tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45254085252608972972024-02-06T19:32:46.335-08:00Learning LearningSpecial Ed teacher in training. NYC substitute teacher.Anna Katterjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12800015521189949264noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4525408525260897297.post-50237991369019403052016-11-05T12:56:00.000-07:002016-11-05T12:59:44.300-07:00Homemade Ten Frames and Dot CardsAfter having my partner color in dots for 20 dot cards of numbers 1–10, I just discovered that I can print onto 3x5 index cards from Microsoft word on my home printer.<br />
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I've used these to have students write or call out what is two more, two less, one more, or one less than the number shown. Sometimes I'll call out "make ten," and the student has to search for, write, or say the number that can be added to the number shown to make ten. I'm going to do ten-frame flash, as well, and show students the ten frame cards for about 3 seconds and have them write the number they saw and then check their responses against the stack. Having students identify how many blank spaces were on the flashed card is also a great way to get them thinking about pairs of numbers that make ten.<br />
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Anna Katterjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12800015521189949264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4525408525260897297.post-83436905956665049462016-03-05T14:47:00.000-08:002016-11-05T12:56:54.137-07:0030 Million Word GapI haven't posted in so long, but today is a day I'm glad to have a blog.<br />
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For my course on Learning Disabilities, I had to read "The Early Catastrophe: The 30 Million Word Gap by Age 3" (<a href="https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/periodicals/TheEarlyCatastrophe.pdf" target="_blank">PDF</a>). It made me angry! Here is a reaction paper I wrote for my course:<br />
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Before reading “The Early Catastrophe: The 30 Million Word Gap by Age 3,” I was somewhat familiar with the University of Chicago Thirty Million Words Initiative. As I read the article about the research that inspired this intervention, I found myself being critical and looking for flaws in the research. This initial attitude surprised me. I generally approach reading with an open mind. However, I think the negative title of the article may have impacted me. </blockquote>
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Additionally, this sentence in the second paragraph rubbed me the wrong way: “In addition, our study included not just poor children from Turner House, but also a group of University of Kansas professors’ children against whom we could measure the Turner House children’s progress.” This sentence made me feel as though the researchers began their study with the assumption that poor children were deficient, and they cast wealthy white children with educated parents as the desirable group that the poor children should wish to become. The researchers also note the number of African-American families in their study, yet they do not mention the ethnic backgrounds of the other participants. </blockquote>
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I fear that this article could be used to disparage families who are culturally different from the white middle/upper-classes that our society was built for. Hope is required for any intervention to be created and carried out. The authors paint a grim picture and offer no suggestions for improving the situation. If the gap in children’s language skills is so extreme based on the family in which they grew up, can any intervention be successful? </blockquote>
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One particular quote in the article struck me as pessimistic: “Once children become independent and can speak for themselves, they gain access to more opportunities for experience. But the amount and diversity of children’s past experience influences which opportunities for experience they notice and choose.” These sentences seem to contradict any hope for children to grow as they age. The study also focused solely on language skills. Students from families that may not have had as varied or rich vocabulary may come to excel in math or science. </blockquote>
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After writing this paper, I Googled "30 million word gap racist," to see what others had to say about the study. Here are a couple related posts:<br />
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<a href="https://deficitperspectivesdebunked.wordpress.com/debunking-the-word-gap/" target="_blank">"Debunking the 'Word Gap' "</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-cooper/toward-translating-succes_b_7190420.html" target="_blank">"Toward Translating Success for Black and Brown Children"</a><br />
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Anna Katterjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12800015521189949264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4525408525260897297.post-9542080607085893112015-03-07T12:57:00.001-08:002015-03-07T13:14:38.940-08:00Social adeptness: DigitallyI often find myself thinking about online communities and how I use them. I cannot be the only 30-something who considers herself digitally savvy but cannot find what she's looking for in social media.<br />
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I have Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, Goodreads, Ravelry, this blog. Some of them are anonymous and some of them are public and some of them have been associated with work, and I don't feel affectionate toward any of them right now. I want to keep in touch with friends and old colleagues, but I haven't found a way that satisfies me.<br />
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I end of voicing these thoughts o<i>n</i> social media, which may explain why I get virtual blank stares in response rather than "Amens!" But I <i>want </i>to feel a sense of community that I can tap into anytime, anywhere. Do I need to post more? Or do I just need to post more openly? How much time do I need to put in before I actually <i>want</i> to get online and post and read and respond?<br />
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All this may sound crazy to you, and it is driving me crazy because I am not digitally inept. My job involves creating digital content. I get ebooks and digital audiobooks from my library, and I track my sleep and exercise with an UP24. I have 8 devices in my one-bedroom apartment connected to my wifi.<br />
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I am not an early adopter, but I'm an adopter. The social aspects are my hang-ups.<br />
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The Sims Freeplay on iPad (which I devoted a good few months to) would have been way more enjoyable if I had neighbors, but it seemed Facebook or my email contacts were the only way to connect with other players. I would have been all about anonymous, random neighbors, but there wasn't an outlet for me to meet them (unless I got really hardcore and started posting in the forums, but that was more time and energy than I wanted to spend).<br />
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Part of my issue may simply be screen time. After 8 hours a day of chatting and emailing and creating digital content, I don't find the practice enjoyable anymore, even if it's related to my personal hobbies and interests.<br />
