The Ark of the Mario

My freshman year, a buddy and I decided to undertake a little mission. The quest was simple. Defeat all three Marios on the original Nintendo in one session. No warping. Every Level. Semper fi. Endeavor to persevere. Unfortunately at the time, we only had the original Mario and Mario 3. I often wonder how it all would have turned out and how different my life would be now if we could have gotten our hands on Mario 2. Man, I wish I had a time machine. Anyways, we decided to undergo the rigors of a Mario Marathon with what we had knowing that even if we tamed the beast, it would ultimately be a hollow victory. After around 8 hours of playing Mario we arose triumphant. Despite our victory, however, by my sophomore year I had grown anxious to complete a true Mario Marathon. This time my buddy and I had recruited a few other adventurous souls who committed to take the sojourn with us. That year's attempt, however, was marked by demoralizing defeat. None of us were mentally prepared to face such an epic, ungainly challenge. That and I had a paper to write and we had a date with Macaroni Grill that we somehow could not get out of. Needless to say, the boys were rowdy and fierce by junior year, aching to pickle the beast of Mario. But by some horrible stroke, we had decided to incorporate other challenges into the marathon as well, hoping that they would improve our chances of success. It would be the beginning of the end however, for junior year's run. The Mario Marathon had suddenly spiraled into a nightmarish 2-Liter, Karate Kid, Fort-Mario Marathon. We watched all three Karate Kid movies during gameplay hoping that Pat Morita would fuel our motivation. We constructed a playing fort to shelter us from the distractions of the outside world. And we each drank a 2-liter of cola to sharpen our senses. We could see the glint in each other's eyes. We came to play but good. Our fingers strained at the controller. Our eyes swelled with focus and concentration. By Mario 2 sweat was glistening from our foreheads. Unfortunately, Pat Morita beating the crap out of high-schoolers proved to be rather distracting. Building a fort set the marathon back two hours. And the 2-liters that we clutched so desperately in our calloused hands became the very thing that plagued our tummies and curtailed our marathon. Our hearts sank when we realized it was 5am and we had only just started to play Mario 3; the longest, most treacherous Mario of the series. I'm proud to say that two years of defeat has not flattened our resolve one bit. The last week of school before the Christmas break, we are attempting to finish the quest that has escaped our grasp for the past three years. And let me tell you that our experience and wisdom will not allow us to make the same mistakes we've made in the past. This time, we're constructing the fort well before we plan to raise the flag of the marathon. And we're watching all five Rocky movies to boost our morale. Sure, we're still drinking 2-liters, but we'll have baked goods to absorb the sugary poison left over in our tummies. This time we'll be ready.

Literacy Lariat

The word "literacy" has become sort of a buzz word in the Education field, but not in the way most people would expect. Of course, it's important that a teacher is actually literate and is capable of helping students become literate, but I guess it's all relative. Apart from this however, there is a growing concern for teachers to be literate in many other ways. For instance, most teachers these days are expected to be computer literate. Although it is probably a neologism, I think the term "information literate" has more meaning than it has in any other time period. I would describe information literacy as the ability to retrieve, identify and interpret the information we receive or require. Because technology has changed so drastically how we store and create data, information is flowing around us in a variety of formats and channels and we have to sort through the postmodern muck in an organized fashion. Our ability to do this makes us information literate. A couple years ago I was watching an old SNL with Bill Paxton who was playing an anchor in a sketch. At first, the show runs normally. At the bottom of the screen was the typical stock market streamer. Then once Bill Paxton moves on to various other topics like weather, sports, etc. he keeps putting up different graphs and images until eventually the entire screen is flooded with information. Eventually Tim Meadows for no apparent reason decides to superimpose a huge picture of a skeleton Terminator in the middle of the screen and Bill is left with this tiny gap of free space to talk through. Although the sketch was humorous because it was an exaggeration, I think it was a perfect example of information literacy as we know it. Being able to watch the news makes us information literate. Being able to navigate the web proficiently makes us information literate. And with this literacy also comes the ability to immediately evaluate the information that bombards us by identifying simple cues that we often take for granted. I guess judging from my description so far, being information literate usually does not require any training, but is simply a result of our socialization. In fact, you could even argue that one had little choice in the matter and the process was purely a matter of reflex, even survival.

Spy Versus Spy

Apparently students have taken ridiculing teachers to a whole new level going from afterschool gossip circles to all out, internet warfare. It is becoming more and more common for students to film their teachers in class usually in particularly unflattering moments such as boring the class with lecture or upbraiding a student, and posting them online at Youtube.com. Actually, it surprises me that students would go through such elaborate measures to make fun of their teachers. I mean, as a student I don't really take it personally if I feel a teacher is less than satisfactory. I joke to myself, occassionally make one to a classmate, and move on with my life. But as a future teacher, the idea truly scares me. If I ever discovered a video of myself online displaying my quirks and shortcomings, I would probably have a hard time regaining my confidence. I'm not quite sure how I would react in that situation. Normally I am not a very confrontational person, but as a teacher I would probably not let this sort of violation of privacy go unnoticed. When I really thought about it, what seems to be a harmless prank is actually quite a careless, degrading act. It is not as though these videos are posted privately or even in a setting where only students are able to view them. These videos are open for any person to see, and that to me just doesn't seem right. I've also heard a few stories of students making videos of themselves pulling pranks or even physically assaulting homeless people in some way and then posting the video on Youtube. Although the two examples are quite different from one another, there is still a common principle that is being violated. Although I am primarily concerned with the personal privacy and dignity aspect, there are also those who claim the act is a violation of intellectual property despite the fact that no profit is being made from it. I for one could care less. In my opinion the classroom is really not a traditinoal setting for intellectual scholarship to be put forth. It is primarily a setting for common knowledge, opinions, and ideas to be transmitted from one party to another.

