Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Blogging: Keeping track of comments

I discovered a new feature that might be of use to the class. Using Google Reader or another aggregator will let you know when people add new post to blogs that you want to follow.

However, even if you subscribe to your own blog, you won't know when someone comments on what you've written. (Unless there's a feature I'm missing on Google Reader.)

So how do you know when someone has written a comment to one of your posts?
  • Go to the settings tab
  • Under settings click on "Comments"
  • At the end of the page there is a "Comment notification" feature which allows you to enter an email address so that you get an alert when a comment is posted.
You all know that I'm learning this technology right along with you. If there's an easier/better way to keep track of comments, let us know!


What do we think of blogging so far?

I would like us to start a conversation on how you feel about our use of blogs in the class. Although no one is required to post, please do so if you have a comment or question to add to the discussion.

You might write about:
  • What you find valuable about our use of blogs
  • What you find to be limiting or frustrating
  • How you can imagine using blogs in the future
  • Questions you have about the blogs
  • Ideas for mini-lessons/discussions we might have in class
I'll read the posts carefully, both to guide my planning this semester and think about the use of blogs in future classes.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Session 6: African American Lit. and "Voice"

Everyone:
  • Read Martin (2004): What does she mean by the "double voicedness" of text? How is this "double voicedness" connected to the historical position of African Americans? Do any of the modes of discourse seem familiar? (You might draw on popular culture for examples or written texts.)
  • Read Woodson (1998): What does Woodson add to our "insider-outsider "debate?
  • Read Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes. This books is written in a combination of verse and prose. Try reading (and maybe rereading) the poems aloud to explore how they sound. Mark 1-2 poems that you would like to share and discuss.
Group C:
  • Write a questioning the text paper and submit it to the Angel dropbox by 6 pm the night before class
  • Bring a hard copy of your paper to class
Optional:
  • What can you learn about Nikki Grimes through internet research? Post any interesting resources in a blog entry.
  • Contribute a response to "How is blogging going?" by 6 pm the night before class

Monday, September 24, 2007

Blogging and copyright

A number of people have been making connections between current events and the course. Wonderful!

In terms of copyrighted material, you need to be aware of what you can and can not post on your blog. Posting the full text of a copyrighted article, for example, is a no-no. Providing a link to that article, a short excerpt, or summary of the article is fine.

When we get to posting book reviews we'll have to talk about how to post pictures of the front covers of the books.

I'm not an expert in this area--let's ask around and see if we can find more authoritative guidelines on the topic.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Jewish Studies Events Calendar

I just received the Fall 2007 MSU Jewish Studies Program Calendar and will post it on our Angel site. (I'll also bring a hard copy to class.)

The Jewish Studies Program holds a workshop on teaching about Holocaust each spring. I went last year and learned a great deal. If you are interested, keep your eye on the Jewish Studies program website for details.


Wednesday, September 19, 2007

What types of questions "work" for the questioning the text papers?

On Monday a student gave me feedback on the assignment guidelines that made me think. She said, you give more examples about what not to do in the QTT papers than examples of what might work!

Fair enough.

The reason that I'm hesitant to post example questions is that often the best questions are those that are unexpected or so particular to a text that they can't be prompted with a generic model. However, I want to respect the fact that a number of people have said that it has been hard to get a handle on how to frame a question.

My first piece of advice is to reread the assignment guidelines and ask yourself if the question you want to pose can be answered by analyzing the text and engages in a discussion of the work as a piece of diverse literature.

So here's my compromise: I'm going to list some very generic types of questions below and then leave it up to the class to continue posting samples as they hit on questions that seem to work in discussion.

  • In what ways does XXX function as a generalization or stereotype in XXX?
  • Who seems to be the implied audience for the text? (i.e. What textual clues signal who the author assumes you'll identify with or what knowledge the reader does or does not bring to the text)
  • How does the [genre/style/plot/or any other literary feature] position readers to think about XXXs XXX say about the relationship between XXX and members of the dominant culture?
  • How is humor/tragedy/etc. used to...?
  • How does XXX and XXX work to unravel the dichotomy of…
  • What did [plot twist, particular character/etc.] add to the text?
  • How does the text challenge ideas about [choose any dichotomy: modernity/tradition, gender, etc.]
  • Using XXX’s framework, how would you characterize XXX?
  • What does the title of the book…
Remember this is a conversation! Post your questions, thoughts, etc.

Sorry to end on a less positive note, but I want to offer a caveat regarding grades: Using one of these models doesn't guarantee a particular grade. I assess how you develop the question and the relationships between the sections of the paper.

