Knowledge Presented in Social Studies

In social studies, knowledge is mainly presented through textbooks but there are plenty of other ways social studies knowledge is presented. Some of these other ways is through reading a nonfiction book or novel concerned with someones real life experiences or a time period in history. There are so many books now especially concerned the wars of the 20th century that is about a soldier who was part of D-day during World War II or even most recent, stories about the first company to set foot in Iraq. Movies are also a way present history as long as they do not fabricate the events, and take trips is almost the best way to learn about history because you can easily go to historical locations such as Gettysburg or Philadelphia where there is an abundance of history and increase your knowledge just by walking around. However, in the classroom most history is presented through a textbook even though there are plenty of other ways for knowledge to be learned.

Variances in Social Studies

I would like to say that because of how broad the Social Studies field is, and because of the amount of disciplines that fall into its confines, that teachers present Social Studies using a variety of methods to really engage their students. From my experience, what usually happens is quite the opposite. The majority of my teachers that have taught history (which I will only focus on because of its emphasis in high school) relied heavily on the textbook and the memorization of facts which were often written on the board. I, who personally loves history, would be devastated by the lack of activities and discussion in my classroom. I distinctly remember one teacher who would maybe teach three days out of the week. The other days he would put up sample questions from previous SOL tests on the board, to make sure we would be able to pass the test. After we reviewd this for about five minutes he would tell jokes for the the remainder of the period because I think his true passion in life was to be a comedian. In any case, this seemed to be the trend of teachers I got. They didn't care if we really learned, only if we passed the standardized tests and had no other objectives than to make students memorize facts.
I have noticed in my college courses that there has been, what seems to be a national trend, steering new teachers away from fact-based learning in Social Studies. Social Studies is field with a lot of depth and with a lot of opportunities. Teachers are now being taught to make an effort to incorporate as many of the disciplines they can into S.S. because they all intertwine and it makes it easier for students to make connections. The textbook is not to play a key role anymore. Other sources are being brought in. Regular non-fiction books, newspapers, documents, movies are playing a major role. Also the experience of both students and teachers seems to be shaping how content is presented. As I am currently being taught in my methods courses, it is possible to incorporate a wide variety of knowledge using a wide variety of methods. There are three types of knowledge which are stressed: didactic which focuses on the learning of facts or base knowledge, reflective which allows students to understand concepts and make connections and affective which gives students the ability to make decisions and take social action. What I had learned in high school was mostly didactive and I've realized what made it less interesting for many students was the lack of reflective and affective goals made by my teachers. I often heard students ask what they had to learn history for. Had the teachers presented the content using all three forms of knowledge students wouldn't have had to ask this.
I would like to believe that anymore teachers are really engaging their students by using a wide varity of methods. Debates, mock court trials, field trips, games, use of secondary sources, are all ways in which Social Studies can be presented, and that is a very very modest list because the options are quite numerous. There are so many elements to S.S. that I believe teachers have a wide range of methods to pick from. Teachers often have to present the material in ways which work for their students, and S.S. definitely gives a lot of options. While I still think the textbook is an important tool in S.S. courses, because students do need base knowledge, I believe many new concepts are being creatively represented in the classroom. I think teachers are trying more than ever to make S.S. interesting for students because the old method, that I had in high school didn't seem to be working.

For Dr Dana

Hi Dr Dana Its miguel class. I recently got into a car accident which was this past sunday and I have no car as of right now, reason being i couldnt make it to class was because there are only 2 cars in my family and my mother has work early in the morning and i have no other siblings or relatives that are available to give me a ride to school that early in the morning due to their work schedule. If there is anything i can do to make up the work that i may have missed please let me know. i dont want to have this effect my grade. I also sent you this through the blackboard system i dont know if you recieved it yet but if you read this here please let me know that you have recieved this message. thankyou and have a good day.

Knowledge in the art field

just for a moment... sit back, notice all of the things around you, it could be items designed for desk organization, speakers for your latest modeled computer, the desk you happen to have it on... lets also venture outside to the places you've seen, was there anything there that hasn't been documented by artists? Google is a nice little way of testing this, if you look up a car, you get representations documented by photographs and drawings, if you look up something as simple as the sky you get the same. Knowledge is everywhere if you look for it.

Specifically in the art field their is art history found in books and can be traveled to, the how-to's and techniques are discovered in the past with zone friendly media (ie. stone, concrete, etc.). However in the classroom these resources are helpful ideas but it is more likely for the student to develop their take on the materials used. How does it feel? What form does it take? Is it challenging to work with? Are all mental notations used by the artist developing their sense of understanding to the work they may be completing. All of which start a mental log of remembrance toward the materials used, the functions they could develop, and most often than not (depending on the age of the student) the favoritism or hatred of the particular style or media. All of these things and many others help develop knowledge in the art field because art is not only a visual subject, but also a very hands-on, engaging subject that empowers students to learn not only on their own but with the help of their past experiences and the world's past approaches to art as well.

Also just a thought, in the classroom too, the action of developing is seen through works, styles, expressions, whether or not the students experiment, play, all of these factors mean the student is learning and processing the knowledge needed for perhaps the next step.

Literacy

I would have to agree with Todd in the fact that I believe that phonemic awareness is the most important part of literacy. While there are other aspects including fluency and phonics phonemic awareness is the basis from which other aspects and areas of reading are learned. As I stated in the last class my sister was partially deaf when she was born and could not properly hear until she was 4 years old. Because of this it inhibited her to hear different sounds and pronunciations which later led to reading and comprehension problems. So I believe that to accomplish social aspects, the ability to be affective, metacognition, and discourse knowledge you need to start with the basics, and the basics being phonemic awareness.

Literacy

I think the most important part of literacy is phonemic awareness. Obviously the ability to recognize letters is paramount, but the ability to recognize the sounds the letters make is even more important. Without phonemic awareness, a person would not be able to read at all whether it be out loud or to themselves. Secondly, without phonemic awareness, there can be no reading and, in turn, no comprehension.
I feel that literacy is a combination of many skills that work in conjunction with one another as well as build on one another. In my opinion, the most fundamental of these building blocks, aside from knowing the alphabet, is phonemic awareness.

Literacy? Important?

