Though earlier in life I never considered myself a 'good' writer, over the years I've come to see myself as such. A more accurate term to describe how I see myself would probably be 'storyteller,' but the primary medium for my stories is the written word so, in a broad sense, I've come to be a writer. I enjoy expressing myself through artwork as well, and have often used both media in tandem to present my ideas. For example, I enjoyed reading comic books when I was young, but it was never enough to simply read them; I wanted to participate in the worlds I saw, interact with them, live those fantastic lives as much as I could. Writing and drawing my own stories was my way of doing just that.
Crudely drawn comic books gave way to a more subtle form of writing, namely the materials involved in the preparation and execution of role playing games. It was in that arena that I learned the dynamic nature of characterization and the organic process of developing a creative plot. My friends and I enjoyed ourselves, and I daresay that many of the stories we concocted together would still be impressive by my current standards (or perhaps that's just nostalgia).
It was in college when I really began to see the power of words as I bounced from theater and playwriting classes to a brief time as a journalism major, and finally through the lens of English education. I've seen words both as a means to an end and as the end itself. Despite my background in recreational creative writing, I've found that in an academic setting I enjoy critical analysis papers more than anything else. In such papers I'm expected to dissect, interpret, and evaluate themes and phenomena in given texts. I get to take a literary microscope to the text, learning skills for use with my own writing as well as worldviews of other writers.
That is not to say that I've enjoyed all my writing assignments. I struggle any time I'm given a narrow list of topics or I'm required to write from a position that holds little interest for me. Such assignments are rare, but when it happens I often try to approach the assignment in ways that I find entertaining, and in the end assignments I don't care for end up being at least somewhat creative.
This eclectic range of writing experiences helps me understand that students often come to class with their own interests in writing, ranging from "none at all" to "the next teen author." I've had experience with many registers of speech and text, and I see merit in writing just about anything, from complex essays and intensely crafted created works to more informal, socially driven writing like Facebook, texting, or forum-based dialogue. Because of this, I can help students recognize that they too are 'good' writers in at least one area of their lives.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
SCED 4200 Blog Post 5: Research Abstracts
Ruble, Julie, and Kim Lysne. "The Animated Classroom: Using Japanese Anime to Engage and Motivate Students." English Journal 100.1 (2010): 37-46.
Teachers introduce Japanese culture through several media, most notably Hayao Miyazaki’s anime films like Spirited Away and Ponyo. Through these texts, students learn not only about the culture and history of Japan but also about environmental concerns. Students also learn about the animation process, developing a project where they make their own films. Focusing on the skills and techniques they’ve learned, students become directors and screenwriters themselves, collaborating to communicate their own environmental messages through film. Students are then assessed based on the originality and creativity of the script, as well as their ability to collaborate.
"What Activity Has Been Most Effective in Assisting High School Students to Read Successfully?" English Journal 93.5 (2004): 20-23.
Several teachers share their experiences and insights about how to help students become successful readers. From introspective activities encouraging students to discover their own feelings about reading to social interactions that help students feel comfortable with being readers. Students have many gateways into successful reading, such as through graphic novels or through reading texts based on personal interest.
Vasudevan, Lalitha M. "Looking for Angels: Knowing Adolescents by Engaging with Their Multimodal Literacy Practices." Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 50.4 (2007).
An eight-month vignette of the life of one young reader. Labeled a “low literate,” the student nevertheless exhibits creativity and intelligence in contrast to arbitrary standards imposed by the school system. This perceived discrepancy is exemplary of how schools are blind to young people’s voluntary engagement as both producers and consumers of a variety of texts.
Teachers introduce Japanese culture through several media, most notably Hayao Miyazaki’s anime films like Spirited Away and Ponyo. Through these texts, students learn not only about the culture and history of Japan but also about environmental concerns. Students also learn about the animation process, developing a project where they make their own films. Focusing on the skills and techniques they’ve learned, students become directors and screenwriters themselves, collaborating to communicate their own environmental messages through film. Students are then assessed based on the originality and creativity of the script, as well as their ability to collaborate.
"What Activity Has Been Most Effective in Assisting High School Students to Read Successfully?" English Journal 93.5 (2004): 20-23.
Several teachers share their experiences and insights about how to help students become successful readers. From introspective activities encouraging students to discover their own feelings about reading to social interactions that help students feel comfortable with being readers. Students have many gateways into successful reading, such as through graphic novels or through reading texts based on personal interest.
