The Walt Whitman Questions

How does Walt Whitman preserve or represent the importance of the individual in the context of recognizing unity and the community in "Song of Myself"?

When answering this question it can be useful, on a surface level of analysis, to compile the diction statistics of Whitman's poem. In so doing, specifically by using the option in TokenX, a student could create a word cloud that can stand

alone as a transformation of Whitman's work. Try reading the word cloud to the left. I imagine Whitman would have reveled in this type of technological wordplay with his work, bringing a whole other type of "re-writing" of his poem into possibility. By removing Whitman as the author and allowing the student (or arguably the computer - but that option will remain for another type of "big question") to rewrite the poem, not only does this type of transformation of Whitman's writing change the idea of the "I" who is writing and narrating the poem, but this particular rewriting let's us see how the words Whitman used give us insight into how the poem innately focuses on individuality. This is measured by noting the most used words in the top 100 words used in the piece. 4 out of 5 of the top five most often used words are versions of the self as individual and the remaining word in the 5 references the other as individual. By rearranging the words as shown below, ordering them

from most to least used, again, we not only rewrite the poem (try reading this version of the poem and see what comes up - there are some interesting connections), but we also generate more focus on the groupings of the word usage. Here we create a more visual connection between the types of words used, how often they're used, and a more organized experience for the reader. Whitman would have been excited to see how easily a computer could do some of the work he tried to do on his own, while rearranging, rewriting, transforming and recreating his work over his lifetime. Pairing the word cloud with a published excerpt from a Whitman poem edited by Whitman himself, we can perhaps see the connection between the changing individual and the changing expression of that individual. The poem has had its life put at stake, "to be lost at any moment." As Whitman changes, the poem changes, and, finally, with Whitman having passed on, the poem is allowed to be expressed in whatever way the new individual, the new poet of the poem, finds necessary. This history of the poem in itself is an expression of the individual and the individual's greater connection to community. i you me he - all his. you get me?

A Few Archives

Naropa Poetics Audio Archives: http://www.archive.org/details/naropa

• text-based
• invites explorers interested in beats, but you need to know what about the beats you're looking for
• easy searching w/advanced search option
• no guiding through the collection
• primary materials include brief summary with multiple download formats depending on the file

The Kenneth Rexroth Archive: http://www.bopsecrets.org/rexroth/index.htm

• text-based
• fairly focused archive topic, so all you need to do is read
• searching is not easy, but the archive is also not huge
• no guiding through the collection
• primary materials presented in basic format/not a lot of manipulation allowed/very basic webby in general

The Internet Archive, a non-profit digital library (includes access to multiple types of archives, from downloadable live music to radio programs, and, of course, the literary focused): http://www.archive.org/index.php

• text/image-based
• invites people who might have been looking for one thing and end up finding a whole lot more
• searching is not easy, but the archive and the archive is huge, so know what you're looking for and know how to spell it
• great guiding... posting multiple options, associated files, etc.
• primary materials presented in fairly advanced format/you can play files before you download them/a lot of download options

The Backward Design Experience

This is something I'd like to talk more about in class. I know checking in with other students' blogs helps, but I feel incomplete on how to connect the "design" of the class to the work we completed on the "assessment" and "results" end of the process. I would not only like to see what other students have to say, along with the professor, but I'm interested in moving past these concerns together to make sure we really are all clear on what we produced together and individually. Does my particular "design" really address or produce answers to the questions we established for "assessment" and "results"? Is it possible my "design" is really just posing as a backward design element, when in fact it's really just a the result of my persistent forward design thinking? I'm not sure if the connection made between the "assessment" and "results" and my "design" is strong enough to deny a "yes" to the question. Also, why do the bullet lists for Professor Hanley's "assessment" and "results" not directly correspond to the text on backward design? I am sure I'm missing that part of the conversation. All this being said, and this may be a result of my failure to understand the assignment, but creating my "design" portion of the process was easy. Imagining the application of the "design" in the classroom is exciting to me and, even if it wouldn't result in aligning with my "assessment" and "results," I would anticipate an engaged group of students motivated by the work. (Perhaps I'm being naive.) Also, Professor Hanley asks, "Is there a better way to play around with 'backward design'"? Out of a conversation together, addressing all of my issues (assuming other students have the same concerns), we might be able to get clear on what other ways we can create "backward design," by first making certain that the work we've produced does in fact fit into the pedagogical approach.

