Blogging Around

I picked Margot's blog to comment on. Using the metacognition prompt, she wrote about her experience with blogging this past year. She discussed what she enjoyed and what she would have improved.

Margot,
Nice post! I also think that it would be a good idea to blog about anything we wanted regarding English. Blogging when I can't think of anything to write for a certain prompt is really arduous. If we could write a blog of our choice I think it would not only be easier but more beneficial to our creative thinking. I think the fact that you were occasionally surpised by your own thoughts while blogging shows its power. So, all in all, I agree blogging was a great experience and provided a great outlet for our thoughts and opinions in English class.

I also chose to comment on Alli Sontag's metacognition on blogging. She talked about her experience with the blogging process and what she liked and disliked about it.

Hey Alli,
I thoroughly enjoyed your post about our blogging experience this year. As I was reading through everone's (well, a lot of peoples), I think that we're almost all on the same page in terms of our attitudes towards blogging this year. The blogging around prompt was also one of my favorites because it let me see how other people were thinking. It's really interesting to see what other people are saying using the same prompt, because for the most part, we all have something different, yet valuable, to say. I also enjoy looking back at my past blogs. You're right about it being a great way to hear your voice when you write.

Metacognition: Blogging '08-'09

This year in academy, we've blogged regularly for english class. I have really enjoyed writing them, because it helps me remember important ideas, especially in the Best of the Week blogs. I also like the best of the week blogs because they forced me to review the week and helped me retain many of the important themes or concepts we discussed in class. I also enjoyed the metacognition blogs (this one included) because they gave me a clearer view of the writing process and the components of a great story, poem, essay, etc. Some ideas we've blogged about go beyond the english classroom and now that the year is almost over, I'm glad that I can go back and look at my, or my classmates', blogs about them.

The only part of my blogging experience that I did not like was when I was forced to use a blogging prompt that I had nothing to say about. This happened with the Captured Thought prompt as well as the Dialectic prompt. I think it would be a good idea to offer more blogging assigments where we get to use a prompt of our choice. That way, we won't be forced to reach for an "I get it moment" when it isn't there. I think that the Dialectic prompt could work with a little more practice or instruction or both, because I was pretty clueless when writing that one.

However, all in all, I really enjoyed blogging this year in Academy. I really got a lot out of it and I even had fun when writing (and reading my classmates' blogs), especially on the iMedia and What If? prompts.

Blogging Around

Alli blogged about our spanish project. She talked about the coordination obstacles were facing and working around using our collaboration skills we've been learning.

Sontag,
I completely agree with your post. It definitely is going to be difficult. But I think we'll be able to get a great result if we're able to collaborate efficiently even when some of us have a conflict. In my opinion, we're definitley heading down the right track be creating our google doc and communicating on the facebook thread as well. Also, I think that we got a lot done at yesterday's session and if we keep our effeciency up like that we'll finish with time to spare. I can't wait until we film again. It was both fun and productive to the maximum.

Jenna wrote about the WHAP test we took on Thursday. She discussed the impact on our futures it and other major tests have as well as the anxiety and stress it caused her.

J Sto,
I feel pretty much the exact same way about the "big" tests. It's terrifying to think of the implications of a bad ACT score. I feel that it's pretty much going to determine my future. I'm usually a decent test taker but my PLAN test predicted a score that didn't really do it for me and whenever I think about the ACT I start worrying. The AP exam I think went okay for me (I don't know how you thought you did but since we always get the same grades on things you probably did alright too). I think I at least got a 3. But, the stress before the AP was definitely there for me too and I think it'll be there before the numerous "big" tests next year too. I guess we'll just have to endure it, but I'm sure we'll do fine because that's how we do.

