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Alas, my poor hard drive, I knew him well.....Current Mood:  gloomy Current Music: A dirge of some kind |
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It's been a rather frenzied week.
Yesterday my colleagues Kate and Sarah presented Q6C, our rad teaching tool for developing online source evaluation fluency. That's a fancy way of saying we've come up with what we believe is a very effective tool for helping students—anyone really—determine whether or not information they find online is "good" or "trustworthy." Q6C can be used by teachers to design assignments that prompt students to take a more critical approach to online sources or, as I am wont to do, it can be taught to students explicitly.
Q6C comes out of about 1.5 years of work that we've done, including trying the process out in classroom, doing some digging into the scholarly research, and generally just sharing ideas in a pretty collaborative and truly cross-discipline way (Sarah is English and Kate is computer science and education). That interdisciplinarity is important because we think we've created something that is flexible enough that it really can be used across the curriculum at any college or university—and even at middle- and high-school levels. It also works well in the closed and open web and should be useful to students long after they leave college. About the only thing it doesn't do is buy the beer and open the bottle.
But, while we have given several poster presentations of Q6C and a handful of one-on-one demos, this was our first opportunity to present it to a group of educators—largely graduate students and professors of English rhetoric and composition. Of course, I shouldn't overstate our drawing power: all three of us made the trip to UC Davis and we presented before an audience of about six or seven. I think some of them were afraid to leave lest we tackle them.
The feedback we got was uniformly positive and we even were asked to follow with the OWL at Purdue as it might be something they would include on their website (as Sarah said, when it comes to platforms for disseminating our work, it doesn't get much better than that).
Of course, the nice reviews may also be attributable to the fact that we accidentally left about six of my slides out our final Powerpoint presentation, forcing me to both abbreviate my part of the talk and then shut up. (It also gives me another example to use the next time I teach those parts in my presentation skills workshop that cover "Less is best" and "When Bad Things Happen to Good Presenters.")
Just putting the slideshow together was useful for, at least, me in that it forced me to think semi-hard about how my teaching of online source evaluation has shifted over the last eight years (I began fiddling with this when I was a grad student assistant at CSU Sacramento). Look back at samples of student work that I almost randomly kept, I was able to see how each iteration of my lessons was received and the striking qualitative difference that appeared once I started teaching Q6C to my students.
A couple other takeaways from the days at Davis was the discussion the three of us had on what we need to do next. That may be to go in several directions: a paper or papers to one or more teaching focused journals (like, in my field, the AHA's Perspectives magazine or the OAH Magazine of History), following up with the UW librarians who have expressed interest in Q6C; talking to the folks at Purdue (duh); applying to present at a writing across the curriculums (WAC) conference next spring; and presenting it to our peers in Practical Pedagogy (the grad student teaching group at UW).
So, hey, if anyone out there wants to know more because it might be something they could use in their teaching, just drop me a line.Current Mood:  peaceful Current Music: The roar of big jet engines |
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Lockeford Chicken
Originally uploaded by Cowtipper.
As opposed to a hen, you know? (And I can hear Cheri snickering from here....)
Anyway, I put up a bunch of pictures from some of my wanderings in April. Go look if you have a few minutes to kill.... Current Mood:  dorky |
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In tallying up the grades from the final exams I discovered I was one exam shy.
I was, in fact, missing the exam from a student. I know that she had turned it in because I had logged it in.
Insert expletive here.
So I went back through my stack of exams, looking. I could not find hers. I counted: 61 and I had received 62 from the professor.
Insert larger expletive here.
I proceed to tear the apartment apart, looking in every conceivable place an exam could scurry to—and a few inconceivable places.
Insert explosive expletives and a few "WTFs?"
Repeat all of the above.
Then, I recall that the professor had reclaimed that exam because she had showed up with an envelope.
Whew.Current Mood:  thankful Current Music: Ghost Of Corporate Future - Regina Spektor |
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I'm in a grading blizzard of blue book exams for a course in the Civil War and Reconstruction. SO far, one of my favorite answers includes this sentence:
"Robertson met God and had a change of heart."
