New Post

I realize that it has been a long time since I've posted anything to my blog. I've been busy reading and thinking about what other people think rather than thinking what I think. On one hand it's nice to realize that I'm increasing my knowledge base. On the other hand, I know that education is not about simply knowing what other people think. I have to think about what they think and use it to create my own thoughts.

I've got a couple of projects brewing in my mind though, and that is fun.

Fantasy and Science

I just finished reading Chet Raymo's article "Dr. Seuss and Dr. Einstein" where he discusses the connection between science and fantasy in children's literature. I find this really interesting because I realize the similarities between science and hypertextual thinking.

Raymo believes that children's fantasy is a good precursor to science because it teaches children to think out of the box-- to be creative in the connections they draw--to believe that the unseen can still exist.

If this is true, then either fantasy is also a good precursor for computer programming or computer knowledge is also a good precursor for science. Maybe this isn't an either or situation-- maybe it's both.

Hypertext is great for the hyperactive mind. Thus the common prefix hyper. Hypertext does a couple of things for its readers-- it allows them to break off and look at things they're interested in, and it allows them to trail off to a new direction when they are no longer interested in their current path. Fantasy does not allow the reader to go wherever he/she pleases. But, it does take the reader off the beaten path.

I think there is more of a connection between children's literature and technology than simply video games and movies that are made about books for children. Children's fantasy and technology are both attempting to shape the way children think.

Margaret Atwood and Censorship

Margaret Atwood writes a creative take on censorship in a group of readings about children's literature called Only Connect. There will always be people who censor stuff-- it's the American way. Although we have the freedom to do whatever we want, it's our duty to try to take that freedom away from others-- at least it often appears that way when people censor books. Not that I think all books are appropriate, but I don't think that is a decision that should be made by a special interest group.

Anyway, off of my opinion and back to Atwood.

I thought I would include part of her article below.

There was once a poor girl, as beautiful as she was good, who lived with her wicked stepmother in a house in the forest.

Forest? Forest is passe, I mean, I've had it with all the wilderness stuff. It's not a right image of our society, today. Let's have some urban for a change.

There was once a poor girl, as beautiful as she was good, who lived with her wicked stepmother in a house in the suburbs.

That's better. But I have to seriously query this word poor.

But she was poor!

Poor is relative. She lived in a house, didn't she?

Yes.

Then socio-economically speaking, she was not poor.

But none of the money was hers! The whole point of the story is that the wicked stepmother makes her wear old clothes and sleep in the fireplace--

Atwood goes on to completely destroy, because of censorship, the entire beginning of Cinderella. This also makes me think of composition because these are some comments we might make to students who are writing composition-- we want good details-- but creative writing has to leave a place for the fairy tale.