Well, of course literacy is important. In my mind, the most important part of literacy is discourse knowledge. Discourse knowledge ties into the reading process; in learning that there are components to the reading process itself, we found that reading also connects to situations. How do you read a person? How do you read a reaction? How do you read a text message? When you know the background of a person or the background of a situation, you are better able to read. What I'm trying to get at is that literacy enables one to read. The language for any given situation is imperative in order for an individual to interact properly and be well-received by his/her fellow peers. Technology has changed our language in such a way that growing up with and adapting to the changes of it have become a must. Remember the commercial for AT&T where Bethanne is responding to her Mom about text messaging as, "I-D-K, my b-f-f-, Jill?" Would you understand that if you weren't familiar with text messaging language? So my question is (although I side here with literacy), can reading come before literacy?

literacy

Ok, so all week I have been thinking about what the most important part of literacy is. I finally came to a conclusion that the most important part is the ability to comprehend and, with comprehension, to be able to do something. For example, reading is a very important part of literacy, but without the ability to comprehend what something means, what good is the information that you just read. Comprehension, though, is more than just understanding and picking out the important points; it is also being able to apply. One way to apply what you have learned is through another form of literacy: writing. Comprehension is the ability to act. Another example is of literacy in a social form. A person can see a situation and comprehend it, but it is also important to be able to act accordingly and follow through on what that person understood. So in conclusion, I feel that the most important part of literacy is being able to comprehend and act on what is read, written, or observed in situations.

literacy

What is the most important aspect of literacy? I would say adaptability. A literate person should be able apply past knowledge to new situations. Identifying problems, forming hypotheses, testing theories and drawing conclusions are all critical thinking skills that apply to literacy. This can also be described as the goal of a good liberal arts education-to create well rounded individuals capable of applying their knowledge to new pursuits in an ever changing world. The ability to deeply comprehend a complicated poem, play or novel should also give the reader insight into the very processes they will need to use when analyzing a political speech, reflecting on a relationship, etc. This also works the other way: if someone is capable of understanding their own ability to have successful (or unsuccessful) relationships or capable of reading the true meaning of a politicians actions (these are just two very specific examples-there are, of course, innumerable others), then they should be able to transfer this knowledge into the analysis of literature or the analysis of any preconceived system of meaning.

What is important in Literacy?

There are so many aspects you can pick from when it comes to literacy. Literacy is so important to ones life that I too forgot how much people need it. In my opinion, to be literate you must be able to read, write, learn, comprehend, and then re-teach pretty much anything you set your eyes on. For instance, in order to drive you must know what a one-way sign is and what its purpose represents. If someone does not know how to read the sign then they will be either driving into oncoming traffic or receiving a lot of tickets. My point is I feel all the components to literacy are important in understanding the true meaning of it. Being literate could range in all types of levels of intelligence. For example one can become a scholar in reading words in a spelling-bee while another person could be a great professional umpire. Either or, both talents requires everything in the lines of being literate. Literacy could also mean just picking up a book and improving on ones coordination and speed in reading. I know that this is something I need to start doing because I want to improve in both of those areas. I know I am a slower reader than the person next to me but I also know how I could make that improve. So to narrow it down, literacy is all around us, without it we would not be here, right now, using a computer, talking on a cell phone, doing your hair...we would be no where.

what is the most important part of literacy? Why?

To me when it comes to having good literal skills I believe that it is very crucial to one's success in life to know how to read,write and speak a language. Being able to read not only brings more opportunities in life but it also can be the reason why we are able to survive. If you think about it, what if our ancestors didn't grow the awareness to read? Would we be able to know whats dangerous and whats safe? How does a "caveman" know that if that bears or wolves that he would need to kill is friendly or hostile? Comprehending literacy in many aspects is very important to one's mindset. This human attribute i believe is inherited and also can be taught. For example, you are taught how to read words, write, and speak. But who or what teaches you that internal awareness that someone is either mad or upset? The ability to sense emotions from someone else. We as human beings have this internal knowledge that we can read emotions and can predict what is wrong with that person. I believe that humans only existence now comes from us being able to read and take in our surroundings and being aware whats good and whats dangerous. This is what I feel is the most important part of literacy. Without this ability our race would not have lasted this long.

Most Important Part of Literacy.....

I find this to be a difficult post to write. I go to thinking and decided that there isn't just one most important component, but rather at least three. 1.) Reading: being able to scan and process words from left to right with proper punctuation pauses and so on. 2.) Writing: being able to translate what you read into your own words from your head, to your hand, to the paper/computer. And 3.) Comprehension: being able to understand what you've read so that you can get to the writing component. Why are these three things extremely important? These three aspects of literacy so important so that in life we can progress little by little. From childhood to adulthood (which always seems to come alot quicker than we think). If anyone has aspirations of making a life for themself and getting a good job then they have to be able to continually build on these three things.

The most important component of literacy...

I would say that comprehension is the most important aspect of literacy. I mean, whats the point of reading, listening, or much of anything if you cant comprehend? The ability to read or write is not nearly enough. To be able to read text and understand what you have just read is what really matters. Some might argue that the ability to just plain read is the most important part of literacy, but what is reading without understanding? Along that same thought, what good is being able to write if you cant make sense of what it is that you are trying to get out. Without comprehension even the most beautiful literary work would go unnoticed. Words on a page remain just that until someone gives them meaning. Ending with a little story about just how important it is to comprehend what you are reading....just before I was about to start writing this post I was texting my boyfriend telling (well, more like complaining) to him about all the work I have to get done this weekend. I got to this class and said that I have to post on what the most important part of literacy is. He sent a text back saying that I should write about comprehension because he said so. I misunderstood what he meant by that, and took it as him saying comprehension isn't a part of literacy. Completely missing the joke in it (that I should only write about comprehension because he said so) I made an example of myself showing just how important it is to comprehend what you are reading.

i forgot to say

For class on Wednesday, bring in a textbook in your content area -- kinesiology maybe for PE, art history for art, chemistry for science -- whatever you have that you have taken recently but *not* an education text. We're going to be using them in class -- you'll probably start to see what I mean when you read the chapters for class.

as per our discussion on procrastination

I found this link while surfing my favorite blogs & sites (that have nothing to do with education or reading or anything at all I might get paid for).
So here's some tips for procrastinating more productively, which I think is actually an oxymoron...

http://www.lifeclever.com/how-to-procrastinate-more-productively/

A Bit About Myself (Edith)

I come from Lima, Peru and has been living in the U.S. for 8 yrs. My major is Health Education, I love reading ANYTHING that relates to health! I am planning to go for a master in Human Sexuality and help the teen population delay parenthood.I currently work in Passaic, NJ (selling Italian Ices 7 days a week except for rainy days) and see lots of teen pregnancies. Unfortunately, most of these teens will continue a cycle where school becomes not an option to their lives, making their kids' lives more likely to follow the same pattern.

