Personally I don’t understand why NBC released Cho Seung-Hui’s video. Are they doing it for the publicity? I think so. They have their name plastered all over it like they are proud that they are the ones to have it. Is this why they released it? The media is playing into his hands. They are doing EXACTLY what he wanted to be done. They are playing his video and giving him his glory. I’m appalled that they released it. The focus should be on the victims, and their friends and families. The media should focus on the candlelight vigils and the outreach of communities around the world. That is what we need to focus on. That is what deserves glory. That is what desreves remembrence. God Bless the victims and their families. I pray for you, and I pray for peace.
Bright Ideas Conference April 16, 2007
Jacqueline Woodson:
Jacqueline Woodson was very inspiring. I really appreciated her enthusiasm for writing. Just listening to her made me want to write. That made me think about myself as a teacher, and how important it is to have enthusiasm. If I bring that enthusiasm to the classroom, I think it will rub off on my students. Enthusiasm changes the whole atmosphere in the room. I think that is powerful.
She made me think a lot about my teaching career, and how my actions will affect my students. I don’t want the “candle [to go] out” for my students. I want to help light that fire and encourage it to burn. I am going to take her advice about writing and incorporate it into my teaching. I’m going to try not to criticize students in their early stages of writing. I’m going to be careful to be sensitive to my students’ writing.
Jacqueline Woodson also made me think about my writing. I really liked her “Elbowesqe” ideas on writing. I think it is cool that she doesn’t know what the story is going to be about until she is about half way through her draft. She said something like, “I want to get my characters walking, talking, and doing stuff first.” That just really struck me. I never really think about my characters as alive. You can tell she really does. I think if I can do that, then my writing will sound a lot more authentic and alive. I really enjoyed listening to her. She made me want to read her books!
Introducing a Twenty First Century Curriculum:
I finally learned what a wiki was! Honestly, I did not know that anyone can write in Wikipedia. That’s kind of embarrassing. It made me realize that I really need to keep up on technology. My students could have been using Wikipedia, and I wouldn’t have known that it isn’t a reliable source.
The presenters talked about setting up a wiki for a class. This is an interesting idea. I still need to research a little more about wikis. I still don’t have a full understanding of them, but I want to learn more. They also talked about how we can use IM language, Wiki and Myspace codes, and e-mail language to help teach students Standard American English. This is a cool idea. I just wrote a paper about using AAE with AAE speakers to help them learn SAE. I never thought about using this technological language to do the same. That is a pretty cool idea. I think it would take a lot of research though.
They also talked about using Youtube in the classroom. We can teach kids a lot through Youtube. One thing they talked about was using Youtube to teach kids about biases, perspectives, voice, and motives for writing. I think kids could have fun with this. I liked this presentation. It had a lot of information packed in.
Acing the Interview:
“ ‘Everyone loves kids, did well in school, and would love to work for us. What makes YOU unique and someone we need to hire?’ ” This is a questions the presenters asked us to answer. I need to find a good answer to that question. I think if I can answer that question honestly then the rest should be fairly easy. I need to really figure out what I’m all about as a teacher. I’m in the process of discovering, but I still have a lot to learn.
The presenters talked about how we need to sell ourselves like a product. That is an interesting way of talking about interviewing. I think it is a good way to look at it, but I also think that this advice could hurt you. I think if you try too hard to sell yourself, then you may become less genuine, and I think that would do more harm than good. They did give us a lot to think about, but I feel like a lot of it was stuff that I’ve heard before, but it is always good for a refresher!
Final Thoughts:
I’m glad I went. I really enjoyed Jacqueline Woodson. She was definitely the highlight for me. I think this conference is a good learning opportunity.
Creative Healing- In Conclusion April 2, 2007
“Any kind of journaling has power, Clement says, ‘because it allows you to leave whatever is in your head on the page. That makes room for new thoughts, ideas.’”
The article, “Journalers Say Writing Salves Physical and Emotional Ailments” is the perfect summation and testament to this semester’s blogs. The article focuses on how journaling can help people work through physical and mental challenges in their lives, but I would argue that any creative writing can have same the effect.
The article cited several studies supporting the claim that journaling can help salve physical and emotional pain.
Two decades of studies byUniversity of Texas at Austin psychology Professor James Pennebaker found that journaling for 20 minutes three days a week can lower blood pressure, reduce missed workdays and visits to the doctor, and increase immunity.
A 2002 study in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine found that University of Iowa students who journaled about their emotions and tried to understand stressful events saw improvements in their relationships, personal strength, spirituality and appreciation for life.
A 1999 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that writing helped reduce symptoms among people with asthma and rheumatoid arthritis.
These are just more examples that creative writing is therapeutic. It can help with physical illness, mental illness, and it can just help us have a more positive outlook on life. We all need some kind of outlet no matter who we are, and how good our life is. We all have stress and need a place to release it!
The important thing is a journal is a place where writers are not judged. They do not have to have profound thoughts. They do not have to write about anything in particular, and they certainly do not have to worry about a grade. They are free to express themselves. The paper is theirs!
This article also gives ideas for journaling such as; The Gratitude Journal, The Travel Journal, The Healing Journal, The Self Discovery Journal, and The Well-being Journal. Each journal is designed with a specific purpose, and the article gives tips on how to keep such journal and the individual purpose of each type of journal.
So since we know all the therapeutic benefits of creative writing and creative expression, why don’t we use them more in the classroom? Giving students time for free-writing in journals, or spending time on creative writing not only strengthens the student as a person, but also strengthens them as a writer. I think we should allow time for students to free-write in a journal. This free-writing could even serve as ideas or prewriting for future papers in the classroom. If we want students to grow as person we need to equip them with tools, such as expressive writing, and if we want students to become better writers, then we need to give them time to write! Journaling and creative writing can give us both!
Haller, Sonja. “Journalers Say Writings Salves Physical and Emotional Ailments.” The Lansing State Journal. 28 March, 2007.
Now for a message on Blogs!
I loved that blogging was introduced to me! Thanks Prof! The RSS aggregator is AMAZING! This is such a useful tool that I would have never known about! I am definitley going to use this in my classroom! It would be a shame not to. I think blogging would be a great way for students to share their writing with other students and the world! I think it is powerful to know that someone other than a teacher will read my writing. I think it makes me a lot more conscience of my own voice. I also think it would be a great way for students to get feedback on their writing. You could use blogs to do workshops! How cool is that? It also teaches kids some cool stuff about technology, and that is so important these days. Technology is such a HUGE part of our everyday lives, so it should be a part of our classrooms.
