00A #6 Teaching Portfolios

Hesse gives several benefits of students creating portfolios, including that through portfolios, students will display ability to perform in a variety of rhetorical situations and display development through the semester. Can you think of other advantages? And can you think of difficulties with assessment that can occur?



There are definite advantages to the portfolio system. As Hesse brings up, the rhetorical aspect is a significant part of the process. If taught properly, the students should have a working cognitive knowledge of how their work functions and be able to work with it in such a way that the portfolio itself becomes an added layer of critical analysis beyond that of the original essays. Students are in charge of their own submissions which requires them to consider their work beyond that of just editing. Control over their own work can have an empowering effect that makes their involvement more personal, their rhetorical response more specific, and their overall production more apt to be of higher quality. Likewise, the self reflection portion of the portfolio is an excellent tool for students to delve deeper into the writing process while at the same time maintaining an 'objective' quality. They are able to see aspects of their writing that they may not normally have made connection too if they were not given the opportunity to look at their work from an outside view point. Even if they lack in certain areas, just being able to cognitively see these weaknesses in the end turns out to be beneficial. They know (or should know) what areas they need to work on. They also have a chance to contemplate their strengths which is just as important. Students can see what worked and how to continue to use these methods either in their final edits or in future written works.

There are however, possible draw backs. For one, the implementation of a portfolio can be the downfall from the onset. Some teachers maintain a 'non' grade stance on the portfolio with little to now ranking feedback throughout the semester. This can be an issue when a final product is a 'rank'. How are students to know where they stand as comments can be at times inaccurate to a rank. Also, the portfolio is typically a large chunk of the final grade and some might see this also as a downfall depending on how smooth the process of the portfolio was set out and how clear the standards/rubric of it is. Largely the portfolio is a positive endeavor that moves away from a heavy ranking based system and creates a streamlined reader interface but again most of this depends on the clarity of the process provided by the instructor. This could be said of most projects, but seeing as though the portfolio is a final large chunk, any issues that may have come up earlier in the semester is delayed until is too late.

20 HH #5 Monkeys and Motiffs

Gilbert Hernandez continues to broaden his story telling skills in the graphic novel Human Diastrophism.  The previous GN Heartbreak Soup contained a cyclical attribute that appeared later in his story, yet this technique is apparent immediately within the first few pages as well as taking on a new, more refined quality.  The opening title page of "Human Diastrophism" (the story the GN is named after) immediately introduces the monkey motif.  I use motif instead of symbol here due to the many varying attachments throughout the story the monkey motif is associated with.  After page 20 Gilbert delays the use of this motif again until page 28 creating a sense of delay in reoccurrence, almost tricking the reader into ignoring a vital aspect of the story itself.  The monkey motif becomes attached to multiple elements within "Human Diastrophism". 

Page 29's monkeys are seen immediately after a death has been discovered,  on page 30 they become directly involved with mischief as they steal a school book, and on page 53 they reappear amidst chaos and violence.  This monkey image creates a way to associate various themes  and a trigger for the reader that something important is happening.  Gilbert even breaks it into two images: the visual monkey as well as the 'visual sound' of Chit Chit.  Gilbert goes so far as to arch the whole story with the image on page 20 panels 1-3 being revisited towards the end of "Human Diastrophism" on  panel 5 page 113.  This constant arching and reoccurring imagery continues to strengthen Gilbert's writing style both visually and thematically.






[Pictures are not owned by the author.  Uploaded from image search.]

00A #5 Peter Elbow Revisited

In this week's readings, Elbow talks about "evaluation-free zones" and "liking" students' writing as a better alternative to ranking and grading.
What would happen if grades were not given for a class or for assignments? Consider the pros and cons.
As an instructor, how would you balance ranking, evaluating, and liking? Would you use all three methods?


