Sunday, November 25, 2007

Your Vision

What are three characteristics that would be part of a "perfect school" five years from now? Think about the roles of the student, teacher, and technology as you describe your ideal learning climate. As you consider this question, you might also think about what you might look for in your ideal college.

Please consider this question seriously and realistically, as your responses will form part of a presentation to the 21st century learning community of teachers this week.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Drawing Electricity from the Sky

Examine Benjamin West's painting, Benjamin Franklin Drawing Electricity from the Sky (1805). You may access this painting via the following link: http://www.frankelec.com/west_fullsize.htm. After spending a few moments with the painting, please respond to one or more of the following questions:

1. What do you think the artist is trying to achieve in this painting? Consider the sometimes clashing roles of science and religion and how they function in this painting.

2. What are your reactions to the elements of this painting? Do you think it's Romantic? Rationalist? Explain your response.

3. What do you think Benjamin Franklin thought of this portrait of himself?

Monday, October 29, 2007

Live Blogging: "The Minister's Black Veil"

This is last live blogging session, so let's make it happen, people!

Remember to proofread carefully before publishing your comment. Enjoy!

Friday, October 26, 2007

"A Rose for Emily": Live Blogging

Remember that we're looking for quality, not quantity. Enjoy!

Thursday, October 25, 2007

The Tell-Tale Heart: Live Blogging

Please post your fishbowl comments here; remember to refresh the page frequently by hitting F5. The same rules for writing apply to live blogging:

1. Always proofread and use standard spelling and grammar.
2. Use complete sentences, not IM language.
3. Read others' comments before posting your own, and focus on having a conversation with each other.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

The Stanford Prison Experiment


Please click on this link to read about one of the most controversial experiments of our time: The Stanford prison experiment. Read meticulously, as some of the most fascinating (and disturbing) elements of this experiment are in the little details.


When you have finished reading, I'd like you to use the blog to respond to what you have read. I'm not going to give you guiding questions this time; instead, I'd like you to ask your own questions and offer your own, authentic responses. Tomorrow in class we will be connecting this experiment to The Crucible.


Remember that the blog is space to have a conversation, so read others' comments, respond to others' questions, and react to others' reactions.

Monday, September 10, 2007

The candle that would light the world



"They believed, in short, that they held in their steady hands the candle that would light the world. We have inherited this belief, and it has helped and hurt us" (Miller 5).






What do think this passage means? What is the "candle"?

Do you agree that modern Americans have inherited this Puritan attitude? How has it helped or hurt us?

The Mysterious Unknown


The edge of the wilderness was close by. The American continent stretched endlessly west, and it was full of mystery for them. It stood, dark and threatening, over their shoulders night and day, for out of it Indian tribes marauded from time to time, and Reverend Parris had parishioners who had lost relatives to these heathen" (Miller 5).


What role does this "edge of the wilderness" play in the lives of the characters so far?

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

The Nature of Humanity


"We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell." --Oscar Wilde


"We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing one another." --Lucretius
Please read the above quotations. Which one more closely fits your personal philosophy and why? Which one might Gabriel Garcia Marquez and/or Nathaniel Hawthorne agree with and why? Do you think the two quotations necessarily oppose each other?

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

The Devil in the Forest

How do you think Nathaniel Hawthorne would define "evil" based on "Young Goodman Brown"? Do you agree with his definition? Explain your thinking.

Please respond by midnight tonight.

Monday, August 20, 2007

First Post: Expectations

What are your expectations of me as your teacher? What can I do to help you succeed? If you need help brainstorming, think back to a teacher who has inspired and challenged you. How did that teacher help you find success?