Technology and children’s books

Fizzing and inspiring  thoughts here, from Katherine Paterson, distinguished author of Bridge to Terabithia*, about whether the ebook readers spell the death of the book. I like her observation that Plato suggested poetry would be killed by literacy because it thrived in the oral tradition (I’m not so sure he was wrong).  She concludes that the book is ‘the perfect technology’.

So really the concern turns back to whether readers will continue to exist (are poetry readers kept in existence only through formal education, and then only just?)  How do we nurture children’s reading? To paraphrase Larkin

Ah, solving that question

Brings the politician and the teacher

In their long coats

Running over the fields.

Katherine is positive:

I feel a sense of pity toward my fellow writers who spend their time writing for the speeded-up audience of adults. They look at me, I realize, with a patronizing air, I who only write for the young. But I doubt that many of them have readers who will read their books over and over again, who will create their own Terabithias to play out endless repetitions of beloved passages.

All power to authors, parents, teachers, librarians, and all those who support the idea of children getting absorbed in books.

* just look at the plot! – fantastic island adventures help child protagonists develop. Spot a pattern here?

Turning children into adults

You may have noticed that I’m a fan of Terry Pratchett – especially of his Nation.  And here’s a quotation from a recent interview that might help bring either option for the next assignment into focus:

‘I think that our job is to turn children into adults, not encourage children to remain children.’

A reckoning

Traditionally, for me, the end of the calendar year is when I check the annual income and outgoings. Well, it’s a glum time already.

The rates for this job can be found here. Take out tax/NI, an OU-reckoned figure  for expenses, remove an amount for (undefined) online tuition time and 12 hours of face to face tuition.  Divide the remainder by 22 students. I reckon I am left with under £100 per student per course – for marking 6 assignments, responding to students’ email and phone enquiries, doing any necessary admin and for my actual expenses.

On the plus side…  well, there’s the subject; and there’s you, out there, sparky and lively with your appetite for learning and your commitment. You keep me ‘ticking’.

Not waving

..  but not quite drowning either. Just inundated with assignments (not only for EA300). Thanks to early submissions, inviting extensions, and long experience on the other courses making their assignments quicker to turn round, I will get through in a timely fashion.

But meanwhile I do feel a bit like Piglet, ‘entirely surrounded by water.’

Only figuratively, thankfully.

Ideology, compare, Little Women, Treasure Island

Thanks for clicking on the poll – which I’ll be taking down shortly. If it can be believed, 116 students, or nearly 7% of those enrolled on this course, have looked at this blog in November*.  Thank you for your support and helpful comments. And here’s a big welcoming wave to the 5 potential students – move to Derby then sign up next year to keep up student numbers in my area, please!

I am practically invisible to tutor colleagues. But they’re not searching for help with their TMAs, are they? One of the features of a wordpress blog is information about ‘search terms’ that have brought searchers here. I’ve put current ones in today’s title and I’ll let you know if the blog’s hit rate rockets

If I’ve tempted you here unfairly, here’s the sensible general help with OU assignments.  But the search terms might also have helped you find relevant articles: a search on google for  ‘Treasure Island’ and ‘ideology’  found  this one about how Jim has to leave domesticity to enjoy (and endure) romance in Treasure Island; and using ‘Alcott’ and ‘gender’  via the OU Library>online databases>Academic Search Complete turned up this on how the home is a ‘training ground for social behaviour’ where  ‘resentful little women’ learn the happiness of becoming ‘appropriately classed and gendered’.

The second article is a harder read than the first, I think; but both model exemplary behaviour by using close reference to the set texts.

 

*125 students, out of some 1700, when I closed the poll on 1 December.

Blog ideology

I tried to write a post about marking the first assignment. I was going to tell you how long it took me*,  then some generalities about what I think I found out from the marking**, and then***…. I ran into ideological problems.

The explicit ideology of this blog is set out in its ‘About’ page – that the course will have its ‘pleasures and perplexities’; that readers and blog writer are in this course discovery together, in many ways;  that the blog has no authority whatsoever.

But I also have a more implicit ideology as I write. Do you share these convictions, I wonder?  Can you spot others I haven’t mentioned?