Damn.
Another student, writing on the same question, turned in this gem:
"For John Robertson 1865 was a year of spiritual progression, love, and running from Unionists trying to kill him."Current Mood:  amused Current Music: One By One All Day - The Shins |
| » Seattle sends its support to California |
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So what do the sounds of protest sound like?
Well, if its a marriage equity protest, it sounds like this. It was recorded during today's Day of Decision rally marking the California Supreme Court's decision on Prop 8 and in support of marriage equity in Washington.
May. 26th, 2009 @ 11:39 pm
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| » As I was saying..... |
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“If Republicans make a big deal of opposing Sotomayor, we will be hurling ourselves off a cliff,” said Mark McKinnon, a senior adviser to Mr. Bush and a long-time advocate of expanding the party’s appeal. “Death will not be assured. But major injury will be.”
Republicans Weigh Risks of a Supreme Court Battle - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com
Or, further down in the story:
Whatever their differences with the nominee herself, Republicans throughout the day offered support, albeit grudging support, to Mr. Obama’s political instincts displayed with the nomination. “Obama has demonstrated a deft political touch with this pick” said Phil Musser, a Republican consultant. “Republicans who pick a fight with an up-from-the-bootstraps Hispanic woman do so at their own peril, and should only do so for a very, very good reason.”
May. 26th, 2009 @ 04:54 pm
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| » Sotomayor: Patriots* win even if she loses |
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She is a wonderful selection:
WASHINGTON — President Obama announced on Tuesday that he will nominate the federal appeals judge Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court, choosing a daughter of Puerto Rican parents raised in Bronx public housing projects to become the nation’s first Hispanic justice.
Obama Selects Sotomayor for Court - NYTimes.com If the Republicans launch an all-out attack on her they will lose Hispanic votes across the board: even conservative Latinos will be troubled that the GOP would go after someone who was appointed to the federal judiciary by George H. W. Bush. I'm giggling with delight.
*Patriots? Well, yes, I wrote "liberal" at first, but I realized its time to change up the rhetoric. Since liberals were the most steadfast defenders of the Constitution and civil liberties over the previous eight years, I thought its time we start calling them for what they are: Patriots.
May. 26th, 2009 @ 08:53 am
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| » Quote Quote |
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" A youth brought up on novels is pretty sure to have an over-stimulated imagination and no common sense."
—Caroline Buell, Corresponding Secretary, N. W. C. T. U, 1885
May. 22nd, 2009 @ 02:11 pm
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| » California: You're screwed but, if you'll listen to me this time, there may be hope |
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A long time ago, I covered state and local government for a variety of local newspapers. I watched, year, after year, as government, under the slowly swinging axe of Prop. 13 made cut after cut into vital social services and things like parks and libraries and shifted the tax burden to the "user" through fees. I saw politicians forced into funding needed projects through bond measures (the pay-later plan). And I saw how dysfunctional California's revenue system really was, a system where any crazy minority could hold the public hostage to its demands.
I wrote article after article on these issues, often containing warnings that these were short-sighted policies that would bankrupt the state. As an editor, I argued the same things more forcefully, pointing out the the long-term health of my community and our state depended on making more democratic reforms that allowed sensible revenue generation (taxation) and even sometimes got to make the point that those who get the most out of a society (corporations and the rich) should pay the most into it, rather than be supported by the "users" of public services (the middle class and the poor—in other words, me you, and just about everyone we know).
Well, dammit, I was right and one of the largest economies in the world is about to go bankrupt.
Here, however, are two pieces that really do a good job explaining the systematic problems the state has and offer reasonable, sensible solutions that would put the state on track for renewed prosperity.
Now read the whole article:Schwarzenegger missed his golden opportunity to give Californians the truth - Los Angeles Times
Let's list a few of the lies he and our other political leaders have peddled about California's government and examine how they contributed to this week's debacle at the ballot box.
The most onerous lie is that Californians are burdened by the highest state taxes in the nation. The truth, according to 2006 figures derived from the U.S. Census, is that as a percentage of all personal income, California's tax and fee schedule ranks 18th in the country.
