tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65773274220838744662024-03-13T11:09:42.340-04:00Blueprints for ChangeYet another blog by Criss Ittermann aka The CrissesRev. Criss Ittermann, Life Facilitatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12365856266726316770noreply@blogger.comBlogger128125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577327422083874466.post-39641444680973574962018-05-11T22:38:00.001-04:002018-05-11T22:38:17.555-04:00Orange County Farm Markets 2018Here comes Farm Market Season!!! Every year it becomes more important to support local farmers, get your food as close to the earth as possible, and learn some more uses for good produce. If you're not growing your own — you'll be really tempted to if you get it fresh at the market.<br />
<br />
If you do want to grow your own, please check out <a href="http://farm-a-yard.com/">http://farm-a-yard.com</a><br />
<br />
When you grow your own, you don't have to (and probably can't) grow everything you eat. But you can grow the things you eat most often, and supplement with the farmer's market.<br />
<br />
Here's a review of why farm markets are marvelous!<br />
<ul>
<li>Time to table - you can only get fresher growing or picking your own. Less spoilage before you eat it means you save money and gain nutrition.</li>
<li>Low carbon footprint - local food travels less.</li>
<li>Keeps your money local - you spend less and there's no distribution chain, so your money goes direct to the farmer.</li>
<li>Wider variety - heirlooms and odd varieties you can't get in stores.</li>
<li>Healthier - volatile nutrients are still available, variety in your diet, fresher food, and so on.</li>
<li>Encourages eating your veggies - give kids a veggie budget and let them get what they want to eat.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Created from news articles (which posted the 2018 schedule) & <a href="http://orangetourism.org/explore/attractions/farms-and-markets/weekly-downtown-farmers-markets/" target="_blank">the official county list of farm markets</a> at Orange County Tourism (2018 isn't posted yet).<br />
<br />
Some farms also have farmstands!! And you can trade cash for your neighbor's extra produce on <a href="http://seedvoyage.com/">SeedVoyage.com</a>.<br />
<br />
If you spot a local farmstand, add it to the comments!<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_5rIqp2UbZg/WvZPz3DrYYI/AAAAAAAABuo/7GRyq-Awe1kWH6pEE3JGTebAX35mg5vwwCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-05-11%2Bat%2B10.20.58%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="757" data-original-width="977" height="492" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_5rIqp2UbZg/WvZPz3DrYYI/AAAAAAAABuo/7GRyq-Awe1kWH6pEE3JGTebAX35mg5vwwCLcBGAs/s640/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-05-11%2Bat%2B10.20.58%2BPM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Rev. Criss Ittermann, Life Facilitatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12365856266726316770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577327422083874466.post-973677867913180732017-05-24T13:04:00.006-04:002017-06-02T20:12:18.139-04:00Orange County Farm Markets 2017It's Farm Market Season!!! WHOOOOO!! Still loving Farm Markets. Needing to update this post every year or so — so I may say some of the same things in a different way. But this is an important post. The Cooperative Extension hasn't updated their site since last summer. Will tweak if needed.<br />
<br />
Let's review why you should RUN, not walk, to the farmers market:<br />
<ul>
<li>Time to table - food picked this morning, or yesterday. You can't beat that. Grocery store foods spend time in trucks and in distribution centers for days. They should spend that time in your house or better yet, get them in your belly before they'd even get to the store!</li>
<li>Travel to table & carbon footprint - how much fossil fuel does it take to get your food to your fridge?!? Read labels and boxes - Product of Chile, California, etc.</li>
<li>Saves money & keeps your money local - there's no middleman, no upstream, you pay less for better produce, and it all goes to the farmer. You might think you're paying the same price, but farmers are far more generous with their bundles than the grocers — as things spoil your bundles get smaller at the supermarket.</li>
<li>Wider variety - not all foods are tolerant of manhandling, travel, and time-to-market. You can find not only fresher foods, but a wider variety of foods, and many heirlooms and richly nutritious varieties, at a farmers' market. When you don't recognize something you have the right person to ask right in front of you. They grew it!</li>
<li>Healthier - for many of the reasons above. Volatile nutrients are still available, variety in your diet, fresher food, and so on.</li>
<li>Encourages eating your veggies. Take your kids along, let them pick out the things they like or want to try, but steer them clear of the baked goods booths. Give them a "farmstand budget" to spend on fresh produce, even if it all gets spent on berries. Let them ask the farmer for suggestions. For example, if they know they don't like bitter -- the farmer can steer them towards sweet or mild vegetables.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Created from <a href="http://orangetourism.org/explore/attractions/farms-and-markets/weekly-downtown-farmers-markets/" target="_blank">the official county list of farm markets</a> at Orange County Tourism.<br />
<br />
There are also MANY farmstands at the farms in the area where they are open daily. Keep an eye out for them, put them in the comments. We want to know!<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3hxifQIXYl4/WTH-yJqHgFI/AAAAAAAABj4/XqfvfY37dHUhpffacqZj3YeWmOfBaHIIgCLcB/s1600/OrangeCountyFarmMarkets_2017.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="696" data-original-width="974" height="456" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3hxifQIXYl4/WTH-yJqHgFI/AAAAAAAABj4/XqfvfY37dHUhpffacqZj3YeWmOfBaHIIgCLcB/s640/OrangeCountyFarmMarkets_2017.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Rev. Criss Ittermann, Life Facilitatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12365856266726316770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577327422083874466.post-56179926145883959922016-04-08T10:17:00.000-04:002016-06-08T08:39:12.700-04:00My Cheapskate Home Recording Studio Set-Up & recommendationsAudio is first and foremost when creating courses. When doing online courses, the optimal sound is "I'm a voice in your head". You hear it in radio announcements, podcasts, SoundsTrue recordings…that beautiful intimate tone and absolute lack of background noise that sounds like your own conscience is speaking to you. That's the goal here.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z52Z0pwiUes/VwfADJPvgvI/AAAAAAAAA9k/nXcdFv4bKMYNzAfsi3Ahb2wpwf28CZf-Q/s1600/IMG_1205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z52Z0pwiUes/VwfADJPvgvI/AAAAAAAAA9k/nXcdFv4bKMYNzAfsi3Ahb2wpwf28CZf-Q/s320/IMG_1205.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Background</h3>
I'm amassing a collection of mics, sound equipment, accessories, etc. It started when I worked at Rogue Music in NYC (codename "Spike") in the 1990s, and I got a Tascam Porta-05, a couple of Shure mics, some ridiculously long XLR-to-1/4" cables, mic stands, studio monitor headphones, etc. I didn't know enough, anything I recorded back then sounded like crap. But it was MY crap.<br />
<br />
I got an Edirol UA-25 at some point, which was 1/4" analog audio to USB (digital audio). But it developed a high pitched whine I could never seem to get out of my recordings, although I recorded much better audio than I ever did on the Porta-05 for a short time.<br />
<br />
I used my mics and created some live on-screen videos of myself, but most of the equipment sat in a bin for 20+ years. I got rid of the Porta-05, I retired the UA-25, I actually used an Andrea headset (that came with Dragon Dictate back when they gave you a real headset) to record a bunch of screencasts for my business, and even used a newer Dragon Dictate headset when recording my first Udemy course. It really wasn't bad at all.<br />
<br />
You can see some of <a href="http://blueprintsforchange.blogspot.com/2015/07/reducing-echo-sound-reflections-or.html" target="_blank">the evolving home studio set-up in my blog post on echoes & reflections</a>: blankets on the walls, my studio monitor headphones (Sony MDR-600s so old I had to crochet new ear covers for them -- using red and green so I can easily tell right from left) on the desk. I was still recording with a newer Dragon headset mic at that point.<br />
<br />
<i><u><b>Note: all prices are in USD. All links are affiliate links, but none of these products were given to me at a discount, and I do NOT own every product listed. Products I have not personally purchased or tried out have ** next to the prices -- those are recommendations based on features, a low price & decent reviews.</b></u></i><br />
<br />
<h3>
Headphones - "studio monitor headsets"</h3>
First, a minor lesson in Hz: <i>"<a href="https://www.blogger.com/See%20more%20at:%20http://www.axiomaudio.com/blog/audio-oddities-frequency-ranges-of-male-female-and-children%E2%80%99s-voices/#sthash.UXfTGqKg.dpuf" target="_blank">…the entire range of men’s and women’s voices remains between about 65 Hz for a male with a very deep bass voice to the highest note of a female coloratura soprano, just above 1,000 Hz, at 1,280 Hz. (A female high-pitched scream can go quite a bit higher, to around 3,000 Hz.)</a>"</i><br />
<br />
This means that human voices are a slice of the range of human hearing. This can be helpful -- you can run your recordings through high and low pass filters, and eliminate frequencies below and above this range, but you have to be able to hear whether you've accidentally eliminated some of the "richness" of the undertones and overtones of the voice when you do this.<br />
<br />
One of my peeves and frustrations is when people judge audio quality with sub-par equipment. Good headphones make a tremendous difference when listening to test audio or editing your audio. It might even be more important than shopping for mics! If you can actually <i>hear</i> the problems, you can take care of them either before you start recording, or in post-processing work. And why go through all the trouble of making a test recording if you have to upload your audio to get opinions from others, many of whom aren't wearing headphones either. When the Udemy reviewers watch your video, I guarantee they're wearing a good headset. You should too.<br />
<br />
My Sony MDR-600 headphones have a frequency response of 5hz-30,000hz, but they're discontinued and the newest model of the line is over $100. <a href="http://amzn.to/1QHCUoz" target="_blank">Here's a highly-rated pair of Superlux HD668D studio monitor headphones for $38**.</a> [Updated: better, cheaper Headphones] <br />
<br />
Compare this to a toss-away pair of under-$20 headphones I purchased for just basic audio monitoring by ECOOPRO. Their response is 20Hz-20,000Hz, and they're not so great in so many other ways -- I just have them to run a quick test and say "Is this mic on?" before I start recording audio. I can at least tell whether there's a HORRIBLE problem with my sound before I start a recording run.<br />
<br />
When you're listening to your test audio, you may need to listen a couple times because our brains can automatically filter annoying things out. You're looking for that "I am your conscience" sound -- so listen for noise reflections (i.e. "echoes"), mouth noises ("clicks & pops"), hums, whines, cars passing by, etc. If you sound like you're on a soapbox in a bathroom, you know you need to both treat your environment and quit projecting like you need your voice to reach the back of the auditorium. It's just you and one listener, cozying up on the couch or sitting across from each other at a tiny cafe sipping coffee and chatting.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Microphones that Fit Your Purpose & Environment!</h3>
It's true that your mic makes a big difference in how you sound when you record -- but don't downplay the importance of the style of videos you're going to record, your recording environment, and your own personal recording style.<br />
<br />
There's no need for this to get expensive; you can make do with a half decent mic if you control your environment and put a little effort into your post-editing. However, in interests of time and efficiency, you will eventually want to reach the point of being able to bulk-process your videos with as little post-editing-work as possible. That means near-perfect takes and near-perfect quality right from the start.<br />
<br />
I ended up purchasing a good mic, <a href="http://amzn.to/23oFVD8" target="_blank">the Audio-Technica AT2005USB -- a mic with both XLR and USB capabilities</a> -- which cost me about $60 but is currently going around $75. This mic is a dynamic cardioid mic -- and f<a href="http://amzn.to/1qxSCh3" target="_blank">or $25 less you can get the ATR2100-USB ($50) which also has XLR capabilities</a>. I didn't care for how the analog sounded on the AT2005USB when hooked up to my Behringer XENYX 302USB (below), so this would be a great starter mic for while you're still editing your audios and not looking for 100% perfection (which can be expensive).<br />
<br />
That brought me back to some classic mics I already owned when I purchased audio equipment over 20 years ago. The <a href="http://amzn.to/1oYKdl6" target="_blank">Shure SM58 ($99), a favorite of on-stage performers because it takes a licking & keeps on ticking, has a warm response, good tight pick-up so it rejects background noise well, and is inexpensive.</a> I think someone said they have left it in beer and were able to use it after it dried out -- but I don't recommend you do that. It's so popular that Shure still produces this mic. And the Shure 869 (which I'll mention later, but I believe is a discontinued model).<br />
<br />
If you want SM58 quality, without the $99 price tag, check out the <a href="http://amzn.to/1ShFZmy" target="_blank">Samson CS Series Capsule Microphone. This one has a swappable head and gives you 1 head that is comparable to an SM58 (voice mic) and another that's comparable to an SM57 (instrument mic). At just $40**, you get to try out 2 types of dynamic XLR mic and see which you prefer. </a> You will need a way to go from Analog-to-Digital (XLR to USB) so you may want the Xenyx302USB or similar (below).<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Capture every nuance of your home & neighborhood with these highly-touted mics</h4>
