That's My Idea!

Collaboration has an integral role in the modern classroom.  Small group work allows students to construct their knowledge in a social setting, experimenting and revising ideas among their peers.  I have used small group work for in-class performance based projects for years, but not for writing. 

I often forget that people actually write collaboratively all the time.  Business writing of manuals, proposals, and contracts is rarely done by only one person. My only experience outside of class is in my personal songwriting.  I tried to collaborate many times with others and was not particularly successful.  If I got stuck in a song, I would ask for help and sometimes that would lead to the changing of my original ideas.

Our personal construction of sentences is unique and writing in English allows for a lot of flexibility.  We pick out the correct word from a number of possible correct words and put those words in order to convey the message we want.  When writing becomes collaborative, we must consider the melding of different styles and the necessity to let go of a personal, unique style.  Those with stronger well-constructed ideas or notions may be uncomfortable with the experience.

Not only can collaboration produce a more well-thought out, peer-reviewed idea, it can also encourage us to develop as individuals.  The age of the isolated scholar is near its finish.  The internet and mobile communication has changed that.  If we take Facebook, collaborative writing/thinking is happening all the time.  Person 1 posts. Person 2 comments. Person 1 adds more information or changes his/her idea slightly. Person 3 chimes in and the process continues and repeats.

Considering Facebook and similar social media venues, we must address writing as something very public.  I actually don't feel that many under 30 have a huge concern about this.  People are desperate for connection. They want to be known.  Writing publicly helps them with that or at least helps them feel the goal is being accomplished.  In an academic setting, there may be two main concerns: stealing of work and losing face.  When we post something publicly, anyone can read and get "inspiration" from our idea.  That “inspiration" could become outright copying and the potential for individual accolades decreases.  Face-saving is also an issue. Many people, in the academic world or not, do not like to appear sloppy or stupid.  Public collaborative work is often in the "in progress" stage.  It has mistakes. It has inconsistencies. In its working stages in may portray an image that not all members approve of and it can affect the reputation of those involved.

In the end, I would like to encourage and participate in more of it.  I'm not quite sure how to do it successfully myself, but I predict it will occur increasingly in the future so I'm ready to give it a go.  Any takers?

Techie Babble from the Cyborg

Technology currently occupies a large portion of my daily existence. It keeps me contained, organized, and connected. I feel as if my life is in my laptop (she's called the Silver Surfer by the way). If I lost her or killed her, I would be slightly upset.

My dad was a gift-giver. It was his love language you might say. And he liked to gift what I saw as technology. He did not use it himself, but he thought it wise to give to me as if I had some special knowledge about it because I was a youngin'. My first memory of technology might be the Speak n Spell. I can hear that robotic voice ringing through my head as I write this and its long-term effect might be that I am still a terrible speller. After that came a tape recorder, an Atari (with Frogger), the Sony Walkman, and the very first tape I picked out myself – Whitney Houston.

Computers started to be used in school and I loved going to computer class where all we did was play Oregon Trail and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego. Every game felt like a new adventure and I am immensely lucky that for some reason my video game obsession ended there – I could have easily become an addict. Even though my friends were all getting Nintendos and such, my mom did not think I needed the distraction. My job was to do well in school, not play video games. Good job, Mom.

I remember typing my senior year papers at a friend's house on the blue screen. I would laugh at how fast the curser could move. I started out with the two-finger typing system and I must say that I was quite quick at it. My advisor convinced me to take a typing course my last semester of school. I really should send her a thank you message on Facebook about that – it has had a tremendous influence on my life as now I don't even like to write by hand much anymore.

Then came my first email account. It was my college email account and I couldn't believe how easy it was to keep in touch with everyone! When I went back to teach as an adjunct at my alma mater, it was a source of pride that I could get back my college email address and be newman001 again. All was right with the world.

Next came my desktop, then a cell phone, a laptop, a better cell phone, a Mac (once you go Mac, you never go back), and an iPhone. In the middle came more and more technology - a car, electronic musical equipment, a flat screen TV, and so on and so on. Before I knew it I found myself involved in social networking sites, website development, and digital music recording.

That brings me all to today. I barely watch TV, I dislike driving, I do not even listen to my voicemail (so never leave me one), and I sometimes even turn off my cell phone. I get annoyed with my inability to find free cloud space for all my GBs of files, with a slow internet connection, and with difficult to read websites.

I feel lucky to be born in 1977 when I was in the midst of a grand tech leap. I could grow up without the plethora of technology we have today. I saw it arrive, was amazed by it, and can still appreciate all it has to offer. I am still even occasionally wowed by it. I have used it and abused it and now it is part of me. I try to separate myself but I don't know if I can anymore. I'm ok with being part Borg. I have paired it down to what works for me. I see technology as a neutral tool – able to be what I need it to be on my terms. I refuse to be overwhelmed or dominated by it. There is always an off switch and before I try a new a form of technology I make sure I know precisely where that is.  