(Better Late than Never....)Me, Myself and I

My name is Aaron Myerson and I live in River Edge, NJ. I'm a senior at MSU and I hope to teach high school English in the near future. I enjoy hiking, music, long walks on the beach, writing bizzare/innovative fiction and poetry, watching films, and producing/viewing artwork. I work as an artist in a Trader Joe's store in Westwood. I play guitar in two bands. Being that I attempt to defy genre conventions, I hate labels. However, for the sake of this blurb I will reluctantly say that I guess you could classify my music as being progressive rock-ish. I also play bass and drums. Bada-bing! I suppose that's enough self-indulgence for now...

Lernin 2 reed ma ABDees

I have little recollection of learning to read-I think it was probably a smooth and organic process. My parents read to me from the time I was an infant and from an early age I had an interest in various forms of literature (comic books, novels, plays, etc.). I remember reading R.L. Stein's Goosebumps series in grade school and this indoctrinated me into my lifelong love of horror. English was always my strongest subject in school (don't ask about math). I independently became interested in reading the works of certain authors-I read every John Grisham book published by the time I turned 14. I moved on to a variety of different authors (like Vonnegut, Tom Wolfe, Tolkien, Hunter Thompson, I. Asimov, Shakespeare, Stephen King etc.), voraciously consuming everything I could get my hands on. If I find that a particular author interests me, I'll usually try to read their entire body of work.

Learning to read...

Like most of the others I don't remember much about learning to read. School was never really a struggle for me so I guess It must have not been that bad. I also called my mom and asked her lol and she said I didn't. She did comment that I was a very big fan of Judy Blume in my younger days as well as The Berenstein Bears. : ) The one thing I do remember is that I was one of the students who wanted to read to the class or wasn't troubled by being called on and asked to read. Yet, If I knew it was coming I totally was one of those kids who read ahead to see what paragraph I had...just to make sure I got it all down.

memories of learning to read...

reading was never really a struggle for me to learn the skill as it was to practice it. i have to admit that through the years i have bared with all the crap teachers assigned and i did the readings some of the time but i could never really "dive in" like the teachers always said. most of the stuff we had to read were either in old english (which SUCKS!!!) or just boring enough to get past the first few pages b4 falling asleep. i just wish that throughout middle and high school the teachers would have incorporated all types of readings instead of just the "literary classics" that have been taught since our parents were little. three words sum it all up...CHANGE THINGS UP!

Learning to Read

Reading always came easy to me. I never did like to read because I always had a very high pitched voice and I never was confident either, even though I read well. The only time I found myself having trouble to read was when I went to school in Puerto Rico and I began to read in spanish. I felt it was so much harder because the pronunciation were different every time. I was accustomed to reading english and that always messed me up. I remember that I was always the one helping my younger brother and sister with reading and even my own mom because she was born in Puerto Rico.

not so fond memories

its a shame that only one method of trying to teach and get me to like reading was used. most of my pre elem. and elem. level reading was jammed down my throat that consisted mostly of material i found to be very boring and disconnected from. assigned novels in middle and high school that are considered to be amerian classics, super, but when i was 10/11 years old i wanted to read action and something that wasnt written 100+ years ago but maybe that was just me being immature, i dont know. i can prob. consider myself fortunate because to this day i am not turned off to reading at all as i know alot of people are. i do like to read and if i had to guess i prob read 1.5 hrs a day.

Memories of Learning to Read (Jessica's experiences)

I struggled with learning to read. The reading program at my school in New York had changed their method on teaching reading when I was in 1st grade. I struggled with this new way of learning to read for it did not make sense to me. Therefore I taught myself how to read. Late at night I would get up and sit on my floor and read for hours attempting to understand the words on the page. Every word to me was separate and devoid of the rest of the words that make up a sentence. I was struggling to find the connection between one word and then the next. For hours I would read the same book and study the sentences, the page, and the picture on the page to see if there was a connection. Words never formed pictures in my mind, so I did not see any connection. One night after hours upon hours of reading, the second to last page became a break through. The words on the page, I finally understood, I was so excited that I read the whole book over again, and I understood for the first time. There was no one to share my excitement with; it was a private victory for my learning how to read.

As I moved up in the grade levels the reading level increased and it became more and more difficult to understand the information I was meant to learn. I was sent to the reading room in elementary school and I was in the lowest reading level group in all of my classes. It wasn't until I moved to New Jersey and I was in middle school that reading really came together for me and I moved up not only in my reading level but also in the learning level I was placed. In middle school I read novels and I escaped into the world of books. Reading on my own and for fun was the secret to my success in middle school and high school. I remain an avid reader to this day reading novels.

Memories of Learning to Read

To be honest I do not recall to much about learning to read. I do remember, that in first grade I was interested in reading a book my older sister was reading, I was told that it was too hard for me and should put it away. I also recall being terrified to read out loud, I was one of those kids that tried to figure out which paragraph I would have to read. I was never a fluent out loud reader. To be honest I still do not think I am.
From being terrified to read aloud, when I sub and the class has reading to do and they want to read together I will not just cold call on someone, or if we are going around the room, all the student has to do is say pass and the next person will read. I do however verify that they are doing their work.

Memories of Reading

I don't remember much about learning how to read. What i do remember is being terrified to be called on to be read out loud because i was not a very good reader. As i went through grammar school my reading skills were not where they should have been. I remember reading short books with easy words and many pictures. My parents tried their best to get me to read but there was nothing that interested me. Finally when i was seven or eight my parents started buying me kids sports magazines which i enjoyed reading. I never got into reading books but i have always enjoyed reading the sports section of the news paper, and magazines

Memories of Reading

Reading in Spanish was my first experience in reading. I was reading in Spanish until the age of nine because I grew up in the Dominican Republic and there was no English classes over there. At the age of nine I came to this country with out knowing the English language. It was like starting all over again, it was very difficult for me to learn how to read in the English language because I would pronounce the words like I was reading Spanish. After learning how to read English, comprehending what was reading was even more difficult because I had to stop and translate the words into to Spanish to understand what I was reading. It took me a year until I started understanding what I was reading without stopping to think what were the words meaning and translating it to Spanish. Even though I know how to read English and I still feel more comfortable reading Spanish even I don't practice that much reading Spanish.

Learning to Read

It's something I haven't thought of in a while, but I do have a few vivid memories about learning to read. I started reading at an early age. I'm told I started reading the old Golden Books when I was just two years old. I remember feeling accomplished whenever I encountered and learned newer, harder words. When I started school, I was already ahead of many of my young classmates. This turned out to be a double-edged sword. Though most material came quite easily to me, I recall feeling frustrated while listening to the other kids struggling to read fluently. I was known to correct other kids, something which my first grade teacher discouraged me from doing. Reading, and language in general has always been one of my strengths.

better late than never

dr dana i know my post is a lil late but evidently im an idiot and couldnt figure this thing out for a bit. but here goes... hey everybody! my name is ryan caffrey and im from newton, nj(boring lil town in NW jersey). im a super-senior studying history working on my certification. when it comes to reading im not the biggest fan but when something comes my way that sounds good ill pickk it up and give it a try but more often than not i get bored easily. idk...sometimes i get in certain moods where i wanna read but eh...i find more exciting stuff to do or get distracted. thats about it so.......