<br />
If you don't mind needing to pad your house with foam and blankets, many people recommend the <a href="http://amzn.to/1qxT3aW" target="_blank">Blue Yeti</a> ($130**) or <a href="http://amzn.to/1MjQHGF" target="_blank">Blue Snowball</a> ($90**) -- but what they don't realize that these are condenser mics and they pull in a lot more background noise, audio reflections, etc. The people recommending these mics probably didn't get a headset to listen to themselves. You can tell because when you listen to their recordings, you feel like you're in the room with them. It's great quality noise -- but the opposite of the "I am your conscience" voice that works best for this type of intimate 1:1 application. If you want to do less editing, skip the condenser mics. <i><b>If you have a noisy environment -- cars, dogs, trucks, airplanes, old computer running its fan all the time -- avoid condenser mics at all costs.</b></i><br />
<br />
Also, while a condenser mic WILL pick you up when it's several feet away from you, you'll pick up a lot more room, noise, sound reflections, etc. If you want to re-record or do tons of post-work, use your Yeti or Snowball mic for recording talking head videos.<br />
<br />
If you have a controlled environment, and don't mind having to pony up for phantom power, <a href="http://amzn.to/1Mwu5ms" target="_blank">the Floureon BM-800 ($30**) is a cheaper condenser mic with great ratings</a>. For that price, even I might try a condenser mic again some day soon. While it "really" requires phantom power, a Windows PC may send enough power to it for you to use it while waiting for your phantom power (or the money to afford phantom power) to arrive. Hooks right into your PC's microphone port. Will not work with a Mac without phantom power & digital (USB) audio conversion.<br />
<br />
To go even cheaper, here's <a href="http://amzn.to/1qVSJU4" target="_blank">a well-rated Ohuhu condenser mic for $22**</a>, requires phantom power. What I do like about this one is that it's got good noise rejection so it's uni-directional. I wish everyone would do a mic test like one of the reviewers did. Unlike many other condenser mics, the sound drops considerably when you back up from the mic. You have to be "all up in it" with this mic to get great sound -- so you won't be using it for talking head videos. But for online courses, this is a good mic.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Get the mic out of your face: Talking Heads, Exercise Videos, Screencasts, etc.</h4>
<br />
<br />
You have to ask yourself whether you'd be better off with a lapel mic, shotgun mic or a headset mic. For exercise videos and screencasts, many instructors use a headset mic. Lapel mics are likely to pick up clothing noise, arm movement, etc. You've seen Madonna dance and wave her arms around with a headset mic on, right? For screencasts, it doesn't matter what the headset mic looks like -- huge gaming headphones, etc. <a href="http://amzn.to/22hLq4l" target="_blank">For on-screen headset mics, a good mic blends in to your skin tone or is unobtrusive (white-person beige version example ($13**), I wish they had other colors, requires a transmitter power pack or phantom power).</a> For live-action video like exercise or martial arts videos, you might want a wireless headset battery/transmitter -- not bluetooth but radio. That's up to you, but you might find it's expensive.<br />
<br />
An interesting mic to check out for talking head videos, especially where you're a wavy-arm person for any reason, is <a href="http://amzn.to/1V1U8oE" target="_blank">a binaural mic for $89**. These mics record sound from inside your own ear.</a> "What?!? Get out!" Yeah -- this is another mic I plan to experiment with someday. Requires external power, and has a 1/8"/3.5mm jack -- you can use an adapter to 1/4" and use it with the XENYX -- I think. They say it sounds more like your own voice in your ear because it's picking up vibrations through your jaw and skull. Awesome. <a href="http://amzn.to/1VDYf8V" target="_blank">They have an XLR version but it's expensive</a> ($200**).<br />
<br />
If you can talk without waving your arms about: Lapel mics. I had a chance to test drive the <a href="http://amzn.to/1Xl5qSb" target="_blank">the Rode smartLav+</a> (~$80) with a client of mine who was looking to start recording videos and it worked very well on her iPhone with the Rode Rec (free) iOS app. This mic is an excellent choice for smartphone-enabled folk who have enough space on their phone to take good audio &/or video. I'm not that person: I have an older iPhone with only 8GB. This mic is equipped with a nice long cable for talking head videos, so you can set your phone up on a camera stand <a href="http://amzn.to/23ozL67" target="_blank">with a smartphone adapter</a> ($8) or <a href="http://amzn.to/263YUW6" target="_blank">get a camera stand and smartphone adapter set ($13**)</a>. If you can, get the Rode smartLav+ -- but cheaper smartphone-compatible lavaliere mics that are well rated include <a href="http://amzn.to/22xD2Og" target="_blank">this one at $25**</a> or <a href="http://amzn.to/1Mwtkd9" target="_blank">this one at $18**</a>.<br />
<br />
If you have an XLR set-up with phantom power available, <a href="http://amzn.to/22xDsEm" target="_blank">check out this lavolier mic with a full-sized XLR plug</a> ($40**, sets of 2 available). Just remember this is analog recording, and that mic cable is thin and probably un-sheilded. Keep it away from transformers and electrical wires, etc. I've never tried the mic, but it's on my hot list of mics to try out, and I'm curious as to whether to try cardioid or omni. With all the noise in my house, I might try cardioid, but the few people who selected cardioid didn't seem to have a great experience.<br />
<br />
I'm now working on testing out a shotgun mic. I was looking at another model which was meant to mount on top of a video recorder, but actually <a href="http://amzn.to/1V1WUtW" target="_blank">ended up changing my mind and going with a Pyle PDMIC35 Shotgun Mic with an XLR connector</a> ($26)…which will be here tomorrow, so I can't review it yet. I'll update this post and post a review on Amazon once I've tested out the new mic. I'll use my scissor stand, which is mounted behind my monitor, to point the mic at me from on top of the monitor and see how that sounds.<br />
<br />
Update: the Pyle mic didn't work for me. It's extremely sensitive. It picks up the cat lapping at her water bowl in the next room. I sent it back. In the meantime I had tested all my mics again and decided to swap my Shure SM58 for the Shure 869 for a while. The 869 is a condenser XLR mic (phantom power with battery back-up just in case) with a tight cardioid pattern recommended for use on podiums for ministers, lectures & presenters at events. It has excellent noise rejection, extraordinarily low noise, and while not as warm and rich in tone pick-up as the SM58 it should be great for recording online courses. You wouldn't perform at a rock concert with it (that's where the SM58 comes in) but it doesn't pick up reflections and barely needs noise reduction run on it. This is a boon with the cats, teenagers and roosters in the background.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Mic Power! and other accessories</h2>
After I had bought the AT2005USB, I still ended up frustrated with my mic set-up -- ready to try to get richer sounds and do less post-editing. I really wanted to give my 2 classic Shure mics a go and see if I could improve the sound of my recordings. Enter the <a href="http://amzn.to/1NdkbRn" target="_blank">Behringer XENYX 302USB for $50</a>. This tiny mixing board is about the size of 12 ounces of hard cheese. 110mm x 130mm (about 4.5" x 5.5") footprint on your desk, not counting room for cables. It's a 2-track mixing board with 1 XLR or 1/4" combo input, RCA inputs, analog headset mic inputs, mic gain, 2-channel equalizer (EQ) on each input channel, and USB output to your computer. I was able to test out 2 mics I already owned because I put this piece of equipment into play. Now, I'm using it to provide phantom power to my Shure SM58 mic and to control the gain on the mic, and I'll need it for gain and phantom power for the new XLR shotgun mic. <br />
<br />
If you don't want a mixing board, check out the <a href="http://amzn.to/2644LL3" target="_blank">InnoGear 1-channel Phantom Power Supply for $20**</a>. Your mic hooks into this box via an XLR Male to XLR Female cable. And you need another cable to bring the XLR output to your computer. Some mics come with an XLR-to-1/4" jack that you can hook into your computer, in which case you need an XLR-to-XLR cable. But most mics come with an XLR-to-XLR and you will need some way to get the audio into your computer. You can get an XLR-to-USB (for Mac or Windows, note the connector is a little larger than most USB connectors) or an XLR-to-1/4" (for Windows onboard or soundcard mic-in jack). <br />
<br />
So you're going to be set back by several pieces of gear unless you get a direct-to-USB mic.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Mic Stands</h4>
<div>
<br /></div>
In my soundbooth I used a traditional floor mic stand. When I first tried working with my old mics and the XENYX, I used a telescoping desktop stand. But it's ALWAYS in the way. You bump it, the mic picks it up. You end up craning your neck to reach the mic rather than sitting correctly and having the mic come to you. So <a href="http://amzn.to/1V1Ht4Y" target="_blank">I purchased a scissor stand with shock mount and XLR cable at about $22</a>. Now, I've moved where it's clamped once, I was careful not to over-tighten the clamp on my desk, and it's been here for months -- so I think it's a good purchase. When I don't need the mic, I push it aside. When I need it, I pull the mic over to me. I sit comfortably, and I don't kill my back and neck trying to reach the mic. The Shure SM58 doesn't fit the rather large shock-mount, but a piece of foam pipe insulation tucked inside the clip works just fine to hold my mic firmly, and you can't really see it if you use black foam and cut it down enough.<br />
<br />
Shock mounts are important if you're bumping around on your desk and the mic is picking it up. The scissor stand I recommend comes with one. If you already love your mic set-up and don't need the scissor stand, <a href="http://amzn.to/1S7ts55" target="_blank">for the same price ($21**) you can get this shockmount with a pop-filter built in.</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Pop-Filter, Windscreen</h4>
<div>
<br /></div>
You have to choose what type of pop-filter you want, I of course got <a href="http://amzn.to/23ots2m" target="_blank">one of the cheapest ones I could find</a> at under $8. I also threw a <a href="http://amzn.to/1MjHcHw" target="_blank">foam ball windscreen</a> into one of my orders -- in case I ever bring a mic outdoors for some reason, or if I need a fan blowing on me in an audio booth -- or just because they were so cheap at about $2.50.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Eliminating other Noises</h3>
<br />
Ok, I'm not really recommending this one if you're a cheapskate like me. But I had the world's noisiest chair (and a lot of pain in my lower back). You could hear the back of the chair squeak, metallic bumps, rollers scraping the floor, the air lift noises when I adjusted my weight. I can't have all that noise in the background of a screencast video. And I've mentioned the back issues caused by leaning in to mics rather than having the mic come to me. So I opted to help my back (and by extension my videos) by <a href="http://amzn.to/1MjK3QI" target="_blank">buying a ball chair -- I got the Sivan Health & Fitness ball chair</a> at about $70 and well worth strengthening my core, improving my posture which also helps my breathing, which also helps my asthma and helps me sound better in my recordings. I can even bounce up and down, and you don't hear my chair in a recording. I wrote a review on the chair on Amazon. You have to pump it up every few days until it stops stretching, but aside from that it's very comfortable, and absolutely silent.<br />
<br />
The next annoyance in my recordings was the clicking of my mouse. Keyboard typing is bad enough, but I don't want to hear every mouse click especially in the middle of a sentence. So I got <a href="http://amzn.to/1MjM67j" target="_blank">this Kensington Silent Mouse</a> for under $13. It's exceptionally quiet.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
Recommended Starter Kits</h2>
<br />
I know: "Just tell me what to buy!"<br />
<br />
This is a starter kit that will do you good for non-talking-head videos -- screencasts, voiceovers, presentations, podcasts, etc.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Level 0: Wannabe Instructor:</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://amzn.to/1qxSCh3" target="_blank">Audio-Technica's ATR2100-USB ($50**) </a>. Whether you're on a Mac or Windows, you can't go wrong with this mic. It comes with a stand clip, and a stupid desktop stand that you can discard if you want. Especially discard it if it makes you have to crane your neck funny or if you're planning to type while recording. Put it right back in the box. [I own the very-similar AT2005USB by the same company, but this is the cheaper of the two right now.]</li>
<li><a href="http://amzn.to/1V1Ht4Y" target="_blank">scissor stand with shock mount and XLR cable at about $22</a>. As a starter, ignore the XLR cable. You can use it when you upgrade gear later. A piece of foam & some electrical tape and it's a non-issue. This takes care of 2 birds with 1 stone: you now have a stand and a shock mount for the price of a shockmount. If you're not recording at your desk then get a floor mic stand.</li>
<li> <a href="http://amzn.to/23ots2m" target="_blank">cheap pop filter $8</a> This attaches to the mic stand, and has a gooseneck so you have many choices of how to position the filter, so it's not interfering with your line-of-sight.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Level 1: First Course Audio Rejected Upgrade:</h3>
<ul>
<li> <a href="http://amzn.to/22hs5jA" target="_blank">Superlux HD668 studio monitor headphones $38**.</a> Nothing is worse than not hearing yourself authentically when testing and editing. [Updated for better rated headphones in same price range.]</li>
<li>Now that you can hear those annoying mouse clicks, get <a href="http://amzn.to/1MjM67j" target="_blank">the Kensington Silent Mouse</a> for $13.</li>
</ul>
<br />
I'll meditate on this and see if I come up with more "upgrade paths."