Emos versus Goths

I was thinking to myself the other day as I lay peacefully in bed listening to the Boss' "Nebraska" and on the verge of tears, why do I listen to sad music? What do all those crazy emo-kids have up their sleeve? As I pondered this, I wondered as well why we engage in any piece of culture that depresses us. Then again, is there any point in creating something that ultimately brings us down despite how beautiful it may be? The answer is obvious, but the explanation in my mind's eye is altogether frustrating. I suppose there is the simple novelty of it. If we are fed one single emotion through every genre of every art, eventually it will lose its novelty. I could postulate, based on my own reactions, that I can chew on a movie the most when it finds some sort of happy medium, or in this case, an indifferent medium. If it's too sad I get bored and if it's too happy I get skeptical. But this is not altogether true. I've seen "Schindler's List," a thoroughly depressing movie, and I enjoyed it. And I've seen "Executive Decision," which is a thoroughly mirthful movie primarily because Steven Seagal dies in the first five minutes, and of course I loved it. Besides, who digs apathy, right? Not this guy. Anyways, I suppose I treat music the same way. Of all the Bruce Springsteen albums to like, my favorite is his most depressing. I've also found that my favorite Led Zeppelin songs are their saddest. So what gives? Do these songs make me want to curl up in my sock drawer and die? Yes. But do these songs also in some strange way make me happy? Yes, also. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that there is something inherently tragic about beauty itself. After all, the prettiest girl on the Earth is also the loneliest. I know one of my roommates would agree that there is something beautiful about tragedy as well, that crazy, goth weirdo. I guess the only way to explain it is that there are times in our lives when we need to be emotionally smacked in the face. Depressing movies, books, music, art, etc. serve as the best wake-up calls culture is capable of because in some roundabout way they make life seem all the more precious. I know that if I am ever feeling excessively complacent and need a swift, emotional kick in the nads, my good pal Bruce is there to lend a helping hand....er, foot, rather.

Podcasts

One day my ambassador friend told me that more and more people were asking about Podcasts when they came for a campus tour. It astounded us both not only that these people had the guts to ask such a nerdy question, but that they are actually being used more and more frequently. Now I've personally never had to use a podcast for a class. And unfortunately, up until now I've never had to make one. But as part of a new technology centered curriculum in the Education Department, I am required not only to create a podcast but also to evaluate one. Apparently, podcasts are even more popularly used in the elementary setting. Since my parents were once from Phoenix and I've also visited there on several occasions, I decided to pick a podcast about Arizona's capitol. I was surprised to hear that the podcast was narrated by a group of second graders. Now apart from the podcast being one of the cutest things I've ever heard, it also has some very admirable qualities as far as podcasts go. The podcast was able to hold my attention remarkably well for a file made specifically for elementary students. They had chapters devoted to Phoenix's weather, tourist attractions, sports teams, wildlife, economy, and "famous friends." Apparently Alice Cooper is a huge fan of fabulous Phoenix. However, if any of these kids honestly know who Alice Cooper is they have been exposed to metal music far too prematurely. Each of the chapters had interesting musical segues (oftentimes featuring the classroom a cappella group) between one another to make for little dead air during the podcast. The students themselves were also pretty fluent and comfortable making the podcast except for a few kids who were obviously petrified. I, personally, can't blame them. It was fairly apparent that the students were given scripts to read from since most of them didn't even attempt to use a regular "speaking voice," but I didn't see this as terribly indecorous. Even though the students stumbled over a few sentences, paused in the middle of words, and often spoke in trembling voices, it was not distracting or even unpleasant. Variety and mustard are after all the spice of life.

Here is the website where the podcast is located if you are interested:

http://learninginhand.com/OurCity/index.html

Dreams of a Bygone Whippersnapper

So I'm in this crazy English class called Adolescence and Literature and we talked about our old high school days. It seemed like almost half the class had a pretty dreary view of high school, but everyone kind of agreed that it was mostly a blur and I would have to agree with that. If I based my high school experience on the few memories I had, it would be a rather dull existence watching Jared Meyer squeeze himself into his locker every day and hijacking Mr. Ingram's computer whenever we could. And yet, every time I remember those times, it still seems funny. And whenever I reminisce about High School in general I can't help but smile. I went to a small high school in Tulsa called Cascia Hall. My graduating class was around 80. I knew everyone in my class and, although I only liked a select few, I loved being in such a small, manageable social cocoon. The one thing that I think that I did miss out on going to a small school is that there was a lot less drama. And let's face it. I thrive on drama. One thing I sort of regret about High School in general is not being in town for the summer. Since my dad lived in Missouri for occupational reasons, I spent my summers with him crafting model airplanes and playing golf. Don't get me wrong, hanging out with my dad is a blast. Honestly, if I'd spent my summers in Tulsa during High School I probably would've ended up palying video games and reading Goosbumps. But the summer after I graduated, I was finally able to stay in T-town and it was something spectacular. I spent most of my time biking around town, camping, eating organic food, and playing frisbee and hackey sack; basically living in a hippy's paradise. Quite the extremes in retrospect. I remember so little of it now, but it seems judging from the few memories that I have that it was one of the happiest times in my life. Anyways, in the same literature class the teacher asked who would ever want to go back to high school if they could. I rose my hand immediately. I think the shy, quiet kid I once was in high school might have missed out on some of the great things about High School like parties, brunches, debutantes...that sort of thing. Plus I'd be able to drop knowledge like crazy. And let's face it. Chicks dig brains. They can't help it.