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Dear absent readers, am I alone in this? At 31, can I learn online social skills? Is it just a matter of putting in time upfront before it becomes enjoyable, or am I destined to be a social pariah in the digital world?Anna Katterjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12800015521189949264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4525408525260897297.post-22833887295212951642013-10-29T07:52:00.000-07:002013-10-29T07:52:50.917-07:00Fear & creativityToday's quote from my <i>Don't Sweat the Small Stuff</i> daily calendar:<br />
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That which we focus our attention on expands. If we spend our mental energy worrying, it's difficult if not impossible to create great abundance. Our fear gets in the way of our creativity and traps us in the status quo.</blockquote>
I also recently spent some time with the <a href="http://www.creativelyfit.com/" target="_blank">Creatively Fit</a> website, to push myself to think differently and embrace the intelligences I spend less time with in my day to day. I'm considering, too, a <a href="http://brooklynbrainery.com/courses/classic-charcoal-drawing-for-beginners" target="_blank">charcoal drawing class at Brooklyn Brainery</a>.Anna Katterjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12800015521189949264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4525408525260897297.post-76210166053567312472013-10-28T13:04:00.000-07:002013-10-28T13:05:44.441-07:00Show your learningI'm at the tail end of a slow period at work, so my personal educational pursuits are not coming so naturally now that I don't have free time for self-directed professional development during my day job. This has led me to feel a bit lost in OOE13. I'm feeling the lack of focus I have in this MOOC, and I imagine I may be experiencing a common feeling that turns a lot of people off MOOCs.<br />
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Grant Wiggins blogged about measuring learning ("<a href="http://grantwiggins.wordpress.com/2013/10/19/experiential-learning/" target="_blank">Experiential Learning</a>"), and it prompted me to wonder about how I measure up to some of the questions he asks. That is, what do I have to show for all my reading of articles and searching out definitions? He asks:<br />
"What are the key indicators to look for in judging whether your attempt at experiential learning is working?"<br />
"One of the most frequent answers is a clear and specific sense of purpose, linking the activity to the WHY? question – We’re doing this because... We’re learning this because..."<br />
"What does this help you do that’s important?"<br />
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I need a new goal.<br />
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But much of my frustration and directionlessness may be because I'm <i>not</i> engaged in experiential learning. Instead of being in a classroom with a roomful of kids and 20 tablets, I'm in an office scouring the Internet for theories and anecdotes that correspond to my vision of what technology in the classroom could or should look like. I am learning by connecting, but it is interesting to think about how different my MOOC experience will be compared with that of someone like this <a href="http://byodasap.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">BYOD teacher</a>, who is most certainly learning by experience as she's learning by connecting.<br />
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Has anything been written about the benefits of MOOCs for those who are currently engaged in whatever the topic is, compared to those less initiated, who may be trying to learn <i>before</i> doing?Anna Katterjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12800015521189949264noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4525408525260897297.post-23319482123501154452013-10-22T10:33:00.000-07:002013-10-22T10:34:47.798-07:00Digital learning primerAs one of my OOE13 goals, I started a portfolio of articles as an introduction to digital learning and tech integration for curriculum developers. I created a <a href="http://learni.st/users/337269/boards/44305-intro-to-digital-learning" target="_blank">Learnist board</a>.<br />
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The problem is, I've been so subsumed in reading and research for a few months that I don't know how much background information to provide. Plus, I imagine my colleagues are all in different places of understanding now.<br />
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I'm wondering what general impression my compilation provides so far. I'm going for: students learn through doing and should be given more freedom to create and be self-guided learners. That is, I want to influence my colleagues away from the teacher-centered approach to tech (explained in "<a href="http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2013/02/three-competing-visions-of-educational-technology-which-is-yours.html" target="_blank">Three competing visions of educational technology. Which is yours?</a>" this way: "<span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">'</span>Interactive' white boards, presenting information or managing whole-class simulations are examples of computing for the teacher. In this scenario, the teacher is the actor, the classroom a theatre, the students the audience and the computer is a prop") and toward a student-centered approach.Anna Katterjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12800015521189949264noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4525408525260897297.post-12310046719669961902013-10-09T08:47:00.000-07:002013-10-09T08:48:59.328-07:00Personal growth via professional developmentOne of my other recent learning projects (which I chose not to publicly blog about) is an interest in psychology. I've been trying to improve my own understanding of feelings and interpersonal issues and get back to a sense of depth and awe I seem to have lost in my twenties.<br />
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In my more public professional development efforts--<a href="https://www.coursera.org/courses?orderby=upcoming&search=foundations%20of%20teaching%20for%20learning" target="_blank">online courses on teaching for learning</a> and participating in the <a href="http://www.ooe13.org/" target="_blank">Open Online Experience MOOC</a>--I keep noticing connections to growth efforts I consider more personal.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBc40NaklQNEX4wPG6IMj6NQKYxjYW5c0Lqk_kh8HjTlr0XZdfPx-smykAkY-9JIGLutR8f_QdiMQsumDBhSBSOMjB4twsDLiAjumJU7fy9zxsGWTrHoXgafXyED0Q6EjAiqRsr1eWSUY/s1600/i'm+ok+you're+ok.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBc40NaklQNEX4wPG6IMj6NQKYxjYW5c0Lqk_kh8HjTlr0XZdfPx-smykAkY-9JIGLutR8f_QdiMQsumDBhSBSOMjB4twsDLiAjumJU7fy9zxsGWTrHoXgafXyED0Q6EjAiqRsr1eWSUY/s200/i'm+ok+you're+ok.jpg" width="130" /></a>Foundations of Teaching for Learning drew my attention to Transactional Analysis (TA); the roles people play of parent, child, and adult; and this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOqJ4sc9TAc" target="_blank">video on a TA view of games people play</a>. The concept resonated with me, and with personal growth in mind, I just started reading <a href="http://www.drthomasharris.com/im-ok-youre-ok-book-thomas-harris/" target="_blank">I'm OK, You're OK</a>. It's been sitting on my partner's bookshelf for years (with the rest of her social worker library), and I never would have given it a second of consideration if not for my Coursera course on teaching.<br />
