Saturday, May 12, 2007
Selfe, Towards New Media April 10
Once again, I agree with this section. As I said about the article by Sean Williams, visual literacy is just as important as verbal or any other literacy. I like how Selfe defines her own writing in this chapter. She spells everything out for her reader. She decides to call the author a composer/designer, she says how she will use terms, etc. I think that is important to define your own writing, so it is nice to see someone who is published doing it. I agree that we can no longer just focus on alphabetic literacy. The world has changed, and we must follow. Visuals have taken over and so we must incorporate them into education. Selfe gives plenty of examples on how to incorporate this literacy which is wonderful. So many times we will read about something we should be doing, but there are no examples on how to change. I think she had great ways of working with the visual. I especially liked the idea of the students evaluating each other. This really gives them a better understanding of what they are looking for. This literacy will probably be a topic of discussion for a long time because not everyone is willing to change yet, which is upsetting.
writers memo, explaining choices
When I first read about the writers memo, I thought that I have never been asked to do something like that. When Shipka brought up the statement of goals and choices, I was like...oh yeah. I think the reason I assumed I have never done one was because the article focuses on answering questions about writing, and the writing process. I know that I have done writing for Shipka, but when I think of the sogac, I think that I answered so many questions, about every part of the process, that I didn't even consider it as a writers memo. I guess also because when I read this article, I thought that students would hate it. They would not want to do this extra work, having to explain their choices. I though , would they even know what their choices were the whole time? I actually had fun doing the sogac, so maybe that is why I did not join the two at first. Now I see that I have done a writers memo, and I think that it was an amazing thing to do. It not only was something different to do, which is a huge plus when taking all English classes, but it really helped me. It made me see what I was doing, the choices that I made. Some were good choices, some were actually not so good, and I was able to recognise that for next time. It also helped me examine my own process for every thing that I do, not just projects for Shipka, but assignments for other classes, even outside of school stuff. I think that the writers memo is a great idea for writing. Students should be aware of their choices.
With Explaining Ones Rhetorical Choices, same idea, just in conferences. Like I said about Beach, I think that it is a great idea, just hard for high school. I do think that these conferences with students about their choices is doable. Even if it is hard, I think that it is really important to do. Teachers need to know and understand what it is their students are trying to say. They need to have the opportunity to tell teachers what they did and why. It may look bad to me, but if they have a reason for doing it that way, then how can I judge that?
With Explaining Ones Rhetorical Choices, same idea, just in conferences. Like I said about Beach, I think that it is a great idea, just hard for high school. I do think that these conferences with students about their choices is doable. Even if it is hard, I think that it is really important to do. Teachers need to know and understand what it is their students are trying to say. They need to have the opportunity to tell teachers what they did and why. It may look bad to me, but if they have a reason for doing it that way, then how can I judge that?
April 3
Probst:
Okay, well I agree and disagree with this one. I think that we definitely put our own experiences and culture and community into each word. I understand if the word dog means something nice to one person and something bad to another. However, the meaning of the word dog is the same. There are limits that we must follow, or at least assume when writing or reading. If we read something about a dog for instance, we must take that words meaning from the context it is in. If it is about a mean dog, then there you go. When writing, we must also be careful not to assume that everyone thinks the way we do. We need to explain what we mean sometimes. This may be hard for some students, but I think that if we approach writing with this idea, we are causing more problems for ourselves and others. I know that every culture, community, and individual in each of these has something new to bring, has some ideas already of what things are. I understand that and I accept it. I don't think that we CAN start focusing on something like that, we just need to be ready to have students explaining what they mean at times. If the student can explain themselves, then they are fine. The thing is, there is a dictionary, and every student should have one. If they are ever in doubt, they can use it. Of course I will always give my students an opportunity to tell me where they are coming from. I think that they do need to become skillful readers of their own writing. That will help them understand where perhaps they can be questionable.
Beach
I am not sure that Beach's ideas are realistic in a high school setting. Although I would love it if I could come up with a plan where there would be a workshop day, or a conference day during a regular classroom day to discuss this with students. I would actually say that there would have to be one on ones at some point with each student to discuss what they are doing in writing. I guess that Beach may say that this is an easy way to do this, but I think it is only easy to him because he has the resources to do it. I do think it is important for students to ask themselves questions in their writing, questions that focus on what they were trying to say, or who they are writing for, etc. Students understanding their own strategies would really help them out in their writing, as well as in reading and other subjects. If they can come out of it being able to assess their own writing, that would be great. Once again though, this may be hard in High School.
