Wiki Crazy :)

I think I've found out why Dave likes Wikis so much!

I'm not sure how long I've been at it (an hour, maybe two) working on my wiki about my seminar at the NYSEC conference: Fantasy Lands. I am absolutely LOVING IT!

I'm thinking now that I should have done a huge wiki project involving fantasy YA lit for my final project...I was so into it! That way I could have built a monster resource for myself and my students. Oh well. Flash poetry will work.

Y'all should check out my monster wiki Fantasy Lands because it is quite a feat. I've added stuff that wasn't on my handout, so it is the new and improved version! Fantasy Lands 2.0, the interactive version! YAH!

Website Start

So I've decided I should probably get started on my website. Rather than using iWeb on a Mac, I thought it would be easier, more convenient, and more easily accessible if I tried out freewebs.com. And, low and behold, it is easier.

The only trouble I'm having is, alas, figuring out how to go about "selling" myself as a professional. Go figure, I can write reams of papers, but marketing myself is the difficult part! I'm sure I'm not the only one.

As per Karen, here's my site (definitely under construction...): Dawn's Professional Teacher Site

No real info on it yet...just messing with form, I guess, and trying to get my blog up there as well. The music is great, though, huh?

Linguistic Memory

I think I can accurately classify myself, in regard to Pink's six different types of people, as a shining example of "STORY."

A recent example will explain my conclusion better than anything else.

I do most of my thinking, the serious kind where I plan papers, make lists for what I have to do, think about weighty philosophical questions, and basically organize my life, in the car. Driving to Cortland for classes and workshops, driving to Vestal for work and (gasp) shopping allocates just enough time for me to think about everything.

Last night on the way home in the snow (which conspicuously stopped after Richford...to find this town think small, and then discover that Rockafeller was born there), I was thinking about one of three courses I'm planning on teaching with Jacqueline in January: short stories. There are just some stories, themes, moments, ideas, that truly stick out in my memory, and planning on which stories to teach, I knew I needed to access years of college material, both in literature classes and in creative writing. I think I remember the creative writing stories better because we were always mimicking form and style, but that's a whole other story.

I came up with quite a few stories from college study, and it seemed that one story I LOVED eluded my grasp. I very distinctly remember it being about an Irish sniper who takes aim to kill an enemy over rooftops in Dublin, shoots the man, and discovers it is his brother he has killed. Not bad of a synopsis. I even recall something of the author's name...Liam Flaherty. The story, of course, I remembered the name "The Sniper." Just to make sure, when I got home, I looked up the story and the author. The only thing I didn't remember was the "O" in the author's last name (O'Flaherty). I was very proud of myself.

And then, it came to me...this story had been stuck in my memory for much longer than my stay at Binghamton. We read this story (only once) in high school. NINTH GRADE, to be specific. I guess the whole point of this brief story is to show how, as a linguistic learner and student of literature (even before I knew that's what I was), literature had a hold on me, and I guess it just keeps on holding, even past a span of 10 years. I shared this with my husband last night, and we were (honestly) fascinated by the idea. Of course, there are stories and books that I've read, and can only vaguely remember, but it is the ones that hold emotional ties or represent my own fascination with the idea of "story" that stick with me.

I thought sharing this revelation poingant, since we are all going to be teaching "English." I think that teaching is an amazing endeavor. Even when preparing lessons and content, I am still learning...not only about the subject, but about my own intricate relationship with the written word.

It's a little scary to think how much literature my mind holds on to (images, ideas, characters), refusing to let go...what is it that you have held on to from literature that makes you strive to be a passionate teacher?

VENTING

Alright...Alex and Karen know that I've been having technological issues with my iMovie. There is no possibility that it will be done by Tuesday and I think (maybe) I've come to terms with that. However, I REALLY want to make this movie! More for my husband who says..."How'd that movie come out? I really want to see it..." GRRR!!

I am going to try again on Tuesday when I'm in Cortland, but I can only access my footage on the mac I was on last week in class, since my stuff is stuck (permanently?) on that computer. I have tried to delete extra clips that I probably don't need, but the program shuts down before I can save it and/or burn it. So I did that A LOT before I gave up.

I think that computer has a death wish for my iMovie.