Vasudevan, Lalitha M. "Looking for Angels: Knowing Adolescents by Engaging with Their Multimodal Literacy Practices." Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 50.4 (2007).
An eight-month vignette of the life of one young reader. Labeled a “low literate,” the student nevertheless exhibits creativity and intelligence in contrast to arbitrary standards imposed by the school system. This perceived discrepancy is exemplary of how schools are blind to young people’s voluntary engagement as both producers and consumers of a variety of texts.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
SCED 4200 Post 3: Affective Dimensions of Reading
I've never thought of myself as anything but a good reader, but I wouldn't be surprised if teachers I had growing up might disagree. I love to absorb information on topics I enjoy, but the opposite is true with subjects or material that don't interest me as much.
I mostly gravitate toward science fiction in my reading preferences, and most other texts I read point back to that genre one way or another. I've been an avid comic book reader since I was young, and have practically devoured novels based in the Star Wars universe. I've read a lot of biological texts over the last few years, especially those that provided insight into my xenobiology project.
I've never really disliked reading in general, and have always been encouraged by friends and family to explore stories in multiple media. Over the years, I've come to appreciate what I've read in other genres, be it fiction and non-fiction. There may occasionally be a text that I just can't get into, but such events have never soured me on the enjoyment of a good book.
I hope to convey this love of reading to my students in the future, and help them see that even if we're covering something in the class there are things they do enjoy reading about and that they should cultivate the skill for use in all aspects of their lives.
I mostly gravitate toward science fiction in my reading preferences, and most other texts I read point back to that genre one way or another. I've been an avid comic book reader since I was young, and have practically devoured novels based in the Star Wars universe. I've read a lot of biological texts over the last few years, especially those that provided insight into my xenobiology project.
I've never really disliked reading in general, and have always been encouraged by friends and family to explore stories in multiple media. Over the years, I've come to appreciate what I've read in other genres, be it fiction and non-fiction. There may occasionally be a text that I just can't get into, but such events have never soured me on the enjoyment of a good book.
I hope to convey this love of reading to my students in the future, and help them see that even if we're covering something in the class there are things they do enjoy reading about and that they should cultivate the skill for use in all aspects of their lives.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
SCED 4200 Post 2: Literacy Autobiography
I don’t remember learning to read, but I do remember helping my brothers learn to read, which I suppose was good practice at that age. We started with small and simple books, the ones that have more pictures than words, but the novelty of that soon wore off; reading another story was less interesting than making up our own stories in the back yard. Reading was always a part of our lives growing up, but more important was a sense of understanding: of ourselves, of each other, and of the world around us. We were raised to be very observant, and when I think of the word “literacy” this sense of awareness and understanding comes to mind.
I never made that connection while growing up. In school I learned that literacy was the ability to read and write; I learned about spelling and handwriting and how important it is to be able to read and write well. All of that is important, and I took to it all quite well in my youth, but such tasks never engaged me as much as my extracurricular experiences with reading. An avid comic book reader from a young age, my mind was engaged both by the fantastic stories and by the colorful artwork on every pulpy page. I was enamored with the whole industry, dreaming of becoming a comic book artist and putting the pictures in my head on paper. I didn’t wait for acceptance in that profession to write and illustrate my own stories, stapling together my own little books and placing them on the shelf with professional works. I always saw my words standing side by side with the publications of artists and storytellers I admired. I wanted to learn how to make my works as good as theirs, so when I saw books about drawing I would read them, and I looked at stories written by others to see if I could make my stories just as fun and interesting.
Meanwhile, teachers introduced me to “literature,” stories that are recognized by many as noteworthy and representative of the breadth of human experience. I didn’t see any value in reading these works, of course, maintaining that nonfiction was never as interesting as the fantastic worlds of speculation. Things that actually had happened somewhere in space and time never seemed as potent to me as things that could have happened, or that may yet do so; many teachers were frustrated by the lack of interest I expressed in what they offered, especially when I would avidly read the works of Asimov, Card, and many others, and when I would write my own stories rather than complete essays or writing for their classes. It wasn’t until one teacher, Mrs. Riggs, presented a different face of literature that I had my first breakthrough.
My interest had turned to role playing games by that point, both for the sense of camaraderie developed among participants and for the shared storytelling that had thrilled me since I played in the backyard in my youth. I was constantly on the lookout for story ideas that I could appropriate into enjoyable tabletop adventures, and, as I entered Mrs. Rigg’s classroom, I was looking outside of my comfort zone for ideas and understanding.