<br />
<h2>
</h2>
<h2>
Where I'm at now...</h2>
<br />
One of my cats decided that my sound booth was a great deal of fun and started playing "Can I drag the curtains down?" So, since the blankets were just clipped into place and I got tired of hooking them back up, I ended up dissembling my PVC sound booth and donating 2 of the moving blankets to my son, who has started doing his own recordings. I had to pad his room, both to improve his recordings, and to improve my sanity. We took 2 moving blankets and stapled them to his walls with a staple gun. It's AMAZING how much they helped both his audio reflections, and muffle his voice that used to carry through the whole house. In my area, we have Harbor Freight, a tool-supply surplus store. I wait until I get a moving blanket coupon and go to town -- which happened last week. I now have another 3 moving blankets to re-do a booth around my desk. That's the next Home Recording Studio project…I'm thinking ceiling hooks this time.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Note: links in this article are affiliate links. It doesn't change your price, just gives me a kickback for making the recommendation. I am <b>not</b> affiliated with ANY of these manufacturers in any way, and I was <b>not</b> given any products for free or discount to test them or review them. Most products, whether purchased or not, were selected based on price, features & decent reviews of the product with the primary exception of the Blue mics which are frequently recommended mics in the Udemy Studio.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>** Items in the article that I've never personally purchased or tested. If it's not marked, I either own it or have personally tried it out when a friend purchased it.</i>Rev. Criss Ittermann, Life Facilitatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12365856266726316770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577327422083874466.post-9746451892427073612015-09-13T08:03:00.002-04:002015-09-13T08:03:32.744-04:00Farm Markets 2015I loves me some Farmers' Markets! And here in Orange County, NY we have a good number of them.<br />
<br />
There are many reasons to buy your food, especially produce, from a farmers market. Here's some highlights:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Time to table - sometimes you're buying foods picked the same day, or at least within 24hours of purchase. At a grocery store, foods are on trucks and in distribution centers for days. They last longer in your house.</li>
<li>Travel to table - most farms at your markets are local to you, certainly within less than 100 miles of you. Can't say that about much of what you get at the grocery store. Read labels and boxes - Product of Chile, etc.</li>
<li>Carbon footprint - you reduce your food's carbon footprint significantly by buying direct from the farmer.</li>
<li>Saves money & keeps money local - there's no middleman, no upstream -- even if you're paying almost the same price, you have just significantly helped that farmer! You might think you're paying the same price, but farmers are usually more generous with their bundles.</li>
<li>Wider variety - not all foods are tolerant of the manhandling and time-to-market as the ones that we get shipped thousands of miles or from out of the country. You can find not only fresher foods, but a wider variety of foods, and many heirlooms, at a farmers' market. When you don't recognize something you have the right person to ask right in front of you. The farmer yesterday explained that a butter cup squash is similar to but more flavorful than a butter nut squash. And cook it like any other squash. Sold for $1.50.</li>
<li>Healthier - for many of the reasons above. Volatile nutrients are still available, variety in your diet, fresher food, and so on.</li>
<li>Encourages eating your veggies. Take your kids along, let them pick out the things they like, but steer them clear of the baked goods booths. Give them a "farmstand budget" to spend on fresh produce, even if it all gets spent on berries. Let them ask the farmer for suggestions. For example, if they know they don't like bitter -- the farmer can steer them towards sweet or mild vegetables.</li>
</ul>
<div>
So yesterday I went to the farmers' market, and I purchased foods I couldn't get at the grocery store. And I bought things like red & green bell peppers for $1.00 per pound -- in my local stores it's $1.99/lb for green peppers, $2.99/lb for red peppers. I got zucchini the size of my thigh for $1. And a 16.8lb heirloom hubbard squash (the farmer suggested to use in recipes like a potato) for $3.50.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The <a href="http://cceorangecounty.org/community/orange-county-farmers-markets" target="_blank">official county list of farm markets</a> is at Cornell Cooperative Extension. But I don't like how their list is formatted. It's a list of locations, but doesn't show the times in a useful way for a real person. There are also MANY farmstands at the farms in the area where they are open daily. But this is a farmer's life, and sometimes they close (just like the farm markets) before commuters get home.<br />
<br />
In the hopes of encouraging more locals to get their produce direct from farmers, I created a county farm market list that I hope is more useful. And <a href="http://crisses.org/blog-files/FarmMarkets2015.pdf" target="_blank">here's a printable version (PDF).</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sp8_30k673Y/VfVjLvzXvyI/AAAAAAAAAvI/DqPVnBgG17o/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-09-13%2Bat%2B7.19.27%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="441" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sp8_30k673Y/VfVjLvzXvyI/AAAAAAAAAvI/DqPVnBgG17o/s640/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-09-13%2Bat%2B7.19.27%2BAM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Rev. Criss Ittermann, Life Facilitatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12365856266726316770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577327422083874466.post-49437112422600093532015-08-04T18:06:00.001-04:002015-08-04T18:07:12.274-04:00Raising your own Chickens in your Backyard -- get plenty eggs for your family!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.udemy.com/raising-chickens-breeds-bantams-coop-keeping-hens-eggs-chicks-tractor/?couponCode=Blueprints" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="186" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L6PnoF4Dx4g/VcE23n-ATSI/AAAAAAAAAuU/BlTnbHC1Xcc/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-06-26%2Bat%2B7.49.42%2BPM.png" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Got eggs? Maybe not for long! Egg prices are rising. Currently prices across the US range from $1.99 to $4.49 per dozen according to the USDA.<br />
<br />
If you're like me, you rely on eggs for breakfast, for baking, and more. But it's likely that you don't have what I have -- I have my own chickens. More about that in a moment.<br />
<div>
<br />
The problem? A bird flu epidemic that struck the midwest this spring. But we have to brace for Round 2. They expect the bird flu to hit the Southeast in the fall. Over 40 million birds were slaughtered in the spring, putting the squeeze on the egg industry. Supply drops, prices rise. Simple laws of economics.<br />
<br />
So what are we seeing? We're seeing places taking eggs off their menu. Expect the prices of your favorite breakfasts to go up. Rita's isn't serving frozen custard, and fried rice won't have eggs in it, and you have number limits on the amount of eggs you can buy at some stores. It's going to get worse, not better, if the bird flu hits this fall.<br />
<br />
I created an online course called Raising Chickens in your Backyard to help people who are as clueless as I was a few years ago to get up to speed on how to take care of chickens so that they have their own egg supply. As the prices rise, either we'll have, or not have, eggs in our refrigerator. It may be better to get them on your own.<br />
<br />
If you're interested, there's an image of Henrietta asking you to join our course on the right sidebar.<br />
<br />
Chickens are incredibly easy livestock to raise. They can take up part of your backyard, or if you have a few acres and a good layout, you can free-range them. They're relatively self-sufficient with the caveat that they cannot survive on their own without assistance, and you can collect your own eggs from the flock every day. It's also a great project if you have kids, to teach them more about where food comes from and how to take responsibility for their lifestyles.<br />
<br />
So the way it looks right now, you can start looking into what to do to replace eggs in your diet -- or have a barn-raising (or shed-raising or coop-raising) with your family and find yourself some hens. You won't regret it.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.udemy.com/raising-chickens-breeds-bantams-coop-keeping-hens-eggs-chicks-tractor/?couponCode=Blueprints"></a><a href="https://www.udemy.com/raising-chickens-breeds-bantams-coop-keeping-hens-eggs-chicks-tractor/?couponCode=Blueprints"></a><a href="https://www.udemy.com/raising-chickens-breeds-bantams-coop-keeping-hens-eggs-chicks-tractor/?couponCode=Blueprints"></a><a href="https://www.udemy.com/raising-chickens-breeds-bantams-coop-keeping-hens-eggs-chicks-tractor/?couponCode=Blueprints"></a><a href="https://www.udemy.com/raising-chickens-breeds-bantams-coop-keeping-hens-eggs-chicks-tractor/?couponCode=Blueprints" target="_blank">Discount Coupon for Raising Chickens course</a><br />
<br />
Data source: <a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/6-eggs-could-way-175638992.html">http://finance.yahoo.com/news/6-eggs-could-way-175638992.html</a></div>
Rev. Criss Ittermann, Life Facilitatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12365856266726316770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577327422083874466.post-40927781300817870052015-07-10T20:37:00.000-04:002016-04-13T17:15:02.227-04:00Reducing Echo, Sound Reflections or Reverb from audio recordingsSince I come across audio issues in videos quite often, I thought I'd write a quick article explaining about sound reflections (echoes) and some tips on how to control them.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Correcting echo in recordings?!?!</h3>
Ok, the title is a misnomer. You will have a VERY hard time reducing echo from completed audio <i>recordings</i>. Echo or sound reflections are exactly the same pitch as your voice, and much harder to remove from recordings [Ed - as compared to background noise, see below] without affecting the quality of your own vocals.<br />
<br />
What you do instead is control your recording environment <i>before</i> you record. Here's a good quick video someone created, with tips on controlling your recording environment:<br />
<br />
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daa-Qp7C3qE<br />
<br />
If you must reduce echoes and reflections in the recordings, I give some quick tips at the end of the article. But let's assume you did a test recording or can re-record first.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rXvSLkcd1T4/VaAUpQpDGcI/AAAAAAAAAtI/WPgla7zV_Xc/s1600/IMG_0487.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rXvSLkcd1T4/VaAUpQpDGcI/AAAAAAAAAtI/WPgla7zV_Xc/s320/IMG_0487.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first attempt - control reflections in my bedroom.<br />
desk for recording on right with blanket on desk, <br />
pinned a towel on the curtain behind desk over the wall.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
Controlling the environment - My first attempt</h3>
When I first tried recording, I was working at my temporary desk in my bedroom. I planned to make many courses, so I needed to have great quality.<br />
<br />
So I in a similar way to the video's first section and recorded in my bedroom. I put blankets on the walls with thumbtacks, a towel on my desk, pinned a towel to my curtains behind my desk with clothespins, etc. See the image "My first attempt" to the right. <br />
<br />
It worked great, in spite of wooden floors and bare ceiling. But once I moved my desk back into my living room, I didn't want to record in my bedroom any more -- and I wanted to see if I could do even better.<br />
<br />
<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
Second attempt - works beautifully</h3>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Lfxkc7_6rF8/VaAVV8REIrI/AAAAAAAAAtQ/z-PE-zRm9VA/s1600/IMG_0500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Lfxkc7_6rF8/VaAVV8REIrI/AAAAAAAAAtQ/z-PE-zRm9VA/s200/IMG_0500.jpg" width="148" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PVC frame.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The audio quality in my living room is abysmal. It has an archway to the kitchen, and a long hallway. Recordings outside the booth sound like I'm shouting on stage in an auditorium. I honestly started looking for the automatic "reverb" setting that must be on the application I was recording in.<br />
<br />
Then I built a PVC booth, which is more similar to the 2nd part of the video above -- a dedicated cubby with padded walls for recording. In the video, he uses mattresses and blankets and says that you can cover all 4 sides. That's what I did.<br />
<br />
First I drew myself a sketch and decided how tall I wanted the booth, so I could figure out what types of connectors I'd need, and how many pieces of pipe. I already owned a PVC pipe cutter -- I brought that to the store with me along with a tape measure and fine-point permanent marker to mark lengths of pipe. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--SZypd9c3jQ/VaAG_K0DFhI/AAAAAAAAAsw/UVmXjC_KrZw/s1600/IMG_0899.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--SZypd9c3jQ/VaAG_K0DFhI/AAAAAAAAAsw/UVmXjC_KrZw/s200/IMG_0899.JPG" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I hung heavy duty moving <br />
blankets from the frame,<br />
and draped some garden<br />
cloth over the top.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The booth is made from inexpensive 1-inch PVC pipes, and a bunch of connectors. I cut pipes to the right length for the tall poles while in the parking lot, so they would fit in my little hatchback. When I got home, I finished cutting out all the smaller pieces and built myself a booth that's about 6'4" tall (a foot over my head) and about 4 foot by 3 foot. <br />
<br />
I bought 3 thick "heavy duty" moving blankets to hang from it, and I found the perfect sized clamps to hold up the blankets at a "dollar store."<br />
<br />
Assembly was quick. I didn't glue the pipes so it can be disassembled, but it can also skew, so I have it in the corner of the room where I can nudge it towards the wall so it has no place to go. You could build a better booth, I'm certain! I just needed a place to hang my blankets. I also could change how it's assembled to make it larger inside if I want to, but I haven't needed to.<br />
<br />
This booth works much better than the blankets strewn around the room, especially considering it's in the worst room in the house! <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8JjlvOIpmds/VaAG_vK3EgI/AAAAAAAAAs0/mt0lenjzL9o/s1600/IMG_0906.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8JjlvOIpmds/VaAG_vK3EgI/AAAAAAAAAs0/mt0lenjzL9o/s200/IMG_0906.JPG" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sound booth interior:<br />
clamp lamp, mic with pop<br />
filter on stand.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Inside the booth I have a mic stand with a mic, and pop filter. I have a clamp lamp I already owned to help me see notes or just not be in the dark within the booth. I use clothes pins to pin up notes, or I have a small flexible camera tripod and an iPhone adapter so I can hang my iPhone up and read notes from the screen.<br />
<br />
Next I want to make a version for when I'm sitting at my desk doing screencasts. I've also considered ways I could possibly use the current booth materials to create a greenscreen for video recordings.<br />
<br />
<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
What about background noise?</h3>
The sound of machine fans running, cars driving by, my chickens clucking, or just the mic's noise with no other desired noises going on is called "background noise."<br />
<br />
To get rid of it it's called "Noise Reduction" -- you can take a (free) application like Audacity. You record about 30 seconds at the beginning or end of each lecture without talking. That's a "noise profile". Then you first have to select the noise profile section without talking and tell Audacity that "this is the background noise profile" Then you tell it to filter that out of your recording. Because that sounds different from your voice, that's pretty easy to do. [Ed -- see <a href="https://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/Noise_Reduction" target="_blank">Noise Reduction in Audacity</a> or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAJ4Sg-nO6A" target="_blank">watch this video</a>.]<br />
<br />
Another way to reduce background noise is to get closer to the mic. The closer you are the easier it will be to filter everything else out.<br />
<br />
<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
I already recorded, now what?</h3>
If there's no option to re-record with more control for echo and reflections, you might be able to play with the noise filter, or a sound gate, and reduce the reflections. But it takes a lot of time and experimentation to get the settings right for you, your voice and your environment. <br />
<br />
<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
Go forth and record!</h3>
It's always best to record the cleanest, clearest audio you can right from the start and save a lot of time on the editing & audio processing end. If you have a lot of audio to clean up, it can take hours to fix minutes of audio.<br />
<br />
So try recording in your room before & after the blankets, try further and closer to the mic, try with and without a pop filter, and use headphones so you can actually hear your recording more accurately than through computer speakers. Side-by-side you should be able to tell the difference in the recording quality.<br />
<br />
Test! Test again! If you test and think you have it all right, then go back to record the next morning -- test again. The worst things are simple, like the pop filter moved and now is against the mic, or you forgot to turn the mic on, or you are dehydrated so you have dreadful mouth noises today, or you can hear the rain outside but it wasn't raining yesterday. Test & listen to it. Play with the editing commands with a short test piece. Are you happy with how it came out? Did it take too much fussing and still not sound very good? Tweak the equipment, recording settings & environment until everything is right for today.<br />
<br />
And feel free to ask for help.<br />
<br />
