Moving from kitchen to livingroom reading

What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy.  -- Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death

Thanks to Tim Stahmer at Assorted Stuff for first introducing me to the above quote. (At least I think that is where I remember seeing it.) I've read Huxley, Orwell, and Postman, but it's been awhile. I was going to comment that if I ever rename this blog, it would be called the "centrifugal bumblepuppy." But I believe someone has already taken it. Anywho...

In a recent post, I reaffirmed my description of blogs as mental junk food.  But I also like Scott Schwister's analogy that "the blogosphere is the kitchen of educational research and writing, and traditional journals and publications are the living room."

Since the posting I have had a couple readers ask what I would consider "livingroom" resources. And at about the same time, Dr. Carol Gordon, Associate Professor in the Rutgers' School of Communication, Information and Library Studies sent an excellent list of readings "that captures the current climate in American education" to an AASL listserv. Reprinted here with her kind permission

1. Partnership for 21st century skills. "Are they really ready to work?: Employers' perspectives on the basic knowledge and applied skills of new entrants to the 21st century U.S. workforce" http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=272&Itemid=119
2. National Center on Education and the Economy. "Tough choices or tough times: The report of the new Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce." (Executive Summary) http://www.skillscommission.org/executive.htm
3. Educational Testing Service. "One-third of a nation: Rising dropout rates and declining opportunities." http://www.ets.org/Media/onethird.pdf
4. Education Development Center, Inc. "Literacy matters: What matters most in today's classrooms." http://www.literacymatters.org/
5. Educational Testing Service. ICT Literacy Assessments. http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/menuitem.435c0b5cc7bd0ae7015d9510c3921509/?vgnextoid=b8a246f1674f4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD
6. National Resource Center. “Equipping students to succeed in an information-rich technology-based society.” http://www.sc.edu/fye/resources/assessment/essays/Tyler-11.3.05.html
7. Educational Testing Service. “ETS research finds college students fall short in demonstrating ICT literacy: National Policy Council to create national standards” http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlpubs/crlnews/backissues2007/january07/ets.htm
8. U. S. Department of Education. "Building on results: A Blueprint for strengthening the No Child Left Behind Act." http://www.ed.gov/nclb/overview/intro/reauth/index.html
9. Article: Reading Comprehension on the Internet: Expanding Our Understanding of Reading Comprehension to Encompass New Literacies Journal article by Julie Coiro; The Reading Teacher, Vol. 56, 2003
10. Book:  “Reading for Understanding: Toward an R&D Program in Reading Comprehension” CE Snow,  2002 Review and Purchase: http://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR1465/index.html

So, Dr. Gordon's students, now you know what will be on the final exam! I need to get reading many of these. And here are a few that came across my radar over the past year or so (without the professor's bibliographic finesse, I am afraid):

1. Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century http://www.digitallearning.macfound.org/site/c.enJLKQNlFiG/b.2108773/apps/nl/content2.asp?content_id={CD911571-0240-4714-A93B-1D0C07C7B6C1}&notoc=1 
2. Educating the Net Generation. http://www.educause.edu/educatingthenetgen
3. Ensuring the Net Generation Is Net Savvy http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI3006.pdf
4. Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8-19 Year-olds http://www.kff.org/entmedia/entmedia030905pkg.cfm
   
5. Horizon Report ( 2007) http://www.educause.edu/LibraryDetailPage/666?ID=CSD4781
6. How Young People View Their Lives, Futures and Politics: A PORTRAIT OF “GENERATION NEXT”" http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=300
7. Pew Internet & the American Life Project  reports - dang near all of them. http://www.pewinternet.org/
   
8. Phi Delta Kappan journal - every issue. http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/ktoc.htm
   
9. Rogers, Michael What is the worth of words?Will it matter if people can’t read in the future? http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14823087/from/ET/
   
10. Spady, Wm The Paradigm Trap: Getting beyond No Child Left Behind will mean changing our 19th-century, closed-system mind-set. Education Week, January 10, 2007
    
11. Technology in Schools: What the Research Says http://www.cisco.com/web/strategy/docs/education/TechnologyinSchoolsReport.pdf
12. Tech-savvy students stuck in text-dominated schools http://www.educationevolving.org/studentvoices/student_opinion_papers.asp

I have a book on order that comes highly recommended by our curriculum director that I am excited to read called Sixteen Trends, Their Profound Impact on Our Future: Implications for Students, Education, Communities, Countries, and the Whole of Society by Gary Marx.

There will be a quiz over the assigned readings on Monday. Enjoy your weekend. 

Oh, what would be on your livingroom reading list? 

Comments

[John Pederson]

You librarians and your "paper". ;o) I hate getting my laptop full of cooking stuff in the kicthen. (I really do have flour in the little speaker holes of my PowerBook from my latest experience of making cookies from a recipe online.)

Cheers. I appreciate the list of stuff. I'll be passing it around my parts and checking into a few of the links myself.

[Doug Johnson]

Hi John,

Hey, I am looking forward to digital paper - something these old eyes can read without strain. And I am guessing you can read 85% of these things right off your computer screen now if you are so inclined.

I hope the cookie stuff in your computer at least makes it smell good when it gets hot!

Have a good one and good to hear from you!

Doug

[Karen Janowski]

Thanks for compiling and sharing this list. Now, to find enough time my day. I feel like I'm in grad school again - so much great reading!
I have to admit, now that I'm in my 50's, I've experienced a resurgence of learning and reading thanks to Web 2.0. This digital explosion brings a new level of information, previously unavailable or at least harder to retrieve. I enjoy the kitchen and the living room reading, myself. (Currently reading A Whole New Mind, Activating the Desire to Learn and The Learning Leader.)

[Doug Johnson]

Hi Karen,

I am as excited about education as I have ever been in my 30 year career. And it is nice to feel that way. And I am reading more in my 50s than ever as well.

Even though I am a bit cynical about blogs and their value, I do enjoy them a lot.

I loved A Whole New Mind - great book.

Thanks for writing in!

Doug

[sfens]

As I mentioned in my last post, I'd read anything by John Dewey or Maxine Greene. Maxine Greene does have some recent stuff which looks at the current climate and oh what joy she is to read. I aspire to the writing that she creates and John Dewey - amazing relevance to the current climate given its age.

What struck me with the opening quote was how much more akin to Huxley's vision we seem to be.

[Doug Johnson]

Hi Susan,

I definitely agree we are closer to Huxley's dystopia than Orwells (although the current administration seems pretty Orwellian to me!)

I need to find Maxine Greene's writing. Thanks for the tip. And yes, Dewey's ideas are still remarkable and relevant.

All the best,

Doug

[Sandra]

Hello Doug,
I live in a rural town on the North end of Vancouver Island. I'm the teacher-librarian at an Elementary school and we are just learning about new technology including blogs. Your blue skunk blog is fabulous! It's so funny and practical. I loved the link to the Springfield news cast. Wow! I've never responded on a blog before. This is a first.
Keep up the inspiring work.
Sandra

[GreerbLal]

Many of guys talk about this issue but you said some true words.