Memories of Reading (Alex's Post)

Well lets see. I can remember that I was always excited about reading when I was little. This was when I was in kindergarden all the way to about third grade. I really enjoyed playing literature games and all of the books that i picked up were so colorful and vibrant. The pictures went along with the stories and I associated reading with fun. ( Dr. Seuss was the man...still is) Eventhough I may have been corrected of my reading errors by adults it was still fun. However, when I got to about 6th grade I can remeber that I felt alot of pressure about reading properly. I can remember how all of the class would listen intently at the students in honors programs and also how people would snicker under their breath about a person who mispronounced words. I was not the greatest reader but I did okay. When I reflect on this setting I don't remember joy but judgement. I notice how kids would look down on or exalt a child based on his/ her ablity to read. The teachers did this too!!! Almost all of the "bad" kids had terrible reading skills and when asked to read they would become defiant. Whereas the students who performed well were given more attention. I use to read every now and then when i was youger but I did not see the power of reading and literacy as I do now.

not late i swear

dr dana i shouldnt have waited till 145 the morning of to write this. i tried and tried and couldnt figure out how to write on this blog so im posting here as proof of completion on time. my name is nick franco and its relaxing to type casually without punctuation. i commute from montville and am going for my pe/health cert. i normally do not read anything longer than one page but occasionally i get an urge to read a highly reccomended novel. majority of my reading is done online about anything from movies to politics. i also enjoy sports and fitness mags. dont know what else to say so back to sportscenter till i pass out.

alex's post

Hi. I read the assigned works and i thought that they we interesting. Especially the one about speed reading. I never thought of reading in that way. I always thought that you had to read the whole book and not just parts that pertain to you. I have actually started this and it actually works well!!!

Jose

Hi everyone my name is Jose Almonte, I am from Paterson New Jersey. I am a physical and health education major and I also a senior. I graduated from Passaic County Technical Institute in Wayne, as a student their I was trained to become a carpenter. I decided to come to Montclair because I believe it has one of the best teaching programs in the country.I decided to become a teacher because I enjoy teaching and one day I will be also coaching baseball or any other sport that have a lot of knowledge of. I will like to teach at the elementary level but I will like to coac at the high level. After taking this will would like to read more and enjoy reading more and not just read because is school work.

Chris M.

Hello to Dr. Dana and my fellow classmates,

My name is Christopher Michele. I go by Chris and yes my last name is the girls name Michele. I am no longer a five-year-old so I am very proud and not embarrassed to having that name. Anyway, I am Senior at MSU and cannot wait to graduate next year. I am studying to be a PE and Health teacher for elementary and by next September I will finally get that chance when I begin my student teaching. I decided to go back to school in the Spring semester of 04' at the age of 24. Before that semester I was in the tile business for almost four years. Laying tile is a very good profession to be in. Without a doubt money could be made in this business. The problem I ran into was that I did not like the summer heat and the winter cold. Also the constant up and down the stairs to make a tile cut and on top of that the constant stress it puts on ones knees. I am not putting this trade down but my point is that I realized that it was not for me. So liked mentioned earlier I thought about coming back to college for a long enough time and then in 04 I did. To me, I know going back was the smartest decision I ever decided in my life. Going back at this age was good for me because I have matured so much in the educational world. Since I returned to college my ears have opened up to all directions in education. I have learned so much from my professors and more importantly my classmates/friends. To narrow it down, I am so looking forward to helping children make smart and safe everyday decisions. See you all in class,
Chris Michele

caterina

Hey everyone,
I'm Caterina, but everyone calls me Cathy. I'm a Senior Math Education major, and I live in the village. I am from Union Beach, N.J. I went to Red Bank Regional High School and I was doing the business program. I also played field hockey and softball for three years. I love to read books. I try to read all sorts of kinds, but I stick away from aliens and things like that!I have an awesome family who I love dearly. Family is the most important thing to me. I have three older brothers who are all married, two beautiful nephews and one niece. Everyone thinks she looks just like me and thinks shes my daughter! I wanted to become a teacher in fifth grade because my teacher was awesome! He did lost of hands on activities and made it fun and interesting. At that time, a few other students and I were doing Algebra. He had blocks that we used and this really cool computer game, that he would have teachers come in to see those people do it. The next year I went to a tournament called the 24 game at Liberty Science Center. (dork, i know lol). I got really far into it and I met the creator of the game. It was a fun time. I want to become a math teacher because I want to do the same thing to another student that my 5th grade teacher did to me. I want to make math fun and I believe students need to have good teachers to fully enjoy the subject, because if you have one bad teacher, you won't like that subject anymore (ie. history for me). I cant wait to graduate and start teaching, because it will be another chapter in my life that I cant wait to start!

Todd Here

Hey everyone. My name is Todd and I am a percussionist here at Montclair State University. I hope to someday teach music in a high school or middle school. I love to play, write, perform, and just plain jam music. Actually, I find that I can learn more about a person from jamming with them than I can from talking with them. After all, music is a universal language.
I do teach now. I am the marching band director and jazz band instructor at Pompton Lakes High School and I love it. This year we are doing a classic rock show with songs like House of the Rising Run, Desperado, and Live and Let Die. It's cool.
Besides teaching and playing, my other big passion is animals. If I were to list all the pets that I have, it would jam the blog. I also work at an aquarium store in Clifton called Absolutely Fish. I love it there because everyone who works there is a fish dork just like me. My love of animals helps with stress too because if I get stressed with music, I can always turn to my animals and the same reversed.
Well I guess that's all I have for now. Oh, you can check out the blog that I use with my students. It helps tremendously. with communication and sharing of ideas. www.plhsband.blogspot.com
Let me know what you think. Thanks.

Its HotNess!!

Hey Dr. Dana and fellow classmates,

Well, I would like to begin by introducing myself. My name is Carlos Sosa, although I'm infamous to go by the name of SOSA, simply because back in Junior High, I played baseball and back then in 1998 Sammy Sosa was very popular because of the whole McGuire vs Sosa Home Run Race. So the SOSA stuck with me throughout high school and now college. I'm a 4th year senior majoring in Physical and Health Education. I'm very proud of myself simply because I'm the first one in my family to be born in the United States and attend college. BTW my family is from Honduras, its located in Central America. By this time next year, I will be wrapping up my undergraduate career with student teaching. I'm truly looking forward into beginning my career as a teacher.

