Science Fiction/Fantasy

In the past, this is usually when this class starts reading Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus. While it is an excellent fantasy novel, and one of the most beautifully written pieces of literature I've experienced, I decided to replace it this year to ensure that the course material stays contemporary. (If you have a chance, check out The Night Circus!)

This year, we will start reading Blake Crouch's science fiction novel Dark Matter. I really think the students are going to like it once they get into the world Crouch creates. In order to help prepare, I'm asking my students to reflect on the following questions.

• Do you like to read fantasy or science fiction? Why or why not?
• What fantasy or science location from a novel (or movie) is your favorite? Would you want to go there yourself? Why or why not?

I love to read fantasy. As a kid, I felt like reading was a great escape from everyday life. I appreciated the opportunity to leave the ordinary behind and experience life in someone else's shoes. It was even better if those shoes were worn by a hobbit trying to reclaim a mountain, a group of children getting lost in a wardrobe, or a neglected girl who discovers telekinetic abilities. If you're going to read and experience something new, why not make it amazing and extraordinary? Now, when I write, most of my ideas do involve some type of fantastical element because it lends more possibilities. Fantasy just has so much to offer! I've recently started to branch out into science fiction, which isn't all that different. It just uses advanced technology instead of magic. The worlds created are just as awesome.

 

For fantasy, I recently discovered Patrick Rothfuss's The Kingkiller Chronicles with The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear. It follows the past adventures of Kvothe, a child orphaned after mystical (and thought non-existent) beings murder his family's acting troupe for discovering their secrets. He must struggle on his own in the harsh city before making his way to The University where he studies artificing (the making of "magical" objects) and naming (being able to control wind, fire, stone, etc., by attempting to discover the lost language of names). Every adventure in this vast world that Kvothe lives in helps build up his skills and knowledge to become a successful student, musician, and hero. However, there is also a story line in Kvothe's present where he is a run-down innkeeper unable to perform magic any more. Readers are left wondering how the great and legendary hero that everyone knows has gone into hiding in secret as an innkeeper. I'm eager for more, but unfortunately Rothfuss writes these epics at George R.R. Martin pace - that is, super slowly. If I could attend The University, then I'd definitely want to live there.

 

For science fiction, I'm going to use a film based on a graphic novel, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. In the future, the International Space Station has grown to epic proportions as more and more planets and lifeforms are discovered. It'd be nice to see all of these different worlds living in peace, and it'd definitely be cool experience them all in the same place with their awesome advanced technology.

Place Your Votes! (Infographic Debate Project)

[UPDATED 10/4/2017] The results are in! Check them out below.

Now that the infographics have been made, it's time to pick a winner for each debate!

Check out these debates below, review their arguments, and vote for the winner by commenting on the blog of your choice. (Example: "This one is the winner", or "I choose this one for my vote", etc.)

Should college athletes be paid?
Yes - John
No - Ali
Click on their names to view their blog posts and infographics.

WINNER: John

Should children be given participation trophies?
Yes - Alex
No - Noah
Click on their names to view their blog posts and infographics.

WINNER: Alex

Is video gaming a sport?
Yes - Kyle
No - Jack
Click on their names to view their blog posts and infographics.

WINNER: Kyle

Are schools designed more for girls than for boys?
Yes - Mr. Davidson
No - Peter
Click on their names to view their blog posts and infographics.

WINNER: Mr. Davidson

Happy learning and happy voting!

Infographic Debate Project 2017

This is my infographic for the debate project in Contemporary Literature. See a description and reflection below.

Description
This infographic is a research presentation to prove that schools are designed more for girls than they are for boys. It starts by describing the differences in performance between boys and girls in school, such as testing, grade retention, special education, and college enrollment. Boys and girls are fundamentally different in how they learn based on biological preferences. If these differences are not reflected in the classroom setting, then school can be said to be designed more for one sex than the other. Proof of these elements can be seen in reading rates, homework completion, treatment/encouragement, and perception (both from student to school and teacher to student). There are many other reasons that boys might be having a hard time, but one thing is clear - schools are designed more for girls than for boys.

Reflection
Because there is an odd number of students in this year's class, Peter and I teamed up for this project. I let Peter choose this topic and his position. I am glad that I received this point of view for the debate because it is a subject that I feel passionately about. I have done a lot of research in this topic in graduation school and for public speaking at conferences, so I probably have an unfair advantage in this debate.

It was not hard to research this side of the topic since so many sources seem to agree that there is an apparent problem with boys and education. However, there are not many that agree as to the cause of this gender gap between male and female students. For as many articles that are out there, there are as many reasons. It was difficult to limit myself to the important elements for this debate. While reading is one main cause of the difference in performance, I felt the need to go deeper into this topic. However, I felt that those details about reading would not help the overall debate. I needed to spread a wider net than just the area I am most passionate about. It was difficult to find valuable information for my one side of the argument when a lot of online sources called more for equal opportunities than for focusing on the struggling male students specifically.

I wanted to make my infographic pleasing to look at but also informative. At first, I had thought about a pink verses blue theme, but that was too cliche. Instead, I went for the neutral green. I wanted to have at least one picture for every fact to help make the information memorable. I even used some pictures to create my own "charts", like when I had four male students and two female students to show the ratio that two-thirds of Special Education students are male. I did not have much in the way of percentages, so I needed more situational images to match my main arguments. Instead of only focusing on the cartoon images, I decided to take some images from online as well to make the argument more relatable to viewers. The hardest part was finding a format that would allow the infographic to be viewable online in my blog post. The images I inserted were way too small to read due to the size of the text font I chose. Instead, I resorted to "sharing" the infographic straight from piktochart.com and playing around with the pixel width size to make the embedding code just right for the post.

I think my infographic is successful at proving my side of the debate. I do think it might be too long or too wordy for this assignment, though - especially with my addition of a conclusion. Infographics are meant to be nice and quick, but mine might actually be too much overall. I hope viewers don't take one look at it and instantly vote for my opponent. I have some good information here is viewers choose to give it some time. If so, then I think my infographic is persuasive enough to win this debate.