Then there's the canard that we unfairly soak our rich. This is supposedly a no-no, because the rich might flee, taking with them their sterling job-creating potential.
The dirty little secret, according to Citizens for Tax Justice, a left-leaning nonprofit group, is that California's wealthiest residents shoulder the lightest burden of any income group in the state. The top 1% of California income-earners (average 2007 income: $2.3 million) paid 7.4% of their income in various state taxes last year, counting the federal deduction for state taxes. The highest rate was paid by the poorest residents. Those earning $20,000 or less, with average income of $12,600, forked over 10.2% of their earnings in sales, excise, property and other levies.
This year's budget deal increased the disparity, raising the effective rate on the rich to 7.8%, but that on the poor to 11.1%.
A couple quick notes:
—Don't blame this problem on immigration. It is no more true now than it was in the 1930s when the state posted armed police officers at the borders to keep out Okies and Arkies, or anyone who looked poor. Then, as now, politicians found it easier to blame immigrants for all the problems rather than recognize systematic problems with the economy or the way they had been running the government. It was a lie then, it is a lie today, even though, as a native-born Californian whose family has been in the state over 150 years, I wouldn't mind sending all the newcomers packing; I imagine the original Indian families and those of the Mexicans who came afterward feel much the same way. Of course, that's just silly—right?
—Less government is not better government. We live in an incredibly complex society and it requires a big and complex government to protect our safety and welfare. That should be a no brainer. And, guess what? Governments cost money. A reasonable amount of taxation, equitably (notice I didn't say "equally") distributed across the society, is a good thing. Those that don't think so are free to leave the state (that may solve the immigration problem somewhat—these people can leave and go bankrupt another state or nation).
—Finally, for god's sake, don't vote who says these things. It is not in your long-term (or your families' or your friends') best interest to do. Vote for a brighter future, not lower taxes or out of fear. That just makes sense. But I told you all once and you didn't listen then, either.
—
May. 21st, 2009 @ 07:36 am
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| » I am not amused |
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It was supposed to by 65 and partly sunny today—it even sort started out that way—a few glimpses of sun, a warming morning.
It was so pleasant and promising in fact that I hung laundry on my porch to dry and rode my bike to school thinking that, maybe, just maybe, I'd break early from microfilm and go do a little paddling.
Silly me.
The sunny did play peek-a-boo for a bit, but the high never got above 57 and I opted to stay glued to the microfilm until a little after 8 tonight whereupon I discovered that it was raining. Not that little drizzly Seattle sprinkle either, but real rain that was splashing and puddling and turning the twilight into dark.
Ugh.
By the time I got home (and I only live a mile from campus) I was soaked through. In fact, I was so wet, my shoes "squished" as I got off the bike.
My laundry? Wetter than it had been when I hung it up this morning.
Insert a few of your favorite expletives here.
May. 18th, 2009 @ 09:07 pm
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| » 'Ummentionable evils' |
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And this from the 1882 minutes of the Woman's National Christian Temperance Union:
"Attention was called to the unmentionable evils resulting from the liquor traffic, with a motion that a committee be appointed to write on the subject."
The evil was so unmentionable it appears the women of the WCTU were uncomfortable putting it in writing because, uhm, it was "unmentionable." Thankfully the next line clarifies it a bit:
"Mrs. Buell amended by adoption of Dr. Frederick Henry Gerrish's work on Prostitution. Carried."
Ah ha! That unmentionable evil....
May. 18th, 2009 @ 06:06 pm
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| » Ding ding ding! |
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An entry in the minutes from the 1881 W. C. T. U. minutes gives me a little thrill as it reveals what may be the first tribal W. C. T. U. established:
"The summing up gives, as published in OUR UNION, fifty points reached in fourteen States, and in addition Indian Territory, where Mrs. Emeline Tuttle has led so many of the tribes to know the Captain of our Salvation, a W. C. T. U. composed of Modoc women, husbands, and children, are bravely at work [emphasis mine]."
Loyal readers will recall that I visited the Modoc homeland on the way back from my trip to California in March.
