In thinking about the "larger questions" regarding "Song of Myself," one--or a couple-- that strikes me concerns the tension between the preservation of the individual in the context of the larger whole self, composed of all selves, according to Whitman. How can his soul be content to be known or unknown if he is including all souls together? Can the individual remain as such when all are considered one? How does a soul remain unknown if all souls are counted together? Couldn't you assume to know my soul, if yours and mine are one?
As for electronic archives, I think there are positive aspects and negative. That a body of work such as the various editions of "Leaves of Grass" is made accessible is fabulous. Readers can readily compare different volumes; and works that maybe are out of reach for certain people are easily available.
Downsides:
Reading long works on the computer hurts my eyes.
Navigating around within the text is not so easy. I was trying to locate the section that I'm covering in my first paragraph of this blog, and found it, and then lost it. I couldn't remember the page number, and all that scrolling was making my eyes blurry (I just checked again, and still can't find it).
The computer acts as a buffer between the reader and the text, creating distance. Books facilitate intimate interaction, resulting in closer reading, deeper understanding, and greater appreciation for a work. And yes, they are easier to take to bed (or anywhere) than a computer.
I think that classroom discussions are probably easier if everyone has a copy of the piece in front of them. Not everyone has a laptop (and I find that laptops can sometimes act as a kind of barrier between students who have them and the rest of the class). I think our own classroom discussion would have been easier and richer if, when we covered a particular passage, everyone could have followed along.
Jesus, I'm long-winded!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Diigo? No problemo!
Alright. Maybe I'll be able to foster some sort of love/hate relationship with this stuff. I just signed up for Diigo with no problem, and it actually seems pretty cool.
Lesson learned: chill!!
Later: I just read a couple people's feedback on the wiki sitch-y, and I'd have to agree. I was so frustrated at a certain point, that I just gave up altogether. I plan to re-visit the assignment over the weekend, when I've got more time, to try it again. Maybe working on it at a time when everyone else is not, in a more relaxed environment, will be a little easier.
Later, still: I didn't realize that Diigo was eating everyone's comments, as I could read them fine from my vantage point. Christ! Somehow, it just figures that when I finally think this stuff is working, it's most definitely not!
Lesson learned: chill!!
Later: I just read a couple people's feedback on the wiki sitch-y, and I'd have to agree. I was so frustrated at a certain point, that I just gave up altogether. I plan to re-visit the assignment over the weekend, when I've got more time, to try it again. Maybe working on it at a time when everyone else is not, in a more relaxed environment, will be a little easier.
Later, still: I didn't realize that Diigo was eating everyone's comments, as I could read them fine from my vantage point. Christ! Somehow, it just figures that when I finally think this stuff is working, it's most definitely not!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
This shit is hard!
After my head nearly exploded in the lab today, I realized that learning this stuff is much more of a challenge than I anticipated. I need to pace myself, and just give it a rest when it becomes too much.
I contemplated dropping the class earlier today, but that's not happening. I'm going to stick this out, and though I don't expect I'll fall in love with "new media" at any point, I can at least overcome my complete aversion to it. I hope.
I contemplated dropping the class earlier today, but that's not happening. I'm going to stick this out, and though I don't expect I'll fall in love with "new media" at any point, I can at least overcome my complete aversion to it. I hope.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Still a Cave Girl
I finally had some iLearn experience, and agree that it's a good place for posting general class info, like a syllabus, but otherwise, probably limiting in the same ways Blackboard is.
Anyway, I wanted to write something about this Backward Design stuff that we're into now. Having never before designed a syllabus, I'm enjoying the back-to-front approach, and hope to incorporate it into my style, when I do start teaching. Actually, if I can use it on my tutoring students this semester, I'm going to try it out. I think it is good for putting instructors in a frame of mind to really think about what is most important in what they're doing--prioritizing goals, and organizing the class with a clear focus.
