Heart of Darkness Blog: Question #1

Working alone or with one or two partners, answer two of the following questions with two to three thoughtful paragraphs. Respond by posting on our class blog, and stay tuned for responses from peers in Africa.

1. What were the immediate impacts of colonialism in Africa? Discuss more than one aspect of life, and include at least one excerpt from Heart of Darkness and one from a source of your choice (include MLA citation).

Heart of Darkness Blog: Question #2

Working alone or with one or two partners, answer two of the following questions with two to three thoughtful paragraphs. Respond by posting on our class blog, and stay tuned for responses from peers in Africa.

2. What relics of European colonialism still exist in Sub-Saharan Africa? Discuss more than one aspect of life, and include at least one excerpt from Heart of Darkness and one from a source of your choice (include MLA citation).

Heart of Darkness Blog: Question #3

Working alone or with one or two partners, answer two of the following questions with two to three thoughtful paragraphs. Respond by posting on our class blog, and stay tuned for responses from peers in Africa.

3. What do you and your partner(s) think about colonialism and its lasting effects? In your answer, refer to the attitude(s) of one or more character(s) in Heart of Darkness, and include at least one textual reference with citation.

Heart of Darkness Blog: Question #4

Working alone or with one or two partners, answer two of the following questions with two to three thoughtful paragraphs. Respond by posting on our class blog, and stay tuned for responses from peers in Africa.

4. View Patrick Awuah’s compelling TED Talk at http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/patrick_awuah_on_educating_leaders.html . What do you think of his message? How is his plea related to (or not related to) lasting effects of European colonialism?

The Tempest Blog

Please compose one to two thoughtful paragraph(s) about a section of the text that strikes you as interesting and/or significant. Include at least one quote or paraphrase with internal reference, and try to refer to themes, motifs, and literary devices. Please refer to at least one other student's post as you write. Be sure to include your name!

Hunch Lunch 3/25/11: Mitra on Child-Driven Education

Hope to see you at lunch in G-205.

Please view the video below (17 minutes) and be ready to discuss.

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/sugata_mitra_the_child_driven_education.html

Food for thought:
What is the value of a teacher saying "I don't know"?
How does this apply to our students? How do we give them a global outlook and audience?
What do you think about the speaker's statement about memorizing--or not memorizing--information on Google?
Can 10-year-olds engage with Pythagoras?

Please feel free to comment here.

Hunch Lunch 3/18/11: Bill Gates on TEDx

We'd love to see you in G-205 for Hunch Lunch on 3/18. If you'd like to attend, please view Gates' talk on state budgets and education: http://www.ted.com/talks/bill_gates_how_state_budgets_are_breaking_us_schools.html

I find his three points at about seven minutes particularly compelling.

Feel free to post your comments here!

CCIRA Conference

On February 3rd, I was honored to present with Alyse, Alex, Alec, John, and Sam, five students from EHS, at the Annual Conference of the Colorado Council of the International Reading Association. Speaking in front of a packed room of over 90 educators, the students were poised, confident, and impressive. Our presentation, "Literacy and Technology in the 21st-Century English Classroom," discussed the use of technology in education. Go Cougars!

A video of the session is online here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlNYkEilazs.

CCIRA Discussion

CCIRA audience members, we would love to hear from you!

IDEA SHARING POINT (second semester 2011)

Use this entry space to share ideas, ask each other questions, chat about assignments and due dates, etc.

Books of Choice for Second Semester

Please choose a book to read during and outside of class time. You should plan on reading this book for five or more minutes each day at the start of class. You are welcome to read it outside of class time as well. Your book should be interesting and challenging.

If you are interested in creating an extra credit book trailer for your book of choice (you should; it's fun), the book must be registered on the class blog at least three weeks before you make the book trailer.

Please post the title, author, and genre of your book of choice below. Include your name and class period.