Best of the Week: Water In Michael

In class throughout this week, we have looked closely at the text in The Life and Times of Michael K. We discussed a lot of different ideas and themes that appear in the book but one thing that I found very interesting that we just touched on was the reoccurance of the theme of water in the story and its significance. We have often talked about some of the characters in Michael K being alive but not living. Water is the essence of life (cliche I know). In the book, it signifies life as well. Not merely the physical life, but the existential and spiritual life located atop Maslow's hierarchy. A great example of this is the fact that Michael K is a gardener. Water is the source of life for him and his plants who give him purpose. Alli Sontag pointed out a great instance of this in class. At the beginning of the book, when Anna K was still living, she was sick in the hospital and Michael tried to have her drink some water, but she couldn't swallow it. Soon after this passage, she dies. I thought that this was a really cool way of conveying an important part of the character of Michael K. in the novel.

Metacognition: Short Story

So far, I've enjoyed writing my short story for the most part. But, there have been a couple things bugging me while I was writing. One is that I've done nothing with the language and sentence structure. Form is content has been one of the major themes of our english class and I'm worried that my story may end up poorly written and distract from a (hopefully) good plot. The other thing that has got me a little bit worried is the "meaning" of my story. I know Mr. Allen/you told us not to write a story with a "lesson" or moral. I think that my ending my be a little to obvious as to what my character took from the events of the story. I don't know if I'm supposed to spell out what he gained from his experience or not. And if I am not supposed to say it, then I'm worried I won't be able to write so that the reader will get it.

However, other than that, I'd say my experience with writing a short story has gone rather smoothly.

Metacognition: Jane Eyre Project

When we first heard about this project, I was a little worried about to how my group and I were going to do it. I didn't feel like each of us being a character would work well especially, since Jane and Charlotte would have the same things to say. I know we didn't want to involve both characters simply by connecting to Sophie's World and discussing the author-character relationship because that's not what our transcript was supposed to be about. If we each worked separately on one google doc, collaborating would be very difficult because our schedules don't really allow for all three of us to be editing at the same time to bounce ideas back off of each other. In the end, we decided to meet for a while over the weekend at Brandon's house. The beginning was difficult. We were not supposed to include the introductory small talk, so we just had to dive right in. Before we did that, though, we found six quotes to include that we thought provided insight into our topic, a general theory of love. These helped us figure out what we were going have our characters during the conversation. During the writing process, our collaboration was awesome. Everyone participated equally and the communication was great while we were writing. Often times, someone would suggest something and someone else would add onto or change it slightly. This process led us to creating what I think was a great transcript.

iMedia: Dumb it Down

I'm not sure how to include my video in this post other than posting a link to it right here (it wasn't on YouTube because of copyright issues)....

Lupe Fiasco - Dumb it Down
[Also, sorry this doesn't pop up in a new window, I'm a little technologically challenged with Blogger]

Dumb it Down, is a song by Lupe Fiasco whose title pretty much sums up the entire song. It's essentialy about his take on today's mainstream music. It indirectly bashes record companies and executives as well as the majority of today's generation of music listeners who prefer to be entertained by simplistic and often risqué subject matter. He shows us his perspective on things and the pressure put on him to "dumb it down." I don't really know if people have actually been telling him to dumb down his lyrics, but I feel that the point he makes is valid and important. He doesn't simply use big words to come off as intelligent, but to express himself in a more effective way. He doesn't want to sacrifice clarity, so in a way, he is encouraging all of us to expand our vocabulary and become educated. Here, I think that Mr. Allen and his vocab quizzes would be in agreement. I believe that the goal of language is to describe our world the best we can and if using a big or uncommon word can do that, then I'm all for using it. Also, in my opinion, the wordplay is ridiculous in this song.

