As part of the US Government's plan to reform its school systems, President Obama announced the ConnectED Initiative in June 2013, an initiative designed to enrich K-12 education in America. ConnectED aims to empower teachers and students by giving them the most relevant instructional technology and trainings to make the most of them, empowering the teaching … Continue reading Riding on Connectivism: The ConnectED Initiative
Author: Jason Tham
Connectivism and Composition: Toward a Networked Classroom
Here's an audio recording of my presentation: This presentation was delivered during the 2014 Great Plains Alliance for Computers and Writing held November 7 at St. Cloud State University. In this presentation, I share about the possibilities of creating a connected learning environment for writing courses, drawing specifically from the theory of connectivism. Just at … Continue reading Connectivism and Composition: Toward a Networked Classroom
Discourses: How to Explain Your Job to Different People
Sometimes, just sometimes, College Humor has something academic to offer. The following comic is a great illustration for explaining how the idea of discourse community works: we use different languages to communicate with different groups of audience. Okay, I have done enough damage to a non-academic material already. Here you go: Image source: College Humor (see more similar … Continue reading Discourses: How to Explain Your Job to Different People
Visual Rhetoric: Negotiating Meanings in a Colorful World
It doesn't take a genius to realize that we're living in a world full of signs and symbols. These signs and symbols serve several functions: they guide our actions, warn us about potential dangers, among many other purposes. As a society we are moving rather quickly into a visual-driven culture. Cultural studies scholars, rhetoricians, and … Continue reading Visual Rhetoric: Negotiating Meanings in a Colorful World
On the Perks of Being a Teacher, or, Why I Still Do What I Do
Today, I shared with my students ways to tighten their writing and the importance of paying attention to the use of appropriate voice. I then pointed out how writers sometimes overlook and use sexist language in their writing, such as: All executives' wives are invited to the picnic; instead of All executives' spouses are invited … Continue reading On the Perks of Being a Teacher, or, Why I Still Do What I Do
Jason Tham, Ph.D. 