Slam Poet Taylor Mali's 'What Teachers Make" is a great piece of both modern poetry and why being a teacher is still a good thing.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=RxsOVK4syxU
You have to check it out.
he also has an audiobook on itunes called "Conviction"
which is really good.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Monday, May 7, 2007
Finishing Deadliest Catch Article
I wrote about 18 pages today of my article about The Deadliest Catch. its called "Crabby: The tensions of Command, Commerce and Democracy on the Crab Boats of The Deadliest Catch." The idea is that the crab boat is an autocratic institution. The Captain is, to borrow from the President, the decider. yet, the men who crew the crab boat are from a democratic-capitalist culture. Thus working on a crab boat involves the sublimation of the culture of the individual in support of the efficiency of the group.
Now, captains should be able to act in an autocratic method. but i argue that the captains of the crab boat, for all their statements saying "this is not a democracy" still negotiate with their crews and have to prove their own legitimacy.
I am using the theories from the research I conducted on military command. There are a lot of similarities between the military and the crab boats (in both, a hierarchical institution replaces a democratic citizen culture.) Once it takes a final form, it should be really good. The theories are pretty cool and the examples really tie everything together.
This is my first adventure into the world of Popular Culture Studies. I think there may be a presentation in this topic (command in the workplace, as seen on tv) that I can bring to the regional PCA (Popular Culure Association) conference.
Now, captains should be able to act in an autocratic method. but i argue that the captains of the crab boat, for all their statements saying "this is not a democracy" still negotiate with their crews and have to prove their own legitimacy.
I am using the theories from the research I conducted on military command. There are a lot of similarities between the military and the crab boats (in both, a hierarchical institution replaces a democratic citizen culture.) Once it takes a final form, it should be really good. The theories are pretty cool and the examples really tie everything together.
This is my first adventure into the world of Popular Culture Studies. I think there may be a presentation in this topic (command in the workplace, as seen on tv) that I can bring to the regional PCA (Popular Culure Association) conference.
Great News. Abstract Accepted. Athens 2008!
Today I received an email from the editors of the International Journal of Digital Culture and Electronic Tourism stating that they had accepted my abstract for eventual article publication. The first step was to send in an abstract for a special issue on Digital Culture and Cultural Heritage: Archives, Museums and Art - New Technologies, New Channels, New Culture.
I submitted an abstract proposing to write an article concerning my experience in using digital photography in the Riksarkivet, Stockholm. The editors also wanted to know if I will be able to present the paper at a special conference in Athens, Greece in the Spring of 2008. That presentation will then be turned into a chapter in a book published as part of the conference proceedings. So this one paper has become three different scholarly projects.
I also received a call from Dr. Barthold, the Chair of the History Department at Camden County College. He left a message stating he wants to "touch base" and set up a meeting for friday. This friday I will be meeting with the Dean of Faculty and the President of the College. Dr. Barthold wants to meet at sometime prior to my meeting with the administration. He said the meeting with the administration should go about two hours.
I left a message at Dr. Barthold's office.
its not that great of a message. For some reason I do not sound very good on a message. I know I am not alone out there. But i sound stilted and unsure on a message and not my normal declarative self.
I submitted an abstract proposing to write an article concerning my experience in using digital photography in the Riksarkivet, Stockholm. The editors also wanted to know if I will be able to present the paper at a special conference in Athens, Greece in the Spring of 2008. That presentation will then be turned into a chapter in a book published as part of the conference proceedings. So this one paper has become three different scholarly projects.
I also received a call from Dr. Barthold, the Chair of the History Department at Camden County College. He left a message stating he wants to "touch base" and set up a meeting for friday. This friday I will be meeting with the Dean of Faculty and the President of the College. Dr. Barthold wants to meet at sometime prior to my meeting with the administration. He said the meeting with the administration should go about two hours.