Remaking the University

I haven't spent much time combing this site, but I think it's certainly applicable to our lives and paths: http://utotherescue.blogspot.com/

I learn, you learn, we all learn with iLearn?

(apologies for posting this a bit late - computer problems and lack of computer access on a trip to New York prevented me from posting sooner, so without further ado...)

As I mentioned in class, what seems to be one of the main issues regarding my experience of iLearn is in its lack of aliveness I associate with the classroom experience. There is a deadness or a less dramatic sterility to communicating with other classmates and the teacher in an online forum, which only allows monologue entires that may or may not be acknowledged, or even read, in the disconnected and less urgent discussion forum that is iLearn. What I'm talking about is hard to argue for, since it is a discussion about the feeling I get when working in the iLearn universe, so it's hard to get specific about what this problem is. Is it unique only to my experience of iLearn as a specific type of person? It's arguable that I'm the type of student who savors interaction in live dialogue, who loves to feel the impact of a spontaneous instant response and likes to leave some of the same impact when sharing my own opinion. iLearn lacks this quality that I find in the classroom. Although this could be a complaint resulting from the specific type of person that I am, there is something to be said for the potential power of the academic atmosphere and that iLearn is an addition that does not enhance such qualities, but merely becomes a inessential supplement.

What I've noticed about iLearn is that the "conversations" professors have with their students is one that creates the tool as unapproachable, potentially useless, unnecessary, scary, etc. This, I believe, is the first problem in implementing more use of CMS. An embracing creativity is required by professors to make iLearn a matter of fact in the learning environment. As it stands, the problem becomes more about the people who are the access points to the tool, rather than the tool itself. I have had one professor who has used iLearn consistently, and in multiple capacities, in all my time at SFSU. The majority of my professors either don't acknowledge its existence, talk about it as if it were an "alien" technology, and maybe post one or two things to the site, but not enough to keep students using and checking it regularly.

But assuming a CMS like iLearn was used extensively in our school system, it must be acknowledged that it is merely the immature beginnings of what could potentially completely transform our classroom experience and our experience of school in total. I consider it a test. One of the first attempts, albeit a feeble one, to use technology to transform yet another societal structure.

claSSRoom <> mooRSSalc

An RSS exercise for the classroom that could prove affective would be the following:Each student is assigned particular excerpts of a work studied in class. As an example, let's use The Great Gatsby.

The particular excerpts picked by the teacher should include certain historical references - descriptions of flappers, a type of industry of the time or real historical events (wars, elections, etc).

The basic version of the exercise would have the student creating a blog for the piece, having the blog roll listing websites that have been researched and pertain directly to the content the student has gleaned from the excerpt.

Part of the grading for an assignment like this would depend on the content pulled - how thoroughly has the student combed the work for concepts, ideas, references that allow them to add RSS feeds to his/her blog roll.

Another measurement of success for the assignment would be what RSS feeds have been added, adding a layer to the assignment which requires the student to spend some time finding the legitimate websites that apply and being able to write a separate blog entry arguing for the RSS feeds he/she has found. This will add an element that challenges the student to question the sources while researching online.

Furthermore, the assignment could become an interactive one for group work. The students have to find legitimate websites/RSS feeds that connect the excerpts to those of other students. In this way, themes might emerge that can be found throughout the novel. Are there websites that address two different topics that are related? How are they related on the website? How are they related on the novel? What do these relationships tell us?