Of course, it is possible that another tribe was the first tribal W. C. T. U.; but if so I haven't come across any mention of it (although the Cherokees are mentioned, they seem to have been working through other "Christian Temperance" organizations).
Notice, too, in the quote above, that it is "women, husbands, and children"—there's a rhetorical inversion going on there: women are first, their husbands are second, and their children are last. And it's "husbands," not "men"—these men are only identified through their attachment and relationship with women. Interesting, no?
OK, I realize this sounds extraordinarily geekish and obscure, but this may be a an important beginning point for my dissertation. Maybe.
May. 17th, 2009 @ 09:33 pm
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| » This is disturbing: More people say they are "pro-life" than "pro-choice" |
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But the Notre Dame invitation and the pending retirement of Justice David Souter, who voted to uphold abortion rights on the Supreme Court, have pushed the issue to the forefront again. And a new poll by Gallup suggested a shift in public opinion. Fifty-one percent called themselves “pro-life” on abortion compared with 42 percent who described themselves as “pro-choice,” the first time a majority has embraced the position since Gallup began asking the question back in 1995.
At Notre Dame, Obama Defends His Abortion Stance - NYTimes.com
So, can I urge some of my more sanguine friends—men and women—who think that pro-lifers are a minority that will never interfere with their or their partner's decision to have an "unexpected" child to wake the hell up! If you want to have choice, you need to fight for it!
May. 17th, 2009 @ 01:25 pm
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| » History can be fun: Pederasty in Unexpected Places |
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History can be fun, really.
For example, on of the books I'm using in the class I'm teaching this summer is Ragged Dick—a title that is sure to provoke a few giggles among undergraduates or my less mature friends.
The full title is Ragged Dick, Or, Street Life In New York With Boot Blacks and it is the first rags-to-riches (well, really rags-to-middle-class mediocrity) book written by Horatio Alger, Jr. in the 1860s (Alger should not be confused with the Commie spy Alger Hiss, who came along nearly a hundred years later). If you have ever heard the phrase, Horatio Alger Stories, this is the guy.
Anyway, in ordering books for my course, I opted for a fancy "critical" edition of Ragged Dickwhich includes annotations, and a variety of critical essays and contextual material (it was a whopping 50-cents more expensive than the "bargain" edition.
In reading the first essay, I found out that Alger began his career as a minister. No big surprise there. However, I also found that he was fired as a minister for sexually abusing some of the young boys in his church, charges he never denied, and that he rather implicitly acknowledged. Yep, the man often cited for giving voice to the American dream, was a disgraced minister and pederast. He also later had a career that brought him into constant contact with homeless boys.....(and no, he wasn't a scout leader).
May. 15th, 2009 @ 01:45 pm
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| » More tidbits |
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"The Germans and Scandinavians are an intelligent and well-intentioned people. Their hearts are by no means set in them to do evil."
—Frances Willard.
May. 14th, 2009 @ 04:04 pm
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| » Weather whine |
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For the record, although it is the middle of May, it is a sizzling 45 degrees outside and raining steadily.
This is just not right.
May. 13th, 2009 @ 11:26 pm
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| » A couple research tidbits from the WCTU's 1879 Convention |
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"The growing habit of beer-drinking among American women is just cause for anxiety and special effort. What America wants more than silver or gold is good mothers. I recommend the appointment of a committee to take into consideration plans for reaching and enlisting the great mass of indifferent and drinking women in the land."
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Foster offered this resolution: "Resolved, That the President and Secretary be instructed to present a memorial from this body, protesting against the use of intoxicating liquors at the great banquets offered Gen. Grant."
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"A communication forwarded to the desk read thus: [no indication of where it came from]
"'We think no convention of Christian women can close its session without an earnest and solemn protest against the abominations of Mormonism practiced upon our sisters in Utah. May we ask if Mrs. Collins' report, of Thursday, will take due prominence as such a protest?'"
May. 13th, 2009 @ 06:34 pm
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| » Quote of the day |
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"What youth deemed crystal, age finds out was dew."
—Robert Browning.
May. 12th, 2009 @ 09:26 am
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