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In the course materials, professor John MacBeath also encourages viewers to consider the concept: "Punish only in anger." He points out that although many are quick to assume this is poor advice, some things that make you angry (for instance, racism or other forms of bigotry or discrimination) often should be swiftly reacted to rather than contemplated. I've been thinking a lot about anger generally, so it's refreshing to have a notion to chew on from a more formal source than my own brain.<br />
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I recently heard about Learnist, and polled the OOE13 folks about it. Brendan Murphy shared his boards with me, and the first slide in <a href="http://learni.st/users/dendari/boards/7510-21st-century-teacher" target="_blank">21st Century Teacher</a> struck me. "If you want to be a carpenter, then you apprentice with a master carpenter. If you want to be a learner, then you should be apprenticing with a master learner too."<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRT69JroZorQx-bzhQWbyCxHGOuZ-3poNZJW3NPAkbe3agVKmP6sG_hPaqth4f0Xf-oLfe411ziOCM1mN6oMUA8yUYOCTiMHwpUA0H-z75pf-Z0Qj8q-Musv5XO6waKUzB50csgUseJuw/s1600/master+learner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRT69JroZorQx-bzhQWbyCxHGOuZ-3poNZJW3NPAkbe3agVKmP6sG_hPaqth4f0Xf-oLfe411ziOCM1mN6oMUA8yUYOCTiMHwpUA0H-z75pf-Z0Qj8q-Musv5XO6waKUzB50csgUseJuw/s320/master+learner.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="background-color: #fefefe; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 1.428571em; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="line-height: 1.428571em;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This quote is from Gary Stager's institute on PBL at ASB Unplugged2012. </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 1.428571em;">Original Image by</span><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 1.428571em;"> </span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rcsj/2915742721/in/photostream/" id="" style="border: 0px; color: #0063dc; font-size: small; line-height: 1.428571em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Rob Shenk</a><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 1.428571em;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 1.428571em;">licensed under CC BY SA. Via Clint Hamada.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.428571em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I was thinking about my future and my career before I launched into these professional development projects. I discovered that one of the things I get most engaged and rewarded by is learning new things, and I planned to research careers that take advantage of it, thinking first of being a workflow consultant (except for the whole people-losing-their-jobs part). </span></span></div>
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Is education one of few careers that rewards and requires deep personal growth? In my office jobs, it hasn't felt so important and hasn't happened organically. Do you think of education when you consider careers for lifelong learners? What other careers do you think of?</div>
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<br />Anna Katterjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12800015521189949264noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4525408525260897297.post-75179754186255071492013-10-07T09:01:00.001-07:002013-10-07T09:01:55.460-07:00An informed outsider's perspective on Education NationI think of myself as a connected and curious person. But I am new to the education field. I was curious about Diane Ravitch even before I entered the field: the magazine I used to work for gave her books rave reviews; I recall a friend of mine muttering disparagingly about her; and I've read articles praising her as they put down Michelle Rhee. I don't have enough background to make my own judgment about her, and I still feel out of the loop.<br />
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This is all just to give you context on what led me to click through from Twitter to an Education Week blog titled <a href="http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2013/09/marginalizing_the_teaching_pro.html" target="_blank">Marginalizing the Teaching Profession: Merrow, Ravitch, and Education Nation</a>. Here, I read:<br />
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The annual Education Nation extravaganza is just over a week away. As has been widely noted, the list of presenters includes almost nobody with any actual experience working with children. No teachers. No prominent parent advocates. What is more, there is hardly even anyone we would recognize as being expert in education.... Educators have been completely silenced at a summit focused on our profession. (Anthony Cody)</blockquote>
So, that's the first thing I've ever heard about Education Nation. Back on Twitter, I see the hashtag rolling through my feed, which prompts me to actually Google Education Nation to simply find out what it is.<br />
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First of all, I love that it's being <a href="http://www.educationnation.com/index.cfm?objectid=00CA0890-EE24-11E2-A6E3000C296BA163" target="_blank">live-streamed</a>. Of course coming from NBC, the connection is good, but a simple thing like that (access and user experience) can make all the difference.<br />
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I would appreciate more transparency about who's presenting. I tuned in during a presentation from Thirty Million Words, which I gathered as the presenter dropped their name a few times. But to find the context of this presentation, I had to scroll far down the page, note the time, and look at the schedule for context of who I was listening to.<br />
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I also caught Standford's Dr. Caroline Hoxby presenting on low-income, high-achieving students and how unlikely it is for them to apply to selective colleges. Expanding College Opportunities sends informational interventions via the mail and Internet to these students about college opportunities. The research was very convincing, but I wonder whether it is clear to families where/who these mailers are coming from? Once again, I feel like context is essential. Being a curious person and life-long learner these days requires skepticism, so transparency is so important.<br />
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How many of you caught the "Personalized Learning" ed tech panel? I have many thoughts on it. But most basically, in any situation, I hate to see a moderator immediately put panelists on the defensive. Was he trying to represent the popular opinion?Anna Katterjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12800015521189949264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4525408525260897297.post-67463590169691177262013-09-25T08:04:00.002-07:002013-10-09T08:48:08.308-07:00Aligning Digital Innovation with CCSS?The impending OOE13 Twitter chat on declaring learning goals for this MOOC on education technology has me a little anxious, but this morning, it has proved to be a motivator to start zeroing in on a couple of goals! One of them is to explore the conflict between Common Core Standards and the vision of technology as vehicle for students to create.<br />
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I LOVE the idea of using technology in classrooms to empower students to create. I've read about amazing maker and code camps. I've thought about the metacognitive benefits of students using technology to document and capture their learning. To be very meta now and capture my learning, I'll quote Scott McLeod as he's quoting Gary Stager (who is quoting Piaget and Papert):<br />
