I totally forgot I had this blog!

I should probably post this to the “Senior Moments” page, but I’m too old to think about “shoulds.”

A friend of mine posted his new site and had a link to this blog, reminding me it exists. Of course, since this blog is purportedly a place for me to eat up spare time, perhaps this is more of a comment on how much spare time I don’t have!

But, to make this post semi-useful, I’d like to use it to talk a bit about the LILAC Project, a multi-institutional study of student information-seeking behavior. One of our students recently agreed to an interview about information literacy, what he has been taught, wha
t he thinks he needs to know, and more. I really enjoyed talking with him and I hope you will
enjoy the video as well. It is now posted to YouTube at https://youtu.be/kcItFxoUYmU.

By the way, we have been posting RAPs to our YouTube channel as well. While we still have lots more to post, you can access the interview and the RAPs that have been posted thus far athttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv1NCZ-tlvcRybEqxbL-sww.

We have now collected survey and RAPs from well over 200 subjects, but we have a long way to go to reach our goal. Please let me know if I can do anything to help you. The hardest part of this project is getting students to volunteer. Luckily, some of the faculty at my institution, from a variety of disciplines, decided to award their students a few extra credit points for participating, and that has really driven up the number of participants! Talk to faculty at your institution about how they can encourage their students to volunteer.

Not Your Mama’s Gamer

Not Your Mama’s Gamer

For those of you who remember Tuesday Cafe (and for those of you who don’t), a friend just “pinged” this link about it. http://www.samanthablackmon.net/notyourmamasgamer/?p=4898

Wow–how time flies when you’re having fun!

 

How Rude!

Recently, someone has taken it upon his/herself to “correct” my manners.  Of course, this assumes that a) there is one set of rules for all people everywhere/we all define “mannerly” in the same way(s) and b) it is this person’s job to correct me.

Aside from the fact that this person seems to think that “rules” of conversational turn-taking are universal (they are NOT) and that “elevator etiquette” applies to bathrooms at work (it doesn’t),  I have to warn this person (and everyone else who might be in reach of this blog) that one should NEVER (good manners or not) get in the way of an old lady trying to get to the bathroom, or else you need to be prepared to clean up any resulting mess.  You can DEPEND on it (ok, bad pun!).

I wish my blog was this good!

So, my son starts a blog.  He’s a musician, and I teach writing.  But his blog rocks. Not really a pun since he’s a jazz musician, but writing “his blog jazzes” just doesn’t quite work. Anyway, I wish I could write like him! Check it out.

http://laruenickelson.wordpress.com/2013/06/09/a-mistake/

Graduate Research Network at Computers and Writing Conference

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION MAY 9, 2013!

 The 2013 Graduate Research Network (GRN) is an annual forum at the Computers and Writing Conference to connect researchers with other researchers and discussion leaders in the field.

 We invite proposals for work-in-progress discussion at the 14^th annual GRN, June 6, 2013, at the Computers and Writing Conference hosted this year by Frostburg State University, Frostburg, MD.  Work at any stage of completion is welcome, from those just beginning to think through ideas to those ready to consider venues for publication. The GRN is FREE to all registered conference participants.  Remember, too: you do NOT have to be a graduate student to participate! Anyone who would like to benefit from the conversations and feedback about projects they are working on is welcome!

 Morning sessions will consist of roundtable discussions of works-in-progress.  During the afternoon GRN, we will offer an exciting job workshop.  We need both presenters and Discussion Leaders.  Sign up NOW.

·         For more information about the GRN and to sign up to participate, please visit our Web site at http://www.gradresearchnetwork.org/.   And don’t forget to apply for GRN/C&W Travel Grant Funding if you meet eligibility requirements. Even if you have already registered for the C&W Conference and checked the GRN Workshop box, you will still need to complete our form. And if you did NOT register for GRN, don’t worry–there’s still time!

We also hope that those who can will consider donating to the GRN/C&W Travel Grant Fund.  For more information on how you can contribute—or to apply for funding—see http://www.gradresearchnetwork.org/donate-to-the-grn/.

AND don’t forget, you can also help us raise money for the GRN/C&W Travel Grant Fund , stay fit, and have fun by participating in Ride2CW.  For more information, see http://www.ride2cw.org/.

