Here is the link to my Prezi demo about my writing history:
http://prezi.com/yuh715psehpy/a-performer-but-a-writer/
Enjoy!
Friday, July 8, 2011
Poetry
Inspired by Jessie's demo about "Ars Poetica."
I don't know about the idea of Poetry
MetaphOrs and similes in British accents
Why am I so scarEd of the unknown?
I try to Tease out meaning
But become fRustrated at the unblinking words
whY?
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Day 3
Today was a day filled with lots of possibilities for the Summer Institute. Stephanie did an awesome demonstration this morning about how to use Storify and the ways she uses it within her class. As she presented, I imagined this as a great way for students to write their final reflections for ENGL 1101. They could include twitter/blog posts, videos that we watched in class, portions of papers, etc. It was fascinating to see all the different forms of media that can be used in Storify and the stories that can be told. After Stephanie's demo, we talked about the ways to craft a story and to look at purpose within the context of Storify. It was really exciting to think about the multiple ways Storify could be used.
Later on, Melissa did her demo about writing into social action. She started with a video of some of her kids talking about social action. It was really inspiring to hear these kids and their beliefs that they are able to make a difference in the world. As one of the 6th graders said, ""It takes one person to change something little and more than one person to change something big." These students awareness of the collaborative nature of meaning making was overwhelming. They understood the power of a single voice, but also the strength that was added when those voices joined together. I loved it. LOVED it.
When we started out writing our own social actions pieces, I kind of struggled. There are a lot of things that I am passionate about in terms of social issues, but it was hard for me to narrow in, pick one and really think it through. I'm sure that would have been remedied by having some more time, and Melissa did a great job in the short time that she had. But it did give me a peek into the different ways that students might struggle to make meaning of or delve into a specific project.
As I think about technology, I realize even more my lack of knowledge. Not necessarily my lack of knowledge in how to use the technology but my inability to find the technology until it is already "old". It's something I definitely want to incorporate in my classroom frequently. I just have to come to grips with the fact that I'm a learner too, face my anxieties, and do it.
I'm thinking. And thinking. And rethinking. And revising. And Re-visioning.
Later on, Melissa did her demo about writing into social action. She started with a video of some of her kids talking about social action. It was really inspiring to hear these kids and their beliefs that they are able to make a difference in the world. As one of the 6th graders said, ""It takes one person to change something little and more than one person to change something big." These students awareness of the collaborative nature of meaning making was overwhelming. They understood the power of a single voice, but also the strength that was added when those voices joined together. I loved it. LOVED it.
When we started out writing our own social actions pieces, I kind of struggled. There are a lot of things that I am passionate about in terms of social issues, but it was hard for me to narrow in, pick one and really think it through. I'm sure that would have been remedied by having some more time, and Melissa did a great job in the short time that she had. But it did give me a peek into the different ways that students might struggle to make meaning of or delve into a specific project.
As I think about technology, I realize even more my lack of knowledge. Not necessarily my lack of knowledge in how to use the technology but my inability to find the technology until it is already "old". It's something I definitely want to incorporate in my classroom frequently. I just have to come to grips with the fact that I'm a learner too, face my anxieties, and do it.
I'm thinking. And thinking. And rethinking. And revising. And Re-visioning.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Day 2 Reflection
Today, I wrote a poem. And I don't write poetry.
Now I'm not saying that I've never written poetry. With enough coercion (and the threat of a grade hanging over my head), I wrote poetry for school. I even won a poetry contest in 6th grade. I was excited.
But today we were asked to do things that terrify me. 1) Draw and 2) Write Poetry.
And we had to do both.
However, I'm actually really proud of the poem that I wrote. It's not earth shattering. It has a very, very childish feel to it and a simple rhyme scheme. But it was honest. And I liked that.
It's amazing to me (as a teacher) the level of anxiety I still have about certain aspects of composing. Poetry and drawing actually make me physically nervous. My junior year of college we had to do body biographies and show them to someone via skype in our class, and I literally begged my professor not to make me share it.
And I'll have students that feel the same. Students that it takes everything in them to get up and riff. To speak out in class, to answer a question. The riffing circle highlighted others' anxieties within the class and the responding even more. We all have areas about which we are uncomfortable. We all have "trouble spots." And we as teachers can enhance or minimize students' anxieties.
Why is school such an anxious place?
Now I'm not saying that I've never written poetry. With enough coercion (and the threat of a grade hanging over my head), I wrote poetry for school. I even won a poetry contest in 6th grade. I was excited.