Peter Elbow makes, as usual, very poignant arguments in regards to ranking (grading) versus evaluation (comments). The question that leads out of this conversation, of the possibility of success with a gradeless class or assignments, is a difficult one. There are many pros and cons obviously but the need for this discussion to be situated specifically to new teachers is necessary. The reason for this is because a more experienced teacher may have the resources and experience to see pitfalls and potential issues that relatively inexperienced teachers may not be equipped to deal with. This does not mean that we are not capable as new teachers to implement a system more reliant on evaluating then ranking, rather it predicates that necessity for a greater sense of caution if we decided on this type of system. The pros remain the same across the board regardless of experience: the students get a specific sense of feedback that individualizes their worker rather than an ambiguous numeric or lettering stamp (or gold star).

 The two biggest aspects that I see this leading to is a set of students not driven by the almighty GRADE and that it does create a sense of response to writing that is based less on a unreliable scale system and more on a positive guiding measurement. The only caveat to the first aspect is that having also being a student having gone through a portfolio heavy class that Elbow has set out as one of the ways out of heavy grading, the reduction of grades does not always remove the desire and push of students for a grade. Those conditioned heavily, ie: 3rd-4th year college students, can be beyond the removal of this conditioning. It is very difficult to undo years and years (kindergarten through some college) of Pavlovian reactions. I feel that this would find a more open set of responses in a first year college course (of which we are dealing with primarily).

 I only state this as one of the prime issues: it will be difficult to overcome the mindset of years of ranking. The other problems might stem from, as stated above, the lack of experience. Starting with a hybrid system may be more secure and less prone to issues that we may not be able to foresee. The last issues that may come out of a gradeless model is that, especially in first year college students, there is no 'motivating' factor for work. This is, of course, the cynical side coming out, but having a class set on a foundation of 'you do the work you get the grade' could possibly end in the outcome of quantity not quality. And yes this could be balanced by setting requirement such as 'must have a clear thesis' and yes this could be balanced by x, y or z but the problem I feel still stems from the lack of experience to predict the possible outcome of production of the students without some sort of minimum weight system. After all Elbow does substantiate the need for some ranking system some of the time. Again, a hybrid system (or balanced system) looks to be like the most feasible compared to a rank absent structure.

20 HH #4 Heartbreak Soup part 2

Reading the first half of Gilbert Hernandez's Heartbreak Soup only portrayed a portion (obviously) of the overall function of the many short stories.  In reality the functions of the stories were interlinked in a way that was not visible on a partial scale.  It wasn't until the full graphic novel was complete did the overarching cyclical nature of Gilbert's work stand out.  Many of the stories that link are done thought shifting points of view from one character to another, wherein each character revisits a particular moment in time shared amongst themselves.   Pages 162 panel 3 and 236 panel 7  are one such example of two characters, Luba and Heraclio, who share a single event together.  Page 162 is a flash back within a flashback from Heraclio involving Luba and their 'moment' together which is again revisited from Heraclio's point of view on the later page explaining it more in-depth.  On page 226 panel 3, Vincente has a nightmare about Luba falling down a hole.  This event then actually takes place on page 244 panel 4 from the view point of Lupe.  There are localize examples of cyclical aspects even as visual elements on page 206 panel 9 with its immediate counterpart on panel 7 of the adjoining page.  Even the beginning story of Luba in which the children are introduced contains a cyclical arch.  Page 7 introducing the twins Aurora and Israel, remains ambiguously unexplained until page 268 shifting from an omniscient narrator's point of view to Israel's.     These various loops, cycles and archs all serve to strengthen the overall story.  Gilbert forces the reader to come back to certain events multiple times also creates a sense of importance within the characters and certain events that may have otherwise gone unnoticed.  Strangely enough many of these cyclic aspects remain solely within the second portion of the graphic novel.  This might be attributed to the fact that the ordering of the stories are not necessarily their original ordering though the time signatures seem to indicate a constant move from '83 onward.  Either way this technique show a strength and maturing in Gilbert's writing that was previously absent in his previous works

00A #4 To Audience or Not to Audience

In "Closing my eyes as I speak: An Argument for Ignoring Audience," Peter Elbow advocates writing in "the desert island mode," in which the writer focuses on "individual, private reflection," rather than audience. Do you agree or disagree with this assertion? In what ways have you employed this developmental model in your own writing?