New: <a href="http://ledgernote.com/features/acoustic-treatment-guide-for-panels-and-foam/" target="_blank">Someone pointed out this great article -- if you're the engineer and DIY type, plan to create a serious DIY home studio, and can drop some cash on higher-end materials to soundproof, this article's for you.</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Rev. Criss Ittermann, Life Facilitatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12365856266726316770noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577327422083874466.post-90406347476543402392015-03-31T08:29:00.002-04:002015-03-31T08:31:20.353-04:00My first Udemy Course on Tricky English Words!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Man sitting at desk writing in a journal, only his arms, desk, notebook, pen and a computer in the background are visible. A thought bubble rising up from the notebook depicts "bear feet": a picture of someone wearing bluejeans and brown fuzzy clawed monster slippers." border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AXKs8NMkdT0/VRqMTFQlKVI/AAAAAAAAAnY/gk_WIuLCjEA/s1600/CoverArt.png" height="180" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Bear Feet" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Course Image: "Bear Feet"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I'm so excited to have my first course on Udemy.com: "Improve Your English Vocabulary with over 70 Tricky Words."<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Mistakes can be embarrassing -- and for some people it can cost them a job opportunity, lose opportunities for a promotion, or cause them social media anxiety. If you ever get confused between which spelling of "capital" to use (or is it "capitol"?), if you get embarrassed when people correct your word choices ("you mean 'accept' not 'except'"), if you don't know when to kick your autocorrect for adding an apostrophe to "its," this is the course for you! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I've leveraged my creativity and brainstorming capabilities to find innovative ways to remember different sets of words and tell which is which, to make it easier to write and proofread what you've written.</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Look more professional</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Avoid miscommunications</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Sharpen English writing skills</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Say what you mean</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Make a great first impression</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
In 24 closed-captioned lectures spanning about an hour and a half, you can learn mental tricks and stories to tell apart over 70 (currently 92) tricky words.<br />
<br />
People who have found my course helpful:<br />
<div>
<ul>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">English language learners (intermediate)</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;"></li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Businesspeople</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Native English speakers who have writing anxiety</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Homeschoolers</li>
</ul>
</div>
I have over 2,000 students in my course, and some great reviews. I look forward to helping more people.<br />
<br />
Feel free to watch my promo video, below, and my blog readers get a special discount! <a href="https://www.udemy.com/learn-english-words-vocabulary-homophones/?couponCode=Blueprints" target="_blank">Click here to view the course information, preview lectures, etc. and it will load a discount coupon for the course in case you're interested (it's currently $29, and the coupon makes it only $5).</a> </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/JfcXU6iEsJ4/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JfcXU6iEsJ4?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Rev. Criss Ittermann, Life Facilitatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12365856266726316770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577327422083874466.post-74237997893395514972013-04-08T11:29:00.002-04:002015-03-31T08:33:44.293-04:00Are you hungry?One of the things I haven't discussed on this blog is food and, by extension, hunger.<br />
<br />
Today is Blog Against Hunger day... so here's my 3 cents:<br />
<br />
There's hungry -- those with nothing of any substance to eat. And today is mostly dedicated to them. We like to think these people live far far away, but they're here in our community also. <br />
<br />
But then there's hungry -- those with an insufficient amount to eat. And sometimes they're our neighbors. You pass them in the street, in the supermarkets. The mothers who go hungry to make sure they feed their children. The families who can barely buy anything, and must make do with as little as possible. <br />
<br />
And there's the invisible hungry -- those with much more than enough to eat, but it's is sub-standard or lacking in vital nutrients. Unfortunately, that's most of us. We may think we're eating well, but what we're eating isn't really food at all. Reconstituted foods, over-processed foods, foods that had to be "enriched" because the nutrients were stripped out and then added back in through "nutrients" made in factories. Foods rendered unrecognizable to our metabolism through science. Free-radicals that are costing our health. We eat more and more because underneath all that massive food we're eating there's very little of actual substance or sustenance.<br />
<br />
Those of us in the invisible hungry could improve our food intake, and fight for food freedom & responsibility -- then we won't be hungry anymore, and the food industry will respond to our demands and become more responsible. That improves the food available to those who don't have a sufficient amount to eat who live next door, too. Then together, we can help people find ways to grow good food locally, improve their soil, improve their water use, so that they can eat where they live, and live where they eat. That's been the answer for the vast majority of human history: technology cannot change the fundamental fact that this is the healthiest way to eat, that it's how our bodies evolved to eat.<br />
<br />
For more information on Food Freedom, I'm always posting on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/criss.ittermann" target="_blank">my Facebook timeline</a> on this topic, but check out <a href="http://abundantlifefarm.com/" target="_blank">my Fairy Goddaughter, Linda Borghi of Abundant Life Farm</a>. She's got it all down and helps people learn about growing their own food. She's been helping people in Africa grow their own food and become self-sufficient.<br />
<br />
Namaste,<br />
CrissRev. Criss Ittermann, Life Facilitatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12365856266726316770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577327422083874466.post-40984416452635646432012-09-21T14:52:00.000-04:002013-06-27T09:37:29.455-04:00The Game of Essay Writing<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">So many of us have kids that are hyper-focused on games. So here's an example of both an essay and how-to write and organize an essay for a kid who loves gaming (written for my son).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">One of the problems is the word "essay" -- once we have the skill of "writing an essay" down it ends up being used in emails, in brochures, in business plans, in letters of request or recommendation -- the same skills we call "essay writing" in school is even used for short-form facebook posting through to long-form thesis or dissertation writing. But we call it an "essay" which makes it daunting. We could call it "Writing an Instruction Manual for a Game System". We could call it whatever -- it's just "good writing technique". Or if you will a "sandwich writing technique". Or best of all "writing for the reader".</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<!--?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?-->
<br />
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">An essay has to be organized in some way. You can't take random ideas and create an essay.</span></div>
<hr />
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Think of an assignment to write an essay as if you're creating a game. The essay is like the introduction & tutorial for the game. How are you going to organize your intro/tutorial? First tell us the general idea of what it's about (subject/topic sentence) and the point of the game. Then let us know how the tutorial/rules are organized (i.e. movement/controls, character stats & skills, equipment, combat). Then get us ready for the tutorial in a summarizing sentence/transition sentence.</span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">In the body paragraphs you tackle each topic of the so-called tutorial. In the first paragraph you introduce the idea of the controls of the game. Then you explain each detail. Then you get ready to transition to the next topic: character stats. That's when you're finally ready to go on to the next paragraph.</span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Thus each paragraph starts out introduction - details - transition. So now we introduce character stats, why they're important, how they're raised, etc. -- all the sub-topic details. When we're done, we need to move on so we introduce the next paragraph: equipment. The transition sentence is important so that the reader knows to change their mindset to expect something completely different--even if related.</span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">So every paragraph will need both a main topic sentence -- this time about how equipment will help your character or enhance their actions in the game -- and a transition sentence. So you go on to mention important points such as identification, equipping, caring for, finding, buying, selling, etc. your equipment. Now we're done with this topic, and it's time to transition to the next idea: combat. A good example of a transition between equipment and combat is how improving your equipment can help in combat -- add some transition phrases to clue-in the reader, and you're ready to move on to the next paragraph. </span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">So again, we introduce how important combat is to gain experience and progress, to gain loot, etc. in the game. We go on with the details of how to conduct combat, how to hurt or kill things, how to win & advance, level up, etc. When we're done, we're almost ready to conclude the tutorial, so we transition to the summary.</span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">In conclusion, we state how we hope the advice has been helpful to them, and that they are about to embark on a great & amazing adventure. Thank you for sticking by us in this tutorial, and best of luck! That's the summary paragraph and thus the ending of your essay.</span></div>
<hr />
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">How does this structure apply to your essay?</span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Is your essay organized? Coherent? Introduced? Summarized? Is each paragraph also organized, coherent, introduced, summarized?</span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Do you need more help?</span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Do you see how the middle of this IS an essay, organized exactly as I outlined?</span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The essay doesn't jump between different topics -- it stays on-topic and focused. You don't want details on equipping items when you're talking about character stats or how to strike in combat, right? How do you manage the massive amount of information you want to convey to the player or reader without first organizing it into understandable, related, digestible chunks? Communication is not about your skill at expression in words and phrases -- but your skill in getting other people to see your meaning. If you are organized, they can see your meaning, and remember what you teach them better.</span></div>
Rev. Criss Ittermann, Life Facilitatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12365856266726316770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577327422083874466.post-2722821389128838502011-06-20T08:53:00.000-04:002011-06-20T08:53:01.362-04:00More on Writing<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Fiction-Dummies-Randy-Ingermanson/dp/0470530707?ie=UTF8&tag=blueprintsforchange-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="Writing Fiction For Dummies" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0470530707&tag=blueprintsforchange-20" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Excellent Fiction Curriculum</td></tr>
</tbody></table><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=blueprintsforchange-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0470530707" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
I've actually come across <a href="http://nanowrimo.org/">the National Novel Writers Month</a> ("NaNoWriMo") and decided to participate both this summer, if possible ("Camp NaNo") and in November when the "official" NaNoWriMo kicks off. For adults, the goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. You are allowed to do pre-writing tasks before the event, in fact it's encouraged (and helps you write a quicker, much more cohesive project). There are no prizes, although winners might get special offers from sponsors.<br />
<br />
They have <a href="http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/">NaNoWriMo YWP (young writer's program)</a> where you (the instructor or parent) helps a child set a word-count goal that's within reason but still a stretch for them, and they can also set off and write along side you (if you participate). <br />
<a name='more'></a> There are "curriculum guides" -- under "Resources for Educators"-- and <a href="http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/workbooks">workbooks for the children to print out and use for pre-writing</a>. I plan to use this as Sept-Oct curriculum with my son because I think my whole family may be participating in either Camp NaNo this summer or NaNoWriMo. I've decided my son's goal should be a 25,000 word novella, and I don't think my daughter has decided whether to participate as an adult or as a student yet -- at 16, that's a choice I think she's ready to make on her own.<br />
<br />
This weekend I went out on a limb and purchased the Kindle version of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Fiction-Dummies-Randy-Ingermanson/dp/0470530707?ie=UTF8&tag=blueprintsforchange-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Writing Fiction For Dummies</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=blueprintsforchange-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0470530707" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> -- and I'm wildly impressed. I'm going to write a more thorough review on Amazon.com, but Randy Ingermanson and Peter Economy really really outdid themselves on this one, and it's a real bargain. I discovered Ingermanson through mentions on writers websites of the very popular writing technique called "<a href="http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/art/snowflake.php">The Snowflake Method</a>" which he created as a method of writing non-fiction, research reports, etc. I decided to look at his For Dummies work, and when I saw the reviews and the Kindle price, I figured it was worth a look.<br />
<br />
Like most "For Dummies" books, it's very well laid out, the language is clear and relatively concise, but it's the level of detail in this book that's most fascinating for me. If you can string together a few paragraphs, know how to construct sentences, and have even the vaguest glimmer of desire to write a book, this is a terrific guide. I recommend using it after using the NaNoWriMo youth-program workbook at least once, whether you're an adult or a teen, because it might be overwhelming if you've never analyzed a fiction story before from the writing perspective. While we all analyzed books in school for content, theme, meaning, plot, style, etc. there's a difference in analyzing a book and analyzing a writer's style to determine what you wish to emulate in your own.<br />
<br />
From there, Writing Fiction for Dummies gives a very detailed high-level overview of the components of story writing, zooms in on each level down to the paragraph overview of how to construct your story, then also goes on to describe how, as a general rule, to get your book published. Phew! Note this is a very top-down oriented book, much like his Snowflake Method. If you're one of those people who prefers to write first, think later, this may be less helpful immediately, and more helpful during revisions and editing, writing a proposal, seeking publishing -- i.e. when you're looking at the big picture view.<br />
<br />
In either case, if you or anyone you know has a yen to pen -- gift this book. It's a hit.<br />
<br />
I use an application called <a href="http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php">Scrivener</a> for almost all my creative writing efforts now including serial blogging. There are templates for fiction, screenplay, lecture, etc. in the program, with some setting & character development forms. I'd already started making my own templates, but now I'm adding tons of information and cheatsheets to my fiction template, most directly inspired by Writing Fiction For Dummies, and several other articles I've found online. The application is amazing for writing and organizing your information. On Windows? Either you can wait for Scrivener for Windows (forthcoming, there may be a public beta) or you can get Ingermanson's <a href="http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/info/snowflake_pro/index.php">Snowflake Pro software</a>, which looks awesome and is discounted 50% (i.e. it's $50) if you purchase <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Fiction-Dummies-Randy-Ingermanson/dp/0470530707?ie=UTF8&tag=blueprintsforchange-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Writing Fiction For Dummies</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=blueprintsforchange-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0470530707" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> which I really think you should -- whether you get his software or not. His software looks awesome, I'm hooked on Scrivener and just recently purchased it, so I'm not looking for another writing software package.<br />
<br />
(And while I get a small commission if you purchase a book I recommend or mention through Amazon, I get nothing for Scrivener or Snowflake Pro -- I just want everyone to know about great software when I find it!)<br />
<br />