I left a message at Dr. Barthold's office.
its not that great of a message. For some reason I do not sound very good on a message. I know I am not alone out there. But i sound stilted and unsure on a message and not my normal declarative self.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Finalist at Camden County College
I got the call yesterday. I am a finalist for the Camden County College position. I will meet with the president and the dean of faculty. I am one of the last three. I think my interview went well, I sent a thank you note with an addendum (future classes and scholarship) which i hope was well received.
next friday i will go down there, take the 3-4 hour drive and meet with the committee. it would be nice to get the job offer. i have told the st josephs people about this and a few other jobs that are out there.
camden has been very nice and it is a tenure track college job. its a 5-5 semester (probably with an overload) . the schedule is better, theres more money, theres more of a future in it. and its in a college with is what i have been striving towards for the last 10 years. i could make my own schedule, it would give me time to work on the Charles X archives. I could even apply for a fulbright. maybe to latvia, estonia or malta (do a paper on the Knights of Malta) or slovenia.
i think either way things work out.
beth told me about diane (who just finished and was ABD when I started grad school) who was able to negotiate a 3 (or was it a 2) class first semester to help her ease in. I think thats a really good idea and something i would like to discuss with the chair should i get hired. Instead of a 5 I would like to teach a 3 and then turn the time into various jobs:
find an apartment and move in.
finish the dissertation and other papers / articles.
get set up for conferences.
apply for some grants and maybe a fulbright to begin work on Charles X arkives
join college and department committees
revamp my classes so that they are fresh and new.
develop a class or two for consideration in the summer or next fall.
its not like I want to sit on my butt with only a 3 schedule (and in the spring I'd teach a full 5 and probably an overload or two). in the meantime I'd like to work on scholarship and other college related purposes. right now I'm spending the time on finishing the dissertation. It would be nice to have the time to convert from scholarship to teaching and really make a top flight up to date super class.
next friday i will go down there, take the 3-4 hour drive and meet with the committee. it would be nice to get the job offer. i have told the st josephs people about this and a few other jobs that are out there.
camden has been very nice and it is a tenure track college job. its a 5-5 semester (probably with an overload) . the schedule is better, theres more money, theres more of a future in it. and its in a college with is what i have been striving towards for the last 10 years. i could make my own schedule, it would give me time to work on the Charles X archives. I could even apply for a fulbright. maybe to latvia, estonia or malta (do a paper on the Knights of Malta) or slovenia.
i think either way things work out.
beth told me about diane (who just finished and was ABD when I started grad school) who was able to negotiate a 3 (or was it a 2) class first semester to help her ease in. I think thats a really good idea and something i would like to discuss with the chair should i get hired. Instead of a 5 I would like to teach a 3 and then turn the time into various jobs:
find an apartment and move in.
finish the dissertation and other papers / articles.
get set up for conferences.
apply for some grants and maybe a fulbright to begin work on Charles X arkives
join college and department committees
revamp my classes so that they are fresh and new.
develop a class or two for consideration in the summer or next fall.
its not like I want to sit on my butt with only a 3 schedule (and in the spring I'd teach a full 5 and probably an overload or two). in the meantime I'd like to work on scholarship and other college related purposes. right now I'm spending the time on finishing the dissertation. It would be nice to have the time to convert from scholarship to teaching and really make a top flight up to date super class.
taught at st jospehs today
Hej. I did a practice teaching at st josephs. i thought i might be observed by the principal and the deans and the chair of the department but it was only the teacher I would replace.