[Verse 1:]
I'm fearless
Now hear this
I'm earless
And I'm peerless
That means I'm eyeless
Which means I'm tearless
Which means my iris resides where my ears is
Which means I'm blinded
But I'mma find it I can feel it's nearness
But I'mma veer so I don't come near
Like a chicken or a deer
But I remember I'm not a listener or a seer so my windshield smear
Here, you steer, I really shouldn't be behind this, clearly cause my blindness
The windshield is minstrel, the whole grill is roadkill, so trill and so sincere
Yeah, I'm both them there
Took both pills, when a bloke in a trench coat and the locs in the chair had approached him here
And he clear as a ghost, so a biter of the throats in the mirror
The writer of the quotes for the ghosts who supplier of the notes to the living
Riveting is rosy, pockets full of posies, given to the mother of the deceased
Awaken at war, 'til I'm restin' in peace

[Chorus 1:]You goin' over *****'s heads Lu (Dumb it down)
They tellin' me that they don't feel you (Dumb it down)
We ain't graduate from school ***** (Dumb it down)
Them big words ain't cool ***** (Dumb it down)
Yeah I heard "Mean And Vicious" ***** (Dumb it down)
Make a song for the ****** ***** (Dumb it down)
We don't care about the weather ***** (Dumb it down)
You'll sell more records if you (Dumb it down)

[Verse 2:]
And I'm mouthless
Which means I'm soundless
Now as far as the hearing, I've found it
It was as far as the distance from the earring to the ground is
But the doorknockers on the ear of a stewardess in a Lear
She fine and she flyin, I feel I'm flying by'em 'cause my mind's on cloud nine and I'm a mime at the same time
Pimps see the wings on the underground king
Who's also Klingon
To infinity and beyond
Something really stinks, but I Spinks like Leon
Or a lion in the desert [Sphinx]
I'm flying on pegasus you're flying on the pheasant
Rider of the white powder, picker of the fire flowers, spit hot fire like Dylon on Chappelle's skit
Yeah, smell it on my unicorn, snort the white horse, but toot my own horn (sleep)

[Chorus 2:]You've been shedding too much light Lu (Dumb it down)
You make'em wanna do right Lu (Dumb it down)
They're getting self-esteem Lu (Dumb it down)
These girls are trying to be queens Lu (Dumb it down)
They're trying to graduate from school Lu (Dumb it down)
They're starting to think that smart is cool Lu (Dumb it down)
They're trying to get up out the hood Lu (Dumb it down)
I'll tell you what you should do (Dumb it down)

[Verse 3:]And I'm brainless
Which means I'm headless
Like Ichabod Crane is
Or foreplay-less sex is
Which makes me saneless
With no neck left to hang the chain with
Which makes me necklace-less
Like a necklace theft
And I ain't used my headrest yet
They said they need proof like a vestless chest 'bout the best, fair F-F-jet in the nest
Who exudes confidence and excess depth
Even Scuba Steve would find it hard to breathe
Around these leagues
My snorkle is a tuba, Lu the ruler around these seas
Westside Poseidon, Westside beside'em, chest high and rising
Almost touching the knees of stewardess and the pilot
Lucky they make you fly with
Personal floating devices, tricks falling out of my sleeves
David Blaine
Make it rain
You make a boat
I make a plane
Then, I pull the plug and I make it drain
Until I feel like flowing and filling it up again...(Westside)

[Chorus 3:]
You putting me to sleep ***** (Dumb it down)
That's why you ain't popping in the streets ***** (Dumb it down)
You ain't winning no awards ***** (Dumb it down)
Robots and skateboards *****? (Dumb it down)
GQ Man Of The Year G? (Dumb it down)
**** ain't rocking over here B (Dumb it down)
Won't you talk about your cars *****? (Dumb it down)
What the **** is goyard ***** (Dumb it down)
Make it rain for the chicks (Dumb it down)
Pour champagne on a ***** (Dumb it down)
What the **** is wrong with you? (Dumb it down)
How can I get on a song with you? (Dumb it down)

[Talking:] Look B, here's my man, my two way, uh, what should I - ah here take this, that right there,
**** what my boys say all the time, ***** you hot to me, I like you (Dumb it down)

[Lupe:] Bishop G, they told me I should come down cousin, but I flatly refuse I ain't dumb down nothing