But today we were asked to do things that terrify me. 1) Draw and 2) Write Poetry.
And we had to do both.
However, I'm actually really proud of the poem that I wrote. It's not earth shattering. It has a very, very childish feel to it and a simple rhyme scheme. But it was honest. And I liked that.
It's amazing to me (as a teacher) the level of anxiety I still have about certain aspects of composing. Poetry and drawing actually make me physically nervous. My junior year of college we had to do body biographies and show them to someone via skype in our class, and I literally begged my professor not to make me share it.
And I'll have students that feel the same. Students that it takes everything in them to get up and riff. To speak out in class, to answer a question. The riffing circle highlighted others' anxieties within the class and the responding even more. We all have areas about which we are uncomfortable. We all have "trouble spots." And we as teachers can enhance or minimize students' anxieties.
Why is school such an anxious place?
The Mustnotshouldbe writer
The mustnotshouldbe writer cannot find her place
She think's she's doing great until grades smack her in the face
This is what she was supposed to do since she was very small
But the mustnotshouldbe writer feels only a foot tall.
She sits and stares at letters that mean far below the best
Though this is her destiny, she might just give up next
She struggles with identity and what herself to call
The mustnotshouldbe writer maybe isn't one at all.
She think's she's doing great until grades smack her in the face
This is what she was supposed to do since she was very small
But the mustnotshouldbe writer feels only a foot tall.
She sits and stares at letters that mean far below the best
Though this is her destiny, she might just give up next
She struggles with identity and what herself to call
The mustnotshouldbe writer maybe isn't one at all.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Day 1 Reflection
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.
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.
Crafting Authentic Voice
Tom Romano's Crafting Authentic Voice was an interesting read for me. Many of his ideas felt reminiscent to me of Harry Noden's Image Grammar, which I read my senior year of college. I feel as though Noden based many of his ideas on Romano's (I'm sure he had read him at least) and so Romano's choice of topics felt very familiar.
Romano's style of writing was hard for me to get into at first. He weaves narrative, teaching suggestions, and commentary on writing styles. Sometimes the transitions were so abrupt that I had to stop, go back, and reread his words to make sure I understood his point. However, his content was proven true in his style. The more I read, the more I became accustomed to Romano's voice and the more I felt that I truly grasped the concepts he was presenting.
Romano splits the book into five different sections: 1) The Delight and Dilemma of Voice, 2) Qualities of Voice, 3) Trust the Gush, 4) Crafting Authentic Voice, and 5) Voice and Identity. Each sections tackles specific aspect of how we as writers and readers perceive voice and in turn learn to craft our own voices (as Romano believes that we each have multiple voices that we use for a variety of purposes).
In "The Delight and Dilemma of Voice," Romano talks about how we define voice and how we can even recognize what voice is. Since voice is such a slippery concept, Romano uses many examples to show concrete examples of voice. I suppose the delight comes from the fact that when you hear voice, you can recognize it instantly. However, because voice is so individualized, we come to a dilemma when trying to instruct students about how to develop it. How do you instruct students to sound more like themselves? How do you avoid imposing your personal voice upon others?
"Qualities of Voice" addresses what makes someone's voice sound like him or her. Romano points out that students need to be able to choose their own topics. Obviously, if students are invested in their topics, they will be more authentic in their writing. As Romano says, "Writing begets seeing, seeing begets writing" (34). When you write about what you know, you can make it real and when you make your writing real, you can accurately reflect the world in your writing.
"Trust the Gush" was probably my most favorite section within the book. In Chapter 19 entitled "Many Voices," Romano explains his belief that each writer does not have a singular, unitary voice. Instead, we have many voices that we use for a variety of purposes. Each writer writes into a conversation with a specific goal in mind. Specifically, Romano's discussion of form and how it can inhibit or highlight content resonated with me. "Writing, at its core, is a matter of finding and making the shapes of ideas" (63). Viewing writing as a crafting process. We don't just shape ideas; we make shapes that fit our ideas.
In "Crafting Authentic Voice," Romano takes a more pointed look at the specific processes used to craft the language. Choosing active verbs, cutting out unnecessary wording, and using specific placement of words are just a few of the focuses that Romano takes while also examining the big picture of writing. In each of the chapters, Romano provides specific activities to be used within the classroom. However, the practical applications do not overpower the thinking that Romano asks his readers to engage in.