Right now, I'm currently on duty. I'm a Community Assistant, in other words an RA @ the Village Apts. Being an CA has helped me financially to make my way through college. It has also given me leadership experience and opportunities. Hmmmm... what else? READING! Yes, well I've began to read often lately. I used to read when I was younger, you know like the GOOSEBUMPS books by RL Stine... I have a huge collection of his works, and it all started because of that Scholastic Magazine in Elementary School. I realized in college, that reading is knowledge. One can learn lots of new things by just reading!! Thats cool! In my spare time, I enjoy going to the library or even if I wanted to treat myself to Starbucks, I will go to Barnes & Noble. So yeah, ttel...

About Ben

This is great because, right now, I'm being paid to write this blog. Here I sit at my boring part-time job at Guitar Center, making sure nobody steals anything. It doesn't pay well, but fits in great with my schedule. I work with a lot of cool people, and as a musician, enjoy being around other musicians. Anyway, I'm Ben Barbato a super-senior Music Education major. For those of you who are unaware, Music Ed. at Montclair is a 5 year program. I'm in year 6. Yeah, it's been a rough road, but I've practically got one foot out the door, so it's ok. My primary instrument is saxophone. I've played saxophone since the fourth grade. I've kept with it all these years because it's pretty much one of the few things I've always been good at. Which is consequently why I chose music education to begin with. I had a teacher once who helped guide me in the right direction by saying "Go with what you're best at." Aside from my main study of saxophone, I also rock out Geddy Lee style on electric bass. My friend Todd and I play in a band at St. Mary's church in Pompton Lakes, where we provide music for the children's mass. It's an extremely fun and rewarding experience. The kids really love us and what we do. It's like being famous. I've even had people come to my store and recognize me as "the bass player from church." We also do two performances each year for the Special Needs ministry. That has been one of the most rewarding and humbling experiences of my life.
So that's my profession. But what do I do for fun? Everyone needs to have a way to escape the daily grind in life. I have a few. For one, I love video games. I've been playing them ever since I got my first Nintendo nearly 20 years ago. Some people call it childish. I disagree. If people weren't serious about video games, there would be none. I'd tell you my favorites, but there's just too many to list. I also love baseball. My team? The New York Mets. I love the game, and now looking back, wish I had practiced harder.
Anyway, that's pretty much all you need to know about me. See you all tomorrow. Peace.

ME!!

Hey guys...My name is Ashley Lustenberger and i live in River Edge New Jersey. I am 21 years old and have been going to Montclair for a year and i half now, yet it is not where i started. For another year and a half i was down in Towson, MD.....it was a great place to live and have a good time but for what i want to accomplish in life it just wasn't for me. I am a physical education / health major and i also am involved in personal training, and while i do not have my license to do so "officially" yet, because of my sports background and the fact that i played in college allows people to still want to work with me. Yes i do play softball for Montclair and it has only added to college experience i have had, i wouldn't change that for the world. Not only has it helped me discover who i am i have made friendships that will last a lifetime. This will be my last full year at Montclair and it is a little scary, but i guess by the fact that i have decided to take 19 credits along with working AND playing softball you can say I'm a little crazy, but what can i say....i like the challenge. I am someone who has had to overcome a lot already in only 21 years, more then i would ever wish upon someone else, so i guess that's why i can say with authority that i challenge myself to the fullest. I am also a very "bubbly" and energetic person. Im usually the one people say has had that little bit to much caffeine and should stop smiling, what can i say, that's who i am. Well that's me in a nutshell see you all in class!!!! :)

a little about me...

Hey everyone...My name is Cheryl Bodak. I was born and raised in a little town called South River, NJ. I'm currently 20 years old and in my 4th year here at Montclair as a physical education/health major. I also play softball here and this year will be my last : (. I have a little dilemna with what I would like to do with my life and that all came from playing softball. Last year I tore my ACL and was in physical therapy and/or the training room for 6 months. I became fond of this atmosphere and knowing about different injuries, rehab, etc. So now i'm not really sure I want to teach...I think it's a great thing to have so I would not stop going for my teaching degree but I think I may pursue a different field when I finish with my bachelors. Other than that...Obviously I am a big sports fan. College basketball makes me happy, GO DUKE! along with the Yankees, Dallas Cowboys, oh yeah and Nascar. I love music more than anything in this world, except maybe my dog...yes she really is 120 lbs. I'm in the process of learning to play guitar but it is a really sad sight at the moment! Well that's all i got for now. See ya in class!

A little about Chelsey

Hey guys,
I'm Chelsey Lepinski. I was born and raised in Minnesota and moved to New Jersey three years ago. I came here on a one year missionary program and lived and worked at a church in West Orange, New Jersey. I ended up loving the area so much that I decided to stay here and finish up with school.
I initially wanted to teach elementary school, but through my work at the church I got to be involved with elementary school students, middle school students, and high school students. I decided that elementary age kids were too much of a handful and instead decided that I was crazy and wanted to work with middle schoolers. So now my plan is to teach middle school in an urban setting.
Looking forward to this semester!

Mark's Thoughts

Hello everyone. My name is Mark Smith and I'm from Middletown, New Jersey. I'm 21 and I'm in my senior year of my History Education Major. My four main passions in life are music, history, baseball, and the Simpsons. I play guitar and a bit of drums and bass. One of my greatest accomplishments was recording a record with my old band that was near studio quality. Before I decided to become a teacher I contemplated going to school to become a music producer. Unfortunately it's not very lucrative unless you are one of the few big names. Music is my therapy. I use it, buy way of playing or listening, to get through the day.
I fell in love with history in high school. To be honest I only decided to become a teacher because it really frustrated me when I would talk to people about things and they didn't know simple geography or common knowledge about our country. History is not just dates. Everything has a history and therefore I think it's the study of how everything came to be. I don't know how someone could not be interested in it since it deals with...well...everything.
Since we were talking about books that we were reading in class I thought I would discuss the biography of Kurt Cobain that I just finished. It was a very bittersweet read for me. I absolutely love Nirvana. So reliving all of Kurt's life and music was really special. But as I neared the end of the book I couldn't help but feel like I didn't want to finish it because I knew what was coming. I avoided reading the last chapter for a few days because I had some warped idea that if I didn't read about his death, it wouldn't happen. I finally read it and I can't think about anything except how much his spirit is missed in a lot of music today.
I think that's enough of my musing but I do look forward to this class and reading about everyone else life. I hope everyone has a great semester.