Mrs. Riggs provided the other end of the bridge I traveled into more traditional areas of literature, most notably by reading one of the earliest works of science fiction: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. We studied the novel just as we would any other, and it was the first time I had seen anyone apply that much scrutiny and analysis to science fiction, pulling from it the same quality of insight and values that I saw done with the “canon.” It was the first time that I could consciously take hold of the tools I had been given in school and use them to unwrap something I loved and show it to others in the world, and in ways that could be understood by others.
It’s that sense of awakening I want to bring as a teacher. I know not everyone has the love I have for speculative fiction, but everyone has a love for something that I believe literature can unlock. For those who wish their voices to be heard, I want to show how others have stood out and loaned their voices to the world. For those who want to learn more about themselves, I want to help them see their reflections in the faces of characters. For those who claim that literacy plays a small role in their lives, I want to help them see that learning, and growing, and understanding anything around us is literacy, and they can use that desire to know to do great things.
I never made that connection while growing up. In school I learned that literacy was the ability to read and write; I learned about spelling and handwriting and how important it is to be able to read and write well. All of that is important, and I took to it all quite well in my youth, but such tasks never engaged me as much as my extracurricular experiences with reading. An avid comic book reader from a young age, my mind was engaged both by the fantastic stories and by the colorful artwork on every pulpy page. I was enamored with the whole industry, dreaming of becoming a comic book artist and putting the pictures in my head on paper. I didn’t wait for acceptance in that profession to write and illustrate my own stories, stapling together my own little books and placing them on the shelf with professional works. I always saw my words standing side by side with the publications of artists and storytellers I admired. I wanted to learn how to make my works as good as theirs, so when I saw books about drawing I would read them, and I looked at stories written by others to see if I could make my stories just as fun and interesting.
Meanwhile, teachers introduced me to “literature,” stories that are recognized by many as noteworthy and representative of the breadth of human experience. I didn’t see any value in reading these works, of course, maintaining that nonfiction was never as interesting as the fantastic worlds of speculation. Things that actually had happened somewhere in space and time never seemed as potent to me as things that could have happened, or that may yet do so; many teachers were frustrated by the lack of interest I expressed in what they offered, especially when I would avidly read the works of Asimov, Card, and many others, and when I would write my own stories rather than complete essays or writing for their classes. It wasn’t until one teacher, Mrs. Riggs, presented a different face of literature that I had my first breakthrough.
My interest had turned to role playing games by that point, both for the sense of camaraderie developed among participants and for the shared storytelling that had thrilled me since I played in the backyard in my youth. I was constantly on the lookout for story ideas that I could appropriate into enjoyable tabletop adventures, and, as I entered Mrs. Rigg’s classroom, I was looking outside of my comfort zone for ideas and understanding.
Mrs. Riggs provided the other end of the bridge I traveled into more traditional areas of literature, most notably by reading one of the earliest works of science fiction: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. We studied the novel just as we would any other, and it was the first time I had seen anyone apply that much scrutiny and analysis to science fiction, pulling from it the same quality of insight and values that I saw done with the “canon.” It was the first time that I could consciously take hold of the tools I had been given in school and use them to unwrap something I loved and show it to others in the world, and in ways that could be understood by others.
It’s that sense of awakening I want to bring as a teacher. I know not everyone has the love I have for speculative fiction, but everyone has a love for something that I believe literature can unlock. For those who wish their voices to be heard, I want to show how others have stood out and loaned their voices to the world. For those who want to learn more about themselves, I want to help them see their reflections in the faces of characters. For those who claim that literacy plays a small role in their lives, I want to help them see that learning, and growing, and understanding anything around us is literacy, and they can use that desire to know to do great things.
Monday, January 16, 2012
SCED 4200 Blog Post 1 (Introduction)
My name is Evan Black and I'm studying to teach English at the secondary level. My minor is Spanish and I will also receive my certification for that as well. I see a lot of connections between the two fields, especially as it applies to literacy, as both focus on language and its use in society. The goals of the Spanish class are more utilitarian in nature since most students will enter it with little to no experience with the language, so much time is spent on basic learning. English classes in America are more in-depth, exploring the language in its complexity and usage in literature and interpersonal settings. All these aspects of language interest me, and I want to help my future students develop a similar appreciation for words and the power they can give us all in our personal lives and in society as a whole.
