Wiki Wacky Kohl et al

"You're such a Kohl et al!" Ha sorry I just couldn't resist...dumb dumb dumb I know.
The articles by Johnson-Eilola and Kohl et al were a great pairing; one dealing with where text comes from and how it is received, perceived, and integrated, while the other deals with "a freely expandable collection of interlinked 'Web' pages" (Kohl et al 2). But in accordance to Johnson-Eilola, "we live in a time of contradiction and contingency" so we delight in this delicious parable of articles. It's funny to think about the history of certain discourses, certain words, and certain influences; what reserved collection of thoughts did I have to phrase that, and this, (and these) words? Much like one of the first articles we read for this class dealing with the originality of text, and how there really is no original text, the Johnson-Eilola article delves and then expounds on that issue. Writing an "original" piece seems to be an insurmountable task to writers living in the world we do today, moreover, academic writing is in such a rubric that the chance for a truly "original piece is nearly non-existent. For me, music seems to be in the same category of being hard-pressed to create a piece that is truly original. You hear so many people saying that with five or ten chords you can play nearly any song on the guitar; unearthing the question if music and writing can be more closely linked than they all ready are? Is there five or ten steps that each writer can use to write almost any piece of discourse? Can altering those steps bring the ability to the writer to create vastly different sounding discourses? I pose that question to all of you: What steps in writing would take the place of chords to a guitar to music? Here is a video of singer/songwriter David Gray talking about his writing process for his acclaimed music.

Infographic

The website where I created my Infographic would not embed on here, no matter what paths I explored. Just some tidbits from the last FIFA World Cup in South Africa so you can all be savvy for when the next World Cup comes this summer!

Click on the hypertext above to view my Infographic

Critical Photo-Essay Proposal

Critical Photo-Essay Proposal

The Instable Hierarchy of Writing

            For my photo-essay I want to look/research the sometimes long, and short, life of the written word. The clear that up a bit, I want to look into how writing is a powerful tool yet so often it has a fleeting life. Yet that power lies only in the human influence and interest directed towards it, however wildly different the influence is. I want to explore why some writing holds its power through the ages and why some do not; exploring not only world-wide pieces of writing, but other writing in my own town that has faded through the years.

            For this project I want to research the reasons, however apparent or unapparent, of why certain writing (ex: canonical writings, propaganda writing from different eras, ancient writings, and even old, local signs with writing) either fades or does not; and why those reasons are.

            I feel that researching critical texts through the library archives, along with other Internet research and some articles that we have read this year, will provide me with enough research to write a thorough essay. For the photo part of this I plan to insert photos alongside the text in a black and white format (I feel it provides an edge and stark flavor to text). I am not too sure how I will format this, but I am leaning towards an old-fashioned photo-essay, but I will look into seeing if I can spice it up a bit with some modern technological savvy.

            I feel that I might be biting off more than I can chew with this essay, depending how in-depth you would like it, but let me know if it is too broad and what would be the best vein to move toward. I apologize for this being a bit late, last semester of college shenanigans at work for this guy. Anyway here it is and I hope it fits into what you are looking for.

Power Punctuation, YEAH!!!!

I really liked the examples they provided in this article, it was nice to see almost every example that Solomon offered. For us literary scholars, who are chained and shackled to the restraints of academia, we (I use the term loosely) have a fear of slipping loose of those chains. I grant you, that fear is rightly founded because how many of us have seen the accursed red ink adorning the sad pages of a slighted essay? Well I have, it sucks. Of course we are better off for it. I make no sad excuses to say that the mean n' scary teachers were in the wrong, but did they have to use so many exclamations points behind a furiously underlined 'PUNCT.'!?
However, I feel that Solomon missed an important point in his article, one that exploits the power of punctuation, and that is poetry. Not all poets use punctuation to express their words, but when it is used it changes the poem entirely. Here are a few clever poems by Raj Arumugam
1 ‘
Punctuation

one must wonder
if the word “Punctuation”
is a relative of “Punctured’; 
for, as you must have noticed, 
a prose passage
with no punctuation
is as good as punctured…
poetry is cunning; 
she uses punctuation as she wishes
and still remains pregnant
with meaning, if you know what I mean
2..
the definitive full stop
Say 'Hello'
to the Full Stop
before it shuts you down

