I love spring. For me it’s a season of rebirth, creation, and growth, and it presents an opportunity to explore and embrace ideas and approaches that will strengthen and uplift our nation and the communities we share. I was having a conversation with a member of my community – one of my old teachers – and he mentioned to me that 2011 is the UN year for people of African Descent. I was intrigued, so I went online and read all UN statements about this. I discovered a grand call for reflection, acknowledgment, responsibility, and positive action.
QUOTE THE Statement.
Reading these statements makes me think about how as a nation, we have created many categories and identities for ourselves (minority, majority, disenfranchised, privileged, etc.), but no matter what box we put our selves in or have been historically placed in , we all have the ability as holistic individuals to reflect upon our past and the experience of the African in the Americas.
We can acknowledge what we know through remembrance ,learn new truths, and act responsibly and positively to create a truthful, respectful, and honorable existence.
As we examine the U.N. and its agendas, It would be beneficial for people of African Descent and others to identify if this is something that we understand and welcome fully or partially and what it means for the present and future of our society and others.
In all areas, does this bring about Cooperative efforts that are based in respect, truth, and honor?
what things would we like to see implemented that are not included? what existing parts would we like to see implemented?What aspects of it do we/you not agree with and how can we address it?
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Priya's writer's chair 4/26/11
HIGH SCHOOL CLICHES IN MOVIES; how unrealistic!
I was watching a movie with my little sister the other day called “Bratz.” DESCRIBE MOVIE.
This movie got me thinking, high school isn't really like that. I went to James Logan High School in Union City. First, there were too many students to have the popular football team and cheerleader group we see in movies. We did have the occasional over achievers and some popular kids, but my high school was nothing like the schools depicted in movies like Mean Girls, Clueless, Mean Girls 2, Fast Times at Richmond High, Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club, Love Don't Cost a Thing and the upcoming new movie like Disney's PROM. In these movies, DESCRIBE CLICHES. But in reality, school doesn't function that way. For example, in Mean Girls a new girl comes to town she meets two kids who are nice to her then she falls into the "clique," of the Mean Girls who call themselves the Plastics. The leader of the Plastics takes the new girl under her wings and makes her into one of them. Shortly after the new girl falls in love with the Plastic's leader's ex boyfriend. Well you get the picture, same with all these movies. Now in Disney's PROM based on the trailer I've seen, my senior prom was quite lame, because the limo was late and we got there with two hours to spare, in Disney's version they hype it up with the prom king and queen dancing to the slow song, come on! In reality everyone joins in! And what's up with the nerdy girl falling for a jock and the popular girl not getting the right guy? That's not real life! After high school most of us go to college and try to start anew and not think about the high school "drama," of breaking up and going out. Most high school relationships don't last and many like to find their significant others in college. Anyway, to wrap it up and not drone on, high school cliches work for movies but the story line gets old unless you add murder, scandal, and maybe something exciting, PROM may be worth watching.
I was watching a movie with my little sister the other day called “Bratz.” DESCRIBE MOVIE.
This movie got me thinking, high school isn't really like that. I went to James Logan High School in Union City. First, there were too many students to have the popular football team and cheerleader group we see in movies. We did have the occasional over achievers and some popular kids, but my high school was nothing like the schools depicted in movies like Mean Girls, Clueless, Mean Girls 2, Fast Times at Richmond High, Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club, Love Don't Cost a Thing and the upcoming new movie like Disney's PROM. In these movies, DESCRIBE CLICHES. But in reality, school doesn't function that way. For example, in Mean Girls a new girl comes to town she meets two kids who are nice to her then she falls into the "clique," of the Mean Girls who call themselves the Plastics. The leader of the Plastics takes the new girl under her wings and makes her into one of them. Shortly after the new girl falls in love with the Plastic's leader's ex boyfriend. Well you get the picture, same with all these movies. Now in Disney's PROM based on the trailer I've seen, my senior prom was quite lame, because the limo was late and we got there with two hours to spare, in Disney's version they hype it up with the prom king and queen dancing to the slow song, come on! In reality everyone joins in! And what's up with the nerdy girl falling for a jock and the popular girl not getting the right guy? That's not real life! After high school most of us go to college and try to start anew and not think about the high school "drama," of breaking up and going out. Most high school relationships don't last and many like to find their significant others in college. Anyway, to wrap it up and not drone on, high school cliches work for movies but the story line gets old unless you add murder, scandal, and maybe something exciting, PROM may be worth watching.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Getting Ready for Final Grades!! Important Information -- Please Read!
