Hello out there!   I've just finished an interesting read (I picked this book up as I was waiting to check out at the library -- it was in a pile of recently returned books from someone else):   Paper Daughter, a memoir by M. Elaine Mar 

As an ESL teacher, I found this book particularly intriguing, with its very real depictions of experiences adapting to life in the USA.   Told with the blunt perceptions of a three year old through early adulthood girl from Hong Kong, you follow her questioning and accepting both old and new cultural 'norms.'  

Several of her experiences left me reflecting upon various classroom experiences and approaches.  

The book's closing sentence will haunt me for some time...

I recommend this read -- you'll laugh, wince, ponder, gasp.

 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060930527/002-6205905-6831241?v=glance&n=283155 

What is multi-literacy?  

Chapter 1 reading notes
(please see the course Moodle for other notes, too – email me and ASK if you’re curious!)
blogging away:
As a philologist, the following is a list of words/phrases that caught my particular attention while reading chapter 1 of Stuart A. Selbert’s book, Multiliteracies for a Digital Age.
Þ     undeniable
Þ     moot
Þ     myths
Þ     touted
Þ     technological façade
Þ     heuristic
Þ     post-critical stance
Þ     here to stay
Þ     malleable
Þ     dizzying
Þ     fails to situate
Þ     avoidance
Þ     commercialization
Þ     paradoxically
Þ     awareness
Þ     declining productivity
Þ     not too prescriptive
Þ     disturbing
Þ     tendencies
Þ     corporate sponsors
Þ     metaphors filter experiences
Þ     interdependencies
Þ     envision
Þ     tendential forces
Þ     implication
Þ     envision
Þ     integrated initiatives
and this list sort of sums up the chapter, eh? …and the entire soup that is ‘multiliteracies’?
These quotes also seemed worthy of documenting:
Þ     (from the preface): “My view is that computer literacy education today is all too often a one-dimensional enterprise.”
Þ     (p. 3) “…no theories or positions should be immune to critical assessment.”
Þ     (p. 8) “…teachers and students should be mindful of the ways in which they can unwittingly promote inequitable and counterproductive technological practices.”
Þ     (p. 8-9) [this inclusion endeared me to this book – the acknowledgment of global realities and their intertwining with multiliteracies] “(endemic poverty, violence, environmental decay, dehumanizing work practices, the dizzying pace of everyday life in a technological world)”
Þ     (p. 11) [re: technological perspectives] “…only insofar as it can support the more traditional goals of textual studies.”
Þ     (p. 23) “technology can encourage teachers to reconsider taken-for-granted assumptions, goals, practices.”
Þ     (p. 26) “The other point that should be made is that the framework is not neutral.”
My comments/thoughts:
What is Multiliteracy?   Good question!  What is computer literacy?  What should students know how to do?  What should teachers teach?  What are obstacles?  These and other questions were introduced in the preface –
random thoughts:
Þ     repeating patterns in history of computer technology, in academia, in cultures, in life!
Þ     nothing seems so simple anymore: complications!
Þ     I was struck by (surprised!) the page 6 comments about the declining productivity in banking industry – is this true?  and also in US overall productivity in decline – hmmmmm…….
Þ     page 7 = 25% of graduate TAs teach in a computer-based class, yet teach curriculum rich in use of technology!   sigh…
Þ     aside thoughts – what are implications/costs of wireless/satellite/laptops/theft/upgrades/ sigh… so many become ‘moot!’
Þ     PDAs, Blackberry, MP3s – so many things I’ve NEVER used!  my own ignorance, and yet I have invested considerable time and effort and mental energy toward becoming less ignorant…  hmmmm…. sigh….
Þ     computers were supposed to make us a paperless society, save trees:  HA!
Þ     I found the research into how various institutions pre-assess technological literacy quite interesting.  I did a quick google search for computer literacy assessment/ computer literacy assessment free / faculty computer literacy assessment – the following sites were bookmarked for my further exploration ‘someday.’ (sigh)
o       http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlissues/acrlinfolit/infolitoverview/infolitforfac/infolitfaculty.htm
o       http://www.fis.utoronto.ca/inforum/studentpackage2005.htm#literacy
Þ     I had assumed (oh, one should so never assume!) that essentially all universities assess students AND faculty for computer literacy – but have begun to realize there is a great disparity between institutions’ policies!  (and, duh, I’ve only once been assessed for my skills prior to a teaching position placement… sigh&hellip
Þ     the survey (even allowing for distortion of statistics, these are telling results:
o       UCLA, 67% of 33,785 faculty fear keeping current with technology
o       87% agree that computer competency enhances student learning
Þ     I have this evolving philosophy to encourage an AAAA approach to ‘any’ new endeavor – Awareness, Acknowledgement, Address (the issue), Adapt and then AAAA all over again – constantly re-evaluating
Þ     When I got to page 22’s subheading, A Portrait of the Ideal Multi-Literacy Student I stopped and made this list:
o       hands-on experience
o       demonstrates ability to re-trace/document where obtained info
o       recognizes acronyms (some)
o       demonstrates ability to read/follow instructions on computer, navigation skills, AND to explain to someone else the steps taken
o       describes prior success in some level of mastery of a new technological concept/software, etc.
o       email/Internet/Word, Excel (basic), used in a minimum of two different venues
o       global connection
o       (I have trouble with all of these – realized it’s not easy to articulate multiliteracy)
definition of multi-literacy – info found on web:
http://www.pkp.ubc.ca/multiliteracies/
The term multiliteracies was coined by the New London Group (1996) to highlight two related aspects of the increasing complexity of texts: (a) the proliferation of multimodal ways of making meaning where the written word is increasingly part and parcel of visual, audio, and spatial patterns; (b) the increasing salience of cultural and linguistic diversity characterized by local diversity and global connectedness .
 