Safe Schools Seminars (GLBTQ)

Seminars for Fall, 2007

One in Ten: Issues of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Schools

One in Ten? GLBTQIAA? What do these terms mean and why are they relevant to schools? This seminar kicks off our six-part series with an introduction to GLBT-issues in education. We will hear from a diverse panel explain why paying attention to issues of sexual and gender identity in schools is important.

Monday, Oct 1, 2007 6:00-7:30 252 Erickson Hall


Jim in BOLD

View the award-winning documentary film Jim in BOLD. This film explores the complicated struggles and hopes of gay and lesbian teens in America. Discussion will follow the film.

Wednesday, Oct 24, 2007 4:00 � 6:00 252 EH Erickson Hall


GLBTQ Children's and Adolescent Literature

Wondering what books to include in your inclusive classroom library? Join us as we explore examples of children�s and adolescent literature that address GLBTQ issues. Samples of books will be available for viewing.

Thursday, Nov 8, 5:00-6:30, 252 EH Erickson Hall

Session 5

For session 5 we will be discussing the book Habibi and Arab American children's and adolescent literature more generally. To prepare for the session:

  • The Al-Hazza and Lucking (2005) article provides a context for our discussion. Who are Arab Americans? How are they (mis)represented in the media? What are the implications for how we read a book like Habibi?
  • Al-Hazza (2006) provides an analysis of children's and adolescent literature? What do you notice about the types of books that are available that portray Arab Americans? What seems missing?
  • Read Habibi and note what strikes you about the text. Bring your questions, concerns, impressions to class. Next week we will talk a little bit about how the book has been used and questioned in schools.
  • B's only: Write a questioning the text paper and submit it to the Angel drop-box by 6 pm the day before class

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

New book!: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Here's a link to a book review on Debbie Reese's blog that you might find interesting:

Reviews: Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

I haven't read the book yet, but it looks like it is well received! If you are thinking about focusing on Native American literature for your final project, this might be an interesting selection.

I can't resist a couple of thoughts on blogging:
  • When you want to create a link to a particular post, rather than the general address where the blog is located, you can use the "permanent link" that is specific to the post you are citing.
  • You'll see that an anonymous reader posted a comment and Debbie Reese responded. This type of discussion is what blogs are all about! (Although it is unfortunate that the comment is nasty. This is one of the reasons I set my blog so that readers can not post anonymously!)

Subscribing to blogs

Although we have links to the class blogs on this site, you can imagine that it would be pretty inefficient for any of us to check 50 blogs on a regular basis to see if particular people had posted!

Rather than going out and looking for posts, there's a way to subscribe to content on blogs/webpages that brings new posts to you!

In order to do this, you need to set up an account with an aggregator program like Google Reader. This is a free service that you can sign up for with your google account.

Whenever you go to a webpage or a blog that you want to keep tabs on, you'll click on the RSS feed icon. (The orange icon to the right in the address bar.) You'll get a prompt to add the subscription to your account. (You can keep your subscriptions in folders, change their names, etc.)

Then, when you are ready to read blog posts, you can go to your Google Reader page and you'll see all of the new posts from the blogs to which you've subscribed!

Questions? Any advice from people who have experience subscribing to blogs? Post questions and comments!

Guillermo Delgado Visit

Click on the image to make it large enough to read!

Monday, September 17, 2007

Michigan Indian Day Event: September 28th

Michigan Indian Day Event
Friday, September 28th
8:15 am -5:00 pm

$15 per student
$40 per "professional"

Contact Emily Proctor at proctor8@msu.edu for information and registration.

The Michigan Indian Day Event is a day long conference focusing on issues related to Native American children. In addition to sessions throughout the day, the afternoon keynote is: "Do Mascots Really Impact American Indian People? (Origins, Perceptions, and Actions for Future Generations"!

I'm planning on attending the conference and would love for any of you to join me! (Or attend on your own.) I'll bring the flyer which includes more information to class with me this week.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Suggested reading: McIntosh

The questioning the text papers and class discussion around "Heart of a Chief" made me think of an article that I read when I was in college (and sometimes use with classes). The article is fairly short and (I hope!) interesting.

The article is "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack" by Peggy McIntosh.

The article introduces the idea of "white privilege": the idea that white people may or may not have had a chance to recognize the significance of race in day to day life. Although McIntosh thinks in terms of race, I think the idea of privilege can be helpful in thinking in more general ways about how those with majority identities sometimes haven't had a chance to explore common experiences of people with socially marginalized identities. In fact, I just came across an article which uses the concept of privilege to think about heterosexual privilege called "The Daily Effects of Straight Privilege".