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<span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Piaget reminds us,“To understand is to invent,” while our mutual colleague Seymour Papert said, “If you can use technology to make things, you can make more interesting things and you can learn a lot more by making them.” (<a href="http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2013/02/three-competing-visions-of-educational-technology-which-is-yours.html" target="_blank">Three Competing Visions of Educational Technology</a>)</span></blockquote>
This quote sums up the way my vision of educational technology has been drifting. And yet, something wasn't sitting well with me. Common Core.<br />
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How can we reconcile one of the three essential shifts for ELA: text-dependent questions and building knowledge form within the four corners of the text?<br />
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In my Googling, I came across a PDF: <a href="http://gallery.mailchimp.com/3222734d2cafa7abd15e2c1b2/files/2013_03_22_Guide_for_Developing_Digital_Resources_Supporting_the_CCSS.pdf" target="_blank">Accelerating Productive Digital Innovation
that Supports the
Common Core State Standards Common Core State Standards</a>. Unfortunately, it's not currently on the Common Core site, and the mailchimp URL doesn't evoke confidence. But the font/layout, language, and content seems aligned (get it?) to all the CCSS resources I've seen, so I'm going to believe it's legit and has just failed to be well-catalogued on the Internets.<br />
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The document continues to promote the emphasis on the text itself:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.984375px;">At the heart of the ELA criteria for grades 3-12 are instructions for shifting the focus of literacy instruction </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.984375px;">to center on careful examination of the text itself. In aligned materials, work in reading and writing (as well</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.984375px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.984375px;">as speaking and listening) must center on the text under consideration. The standards focus on students</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.984375px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.984375px;">reading closely to draw evidence and knowledge from the text</span></blockquote>
And its suggestions for digital opportunities include audio readings of text, questions embedded in the text, and a glossary that defines words in context in the text.<br />
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It also states:<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.984375px;">Materials use multimedia and technology to deepen attention to evidence and texts. The CCSS require students to compare the knowledge they gain from reading texts to the knowledge they gain from other multimedia sources, such as video. The Standards for Reading 36 Literature specifically require students to observe different productions of the same play to assess how each production interprets evidence from the script. Materials aligned with the CCSS therefore should use multimedia and technology in a way that engages students in absorbing or expressing details of the text rather than becoming a distraction or replacement for engaging with the text.</span></blockquote>
This seems like a whole lot of student-as-consumer to me. How can we remain CCSS-aligned and encourage the discovery and creation that make digital tools actual forces for improved education?Anna Katterjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12800015521189949264noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4525408525260897297.post-69250298933171271992013-09-24T12:19:00.002-07:002013-09-24T12:24:39.300-07:00Openness & social media<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.428571em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
I'm feeling overwhelmed at work today, and I keep wanting to turn to someone or something, and I am distinctly aware that social media is not there for me. I have various outlets online, with various degrees of anonymity and openness, and I have worked to create an identity, and yet, when I need support, I don't feel comfortable going into my public forums (whether they be "friends only," anonymous, or public and tied to my full name). My partner's dad stalks my Facebook; anyone anywhere could Google my name and find my blog and Twitter; my Tumblr is anonymous but not personal. </div>
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My impulse to want to turn to these outlets makes me wonder if there's something to cultivating identity via online representations. I <a href="http://katterjohn.blogspot.com/2013/09/personal-branding-identity.html" target="_blank">blogged earlier</a> about an iTunesU course that freaked me out with this copy: <span style="line-height: 1.428571em;">"Personal branding sets the stage for being able to get in touch with one's identity." </span>The idea infuriates and terrifies me, but the fact that I'm feeling drawn to broadcast my feelings may mean there's more truth to it than I'd like to admit.</div>
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I read or heard a concept so long ago, and I have thought of it again and again since then (without knowing or being able to find the original source, which is infuriating). It was the idea of bearing witness. It had something to do with the notion that we couple up and form intimate relationships because we need someone to bear witness to our lives. It validates the struggle if someone else sees it. If one wasn't worried about professional or personal reactions or repercussions to being totally open in an online space, could social media play that role? (If anyone can point me to something that references this idea of bearing witness, I'd love it, as it's haunted me for so long as something I remember and something that resonates with me, but something that I can't dig into further and don't entirely understand.)</div>
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A lot to think about the act of writing vs. publishing. Who as a child (or an adult) didn't imagine someone finding their diary or journals years later? It's so easy to diss and dismiss blogs when you grow up around mommy blogs and ten thousand book blogs and blogs and books on getting rich by blogging. But maybe there's more to it than I want to admit.</div>
Anna Katterjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12800015521189949264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4525408525260897297.post-75811296855305710722013-09-19T07:41:00.000-07:002013-09-27T08:56:35.098-07:00<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.984375px;">The <a href="http://brooklynbrainery.com/" target="_blank">Brooklyn Brainery</a> has classes for adults on all different types of topics, taught by members of the community who are professionals of or just really interested in xy or z, for less than $10 to $100something, depending on the class.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.984375px;">I took a <a href="http://brooklynbrainery.com/courses/for-teachers-learning-strategies-for-the-classroom" target="_blank">class on classroom strategies</a> for teachers last night. It was a rapid-fire overview of seven activities that would work across all subjects, and it was fun! Trouble is, it reminded me of my interest in being a teacher, which is hard to sustain when I work with ex-teachers who've moved on to a much lower-key, higher-paying profession.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.984375px;">A masters degree is such a big commitment, and I've heard that the academic rigor of education programs can be lacking. I feel like I need to get closer to classrooms without actually being in charge of one to decide if it's for me.</span>Anna Katterjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12800015521189949264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4525408525260897297.post-32587974083155120462013-09-17T09:50:00.000-07:002013-10-09T08:48:22.365-07:00Web resources on primary sources in ELA classroomsI've been researching incorporating primary sources and history into ELA classrooms. The "interactive learning activities" on the <a href="http://docsteach.org/" target="_blank">National Archives Docs Teach</a> site are cool, and I think I could spend a lot longer exploring this site.<br />
