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.)

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!
  

The "public" nature of blogs

One of the conversations we'll start next week and continue throughout the semester will be to discuss blogs as a genre. Who is the audience for our blog? What are the implications of the public nature of blogs? How will this shape what we write, how we write, etc.? Which conversations "belong" in these spaces? Which conversations might not? (And why are these difficult questions to pose in a learning environment?)

Along these lines, remember that the blogs we are creating could theoretically be accessed by anyone so I suggest that you do not include any personal information on your blog that you don't want "out there". (For example, when I post my electronic resume on my professional web page, I don't include my phone number or address or personal photos, etc.) If anyone would like to publish their blog with their first name, but not their last, I'm fine with that as well.

Community Event: Jane Addams Book Awards Celebration

One of the ways we'll use this blog is to share information on community events related to literature. If you attend an event, write about it on your blog and tell us about it in class!

On Thursday, September 6th there will be a "Jane Addams Children's Book Awards Celebration" at the East Lansing Hannah Community Center. Since the award is given for books that "engagingly and effectively invite children to think about peace, social justice, world community, and the equality of the sexes and all races", this event would be a great opportunity to start thinking about the role of awards in the world of children's literature.

For more information on the event, including links to information on the Jane Addams Award, check out the description on the Everybody Reads website.

Preparing for Session 2

Hello Everyone!

Here are some guidelines for preparing for next session. If you have any questions, post them as a comment and I'll respond publicly so that others can benefit as well!

Introduction to issues of diversity:

• Bishop (1997): What is multicultural literature? Why use it? What issues might one consider as one reads this type of literature?
• Yenika-Agbaw (1997) What is the relationship between reader-text-context? What does it mean to read critically?
  

Poetry:

• The Tatum (2000) article will help you think about your own "social identities" and help us think about how they might impact how we read and understand the world. This article might inspire your poetry!
• If you go to the "Lessons" tab on our angel site you'll see that I've posted the poems we read in class and have added a drop box to submit the poems.
• Please submit your poems by 6pm the night before class!
  

Blogging:

• The Suen (2006) article provides an introduction to blogging and its place in the world of children's literature. Check out some of the children's literature blogs that she mentions!
• If you want more general information on blogs, you might also check out the wikipedia entry on blogging.
• For those who feel ready, follow the directions on the last page of the syllabus to set up your blogs and do an initial post! Remember to email me your address!
  
• Next session we'll spend some time sharing what we find!
  

Wow! This is a lot to do, but I think that it will set us up for a good semester! (And, if it makes people feel better, this isn't a typical week's assignment!

Valerie

Welcome!

Welcome to TE 448: Issues in Diversity in Children's and Adolescent Literature! We'll use this blog, along with the individual blogs you will create, as a form of communication and archive of our work.