As far as all this electronic media stuff goes, I'm still struggling. I just posted my "Design" plan, but first had to join our wiki page. Having never put a syllabus together, I was hesitant to post it in public. Then I had to join the wiki before I could post. As I said in my intro, I'm a private person, and the very publicness of the internet makes me extremely uncomfortable. Having to "join" sites, and give away information about myself to these electronic entities, without really knowing where it goes or how it's used--achh! Sometimes I'd just rather crawl back into my cave!
Anyway, I wanted to write something about this Backward Design stuff that we're into now. Having never before designed a syllabus, I'm enjoying the back-to-front approach, and hope to incorporate it into my style, when I do start teaching. Actually, if I can use it on my tutoring students this semester, I'm going to try it out. I think it is good for putting instructors in a frame of mind to really think about what is most important in what they're doing--prioritizing goals, and organizing the class with a clear focus.
As far as all this electronic media stuff goes, I'm still struggling. I just posted my "Design" plan, but first had to join our wiki page. Having never put a syllabus together, I was hesitant to post it in public. Then I had to join the wiki before I could post. As I said in my intro, I'm a private person, and the very publicness of the internet makes me extremely uncomfortable. Having to "join" sites, and give away information about myself to these electronic entities, without really knowing where it goes or how it's used--achh! Sometimes I'd just rather crawl back into my cave!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
"Chaos" is the word...
As Kotkamp states in the "Digital Objects" article, "learning is not a stable process that starts and ends with clarity and security" (67). I experience this weekly doing homework for this class. Wrestling with my own lack of tech sophistication, and a driving resistance to all this electronic stuff, I am well acquainted with the "uncertainty and disturbance" of learning that she speaks.
Anyway, I liked that both Kotkamp and Coopman hold a favorable slant towards e-learning, while questioning the usability of the available software. As a student, I have found Blackboard frustrating, pointless, and repetitive. I could never figure out why we had a class discussion on-line, and then another on the exact same subject in class.
So, it strikes me that part of the dilemma with e-learning lies not only with the availability of software that facilitates an appropriate power-balance between teacher and student, encouraging participation and mutual knowledge sharing, but also in developing a curriculum that makes use of electronic tools while not attempting to replicate, or replace, the classroom environment. Maybe keep classroom discussions in the classroom, and use e-learning tools for what they are. Instead of trying to replace lectures, we should supplement them with electronic assignments--have students create blogs, like we're doing for this class, and use them as a learning diary. Or, instead of, or in addition to, an essay, they do a multi-media or Powerpoint presentation requiring the same amount of research and effort. Or have a separate, on-line segment of course work for small-group projects.
If the goal is learning, maybe we need to shift our focus to a more inclusive one that allows us to make use of the powerful tool that the computer is, in the best way possible. Maybe hold on to some of the traditional stuff that has worked for decades (lectures and essays are powerful tools, too!), and instead of having a classroom vs. the computer perspective, harness the potential for both.
Just off the top of my head...
Anyway, I liked that both Kotkamp and Coopman hold a favorable slant towards e-learning, while questioning the usability of the available software. As a student, I have found Blackboard frustrating, pointless, and repetitive. I could never figure out why we had a class discussion on-line, and then another on the exact same subject in class.
So, it strikes me that part of the dilemma with e-learning lies not only with the availability of software that facilitates an appropriate power-balance between teacher and student, encouraging participation and mutual knowledge sharing, but also in developing a curriculum that makes use of electronic tools while not attempting to replicate, or replace, the classroom environment. Maybe keep classroom discussions in the classroom, and use e-learning tools for what they are. Instead of trying to replace lectures, we should supplement them with electronic assignments--have students create blogs, like we're doing for this class, and use them as a learning diary. Or, instead of, or in addition to, an essay, they do a multi-media or Powerpoint presentation requiring the same amount of research and effort. Or have a separate, on-line segment of course work for small-group projects.
If the goal is learning, maybe we need to shift our focus to a more inclusive one that allows us to make use of the powerful tool that the computer is, in the best way possible. Maybe hold on to some of the traditional stuff that has worked for decades (lectures and essays are powerful tools, too!), and instead of having a classroom vs. the computer perspective, harness the potential for both.
Just off the top of my head...
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