Tom Romano's Crafting Authentic Voice was an interesting read for me. Many of his ideas felt reminiscent to me of Harry Noden's Image Grammar, which I read my senior year of college. I feel as though Noden based many of his ideas on Romano's (I'm sure he had read him at least) and so Romano's choice of topics felt very familiar.
Romano's style of writing was hard for me to get into at first. He weaves narrative, teaching suggestions, and commentary on writing styles. Sometimes the transitions were so abrupt that I had to stop, go back, and reread his words to make sure I understood his point. However, his content was proven true in his style. The more I read, the more I became accustomed to Romano's voice and the more I felt that I truly grasped the concepts he was presenting.
Romano splits the book into five different sections: 1) The Delight and Dilemma of Voice, 2) Qualities of Voice, 3) Trust the Gush, 4) Crafting Authentic Voice, and 5) Voice and Identity. Each sections tackles specific aspect of how we as writers and readers perceive voice and in turn learn to craft our own voices (as Romano believes that we each have multiple voices that we use for a variety of purposes).
In "The Delight and Dilemma of Voice," Romano talks about how we define voice and how we can even recognize what voice is. Since voice is such a slippery concept, Romano uses many examples to show concrete examples of voice. I suppose the delight comes from the fact that when you hear voice, you can recognize it instantly. However, because voice is so individualized, we come to a dilemma when trying to instruct students about how to develop it. How do you instruct students to sound more like themselves? How do you avoid imposing your personal voice upon others?
"Qualities of Voice" addresses what makes someone's voice sound like him or her. Romano points out that students need to be able to choose their own topics. Obviously, if students are invested in their topics, they will be more authentic in their writing. As Romano says, "Writing begets seeing, seeing begets writing" (34). When you write about what you know, you can make it real and when you make your writing real, you can accurately reflect the world in your writing.
"Trust the Gush" was probably my most favorite section within the book. In Chapter 19 entitled "Many Voices," Romano explains his belief that each writer does not have a singular, unitary voice. Instead, we have many voices that we use for a variety of purposes. Each writer writes into a conversation with a specific goal in mind. Specifically, Romano's discussion of form and how it can inhibit or highlight content resonated with me. "Writing, at its core, is a matter of finding and making the shapes of ideas" (63). Viewing writing as a crafting process. We don't just shape ideas; we make shapes that fit our ideas.
In "Crafting Authentic Voice," Romano takes a more pointed look at the specific processes used to craft the language. Choosing active verbs, cutting out unnecessary wording, and using specific placement of words are just a few of the focuses that Romano takes while also examining the big picture of writing. In each of the chapters, Romano provides specific activities to be used within the classroom. However, the practical applications do not overpower the thinking that Romano asks his readers to engage in.
"Voice and Identity" finishes out the book with Romano's reflections about how finding voice in writing is connected with developing identity as a writer. Writing and writer. Identity and voice. These aspects of the writing process continue to reflect and refract each other. Romano highlights their constant interplay and the way that these entities push on each other.
Overall, I would highly recommend Romano's Crafting Authentic Voice. Combining practical activities with thoughtful commentary and personal experience, Romano creates a work that is both reflective and forward-thinking.
Overall, I would highly recommend Romano's Crafting Authentic Voice. Combining practical activities with thoughtful commentary and personal experience, Romano creates a work that is both reflective and forward-thinking.
Romano's style of writing was hard for me to get into at first. He weaves narrative, teaching suggestions, and commentary on writing styles. Sometimes the transitions were so abrupt that I had to stop, go back, and reread his words to make sure I understood his point. However, his content was proven true in his style. The more I read, the more I became accustomed to Romano's voice and the more I felt that I truly grasped the concepts he was presenting.
Romano splits the book into five different sections: 1) The Delight and Dilemma of Voice, 2) Qualities of Voice, 3) Trust the Gush, 4) Crafting Authentic Voice, and 5) Voice and Identity. Each sections tackles specific aspect of how we as writers and readers perceive voice and in turn learn to craft our own voices (as Romano believes that we each have multiple voices that we use for a variety of purposes).
In "The Delight and Dilemma of Voice," Romano talks about how we define voice and how we can even recognize what voice is. Since voice is such a slippery concept, Romano uses many examples to show concrete examples of voice. I suppose the delight comes from the fact that when you hear voice, you can recognize it instantly. However, because voice is so individualized, we come to a dilemma when trying to instruct students about how to develop it. How do you instruct students to sound more like themselves? How do you avoid imposing your personal voice upon others?