Okay, well I agree and disagree with this one. I think that we definitely put our own experiences and culture and community into each word. I understand if the word dog means something nice to one person and something bad to another. However, the meaning of the word dog is the same. There are limits that we must follow, or at least assume when writing or reading. If we read something about a dog for instance, we must take that words meaning from the context it is in. If it is about a mean dog, then there you go. When writing, we must also be careful not to assume that everyone thinks the way we do. We need to explain what we mean sometimes. This may be hard for some students, but I think that if we approach writing with this idea, we are causing more problems for ourselves and others. I know that every culture, community, and individual in each of these has something new to bring, has some ideas already of what things are. I understand that and I accept it. I don't think that we CAN start focusing on something like that, we just need to be ready to have students explaining what they mean at times. If the student can explain themselves, then they are fine. The thing is, there is a dictionary, and every student should have one. If they are ever in doubt, they can use it. Of course I will always give my students an opportunity to tell me where they are coming from. I think that they do need to become skillful readers of their own writing. That will help them understand where perhaps they can be questionable.
Beach
I am not sure that Beach's ideas are realistic in a high school setting. Although I would love it if I could come up with a plan where there would be a workshop day, or a conference day during a regular classroom day to discuss this with students. I would actually say that there would have to be one on ones at some point with each student to discuss what they are doing in writing. I guess that Beach may say that this is an easy way to do this, but I think it is only easy to him because he has the resources to do it. I do think it is important for students to ask themselves questions in their writing, questions that focus on what they were trying to say, or who they are writing for, etc. Students understanding their own strategies would really help them out in their writing, as well as in reading and other subjects. If they can come out of it being able to assess their own writing, that would be great. Once again though, this may be hard in High School.
March 29 Students rights
I actually love this article. I completely agree with what is said here. The classroom is such a weird thing to me. In the "real world" a reader does assume that the writer has some authority on what they are saying, and when we read something we don't pick at it, looking for something to correct. Well, maybe some of us do, but I don't. It is weird that in the classroom, that all goes out the window. The reader, or teacher still remains the authority figure and gets to tell the writer what they did or said wrong. That doesn't make a lot of sense. I understand that spelling can be corrected, and stuff like that, but how can we tell students that they are saying something wrong. I really like the idea of going through the writing, paragraph by paragraph, asking the students what they are saying, and how they intended to say it. They should have rights over their own texts. I think it is very detrimental to students to continue correcting them, essentially making their text into the what the teacher wants. This can only make the students not what to share their ideas or talents any more. Multiple drafts can help I think, but more so just communicating with the students, and finding out what they are doing before trying to change it.
March 27, Lauren
The first time I read this paper, I thought it was a "creative" way to get her point across. I bet this looks like sarcastic, smart ass shit to most teachers, but I do see where she was going with it, or at least I hope that's where she was going with it and this paper isn't actually serious. This is the cliche paper that many teachers are looking for. It has every component of a good essay. It has the perfect title, the attention getting introduction, the topic sentences that "flow" The thesis written clearly so that it can be seen. and so on. It is kind of sad to see this paper and think that this is what we do to get through school. I admit that I myself have written many of these papers, of course not so obviously. I understand that that is the way that the teachers were taught, so that is they way we are taught., The version with the nice comments was funny to me because they seemed SOOO fake, and I know they are, it is just that they were smart ass as well. It just shows that teachers are doing the same thing as students. They are giving in to the ideals that people place on them. They aren't even reading the paper. The content is of no meaning almost. The format is becoming the main focus. The paper with the negative comments was harsh, but something I would more expect coming from Shipka, if these are her comments. Maybe this paper is crap, but I think it gets a very real point across, that sometimes students may think what teachers expect is crap as well.
Feb 22....Perl and Runicman
Perl's chapter go hand in hand with our transcribing projects. I completely agree with Perl that writing is recursive. Just going through this "experiment" myself proved that to me. I was constantly moving backwards in order to move ahead. I thin that it is something important to recognize when writing, so that we can take the linear equation out. Not everything in writing is linear, or at least it shouldn't be. The process of writing is just as important if not more important than the writing itself. If the process is recursive, then what makes writing so linear? That just doesn't go together. The questions we ask ourselves during our process's help us move forward even if they imply to the past.