Literacy History

It is hard to imagine living without something that you use every minute of every day. Literacy is that thing for me. Literacy is how we use speaking, writing, and reading to interpret the world, like our own personal language.

Something that seems so innate is difficult to trace back to its roots. I obviously must have learned to read at some moment in my life. I cannot remember ever not reading or not writing. At age five or six I started to write small books. Looking back I am sure most were complete plagiarizations of others, but I understood that I could copy a model and be successful. My mom used to write poems so I started that at a young age too, mostly for birthday cards and presents.

I devoured chapter books, loving the children's series books like The Boxcar Children, The Babysitter's Club, Little House on the Prairie, Nancy Drew, Choose Your Own Adventure, and The Wrinkle in Time series. As I analyze now, there must have been something in character development that attracted me. I enjoyed being part of a character growing and being changed by the journey of life. I always felt part of the story, immersing myself in his/her adventure. I would continue the stories in my head, daydreaming about what might come next and what the character would look and act like in 10 or 20 years.

Reading and writing was a very personal activity for me. I did not talk about it or share it and part of me was afraid to, as if mentioning it would take away the intimacy I felt with the characters. If I talked about them it might give them away to someone else and they were actually my friends. Books and later journaling took the place of friendships for me in my childhood and early teenage years. They were safe and nonjudgmental and accepted me for who I was.

I don't feel like I actually had to write anything until my senior year English class. I remember it as a scary experience. Someone was going to judge my writing. How was I going to put something out there, something that I kept inside for me, for someone else to put their evaluation on? I'm still not completely over that. It makes writing tough at times but I never want to become so detached to a creation that I can't feel it anymore.

I remember writing a poem for a college entry essay. I loved it – the process and the finished work. It expressed exactly what I wanted to say as clearly as I could ever want to say it. Somehow I lost it along the way. I've lost many other things along the way as I began to write songs. It took me a while to find my own voice, again looking to the models that others provide. Now I find myself frustrated if I am not creating something. I could be writing a song or knitting a sweater. There is something in the creating that draws me in.

The question of literacy related to being educated or intelligent is a complicated one. Literacy includes much more than if someone can read or write a scholarly journal article. I look to my father. He probably read at a sixth grade level. Now I can see that he had some major learning disabilities that affected his traditional literacy skills. He would not spell my name in the same way twice, but he could fix a car. He knew the language of a vehicle. He knew how to read and listen to the problem and with his hands he could write and speak the answer. Not literally of course, but it resulted in a running automobile. Was he literate? Not by a traditional definition. Was he educated? No. Was he intelligent? Definitely. And in ways that other people can't comprehend.   

The Time Machine - Then and Now

I do like my sci-fi and I've never seen these two films before so watching clips in class was quite fun for me.

Both George (1960) and Alex (2002) had their personal motivations for the time machine technology.  We didn't see enough to quite get what George was after, but though Alex already appeared interested in the subject he was definitely motivated by a lost love he was trying to save.  Observers saw the situation differently.  Those around George could appreciate the commercial value of such an invention.  Those in Alex's situation echoed that as well, referring to "valuable research".  Ideas like "concoction" and "gadget" were thrown around in both versions implying that technology was something small to be used to solve a problem or make it easier.  It is apparent that for Alex it was much more.  It was a form of salvation.  The 2002 version also seems to express the idea that technology can't solve everything.  Alex says, "It's only a machine," when referring to the car.  He's past this view that technology can be the solution to all of the world's problems - a belief not well articulated in the 1960 clip.

In terms of viewing, the 1960 version progressed at a much slower pace, focusing on interpersonal interaction and less on the technology itself.  It spent so much time almost painfully reinforcing the concept of time including phrases like "waste of time" and"all the time in the world". The 2002 version, on the other hand, quickly got through much  more of the backstory or maybe I was distracted by the effects. It laid out the groundwork and focused on Alex's personal motivation. I think present day movie goers need to understand the main character's motivation.  There are so many choices and things to do in this world that something must be motivating us towards one choice or another.  

How technology was demonstrated was also different.  The 1960 version shows the machine disappearing, but doesn't focus on specific parts.  The latter version shows all the bells and whistles, spending significant time on the intricacies of the machine and what it can do.  It shows Alex in the machine and visually demonstrated what was happening in the time travel.  The first version just talked about it.  

I noticed a change from the community to the individual in the two versions.  George (1960) felt it necessary to show his ideas to his peers.  He needed or wanted their "seeing".  He even says to his friends that they are "not here to listen, but to see".  Alex in comparison was working on his own.  His friend Filby tried to make contact with him, which he refused.  He was alone in his head and heart and he wanted it that way.  The portrayal of the maid changes as well - the 1960 maid taking on a much more passive role while the 2002 maid seemed to be actively keeping Alex together.

It seems we have developed into a much more visual society, relying on ourselves to accomplish our goals.  We don't do anything without motivation and are coming to the point where technology isn't the end all be all.