Related Posts: <a href="http://blueprintsforchange.blogspot.com/2011/04/creative-writing.html">Creative Writing</a> <a href="http://blueprintsforchange.blogspot.com/2011/03/remedial-writing.html">Remedial Writing</a>Rev. Criss Ittermann, Life Facilitatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12365856266726316770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577327422083874466.post-44759555117979157532011-06-17T21:53:00.002-04:002011-06-20T08:53:37.441-04:00Fruits of his Labor<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4136/4869309184_2284f9dcbe_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4136/4869309184_2284f9dcbe_m.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Jo Christian Oterhals via Flickr</td></tr>
</tbody></table>When we were discussing homeschooling, my son's father gave him an assignment: write a 1200 word essay on the pros & cons of homeschooling.<br />
<br />
This is the same 13-year-old-boy who would write exactly 3 5-word sentences if that's all he was required, whose IEP writing goal in 8th Grade was to write 3 paragraphs. His main problems being a huge reluctance to write due to handwriting issues when he was younger, years of handwriting remediation, and having convinced himself (and others) that he "can't" write. His paper comes out with approximately a 10th grade readability level!<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
Obviously I'm a writer, and I did coach my son to start with on how to organize his thinking, gave him some recent articles to spark his interest in pulling current events into the paper, and I did help him edit his work. However he put in a great deal of research effort, expanded the original premise for his paper to a comparison of public school, private school, homeschooling and unschooling, including some critical thinking that he's never been able to express in writing before.<br />
<br />
He's given me permission to distribute the fruits of his labor. After years of pointless school assignments, one of the things that excited his passion was the idea that what he was compiling would actually be useful for someone in the future. So I thought it was important to share, on this eve of him finally being homeschooled. <br />
<br />
Please grab a copy from my dropbox link below! Note, the contents are copyrighted, but you have permission to distribute it in its entirety.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/8998700/Hector%27s%20School%20Choices%20Paper-DNR.pdf">Right-click to download - PDF</a>Rev. Criss Ittermann, Life Facilitatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12365856266726316770noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577327422083874466.post-1516041016202785242011-04-25T19:41:00.005-04:002022-07-24T10:37:47.140-04:00I live in a Pig Palace<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Fig4qITV9fg/WMYLfVZuO3I/AAAAAAAABCU/3wjwsyy3s24bTuPCHWmME8J44GaCsdsEwCLcB/s1600/IMG_1460.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Fig4qITV9fg/WMYLfVZuO3I/AAAAAAAABCU/3wjwsyy3s24bTuPCHWmME8J44GaCsdsEwCLcB/s320/IMG_1460.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I don't remember how young I was. Much too young, I'm sure. I was probably caught between the trap of being a preschooler, an only child, having a "pack rat" father and a tidy mother, and never having been taught how to declutter and purge.<br />
<br />
Inevitably I got to an age, probably 5 or 6 at most, where I was expected to have developed cleaning habits and skills in the face of a daunting amount of STUFF in a room much too large for someone my age to be fully in charge of. <br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
I was commanded to clean my room and left to carry out my marching orders, and being a typical young child, I had no way of determining exactly what that meant. Being born of a pack-rat I'd come across favorite treasures or long-lost companion objects or books and get distracted from the task-at-hand. Eventually a parent would come to check on my stalled progress and instead of redirection and coaching or instruction, I felt like I was getting blamed for having missed something important even though the instructions were never specific.<br />
<br />
Deciding that the expectation was unreasonable and unattainable, cleaning became a game of shoving as much STUFF under whatever objects I could get away with. Beneath the bed behind the dust ruffle, in the back of the closet, in drawers, under or behind furniture. Much of the time these ploys didn't work.<br />
<br />
Never did anyone sit with me and help me make decisions about my items. No one asked where an item belonged. No one helped me determine whether an item was still useful. I was still playing with my preschooler circus train set with my barbie dolls when I was 9 or 10 years old. It's a testimony to my imagination, and that I wasn't <i>too</i> spoiled (never had the Barbie car or the Barbie house, so I made do with what I had).<br />
<br />
I'm not sure exactly when the name-calling began. I know I was very young. Keep in mind that the younger a child is the more impressionable they are, and the stronger the commandments of the parents. "Your room is a mess" is a holy decree when you're young enough. It's a statement of fact. It's indisputable. It's reality as proclaimed by someone who is omniscient. And this statement gives no hope or promise of the possibility of change. <br />
<br />
Name-calling is even worse. "Your room is a pig sty." Whether they say it directly or not, if I live in that room I must be a pig. "You're a slob." As sure as you are male or female, you are also a slob. It's just something you are. It's neither something you have control over nor anything you can aspire to change.<br />
<br />
I've tried all my life to do better in keeping my environs clean, but deep down inside I have what I'd call a "High Mess Tolerance." Once I reached puberty, occasionally my mother's side of my gene pool reared it's head and I'd get into a compulsive cleaning kick. I'd stay up until all hours and rearrange my room and do something miraculous. But this work is so exhausting that it doesn't last and is far from a habit of being tidy. The rare appearances of my tidy binges can't combat the pack rat mentality.<br />
<br />
And I realized why the pack rat wins over the neat-nick. Because I've invested myself in living up to my parents' expectations. You simply can't fight your parents when you're very young. I had no idea they were wrong for saying those things, and no way to fight back, so I did the only thing I could do to maintain my grip on sanity: I gave in. I believed it. And over 30 years later, I realize that I still believed it. No matter how often I tell myself that I can clean now, that I can take care of the mess and keep it at bay -- I prove myself wrong by burning out.<br />
<br />
But they talked about the mess, me being a slob, and disgusting. And I watched enough Odd Couple to know what they meant, and they even compared me to Oscar Madison. So when left to my own devices, I would turn into Oscar. With one exception.<br />
<br />
They never ragged on my organizational skills. It's ok to have order in your sloppy chaos of a house. It's ok to know where everything is within the "Your room looks like it was hit by a tornado!" So I have made an art of staying very organized inside my mess, to the point of organizing information in binders, having and using a file cabinet, etc. It's amazing, despite being proclaimed a doomed pig, I can still see some of that Felix Unger, some OCD in my pack rat mentality, in my inability to purge and let go. If I marry the pack rat and the tidy neat-nick, I'd possibly be functional.<br />
<br />
Even when I really tried to clean, I was never complimented for the things I had accomplished, never given kudos for the effort or for maintaining my focus in cleaning. My teenage 3am cleaning binges got jaw-dropping astonishment in the morning, but no real pat on the back or celebration or acknowledgement of the inner neat-nick who was dying for a breath of air.<br />
<br />
So now I'm entering a new phase of awareness with myself, tackling something that never was in my waking brain before, and digging deep at the roots. I'm doing so right now with the help of <a href="http://flylady.net/">http://flylady.net</a> - a website for people immersed in CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome). I'll be working on purging the triggers and self-image issues using EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), too. Soon I will be living in a Pig Palace instead of a pig sty, after all there was never really anything wrong with the pig; it was just the pig's choice of accommodations.<div><br /></div><div><span><!--more--></span>Update 2022</div><div><br /></div><div>After all this time we figured out on top of all of this that the egg donor was also a hoarder. But at a stage of hoarding where all the hoarded stuff could be kept behind closed doors. When there was more stuff, she would acquire another piece of antique furniture to fill up, or stuff it into a closet, or into a cabinet. So what was "tidy" was also something of a lie. She was no different than me shoving things under the bed, into drawers, into the closet. That was how to clean. That's what I was taught and shown.</div><div><br /></div><div>This makes the expectations even more hypocritical. No wonder we didn't know how to clear or purge, because neither of our parents were doing so. They both had "places" for their things, and could put things "away" but threw out very little. They'd fix it, reclaim it, save it, even sometimes use it. But they wouldn't release it.</div><div><br /></div><div>That hidden organizational skill — that came from their role modeling as well. The sperm donor collected coins, stamps, etc. but kept things in binders. His hoarded things were organized into categories, and stashed away together. Similar for the egg donor's craft projects. All the yarn in this antique cabinet, for example. So the fact that we can organize within our chaos also comes from them.</div><div><br /></div><div>In 2018 we discovered Lissie in our system and she is better at cleaning than the other Crisses, which is very helpful. We can let things go, but also still hoard things. We look at our apartment and there's so much STUFF. Also, we don't shame ourselves about it because along with the STUFF, there's also the fact that we have 20+ people who front and this isn't very much stuff for so many people with all their interests and crafting etc. We learn how to limit things so we set aside a bin for rescuing some things from recycling for reuse or craft projects for example. But need to limit it to that bin. If it's more than the bin holds, it has to go. We have some old banners from business stuff, and we plan to repurpose them into things we might have otherwise purchased, otherwise they go as well. And so on. And if things aren't used within a certain amount of time, we have Lissie to hold us accountable for it.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's a project, but <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1GDXviEGBc" target="_blank">we've put the shame where it belongs</a>, and that's the important thing. We can reclaim our security from under their shame and proudly say yeah our parental units dropped the ball on this, and it's up to us to learn and change and start to move stuff out of our space because they're not going to fix this. Heck, even if we tried to talk to them about it (we're not communicating with either of them any more) they'd be in denial about it, so it's pointless to expect any answers from them.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, as an example — we were using a cardboard box as a shelf divider. We fixed that with a more permanent solution, then we had this box. And it was an Imperfect Foods box: strong, clean, etc. We were reluctant to recycle it if we could use it for something else. We had a puzzle we had glued but didn't sit well on a wall — it bent in the heat and buckled etc. So yesterday we repurposed the box as a backing for the puzzle, used hot glue to mount the puzzle on the cardboard, added craft sticks on the back to keep the cardboard folds from bending, and re-mounted the puzzle on the wall. That's several items we had floating around now taken care of, and a wall that had nothing on it is now decorated so we can enjoy the pretty puzzle. There's still some scraps of cardboard left for us to mount other artwork and hang it, then we'll throw the scraps into the recycling. The box won't be hanging out for months or years, the artwork will be deployed properly, and we'll enjoy our space more.</div><div><br /></div>Rev. Criss Ittermann, Life Facilitatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12365856266726316770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577327422083874466.post-35092402037366208362011-04-02T17:03:00.001-04:002011-04-02T17:04:23.282-04:00Autobiography<p>I think I'd like to use <a href="http://homepage.mac.com/mseffie/assignments/portfolio_unit/portfolio.pdf">this absolutely brilliant "Portfolio" assignment</a> for an 11th grade writing course (following <a href="http://blueprintsforchange.blogspot.com/2011/04/creative-writing.html">a creative writing course</a>), although I'm considering working it in sooner rather than later and doing the assignments for myself alongside my son working on them. The end-product of this year-long assignment is a publishable autobiography. The teacher who created this curriculum packet has had a great amount of success with other teachers adopting it as well, including foreign language teachers, and has used the assignments in literature classes as well (where you write the portfolio assignment "as if" you are a character in a book).</p><a name='more'></a>
<p>There are dozens of possible assignments and teachers usually assign between 25 and 35 of them, some as "free choice" of the student where the student can write in any style or choose an unassigned assignment from the list. One thing I like about this assignment packet is that it works well with a quality school philosophy; a teacher could assign a minimal number of pieces and give the children more freedom in selecting the bulk of their assignments and the pieces are worked to publishable perfection -- true quality work -- including designing a cover and creating a table of contents so that the book may be bound.</p>
<p>I would potentially use my self-publishing resources and create a perfect-bound version of my child's "High School autobiography." It would be an amazing gift to him, and to his friends and close relatives, as well as an amazing college-entrance piece.<br /></p>
<p>Even more interesting would be if I could get both of my children to work on it and all 3 of our works were published in a single volume. However, since I'm not homeschooling my daughter that might be too much to ask; she'll probably be starting college or working while my son and I are working on this project.</p>
Rev. Criss Ittermann, Life Facilitatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12365856266726316770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577327422083874466.post-4674398858937301902011-04-02T16:50:00.003-04:002011-06-20T08:57:48.225-04:00Creative Writing<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hamlet-Holodeck-Future-Narrative-Cyberspace/dp/0262631873?ie=UTF8&tag=blueprintsforchange-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="Hamlet on the Holodeck: The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0262631873&tag=blueprintsforchange-20" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hamlet on the Holodeck</td></tr>
</tbody></table><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=blueprintsforchange-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0262631873" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />If things in homeschooling, assuming we homeschool, go the way I plan, then my son's remedial writing will focus strongly on expository writing skills. Thinking far ahead, in ways I probably shouldn't, I think the follow-up would be dedicated creative writing. I took creative writing twice in High School and again in College, and I believe it strengthened my overall writing abilities tremendously. My son's reading interests are very close to mine back then, and I can explain to him the importance of having the skill of creative writing. It doesn't hurt that he's read some of my own fantasy stories and liked the style and thought it was good.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
There's a direct benefit for my son's chosen vocation too. My son wants to be a game programmer/designer and eventually own his own computer(?) game company when he's older. His favorite types of games are role-playing games, and I think storytelling is the cornerstone of good role-playing games. So I'll explain this to him and emphasize the importance of developing his story-writing skills and what it will mean to his future in game development. He'll need skills in developing scenes, plot, settings, characters, descriptive language, visualizing, etc. This is the core skill to creating great games. I assume he will have a team, however large or small it is, and conveying the flavor, the scenery, the characters of the game world is exceptionally important.<br />
<br />
So to this end, I've been collecting some creative writing resources. However, I'll be looking more into this while developing a plan for his "10th grade classes."<br />
<br />
In addition to all my creative writing classes, I took an interesting college course titled "Digital Storytelling" which had 2 off-center books that I think my son might get value from. One is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0262631873/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=kinhostorg-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0262631873">Hamlet on the Holodeck</a> and the other is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0874779308/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=kinhostorg-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0874779308">The Power of Personal Storytelling</a>. <i>Hamlet</i> studies the idea of interactive fiction, potentially also covering role-playing games, but talks about collaborative storywriting, make-your-own adventures, text-games (like <i>Zork</i> and it's ancestors), and more, where <i>The Power of Personal Storytelling</i> creates fiction-like storytelling from one's own real-life experiences. I wouldn't base the curriculum the same way it was in my Digital Storytelling class; my class project was a hyperlinked story (called a "multiform story") where 4 characters & an omniscient narrator tell the same story from different viewpoints and is <a href="http://eclectictech.net/ensemble/">archived on one of my websites</a>. The reader is invited to move either linearly through one person's point of view, or to switch between points of view at any time. The <a href="http://eclectictech.net/ensemble/chapters.html">story index is here</a>, and I never completed every chapter. I might invite my son to create some type of digital storytelling project if he were interested in it, but I want to use these resources to show him the possibilities of using storytelling techniques, especially ones that are unique to modern platforms, to create new types of stories. Who knows, maybe he'll come up with an entirely new genre of electronic games!<br />