• relating the course to personal experience, constructing my own understanding of  the course materials, and wider reading, enhances my own understanding and pleasure
• recording this for readers is worth the effort

• readers will be EA300-interested, have time for course non-essentials,  be supportive
• Blogger (which hosts this blog for free) will be reliable.

However

• there are limits to my personal disclosure (tutors are Practically Perfect, aren’t they?)
• there are limits to disclosure of course material (copyright)
• there is a complete barrier to disclosure relating to students.

So I can’t tell you anything about what I learned from TMA1. Sorry.

*except that marking took me about 55 hours. Much too long. I thought it was worth it, especially for a first assignment – if feedback proves to have helped students by improving marks, it will pay off.

**hardly surprising, but more experienced students did better. It makes pleasing evidence that students do benefit from their hard work; and I interpret it to mean that students can improve their marks over the length of this course.

*** and that’s it – that’s all I feel able to disclose here.

Instruction and delight in marking

Soon, I’ll be in receipt of 22 assignments;  dealing with these is at the core of what I’m paid to do on this course; I should reckon on spending not more than an hour on each assignment in total (unrealistic, I’m know);  I am expected do this within 14 days of the cut-off; and this is a very part-time job (though with peaks and troughs of work).

I am looking forward to it.

I don’t think I’ll be doing much, if any, ‘instruction’ – dastardly word! No, I’ve signed up to the idea that teachers should be ‘not the sage on the stage, but the guide on the side’.  At this level, if students lack study skills or understanding of the course ideas, I expect to be pointing them in the right direction – probably to specific parts of the OU study skills resources or of the  course materials.

I don’t like to think of my job as just ‘marking’ either.  As a veteran of 11 OU courses myself, I have to admit that it is always the score that grabs my attention. After all, that is what helps determine the student’s final result. But students are entitled to constructive comments as well.  I aim to provide  feedback/feedforward to help appreciate their strengths and possible areas for development – and that is surely teaching.

So I am left with a job that is  ‘delight in teaching’, aren’t I? Hmm, perhaps the logic is failing a little here – there’s certainly some delight, as I enjoy the fruit of students’ hard work. I know I’ll learn a lot. But responding helpfully is a real challenge.

How will I tackle it in practice?  My plan at the moment is:

• divide up assignments into three groups, according to essay option chosen
• read each through quickly for an impression, and put them in a preliminary order
• start with what seem likely to be the top scorers and comment my way through each group
• compare my scoring across from one group to the others, to standardise across essay titles
• reread my detailed comments – any striking omissions, errors or infelicities?
• complete the summary feedback for each assignment
• send the work back, with invitations to students to feedback on my feedback
• respond to any student feedback
• deal with any assignments that come in late
• reflect on the whole process, and identify any useful pointers both for the next TMA, and for this TMA for the next group of students.

How long will it take me? How much more than 22 hours? I wonder if I dare keep a log.

___________

An apology to those of you who read my magic wand post about Zotero bibliographic management software:  I’ve since realised its spells don’t solve everything. Sorry. I’ve added a note to that post.

It’s getting real

Today the course website opened to tutors.

I’ve taken a quick look – how lucky that this is a Bank Holiday weekend and I’ve a bit of extra time coming up. I  have a big grin on my face. I now know that the course is going to live up to my hopes. And there are even what I think are some fun (optional) extras that weren’t mentioned in the course description.

That’s all I’m going to say about that just now – I don’t mean to tantalise, but I can’t jump the gun

So instead I’ve racked my brains for something I can share with you.   Maybe not as exciting but very practical.  I also tutor A172 Start Writing Essays so here are a few websites that might be useful reference even if you are an experienced OU student:

Time management tips here. I particularly like the one about writing out your assignment question as a bookmark and keeping it in front of you while you’re reading.

Grammar and punctuation explanations and exercises here (needs your OU login). For a different approach, here is a video on commas. For broader questions about English for learning, see here.

Word processing interactive video demonstrations  here . These show MS Word 1997-2003, so not the latest version; but at least useful as a list of valuable skills.

Assignment editing and proof reading checklist here .

Referencing: The course itself will explain what is wanted but for a brief outline of what referencing is about see the OU Library page here and if you want a little more background there are OU Library teaching sessions on citing references and producing a references list .

Now I don’t mean to gloat but I’ve got other things to be getting on with now..