Every good writer who is composing written text that is indented for anyone but themselves always considers their audience, whether it's conscious or unconscious. if someone is not aware of their audience they risk miswriting their purpose. They risk missing the mark. Even for someone who believes they are writing despite audience awareness, they themselves are aware there is an audience and this is just as much a factor in what is produced. Audience is an ever looming cloud that writers cannot and should not escape. Elbow's "desert island mode" isolates the writer in a negative way. Since audience is a constant whether we want it to or not, it should be included in all teaching methods of writing.


In my own writing, audience is always a foremost idea in my mind. Exigence and audience go together. If you have a reason but are unable to facilitate this meaning to have other also gleam that there is a reason to the writing then the exigence goes away. Without a reason then there the meaning of the argument is moot.


I try to understand how my meaning corresponds or relates to the audience I am writing for. Or at the very least, how can I make connections that will draw the reader to a more positive outlook of what I am saying. It is just having the general awareness and not the removal of it that is the base key to audience. This is something I try to make the students I work with conscious of. That beyond just the teacher as the focus of written responses, there is a target audience they should be considering. Without this, by putting them on a "desert island" we risk losing vital argumentative contexts and critical aspects that they would otherwise consider if they were aware of the larger picture. With as much as I normally agree with Elbow this is one of the few times I would have to disagree with one of his pedagogical models.

00A #3 (short)

In Chapter Three in Concepts in Composition we are introduced to two revision approaches: internal and external(80). Donald Murray encourages the internal approach to revision. Which would you teach in your classroom? Which is taught in most composition classrooms? Are there benefits or drawbacks in emphasizing both?



In most of my experiences of school prior to college (and even in college at times) external revision is the style of revision that was predominantly taught. The downfall of teaching only this style of revision is obvious in its onesidedness; it's limited and functions only as a mechanical focus lacking completely in any sort of content adjustment. Seeing as though either taught solely as the only means of revision would not allow for a complete method of revision, a hybrid blend of the two would be a better choice for a composition course. However, the one adjustment I would make would be to focus a little bit more on the internal revision (as I believe content is more valuable then stylistic errors) which tends to be the harder of the two styles to impart on students. The benefits of having a duel approach comes down to the fact that a balanced methodology typically is, well... balanced. Students are able to learn multiple avenues of revision in which they get to focus on the portions that they find they are lacking in the most. Not all students will be poor mechanically for instance and the hybridity would allow for them to move on to other potential erroneous aspects within their drafts. The only possible issue to come from teaching both would be in that students may gravitate to the easier of the two (external) and completely disregard content revision.

20 HH #3

Reading the first half of Gilbert Hernandez's Heartbreak Soup only portrayed a portion (obviously) of the overall function of the many short stories.  In reality the functions of the stories were interlinked in a way that was not visible on a partial scale.  It wasn't until the full graphic novel was complete did the overarching cyclical nature of Gilbert's work stand out.  Many of the stories that link are done thought shifting points of view from one character to another, wherein each character revisits a particular moment in time shared amongst themselves.   Pages 162 panel 3 and 236 panel 7  are one such example of two characters, Luba and Heraclio, who share a single event together.  Page 162 is a flash back within a flashback from Heraclio involving Luba and their 'moment' together which is again revisited from Heraclio's point of view on the later page explaining it more in-depth.  On page 226 panel 3, Vincente has a nightmare about Luba falling down a hole.  This event then actually takes place on page 244 panel 4 from the view point of Lupe.  There are localize examples of cyclical aspects even as visual elements on page 206 panel 9 with its immediate counterpart on panel 7 of the adjoining page.  Even the beginning story of Luba in which the children are introduced contains a cyclical arch.  Page 7 introducing the twins Aurora and Israel, remains ambiguously unexplained until page 268 shifting from an omniscient narrator's point of view to Israel's.     These various loops, cycles and archs all serve to strengthen the overall story.  Gilbert forces the reader to come back to certain events multiple times also creates a sense of importance within the characters and certain events that may have otherwise gone unnoticed.  Strangely enough many of these cyclic aspects remain solely within the second portion of the graphic novel.  This might be attributed to the fact that the ordering of the stories are not necessarily their original ordering though the time signatures seem to indicate a constant move from '83 onward.  Either way this technique show a strength and maturing in Gilbert's writing that was previously absent in his earlier works.

