribune
Verbosity Over Eloquence Is New Worry on SAT TestHindustanTimes.com
New SAT Attacked as Test of Stamina
Tags: English language arts |
K12 instruction |
SAT |
standardized testing |
writing assessment
May 5, 2005
I finally finished the technology profile lesson plan. It became Paying Attention to Technology: Reviewing a Technology. It doesn’t feel like a stellar lesson, but it’s done. I can’t decide what to write next. I have several ideas written down, but I can’t seem to focus. I should do something with all the YA lit that I’ve been reading, but I can’t quite decide what. I especially don’t want to come up with something that is so tied to a single book that it has limited usefulness.
I like this idea of adding keywords to entries. It would be even handier if I were to do it for my Lists of Ten. I should convert them or something. I never really know if they’re in the best setup. Actually, I guess they probably never are in the best setup because I’m never using the cutting edge stuff.
I’m feeling very puppy proudly bringing an excellent gift to my owner who looks down at a dead bird. My writing isn’t great. No one could be excited about that lesson plan. I don’t seem able to come up with anything new that I can write. I’m just not having a great week.
On the plus side, I think that I finally have DSL setup for my trip to Houghton. It’s taken the effort of five people, and I don’t really have any confirmation on the payment. Maybe I should just give up and stay home. Things seem very messy right now. Or maybe scattered is the better word.
Tags: rambling |
ReadWriteThink |
tagging |
technorati |
technological literacy
May 5, 2005
x-posted to kairosnews.org
EDWeek‘s Eighth Annual Report on School Technology:
Technology Counts 2005: Electronic Transfer: Moving Technology Dollars in New Directions
“The report includes in-depth articles on issues surrounding technology spending, state profiles, and the first-ever ranking of state technology leaders.”
Tags: computers |
English language arts |
K12 instruction |
technology
May 5, 2005
Washington Post
Tom Toles: SAT Test: Essay (editorial cartoon)Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Don’t forget the facts: Adjust the new SAT writing section to give accuracy more weight (editorial)
Tags: English language arts |
K12 instruction |
SAT |
standardized testing |
writing assessment
May 4, 2005
It’s 1:30 AM. I am not in bed. Perhaps a random picture of a duck dressed as a pig will help.
No. That didn’t fix anything. It’s still 1:30. It’s even later really, and I’m still not in bed. This is a stupid thing to admit. I feel like time is slipping away from me. I don’t know what happened to it all. Suddenly it was later and I can’t really account for what I did during any of it. I wasn’t asleep. I wasn’t checking bloglines. I wasn’t even buying and selling on blogshares. (We won’t talk about this afternoon when I acquired some blogger and bought up more of the Notes from the Walter J. Ong Archives.)
I guess that it doesn’t help that I was working on my technology review lesson plan till 7 and didn’t get home till after 8. That would chew up a good portion of the evening. Maybe I have been numbly lost in thought and confusion. It’s a good story anyway.
I tried to go shopping, but nothing I tried on looked good. I felt like the circus fat lady in everything. I want to believe that it was the lighting in the store, but I’m sure that’s just wishful thinking. So when I finally did get home, I guess I just sat around and did nothing. There’s something to be proud of.
Sometimes I feel like I don’t even know myself anymore, let alone know the people I care about. I seem to make all the wrong decisions these days, and I forget to do the things that matter. Like going to bed… why aren’t I going to bed? Everything feels like it’s spinning and chaotic and beyond my control right now. :(
Writing about it isn’t helping though, so I guess I shall try to sleep.
Tags: duck |
Duck for President |
rambling
May 4, 2005
The report: Good Writing Instruction, Not Testing, Is the Best Preparation for College
NYT, May 3
SAT Essay Test Rewards Length and Ignores ErrorsWashington Post, May 3
Teachers Give New SAT Essay Low MarksBloomberg.com, May 3
SAT Essay Has Schools Buffing Rusted Writing SkillsChronicle of Higher Ed, May 4
New Writing Section on SAT Draws Sharp Criticism From Association of English TeachersInside Higher Ed, May 4
Failing Grade
Tags: English language arts |
K12 instruction |
SAT |
standardized testing |
writing assessment