 See you in Frostburg!  Remember:  GRN!

Call for Proposals – 2012 Graduate Research Network (GRN) at Computers and Writing

The Graduate Research Network (GRN) invites proposals for its 2012 workshop, May 17, 2012, at the Computers and Writing Conference hosted by North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC.

The C&W Graduate Research Network is an all-day pre-conference event, open to all registered conference participants at no charge. Roundtable discussions group those with similar interests and discussion leaders who facilitate discussion and offer suggestions for developing research projects and for finding suitable venues for publication. We encourage anyone interested or involved in graduate education and scholarship–students, professors, mentors, and interested others–to participate in this important event. The GRN welcomes those pursuing work at any stage, from those just beginning to consider ideas to those whose projects are ready to pursue publication. Participants are also invited to apply for travel funding through the CW/GRN Travel Grant Fund.

Deadline for submissions is April 25, 2012. For more information or to submit a proposal, visit our Web site at http://class.georgiasouthern.edu/writling/GRN/2011/index.html or email Janice Walker at jwalker@georgiasouthern.edu.

GRN Is now Scannable

The Graduate Research Network now has its very own QR code.  Put it on your t-shirts, tatoo it on you body where you can display it proudly, or, well, just scan it with your smart phone app.  🙂

Enjoy!

Scan Me!

CCCC 2011 Elevator Conversations

Stories about elevators at CCCC each year are legion. This year, finding the right bank of elevators at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis meant walking in circles to find the elevators that actually went to the floor you wanted to get to, and then circling again to get out. And, of course, getting from the 31^st floor to the 30^th floor meant riding the elevator all the way down to the lobby, and again walking the elevator circle (reminiscent somehow of Danté?) to find the bank that went to the 30^th floor, and, well, you can take it from there!

But standing in line for elevators that don’t go to the right floor is only part of the CCCCs elevator saga. Eavesdropping on conversations on elevators is as edifying a part of the conference experience as are the conference presentations themselves—sometimes more.

I still remember the TV newscasts broadcast in the elevators at the 2001 CCCC in New York, as the US invaded Afghanistan, while many CCCC attendees were participating in peace rallies in the streets of the city. Watching snippets of war between floors was frighteningly surreal.

This year there was no TV news in the elevators. But the conversations in the elevators were still interesting in their own way.

Conversation #1

Person 1: “You’re from Australia? We should hold the CCCC there one year! You guys speak English and everything.”

Person 2: “They don’t have to speak English to host the conference in a country.”

Person 1: “That’s true. That’s where we’re needed most.”

This exchange bothered me on so many levels. Of course, the idea that “we” are needed to teach English to non-English speakers seems to imply that everyone “needs” to know English (as well as that what we are about is teaching the language, which at CCCC is not really a truism). Secondly, the idea that the only people involved in college-level “composition and communication” issues are those who speak English is exceedingly problematic.

Conversation #2

CCCC Person to Marriott Staff Person: “I bet you’ll be glad when you don’t have to put up with all these wild English teachers, huh?”

Marriott Staff Person: “Oh, no, you guys are tame. You ought to see the people who come for the comic book convention!”

Me: (to myself: Hmmm, some of them are us, too: like my colleague, Michael Pemberton!)

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Call for Proposals

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy. September 22-24, 2011

Deadline: April 15, 2011

Location: Coastal Georgia Center in the historic District of Savannah

Please submit your proposal via the website. The online submission link of the website will provide all of the information you need to create and submit a proposal.

http://ceps.georgiasouthern.edu/conted/infolit.html

For more information, contact:

Janice Reynolds

912-478-1755

janreyn@georgiasouthern.edu

2011 Graduate Research Network

The Graduate Research Network at the 2011 Computers and Writing Conference invites you to join us! We need presenters and discussion leaders. GRN discussions are informative, exhausting, and not to be missed. Please spread the word! http://class.georgiasouthern.edu/writling/GRN/2011/index.html

Follow the links for information about the CW/GRN Travel Grant Fund as well. Apply for a Travel Grant, or donate to the fund if you can.

Hope to see you there!