21st Century Literacy

Check out the link from the NCTE Inbox http://www.ncte.org/about/gov/cgrams/news/130271.htm regarding the need to update our ideas about literacy. Please read the short article and post your comments on the blog.

Topic for discussion

"The best teacher is the one who suggests rather than dogmatizes, and inspires his listener with the wish to teach himself."
-- Edward Bulwer-Lytton (author of the oft quoted and parodied "It was a dark and stormy night....")

Assuming some degree of agreement, what are some steps to attaining this?

Online Language Resources

I'd like to thank Larry for adding me as a contributor to this blog. I'll try to point blog participants toward some interesting technology tools that are relevant to writing, speaking, and thinking about language in general and English in particular. To get us started:

Best Online Language Tools for Word Nerds
A nice collection of tools to explore etymologies and word relationships. I'm especially fond of Visuwords--a very compelling way to visualize word meanings and relationships.

The Phronistery
The place to be if your interest is obscure, outdated, or unusual words.

Top Sites for Logophiles
Good collection of resources, including a few games that can be used for classroom activities.

50 Tools That Can Improve Your Writing Skills
Just what it says; a wonderful collection of links to tips for better writing.

English methods blog

This blog is to be used as a sounding board for educational issues for EDSC 432/632 students. I will use it to post what I hope are thought provoking items of interest along with occasional podcasts of items related to class. Feel free to share your thoughts. Some of the postings will be "required" and included as part of the participation grade for the class as we discussed in our first meeting. Students will be notified when new postings occur but feel free to post your comments anytime.