Summer Reading ... by the English teacher

DMAC Day 8

I have spent some time thinking about how I can build on what I am learning here at DMAC to craft my independent study for the rest of the summer.  One of my goals for this independent study is to read some of the many texts I have heard about -- with the idea that the summer might be a time when I can choose my academic reading and have the time to actually read.  I may be in delusion about this, but hey, it is good to have goals.  So here is my draft reading list for the summer ...

Cooked Texts

DMAC Day 6

I have spent the last 30 hours (when I was not enjoying the DMAC party or sleeping!) focusing my final project.  The process we have been guided through in this focusing is worth reflecting on in and of itself.

Catching up with my students...

DMAC Day 4
 
At times, I feel funny having discussions about the value of multimodal composition because it seems like an old person's conversation.  My students would immediately tell you that they compose all the time in different modalities, particularly outside of school.  To bring these different modalities into the classroom can only enhance students' understanding of composition as a whole and, as a huge side benefit, make their non-academic composing better.

Remixing like a Semi-Pro

DMAC Day 2

Today was audio production day -- well, half of it was.  Which means I made an audio commercial with four layered tracks in half a day.  That is a steep and really great learning curve.

Splicing Audio for the Sake of Literacy

Day 1 of DMAC
(note my Ohio Buckeye color choice!)

• Turns out, this is the last year I could have attended DMAC, as they are moving it to before Memorial Day after this year.  I cannot miss two weeks of work, so I feel lucky that I slipped in for the last June DMAC.
•  The DMAC philosophy: people first, teaching and instruction next, and technology following to support both.  Good stuff.
• Today's topic was literacy, and Cindy said that one of our challenges will be learning "how to be humble with the fact that you will be illiterate at some point in this institute."  A great reminder of the many modalities of literacy as well as a thought-provoking introduction to where we are heading.
• We jumped right into production by recording and editing our literacy narratives.  After some cutting and splicing using Audacity, here is mine, already waiting for you at the Digital Archive of Literacy Narratives.  I already have overcome some aspects of my audio illiteracy and am proud of the seamless splice between two audio tracks.  Just try to guess where it is!
• For my future and more complicated audio work, Scott offered one key piece of wisdom: The more pieces of audio you have, the more creative and artful you can be in your crafting of a final product.  More (pieces) = less (restriction on what the final puzzle looks like).

Once you have listened to me literacy narrative, I thought you might enjoy reading the Strausberg Bardette's now famous poem ...

Ohio Bound

I get in my car Wednesday morning westward bound for Ohio.  I have Middlesex on CD, a water bottle, and mountains to cross ... all things I will use to mentally close my teaching year and open my studying summer.  I am most excited about playing with audio and video in these next two weeks, something I have only barely explored on my own.  I have my headphones that cover my whole ear and a huge flashdrive -- I am loaded and ready!


(Image from The Best Motorcycle Roads in America)

Knowing What I Do Not Know

Not knowing is good. 

I start my AP English class every year by telling them that "confusion represents an advanced stage of understanding," wisdom from my first NCTE conference.  I wish I could remember the presenter's name to give him credit -- his words have liberated so many of my AP students from their worries that they need to know it all.  Those who know they are confused as they look forward know a great deal about where they are and what they already know.

I am taking my own advice as I head to DMAC: embracing the chance to wander paths, knowing I do not know where I will be going (well, I am going to Columbus, OH, but where will I intellectually go?) and knowing that what I do not know is much more important than what I do know.  Here is what I do not know about digital media and composition, what makes me confused.

Looking ahead to Columbus

I leave in one week for Columbus, Ohio, to attend the Digital Media and Composition Institute.  I have a full 13 days in front of me -- see my schedule!  I have started doing the readings plus have some early ideas for my final DMAC project.  Here are my thoughts in no particular order ... all tied to being very excited to go and PRODUCE projects based on all of my reading and study.

It's Not Disney World, but CSS ... Here I Come!

For my individual tutorial I am going to explore CSS, which means I am also going to explore HTML. After hearing about all of the languages last night, I have decided that, as a newbie to this whole world, CSS/HTML, since it is so widely used, is a good entry point that will lead me in the right direction for my future work. I am attending the 2012 DMAC, during which I will explore video and audio editing a great deal. I hope to take that experience and apply it to the basic of website building that I will learn through my explorations this semester with the ultimate goal of creating my digital portfolio for my PhD language requirement.