(picture taken from google search)

Fun Picture to Start off the Week

A couple of version of this have been floating around lately, but I found this one to be the best (and accurate) one of the lot.  Sorry this is just a drive by post until I finish the rest of my uploads for tomorrow.  Until then, I hope everyone finds as much amusement in this as I did.

[picture taken from google search - the facebook one was too small]

Jaime vs Gilbert 20HH #2

Of the two graphic novels,  Amor Y Cohetes was the more difficult.  It wasn't the visual components that created this aspect but more in how the story was rendered in words.  The monologues and dialogues that explain the visual aspect create a disjointed and at times incoherent process of action.  Stories like "BEM" become a hodgepodge of separate situations all breaking in on each other making it very hard to follow what exactly is happening.  Each characters section makes some sense on a localized level, but when various other story directions cut into these sections randomly, the overlying story becomes muddled.    Lenore, random people, Luba, and Mr. Radium are the various character 'sections' of the story.  Each starts off completely separated for the most part ,until they all wind together.  The problem is that in doing so, they are threaded together in an incomprehensible manner. Lenore for instance, on page 17 and 24 is shown to know information about Radium that seems almost metacognitive to the story.  This creates confusion as to whether this is a story within a story or if the Lenore characters are somehow separated from the world of Radium.  It is these constant small disconnects that make the reader pause and question the stories structure.  Unfortunately much of the questions remain unanswered and "BEM" is left loosely concluded.   'Random' is the overall feeling that I get when I read most of the stories in this graphic novel.  Very few of the stories seem to be set in our reality or close to it (which maybe another reason for the feelings of disconnection).   

            On the other hand Maggie the Mechanic, though still containing aspects not of our reality, tells a story that is more firmly rooted in structure and is easier to understand.  I thought at first that it might be that the stories in Maggie were all connected for the most part and that was why it was easier, but "BEM" and "Music for Monsters" are either longer pieces or stories that contain multiple parts.  It may be that the Maggie story does span the entire graphic novel and thus has more room to be connected but this probably isn't the case.  Maggie tells a consistent story/stories that are all connected fairly tightly.  Each interchange of character serves to either tell backstory or highlight some other relevant aspect of the overall plot.  These elements are typically either absent or are erratically shown in Amor.  Maggie's stories are told closer to a traditional novel, containing many recognizable tools and structures.  It is this lack of deviation that reduces the puzzlement and allows the reader to accept more of what is going on rather than scratch their heads wondering 'what the hell is a BEM'.  Lastly, a point of further discussion might be on how Maggie's character is depicted in the first thirty pages and how this begins to slowly transfer or change in the later portions of the beginning chapters (page 50).  

Double Awareness 00A #2

In Ch. 2 of Reading Rhetorically, Bean discusses the concept of “double awareness” in which we are trained “to analyze not just what texts say, but how they say it” (18). What techniques have you been taught to develop your “double awareness”?






"Double Awareness" wasn't a concept that I was ever formally taught until late in my undergraduate career. There may have been some form of this taught to me in high school but being that it's been more than 15 years since then I don't remember if any teacher specifically taught this concept. Oddly enough the first time I came in contact with this in any form as an active component was in a creative writing course. It was a workshop based structure and the professor made it clear that in our formal analysis and subsequent presentation of another students writing, we had to go beyond what was written and into the 'how'. For this purpose, we used a narantological style of expression to do this but the method is still the same (or close to the same) in a standard composition or literature class. The specifics might change, but each class requires a 'how'. However, it wasn't until I took graduate level rhetoric courses that the explicit "How are they saying it" was discussed in depth. Various techniques were looked at as well as definition of what this means: ancient, new rhetoric, modern styles were all unpackaged. I feel that, even though it wasn't until late in my academic career that the "double awareness" was ever mentioned in depth, it is still a component that is inherent in much of what is taught in the English department. It is an understood component that is formed from bits an pieces of how we are taught over the years in the various classes so that when it was finally verbalized, the moment wasn't more of a 'oh so that's the terminology behind it' moment and not a earth shattering discovery of immense proportions. An interesting point I find, looking back, that the first actual use of this technique came not from a literature course but from a creative writing class. This breaks the typical mold of what is seen a stypically taught in the various genres within the English department.