I also hope to incorporate several forms of media in the classroom, mostly due to the fact that my love of words has developed through many different sources in my life. Growing up I was an avid comic book reader; at the time I had difficulty seeing how this could be considered a form of literacy, mostly due to society's view on the medium. I also participated in tabletop roleplaying, which encouraged me to explore the nuances of character development and the relationship the character has with the plot in which it finds itself. Finally, I wrote a script for a short fan film with my friends that helped me understand how words on the page can translate into images on a screen. I'll probably talk more about how these activities have shaped my literary experiences in my next post.
Also, I've cultivated a strong artistic talent over the years (my parents say I stopped drawing stick figures before I had even learned how to write), engaging in projects both personal and professional. One of the major endeavors at this point in my life is a project I've worked on for two or three years called Nereus. It's essentially a scientific speculation on extraterrestrial planetology and xenobiology, where I design as plausible a planet as I can and populate it with equally plausible alien flora and fauna, then provide articles and illustrations for my imagined species. Geeky, I know, but after reading about my other hobbies are you really surprised at this point?
After showing people my artistic work I'm often asked why I'm going into teaching English instead of Art. The answer is that, quite frankly, art has come too naturally to me. When I think about teaching others how to develop their artistic talents my mind draws a blank. The process is too subconscious for me to articulate, and I don't know how I could help students learn the same.
By contrast, my interest in language and literature is something that I've developed over time. In other words, I had to learn to like English, and because I had to learn it I can understand when students have to learn to like it as well. It's for that reason that I believe I'll have better success teaching English than Art.
That's all I can think of to introduce myself. If there are any questions just add a comment on this post and I'll answer them as I can.
I also hope to incorporate several forms of media in the classroom, mostly due to the fact that my love of words has developed through many different sources in my life. Growing up I was an avid comic book reader; at the time I had difficulty seeing how this could be considered a form of literacy, mostly due to society's view on the medium. I also participated in tabletop roleplaying, which encouraged me to explore the nuances of character development and the relationship the character has with the plot in which it finds itself. Finally, I wrote a script for a short fan film with my friends that helped me understand how words on the page can translate into images on a screen. I'll probably talk more about how these activities have shaped my literary experiences in my next post.
Also, I've cultivated a strong artistic talent over the years (my parents say I stopped drawing stick figures before I had even learned how to write), engaging in projects both personal and professional. One of the major endeavors at this point in my life is a project I've worked on for two or three years called Nereus. It's essentially a scientific speculation on extraterrestrial planetology and xenobiology, where I design as plausible a planet as I can and populate it with equally plausible alien flora and fauna, then provide articles and illustrations for my imagined species. Geeky, I know, but after reading about my other hobbies are you really surprised at this point?
After showing people my artistic work I'm often asked why I'm going into teaching English instead of Art. The answer is that, quite frankly, art has come too naturally to me. When I think about teaching others how to develop their artistic talents my mind draws a blank. The process is too subconscious for me to articulate, and I don't know how I could help students learn the same.
By contrast, my interest in language and literature is something that I've developed over time. In other words, I had to learn to like English, and because I had to learn it I can understand when students have to learn to like it as well. It's for that reason that I believe I'll have better success teaching English than Art.
That's all I can think of to introduce myself. If there are any questions just add a comment on this post and I'll answer them as I can.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Picasa Assignment: Science Meets Imagination
For this assignment I've decided to feature some of the artwork I've put together for a project I've been working on. Students could learn a lot from this project, especially those with an interest in biology and/or artistic creativity.
Here are three of the pictures from my Picasa folder:
Here is a link to the rest of the album:
https://picasaweb.google.com/101295983434828474540/Jul82011?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCK2Mna-UodirogE&feat=directlink
Here are three of the pictures from my Picasa folder:
Here is a link to the rest of the album:
https://picasaweb.google.com/101295983434828474540/Jul82011?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCK2Mna-UodirogE&feat=directlink
Friday, May 27, 2011
INST 4015 Blog Assignment: Educational Blogs
For my assignment this week I'm supposed to review and analyze several educational blogs.
The first one from the list was called Collaborative Class Blog and is run by Brian Crosby and his 5th grade class. It has links to the class's other online activities such as the wiki, links to other blogs they follow, and a list of entries and participants. It seems a little cluttered and busy, given all that information, but I'm sure for the purposes of the class and their collaboration it's handy to have all that information in one place.
The most recent post is titled "What Do You Think Will Happen?" and it talks about a scientific experiment involving air pressure. Not only is the project fun and kinesthetic, but the blog entry encourages all who read it (whether they're in the class or not) to share their own hypotheses about what will happen as the different items are lifted into the air by a high altitude balloon. This level of inclusion is just what the internet is capable of; if only more teachers and classes would use it this way!
