Tender Is The Night

Into the dark, smoky restaurant, smelling of the rich raw foods on the buffet, slid Nicole’s sky-blue suit like a stray segment of the weather outside. Seeing from their eyes how beautiful she was, she thanked them with a smile of radiant appreciation. They were all very nice people for a while, very courteous and all that. Then they grew tired of it and they were funny and bitter, and finally they made a lot of plans. They laughed at things that they would not remember clearly afterward—laughed a lot and the men drank three bottles of wine. The trio of women at the table were representative of the enormous flux of American life. Nicole was the granddaughter of a self-made American capitalist and the granddaughter of a Count of the House of Lippe Weissenfeld. Mary North was the daughter of a journeyman paper-hanger and a descendant of President Tyler. Rosemary was from the middle of the middle class, catapulted by her mother onto the uncharted heights of Hollywood.

Their point of resemblance to each other and their difference from so many American women, lay in the fact that they were all happy to exist in a man’s world—they preserved their individuality through men and not by opposition to them. They would all three have made alternatively good courtesans or good wives not by the accident of birth but through the greater accident of finding their man or not finding him.

So Rosemary found it a pleasant party, that luncheon, nicer in that there were only seven people, about the limit of a good party. Perhaps, too, the fact that she was new to their world acted as a sort of catalytic agent to precipitate out all their old reservations about one another. After the table broke up, a waiter directed Rosemary back into the dark hinterland of all French restaurants, where she looked up a phone number by a dim orange bulb, and called Franco-American Films. Sure, they had a print of “Daddy’s Girl”—it was out for the moment, but they would run it off later in the week for her at 341 Rue des Saintes Anges
—ask for Mr. Crowder.

       

— F. Scott Fitzgerald
Tender Is The Night

 

Why I Deleted My Foursquare Account

After using it for a few years and then on and off in the past year, I recently deleted my Foursquare account. There were a few big reasons for this decision. First off is obvious privacy concerns. Those are obvious, but my concerns with Foursquare were primarily concerned with two other things. A lot of my "online" friends are on Foursquare, which is great and helpful during conferences or other events, but on a day to day basis that does not really seem too useful. Some of my students were on it and a few co-workers, but not a substantial enough amount of people to make me want to continue using this app.

The biggest problem, however, was the fact that many local businesses did not honor "deals" offered on Foursquare. I had two franchise owners of large coffee shops ask me what Foursquare even was, and another was extremely hostile about the fact that they did not honor whatever discount was mentioned on the app. Now, with the franchises this could be a matter of the corporation doing it and franchises opting out, but then why is it still on the app? That is not a local stores fault really. Somehow, Foursquare needs to be better designed to deal with this.

I lost interest as time went on because there was little incentive to use the app. If I could get deals, I would be happy to use it. I was pretty bummed when I found out that deals I thought I was getting would not be honored. Some of my students have said the same thing. I just do not see a use in the long run for apps like this.

Weekly Reader

Center For Learning & Instruction: Working With Students Who Have Low Technology Skills

Here are my notes from the lecture I gave to BCC's Center For Learning & Instruction in the spring of 2012. Sherrie Block, our paralegal program director took these notes, which I have added some hyperlinks to for further information. If you want to watch the video of my lecture, look below.

Working With Students Who Have Low Technology Skills – William Wend, English Lecturer Center for Learn and Instruction: Thursday, April 5th, 2012 Presentation

  • Mr. Wend is constantly hearing from BCC faculty dealing with students who possesses low technology skills; he, for example, wishes students would do page breaks before starting their citation page

  • Topic was voted for at Conference; At ThatCamp, there is no planned schedule until the morning of the conference. Participants suggest topics and they are democratically voted on.

  • William ran panel and had nice hour and half chat there and is now bringing this presentation back to BCC (a more final version). He hopes to do this more in the future.

  • He found that many attendees faced common issue,  dealing with them on a day-to-day basis:

    • Finding ways to remove hindrances to learning; easy for students to fall behind if they cannot put together a document properly on a computer

    • Example Student: had low computer skills...almost dropped William’s class

    • Met with student: “this is a mouse”

    • Technology skills are important not only in class, but also in the job market

  • Digital Citizenship is something that is important; this is a workforce issue that will set you apart from the rest of job applicants (know how to use word processor, etc. – jobs won’t train on this anymore- resources , money, and time wasted for employer)

    • Mother’s best friend tried to apply at Wal-Mart  a few months ago – application had to be filled out on computer – she never used a computer before and she was dumbfounded; they had to sit there and walk her through app – she didn’t get the job

    • Mr. Wend teaches word processing skills in his English classes

    • Building template in MLA style paper for his and other classes (header, page numbers, page-break before citations) – formatting on name – emails to them so that they have for future papers

    • That is a good percentage of his classes’ paper grades (this template)

    • Students learn how to do APA template for Psychology classes, etc. (Chicago Style, etc.)

    • Need to know what proper form to use in the specific class

    • Email Assignment at the beginning of the term – Students send Mr. Wend an email (counts as quiz grade) from BCC account so that there is proof that they know how to use email (if password needs to be reset , etc., this will be resolved very early in the semester). Email account needs to be checked frequently – proposed that this be done institutionally.

  • Mr. Wend’s classes are heavily based on technology.

    • An instructor in the Liberal Arts Division sends Study Guides to students’ email but does not always tell her students; it is their responsibility to check (BCC sends job listings on the mymail account, etc.).

    • At ThatCamp talked about a 1 credit technology class that students can test out of, but would need to take – possibility at BCC perhaps?

    • Another issue – in English dealing with Information Literacy (talking with Martin Hoffman and Dave Peterson) – What is next step after mandatory ENG 101 Library Session? - What can they do with resources?