Say 'Hello'
to
the American period
the definitive full stop that says: 'That’s it, folks! '
in other words
it says: 'Enough! ' 'That’s it! '
' I’m done! ' ' I’m finished! '
But some people never get that, do they? 
they just keep going on; 
but now I’ll take my cue
and say no more.
FULL STOP.
PERIOD.
3! ! ! 
exciting poem with exclamation marks! ! ! 

Oh noble exclamation mark! 
I expel! I exclaim! 
Oh most excitable exclamation mark! 


Oh, to see you
sends blood racing
in my veins! 
Oh, I love you
once! 
twice! ! 
and I love you thrice! ! ! ! 
- oh, was that four times? ? ? ? 
Oh, be not jealous
I brought in your
distant relative
the crooked and deformed question mark
for I not only love you
! 
! ! 
! ! ! 
! ! ! ! –
but I love you forever, most excitable exclamation mark! ! ! ! 
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! .......and forever! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ..............

Oh noble exclamation mark! 
I expel! I exclaim! 
Oh most excitable exclamation mark! 

These are fun little poems that point out some of what Solomon talked of in his article but here I will show you a poem by William Carlos Williams, first without punctuation, and then the original with:

Libertad Igualdad Fraternidad 

You sullen pig of a man
you force me into the mud
with your stinking ashcart

Brother
if we were rich
we'd stick our chests out
and hold our heads high

It is dreams that have destroyed us

There is no more pride
in horses or in rein holding
We sit hunched together brooding
our fate

Well
all things turn bitter in the end
whether you choose the right or
the left way
and
dreams are not a bad thing 

William Carlos Williams

And now with the normal punctuation, mind you it helps to read the poem out loud, first try it with the first amended version, and now with the second original version:

"Libertad! Igualdad! Fraternidad!"

You sullen pig of a man
you force me into the mud
with your stinking ash-cart!

Brother!
--if we were rich
we'd stick our chests out
and hold our heads high!

It is dreams that have destroyed us.

There is no more pride
in horses or in rein holding.
We sit hunched together brooding
our fate.

Well--
all things turn bitter in the end
whether you choose the right or
the left way
and--
dreams are not a bad thing. 

William Carlos Williams

I hope this a relatable parable for you guys, it was the first thing that popped into my mind when reading this article and I felt compelled to share. Thanks for reading!

I'll be handling Mr. Losett's discourse for the rest of this post

Well hello there, you might have clicked on this blog post under the assumption that you would be reading what Mr. Losett had to say about the readings for your class. I do hate to catch you off-guard but I will be handling the discourse for the rest of this post. Now I am sure you are thinking to yourself, "who exactly is writing this then? Cavin must be cheating, letting someone else post on his blog." But alas no, Mr. Losett unassumingly became disposed to the required functions critical in responding suavely for your delight.
I should jump to the chase huh? Who would have ever thought an innocent twelve pack of pure patriotic American Pabst Blue Ribbon beer would have the opportunity to share it's... thoughts and feelings to the entire world wide web.... of course judging from the glassy-eyed stare, much akin to a rather dumb dog or cow, that Mr. Losett is directing towards the computer screen; I will safely assume that perhaps a max of four or five brave souls will have the innate courage to stumble in to the horror chamber of rhetoric that Mr. Losett brazenly calls his blog.
Of course in the interim of Mr. Losett's despondent deluge towards the required and strict structure of academia, why don't I give it a shot. In these lines to follow, I sincerely ask you to humor me and follow along... it seems Mr. Losett has fallen off...his chair that is.
                                                                                                                         It might seem funny that a combined total of 144 oz of sweetly, delicious beer such as us could hold so much enlightening and thought provoking....hey! HEY!
                HEY!!! We're writing here!
"Candy canes and sugar cones make a happy gnome! a;sdlka; b ;asdf;ga gsda  adsg"

         Sorry, Mr. Losett believed he was capable of continuing on with his assuredly failed attempt at doing his homework 

 

Maybe we will write from over here to really confuse him...ahh look at him stare

blankly, the small stream of drool creeping from the

corner of his mouth, reminiscent of a gurgling two year old

discovering a dust-coated jellybean

from under the couch cushions.