I taught the Age of Exploration: the spanish conquest of america.
i think it went really well, i got the girls involved (its an all girls high school) and got several of them standing and writing of the boards. they were very involved. We did the who/what/when/where/how/why methodology. this way, we went point by point so it was pretty simple to follow.
the hardest thing wasn't the girls but the changing the lecture from a 75 min to 40 min lesson. I had to drop some details and watch the clock closely. i finished but not a lot of time was left at the end for review. but i think it went well and i heard the gossip from another teacher ( a nun, so i don't think she'd lie) who said some of the girls said "it was the best history class ever!") it was a nice compliment.
the reason for the class teach was to see if i could bring it down a notch from college. i taught the class, more or less, the same way as i do in the intro-non major classes. Jim, the teacher who is leaving, said I brought it down really well and he thinks the girls really understood. if i was to have them tomorrow I would start with a jeopardy style review.
the real question becomes pay and time. it seems like a really nice place to work. but everyone (from the chair, to the sisters, to other teachers) say that the school doesn't pay. you have to be able to "afford to work there". but if i could continue to teach nights at farmingdale and suffolk, that would bring in 7500 - 10,000$ more per semester. it would mean teaching 3-4 night classes. it would be a brutal year. now, I'm lucky enough that the college classes are on autopilot at this point. I've taught the same class for the last 6 years. so I know how it goes.
what would really take a beating would be scholarship. conferences. publications. the dissertation. It means the dissertation has to be done during the summer. i want it done by 1 july, so i'm still on schedule. but it has to be done. the kermit culture paper, the photo archive publication and the deadliest catch article would all have to be written early in the summer.
the scholarship i would do during the next year would be in translating parts of my dissertation into articles and maybe into a book. i would then present chapters at different conferences.
I taught the Age of Exploration: the spanish conquest of america.
i think it went really well, i got the girls involved (its an all girls high school) and got several of them standing and writing of the boards. they were very involved. We did the who/what/when/where/how/why methodology. this way, we went point by point so it was pretty simple to follow.
the hardest thing wasn't the girls but the changing the lecture from a 75 min to 40 min lesson. I had to drop some details and watch the clock closely. i finished but not a lot of time was left at the end for review. but i think it went well and i heard the gossip from another teacher ( a nun, so i don't think she'd lie) who said some of the girls said "it was the best history class ever!") it was a nice compliment.
the reason for the class teach was to see if i could bring it down a notch from college. i taught the class, more or less, the same way as i do in the intro-non major classes. Jim, the teacher who is leaving, said I brought it down really well and he thinks the girls really understood. if i was to have them tomorrow I would start with a jeopardy style review.
the real question becomes pay and time. it seems like a really nice place to work. but everyone (from the chair, to the sisters, to other teachers) say that the school doesn't pay. you have to be able to "afford to work there". but if i could continue to teach nights at farmingdale and suffolk, that would bring in 7500 - 10,000$ more per semester. it would mean teaching 3-4 night classes. it would be a brutal year. now, I'm lucky enough that the college classes are on autopilot at this point. I've taught the same class for the last 6 years. so I know how it goes.
what would really take a beating would be scholarship. conferences. publications. the dissertation. It means the dissertation has to be done during the summer. i want it done by 1 july, so i'm still on schedule. but it has to be done. the kermit culture paper, the photo archive publication and the deadliest catch article would all have to be written early in the summer.
the scholarship i would do during the next year would be in translating parts of my dissertation into articles and maybe into a book. i would then present chapters at different conferences.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Call back from Camden County College
I received a call back from Camden County College last week. I was called by the chair of the History / Political Science Department and he said the committee was very impressed and I am on the short list. Sometime this week I will be called to meet with a series of Deans which might then lead to an offer.
It would be great to get a tenure track position in the New York area.
Camden is a big school with a lot of property and a lot of building going on. I liked it much better than the Stalinist design of Mercer Community College (large edifices, sharp angles, small narrow windows with little light). The committee was also very nice and outgoing. they seemed to really enjoy their school and their colleagues, which is a department I'd want to be in.
It would be great to get a tenure track position in the New York area.
Camden is a big school with a lot of property and a lot of building going on. I liked it much better than the Stalinist design of Mercer Community College (large edifices, sharp angles, small narrow windows with little light). The committee was also very nice and outgoing. they seemed to really enjoy their school and their colleagues, which is a department I'd want to be in.