20HH Class Post

1st Post from my other class. [I went back and removed names ;p]

A problem that is echoed in both of Professor H--s pieces is the way in which comics are seen, both within the context of the university as well as the 'common' view.  The external problem is one that has been around since almost the conception of comics and although much forward progression has been made over the years, most likely will still be an issue for sometime: that of comics being recognized as an academically valid genre (both within and from a layman's view point).  One thing struck me and that was the claim that "comic art is a form of writing" (Alt Comics 33).  Writing has been changed to italics because it would seem that here if the word 'Text' were to be exchanged would form a claim that might be more globally accepting (the later use of text in the subsequent paragraph is used as a secondary form of reference).  This statement is not used to criticize Professor Hatfield but to highlight the possible idea that writing typically denotes a strict sense of words exclusively (to most) while 'Text' takes on an aspect more ambiguous and more open to interpretation, while still maintaining the air of academic weight (or at the least containing the same 'worth').   This by no means invalidates or contradicts any of the further arguments in either piece.  In fact it would highlight the capacity of comics to transcend many stereotypically wrong perspectives.  It is multi-disciplinary; it is multi faceted in that it is both visual and written.  Seeing it then as a Text elevates the comic into the many angled artifact that it truly is.  The Richard McGuire piece "Here" is a complex work comprised of multiple frames and nonlinear usage of time.  As the pages progress, the use of panels within panels and varying time markers intertwine a dizzying weave of visual mechanics as well as precise use of word indicators.  Yet when compared to the heavy dialogue centered and linear style (both in panels and time usage) of "A Duck's-Eye View of Europe" by Carle Barks, it's easy to see how comics are a style of writing but it's a text that performs on so many different levels that 'writing' seems to almost limit what these masterpieces are doing.  Maybe stating that "comic art is a form of writing" is as correct as stating "comic art is a form of Text" are the same.  It could be that there needs to be new ways of being able to address the complexity of this genre that would correct any limiting aspects of our discourse on the subject.  Either way comics need to be seen as an academically viable form of art, one in which is begging to break away from the many assumption that have damagingly surrounded this genre for far too long.

1st Post of the Semester - Pedagogy 00A

First post of the semester in my pedagogy class.  Looks like I have to warm up again with writing school posts.


Teaching Students to Write by Beth Neman

In her first chapter, titled "Teaching the Student," Neman refers to the "craft centered solution" and the "affect centered solution." Please comment on which of these "solutions" you find most relevant for the teaching of writing here at Northridge. Also--in that chapter, Ottinger makes a claim about why his class failed. What do you think of his perspective?



Mortification began to set in as I started reading "Teaching the Student". Neman seemingly sets out on a highly polarized line of rhetoric villainizing one extreme version(craft-centered solution) and praising another (affect-centered solution). It isn't until after the in-depth look at the latter of the two solutions (compared to the one page mention of craft centered) that Neman approaches a third possibility. It is this possibility that would be the most relevant form for teaching here at Northridge. Neman's version of craft centered, an obvious over-dramatization of this 'style', is not productive although I would say that this methodology typically ends in high school and is not as "commonplace in our day" (5) as Neman makes it out to be (at least not in my college experience). Reading about the center of teaching being "correction and criticism", "red pen" oriented, and having "sarcasm and ridicule" as a means or "upholding high standards and pursuing excellence" (5) typically is counterproductive to a viable learning environment. This method creates a sense of fear of being wrong that blocks the capacity of a student to expand beyond a limited scale. Yet on the flip side, affect-centered styles seem equally harmful, although in a completely different way. Neman states that the "problems cause by negative criticism are eliminated" (7) but this doesn't take into mind the extreme faults of the other end of the spectrum which Neman does eventually explore. The sub headings state it all: Possibilities for Abuse (which is true for everything), Insufficient Goal, Absence of Nonnarrative Writing (this point being one of the biggest issues of this 'solution') etc...