Usually by now, Mr. Losett would have wittingly wrote about relevant tangents about blah, blah, blah...who cares..

I want set something straight, so listen up fuckers. If you EVER see a hipster drinking our classy contents you are to do the following:

 1. Call him a limp-dick toad sucker(interchangeable swear words are quite ok)

 2. Call upon your offended honor and engage in fisticuffs

 

I do already see a problem with this though....it would be much to offensive. So make sure you ask them to set us down first, so we don't spill or, god forbid, dent our can.

 

And can I say something else in the spirit of not caring because this isn't my blog and you will all likely be judging Mr. Losett for what I have written. Come to think about it, Mr. Losett is at my complete and utter mercy; but in case you didn't know, mercy is not in my ingredients...seriously read a can or look it up or something. Ahh shit, never mind folks. I hate to be rude to you, yes you, you cherub reader you ol' dog you. It seems Mr. Losett is losing complete motor control and has taken it upon himself to strip his shirt and go on a...jog? Seriously who goes on jogs? That is just completely ludicrous. However I feel it my obligation to ensure that he trips multiple times, screams profanities, and .............oops gotta jog~!

 

But My iPad Said Different...

So Mishra....oh that Mishra made me fall asleep on my computer Mishra. There were some profoundly inspiring things said sarcasm noted but in truth the first part under Misconceptions or Alternative Conceptions the passages: "Current research in science education has generated a growing body of evidence showing that students come to science classes with theories about how the natural world works..." and continuing on with "these cognitive structures that students have prior to instruction have been variously called misconceptions, alternative frameworks, alternative conceptions or naive theories" (Mishra). It goes on to state what most of us (myself included) figured as common sense; I mean children live in this world and experience in their own way, and unless they are completely sheltered or quite literally live under a rock, they ask questions and develop their own childish theories about how the world around them functions. Like when God hit a strike in bowling when there was thunder, or... ( I am literally at a blank for another example, if you guys have any you should put them in the comments).  But I pose what is to come in education, in fact what is already here.
The development of technology is assuredly changing the discourse of education and in fact it is changing how children see the world before they get to these "science" classes. Here is a chunk from an article on macstories.net:

For the past years, Apple has been showcasing the educational advantages of devices like Macs, iPhones and iPods on its Apple in Education website. Since the introduction of the iPad in 2010, however, the company has been making an effort to position the device as the best tool now available to teachers and students to improve the quality of education and level of engagement. The dedicated iPad in Education webpage showcases recent moves by Apple such as iBooks Textbooks and the iTunes U iOS app.

While we have covered schools and educational institutions adopting iPads in the past, the latest profile posted by Apple today on their UK website is quite possibly the best example of iPad in education to date. Those of you who have been following the progress of iPad deployment in schools may remember Fraser Speirs’ iPad Project, which made headlines throughout 2011 as it was the first one-to-one iPad deployment to every people in a school. Speirs documented the process of giving an iPad to every teacher and student at Cedars School of Excellence (Scotland)on his personal website, and today Apple has posted a video profile showing how “Cedars students boost learning with iPad”.

These links all have great and interesting articles on how iPad's are being innovated into the school systems. Even on a personal level, my Mom has an iPad in her classroom (where she works with disabled children) and she tells me almost every time I see her how much easier it is, not only to ease the stress and struggles of a teacher, but also for to enhance the children's learning potential. It doesn't stop there though, the amount of Apps. made for small children that incorporate learning in the forms of science and math through games and activities, will these "naive theories" still be relevant in 15 years?

The Duck and the Golden Egg-- AV