Xuan calls out for the "Being a Pig" video with a spot-on imitation of a pig. She always points out the duck and leans her head to the side when the pig goes to sleep. She then signs "more," and says, "moooooore," for a repeat. The background music is quite catchy.
Another video Xuan likes and Marie and I love is "Pre-School Musical." I haven't seen "High-school Musical," but I'm assuming they create a lot of extra syllables "Star-Spangled Banner"-style. Great message to "take tu-hu-hu-hu-hu-hu-hurns."
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Saturday, July 16, 2011
We shouldn't conflate consuming with producing technology
This actually occurred to me (or was told to me and I took it in) a week and half ago or so. I came to class a couple minutes late and my professor (I'm phrasing this blog as if it had an audience) said that students are good consumers of technology but for the most part don't know how to produce it. I had actually made a comment that day on one of my classmates posts in which I wondered how much should be expected of teachers in terms of guiding students in a digital world in which the students are usually (much) more competent than the teachers. (A classic scenario is a teacher proudly putting together a powerpoint slide show and then calling up a student to trouble-shoot when it goes awry.)
It was not a rhetorical question by any means--I think it's an important issue. I had realized that analytically judging information is an area for instruction, and within the wheelhouse of most good teachers, but I had basically assumed that it would be extremely difficult for most teachers to provide much technical guidance to students. There's still a lot to deal with in the consuming realm, but seeing the producing realm as a nearly blank slate for students is very encouraging to me. It's within my eventual grasp, I think, to introduce students to actively contributing to the digital world. When you produce something, you become aware of all sorts of decisions you have to make, and in turn the decisions that others make when they produce something for your consumption. It puts students in a much more robust position to analyze what's out there. It also paves the way for them to have a voice themselves.
It was not a rhetorical question by any means--I think it's an important issue. I had realized that analytically judging information is an area for instruction, and within the wheelhouse of most good teachers, but I had basically assumed that it would be extremely difficult for most teachers to provide much technical guidance to students. There's still a lot to deal with in the consuming realm, but seeing the producing realm as a nearly blank slate for students is very encouraging to me. It's within my eventual grasp, I think, to introduce students to actively contributing to the digital world. When you produce something, you become aware of all sorts of decisions you have to make, and in turn the decisions that others make when they produce something for your consumption. It puts students in a much more robust position to analyze what's out there. It also paves the way for them to have a voice themselves.
An explanation about the design of this blog
I wanted to have a fairly wide column for text, to privilege the text symbolically and practically, so that the reader doesn't have to constant scroll. However, I didn't want the text to go all the way across. For one thing, I probably will use graphics somewhat more sparingly than average, so I don't want a massive wall of text to intimidate the reader.
I'm not certain that the border is a good idea. I think it's attractive--it's a tiled photograph I took in Central Park. And it partly addresses the wall of text concern. Plus, you can imagine a hound dog running through it. However, it also may distract the reader's eye. It doesn't strike me as too obtrusive, but it's hard to tell now with no text. Once I get a few posts up, I'll read several at a time and see if my eye wanders to the trees...
As for the title: A few years ago, my wife said I was (at that particular moment) sweating "like a hound dog." I pointed out that dogs don't sweat (to the best of my knowledge). When she said it again some other time, I thought it would be tedious to reiterate my criticism of the analogy and instead explained that I worked like a hound dog. At some point, I basically started referring to myself as the Hound Dog whenever I felt I needed acknowledgment of my prodigious and relentless industriousness--hounding, as I would come to employ the verb. (It can be used transitively or intransitively: hounding the dishes; hounding my papers or lesson plans; hounding at the store; hounding all night, etc.) "The hound dog rides again," I would often say. Or, in resignation of my predicament, but also in tribute to my resilience: "life of the hound dog."
I thought about using a picture of a hound dog but thought that was too cute. I apologize to anyone who arrives at this blog expecting a celebration of the noble canine hunter. I really have no interest in dogs except as a metaphor for the hard-working spirit that resides in all of us... especially in your humble blogger.
I'm not certain that the border is a good idea. I think it's attractive--it's a tiled photograph I took in Central Park. And it partly addresses the wall of text concern. Plus, you can imagine a hound dog running through it. However, it also may distract the reader's eye. It doesn't strike me as too obtrusive, but it's hard to tell now with no text. Once I get a few posts up, I'll read several at a time and see if my eye wanders to the trees...
As for the title: A few years ago, my wife said I was (at that particular moment) sweating "like a hound dog." I pointed out that dogs don't sweat (to the best of my knowledge). When she said it again some other time, I thought it would be tedious to reiterate my criticism of the analogy and instead explained that I worked like a hound dog. At some point, I basically started referring to myself as the Hound Dog whenever I felt I needed acknowledgment of my prodigious and relentless industriousness--hounding, as I would come to employ the verb. (It can be used transitively or intransitively: hounding the dishes; hounding my papers or lesson plans; hounding at the store; hounding all night, etc.) "The hound dog rides again," I would often say. Or, in resignation of my predicament, but also in tribute to my resilience: "life of the hound dog."
I thought about using a picture of a hound dog but thought that was too cute. I apologize to anyone who arrives at this blog expecting a celebration of the noble canine hunter. I really have no interest in dogs except as a metaphor for the hard-working spirit that resides in all of us... especially in your humble blogger.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)