Articles Due Tomorrow

Just a reminder.  Clean up the latest draft, email me a copy and bring one to school tomorrow.  We will be presenting them to the class, then working out the logistics of putting this thing together.

Prepare for neatness

I just spoke with Borders in Midtown, and they will allow you all to use my educator discount when you purchase a copy of Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point.  I had to cancel my order with B&N, but with our history of weird order times, I'm not too broken up about it.

So.  The order should be in the store by Wednesday, April 2nd (which is the beginning of the discount week).  Stop by, ask for the book at the front counter, ask for the 25% educator's discount, and read to your heart's delight.  If they question your educator status, politely ask to speak with the manager and explain what I've just told you.  There should be no problem.

We will peer review our articles in class on Monday, March 31st, so please bring a completed draft at that time.  We'll work together to improve clarity and structure, and share ideas for catchy titles.  The final draft of Articles are due on Tuesday, April 1st.  We will present them to the class at that time, and pass copies around (possibly via email--that would be a lot of paper) for everyone's enjoyment.

If you are having trouble coming up with a topic, ask during class.  We can all work together to come up with great ideas.

One last thing: We will be wrapping up our discussion of Everything Bad in class tomorrow.  If you have not finished the book, complete as much as you can tonight.  We had a great discussion in class today, but it will be much better if we are all on the same page.

To Write an Article...

Here are some (legible) notes from our discussion in class.  While we are going to be using these steps to create newspaper/magazine articles, the process is the same for coming up with a topic for just about any type of nonfiction writing.

• Choose your topic.  It should be something you're interested in, something you have a question about.
• Research your topic. As you go, make sure you have a solid understanding of your topic. If you don’t understand your topic, you are likely to confuse or put off your audience.
  • Take notes, mark up your book, look up other sources, mark them up.  This step is important.  You'll thank yourself later if you do this.
  • As you consume, ask questions of the work:
    • Am I a cockroach?  Does the author's comparison work?
    • Is radio really irrelevant?  Does music really make commercials better?
    • Where are video games headed?
    • Why do people go to Disney World?
    • Where can I buy one? [Okay, that last one would be a short article.
  • These questions will become the "prompt" for your essay.  The great thing about it is that you can change your question if the answer seems obvious or the answer would take too long to come up with.  [Avoid "What is the meaning of life," for example.  (Unless your answer is "42."  Wait, that's too short.)]
  • After you find your question, begin thinking about a possible answer.  Read through your notes, look for other sources, and talk with friends that know something about your topic, and some that don't.  The first group can help clarify and help with ideas, while the second can ask questions and check your understanding.
  • Begin writing your article. 

  We'll talk about the last steps tomorrow.

Daily Articles

NPR: World Cafe's David Dye interviews Chris Walla about his newest album, Field Manual.  Have any of you heard it?  NPR: World Cafe Story

This is really amazing.  Dan Phillips creates homes using 85% recycled or reused materials, which is incredible in itself, but Phillips works with the working poor to . . . just watch:

via Treehugger Article check out Phillips's website.

Anyone looking to major in geology?  Something to think about: NPR Story.

Domingo Martin plays a song using his Moleskine journal as his only instrument.  Video at Moleskinerie.com Article.

Interesting commentary on the current election slogans.  In These Times Article

Library WII.  Gothamist Article

John Marks writes about Stoker's Dracula and how it reminds him of . . . Easter.  Just check it out: NPR Story.

What about this one?

Okay, it isn't art, nor is it supposed to be.  It is fun, though.  The author of the Slate article makes a point to explain that the very simple game stole the show at the most recent Game Developers' Conference.  Can the crayon game be compared to others, like Gears of War?  Don't they do exactly the same thing for us?

Crayon Physics Game

Article from Slate.com (with video!)