I'm sure there's something wrong with the computer or my disk or both. I'm also sure that I don't really like iMovie and I'm positive that I am frustrated beyond my belief. After spending a couple of hours on Thursday trying to just transfer the info to my disk (and walking away much angrier than when I sat down), I decided to do something productive with my time.

I started working on my final project, using iMovie (grr...) to make hypertext poetry. While I'm using this program because it is available, I wonder what "extras" and "benefits" Flash has that I do not have at my disposal. I've only done about a minute's worth of "La Belle Dame san Merci," and I already think there are too few options to play with. I'll keep messing with it...

Does anyone know why the still pictures I use in iMovie are fuzzy and out of focus after I import them in??!?

And there are rules (yes, rules) as to how long clips have to be before and after using transitions ( I know 5 seconds is 5 seconds, but...).

Philosophy of My Teaching (Before I Actually Teach)

I decided that since my wisdom was FLOWING today when I commented to Karen's post (at her most insistent pleading and begging) that I would repost it where it wouldn't get buried in the comment section of the course blog. I'm thinking that this is the beginning of my "Teaching Philosophy," and hey, it sounded good!

My passion for teaching stems from my own long, winding career as a professional student, and a professional learner. Just as I have read and written reams and reams, that is what I want for my students: to learn by experiencing as much as possible while in my future classroom.

While the content may be dictated by the administration, there are SO MANY places that Dickens and Bronte can go, that mere love for literature and passion are the tools to open up the rich world of literature for students.

I'd say that teaching (successful teaching whereby students are actively engaged and questioning/learning) is 2 parts PASSION, 1 part CONTENT/KNOWLEDGE. If the teacher is enthusiastic and exhibits boundless energy/creativity/excitement toward the subject or novel or writing assignment (or graphic novel...), then the students will be influenced by that passion, and decide, "Hey, this might be interesting," or "This lady is wacked, but maybe she just might keep me from falling asleep today...".

Either way: SUCCESS! They're awake, they're intrigued, and they're present!

I think one of the many challenges of teaching is to motivate the students, not only to do the work, but to want to show their creativity and originality IN the work they do, to exhibit the same passion we do, but where it matters to them.

Sorry for the rambling.

NYSEC Wikis

Here are the wikis I created, and plan to update with more notes and thoughts from the seminars:

All NIGHT in a Day and Enchantment in the Classroom

Check out the website, particularly Nicole Sear's on the "Night" wiki; there are SO many resources she had made available!! (You'll have to go there; I'm not putting a link up!)

Note: Information on both of these wikis are from handouts and/or notes I took during the seminar.

Hopefully I'll be able to get a wiki up next week on my part of the seminar on YA Lit!! Be advised!

More Inspiration from Albany

Since there were multiple seminars to chose from at the conference, and only the opportunity to attend three, I thought I would expound a bit on what I saw, learned, and internalized.

After listening to the keynote speaker, Carol Jago, I attended a workshop on integrating fairy tales into the classroom. Nora Feingold was the presenter on "Writing for a Real Audience: The Fairy Tale Project: Enchantment in the Classroom."

A brief outline from her presentation included:
-Immersing students in the genre of fairy tales, starting with the traditional Western versions, and progressing through alternative adaptations from other areas of the world.
-Literary analysis, comparison of the elements of the genre, and learning to listen with a "writer's ear" were integral to the process.
-Focus on revision (content, style, and mechanics).
-Students reflected and evaluated their work.
-Publication included a bound, hardcover book (publishing company: Nationwide Learning).
-Authentic audience: reading to elementary students in the same district.

For more information, I will be creating a wiki on the seminars I attended last Thursday...

The second seminar I attended was presented by Betsy MacNamee and Barbara Searle on "Tidbits, Tips, and Tricks for the Novice Teacher." This seminar focused primarily on classroom management, creating a safe environment for students to learn, establishing a concrete syllabus/expectations for students, first day activities for community building, student empowerment through choice (on exams, quizzes, etc.), documentation of correspondences with parents for the future, and a five-week reflection letter that is emailed to students.

After a great lunch, I attended the *best* seminar presented by Nicole Sears and Daniel Sullivan entitled "All Night in a Day." Since I plan to create a wiki about this (and only want to do it once) I will tell you that these two teachers were able to immerse their students in a classroom museum on the Holocaust, and then proceeded to read the book Night all in one day. The resources from this seminar are boundless. I'll share more when my wiki is in-progress.