What do people think? Did anything in McIntosh's article "ring true"? Was there anything that you questioned? What does "privilege" have to do with our identities as readers?

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Preparing for Session 4

Reading:
  • Next week we'll focus on the "insider-outsider" debate in class: who should write "diverse literature"? What are the rationales for seeking out works written by authors who draw on personal experience and/or identify with the cultural or social groups they represent? What are the rationales for taking a stance that "outsiders" can also write quality pieces of literature? In what ways is the "insider-outsider" distinction tricky or a problem?
  • Your readings for this week are drawn from a on-going, written, and scholarly debate in the world of children's literature. Read the four articles for this session in the order that they are presented in the syllabus. You may find it helpful to keep a list of different arguments and counter-arguments.
  • We'll spend time in class clarifying different viewpoints and complicating our understandings of the dilemmas involved in this debate!
Blogging:
  • This is one of the few weeks for which there is an assigned post (or comment, if you wish to respond to someone else's idea). Write a focused and concise post on an aspect of the insider-outsider debate.
  • Optional: Add a section on your blog for links to professional resources on diverse literature.
  • Optional: If you haven't done so, set up a Google Reader (or other similar account) to subscribe to posts from this blog and your fellow classmates' blogs.

Thursday, September 6, 2007

What belongs on our blogs?: Audience and confidentiality

I know we've talked about this in class, but I want to reiterate some of the major points we discussed. Remember that our use of the blogs is always open to discussion!
  • Remember that your blogs are currently set up so that anyone can read them. This includes prospective employers, family members, and "the public". Never disclose information on your blog that you don't want to be public. This might include controversial positions which might be misread outside the context of the course.
  • Consider your audience. One audience for the blogs will be your classmates with whom you've built relationships and who know the context of the course. Another audience might be potential employers who might be interested in your ideas, your writing skills, and whether you "sound like a teacher". (I can imagine a principal asking herself, "Could I imagine this person creating a classroom blog that students and parents would read?")
  • The same rules of confidentiality that we discussed regarding classroom interactions apply to our blogs. Don't mention other classmates by name or with identifying information. Respond to ideas, not to people.
  • If in doubt, choose the more confidential option. We have lots of "spaces" in which to exchange ideas in our class: our face to face meetings, our blogs, the questioning the text papers, and the Angel website. For example,
    if you want to pose a question that feels more personal or "risky", you might decide not to start that conversation on your blog, but rather start a discussion strand on Angel.
As professionals, one of your tasks is to develop "professional discretion". Although I read all posts and will contact you if I have a concern, it is ultimately up to you to make choices that demonstrate good judgment and respect for your classmates.

In the future you'll be making the same types of choices with your students, parents, and professional communities!

Blogging ideas

Blogging (all optional, but remember you need a minimum of 10 posts this semester):
  • Write a post that summarizes how you are thinking about one of the key questions we explored this week. (See slides)
  • Explore electronic resources connected to diverse literature and share them through your blog. For example, Cynthia Leitich Smith has a website and a blog!
  • Try adding elements to your blog. For example, you might create links to the blogs of people in your discussion group. Or you might create a space for professional resources.
  • Explore using Google Reader to manage reading people's posts. (We'll talk about this more next week.)

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Preparing for Session 3

Here are some thoughts on preparing for next week:

Readings:
  • Cortes (2001): This article examines the nature of stereotypes and discusses how one might introduce the concept to children. What is the difference between a stereotype and a generalization? How are stereotypes created?
  • Reese (1997): Although the examples in the reading are a bit outdated, the chapter does a nice job of discussing a number of key topics: background on Native American nations, key authors, stereotypes, problematic texts, teaching ideas, and criteria. Because of the length, we will not review the whole reading in class! Please come to class prepared to share several key ideas or quotes that intrigue you. We'll use your ideas as the basis for discussion.
  • Smith (2005): Cynthia Leitich Smith is one of the authors we will feature next week. This article shares her perspective on critical reviews of her work and includes criteria to consider when choosing literature that portrays Native Americans. We will read Jingle Dancer in class together.
Preparing for literature discussion:
  • Everyone must read "Heart of a Chief" carefully. Take notes on questions you have, passages you enjoy/question, personal reactions, connections to course readings, etc. Bring these to class.
  • Students in the "A group": Write your questioning the text paper, paying close attention to the assignment guidelines. Submit an electronic version in the Angel dropbox by 6 pm the night before class meets. Bring a hard copy to class so that you can refer to it to start discussion!
Blogging:
  • See next post!