Daily Article

We all get a song stuck in our heads every once in a while, but Robert Krulwich interviews a deaf woman who has had music playing in her head for years.  NPR Story

Hmm... Winsome Scholar is down

Apparently Google confused it with fakewebsitesellingscheapstuffandstealingyouridentity.com.  I can see how they could make that mistake.

Here is the post planned for the contemporary fiction class:

Heartbreaking Work with Caffeine!

A few of us discussed meeting over the break to discuss AHWoSG, I'll be at the Starbucks at Utica Square tomorrow (Wednesday) around 2 if any of you want to have a cup and talk about The Real World, playing Frisbee, or how to start your own zine.  Journey's Greatest Hits will be on repeat.

Nonfiction-y people are welcome, too.  If you guys want to meet at a different time or day to discuss Everything Bad, talk amongst yourselves and post a comment.

Homework

Go outside.  Read.  Talk with your family.  Whatever you are in the middle of, move it to the yard.

This is worth ten points.

Daily Stuff

After four years of researching, a Pentagon group has discovered that while the Iraqi regime has assisted and collaborated with (and even trained) terrorist groups, there is certainly no connection between Al Quaida and Iraq.  NPR Story

Eyeteeth blog interview with Brian Ulrich, a photographer documenting America's consumer culture.  Eyeteeth Story (w/ slideshow and links)

Second Life on college campuses. NYT Story

Review of My Kid Could Paint That, a documentary following the art of four-year-old Marla Olmstead.  Popmatters Story

Barnes and Noble Update II

The books are in!  You can pick up your copy at the front desk of the B&N at 41st.  They will be under TSAS or Jesse Stallings.  Or I suppose you could just ask for the title...  We will begin discussing the work on Monday, so try to get through the first chapter at least.

Your journal assignment over the weekend is to reflect on Johnson's thesis (what point he's trying to make).  Do you think he's on the right track with his ideas?  Do his ideas about modern media apply to your life? 

Let me know what you think.

Also, if you read this and have a way to contact other members of the class, please spread the word.  Ask them to do the same.

Barnes and Noble Update

I just spoke with B&N at 41st.  They tell me that Johnson's Everything Bad is Good for You should be at the store by the 13th, which is a week from today.  I'll let you know if they arrive sooner.  This is really a good thing as I think we all have plenty more to say on our current topic, right?

The Revolution

will be fueled by our creations.

Today we discussed motivations, which led us to Freud's pleasure principle. Here's a clip from the board:

How's the search coming? If you have a video that you'd like to share, post it in the comments section below. Here's one from Gwyn that she posted under the previous header:

The video's from Ted.com are always amazing, and this is no exception. The speaker contends (among many other things) that adults have learned to be frightened of being "wrong." Has anyone seen Meet the Robinsons?

Our discussion tomorrow will be based on the articles and information we bring in. Remember, it is one thing to know something, but quite another to understand and use this understanding to create.

Here are a few more articles from you guys:

• The declining American high school graduation rate: Evidence, sources, and consequences
• Successful School Breaks the Rules
  

• What Makes Finnish Kids So Smart?
  

School?

Here is the video that began our discussion this week:

We've discussed what it means to be a student, what a school should provide an how, but what should we as individuals do when faced with this information? Do we dismiss it as alarmist, or do we need to make some changes? What are these changes? Do we think this is this an inevitable change in society, or is there something we can do to stop it? As individuals? As a class? As a school? What is within our power to change? What do we need help with in order to facilitate these changes?

Oh, the quest(ions) continue....

Some things to read while thinking about this:

Japan Looks to a Robot Future

The Mother Theresa of Baghdad

and to look at:

It's a kitten, in a bucket, surrounded by yarn! Clear your thoughts and imagine your future.

Two Million Minutes

• EDin08 is a group of political lobbyists seeking to influence the current presidential candidates in their policies.
• It is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, and is a project of the Rockefeller Philanthropy Group.
• This is a trailer for a movie.

Write about your thoughts, reactions, solutions, or arguments.  Post below if you'd like.