"Qualities of Voice" addresses what makes someone's voice sound like him or her. Romano points out that students need to be able to choose their own topics. Obviously, if students are invested in their topics, they will be more authentic in their writing. As Romano says, "Writing begets seeing, seeing begets writing" (34). When you write about what you know, you can make it real and when you make your writing real, you can accurately reflect the world in your writing.
"Trust the Gush" was probably my most favorite section within the book. In Chapter 19 entitled "Many Voices," Romano explains his belief that each writer does not have a singular, unitary voice. Instead, we have many voices that we use for a variety of purposes. Each writer writes into a conversation with a specific goal in mind. Specifically, Romano's discussion of form and how it can inhibit or highlight content resonated with me. "Writing, at its core, is a matter of finding and making the shapes of ideas" (63). Viewing writing as a crafting process. We don't just shape ideas; we make shapes that fit our ideas.
In "Crafting Authentic Voice," Romano takes a more pointed look at the specific processes used to craft the language. Choosing active verbs, cutting out unnecessary wording, and using specific placement of words are just a few of the focuses that Romano takes while also examining the big picture of writing. In each of the chapters, Romano provides specific activities to be used within the classroom. However, the practical applications do not overpower the thinking that Romano asks his readers to engage in.
Tom Romano's Crafting Authentic Voice was an interesting read for me. Many of his ideas felt reminiscent to me of Harry Noden's Image Grammar, which I read my senior year of college. I feel as though Noden based many of his ideas on Romano's (I'm sure he had read him at least) and so Romano's choice of topics felt very familiar.
Romano's style of writing was hard for me to get into at first. He weaves narrative, teaching suggestions, and commentary on writing styles. Sometimes the transitions were so abrupt that I had to stop, go back, and reread his words to make sure I understood his point. However, his content was proven true in his style. The more I read, the more I became accustomed to Romano's voice and the more I felt that I truly grasped the concepts he was presenting.
Romano splits the book into five different sections: 1) The Delight and Dilemma of Voice, 2) Qualities of Voice, 3) Trust the Gush, 4) Crafting Authentic Voice, and 5) Voice and Identity. Each sections tackles specific aspect of how we as writers and readers perceive voice and in turn learn to craft our own voices (as Romano believes that we each have multiple voices that we use for a variety of purposes).
In "The Delight and Dilemma of Voice," Romano talks about how we define voice and how we can even recognize what voice is. Since voice is such a slippery concept, Romano uses many examples to show concrete examples of voice. I suppose the delight comes from the fact that when you hear voice, you can recognize it instantly. However, because voice is so individualized, we come to a dilemma when trying to instruct students about how to develop it. How do you instruct students to sound more like themselves? How do you avoid imposing your personal voice upon others?
"Qualities of Voice" addresses what makes someone's voice sound like him or her. Romano points out that students need to be able to choose their own topics. Obviously, if students are invested in their topics, they will be more authentic in their writing. As Romano says, "Writing begets seeing, seeing begets writing" (34). When you write about what you know, you can make it real and when you make your writing real, you can accurately reflect the world in your writing.
"Trust the Gush" was probably my most favorite section within the book. In Chapter 19 entitled "Many Voices," Romano explains his belief that each writer does not have a singular, unitary voice. Instead, we have many voices that we use for a variety of purposes. Each writer writes into a conversation with a specific goal in mind. Specifically, Romano's discussion of form and how it can inhibit or highlight content resonated with me. "Writing, at its core, is a matter of finding and making the shapes of ideas" (63). Viewing writing as a crafting process. We don't just shape ideas; we make shapes that fit our ideas.
In "Crafting Authentic Voice," Romano takes a more pointed look at the specific processes used to craft the language. Choosing active verbs, cutting out unnecessary wording, and using specific placement of words are just a few of the focuses that Romano takes while also examining the big picture of writing. In each of the chapters, Romano provides specific activities to be used within the classroom. However, the practical applications do not overpower the thinking that Romano asks his readers to engage in.
"Voice and Identity" finishes out the book with Romano's reflections about how finding voice in writing is connected with developing identity as a writer. Writing and writer. Identity and voice. These aspects of the writing process continue to reflect and refract each other. Romano highlights their constant interplay and the way that these entities push on each other.
Overall, I would highly recommend Romano's Crafting Authentic Voice. Combining practical activities with thoughtful commentary and personal experience, Romano creates a work that is both reflective and forward-thinking.
Overall, I would highly recommend Romano's Crafting Authentic Voice. Combining practical activities with thoughtful commentary and personal experience, Romano creates a work that is both reflective and forward-thinking.
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