Comments on: 50 Ways at UBC

By: Alan Levine aka CogDog

Alan Levine aka CogDog — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 15:50:39 +0000

Thanks lhuff for pushing back a little on the “get back to 1sr grade” strand, which I accept is rather simplistic, and of course, there is, i believe, as you suggest, art/creativity in doing writing at higher levels, without relying on fingerpaint. Its more a reaction to seeing so mucg of the pasive voice trying to sound academic writing I read and fall asleep to

I totally forgot my 11th grade experience when a rather special English teacher really opened up my skills via Thoreau and Emerson, and where I learned a bit of writing as an art, not a chore.

Its more that at whatever levels we are writing at, to find that passion and express it. Or to write as a person for people.

Thanks.

No Laura, I have not heard that Chapin song but will check it out.

Thanks Jim, will check out that resource. Good to see you again. All the URLs are at http://cogdogroo.wikispaces.com/StoryTools

By: Jim

Jim — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 15:37:46 +0000

Hi Alan

Thanks for the talk yesterday. Nice to be turned on to some new tools that actually might be useful for teaching….excited to take a closer look at Voicethread.

If you are interested in another digitalstorytelling tool you should check out http://www.digitalstoryteller.org/. Hosted by the University of Virgina (developed I think in conjunction with Joe Lambert’s group). They are very supportive with allowing others to access and use the tool. I asked about co-locating the application to UBC, but sound like the server backend is quite complex.

PS Would you have a URL for …..was it…..balberize (sp?)

Thanks agian

By: Laura

Laura — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 15:24:02 +0000

Have you ever thought of using Harry Chapin’s song “Flowers are Red” in your intro? I think that illustrates the “getting back to first grade” idea quite well.

By: lhuff

lhuff — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 13:13:19 +0000

Being a high school English teacher, I feel compelled to respond to the “mission…to help people get back to 1st grade.” It’s true kids experience painful Language Arts classrooms, where they are drilled and killed with grammar worksheets, where learning an appreciation for language is forsaken. The real magic is getting kids to see that we learn the rules–where the commas and periods go–so that when we do choose to break them, we do so artfully, on purpose, like in the previous sentence where I purposely employ passive voice to show the captivity many students feel in the classroom.

We want kids to have stylistic freedom, to express themselves with flair and imagination, to create not formulaic writing but organic writing that stems from unstifled creativity. To do so, though, requires that we first arm them with a writer’s tools, that we teach syntactical strategies and rhetorical devices that will allow them to appreciate words and see the power in being able to string them together artfully–skills that go beyond the reach of a first grader.

I realize you weren’t dissin’ teaching the basics, but I couldn’t help adding my two cents. I’m a big fan of your work–keep exploring, stretching, and us informed.

By: Brian

Brian — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:42:10 +0000

Alan, I didn’t think it was possible but my appreciation for your many gifts really deepened today. It was like you were the purveyor of an invisible potion that inspired, enlightened and amused everyone you gave it to…

Thank you so much.