Good Interview at St. Josephs
I had a really good interview at the Academy of St. Josephs Girls HS. I was given a tour of the Academy, which is on some of the prettiest land, by the Social Science Department chair. I sat in on five classes (3 world history classes, and 2 20th century classes).
It was nice that I could impress the girls in my class with my knowledge of oxygen deprivation on everest or the reasons how court ceremony worked in ancient china. But in two different classe3s the girls reacted in the same way "wow, he's so smart."
that was nice to hear.
Now Diane will call me to schedule a class teaching exercise. How do I do in the classroom. How do the girls respond and how do I do with them. At the moment I am the only person up for the job.
It was nice to be wooed a bit. They were impressed by my resume to the point that they wondered "why would he want to work here." But I think it would really be good. I could work on or start a photography club. I mentioned to the AD about how I would photograph the basketball games at Farmingdale.
His eyes opened and told me that it was a great idea. the girls would love it. he, himself, had photographs still hanging in his home of random photos taken at his sporting events.
the school is small and it doesn't get too much attention in the rough and tumble world of Long Island high school sports. so the girls would probably really like some kind of memento.
Theres a lot of potential there. and its exciting to be desired for the position.
It was nice that I could impress the girls in my class with my knowledge of oxygen deprivation on everest or the reasons how court ceremony worked in ancient china. But in two different classe3s the girls reacted in the same way "wow, he's so smart."
that was nice to hear.
Now Diane will call me to schedule a class teaching exercise. How do I do in the classroom. How do the girls respond and how do I do with them. At the moment I am the only person up for the job.
It was nice to be wooed a bit. They were impressed by my resume to the point that they wondered "why would he want to work here." But I think it would really be good. I could work on or start a photography club. I mentioned to the AD about how I would photograph the basketball games at Farmingdale.
His eyes opened and told me that it was a great idea. the girls would love it. he, himself, had photographs still hanging in his home of random photos taken at his sporting events.
the school is small and it doesn't get too much attention in the rough and tumble world of Long Island high school sports. so the girls would probably really like some kind of memento.
Theres a lot of potential there. and its exciting to be desired for the position.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Buffy and Popular Culture
i don't know if she was present at the PCA conference in Boston but she has published a book on the physics of the Buffyverse. its the interesting combination of popular culture and academic studies. A few years ago I saw a slew of philosophy books on subjects like: Buffy, Lord of the Rings and the Simpsons.
Another NPR story comments on the academic studies of Buffy the Vampire Slayer
A link to the Online Journal of Buffy Studies. Slayageonline.com
Another NPR story comments on the academic studies of Buffy the Vampire Slayer
A link to the Online Journal of Buffy Studies. Slayageonline.com
15 pages
wrote 15 pages on thursday.
friday and saturday were spent at the conference in MD.
today I have hit the gym, cleaned my apartment and updated my blog.
now i will sit down and write 15 more pages or so.
NPR stories on college writing
a story on how the violence at VT has "created a special kind of chill among writing students."
advice on how to start writing from Walter Mosley.
best advice: write an hour and half per day. every day. its advice for fictional novels but I think it applies to us
academics as well. its a way to know plot, character and direction. Writing about Charles X Gustav I have to
keep his personality front and center when describing behavior and actions.
friday and saturday were spent at the conference in MD.
today I have hit the gym, cleaned my apartment and updated my blog.
now i will sit down and write 15 more pages or so.
NPR stories on college writing
a story on how the violence at VT has "created a special kind of chill among writing students."
advice on how to start writing from Walter Mosley.
best advice: write an hour and half per day. every day. its advice for fictional novels but I think it applies to us
academics as well. its a way to know plot, character and direction. Writing about Charles X Gustav I have to
keep his personality front and center when describing behavior and actions.
Society of Military Historians Conference
just got back from the SMH conference at Fredrick, Maryland. I presented a paper on the Decemberrådslagen, the December 1654 Council Meetings which discussed the politics of entering the Polish-Muscovy War.