and Eureka!  I found myself researching/refreshing my knowledge of the term heuristic!  (Webster’s definition and appended info from wikipedia were quite enlightening – I actually printed them out for future reflection!  (I’m hoping someone reading this will be curious enough to find the time and initiative to locate it and read it themselves!).
 
…back to random comments on Chapter 1,
Þ     so, when I continued to read on, I realize that I’m apparently on the right track with this book and Selber’s line of thinking (whew! there’s hope!)
Þ     I liked the idea of the chart on page 25, and this three-literacy (functional, critical, rhetorical) approach, but philologically (is there such a word?!), I found myself turning my nose up at some of the word choices, loving others (loved metaphor, reflective; disliked praxis, artifacts) used in the chart itself! 
Þ     But I like the concept of students as users/questioners/producers – but would add  SHARERS/disseminators as a crucial element also.
Þ     found myself thinking, “precisely because of the paradoxes – I believe – is why so many refuse to embrace technological advances – users/questioners/producers/disseminators of the pre-technological world feel demeaned/devalued.  
Þ     was often reminded of a literary theory class I took years ago – reading and analyzing Derrida, Foucault, others – HEAVY stuff!  but discourse, and the discussions of discourse, are insidiously intriguing to me… sigh.
Þ     page 26’s comments about tendential forces made me smile – I have often used this phrase, “I am a self-described tangential with eclectic tendencies.” and found myself thinking – tendential/tangential – hmmmm!  maybe I am tendentially tangential?!
 
Enough!  Now, if anyone has actually read this, you’ll have a better grasp as to why I’m so late in posting – I’ve spent an accumulated 7+ hours on this course so far – precious hours I don’t really have to spare!  sigh!  And I’m still behind in the work – dang!
 

Wow!  It's been a long time since I've written to this journal.  I have multitudes of scattered random notes and performance ticket stubs and student writing samples to reflect upon in the future.  

But I simply must write tonight.   I had the oddest experience in class tonight!   I was substitute teaching for a colleague who just gave birth to a baby boy earlier this week.   Her class was in the Lifelong Learning School (section) of Catholic University of Korea (the same campus but different building than I usually teach in).  There were only five students present tonight.  I had substituted for the same group two evenings ago as well.  

I was doing a lesson on idioms, and the expression "throw your weight around" was on our handout.   As is my usual teaching style, I use theatrics whenever possible, and "talk with my hands" a lot.  So, I asked the group to imagine they were at a social gathering of colleagues and 'important people.'  Imagine there was one guy who was strutting about (and so I strutted) and pulling on his suitjacket  (and so I tugged at my imaginary suit jacket) and he was saying, "Well, hunh, you know I helped him with that deal."  and "That's nothing!  I was the one who...." and etc.  

Well, the students laughed (as I expected), and then we moved on to the next expression. 

About one minute later, one of the students, a young male, flushed red in the face and cracked up laughing!   He guffawed!  He chortled!  He covered his mouth with his hands and CRACKED UP!  ....to the point that he actually, literally (really!) stood up, doubled over laughing, and managed to spit out, "Sorry, excuse me, but..." and went OUT OF THE ROOM, laughing!  He stayed in the hallway guffawing for several moments!  Then he stayed (I don't know where) out for several more quiet moments -- he was gone nearly ten minutes! 