<br />
Related Posts: <a href="http://blueprintsforchange.blogspot.com/2011/06/more-on-writing.html">More on Writing</a> <a href="http://blueprintsforchange.blogspot.com/2011/03/remedial-writing.html">Remedial Writing</a>Rev. Criss Ittermann, Life Facilitatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12365856266726316770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577327422083874466.post-91505518167616474952011-04-02T09:06:00.000-04:002011-04-02T16:39:50.740-04:00The Myth of "Socialization"<p>How much "socialization" does a child get in school? How much does a homeschooled child "miss out" on this so-called socialization.</p>
<p>First, the term "socialization" makes it sound like something deliberate, like animal husbandry. You pair kids in the corral for purposes of "socializing them." Anyone who has been to a school knows this is simply not the case; the schools group children together based on their classes, which are usually based on their abilities and at the starting level children are grouped simply based on their chronological age. If we were to purposefully socialize our children, wouldn't we pair or group them based on common interests?</p><a name='more'></a>
<p>I grew up in a big city and I used to walk to High School, which was a considerable distance, with two or three of my closest friends who I happened to go to elementary school with. One thing I noticed as early as grade-school, is that the kids who picked on me in 1st or 2nd grade were the ones still picking on me in 6th grade. When we all transitioned to different Junior High Schools, the class split amongst 2 or 3 schools. So a portion of my "new" Junior High School class was from my elementary school and with them came some of the same kids who hadn't tired of picking on me yet. The same thing happened when we transitioned from Junior High to High School, with the exception that many children in my classes went to specialty High Schools and I went to my zoned High School. Even though there was a new mix of kids, some whom I'd known for 6 years, some whom were entirely new to me, all the other children had the same experience. Let's see if I can explain this:</p>
<p>We enter school at about 5 years old at Kindergarten. With the exception of our teachers, with whom we presumably do NOT socialize, we are corralled with 5 year olds and bring our vast different backgrounds and experience, and perhaps some small variety in social maturity levels into our Kindergarten class together. We are in a school that goes up to 6th grade, around 11 or 12 year olds, but we don't really ever interact with children outside our own grade level. We go to recess with our age-mates, we go to gym with them, we are even required to sit at the same tables in the lunch room with them. Come the end of the year, we get our new class assignments. Those who have done most poorly may be moved to a different class while one or two children from other classes may move into our class, but for the most part our entire posse moves on to the next grade together. Throughout the 6-7 years of K-6 our class of 25-35 kids becomes an insular group where we are forced to come to our own pecking order, and when doing so children can be quite vicious.</p>
<p>We start off as 5 year olds with the social skills of 5 year olds in an insulated group of 5 year olds with only a 2 month break during which to attempt to mature into 6 year olds, then we're put back into the corral to "socialize" with the same age-mates again. The landscape hasn't changed. We're still basically 6 year olds with the social skills of 5 year olds and the only change was our teacher and the curriculum. We might luck out and have some children with older siblings in our class, maybe a little maturity filters in somehow, but emotionally, mentally, socially, we're not much better off than kindergarteners.</p>
<p>This continues throughout the K-12 experience. With the regimented segregation of children along the lines of age we've lost the age-integrated socialization of the 1-room school where 12 year olds would help 5 year olds with their ABC's and role-model older more mature child development and confer on the 5 year old the skills of dealing with older children (and vice-versa). This segregation is quite on-purpose in the name of pouring out people who can't truly think for themselves from the system. Thankfully we're still human and all this contrived nonsense doesn't really work as well as The Establishment might want it to, but whenever they talk about extending the school year, or when they punish children for failing by giving them extra months worth of schooling or keeping naughty children after school with detention, they're making maneuvers to cut children off from influences that can give them autonomy, maturity, and true rich experiences.</p>
<p>So our children are locked in a room for at least 6 hours a day with children who are essentially 5 years old for a span of 12-13 years. Where is all this socialization taking place? In most cases, children are not allowed to socialize during class. If you pass notes, talk, or even so much as look at each other you can be the brunt of the teacher's negative attention and be punished. So obviously it's not time to socialize during classes. Seeing children is not socializing. Between classes, maybe you can have a rushed 3 minute conversation while navigating the throngs to get to your next assigned seat -- or perhaps you get snarky remarks from the jealous kids in your class during class changes, or get called out for a fight after school. If you're lucky you have a locker and a friend wrote you a letter during their last period and stuffed it into the air slots of your locker and you have something interesting to read during your next class. You do possibly get to talk to kids during recess. My recess was a time of retaliation against the children in my class, something that doesn't resemble socializing at all and makes me feel like K-6 was a whole lot more like <i>Lord of the Flies</i> than I'd usually care to admit. Then there's lunch time, and the time before school when we'd line up in the schoolyard playing before classes lined up. I mentioned pecking orders? Children took every opportunity to exert their will on the pecking order in our school, shoving the undesirables as far down the rungs of the ladder as possible while jockeying for position with the more power-hungry at the top.</p>
<p>During inclement weather, recess was indoors and far more structured. The girls would often go to the auditorium and we'd socialize -- ah! there's some real socialization -- while some of us danced to disco tunes on the stage. I was one of the dancers, because my need for so-called-socialization was nearly non-existent. I guess the boys went to the gym or stayed in the lunchroom and shot hoops or played dodgeball or something. Whenever our recess was taken up by these arranged activities, no real socialization took place.</p>
<p>In my experience, this so-called socialization paled in comparison to the small-group interactions and one-on-one interactions I had with my peers on weekday evenings, weekends, or over the school breaks. I could have real conversations with people I wanted to be with. There were plenty of fights and crises to learn some troubleshooting skills or "Don't do this, it hurts when you do this." I actually got a good bit of my social skills from the parents and siblings of my friends as well; I got to see behaviors outside of what was going on in my family and decide what type of adult social skills I liked and disliked, what parenting styles worked and didn't work because I knew how screwed up -- or not -- my friends were. These were very important social interactions for me.</p>
<p>Enter homeschooling. So the homeschooled child misses out on this age-segregated nonsense, the furtive and rushed conversations between classes, sitting with the same kids at lunch as at every other time of the day and being picked-on and singled-out, being called out for fights after school, getting in trouble for passing notes, etc. In exchange, the child has more time to pick their friends, spend time on evenings and weekends with age-integrated friends and their parents & siblings, go to special homeschooler meetings during the day while others are in school, go on more field trips, meet real-life people rather than socialize with people with the social skills of 5 year olds all the time. There will still be plenty drama, and plenty lessons about being social to learn, without it being a deliberate case of being penned into the corral to socialize with one's peers.</p>
<p>I had a funny thought today about how school socializing would look in the workplace:</p>
<p>You're sitting in your cubicle getting your work done and someone passes by and whispers "Psssst!" and tosses a hastily scribbled and folded up note on your desk. As you're turning to grab the note to read it, the boss bursts into your cubicle and grabs the note. "No passing notes during work!" and he opens the note and reads it aloud, loudly. "'Meet me at the water cooler at 2 o'clock. Jim.' Well, Sue, you're not going to meet Jim at the water cooler! You've got detention for passing notes during work!"</p>
<p>Then it's time for recess. Everyone gets up from their cubicles and convenes around the water cooler for 20 minutes. It's noisy and loud, everyone's really busy getting the kinks out of their neck and stretching their legs, getting drinks of water, having loud and quiet conversations all at the same time. It's quite chaotic. But you have detention, so you're stuck sitting outside the boss's office. When 20 minutes are up, the boss chases everyone back to their cubicles and demands that everyone stay in their seats and be quiet. On the way back from detention to your cubicle, the person in the next cubicle points and laughs at you while you walk by. You can't help but get really pissed off, because you're already humiliated enough, so you lean into their cubicle and whisper, "After school, by the mailbox. Just you and me."</p>
<p>You sit down and get back to work, but just as you're getting back into the "flow" the person in the cubicle across from you raises their hand and starts moaning "Ooh Ohhh Ohh Boss!" The commotion breaks your flow and the boss pokes their head out of the corner office: "What is it, Randall?" Randall whines, "Can I go to the bathroom?</p>
<p>I honestly think that the idea of socializing in school is highly over-rated, and does very little to prepare us for the real world.</p>
Rev. Criss Ittermann, Life Facilitatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12365856266726316770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577327422083874466.post-69262467540547321162011-03-27T19:34:00.001-04:002011-03-27T19:34:13.840-04:00Child-Centered Teacher in UK Sacked for Saving 5 Boys' Education<p>Here it is, another anecdote from the good-teacher vs. bad-system movement:</p>
<p>5 students that are completely beyond help, and one teacher who decides to put them first. So much so that she uses their first names and their group nickname in a fictional tale about how people in a downward spiral can turn everything around if they want to. The boys identify with the characters, I'm sure it's partially because their first names are in the book, and they actually read it. The students do so well, are so inspired to learn and straighten their lives out, that they all go on to post-secondary education. The teacher is given promotions and kudos.</p>
<p>The teacher's husband, without her knowing, puts the book up on the Internet and the teacher gets canned. <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/mar/27/leonora-rustamova-sacked-calder-high">Read more...</a></p>
<p>This is how we reward the world's best teachers.</p>
Rev. Criss Ittermann, Life Facilitatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12365856266726316770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577327422083874466.post-56244227448613101132011-03-27T17:21:00.003-04:002011-03-30T11:38:20.361-04:00The importance of missing the mark<p>Pay for performance. It's currently a pretty hot issue. There's plenty articles telling us how poorly it's working, too. <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/businessclub/8407627/Think-tank-Overpaying-staff-can-reap-rewards-for-businesses.html">A great summary of US and UK tests on pay-for-performance is at the Telegraph</a>. Basically, giving teachers incentives for improving test scores of $3000-$15,000 is not effective in increasing the children's test scores.</p>
<p>I'm sorry, but everyone's completely missing the mark here!<br />
<a name="more" id="more"></a><a name='more'></a><br />
<!--more-->What exactly does an incentivized teacher do to improve test scores? The teacher either tries harder to teach more or tries harder to teach better, or gets more stressed out about teaching harder or better, or ...? What? What makes these people think the problem is how hard the teachers are teaching?<br /></p>
<p>Pay-for-performance works fine on an assembly line. Man vs. Machine.<br /></p>
<p>Pay-for-performance works fine on performing services. Man vs. Himself.<br />
[And all examples I can think of where pay-for-performance impacts Man vs. Nature (which in all the cases I can think of the pay results directly from the conflict so pay-for-performance is inherently rampant there) are simply messy and perhaps require their own rant.]<br />
<br />
But didn't the science people thinking up these messed-up experiments pay any attention in class -- ANY class other than strictly hardcore science? This is a Man vs. Man problem. The teachers are NOT the end worker in this situation. Students are unpaid workers in the business of producing test scores. The teachers don't produce the test scores. [Note: by no means am I saying the students SHOULD be unpaid workers in the business of producing test scores. This is the simple fact of No Child Left Behind and its precursors in the American public schooling system.] The harder the teacher works to try to coerce, force, threaten, bully, force-feed information and skill to the students, the more pre-test drills, the more the teacher gets anxious and sweats bullets because their precious bonus is on the line -- the less likely the students are to perform to their expectations.<br /></p>
<p>And most teachers are smart enough to know this, because basically you don't become a teacher if you didn't pay attention in anything other than hardcore science classes. Most teachers are quite aware that they try hard enough, thank you very much. You may not see negative effects on this study in a real classroom because the teachers say "sure, we'll try" and then they actually go do what they do best, which is really try the hardest the system will let them, because they already try really hard. So many teachers out there give their all. They accept pressure from the President and from the lawmakers who create ridiculous bureaucracy in doing what teachers do the best -- inspire children to learn. Those who aren't there to inspire children to learn would have gotten a better job. The longer the teacher is in the system the lower their rewards. Oh sure they need money like everyone, but they hunger more than any money for a single adult they taught to turn to them and say "You know, YOUR class REALLY made a difference to me. Thank you."</p>
<p>What happens on the shop floor if you give the manager a pay-for-performance incentive. "If your 10 direct reports do well, we'll give you a $3000 bonus." They probably wouldn't be incentivized for only $3000. Ok, maybe the $15,000? So they lean on their direct reports harder, right? Or they coerce them. They get out the verbal whip, put their jobs on the line, yell more, get meaner? The best boss is going to sit down with their direct reports and say, "Hey guys, they offered me a $15,000 bonus if you guys speed up the line to make 2,000 units a day. If we make 2,500 units a day, I'll give my bonus to you guys instead and split it evenly amongst all of you. I won't take a cent of it." You can probably imagine what happens here. First, the manager was honest. Second, the manager shows he cares about the workers. Third, the manager didn't get all sado-masochistic on them; the manager turned into a leader. Even for the end workers, it's probably not about the $1,500 bonus they'd get, it's about being in it together, and the inspiration that their manager cares about them. They won't want to let anyone else down.</p>
<p>You want to see heads turn? Don't incentivize the teachers. Incentivize the students. And I'm not saying to pay them with money, really, but you need to figure out how the students tick. "If you do really well on your tests, we'll give you back your arts program." "If you do really well, we'll hire back that music teacher you love." "If you do really well, we'll make sure there are twice as many field trips." "If you do really well, we'll make sure that high school you're in next year has a theater program." "If you do really well, we'll take your whole grade to see the world series!"</p>
<p>Why are schools failing? Because you now value test scores more than human achievements. Because you've removed everything creative, inspiring and fun from the school system. Because you undervalue the art of teaching by telling teachers how to do their business so that educating the masses is more like torture for everyone involved. If the teachers didn't love trying to teach, they'd have left teaching a long time ago.</p>
<p>Three words: Student. Centered. Learning. Our school system is a very very sick system. There are some few gems out there, and they can't even serve as a model for the other schools out there until we begin to pull back all the bureaucratic chains holding back the school districts and administrators so that they can, in-turn, free the teachers to practice their art. Because teaching is an ART, not a science.<br />
Please stop making the situation worse than it already is. If you have anything at all to do with education, please check out my posts about <a href="http://blueprintsforchange.blogspot.com/2010/08/id-like-to-lose-this-baggage-at-airport.html">William Glasser and Quality Schools</a>.</p>
Rev. Criss Ittermann, Life Facilitatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12365856266726316770noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577327422083874466.post-83289012511047810022011-03-27T13:29:00.002-04:002011-03-27T13:37:29.691-04:00Making HistorySo as adults, I ask how much of what you learned in History lessons do you use today? I'll say I use more of it in helping my children with their classwork -- and that's the be-all and end-all of the facts and details I was spoon-fed in K-12. In SPITE of the fact that I've done historical re-enactment! In other words, absolutely NOTHING I learned in K-12 classes helped me EVEN with my hobby of historical re-enactment! Shame on the school system!<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
