The semester ended with a frenzy, but not much flourish. I had hoped to keep my students, and myself, blogging at least once a month. My goal was ambitious!
What I found in the past four days of quiet (no planning, no grading, and no "real" meetings) was time to catch up on some reading. I spent some time with the text for my "new to me" on-line course for spring, with readings recommended by friends and colleagues in education and geography, and with things that are just for me.
This morning, I ran across a Facebook post from a friend and former colleague (turned librarian) to an article from the on-line British paper -- The Guardian. Can Teachers Ever Have a Work-Life Balance? After some reading, I learned that The Guardian - a decidedly, and openly, liberal "rag" - has a great set of pages reserved for their "Teacher Network" - everything from the blog to teacher resources for the classroom to teaching jobs in the UK.
There, I came across the blog of one teacher's experience with Inanimate Alice, a digital novel for the young adult reader. I've not read Alice, yet. I'm enamored with the concept! This is what a "graphic novel" should be in the 21st Century, right?
So, the next question just must be asked -- What would Montag and the others struggling to save books in Bradury's classic Fahrenheit 451 say about digital novels? I really don't have an answer, except - just maybe - it's not just about the paper and ink of the book. It's about the reading. It's about the passing down from one generation to the next the stories of a civilization, not just the reality tv and dramas that unfold on our wall-sized, video monitors. If the purpose in to just get our young people to read and stay reading, then I feel pretty certain we've not really come to the time Bradbury describes in Fahrenheit.
I can't wait to read Alice. I suppose now I will have to find a way to download the "episodes" since I don't have an e-reader except my iPhone (which won't support Adobe Flash).
Welcome to the 21st Century!
No comments:
Post a Comment