Nancy's Notes

A fifth year senior at MSU, I'm coming to see that education is no small task whether being taught or teaching! I started my educational career as a biology major, getting my associate's in hopes to become a meteorologist. During that time, I discovered my love for math as well as my love for helping others grasp the concepts that come with the subject. I'm proud to be a first-generation graduate in my family along with my sister who is being certified to teach chemistry. I've come to realize just how important family life is to me - even more so than it was before this year. Music is my life. My mom always tries to flip through the stations on the radio while we're in the car because I can usually hum to every one that comes on! I played the flute in high school and sang as an alto in choir, which brought me to All State my senior year - one of the best musical experiences of my life. I'm one of the pipe sergeants in a bagpipe & drum corps that I've been a member of for 12 years now. I'm in love with animals. I don't have any right now, but had a dog growing up. I love huskies and can't wait to have one of my own. I would actually like to go back to school eventually to become a marine biologist because I also have a fettish for killer whales. Weird, right? I absolutely love them. Most of all, I'm excited to be a teacher. I feel like this class will be extremely helptful for my career because math isn't just about numbers. Students need to learn to read word problems efficiently in order to attack them correctly in the math world. I have a love for reading - except when it is something along the lines of a tutorial; if I want to follow directions, I'll go find a recipe book. Last semester I had a critical thinking class and one of the books aimed to how to create critical thinkers. Sometimes there are things a book can teach you, and sometimes it's just not possible. I'm looking forward to diving into something good this semester :-)

About Randie

Hi, my name is Randie Berner. I am a wife and mother of 2 boys. Matt 14 (9th grade first year in high school) and Sam 11 (6th grade and first year in middle school). I am a very involved mom. Both boys love and play soccer, Matt is on the JV team this year. And I hate missing either of their games (but I do).
Like I mentioned in class, I discovered that I have a passion for teaching. This was discovered after many years of working long hours for corporated companies. The last company I worked for went into bankrupcy, to make a long story short, I wound up working for them for five extra years, just the hours my children were in school (off when they were off). I totally enjoyed being the one to pick them up and take them to their afterschool activities. When that ended I worked at a summer sleepaway camp and had the time of my life. When I came home I started subbing in the middle school in my town. While I thought I would prefer the elementary school, my heart was in the middle school. After a while of subbing the students in the middle school would ask me, every time, why aren't I a regular teacher. They all would ask me to be their teacher. Now I should let you know, as a sub I did insist that all students do work, I collected the work for the teachers. Regardless what subject after a while I made sure that I taught something. I was called to do a number of long term subbing, and there were a few times where I had to make lesson plans. With the help of the teachers in the grade I came up with some fun and interesting ways to teach. I actually had to reteach myself 8th grade math, to teach and help the students. There are some students that tell me I really helped them.
There were a few students that would ask me all the time to become a regular teacher. I kept telling them that I would have to go back to school to get my degree (I only had my associates). They told me I should go. I tried to explain I'm too old, but they laughed and told me what I tell them, you need to learn something new everyday, why not go back. I had no answer so that night I started looking to go back to school, and the rest as they say is history.
They still ask me how I am doing and when will I graduate. I am planning to graduate in May 2009.
While following this passion it enables me to keep another job I love .... working at a sleepaway camp. This entitles me to have the best summers. Anyone interested in a job let me know as they are always looking for people. I can guarantee you will have a blast.
So now you a little about me.

Getting to Know Laura!

Hello! My name is Laura Street. Like I mentioned last Wednesday, I was born in Las Vegas, Nevada. However, since my parents were in the US military, I didn't spend much time there. In fact, much of my youth was spent growing up on military bases around the country and around the globe. Out of all the places that I have lived, I must say that I am most in love with Japan. I spent a total of seven years there, and I really appreciate their societal and cultural values. Once I am finished with college, I plan to return there to teach EFL (English as a Foreign Language). One other interesting fact about me is that I am engaged. My fiance and I met in high school while we were living in Japan, and we have been dating for six years. He is half Japanese and half Guatemalan, and unlike me, he actually speaks Japanese fluently (show off). He is also the reason that I actually ended up moving to New Jersey. He goes to school here, and we decided to move in together. Right now we live together in a small apartment in Bloomfield, and we plan to get married at some point after we graduate. As for hobbies, I enjoy foreign music and films (subtitles preferred over dubbing), video games, and anime/manga. I'm not what I would call a "big reader", but I do sometimes pick up a book related to my interests (namely linguistics, biology, and Japanese culture).

Well, that's me in a nutshell! I look forward to getting to know you all this semester!

hey everybody

My name is Justin Schwindel. I'm from Livingston, NJ, 23 years old and a senior here at MSU. Well, actually, I'm a little more than a senior. This is going to be my SIXTH year at Montclair. I played lacrosse here for my first four years and kind of took it easy with my course load during those years. Plus, I really didn't decide I was going to be a teacher until halfway through my second year. I'm planning on becoming a high school history teacher. I really look forward to my future profession and not just because of the summers off. I really enjoy my subject and love working with kids. Like I said before, I played lacrosse at MSU for four years and lacrosse is still a huge passion of mine. I'm currently an assistant coach at James Caldwell High School in West Caldwell. I still play a lot in men's leagues and tournaments and actually get to go to a lot of cool places all over the country for tournaments (Vail, Lake Placid, Baltimore, Miami). I'm a huge Jets and Yankee fan and have been for pretty much my whole life. Well, I guess thats about it. See everybody on Wednesday.

its me Miguel

Hello class and Dr. Dana,
I would like to introduce myself my name is Miguel Angel Jimenez. I was born and raised in Paterson NJ and trying to graduate college asap in order to start teaching in my old high school at Passaic County Technical Institute. Right now I am in the process of getting a substitute job there for two days a week. I am a strong minded person who doesnt allow obstacles to get in my way when I want to acheive something I feel is important to me. I hope to have a good learning and teaching experience this semester with my peers and I hope all of you have a great day. Bye

a little about me

My name's Erin McCarthy & I'm in my senior year at MSU (I was actually a senior in the spring too, but this is the start of my 4th year). I have a year and a half left of school, I'll finish out my bio degree in the spring and then its on to my student teaching in the fall. I am hoping to finish my biology classes at The University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and then I'll come back to NJ to do my student teaching. I really hope to be able to study in NC in the spring so that I can learn more about the area I'll be moving to after I graduate. My boyfriend is a U.S. Marine based out of Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, NC, which is about 40 mins from Wilmington (not a bad commute), so thats another (major) reason why I want to study there. We have been waiting for me to graduate to "take things to the next level" so to speak and get married, and I really hope things work out for me to go to UNCW....annnnd really hope his deployment schedule wont interfere (keeping our fingers crossed for that one). I guess I've gotten a bit personal here, but I'm really excited about all this news right now. Hope to get to know all of you just a little bit better, see you on Wednesday!