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I also came upon <a href="http://www.awesomestories.com/" target="_blank">Awesome Stories</a> via this page of <a href="http://www.commoncoreconversation.com/ela-resources.html#sthash.S5hE2xog.dpbs" target="_blank">ELA Common Core resources</a>. However, it strikes me as very un-Common Core. When given a summary, how many students are going to click through to the primary source? I found myself uninterested in following the links. And isn't there some smoother, more dynamic way to present the primary source than via an embedded hyperlink?<br />
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The concept seems like the nonfiction version of this blogger's description of how her pre-reading activities "took all the joy out of reading from my students" because she "unlocked all the secrets of <i>The Butter Battle Book</i> for them and did all the work of dissecting the piece as part of my lesson planning" ("<a href="http://turnonyourbrain.wordpress.com/2012/03/29/defining-deep-reading-and-text-dependent-questions/" target="_blank">Defining 'Deep Reading' and 'Text-Dependent Questions</a>,'" Turn on Your Brain). What I feel like has been drummed into my head for Common Core is to stick with the text, start with the text, return to the text. Shouldn't this mean presenting students with primary sources first, and guiding them to interpret the sources to learn about history?<br />
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Unlike Awesome Stories, this <a href="http://docsteach.org/activities/63/detail?mode=browse&menu=closed&era%5B%5D=contemporary-united-states" target="_blank">example activity on Docs Teach</a> (and similar activities I've seen that use historical photographs) has students look first only at a photograph (or part of a photograph), and make inferences and zoom out from there.Anna Katterjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12800015521189949264noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4525408525260897297.post-52724663081176205342013-09-16T10:21:00.000-07:002013-09-27T08:56:35.090-07:00I'm just starting the second Coursera course in the series <a href="https://www.coursera.org/courses?search=foundations%20of%20teaching%20for%20learning" target="_blank">Foundations of Teaching for Learning</a>. So glad they changed the professor and the backdrop for the videos!! Amazing how a simple thing such as looking at the same visual and hearing the same manner of speaking can grow tiresome in video lectures.Anna Katterjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12800015521189949264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4525408525260897297.post-28798149695637498762013-09-11T12:56:00.000-07:002013-09-24T12:25:03.098-07:00Personal branding & identityBrowsing from a <a href="http://pinterest.com/techchef4u/ipad-lessons/" target="_blank">Pinterest on iPad lessons</a> to a <a href="http://www.techchef4u.com/ipad/do-more-of-what-makes-you-awesomesauce/" target="_blank">blog post on a gathering of Apple Distinguished Educators</a>, I found myself looking at an <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/course/iam-a-brand-called-me/id531749219" target="_blank">iTunes U course</a> description that says, "Personal branding sets the stage for being able to get in touch with one's identity."<br />
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That sentence right there is the reason I haven't been able to drink all the digital learning Kool-Aid. Do we think this is true? "Personal branding sets the stage for being able to get in touch with one's identity."<br />
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Am I old or out of touch for being freaked out by this concept?Anna Katterjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12800015521189949264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4525408525260897297.post-90205418287136653532013-09-11T11:53:00.002-07:002013-09-27T08:56:35.101-07:00Dr. Chi & how levels of engagement affect learningI just heard a presentation by Dr. Micki Chi, a learning and cognition researcher and professor in the Division of Educational Leadership and Innovation at Arizona State University.<br />
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Her ICAP hypothesis lays out four forms of interacting during learning: Passive (just listening/taking in information), Active (selecting, e.g., underlining), Constructive (creating something new, such as drawing a graph to better understand a prompt), and Interactive (interacting with another person). Interaction leads to more successful learning outcomes than construction; construction leads to more successful learning outcomes than action; and so on (ICAP). She's taken a lot of other people's research and viewed it through this perspective, and seen her hypothesis bear out.<br />
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Here's a <a href="http://gamesandimpact.org/uncategorized/cgi-qa-with-asu-fellow-dr-michelene-micki-chi/" target="_blank">Q&A with Dr. Chi</a>, and her research paper <a href="http://www.public.asu.edu/~mtchi/papers/Chi2008ActiveConstInteractive.pdf" target="_blank">Active-Constructive-Interactive: A Conceptual Framework for Differentiating Learning Activities</a>.<br />
I was interested to hear that construction is beneficial regardless of whether the student's answer is correct. Dr. Chi also briefly talked about sequencing, and noted that some studies show that a constructive activity followed by something passive (e.g., a lecture) can be most effective. I've been dipping into inquiry-based learning and constructivism, and these seem to be approaches that fit naturally with integrating digital tools.<br />
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She also sparked my interest in looking at how the tutoring model can be used in bigger classes. She presented research showing that the learning outcomes were better when students viewed a video of a tutor and tutee vs. a video of a single person lecturing, and she talked briefly about what it is in the tutor-tutee model that helped the viewers learn better. She found "students learned to solve physics problems just as effectively from observing tutoring collaboratively as the tutees who were being tutored individually" ("<a href="http://chilab.asu.edu/papers/Chi_Observer_Final_8.07.pdf" target="_blank">Observing Tutorial Dialogues</a>").<br />
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Speaking of inquiry-based learning, I started reading up on the <a href="http://q2l.org/about" target="_blank">Quest to Learn</a> school in New York, which the Institute of Play is helping to develop. Fascinating to me, but I shut down from the jargon in the <a href="http://dmlcentral.net/sites/dmlcentral/files/resource_files/Quest_to_LearnMacfoundReport.pdf" target="_blank">MacArthur Foundation Report</a> when I was trying to find out more about the curriculum.<br />