A smile crept to my lips as Neman finally approached a solution that contained one of my favorite words: Balanced. Each of the previous solutions were too far away from each other on the spectrum of teaching. Each ignored valuable principles within the other style in favor of being completely lopsided. One of the biggest aspects that I believe is necessary to be a successful teacher, is adaptability. Each set of students is going to be different and subscribing rigidly to one form or another with ostracize a great many students. Being able to blend different techniques as needed is a necessity. Beyond that, students need some form of structure and guidance within the academic environment. This is one of the issues that Ottinger found in his article "In Short, Why Did the Class Fail". He found that the initial happiness that students may have found in ultimate freedom was quickly overshadowed by the slide into "final catastrophe" (24). The necessary components of communication and opportunity broke down into "cliché-ridden topics". Some classes may be able to handle this freedom, but I would speculate that this is not the rule but the exception. Ottinger comes across as exasperated and jadded, which may have been part of the reason for the failure of the class in his eyes since it's a combined effort of both the teacher and the students in order to create a successful atmosphere. Yet Ottinger quoting "'Freedom is Slavery'" rings with a sense of truth: give students freedom but within limitations. This may sound contradictory at first but there are ways to allow students to stretch their limits within reason. They need to know the correct way write (as ambigious as that is). They need to know that the teacher will help if within the freedom they are given, they will be guided and not left to drown in their sea of choices. And despite Ottinger's possible low view of students, they need to be respected and encouraged but within a 'Balanced Solution'.

Interlude

Well school started and I'm immediately swamped.  I had planned on having the second part to my previous post done but, well... that didn't quite pan out.  Anywho, I'll probably have time tomorrow to put it up.  I think no matter how long you've been in school, the first week is pure chaos.  At least the class I'm teaching this semester seems be made up of a group of students that are somewhat willing to engage in conversation without having it be comparable to teeth pulling (always a plus).  I even had a conversation with a student coming in to the class taught after mine who mistook me for a full time faculty professor, which was a neat experience.  I'm usually the one walking into a class room and seeing another teacher leave and now I'm in that position (well, sort of).  Ether way it drew a smile.  Okay so, post tomorrow and then I'll have steady blogs up from my school postings starting Mondayish.  These may or may not be interesting.  They should be to those interested in The Hernandez Brothers who are most famously known for "Love and Rockets".  That's it for now.  

----->

Don't be jealous of what I get to 'study'.

"Love and Rockets" picture taken from Google search and is not the property of CSH.

Top 5 Fictional Teachers

Since school is about to start I figured I'd do a fun double post to get into the pre-school year spirit.  Today I'm going to post what's probably not going to be to fresh of an idea but I want to use it in juxtaposition to the next post I do.  As the title states I'm going to choose what I think are the top 5 fictional movie teachers based on popularity.  But since I don't typically agree with main stream ideas.  I'll do a counter post choosing the actual top 5 obscure ones.  Should be interesting to see how they compare.   Okay on with the list

#5  Louanne Johnson  
---Michelle Pfeiffer---
Dangerous Minds


I think this fits the bill for a solid stereotypical number 5.  The song that haunted the mid 90's was more memorable than the movie but the empowered role she played was decent enough to have this teacher become memorable enough to those who were old enough to have watched the movie.  Louanne's attitude that "you can do it no matter who you are or what situation your in" is admirable enough.

#4 John Keating       
--Robin Williams--
Dead Poets Society


The only reason this clinches the number four spot is because it's even older then the number 5 spot.  Personally I think John Keating is an amazing character.  More teachers should take a lesson from this movie.  Forget the mainstream, it doesn't work anymore.



#3 Veronica Vaughn

--Bridgette Wilson--
Billy Madison


I'm slowly working my way up to modern movies.   It's just hard when there's so many good roles from the 90's.  Poor Billy wouldn't have become successful without the help of Miss. Vaughns character.