At the end of the class, he apologized, then cracked up again!  He said he'd NEVER seen a foreigner do such a thing! 

So, am I really that weird?  Was that a good reaction or a "I'll never come to one of her classes again." reaction?   sigh.

I don't know.  But I was sure that something terrible was wrong with me, that my clothes were ripped open and my bra and panties were showing, or something equally outrageous -- but no, he was reacting ONLY to my 'theatrics.'  !!!

sigh.   Not sure what it means. 

Another awkward thing tonight --- this was the final class of the semester, and I was given certificates to hand out (which I did, with applause), and class was supposed to end at 8 pm, which I tried to do... but they didn't leave... they sat there as I packed up my things, as I erased the board... I asked them if I'd forgotten something... they said no, but made no effort to leave...

I said goodbye, and indicated we needed to vacate the room so folks could lock it up for the night... so I left and walked out the door and down the hall... they followed... I spent about 8 minutes in the office turning in documents... I came out and they were still there... out in the hall... clustered together... why?   I asked again if there was something I had forgotten, they said no...

so I said goodnight and came home -- I'm still not sure if I did something inappropriate or didn't do something I was supposed to? 

odd.

decidedly odd.

I'm feeling unsettled about it all -- an uncomfortable feeling.

I must relate one other comical experience from last December.  I purchased a hanbok -- a traditional Korean hanbok -- with the help of three students (an enjoyable adventure to the fabric world in Dongdaemun area of Seoul -- incredible!) and wore my hanbok for students to see (to honor the end of the semester and their hard work, I wore it when students were giving their oral presentations on the traditional culture and customs of Korea. 

Well, a traditional hanbok is a tad uncomfortable to wear, and has several undergarments.  At the tailor where I was fitted and where I chose the fabric for my hanbok, I was informed that I should NOT wear a brassiere with this hanbok.  There is an undergarment wrap-around that 'binds' the boobs rather severely (it needs to be tied tight enough to serve as a bra) and then other layers of things that fit just right IF you do things correctly!

Well, one of the women who helped me choose the hanbok, who helped choose the tailor, who helped negotiate the price (she's a Sister, a nun, who speaks very good Korean but struggles mightily with English).   Well, she happened to be the first student signed up for oral presentations the day she knew I would wear my hanbok.  She wanted to check to be sure I had done things correctly.  

Well, she tugged and pulled and retied and hemmed and hawed and babbled in Korean a mile a minute (she and another student who had also accompanied me upon my order and purchase) -- well, it was evident that something was wrong, but I couldn't understand what they were trying to tell me. 

Being the ESL teacher that I am, I kept coaxing them, encouraging them, repeating, "Is there some way you can SHOW me?"  Sister pointed to the window (open to a courtyard) and shook her head...

aha... the problem was in the undergarments!  So, I crafted a 'closet' hideaway using the whiteboard (it's portable, on a support bracket with wheels) and covering the window o f the classroom door. 

So, Sister looked embarrassed, hemmed and hawed some more, kept TRYING so hard to TELL me something... but they didn't have the English to do it! 

I kept repeating... "show me?"  Finally, Sister came close to me, untied the top piece of the hanbok, looked miserable (absolutely miserable), took a DEEP breath, and said, "Excuse me, teacher.   Excuse me, teacher." and REACHED IN and PULLED UP one boob!   Apparently the problem was my sagging bosom!   and the fact that my body is a different build than most Korean women's!  So, I hadn't bound my boobs adequately!  So, Sister reached for the right, then the left, lifted them up and TUGGED those undergarments TIGHT -- demonstrated that I needed to inhale, and then she tugged them tighter! 

We all giggled... and I love to tell this story!   How many ESL teachers have been fondled by their students?!   Ha ha!  LOL!  I LOVE the trust and honor involved... how many students would dare?   I love it! 

I have SO many stories to share, so many examples of the amazing generosity and magic and kindness of the people I have met here.

more another day, Holly

 

Chusok Holiday in South Korea -- a nice 5 day break after nearly one month -- my first ever month -- in South Korea!

Overall beyond expectation experience thus far -- in less than one month, I've begun teaching ("visiting professor" at The Catholic University of Korea, Songsim Campus, Bucheon-Si, Korea... learned to navigate the subway and taxi system reasonably efficiently, I've met lots of wonderful folks, received several gifts, been to the hospital, toured the city of Seoul alone (Dongdaemun Market area) and been three times more with others -- Insadong, City Hall areas, climbed Dongbo Mountain, eaten at several traditional Korean restaurants, visited two temples, observed a traditional (mock) wedding ceremony, seen a real wedding party, listened to a fantastic traditional Korean flute performance, seen a fan dance performance, survived the first potent pangs of homesickness -- oh, so much more!