Anna Katterjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12800015521189949264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4525408525260897297.post-68213006464446090232013-09-10T16:48:00.000-07:002013-09-27T08:56:35.095-07:00New URL, New Look, Same Goal, Different TopicI recently started building a personal learning environment to teach myself about digital learning and education technology. I'm trying out my first cMOOC, <a href="http://www.ooe13.org/">http://www.ooe13.org/</a>, and I hear blogging helps with that process. I think it may also help me to turn 33 clipped articles in Evernote into something cohesive and more focused.<br />
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I spent a few minutes Googling to try to decide if I should start a new blog, or use my long-quiet existing blog in the process. My former URL was lay-ra.blogspot.com, and I used this space to learn about readers' advisory, a library science concept devoted to helping readers connect with books. Simply put, it's a sophisticated way to answer the question, "What do I read next?"<br />
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Now, I'm pleased to think of this as a space for me to learn in. Whatever that learning may be.<br />
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For the OOE13 folks, a little about me. I work on developing curriculum at an ed tech company. We recently had a reorg, and my role may be shifting somewhat. But for now, I've had some breathing room for personal research projects. My education background has been/is being cultivated in this position, so I've spent a lot of time just trying to acquaint myself with theoretical groundwork.<br />
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My recent personal research excitements have been:<br />
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<li>Carol Dweck's <i>Mindset</i></li>
<li>TPACK</li>
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Anna Katterjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12800015521189949264noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4525408525260897297.post-72884815633369792532010-09-19T10:59:00.001-07:002010-09-19T11:16:42.112-07:00From Joan Didion to Michelle TeaI have been neglectful, but I don't allow myself to feel guilty about not blogging. If this thing becomes a burden, it will go away.<div><br /></div><div>Here's what I've been reading in the month since we last saw each other.</div><div><br /></div><div>Joan Didon's <b>Play It As It Lays </b>is what I blame for my absence. I didn't like it but felt like I should, and I don't know how to articulate why. I had no sympathy for the main character, and she felt so far removed that it was impossible for me to relate. I don't know if this is the frame of the story--the setting and the milieu it portrays (rich Hollywood-ers in the 1960s)--or a purposeful narrative technique.</div><div><br /></div><div>I read Suzanne Collins's <b>Mockingjay</b>, and loved it. I reviewed it for my job but can't find a link to share with you. Sorry!</div><div><br /></div><div>I started a YA Book Club, and our first book was Sherman Alexie's <b>Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian</b>. It is funny and sad, with authentic feeling characterization. It is a quick read and employs fantastic drawings that add an extra element to the narrative. Everyone in the club liked it.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm currently reading David Ebershoff's <b>The 19th Wife</b> and Michelle Tea's <b>Valencia.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Also, I've stopped posting about knitting here because I joined Ravelry. If you want to follow my projects there, the name is ACityBird.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>*Edit* </b>How could I forget Toni Morrison's <b>Love</b>?! I recently finished that one, too. I liked it, but I missed the raw horror of her previous books I've read. Don't get me wrong--it's not a happy story. The narrative jumps around, and it is unclear in the beginning how all the characters are related, which I found frustrating. </div>Anna Katterjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12800015521189949264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4525408525260897297.post-64746296590847101662010-08-14T09:32:00.000-07:002010-08-14T09:42:55.272-07:00Malinda Lo's Ash<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDB0XVVQPfTFQ-Vse-6r69F4Awe73nTbU6t2zdFrCrFCX-HAs9Kt5Qj_sl9kInKnrGxGj574zZ6smWpE-2DdJUuRplcKXdjsUfjqA6COBSgTL4vhiJq-14QC2q5un-NN5izq-wHqJzl3U/s1600/ash.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 132px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDB0XVVQPfTFQ-Vse-6r69F4Awe73nTbU6t2zdFrCrFCX-HAs9Kt5Qj_sl9kInKnrGxGj574zZ6smWpE-2DdJUuRplcKXdjsUfjqA6COBSgTL4vhiJq-14QC2q5un-NN5izq-wHqJzl3U/s200/ash.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505306761070711186" /></a><br />The cover of Malinda Lo's <b><a href="http://www.malindalo.com/ash/">Ash</a> </b>shares a lot about the tone of the book--it is somewhat dark, scary, and sad but also peaceful and magical and beautiful.<div><br /></div><div>It's a Young Adult novel that is is called on the back cover a "retold Cinderella" and "Cinderella, gorgeously reimagined." There is an orphan (Ash), a mean stepmother, magic (here in the form of fairies uniquely rendered somewhat scary and a little bit evil but still magically appealing), an unwed prince, and balls, but to me to compare this to the Disney singing-mice cartoon I grew up with is entirely offbase because of this book's tone and characters.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is a character-centered story, although the plot is important and the pace is relatively quick. There are details of Ash's vivid dreams, the light in the Wood, the stepsisters' getting dressed for balls, fairy characteristics and clothes, and fairy tales. Yet it still feels very realistic and grounded. Ash is a human girl who is devastated by the loss of her parents but comes to tolerate the life she must live as servant to all that's left of her family. There is also organic-feeling romance.</div>Anna Katterjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12800015521189949264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4525408525260897297.post-50479558354966880962010-08-08T07:57:00.000-07:002010-08-08T08:14:10.135-07:00RAview: The Calligrapher's Daughter<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTXLQtptz1ERtijmY1LqieRvy9CN5FBwZD8LECoig6jOwajlR2UEKtBJMNwYK8aoApfDgiZYzcllFypQwE0WWNqWdzNcNSVC05Af29df6s_mJ7xG4e8azdgq_XVa2_f7SxzS5lHgG3ktI/s1600/calligrapher's+daughter.png"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 140px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTXLQtptz1ERtijmY1LqieRvy9CN5FBwZD8LECoig6jOwajlR2UEKtBJMNwYK8aoApfDgiZYzcllFypQwE0WWNqWdzNcNSVC05Af29df6s_mJ7xG4e8azdgq_XVa2_f7SxzS5lHgG3ktI/s200/calligrapher's+daughter.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503057217662499538" /></a><br />Eugenia Kim's <b><a href="http://www.thecalligraphersdaughter.com/">The Calligrapher's Daughter</a></b> is historical fiction that feels epic even though it only follows one woman's life over 30 years.