About Me

Hi, I'm Marisa Torre and I'm in my senior year. My major is history and I would like to teach high school. I'm from South Brunswick, a really unknown town, but I am fifteen minutes from Rutgers University and ten minutes from Princeton University. I'll be celebrating my 21st birthday on September 26st so I'm kind of excited for that. To me my family is everything, I usually talk to my mom and sister everyday even though most of the time we end up fighting with each other. I am also very close with my two cousins, we don't go a week without calling each other, they're like my sisters because I tell them everything.
I really don't read during the semester because I am more concerned with my classes but during the summer I am always reading laying by my pool. This summer I read: Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose, The Fortunate Pilgrim by Mario Puzzo, Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs, Music For Torching by A.M. Holmes, American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis, Magical Thinking By Augusten Burroughs, and The Godfather by Mario Puzzo. All the books I read this summer have different plots and themes to them, so you can say I read whatever I'm in the mood for. However, my favorite books are true stories because it is something that has happened and I find that more interesting. Well this is really all I have to say.

A little insight into my life...

Aloha! My name is Mary Genevieve Szoke, and I am from Lake Parsippany, which is in Morris County. I'm an Art Ed major, and my concentration is in Sculpture and Metalwork, which I really enjoy. Initially I was going to just go for a BFA in Fine Arts, but I decided against living in a cardboard box (although with some paint and a couple of blankets, a cardboard box can be quite nice). I hope to one day teach high school art, either drawing, painting or ceramics.
I've been reading since I was little, and have always spent the majority of my free time reading. My mom works in an Elementary school, first as a resource math teacher, and now as the media specialist, which is why I was always encouraged to read. My favorite author is Stephen King, and I have always been fascinated with horror, mystery and sci-fi. In 6th grade I did a book report on Silence of the Lambs, and the teacher was a bit frightened, but at the point, I had already read the other books she suggested for the class.
Although I am an Art major, Music was a close second choice for me. I have played the piano since I was 5, and I have played the drums for over 10 years. I am currently in an Irish and Scottish pipe and drum band, and last year I was in the MSU pep band. I have a small dog who is named Rocky and a turtle named Leonardo.
And I’d like to apologize for ruining the ending of Harry Potter for anyone who planned on reading it sometime in the future.

Brief Intro on Michelle

I find writing about myself on the computer very ackward, so this is going to be brief. I am twenty two and a senior at MSU. I am majoring in Anthropology with a teaching certificate for Social Studies and K-5. My minor is International Studies. I plan on taking a year off before pursuing a doctorate in International Education Policy.

Jessica's views

My name is Jessica and I received my Associates degree in English Literature in 2002. I went to work for 6 years as an administrative assistant in the human resources department in New Jersey and then in 2003-2004 in California. When I came back to New Jersey in May 2004 I went to work for an International company and hated it. I decided to no longer waist my talent for teaching and hide all of my knowledge from the world behind a desk I loathed. I've been at Montclair State University for the past 2 years and I should graduate May 2008 from the university with a teaching certificate and bachelors degree. I have 2 cats who I devote my life to pleasing for these are my children. I've been married and divorced and now I have a male suitor who writes me letters telling him of his affection for me. He is trying to win my affection in return. For we both agree that courting as was done in the Romantic and Victorian era worked much better than todays standards of dating.

As for this course I define a reader as one who is constantly reading a book. A person that reads articles only is a researcher. I do not deny that there are things to be read in this world. Yes, e-mail is read, a painting is read, maps are read, signs are read, but reading these various things does not make one a reader. That is not how I define one who reads, for reading improves one's literacy and reading e-mail, text messages, road signs, and maps does not improve one's literacy. I look forward to one that wishes to change my ever stubborn mind on this point as I've already studied such a topic in my Grammar for English class last semester where we discussed that literacy is only gained by reading, and only by reading novels and nonfiction. Reading magazines and road signs does not improve grammar or literacy.

A little about myself

Hey, My Name is Pedro Hernandez. I am a 5th senior, I am currently a history major working on the teacher degree and trying to minor in sociology. I am a 4th yr RA for Res. Ed. I live in the Russ Hall this year and might look into being a Director if i decide to go after my Masters once I graduate. I run track for MSU, I only have one season left and its this spring. I hurt my ankle last winter so thats why I haven't used all of my eligibility. I was an All-State track runner in high school. I had accumulated over 100 medals in two and half years of running. I qualified with my relay team for the national championships where we were ranked in the top 10 of the nation. I am a brother of Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity Inc. I pledged as a senior during the Fall 06 semester. I pledged real late in Greek years, but I know this is something that just won't end when I graduate. Since I crossed I have really opened it. I am more outspoken and confident with many things I have done and I really believe that it will help the way I teach and work with people.

A Little Bit About Myself...

Hey guys,

I'm going to take a few minutes to let you all in on some details about me. My name is James J. Hester (alot of people call me J.J. or Stifler -- if you've seen American Pie movies and take a look at me, you'll understand why. They think I look like the actor who played Stifler). I am a Senior at Montclair State University. I live in Newark, NJ with my grandparent's and have lived in Newark for most of my life. An interesting fact about me is that I was homeschooled from 5th grade through 12th grade. I have a big family (grandparent's had 16 children, 8 boys and 8 girls)...from their 16 children, I have 41 1st cousins. Another interesting fact about myself is that I am a World Champion Irish Step Dancer. I started dancing at a very late age (16) but took to it almost immidiately and haven't stopped since. Since age 16 I earned a world medal, 3 national medals, 2 all-ireland national medals, and 3 1st place regional titles. I have performed at many events from NJPAC with an Irish band (the Chieftains) to the New Jersey Governor's Mansion. Aside from the awards and performances, a very bright spot in my dancing career was being accepted into the tour of the show 'Riverdance' (European tour). Due to an injury I sustained 2 days prior to my departure for the show, I was unable to perform in it. After some months of getting healthy and getting my body back in shape, I was back on the local competition circuit doing very well. I am now a Irish Step Dancing teacher. I work for two different schools, one competitive, and one non-competitive. I teach children from ages 4-18. I love my job and I am fairly certain that is what I'll be doing forever. Well, I hope this post provided some insight into who I am, I look foward to reading more about you guys!