.. finding that similarities strike me more than differences (though there are certainly both in abundant evidence)...

... still somewhat in awe of myself -- I'm really really here and doing this ON MY OWN... wow. But really it's not at all that difficult -- as with so many things, it's our own fears (certainly my own trepidations) that have delayed this opportunity -- excuses aside, I could have done this years ago --- but am nonetheless glad my journey has brought me here.

I still admire those who travel alone (tour alone) -- not sure that is me just yet -- I still am lonely and appreciate the support of companionship -- except while 'necessity shopping' and climbing -- these I enjoy alone --- but for all else I confess to loneliness and am sorry that life didn't give me a companion with similar yearnings -- it is hard to be married 25+ years and have such opposite dreams....

yet he is coming -- husband and daughter will come in December -- two and half months more to survive alone...
but not alone -- !

The International house I am living in houses an eclectic group of slow-to-socialize personalities -- I am the only 'first timer abroad' person here -- and so the stories of others all indicate this group is a rarity and so tenuous for all -- and no one is sure why!

more another day -- much to accomplish on my task list today --
life... is!

hope it's a day of unexpected smiles for you...

Hello all,

not enough hours in a day! TESOL (March 29 - April 4) in LongBeach CA was awesome! While there, I interviewed for and was offered a position teaching in Ansan, So Korea, at the Gyeonggi English Village. If all goes well with the contract, I will leave this July!

I am so excited! I've been learning Korean and sympathizing with the exhaustion learning a new language can elicit.

I will post more soon, but must move on to other tasks and timelines... just wanted to send my news out to the blogworld!

The weather here in C'ville, VA is beautiful -- early summer -- 80 degrees and flowers bursting into bloom like fast-forward photography, splendid!

Hope someone out there will post a comment (thanks!)

Some people are just so kind! I received this email tonight:

"I'm another procrastinator responding to Holly Dilatush, who writes irregularly, but long. This is the third posting of hers I've printed out, because they just bubble with good ideas!

I'm not sure if I reported back on the success of one of her ideas,
which was to start a discussion going by writing the topic up on the
board, giving some vocabulary for scaffolding, and then just sitting
quietly and waiting for the students to initiate the discussion. I've
done it twice now, and both times it was a resounding success! The first time the topic was the "bird flu," an issue of personal relevance to us all at the time in Bangkok! And just the other day I made copies of a very nice reflection on "development," what it is and whether Thailand will ever be a developed country, which I found in the Bangkok Post. I gave the students copies and summarized main points on a transparency. The students took it from there. Both times, the same student initiated the discussion and became the hidden facilitator, both times they conveyed lots of good ideas, facts, etc. with their very lower-intermediate language skills. (It helps a lot that they are teachers themselves, used to informing themselves, used to carrying on discussions.) Both times an authentic discussion came about, because the teacher kept her mouth shut and let the students communicate on their own terms!
I am very grateful to Holly for sharing this wonderful activity to add
to my repertoire, and I look forward to trying out some more of her
ideas! Thanks, Holly!"

I am reminded of a dear colleague, Anne H., whom I've not heard from in MUCH too long --- think I'll send her a link to this blog and hope to hear from her! Anne, too, was wonderful at encouraging the celebration of worthy moments of all kinds! I miss you Anne, and think of you often!

I anticipate the rereading of this journal entry in months and years to come, and wish all readers many moments of similar validation.

til next time --

Hello to me and any blog-browsers out there!
Today I attended a Unitarian Universalist service, with two curious ESOL learners who have been exploring various local churches.

Then we had an enjoyable lunch at a local Indian restaurant, yumm!

World news saddens me today. The after-effects of the Copenhagen play I viewed last night still disturb me --- there was a very effective mimic of the explosion of the bomb in Japan --- with a blast of noise and flash of light and followed by equally effective 'hear-a-pin-drop' eerie, sad silence.... I still 'hear' that silence... this morning I lit a remembrance candle for all the victims of that horror...

and then there's today's (any day's) current news stories... sigh.

but then there's also early snowdrops blooming, bulbs thrusting their green blades up through the still-cold earth, and spring teases its coming promise...

Prepping tonight for a workplace literacy class I'll teach tomorrow -- such struggles, such beautiful earnestness; human resilience in the face of hardship is inspiring...
g'nite.