<div><br /></div><div>I think a lot of this book's appeal lies in its setting, detail, and story line--specifically Korea from 1915 to 1945. Compared to Japan and China, this is a little-evoked history in fiction, and many readers probably won't be familiar with the political conflict and economic hardships that troubled the country. My mom especially liked this book because the history was not too far before her childhood and she wasn't familiar with it at all. </div><div><br /></div><div>Kim also details cultural mores in a way that feels very organic (rather than, look! an foreign culture! how quaint!, which does happen in some fiction set in the Eastern world). The food, the clothing, the customs. There are details of calligraphy, herbal remedies (the main character studies to be an obstetrician), wartime government control and civilian confusion. </div><div><br /></div><div>It is leisurely paced and elegantly written. It seems to encourage more thinking than feeling (a head book rather than a heart book, if that makes any more sense to anyone). But the tone is sad, sometimes hopeful, love-ful. The main character is spirited and independent but very concerned with her faith and family obligations. There's a touching mother-daughter relationship.</div>Anna Katterjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12800015521189949264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4525408525260897297.post-7377251044785160822010-07-31T07:40:00.000-07:002010-07-31T07:58:13.408-07:00Alice I Have Been<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFbMsP3rWCbuhwsTSNi4CYV7ZH9ZRMsfmCZHyAeMBUQGBSd0L1CrRWRNevu-ugsR4EPO_uRSFPVpMo9dy22giaJQBeisNXqxXYOAZRDs-8X-oIST9mHbDMxPXQy_rmdw9MfLb0Em240U/s1600/alice-i-have-been.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFbMsP3rWCbuhwsTSNi4CYV7ZH9ZRMsfmCZHyAeMBUQGBSd0L1CrRWRNevu-ugsR4EPO_uRSFPVpMo9dy22giaJQBeisNXqxXYOAZRDs-8X-oIST9mHbDMxPXQy_rmdw9MfLb0Em240U/s200/alice-i-have-been.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500084803838304530" /></a><br />Melanie Benjamin's <b><a href="http://www.melaniebenjamin.com/books.php">Alice I Have Been</a></b> was a bit befuddling, but not in a frustrating way. Hence, I've put off writing about, and now feel even more directionless.<div><br /></div><div>It is historical fiction. The real Alice, that is, the young girl who inspired <i>Alice in Wonderland</i>, was in a somewhat sketchy relationship with the man who would become Lewis Carroll. Alice narrates the story as an old woman and takes us through her life up to her present. </div><div><br /></div><div>It is a slowly unfolding story with details of clothing and mores of mid-19th-century Oxford. It is somewhat unsettling but not as creepy as it might sound. It's subtle and the writing is lush.</div><div><br /></div><div>One thing I can do for this book is identify a readalike--a nonfiction one, no less! Michael Holroyd's <b>A Strange Eventful History</b> is an epic biography of Ellen Terry and Henry Irving, who became stage famous in England around the same time period as Benjamin's novel. There is a large cast of strange characters and artists, and the details well evoke the time period.</div>Anna Katterjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12800015521189949264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4525408525260897297.post-82736033340759038112010-07-17T08:54:00.000-07:002010-07-17T09:20:25.825-07:00RAview: Wintergirls<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjioifIQv9zaCO2qGGBLK7sFCyq847n2RzPx_F0i0rxP5D6q1E6imtxZdU3GtAXqMtWQZ-RO2-h4OaDcec-I5vu4LmWkGuyd-tcdgQwFN1oHEMctvrl9Dar11KYQaalrXsV6Fyzm6OKb8Y/s1600/wintergirls.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjioifIQv9zaCO2qGGBLK7sFCyq847n2RzPx_F0i0rxP5D6q1E6imtxZdU3GtAXqMtWQZ-RO2-h4OaDcec-I5vu4LmWkGuyd-tcdgQwFN1oHEMctvrl9Dar11KYQaalrXsV6Fyzm6OKb8Y/s200/wintergirls.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494910311018921778" /></a><br />In short, Laurie Halse Anderson's <b><a href="http://wintergirls.net/">Wintergirls</a></b> is a YA novel about an 18-year-old girl with anorexia who is relapsing for the third time after the death of her childhood best friend, who had bulimia. In short, not a pretty story.<div><br /></div><div>I would think Readers' Advisory librarians would want to subtly make clear that this book could be a trigger for someone suffering from these disorders or very difficult to read for loved ones. To me, this is not a fault of the book, but just an extra layer one should be aware of when recommending it. But, if you're concerned about that, here's <a href="http://jezebel.com/5261055/wintergirls-possibly-triggering-definitely-thought+provoking">Jezebel</a> and the <i><a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/11/the-troubling-allure-of-eating-disorder-books/?scp=2&sq=wintergirls&st=cse">Times</a></i> on this book as a trigger.</div><div><br /></div><div>From my perspective, telling a prospective reader it is a raw, emotional, terrifying, and realistic exploration of the actions and thoughts of a young girl suffering from anorexia and other psychological disorders would suffice. </div><div><br /></div><div>The pacing is fast, characteristic of a YA novel. The language is carefully crafted to mimic the main character Lia's thought processes. Anderson uses strike throughs, repetition, paragraph breaks, and ellipses to evoke Lia's confusion and fear. (these tactics could also fall into the story line appeal element of RA--not sure here.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Characterization is great. The book is a very intimate look at Lia; and her friend who died, Cassie, is evoked via Lia's detailed, episodic memories and hallucinations. The tone is dark, scary, horrific, touching at times. But Lia is witty, and, although it's typically in the form of barbs directed at her parents, she can be funny. The setting is winter in New Hampshire, and Lia is always cold--it is effective to think of her skin-and-bones body in this harsh climate. </div><div><br /></div><div>I've heard on panels and read in blogs that "YA" is not a genre, so, if I have to stick this in another one, I'll call it psychological suspense. Seems strange, but read the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_thriller">Wikipedia definition</a>, and you'll be convinced. Also, now I can use it toward the "<a href="http://www.bookchickcity.com/2010/01/thriller-suspense-challenge-2010.html">Thriller & Suspense Challenge</a>"!</div>Anna Katterjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12800015521189949264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4525408525260897297.post-42163827696198036582010-07-14T18:19:00.000-07:002010-07-14T18:41:25.754-07:00Notes on The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xrhpHiYbI-SAULEdqaMLZn7QEAhyBUz9q4h-ANPXvi9vEw64vQQSdp6Z8dfg5b9RXWVe_0Aj5XzZxLju33RtpHAOrYwk6lFe_0FwbathR1aB9J6cPLUGAjhpaYIkDdMoMNjRgU5LjeQ/s1600/hangmans+bag.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 132px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xrhpHiYbI-SAULEdqaMLZn7QEAhyBUz9q4h-ANPXvi9vEw64vQQSdp6Z8dfg5b9RXWVe_0Aj5XzZxLju33RtpHAOrYwk6lFe_0FwbathR1aB9J6cPLUGAjhpaYIkDdMoMNjRgU5LjeQ/s200/hangmans+bag.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493942079005744994" /></a><br />I didn't like Alan Bradley's <b>The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag </b>nearly as much as the first book in the series, <b><a href="http://lay-ra.blogspot.com/2009/10/raview-sweetness-at-bottom-of-pie.html">The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">. Although Readers' Advisors are supposed to look for what in a book will be appealing to readers, all I can do now is take the opposite approach and try to identify what I didn't like about it. </span></b><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">I just felt detached from the book. There's no suspense in it; the first was by no means suspenseful, but the second didn't thrill me in the least. </span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">I read for characters, and I already know Flavia de Luce, the young detective girl. She didn't develop in a significant way, and her character as an anomalous curiosity has worn off.