James

Student post

kelly’s post

September 5th, 2007

I copied this from where you posted it in the comments, Kelly. I wanted to post it in the main posts section so everyone would see it. When you sign up at uniblogs.org (and this is true for all of you), within a day or two, you will each get an invite to be an author on the blog. Once that happens and you accept it, you can post.

Here’s Kelly’s cool (and very thought-provoking) post:

Well here goes nothing!

If I am to describe myself let me explain something as my writing has been known to be completely different from as I speak regularly, as I have had some time to think before I started during the drive home. After rethinking what we did in class to get to know each other and sharing who we were and what it was that drove us for our goals, I wanted to take the time to elaborate on who I am and what my journey was to my decision of becoming an art teacher, as it was too long to describe in class. I also wanted to add some things about why I have almost no interest in reading for enjoyment.
Lets first start however, with my journey; I promise it’s not really that long. Ever since I moved to Jersey I had been infatuated with horses, if I could see one for five minutes it would make my day! I realized since my family was young and I had a younger brother and sister I knew I wouldn’t get to see ponies every day, so I started drawing them—and thus where the art interest was born! My dad helped a little by explaining that everything you see starts with one or multiple basic shapes. Through out the years I would only draw horses until I impressed myself with shading and foreshortening techniques which I never learned in a classroom.

I was in 3rd grade in a catholic school for my first year in Jersey… Our Lady of Mount Carmel is in Boonton, and that’s where I attended my first nun. All of those stories you heard about catholic school, they’re all with out a doubt, right. There was not a single day that went by that I was not targeted for zoning out in my pony wonderland. There was no way of escape, the other students hid their eyes but wanted to see it at the same time. I remember once I sneezed at the chalkboard, six times in a row, and directly afterwards was pelted with a piece of chalk from across the room, lucky for me it hit me in the shoulder. I hated it there, the horses were my only escape, and I learned to do them out in the school yard since we didn’t have art class. By 6th grade I moved again and have been in Oakland since with frequent possibilities of moving through out the country, this has become a joke to my family.

My interest in art grew like a wild fire. By the time I was a senior I was interested in becoming a fighter pilot for the army but I have asthma and for safety purposes I was declined. Then I set my heart on making video games and movies regardless of the second or third dimension. I started working towards going into the field using programs such as Maya, 3D studio Max, Aura, Premiere, Photoshop, Illustrator and other programs, I had even gotten an internship that then turned into a two year job in Midtown Manhattan working for a design company called Mada Design. We did a lot for Topps, who if you don’t know the company are the people that provide sports cards to you. Baseball, football, soccer, you name it we had it, relic cards, autos… yea. They also own Ring Pop and all of those other candies which I did a lot of product design for. Everything was smooth sailing until I realized that I needed to be outside in the summer. I started realizing I really enjoyed teaching and watching a community grow. So I switched gears two years ago, I miss it and could do it forever, but when I go to raise a family I’m well aware that that lifestyle can only do well in people who are the opposite of me. And so I indulge in now, I see the kids I teach in town and in the summer at the lake, and I can’t help to be proud of what they learned in my class. I take that with me as I try to finish up.

Now the second thing that I wanted to talk about briefly as I realize this is a long blog is that I can’t connect with reading unless it is for a project or to help me learn a skill such as with a material I haven’t yet experimented with. I know the value of it and I see why people may enjoy it, but I am not that person. This may come off wrong or relatively incomprehensible to some but I am dyslexic and have an organizational problem. Now you might be asking what I mean as I have written all of this, but I don’t see it when I’m writing it, it’s all done in my head, these are my thoughts. Let me explain what an organizational problem is for some of you that may think that organization is something you can only find on your desk or in a pile of papers left to wrinkle in your back pack… my problem is that I don’t see words in books, magazines, newspapers, or on signs right away, it takes a while for me to realize what is there. So, as an example, if you take a moment after I explain this and try it maybe it will make more sense. When I look at a cluster of words no matter its length, I see a block of grey, after moments of staring, I see individual blocks of grey, and then the words start forming. It takes a lot of energy sometimes and because of the stress of reading in classrooms as I was younger I stayed away from it and leaned on art as a crutch for some time. It has been a while since I could be open with this… in the event that you want to try to see what I deal with on a day to day basis, sit back now and zone out so you don’t see the words right away, once your vision is distorted for a while try to pick out words and then start from the beginning of the paragraph and reread. That’s the best way I can think of to distort what you see. On top of it all I’m dyslexic so some words link into others some beginnings of words latch on to the backs of the same words… it’s a fun time.

Also just as a reaction to class today in objection to the video games concept that playing video games is not beneficial where as reading is, sort of got to me as I know since they were created there weren’t many stories that evolved through the combination of text and visual language, but as the technology grew and still does there are more and more games that push you to know the story, as well as building a tactical way of survival and furthermore allows you to be a character in the game, where as even if you identify with a character in a novel you are not in the book. Just some critical thinking I did in the car. ^_^ .

tips & tricks1

just plain cool

September 5th, 2007

Here’s a link to a post on Lifehacker, a great website with tips and tools to make your life easier. The link is to their post about the top 10 online/tech tools for students (including ways to get books cheaper) that you might want to take a look at:

http://lifehacker.com/software/lifehacker-top-10/top-10-back-to-school-tools-for-the-organized-student-296587.php

Groups!

August 26th, 2007

Red: Jose, Ben, Randie, Cheryl, Claire, Ryan, Brian, Jessica, Nicholas, Pedro

Blue: James, Miguel, Chelsey, Ashley, Marcin, Erin, Christopher, Aaron, Nancy, Todd

Yellow: Edith, Justin, Katerina, Mark, Carlos, Kelly, Laura, Mary, Marisa, Michelle

Welcome!

August 26th, 2007

This is the class blog for the READ407 Wednesday section, with Dr. Dana. Here is where we will be posting responses to readings, thoughts or questions we have (this is a great place to post a question about the class to either me or each other), information or links for projects, or anything else of interest. You each will be a contributor, so you can write posts just like this one. You can also write comments by clicking on the comments link at the end of the post. It’s a little like Facebook or MySpace, in that you can both write to the site and comment on what you see — which is one of the things I like best about blogging with students.

I have been blogging for the last 5 years (is it really so long? wow…) and you can find my personal blog at http://flaneuse.org. I’ll put a link to it over on the right too. Usually I have students each create their own blogs, but this class is listed at 30 (!) which makes for a lot of writing and even more reading every week. Too much to be able to do…. so instead we’ll all be posting to this one. Think of it as a cross between a discussion board (but much better, I think) and a kind of personal writing site. Yes, remember, what you post here is public, but it’s easier than tangling with Blackboard and trying to email everyone in the class.

So…. go ahead … post that first post I assigned …. I dare you….