    • Mr. Wend’s class does a follow up exercise after the mandatory library day

    • At ThatCamp, talked about students who have a hard time deciphering what good sources of information is online (students click on sponsored link not knowing that this was paid for and may not be the correct link for them; search Othello for example and Spark Notes is the second link)

    • Students in Mr. Wend’s class cited from Yahoo Answers (comes up first often doing using a Yahoo and/or Bing search – versus using Google)

    • Mr. Wend will create a blacklist to get rid of some bad resources so that students know not to use; proposes a mandatory Library Day in ENG 102 – next steps for evaluating sources or citing properly (second year research)

    • Concern from Librarians to not just outsource this to Library – this is a collaborative effort with them

  • Idea also to do Coffee Sessions with Faculty to gain more allies in various disciplines to become go-to people for these sorts of issues

  • This does not have to come from the classroom; should come from the curriculum-end,  as well

  • Panel: List should be given to students as to what students need to know in terms of technology skills by the end of this year (this would be decided on a school-by-school basis)

    • Mr. Wend proposes that this technological information should be built into the handbook that students have, to check email on a regular basis, etc.

    • Students need to be in email so that they are aware of deadlines as they come and not find out after because he or she read the email too late

  • Panel: Some schools have technology across the curriculum (like writing across the curriculum); some schools require instructors use a content management system (whether the schools or their own, Blackboard, Wiki, etc.)

    • – Digital aspect to a class - to get from Flintstones (print; analog) to Jetsons (21st century) – Teachers must be comfortable with technology

    • Requirement of Information Literacy in K-12 curriculum

    • Panel: we can reach out to local school districts (principals, etc.) regarding curriculum, to open up dialog.

      Mr. Wend proposes also that students with high technology skills help other students with lower skills (formatting, computer skills, etc.); students can buddy up and help one another or if not happening naturally, instructors can help to formalize this. If students are struggling to put together a paper, etc. this leads to plagiarism and lower success. (Mr. Wend interviews these students and 1 in 5 don’t know how to evaluate sources or put together.)

  • Schools, discipline coordinators, and individual instructors of classes can do surveys to gauge students’ technology skills and gear class with this information in mind (Google survey in class, survey at time of registration maybe, etc.)
  • Online students – the list of what needs to be known to be successful in class can be handed out as well, surveys can be given
  • Citation managers (Moodle, etc.); Portable Apps can be used if they do not like what is in computer lab –  Mr. Wend shows in Secondary Level classes
  • Students do not all realize that they can put BCC email on their phone. In class, Mr. Wend will take time to help them set this up while students doing class exercises.
  • Students these days communicate through Facebook, Skype and text messaging. They are resistant to going on the web. Everything is app based for them. They do not need a separate mental note now o remind them to go check email.
  • Mr. Wend emphasizes task managers in class (Remember the Milk is one Mr. Wend uses, etc.)
  • Add Calendar to phone, as well (Google Calendar, etc.) to get into routine; task management. Foolish to not take advantage of this.
  • BCC should publish Academic Calendar to ICS file (Google file) to students’ calendars. – Should be public not just on web. Can be on phone. Students do not always see paper posters of events.
  • William Wend, Sherrie Block, and Gina Yanuzzi will start doing technology presentations for the student body (monthly maybe) – building a word processing template for papers – students use of Gmail accounts- not all know they have access to Google Docs and Google Calendar as well. Teach the students how to use these resources. (Student requests) – Also, Mr. Wend to present additional topics for Faculty at CLI presentations, such as this.
  • Please get in touch with us if you want to be involved in this project!!
  • Online Video on this presentation and Google Doc will have links for you.
  • We have pieces in place but we need to connect the dots. Let’s collaborate and work together on improvements to improve student success.

#RThink

Last summer, I was thrilled to be asked to return to Stockton for the #RThink (Rethinking Thoughts) conference. The afternoon was spent among old friends and some very interesting and eager students. The Literature program at Stockton is in great hands.

Here are my notes from the day: 

  • Twitter hashtag=#rthink

  • Creating a New Media certificate

  • Students would create a portfolio that could be shown to employers/schools/etc

  • New Media assignments should be memorable

  • Allowing students to make up their project (see Kinsella senior seminar in the spring) gives students agency over their work and which projects they worked on)

  • I allow my students to have a say over their paper topics. We brew them in class during discussions. This gives them ownership over their writing.

  • I also mentioned the “Peer Review Speed Dating” that I do

  • Giving students options for New Media assignments is important

  • Could do a podcast or book signing or calendar or newsletter

  • There was some discussion of the good ole pop-up projects

  • I have thought about using those in my classes.

  • What is the role of service learning in all of this?

  • Something Tom said gave me a great idea for an assignment for my Composition II classes

  • About half way through short story period (which is first 6-7 weeks) have students pick a YouTube song that relates to a story we have read.

  • Write a 500 word essay about the song and story.

  • For example, if we read The Yellow Wallpaper, I would pick Systematic Death by Crass

  • Live experience of tweeting shared reading of a chapter/scene/etc

  • I think this would work best in an online class

  • Create an “exhibition” of it via Storify

  • An idea I loved was putting together an epub of the best work of a class

  • Students could be involved in the curation and editing process

  • General consensus in the room of “what good is one more essay?”

ThatCamp Philly: Middle Ground Between Technologists and Academics

This discussion was a nice segway from our discussion earlier about continuing to work with students who have low technology skills.
  • Just because something is open access and online does not mean that everyone can actually access it.
  • Slam The Boards: Librarian movement to spend a day each month answer questions on Yahoo Answers to direct users to right places.
  • Discussion of apps that work well with users versus ones that never reply to issues.
  • Some librarians feel like they do not "have" to use technology.
  • Invisible hierarchies between professors can dissuade collaboration.