Runicman's writing is so true to me. It is interesting that people don't talk about or write about writing as something fun and pleasurable. I think this is something that we all need to take into consideration when we are teaching writing. Writing teachers need to change their attitude if they are going to give off a good feeling about writing to the students. Most of the time writing teachers are complaining about how frustrating it is to be them. I understand that as well, it must be frustrating to have so many different individuals, and try to determine how the write. However, if the teachers can show students that writing is fun and pleasurable, to them...the teachers, than maybe students will think it is okay to have a good time writing. Why shouldn't writing be fun?
Runicman's writing is so true to me. It is interesting that people don't talk about or write about writing as something fun and pleasurable. I think this is something that we all need to take into consideration when we are teaching writing. Writing teachers need to change their attitude if they are going to give off a good feeling about writing to the students. Most of the time writing teachers are complaining about how frustrating it is to be them. I understand that as well, it must be frustrating to have so many different individuals, and try to determine how the write. However, if the teachers can show students that writing is fun and pleasurable, to them...the teachers, than maybe students will think it is okay to have a good time writing. Why shouldn't writing be fun?
Febuary 6th
Thinking Out of the Pro-verbal box
I agree with Williams her. I think that it is important to not just teach using the verbal. Students in this day and age will be expected to understand not only what is said, but what is seen. There are so many visuals and other forms of media now, that students need to be taught differently than they used to. Teachers who only lecture, and talk, while students sit there and listen, will not teach students what they really need to know. By combining the verbal and the visual, teachers can start teaching in a way that students will better understand in their futures. There are so many ways for the students to be literate, not just the way that it has always been. I am willing to accept that technology is moving forward, even if I don't like it. I recognize that students today need to know computers, film, music, advertising, etc. Since that is the case, I MUST be willing to teach using those things so that the students will get the most out of my class for their lives. Critical thinking is also important for the students lives, and that is taken away by only focusing on the verbal. Like Williams says, "if composition's role is to help students acquire the skills to live a critically engaged life--that is, to identify problems, to solve them, and to communicate with others about them--then we need to expand our view of writing instruction to include the diverse media forms that actually represent and shape the discursive reality of students."
Writing and Learning at Cross Purposes in the Academy
I'm somewhat torn on this subject. I think that writing does lead to "a deeper level of processing" which leads to better learning. I do see though that students write for teachers, and that is the main reason for writing. Writing is important no matter what, and I already talked about teaching writing in an earlier blog. Even if the students are writing because they have to, even if they are "copying" other peoples writing (through form, etc.) they are still gaining something. Whether it be continued practice on grammar and spelling, process production, or whatever, they are getting something out of it. I'm sure a lot of students will say they get nothing out of this type of writing, but I think they are. I'm not sure how we could go about changing why students write. I would love to tell them to just write whatever they want all the time, but I'm afraid that many will not know what to do, or will need structure. It is a difficult topic.
I agree with Williams her. I think that it is important to not just teach using the verbal. Students in this day and age will be expected to understand not only what is said, but what is seen. There are so many visuals and other forms of media now, that students need to be taught differently than they used to. Teachers who only lecture, and talk, while students sit there and listen, will not teach students what they really need to know. By combining the verbal and the visual, teachers can start teaching in a way that students will better understand in their futures. There are so many ways for the students to be literate, not just the way that it has always been. I am willing to accept that technology is moving forward, even if I don't like it. I recognize that students today need to know computers, film, music, advertising, etc. Since that is the case, I MUST be willing to teach using those things so that the students will get the most out of my class for their lives. Critical thinking is also important for the students lives, and that is taken away by only focusing on the verbal. Like Williams says, "if composition's role is to help students acquire the skills to live a critically engaged life--that is, to identify problems, to solve them, and to communicate with others about them--then we need to expand our view of writing instruction to include the diverse media forms that actually represent and shape the discursive reality of students."
Writing and Learning at Cross Purposes in the Academy
I'm somewhat torn on this subject. I think that writing does lead to "a deeper level of processing" which leads to better learning. I do see though that students write for teachers, and that is the main reason for writing. Writing is important no matter what, and I already talked about teaching writing in an earlier blog. Even if the students are writing because they have to, even if they are "copying" other peoples writing (through form, etc.) they are still gaining something. Whether it be continued practice on grammar and spelling, process production, or whatever, they are getting something out of it. I'm sure a lot of students will say they get nothing out of this type of writing, but I think they are. I'm not sure how we could go about changing why students write. I would love to tell them to just write whatever they want all the time, but I'm afraid that many will not know what to do, or will need structure. It is a difficult topic.
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