1.When is it due?
Due Date: The Last Day of Finals -- May 20th. If you finish it early, you can turn it in early. I encourage you do this!
2. What am I turning in?
An electronic portfolio. A set of links to your work, that you can email to me.
1.Link #1 -- your finished blog
2. An attachment (OR a print screen OR a website) where you put your homework, comments on other blogs, email consultations with me, and your cover memo to me (see #3 below). Organize this somehow -- use headings to tell me what's what; label things!
#3 A cover memo to me, telling me what to notice in your blog, what you feel your strengths as a blogger are, any posts you want me to read in particular, what you learned from this class and/or experience of blogging.
3. What does my blog need to get an A?
* Engagement -- You need a solid number of posts, a variety of posts, posts that show your engagement with the topic and the blog itself.
* A sense that as a blogger you are participating in a larger conversations with other writers on the internet. (blog roll if you're using blogger; if tumbler, use followers). A post or two responding to others' writing.
* A sense that you are intellectually engaging in your topic -- looking at some of the deeper issues or controversies or history of your topic.
* Visual experimenation and creativity.
Due Date: The Last Day of Finals -- May 20th. If you finish it early, you can turn it in early. I encourage you do this!
2. What am I turning in?
An electronic portfolio. A set of links to your work, that you can email to me.
1.Link #1 -- your finished blog
2. An attachment (OR a print screen OR a website) where you put your homework, comments on other blogs, email consultations with me, and your cover memo to me (see #3 below). Organize this somehow -- use headings to tell me what's what; label things!
#3 A cover memo to me, telling me what to notice in your blog, what you feel your strengths as a blogger are, any posts you want me to read in particular, what you learned from this class and/or experience of blogging.
3. What does my blog need to get an A?
* Engagement -- You need a solid number of posts, a variety of posts, posts that show your engagement with the topic and the blog itself.
* A sense that as a blogger you are participating in a larger conversations with other writers on the internet. (blog roll if you're using blogger; if tumbler, use followers). A post or two responding to others' writing.
* A sense that you are intellectually engaging in your topic -- looking at some of the deeper issues or controversies or history of your topic.
* Visual experimenation and creativity.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
The End of Composition Studies?
Can we teach writing?
Smit argues that:
1. There is no evidence or very little evidence that the writing skills we teach actually transfer to other contexts
2. The only real way to learn writing is to be part of a discourse community; we learn writing by being immersed. If we could bring an immersion model to the writing classroom, then we could teach people how to write within at lesat one discourse community.
3. Writing is acquired. To the extent you can teach it, you have to teach the similarities between discourse communities ("strong skills"). And similarities across genres.
4. We need an acquisition-rich learning environment.
5. Connections to Heath and to Gee -- some communities immerse children in discourse communities that are already similar to the discourses they'll need in professional contexts, and some communities are shut out of professional communities and so can't immerse their chidlren in them. Built-in inequality.
Smit argues that:
1. There is no evidence or very little evidence that the writing skills we teach actually transfer to other contexts
2. The only real way to learn writing is to be part of a discourse community; we learn writing by being immersed. If we could bring an immersion model to the writing classroom, then we could teach people how to write within at lesat one discourse community.
3. Writing is acquired. To the extent you can teach it, you have to teach the similarities between discourse communities ("strong skills"). And similarities across genres.
4. We need an acquisition-rich learning environment.
5. Connections to Heath and to Gee -- some communities immerse children in discourse communities that are already similar to the discourses they'll need in professional contexts, and some communities are shut out of professional communities and so can't immerse their chidlren in them. Built-in inequality.
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