Philly-area faculty and IT's looking to develop academic technology skills and strategies should check out Westchester University's RECAP conference and hands-on workshops. This year's themes include mobile pedagogy; engaging students; assessment; universal design; and using technology to develop critical thinking and other soft skills. Technologies discussed include both commercial and open-source options. For more information and to register, see http://www.wcupa.edu/recap/schedule.aspx.

Today, while giving a tour, I mentioned our book group to the student and her mother. I gave the usual speal, and tied it in by mentioning that the CEO pays for our travel and that BMC is supportive of these types of independent projects. She responded with, "Oh that must be so nice for a sociology student, to see how the other side lives."

My response was less than honorable. I sort of nodded along with her before realizing what I was agreeing with. Thinking back now, though, I realize how very, very strange the idea is that the women we work with are somehow different, removed, "others" from us. I think I stopped seeing true difference a long time ago. There is no "other side", I think. We all represent many colors and shapes in a kaleidoscope, overlapping, intersection, enmeshing to paint a picture. 

We are not the same, no, but we're not truly different, either. 

This is so in tune with everything we've been talking about this week, I'm not even sure what to think about it. Thoughts?

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/04/09/291887381/banning-traditional-animal-slaughter-denmark-stokes-religous-ire

ECON 136:  Week 12 Tasks

Looking ahead to Week 13:  There will be a Cost-Benefit Paper due Monday night, April 21.  I'll have the assignment posted after Wednesday's midterm.

Monday:  Midterm Review

Wednesday's exam is cumulative, so there will be a mix of questions like those on the first exam and questions related to material covered since then.   Bring a calculator to class and the exam.

Wednesday:  Midterm

In class starting at promptly at 10:10 ending at 11:00.  

Friday:   Flavors of Sustainability

Preparing for Class:   In this excerpt from Tietenberg & Lewis

Read the pp. 97-98, 103-104 and examples 5.1 and 5.2

Skim pp. 99-103

This public installation of a casita @ Congreso (where my daughter Marian has just accepted a job)
provides, for me, a very nice image of what I imagine for our story slam:
http://associationforpublicart.org/interactive-art-map/i-have-a-story-to-tell-you

If the link for the Tim Burke speech is down for anyone else (I know I can't get to the site right now for some reason) I found a back-up here

"Where writing once meant print text- black marks on white paper, left to right and top to bottom - today 'writing' is in full Technicolor; it is nonlinear and alive with sounds, voices, and images of all kinds" (Lunsford, 2007)

I really appreciated the views of Paris and Kirkland on the use of AAL vs DAE. I feel that because students are often caught between 'a rock and a hard-place' (as my mother would say) when it comes to writing, students are not feeling confident in their communication skills. Traditional writing and grammar practice can often be exclusionary. The use of AAL through text-messaging as well as social media interactions allows students to have a "second space" to express themselves, their feelings, and their thoughts in a manner that is not necessarily academic. I feel that students should be encouraged to write as often as possible and through any and all creative outlets. I never was really "into" my English classes in high school, though I often found myself writing slam poetry and entering competitions because I was able to express myself and my feelings without the constraints of traditional grammar and structure. 

What Delpit described in her readings as the "Warm Demander" is exactly the kind of educator I'd want to be, ideally. It is also my biggest fear, in the sense that I would fall short of it, or not be able to find the balance between the "warm" and the "demanding" and leave students feeling like I only served them halfway. What's hardest about teaching, for me, is learning how to subtly and fully incorporate values and ideals into every part of your lesson plan and curriculum and how you present yourself in class - in other words, showing that you want to validate your students and raise their expectations of themselves without outright saying it.