The presentation went really well and the questions were pretty good. one comment was on seeing this as "kingship in transition" which I think is a really good idea.
this was the third conference I was a part of this semester and I really like the presenting and meeting of others in the profession. I like the bouncing of ideas and come away quite enthused to keep working and writing and editing.
Next time I would like to bring a teleprompter because I don't like the idea of reading and not looking at the audience. and it was hard to read while wearing my glasses which I needed to read.
The presentation went really well and the questions were pretty good. one comment was on seeing this as "kingship in transition" which I think is a really good idea.
this was the third conference I was a part of this semester and I really like the presenting and meeting of others in the profession. I like the bouncing of ideas and come away quite enthused to keep working and writing and editing.
Next time I would like to bring a teleprompter because I don't like the idea of reading and not looking at the audience. and it was hard to read while wearing my glasses which I needed to read.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Paper Submission
I have submitted a paper to the International Journal of Digital Culture and Electronic Tourism (IJDCET) for their special issue on digital culture and archives. The paper is recounting my experience at the Stockholm Riksarkivet in January 2007. With little time and not much money I was unable to put in six months or a year of continuous archival research. But by
using a digital camera, digital imaging software and an external hard drive I was able to digitalize some 25,000 pages.
Those pages may be a lifetime worth of research but it means I will be able to do it at my convenience without having to ship giant binders of blurry photocopies across continents.
It really is an innovative way of conducting research. Few researchers at the archives brought a digital camera or even a laptop. None were from the US. So I think a paper on my experience, with a proper academic context from previously published journal articles, will be a good addition to the scholarship on the topic.
using a digital camera, digital imaging software and an external hard drive I was able to digitalize some 25,000 pages.
Those pages may be a lifetime worth of research but it means I will be able to do it at my convenience without having to ship giant binders of blurry photocopies across continents.
It really is an innovative way of conducting research. Few researchers at the archives brought a digital camera or even a laptop. None were from the US. So I think a paper on my experience, with a proper academic context from previously published journal articles, will be a good addition to the scholarship on the topic.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Interview at Camden County College
Yesterday I drove from Long Island to Camden NJ to interview at Camden County College. I was on the road from 10am till 2.30 pm because of the Nor'ester. I think the interview went very well. I gave a presentation on the functioning of the Roman legion as I do in my World Civ and Western History classes. Students love the chance to get up and "chop down some Gauls" and I illustrate how the legion operated as a cultural extension of the Roman civilization.
I think i did well on the Q&A which were more historical questions (difference between the Phalanx and the Legion?) than personal questions (what is your biggest fault?). I think I put myself in the best position for a further interview.
The time of the interview was moved back and firth two or three different times. On friday I was asked if I could show up on Monday (moving the meeting up a week) which left little time for preparation of the presentation because of family obligations. But it shows that I am willing to work with my perspective employers even if it makes my presentation rusty.
It is similar to when my Suffolk Community College chair asked me to fill in as a full time substitute even though it meant I ended up teach 8 classes in one semester (6 at SCCC and 2 at SUNY Farmingdale which I could not drop out of respect to Richard Vogel who had recently hired me as an adjunct) and 7 classes in another.
I can't help but think it is a good reputation to have even if it has slowed my dissertation progress.
I think i did well on the Q&A which were more historical questions (difference between the Phalanx and the Legion?) than personal questions (what is your biggest fault?). I think I put myself in the best position for a further interview.
The time of the interview was moved back and firth two or three different times. On friday I was asked if I could show up on Monday (moving the meeting up a week) which left little time for preparation of the presentation because of family obligations. But it shows that I am willing to work with my perspective employers even if it makes my presentation rusty.
It is similar to when my Suffolk Community College chair asked me to fill in as a full time substitute even though it meant I ended up teach 8 classes in one semester (6 at SCCC and 2 at SUNY Farmingdale which I could not drop out of respect to Richard Vogel who had recently hired me as an adjunct) and 7 classes in another.
I can't help but think it is a good reputation to have even if it has slowed my dissertation progress.
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