Is The New York Times Liberal?

As Public Editor of The New York Times, Arthur Brisbane made some sweeping accusations in his final editorial article that was published today in the newspaper. In an article titled, "Arthur Brisbane, New York Times Public Editor: Progressivism 'Bleeds Through' the Paper" the author discusses the fact that for his last article Brisbane took the opportunity to voice his opinion on the ever changing climate of The New York Times. Brisbane feels that the paper has become rather biased on certain topics that are written about in the paper. According to him, the bias leans to the liberal side especially when it comes to supporting a cause like the Occupy movements or gay marriage. Instead of just reporting the news, Brisbane claims that the paper appears to be helping the causes. On the other hand though, Brisbane states "that editors and reports are committed to 'fairness and balance' when it comes to covering a national presidential campaign."

When looking at an article like this that is posted in The Huffington Post it is good to keep in mind the idea of bias because our society thrives on taking sides and competing in almost everything. This includes newspapers, television news, and radio news/advertising. It is all about the money, viewers, and subscribers. If following a movement like Occupy or supporting gay marriage helps to sell papers then I am not surprised that The New York Times does this. But on the other hand, is Brisbane really a reliable person to listen to when he is making such a sweeping accusation in his final column as he leaves the paper as his place of employment?

Assange Appeals to th US and UK

In a press conference today in London, Julian Assange spoke about how he had hoped that the United States would end its "witch hunt" against Wikileaks and release the U.S. soldier, Bradley Manning, that initially leaked the classified information to Wikileaks. News of the press conference was reported in The Huffington Post early on Sunday 8/19/2012 in an article titled "Julian Assange: U.S. Must End 'Witch Hunt' Against Wikileaks". Assange is currently living in the Ecuadorian embassy in London where he is living in asylum. If he leaves the embassy, which only takes up one floor of the actual building, he is at risk for being arrested by London police and extradited to Sweden. He is wanted for questioning in Sweden for supposedly committing sexual assault in 2010 in the Wikileaks office. The press conference was giving from the entrance door to the embassy to ensure that Assange was not arrested by police.

This article is important not only because it gives an update on a tension filled fight over the person who runs Wikileaks, but also it brings into question the idea of ethical standards for journalists. Yes, journalists have a right to keep their sources confidential and to report what information they view as being important and helpful to society, but this was not necessarily the case with Wikileaks. Wikileaks published highly sensitive information that disrupted governments, peace treaties, and put people lives at risk because the journalist thought the right thing to do was to publish top secret information on an ongoing basis. As a reader this makes one think about the journalistic protocols.

My Favorite Book

     I live in a world where reading has really started to go by the wayside, or at least from the traditional sense of opening a book, smelling the new book smell, and turning the pages as take in each new enticing word. I still remember the book that changed my life when I was in high school; Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice. It was not an assigned book to read for class, but it was one that really grabbed my interest and I was able to read it very quickly. In fact, I think it was the first book that I read in less than two days. I opened the pages and let Lestat take me on a magical journey through the world of vampires.
     It was unlike any book that I had ever read before. The fantasy elements and the elevated style of writing really made me feel like I was reading something that I was not supposed to, but I was allowed to read this book. In fact, my high school English teacher told me about this book and said that I might enjoy it. She was very right in her assessment of the book.
     The main premise of the book takes place in New Orleans where a reporter has come to interview Lestat about his life as a vampire. The entire book is set up as the actual interview of Lestat. He takes the reader on a journey through how he became a vampire, the first vampire he turned, how he sometimes hatted being a vampire, and how he was now dealing with it even though the people around him had drastically changed in the last several hundred years that he had been alive.
     This is also the first place that I fell in love with vampires, but no other series of books have lived up the my expectations. Anne Rice believes that vampires are special and should be treated so, meaning that she puts them in more sophisticated settings and writes about them in a fashion that authors today are unable to do. If you are a lover of vampires and fantasy novels then this one would be a great read. Plus this is part of a series of books meaning that if the reader loves the first one, they can keep reading. I read the entire series and have done so many times.

New School Year, New Me

Here we are getting ready to start a new school year and things have drastically changed in my life and in the world of technology. As for my life, I'm now a grad student working on my MA in Education with emphasis in Guidance and Counseling. Yes this means that I'm working toward being a school counselor one day. Don't worry, I will still be in the classroom for several more years. The program will take at least three years for me to get through especially since I'm basically only taking one class at a time.

As for technology, I had a great time using my Smartboard last year. I went to several training sessions, got remotes that enabled the students to be more interactive with the board, and even programed some of my own fun games. My students really enjoyed the new interactivity and loved the fact that I would experiment with them, especially my two AP classes. I also used a blog with my AP Language class. At first they were very reserved about it, but as the year went on I saw their blogs take a form that I never expected. Because the experiment worked so well last year, I plan on using them again. The students that are moving on to my AP Literature class will start to learn about forums and the importance of how to use them in a professional manner. It will definitely be a new skill for them.

My goal this year is to write more and to do it right along with my students. I will include my blog as part of the weekly assignments and ensure that I am also commenting on and being more interactive with my students to ensure a better learning environment. I want them to understand the importance of them and how much they can help when it comes to writing about literature. This year though, I will take it to a new level. My incoming AP Language class has no idea what they are in for.

The Smartboard Has Arrived

On Friday afternoon a Smartboard was installed in my classroom complete with a projector that is mounted on the ceiling.  I was not in the room for the majority of the installation, but I was curious enough to go visit once.  When I walked in, I saw tools all over my room, two men on ladders working in the ceiling, and a Smartboard hanging on the wall.  My heart skipped a beat.  I am truly looking forward to using the new technology for the first time.  I know that my students will love it as well, but they will have to wait a week or two until I am better acquainted.  Hopefully I will remember everything quickly and be able to get it up and running sooner than I expect.  I truly believe that this will be an amazing tool to add to my already growing repertoire of technology.

Persuasive Writing

     Over the past couple of weeks my students have been writing about newspaper articles and literature in their blog posts, but this week I decided to give them a chance to write about something else.  We have been discussing the various techniques of persuasive speeches by looking at famous orators like Jonathan Edwards, Patrick Henry, and Benjamin Franklin.  To change up the blogs I had each student write about their favorite ice cream flavor while emulating several of the rhetorical devices that we have seen in action this week.
     So far, I have seen students compare their ice cream flavors to God, Heaven, and a Leonardo da Vinci painting.  Popular flavors for discussion include the generic flavors of chocolate and vanilla, but on a more interesting level there is coffee, rocky road, gelato, cookie dough, and avocado ice cream.  After reading the blogs, looking at the pictures, watching the videos, and day dreaming a little bit, I feel the need to go to the freezer and look for some ice cream...too bad I do not have any at home and am too lazy to drive to the store at this late hour.

Blogs in the Classroom

This year I have decided to do an experiment with my AP English Literature and Composition class.  I have each student constructing their own blog to use every week as part of the class.  Their blog will be a way for them to discuss the ongoing topics of discussion as well as the different pieces of literature.  I have never done this before, but have heard of other teachers saying that it has been rather successful within their classes.  I am curious to see how this works, but I really believe that my class will utilize is a tool that helps them to enhance their learning.  Throughout the year I will update on how my class is doing with regard to their blog posts.

Tomorrow I actually start helping the students to set up their blogs and I find that that be an interesting challenge for all that are involved.