What DID help me was things I read on my own. Listening to people. Watching films & documentaries -- whether historically accurate, and sometimes when not so accurate (such as historical fiction). I LOVE historical fiction! I love re-tellings of old historical tales with some embellishment, such as stories of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0520203402/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=kinhostorg-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0520203402">Sappho</a>, the fall of Troy, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312853033/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=kinhostorg-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0312853033">medieval England</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553281453/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=kinhostorg-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0553281453">the Papacy</a>. I could name a half-dozen off the top of my head (check out <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fentity%2FJudith-Tarr%2FB000AQ8RZE%3Fie%3DUTF8%26ref_%3Dntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1&tag=kinhostorg-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">Judith Tarr</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fentity%2FMarion-Zimmer-Bradley%2FB000APXU48%3Fie%3DUTF8%26ref_%3Dsr_ntt_srch_lnk_1%26qid%3D1301239768%26sr%3D1-1&tag=kinhostorg-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">Marion Zimmer Bradley</a> for a few dozen), worth reading and re-reading, that enhance interest and love for a specific time-period. The interest it engenders leads to wanting to know which parts and true, and which were embellishment -- well worth picking up something a little dryer after-the-fact for the sake of curiosity. Heck, you can tie history interest with some Shakespeare, such as King Lear, Julius Caesar. These all incited a love of history, well after my K-12 years.<br />
If you're a history teacher, what do you love about history? What brought you to that love? Did you love history in K-12? What inspired you? If you're a homeschooling parent and have no love of history, it won't rub off on your children.<br />
The basic problem is that history is taught to children without an anchor to a child's present life. We pour all these abstract facts into their head without making it come to life for them, or tying it to their current interests. Out of self-defense for being overwhelmed with abstract nonsense, they automatically dismiss the bulk of the information given to them as irrelevant. What does this have to do with being a child in the here-and-now? Basically NOTHING. There's not a shred of what is taught that they care about or that has a real and relevant impact on their daily life. However, if you look carefully there are some good fact-driven books out there such as <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006090674X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=kinhostorg-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=006090674X">Life in a Medieval Castle</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060908807/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=kinhostorg-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0060908807">Life in a Medieval City</a>, etc. The difference is that you're not cramming numbers and facts into a child's head -- you're making it real and relevant for the child. You're giving it life, a real face, a basis for comparing the time period to what they know about real life in the here-and-now. What was life like for a child during the Civil War? What was life like on the Mayflower? "If you had been born in that area at that time, this is the life you would have had." It gives them a basis for comparing their current circumstances to the reality of a child in another time. Perhaps their own ancestor.<br />
To be honest, the lessons -- the important lessons -- I got from social studies were ALL between the lines and nothing to do with facts. Basically what I read between the lines as I was growing up told me that us European-descent bastards moved forcibly into another people's country, killed, raped, stole, planted our flag here then imported another people here to be our slaves, mis-treated them, and continued being true bastards to them in the name of Europe being bastards to us. What I learned in history class was to be ashamed of being a white woman of European descent. Good job! If they wanted to mould me into being "Proud to be an American" they failed miserably. The price of being an American is all that pain, misery, death -- the subjugation of Native Americans and African Americans that STILL CONTINUES TO THIS DAY, the indenture of even our own women, and a whole lot of dying all-around in defense of our HOLIER THAN THOU ideals. To boot, in more modern American history, and keeping an eye on current events, I've become convinced that our current government took the original ideas of the founding fathers of America who basically had their hearts and minds in the right place, even if they may have had slaves and pointed their guns at the wrong people, and have moved from that original and pure democracy into bureaucracy, political-ism simply to be political, and capitalism. Everything I've learned in 12 years of American History (plus post-secondary learning in college) makes me sad--and angry--at our current state of affairs. If the whole point of 12 years of cramming all that into my head was to make me an active and angry citizen who goes to the voting booth they could have stopped when I was 10 years old.<br />
So in teaching and homeschooling on the subject of history, I think it should always be child-led whenever possible. I suggest finding good films -- fiction first -- simply to spark some interest. For example <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002O3Z50Q/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=kinhostorg-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002O3Z50Q">Troy (2004) with Brad Pitt</a> is a fair representation, with a tie-in at the end with a more medically plausible reason for Achilles to have seemingly died from a single arrow through the heel. Or you could start for a girl with <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005JMH8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=kinhostorg-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00005JMH8">Helen of Troy (2003)</a> (there's a pretty violent rape scene in this one, and some nudity -- you may want to educate around this point!). This could then be contrasted with the myth, perhaps some reading from Homer's Illyad or <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0451459245/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=kinhostorg-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0451459245">The Firebrand</a> (fiction/fantasy based on the myth of Troy following Cassandra whom is entirely omitted from the Brad Pitt <i>Troy</i>), and the facts of the times of the Roman Empire, and a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00020HC68/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=kinhostorg-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00020HC68">documentary about Troy</a> (I have one and it discusses an archeological dig where they believe the real Troy was...).<br />
<br />
Once you make history REAL -- the way only movies and great stories can -- then you can study the FACTS. Most social studies courses tackle this inside-out. Incite interest, then let the children dig up more information from a variety of resources, and sift fact from fantasy.Rev. Criss Ittermann, Life Facilitatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12365856266726316770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577327422083874466.post-69095583905482682852011-03-27T13:09:00.001-04:002011-03-27T13:42:28.009-04:00Math - to Curriculum or NOT to Curriculum<p>My son loves math. He's got a lot of talent for math, and frankly I think schools and big textbooks hold him back. I don't really feel confident teaching Algebra, even though I think I remember all the important basics and could always brush up from resources online. However, I'm very confident that my son can almost teach himself Algebra with the right tools and materials.<br />
<a name="more" id="more"></a><a name='more'></a><br />
So I considered getting a correspondence course or online curriculum. Then I found what I think will be the RIGHT thing for my son. A good book, just as a backup plan and for additional examples and explanations, and <a href="http://khanacademy.org/">Khan Academy</a>. Khan Academy is an amazing website written by a person with programming and extensive math experience -- but all the lessons are videos and there's a built-in drill for math problems. When you have 10 problems correct, you can move on to the next level. I cleared some 20 or 30 lessons, earned badges and points, and I think that it has a good mix of real learning when you need it (the videos) juxtaposed with real practice (the drills) for the concepts that either you already know or that you've just learned. When I was done, I invited my son to take a turn at Khan Academy, and he spent almost an hour -- outside of homework -- playing with the math problems, earning badges and points, before going back to playing in his room. :)<br />
I'm impressed. I haven't gotten to any of the challenge levels yet. But I like it. It works with school, homeschool, or as a classroom tool (<a href="http://www.khanacademy.org/video/salman-khan-talk-at-ted-2011--from-ted-com?playlist=Khan%20Academy-Related%20Talks%20and%20Interviews">see this Khan Academy video from TED.com for how to use it in the classroom</a>). Khan Academy is a non-profit, it's free, there's also a few non-math classes (notably Biology, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry), and the math classes are completed to the college level already.<br />
For the math text book, I've found <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0716710471/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=kinhostorg-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0716710471">Algebra</a> , <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0716743612/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=kinhostorg-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0716743612">Geometry</a>, and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/071672426X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=kinhostorg-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=071672426X">practical math/math appreciation</a> books by Harold R. Jacobs. I read the reviews and fell in love. I haven't ordered them yet, but it sounds perfect. Now I need a school budget! ;)</p>
Rev. Criss Ittermann, Life Facilitatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12365856266726316770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577327422083874466.post-13746683450854239982011-03-27T13:03:00.004-04:002011-06-20T09:02:39.115-04:00Remedial Writing<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">My son has had quite the journey regarding writing challenges ever since Kindergarten. He was identified as gifted, but also earmarked for needing occupational therapy (OT) for handwriting. So in 1st grade, he went to a gifted program and had 1:1 instruction to try to correct his fine-motor issues.<br />
<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I have a genetic nerve disorder, and perhaps my son is not entirely in the clear. However a neurologist didn't find anything in particular wrong, and so the OT continued until 7th grade.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Due to his continuing difficulty with writing, my son avoided writing like the plague.</div><a name='more'></a><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Teachers said he could type his answers, and eventually (this is a story in itself!) he was given assisstive technology for writing (a NEO, by the same folks who gave the world Alphasmarts -- a bunch of ex-Apple employees with a vision of helping kids out or something like that....). Basically, his thoughts go much too fast to get down on paper at the speed he needs to write to be legible. So he either holds himself back and his writing is very awkward because he already forgot what he was going to write, or his handwriting degrades to a level that is impossible to read and still lags far far behind the speed of his thoughts.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I suppose that years of being told your handwriting isn't "good enough" and struggling to improve it have taken their toll. The assistive technology came to late and he's already built up considerable resistance to writing. He's quite verbal and able to hold conversations with complex thoughts, abstract thinking, deductive and critical thought, etc. His spelling is spot-on, his grammar is excellent. But don't ask him to write it down. So arguably his ability, but most especially his willingness, to write has suffered considerably.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">So I wanted to tackle his writing issues at 3 levels by offering him a "remedial writing class". In his zoned High School they have English 9 and Literacy, both required for 9th Graders. My son's spelling, grammar, and reading abilities are all well above grade level, so I would give him a basic High-School level English class -- covering literature, modern best-sellers, basically all adult reading-level materials, exercises to get him to think about them, put different materials together for new conclusions, research skills, etc. Aside from this literature-heavy class, I would give him a writing class. I've picked out a penmanship book that treats you like an adult: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0876781180/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=kinhostorg-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0876781180">Write Now</a>. The reviews sound great, and I think this is the right way to go on handwriting issues at this point. He doesn't have to be perfect, but he should be able to write checks and fill out forms at the DMV, and that's the type of things I'll have him do to challenge him.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The 2nd aspect that I want him to work on is simply letting words flow through his hands. To this effect, I've borrowed the idea of "Morning Pages" -- a stream-of-consciousness daily journal exercise from Julia Cameron's <a href="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=kinhostorg-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=1585421472">The Artist's Way</a>. The quality school approach says I will explain the whys to my son, but I still can require that he does the "morning pages" so every day my son will be required to fill 3 pages from a composition notebook with writing. Where he has choice -- 100% choice -- is in the actual content of those pages. This is his own private journal to do with as he will; he can share excerpts if he'd like to. What's not optional is that he writes. I will check it by having him write the date LARGE and LEGIBLE at the top of the page for that day, and then I can see without reading the text under it that he's done his morning pages that day. He could write the same word for 3 full pages, and I will accept it. However, my son's brilliant brain won't stay focused like that for very long. Most likely he'll start out with writing something silly for self-amusement, but I gave him a huge list of "story starters" and journal ideas I found on another website, so that he doesn't have to have anything particular on his mind to do this assignment; he can just pick from the list and start writing. My hunch is that "just writing" will help him break through his internal resistance to writing, help him speed up his hand writing, build up strength and fine-motor skills, improve his basic penmanship (perhaps also his style!), and help him unblock internal emotional blocks if he starts to "trust" the journal and the fact that it is truly a private exercise. Advances in any of those areas would be a breakthrough worth having.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The 3rd "prong" in this is that he needs to not only catch up to the 8th grade writing level but excel into the college writing level domain, as quickly as possible but before the 11th grade for certain. So the most highly recommended book for perfecting essay and expository writing I found is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1886061297/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=kinhostorg-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1886061297" title="Jensen's Format Writing - improve expository writing skills">Jensen's Format Writing</a>. I got the book yesterday, and I've taken a good look at it, and decided to re-design some of the scoring sheets to be more in alignment with the "grading" methodology used in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060952865/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=kinhostorg-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0060952865">The Quality School</a> (via the teachings of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fentity%2FWilliam-Glasser%2FB001H6U7OK%3Fie%3DUTF8%26ref_%3Dsr_ntt_srch_lnk_1%26qid%3D1301242233%26sr%3D8-1&tag=kinhostorg-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">William Glasser</a>). So I re-designed the paragraph grading sheet so that instead of grades D (worst) to A (best), there are comments: "You need some help," "It needs work," "You're almost there," and "Perfect!" along with the comment at the bottom of the checklist "You must re-do your paragraph until you have the best score. Please ask for help if you need it!"</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">If you're interested in this variation on Jensen's Writing Format checklist for your own use, here's <a href="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/8998700/Homeschool%20Resources/jensens_paragraph_checks.pdf">a PDF</a> and the <a href="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/8998700/Homeschool%20Resources/jensens_paragraph_checks.numbers.zip">Numbers.app worksheet</a>. The forms are 2-up on the page so that you can print and either tear or cut it in half to have 2 checklists. Drafts along with their checklists should be kept for a child's homeschool portfolio. When I've altered the checklists for longer writing assignments, I'll post about them and make sure it's filed under "downloads."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Related Posts: <a href="http://blueprintsforchange.blogspot.com/2011/04/creative-writing.html">Creative Writing</a> <a href="http://blueprintsforchange.blogspot.com/2011/06/more-on-writing.html">More on Writing</a></div>Rev. Criss Ittermann, Life Facilitatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12365856266726316770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577327422083874466.post-63942143768022952542011-03-27T12:16:00.000-04:002011-03-27T13:44:51.737-04:00Quality Schools Part 2<p><a href="http://blueprintsforchange.blogspot.com/2011/03/william-glasser-quality-schools.html">Don't forget to read my Part I on this topic</a>!</p>
