I am learning more about digital spaces for composing. While I'm generally decent with figuring out the technology, I never know where to look for the technology. By the time I find it, it's already "old"--but isn't that the way technology always is? How do I stay up and coming with the technology?
Today I've thought more about why I seem to always link theater with writing. It seems that whenever I do a Murray card activity, the place that I come up with or the activity is always related to theater in some way. I wrote about it for Lil's class and I wrote about it again today. For me, today an interesting link was made for the first time. I've always wondered why I didn't write my stories down growing up. However, now I realize with some reflection that I simply chose to "write" in a different way--through composing radio shows with Daniel or acting out skits with my cousins. Being on stage was a way for me to tell stories, and it seems that I valued that oral culture highly, while resisting the urge to participate in writing (a "school" activity) outside of the domain that I saw it in.
I'm known with some of my friends as a storyteller. Perhaps it's partially because crazy things happen to me. Perhaps it's because I have a tendency to be melodramatic or embellish. But for whatever reason, I have this crazy litany of stories that I end up telling my friends. They're all true (with some slight exaggerations), but friends will ask me to tell those stories. In fact, some of my friends know them so well, they could recite them themselves. The oxygen monitor after my first surgery. The carafe from IHOP. The drug dealing nurse. All stories, all mine, all spoken and never written.
This is all very interesting to me and it's something that I feel is rooted deep at the heart of myself a storyteller and meaning maker.
Carrie...I'm loving that you all are using blogs to post reflections for SI. It was so exciting to "watch" things developing via Twitter throughout the day! I'm happy for you and everyone that is participating...SI was a transformative experience for me as a teacher and I wish you and the rest of the TC's a wonderful exploration into yourselves as readers, writers and thinkers!!!
ReplyDeleteCarrie, Wow, there is so much here to think about. It is funny to me about technology seeming old so fast. I get that feeling, too, but then it is disrupted when I notice that the "old" stuff is still new to a lot of people. Last week in a workshop, I was thinking of ditching a mini-lesson on Prezi, thinking that most everyone would have seen it, but as it turned out it was new to pretty much the whole crowd. (And, they are always changing that dang zebra tool thing, so it seems to be new to me all the time as well!)
ReplyDeleteI am really excited about the ways you are thinking about composition beyond the written word!! This seems like a really interesting potential line of thought for inquiry. (I know you already have this amazing Twitter inquiry idea, but maybe this taps in somehow?)
Okay, you read Ways with Words, I think? I am really thinking about Shirley Brice Heath's work with oral literacy while I am reading about your thinking here.
@Tony--Thanks for the good wishes. It's been fantastic so far. Looking forward to more meaning making.
ReplyDelete@Lacy--"Everything old is new again." I am definitely interested in different forms of composition. I think I might actually be heading more that way with my demo rather than Twitter (although Twitter will be tied in ). I read Crafting Authentic Voice, but I will have to check out Ways with Words. Definitely will have to check out Heath, though. :)