The 2M Gems Blog is maintained by, you guessed it, the 2M Gems. I'm not sure if this is the name of a class or an academic club at their school, or what. Based on the material I read, they seem to be a younger group of students; it's exciting to technology being incorporated into education like this, but having said that, I must say that one item of technology seemed to detract from the readability of the blog. In the entry "WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE BAYS?" a program called lino is used to compile and present the material. Consisting of apparently randomly placed text boxes and images much like on a bulletin board, it requires the viewer to drag the "board" around within the window in order to see everything. This makes it hard to absorb and process the material, and while I'm not sure with the full capabilities of lino, I don't know if it's a good tool for this kind of collaboration.
One blog that attracted my attention in my search is called Moving at the Speed of Creativity. It's run by an educator named Wesley Fryer, and it highlights events or projects he's discovered in his own searches through Education circles. One post he made is about a class in Oklahoma who made a music video celebrating the purchase of 4G iPods. Their video clearly demonstrates the incorporation of learning on many levels, from the creativity involved with writing lyrics to the efforts involved in choregraphing and filming a video. Another entry focused in on a single student-- Fryer's daughter, incidentally-- as she digitized a portfolio of written material she'd been compiling since first grade by reciting the material into a microphone. Fryer mentioned that at least her grandparents would be interested in hearing her recital, but I think that immortalizing the material with her own expressive voice can even be an inspiration and legacy for students in future generations.
The second section of this blog assignment involves following blogs through RSS (Really Simple Syndication). Since I already have a blogger account, and another blog, there are come blogs I already follow on RSS: Furahan Biology and Allied Matters and This Orb. However, since these are only peripherally associated with education, and the assignment points out that I should subscribe to two new blogs, here they are: Resources for Teachers and Graham Wegener's Open Educator. I look forward to taking a step deeper into the field of education by more closely following those who share the same interest/profession.
The first one from the list was called Collaborative Class Blog and is run by Brian Crosby and his 5th grade class. It has links to the class's other online activities such as the wiki, links to other blogs they follow, and a list of entries and participants. It seems a little cluttered and busy, given all that information, but I'm sure for the purposes of the class and their collaboration it's handy to have all that information in one place.
The most recent post is titled "What Do You Think Will Happen?" and it talks about a scientific experiment involving air pressure. Not only is the project fun and kinesthetic, but the blog entry encourages all who read it (whether they're in the class or not) to share their own hypotheses about what will happen as the different items are lifted into the air by a high altitude balloon. This level of inclusion is just what the internet is capable of; if only more teachers and classes would use it this way!
The 2M Gems Blog is maintained by, you guessed it, the 2M Gems. I'm not sure if this is the name of a class or an academic club at their school, or what. Based on the material I read, they seem to be a younger group of students; it's exciting to technology being incorporated into education like this, but having said that, I must say that one item of technology seemed to detract from the readability of the blog. In the entry "WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE BAYS?" a program called lino is used to compile and present the material. Consisting of apparently randomly placed text boxes and images much like on a bulletin board, it requires the viewer to drag the "board" around within the window in order to see everything. This makes it hard to absorb and process the material, and while I'm not sure with the full capabilities of lino, I don't know if it's a good tool for this kind of collaboration.
One blog that attracted my attention in my search is called Moving at the Speed of Creativity. It's run by an educator named Wesley Fryer, and it highlights events or projects he's discovered in his own searches through Education circles. One post he made is about a class in Oklahoma who made a music video celebrating the purchase of 4G iPods. Their video clearly demonstrates the incorporation of learning on many levels, from the creativity involved with writing lyrics to the efforts involved in choregraphing and filming a video. Another entry focused in on a single student-- Fryer's daughter, incidentally-- as she digitized a portfolio of written material she'd been compiling since first grade by reciting the material into a microphone. Fryer mentioned that at least her grandparents would be interested in hearing her recital, but I think that immortalizing the material with her own expressive voice can even be an inspiration and legacy for students in future generations.
The second section of this blog assignment involves following blogs through RSS (Really Simple Syndication). Since I already have a blogger account, and another blog, there are come blogs I already follow on RSS: Furahan Biology and Allied Matters and This Orb. However, since these are only peripherally associated with education, and the assignment points out that I should subscribe to two new blogs, here they are: Resources for Teachers and Graham Wegener's Open Educator. I look forward to taking a step deeper into the field of education by more closely following those who share the same interest/profession.
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