<p>I didn't realize that one of the books I already own has a whole chapter (a long! chapter) dedicated to quality schooling. So I started reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060952865/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=kinhostorg-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0060952865">The Quality School</a> (William Glasser) and the introduction referred back to that chapter in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060930144/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=kinhostorg-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0060930144">Choice Theory</a>, so I went to the chapter and read it.</p>
<p>I'm so impressed with this concept, I want to make it a cornerstone of my homeschooling experiences.</p><a name='more'></a>
<p><b>"I want to know everything."</b><br /></p>
<p>That's my son's response to the question "What would you like to learn in High School?" -- at 13 years old, in the 8th grade, occasionally getting so-so grades, unenthused about studying for exams or homework.</p>
<p>So you might not believe his passionate assertion if you saw him working at school, or working on his homework or assigned projects. However, he has basically all A's & B's with the exception of English -- he has a C in English because of his writing (it's a long story, so I'll post about my thoughts on "Remedial Writing" in another post). It's not a matter of how well he tests; he tests easily, he rushes through his work, he gets "good enough" on the tests, and he does "just enough" of his homework to get credit. He doesn't care much if his answers are right or wrong so he doesn't double-check his work. His occasional mistakes don't need to be caught: he usually gets at least B's on final grades even when he's sloppy.</p>
<p>Glasser talks about this type of phenomenon in schools. Kids have no incentive or expectation to give their best work to schools, except in the arts, sports, and extra-curricular activities. The only expectation kids have is to pass their classes and that usually means passing their exams. The book brilliantly quotes a Peanuts comic -- loosely paraphrased that the children who get A's are the ones who forget the work 5 minutes AFTER the test, the ones who get F's are the ones who forget 5 minutes before.<br /></p>
<p>That's the failure of our test-based-school-system in a nutshell. We're not asking children for anything more than doing great work on tests. Most of the work is on isolated tests never to be seen again, with the exception of norm-referenced-exams (state or national) given annually to some grades. In other words, the SAT, ACT, CAT, and other alphabet-soup tests that the SCHOOLS are graded on in the spring (thanks to the No Child Left Behind standards from the Federal Government).</p>
<p>So what evidence do I have that makes me believe my son?</p>
<p>I was cooking or cleaning in my kitchen one day some months ago and watching <a href="http://ted.com">TED talks</a>. These are short inspirational videos on topics of Technology, Education, Design (hence "T.E.D."), environment, and so on. Basically new ideas, breakthrough ideas, on dozens and dozens of topics given by the most inspirational people on the planet. These talks are amazing. There was an 11 year old giving a talk about real food. This is a topic my family is, as a whole, very passionate about. My son caught the tail end of the presentation and asked to watch it again. When I started watching a new video, he watched it with me. It was a video about a new way to detect breast cancer, that successfully detects tumors much easier than our current technology without as much pain for the subject. He was hooked. Now he asks me if he can watch these "lightning talks" all the time. When I let him choose the subject, it's always about the environment, but he's watched talks about education, medicine, inspirational talks, etc. Notably, these speakers are engaged, passionate, and really the most brilliant minds of our time. They don't have long to speak, so they don't bore you with something dry and lecture-like. It's a real winner with kids.</p>
<p>Making breaking information about innovation THAT accessible to children is something that should be harnessed in ALL schools. When you watch these people you get excited about information. You get excited about possibility. You start dreaming that you can make a difference. You might dream about being an innovator or inventor. You start regaining HOPE that the world isn't going to just end before you reach 18. You start having something to live for, in fact a world to look forward TO.</p>
<p>In the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060930144/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=kinhostorg-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0060930144">Control Theory</a> model of William Glasser, we each have a special place in our heart and mind for the world we really want to live in. He calls this our "quality world." In this quality world are all the ideas and dreams we cherish, the people we love and look forward to seeing, the places we want to visit, the experiences we want to have. Glasser asserts that young children have school in their quality world. They look forward to starting school, they want to meet new people, meet their teacher, etc. In the first 1-3 years of school, this usually works out. School is pretty fun, the teachers are pretty lenient, there's not too much emphasis on memorization, there's plenty of time for play and interacting with other students, and the teachers are pretty open-minded.</p>
<p>Enter the curriculum and test-preparation. Around Grade 2 the teachers start to assert control over the class, forcing children to sit still and spend more time listening to lectures and doing boring and rote repetitious work. It's the time to start really writing, really studying, really doing math calculations. A few kids get restless or even a bit rebellious. But the teachers in the 2nd grade aren't all that jaded and burned-out so they may just recommend that these restless children get checked to see if they need to be drugged to sit still in class.</p>
<p>But the boring, repetitious, demanding curriculum really piles up in the 3rd grade and by 4th grade the children must be ready for testing. Children generally still are OK with school, but they're starting to break a sweat. By 8th grade, you'll know which children are experiencing burnout. And which teachers, too. They're the ones who come down on the kids the hardest, and who have lost their joy in teaching.</p>
<p>In 9th grade those burned-out 8th graders go to High School and the pressure and coercion in school intensifies. Carry 8-20 lbs of books, sit still for 40 minutes, cram your head full of nonsense you'll probably never use again, then go home and do several hours of homework at night. I don't think ANY adults would stay in an abusive job requiring up to 8 hours of memorization & testing followed by 3 solid hours of work-from-home for 8 years without pay, but here are the kids forced into that environment. And Glasser asserts that making that 8-hour day pay is pretty easy: the formula changes the moment that you give the children freedom to pursue quality work in their environment. Because the only way you'd ever get an adult to put in 8 hours at work followed by 3 hours at home is if they really felt passionate about what they're doing. Steve Jobs gets paid $1 per year for his work with Apple Computer. What pays Steve Jobs is when they produce work of the highest quality. Mind-blowing quality. Because he feels passionate about it, it pays big dividends. It doesn't hurt that he has stocks too, but that's not the point: the point is that many of us work, volunteer, pursue hobbies and projects that don't pay and require us to learn new skills because they're for things we believe in, and when we believe in it we do it to the best of our ability.</p>
<p>Glasser goes over all the technical points -- how to change current schools and school systems to work with his theory, which is much more involved than what I'm spouting about here. After all there's about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fentity%2FWilliam-Glasser%2FB001H6U7OK%3Fie%3DUTF8%26ref_%3Dsr_ntt_srch_lnk_1%26qid%3D1301242233%26sr%3D8-1&tag=kinhostorg-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">6 books or more on this topic written by Glasser,</a> and a whole certification process in application for these techniques. I just wanted to put on blog paper enough information to give you a glimpse into this idea and spark interest, as well as introduce the topic because I want it to be part of MY quality world with regard to my son's homeschooling.</p>
Rev. Criss Ittermann, Life Facilitatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12365856266726316770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577327422083874466.post-30727573923386651312011-03-23T15:16:00.000-04:002011-03-27T13:45:43.241-04:00William Glasser & Quality Schools<p>I can't wait for my books that should be arriving on Quality Schools. I already have several of William Glasser's books: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060930144/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=kinhostorg-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0060930144">Choice Theory</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060953667/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=kinhostorg-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0060953667">Counseling with Choice Theory</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060953233/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=kinhostorg-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0060953233">The Language of Choice Theory</a>. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060952865/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=kinhostorg-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0060952865">The Quality School</a> is going to be arriving on my doorstep shortly. Aside from how you treat your student (in my case homeschooler) in terms of verbal contact, there's a basic difference in how children's learning and work is treated that returns dignity, respect, and a higher level of useful expectations to the children.</p>
<p>Basically, children work at their exercises until their work is an A or B level. Barely-passing work is no longer accepted. <a name='more'></a>Since most curriculums build on former knowledge, this makes sense to me. Why are we accepting grades that are below par from children when mastery of material is so important for advancing to the next level? Or another way of putting it: Would you expect a D-grade student to retain enough to pick up when school starts again in the fall?</p>
<p>This is very fitting for my son. His schtick is doing the least possible work that he can get away from. Unfortunately that's rewarded with the current model. He can rush through a test, get a B or C on it, and know he's still passing his class. In Glasser's model, I might not even have a test; if my son does his minimum, he'll be sent back to do it again. And again. Until he puts effort into perfecting and mastering the material in question. A child doesn't really learn from red circles and low scores, and they'll never really know what they're fully capable of in this case. How about a green pen and making a child correct their own work when it's wrong?</p>
<p>There's so much more to Choice Theory than just this one idea of how to be "a better school." I highly recommend taking a look at some of these videos (I have no association with this man, Bob Hougland, but he has good videos):</p><object width="640" height="390">
<param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-2BzLKGx_ng&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3" />
<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" />
<param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" />
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-2BzLKGx_ng&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="640" height="390" />
</object><br />
<br />
<object width="640" height="390">
<param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_57gtNQfyx4&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3" />
<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" />
<param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" />
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_57gtNQfyx4&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="640" height="390" />
</object><br />
<br />
<br />
Rev. Criss Ittermann, Life Facilitatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12365856266726316770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577327422083874466.post-57026356929969860012011-03-23T13:42:00.000-04:002011-04-02T19:58:51.847-04:00High School Homeschooling<p>Right now it's on the table with my family whether we're going to homeschool my son for High School. I tried to contain myself. I've tried pacing myself. I've tried just gathering information and thinking, but I think I've gone overboard with planning.<br />
<br />
I think that homeschooling should be about what's right for a particular student.<a name='more'></a> As excited as I am about homeschooling my son, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be the right choice for my daughter. Well, it might be the right academic decision for her, but socially it wouldn't be. She values her friendships, makes friends easily, and her friendships are a big part of what gets her to her school every day. It's not like that for my son; for him it's quite the opposite.</p>
<p>So I've been hard at thought about what my son's needs are. He absolutely does need to socialize and he needs to make and keep friends. But I think he'll be more successful with socializing when it's completely unhinged from his academics, this way he doesn't necessarily see the same people every day and the people he socializes with are not the ones he's "locked into a class with" all day. He can easily socialize daily as long as the situation is more natural than a school environment.<br />
<br />
My son has an intrinsic need to be a "know it all" and to argue with the teachers in school. This has made him unpopular with the children and to a lesser degree the teachers, only a few of whom seem to be at wits end with my son's calling-out and interruptions. I'm going to have to manage the questioning and harping as best I can, and celebrate it for what it really is: He really wants to fully engage with the work. Fact is, this level of engagement with the subject and the teacher is not tolerated in the usual public school environment. When there's a strict curriculum and a set number of topics to cover before the rigorous state-mandated tests, there's no time for arguing. So in a homeschool environment, I'm at leisure to say "Well, I'm not sure. Why don't you do a little research and find out so we can discuss it?" This either will discourage the questions OR, I hope, give him incentive to do the research and have a discussion rather than an argument on the topic.<br />
<br />
Homeschooling is such an involved topic. I think I've exhausted my close family's tolerance for my babble, so I'm going to discuss my thoughts in this blog. Thoughts on curriculum, tailoring subjects to a specific child's needs, High School needs and so-called requirements, software, books, etc. that I come across -- and even some tools I've created based on the research I've been doing. So more to come later....</p>
Rev. Criss Ittermann, Life Facilitatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12365856266726316770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577327422083874466.post-81722865517070809582011-03-23T13:38:00.001-04:002011-03-23T13:38:26.660-04:00Radio Show Pulled<p>Not-so-breaking-news: I pulled Let's Heal the World Together, and I'm saving the idea (and the logo) for a later date. I pulled it before I had surgery in December last year (2010). This has freed up several hours of my week, which I'm currently dedicating to my family and my own health.</p>
Rev. Criss Ittermann, Life Facilitatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12365856266726316770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577327422083874466.post-73772226181898792232010-08-14T08:02:00.004-04:002011-03-27T17:38:16.956-04:00Moving Radio Show PostsI don't think many people are reading my posts here, so I've decided to take advantage of the BlogTalkRadio blog feature to do pre-show-notes introducing the topic of the show. The traffic there is much higher and if someone tunes in to the show-in-progress maybe they'll see my "thoughts" in the previous blog post and get the drift of what's going on on the show.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
The posts I've been posting here are in some ways my preparation for the show. Just making sure that 1-2 days before the show I'm giving some thought to what I'm going to talk about in my opening statements before opening up the lines. It's worked very well for me -- and it helps people become more interested in the show, since I sometimes like to use cryptic titles for episodes :)<br />
<br />
So you'll find future show-note-posts at B<a href="http://revx.me/radio">logTalkRadio</a>. You'll find other thoughts sitting right here.<br />
<br />
Here's show info in the meantime:<br />
<br />
<object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.adobe.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" height="270" id="M133159" name="M133159" width="210"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/btrplayer.swf?file=http://www.blogtalkradio.com%2Fletsheal%2Fplay_list.xml%3Fitemcount%3D5&autostart=false&bufferlength=5&volume=80&corner=rounded&callback=http://www.blogtalkradio.com/flashplayercallback.aspx" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="menu" value="false" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/BTRPlayer.swf" flashvars="file=http://www.blogtalkradio.com%2fletsheal%2fplay_list.xml%3Fitemcount%3D5&autostart=false&shuffle=false&callback=http://www.blogtalkradio.com/FlashPlayerCallback.aspx&width=210&height=270&volume=80&corner=rounded" width="210" height="270" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" quality="high" wmode="transparent" menu="false" allowScriptAccess="always" name="M133159" id="M133159"></embed></object><br />
<div style="font-size: 10px; text-align: center; width: 220px;">Listen to <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/">internet radio</a> with <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/letsheal">Lets Heal the World</a> on Blog Talk Radio</div>Rev. Criss Ittermann, Life Facilitatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12365856266726316770noreply@blogger.com0