#2  Albus Dumbledore   
--Richard Harris--
Harry Potter


Ask most any kid who their favorite fictional teacher and I'd bet money they'd say Dumbledore.  Besides being currently popular, this character was influential in a mysterious sort of way.  Sometimes guiding from behind the scenes can be a good method of teaching for those that are resistant to education.  And yes he's a book character before he was a movie character




#1 Mr. Miyagi
--Pat Morita--

The Karate Kid

What Dumbledore was to this generation, I think Mr. Miyagi was to my generation.  Wielding his chopsticks and wearing his cool headband, every kid wished he could train under this guy.





[Images pulled from google search.  None of the visuals are the owners property]

Cheat Sheet For MLA Or How to MLA Work Cited in 3 Seconds

Ever wonder how I make my semi-wonderful work cited sections that are always relegated to the obscure side of the ignored zone?  No? Well someone requested that I put up my quick 'how to method' of doing MLA style references.  Because why spend two hours on something you can do in 10 minutes?  You could invest in a handy dandy 7th ed MLA format book that'll probably be updated next year rendering your brand new opened only once copy obsolete due to the one change.... OR you could forget everything, throw out the book and use the only two links you'll ever need:

The Purdue Online Writing Lab (owl):  Link 1
Easybib.com :  Link 2

Of the two I prefer the second (easybib)  just because it does most of the work for you.  Just plug in the book title, ISBN, website etc and it will format a (mostly) correct Bibliography for you.  I say mostly because occasionally it has been known to make mistakes, but these are very few and far between and can be caught usually with a cursory glance.  For the most part this site is easy to understand as it asks for specific information it needs so there's no guess work.

Owl on the other hand is a more of an MLA reference site so it's closer to the book format (no easy plug and play features) but it has an easy search feature and contains all the MLA guidelines that the book has (and it's free).  The other reason I like OWL is because it has tons of other MLA reference material beyond just bibliography and such.

That's it.  No magic.  No complex formulas.  Hope that makes research citations easier :)

[pictures taken from google image search (thecampussocialite.com and purdue's main page)]

Sir Ken and school system paradigms (shifts)

  Sir Ken likes to to discuss school systems and the way the current paradigms are broken.  Similar to a previous post that had his lecture on creativity in the school system, Sir Ken discusses why our current systems are not functioning the way they need to.  I was watching a report the other day that shows the US at sub 28th internationally in Education with South Korea rising to to number one in education growth.  One of the problems is that education has been politically charged.  We have a system born out of the 19th Century and hasn't been modernized since.  There's been attempts, don't get me wrong, but from a political platform and thus failed.  Pure quantification of education is not feasible.   We've had a paradigm shift in technology in the past 50 years that we have never seen in our history as far as pure increase goes.  This led to a social shift especially within our children.  Yet we keep an outdated model and try to hammer these kids into a peg that doesn't fit them.    We educate the capacity out of children until they are institutionally educated.  And speaking of institutional, this is one of the source problems that stalls out education.  Once we can over come political and consumer institution mentality, I believe we can successfully restructure the education system to where it needs to go.  

I really enjoyed how they animated this concept.  I hope you enjoy :)

More Ted Talks

So in the theme of TED that I've been doing lately (and because I'm still sick) I've decided to post another Ted.com link that I came across lately that I find very applicable to teachers (especially secondary ed).  Even though he's a high school teacher and a lot of what he has to say is specific to that grade level, it still has application to all levels of teaching including college.  So many people these days seem to think teaching is the next political focus and are demonizing them.  "You make too much and get summers off... Your get too many benefits".  I don't see how someone who works 60+ hours a week (yes teachers put in far more then people see.  What do you think we do when we get home?) as well as the fact that we are the front line of our Countries economy.  Without teachers how do you think people do the jobs they do?  I mean seeing as though this is the only thing political people seem to care about, never mind that teachers do far more then this but only the output is what is focused on.  I do agree that the school systems are broken and there are bad teachers out there... but the majority shouldn't be negated because of external factors.  Anyway enjoy the youtube link :)

Happy New Year

Just want to wish everyone a happy first of the year.  Hopefully this flu I'm fighting will be the only one I deal with this year ;p  Anyway, hope everyone's hangovers are mild.  Cheers!

Pic: phinsider.com