</span></b><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></b></div><div>Much of the story line was relayed via storytelling from characters' mouths. This is not to say there is not description, but the writing did not feel as lush and evocative to me as the first book. Details relate to World War II, puppeteering, chemistry, the vicarage. The pace is leisurely. The language is fun and witty, and the tone would be quite dark were it not for Flavia's childhood perspective.</div></div>Anna Katterjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12800015521189949264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4525408525260897297.post-29610363737544336652010-06-30T08:49:00.000-07:002010-06-30T09:05:42.297-07:00RAview: Lisa Gardner's Hide<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc7ejtTK-xCpnRECMCm5OAiJ7VkIrH51Xn42tIkAR2zSUrmXV6XLs04HDvxq4smhyphenhyphen0Y5qPko5uXyZ-YS62EVmx5n5upeb6izBjs15HRvf0M_0JhZroDpL6zOcaK6ZSesuTS5mXdXqpBAI/s1600/hide.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 132px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc7ejtTK-xCpnRECMCm5OAiJ7VkIrH51Xn42tIkAR2zSUrmXV6XLs04HDvxq4smhyphenhyphen0Y5qPko5uXyZ-YS62EVmx5n5upeb6izBjs15HRvf0M_0JhZroDpL6zOcaK6ZSesuTS5mXdXqpBAI/s200/hide.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488597901072387010" /></a><br />Finally, a thriller I really liked! Lisa Gardner's <b><a href="http://lisagardner.com/books/dd-warren/hide">Hide</a></b> is narrated from two perspectives--Annabelle, a potential victim who's case may be related to a discovery of six girls' bodies, tells her side in the first person, while Det. Bobby Dodge's perspective is told in third person.<div><br /></div><div>This book is part of a series featuring female detective D.D. Warren, but I didn't know it was part of a series until I finished the book and looked it up online. Background is smoothly woven in, and Annabelle is a character unique to this book, and she was really the draw for me.</div><div><br /></div><div>The pacing is fast, and readers are sympathetic with the characters of Annabelle and Bobby, although a sense of "Who can you trust?" niggles throughout the book. The story line features short chapters often left on cliffhangers that slowly reveal bits of the mystery of Annabelle's past as well as everyone's understanding of the current case. </div><div><br /></div><div>The book is set in Boston, and it does have an urban feel. It is marked by details of detective work, sewing and fabric (Annabelle has a curtain-making business), dog ownership, self defense, changing identities, a psych ward. The tone ranges among paranoia, sadness, fear, and longing but also survival and pride.</div><div><br /></div><div>Also, props to the publisher for selling this ebook at the Sony store for $1.99. I'd never read Gardner before, and I plan to read more of her.</div>Anna Katterjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12800015521189949264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4525408525260897297.post-69863112590858268342010-06-15T17:30:00.000-07:002010-06-15T17:52:10.488-07:00Dave Cullen's Columbine<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7QCX4LDGFI9-OT46VFc_n-MpvxFOSKyEaYTA8pSaU8wpt1nnbn9e6dQjEd4KE9NZPXbD3hRC8q0kj7WxJjMkv-3yOPNrHw-DwYwEv4QYV0kIsGH870Zd9RdpXlhEbT90DzYsM6yls5Tw/s1600/irresistible-forces.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 126px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7QCX4LDGFI9-OT46VFc_n-MpvxFOSKyEaYTA8pSaU8wpt1nnbn9e6dQjEd4KE9NZPXbD3hRC8q0kj7WxJjMkv-3yOPNrHw-DwYwEv4QYV0kIsGH870Zd9RdpXlhEbT90DzYsM6yls5Tw/s200/irresistible-forces.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483167924989613554" /></a><br />I stopped reading Brenda Jackson's <b><a href="http://www.brendajackson.net/page/my-books">Irresistible Forces</a></b> forces because there was just too much sex. (WTF, Anna? I know.) The thing is, the only conflict in the book was that maybe the couple was falling in love even though that wasn't their intention, and conflict is what makes romance great. There was no anticipation, no coyness, nothing held back.<div><br /></div><div>Totally a bizarre way to start a post about a hard-core journalistic nonfiction book about a school shooting, </div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 131px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPGm8l3aMb-Jy1-6ETH-IcDhn0uJm0vKPj19izKtSIW0LRy_8sdJe3pAAFORt5cMRSzehFDV4iAeZpCo-SwWaMA-W70com2p1pOMbTn8ww5TfFW4AHjBUn6C_KjfD4P16a0_J08Orhmnk/s200/columbine.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483167678230930978" /><div>I know, but after quitting that book, I wanted the other extreme--a <i>serious</i> book. Dave Cullen's <a href="http://www.davecullen.com/"><b>Columbine</b></a> is of course sad, terrifying, and gruesome. But it is also a fascinating psychological study of the killers and a detailed look at what the media got wrong and how the media affected witness testimony and public perception even to today.</div><div><br /></div><div>My turn from one book to the other was all based on tone. I was over the sensuous, light, romantic, escapist tone of the sexy romance and wanted something gritty and grounding. Cullen's book has good characterization, as he follows some of the most famous survivors of the tragedy as well as the victims, killers, and their families. It's a fast-paced read, despite details of the plan, Harris and Klebold's journaling and emotional lives, and other students' relationships with and perspectives on them. For nonfiction, the language is descriptive, and Cullen writes at times to echo the thought patterns of angry young men or the devoted principal.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Anna Katterjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12800015521189949264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4525408525260897297.post-6554849374249928292010-05-30T13:39:00.000-07:002010-05-30T13:58:19.428-07:00RAview: Lisa Scottoline's Think Twice<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7sMHSeBkLneuUXfz-gm9w14sFBrQTApOIIonNY40rjf39esqza8E45XNPE7ETx-icG6LwVZaTdlAFOS0pDAzCArfDiv3-arokADNP08vlwpmQ1CvjPGFUbWilXmyfXUPpbWDqfOaOAm8/s1600/think+twice.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7sMHSeBkLneuUXfz-gm9w14sFBrQTApOIIonNY40rjf39esqza8E45XNPE7ETx-icG6LwVZaTdlAFOS0pDAzCArfDiv3-arokADNP08vlwpmQ1CvjPGFUbWilXmyfXUPpbWDqfOaOAm8/s200/think+twice.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477168221975820050" /></a><br />Lisa Scottoline's <b><a href="http://scottoline.com/Site/">Think Twice</a></b> is a thriller about twin sisters--one mostly good, one mostly bad. The bad one tries to kill the good one and temporarily take over her life as a rich lawyer. The pace feels fast, as short chapters are narrated by 3 characters (the twins, and a colleague and friend who is being duped) and typically end on cliffhangers. This is a plot-driven story, but the characters are complex and well developed.<div><br /></div><div>Details relate to Italian families, relationships in which the woman is more financially successful than the man, working in a law firm, and police rules and politics. Story line themes consist of supernatural elements related to Italian heritage and religion, revenge, good vs. evil and the fine line between them, characters' psyches, friendship, trust, and romance. The tone is not too dark but there are fearful moments as well as touching, happy, and sad ones relating to the relationships among characters.</div><div><br /></div><div>Of what I've read recently, this shares the most appeal elements with J.A. Jance's <b><a href="http://lay-ra.blogspot.com/2010/03/raview-ja-jances-desert-heat.html">Desert Heat</a></b>.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Anna Katterjohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12800015521189949264noreply@blogger.com1