The 10-year-old winner of a children’s poetry competition had to hand back her prize money after newspaper readers noticed that her poem was the work of a well known writer. “It’s a mini drama for her. She did not realize it had been written by someone else,” a member of the competition jury said Tuesday.…
Because I was away at a conference all week, I didn’t have much time. I had already found some good trees and begun work on the ceiling of my test room, but I figured I had played with that test room enough. But in about four hours today, I created this room from scratch. The…
The decline of handwriting and the rise of e-mail and text messaging has been highlighted in a new survey of media consumption in the digital age. It suggests that half of written communication is by e-mail, 29% by text message and just 13% by pen and paper. —E-mail and text ‘replace writing’ (BBC) But take a…
Calling All Bloggers (CCCC 2006 Chicago — Day 3) Mike Edwards and Clancy Ratliffe led a very productive special interest group on weblogs. The project I had agreed to work on last year, seeking NCTE support for proposing some sort of official statement about the professional and pedagogial value of weblogs, fizzled. The NCTE had its…
Imagining a Transformed Reality: On the Web, Over the Airwaves, Around the Globe (CCCC 2006 Chicago — Day 3) In this panel, three experienced comp instructors from the University of Arkansas, Little Rock report their experiences getting students to think outside the box. The presenters asked everyone to pull their chairs into a circle, and in…
Changing Literacies/Changing Mindsets: Communicating Across Digital Difference (CCCC 2006 Chicago — Day 3) I had written a different session down in my conference planner, but I’m glad I want to this one. Sally Chandler brought two of her undergraduate students from Kean University, and together they presented what they learned about the nature of research with…
The History of the Future of Writing (CCCC 2006 Chicago — Day 3) These are rough notes, typed as the presenters were speaking, and lightly edited back in my hotel room before being posted online. Helen J. Burgess Washington State University. “Whatever Happened to My MOO?” Administered Appalachia Moo, had fun building and coding, “absolutely no…
Conference on College Composition and Communication — Day 3 (Jerz’s Literacy Weblog) I spent some time shopping for books and taking long coffee breaks (though I don’t drink coffee), so the blogging isn’t quite as detailed as last time. Still, today I got a good idea for the panel I’d like to propose for next year,…
In the past 24 hours, we learned of allegations that Ben Domenech plagiarized material that appeared under his byline in various publications prior to washingtonpost.com contracting with him to write a blog that launched Tuesday. —Ben Domenech Resigns (post.blog) That was quick. Similar:Don't Like Hamlet? Now's Your Chance To Rewrite It”It’s not really fair to say,…
Gaming tends to be regarded as a harmless diversion at best, a vile corruptor of youth at worst. But the usual critiques fail to recognize its potential for experiential learning. Unlike education acquired through textbooks, lectures, and classroom instruction, what takes place in massively multiplayer online games is what we call accidental learning. It’s learning…
Why Plagiarism Makes Sense in the Digital Age: Copying, Remixing, and Composing (CCCC 2006 Chicago — Day 2) This was a jam-packed, no-downtime, hardly-time-to-breathe presentation. I’m posting the notes that I took while the presenters were speaking, very lightedly edited afterwards in my hotel room. I hope whatever inadvertent remixing I did while taking these notes…
Technology, Play and Pedagogy: Video Gaming and New Literacies (CCCC 2006 Chicago — Day 2) As is always the case with a conference blogging exercise, these are my rough notes, typed as the speakers were talking, and lightly edited in my hotel room at the end of the day. Matthew S. S. Johnson, Indiana University, Bloomington:…
Using Genre to Help Students Envision Themselves as Writers (CCCC 2006 Chicago — Day 2) I volunteered to chair this session, so I wasn’t taking copious notes, just jotting down possible discussion prompts. Scott Whiddon, Louisiana State University, “From Cellblock to Center: Literacy, Identity and the Angolite.” The Angolite is an award-winning news magazine produced by…
How Writing Centers Respond to Writers? Needs (CCCC 2006 Chicago — Day 2) Deborah Burns, Merrimack College. “Taking Care of Business: The Writing Center as a Site of Curricular Reform.” Burns said that for years, the writing center had little impact on the business school. But a recent new program encouraging communications skills in business mandates…
Publish, Plagiarize, and/or Perish? (CCCC 2006 Chicago — Day 2) Lila Harper, Central Washington University, Ellensburg. “What Can We Learn about Plagiarism from Master’s Theses?” Is often asked, “Why in the world are you reading so many of these theses?” For the past 3-4 years, she has read, copy-edited and checked the references of every completed…
Jay Wootten’s CCCC 2006 Address: ”Riding a One-Eyed House” (CCCC 2006 Chicago — Day 2) I won’t try to blog this in detail, since this talk will eventually be published by the CCCCs. A moment of comedy occurred when the other presenters on the dais started slipping out so they could see the screen, and Wootten…
Opening General Session (CCCC 2006 Chicago — Day 2) Two huge projection screens flank the dais here in the grand ballroom. One screen shows a video close-up of the program chair, Akua Duku Anoyke. The other screen shows a textual transcript of her words. There is a soft chuckle in the room when she mentions a…
Conference on College Composition and Communication — Day 2 (Jerz’s Literacy Weblog) Here are links to the blogs I wrote on the second day of the confernce. I’m posting them past midnight — all this took place on March 23. Opening General Session Jay Wootten’s CCCC 2006 Address: ‘’Riding a One-Eyed House’’ Publish, Plagiarize, and/or Perish?…
Based on Shatner’s book “I’m Working on That,” in which he explored the connections between “Star Trek” technology and real science, “How William Shatner Changed the World” takes the tongue-in-cheek approach the actor often applies to what he considers the over-serious fandom of the TV shows and movies. —‘Star Trek’ inspired real inventions (AP | The…
1UP: Perspectives from Scholars/Practitioners of Video Games (CCCC 2006 Chicago — Day 1) I arrived early at this session and spent some time reconnecting with Matt Barton, whom I know from previous conferences. Barton is working on a book on graphic adventure games, and gave me some suggestions on what I might do with my interactive…