What I Think of Blogging?

I think using blogging as apart of the classroom is a good idea. It gives those who aren't necessarily comfortable talking in class a chance to participate. It also forces all of the students to contribute to the class and the class community. Our world is increasingly become more technology oriented so I believe its important for us to become more comfortable with blogging and other forms of communication. Sometime during our teaching careers we will likely use this or something like it so this serves as good practice.

After Reading:Insider/Outsider Debate

After reading the points given by Shannon, Sims-Bishop,Harris, and Cai, I still believe that the most authentic literature is that written by an insider. Shannon tries to raise the points that multicultural literature is not restricted to race and that by restricting multicultural authors to insiders, he and others are being left out of the conversation. I think that his points contradict each other. Because multicultural literature is not restricted to race, everyone has a chance to be involved in the conversation. Therefore, someone from every type of racial, social, economic, or physical background can give their own personal story. Whether you are an able-bodied white male or an handicapped Asian female, you still have a point of view and therefore can contribute to multicultural literature. I also agree with Sims-Bishop's point that even though multicultural literature involves all cultures, there should be a focus on groups who are usually misrepresented. As he stated, Many children are going to get to read books from Maurice Sendak but multicultural literature may be the only chance for children to read books from Faith Ringgold.

Before: Insider/Outsider Debate

I believe that multicultural literature and for the most part all literature that wants to be considered authentic and accurate must be written by an insider. Research is a good way to learn about a topic but the best teacher in life is experience. It is almost impossible to accurately depict an event or experience unless you have actually lived it. A White male cannot accurately tell the struggles and joys of a Black female just as a Black male cannot accurately tell the life of a White female. Also, A white male dentist cannot tell the story of a White male stock broker. Many of our physical and social characteristics create our lives and it is hard for someone to re-create them.

Yesterday's Poem Readings

After listening and reflecting on the autobiographical poems read yesterday, I began to think about how some people work in multicultural literature. There are ways to judge diversity other than race, sex, and sexual orientation. There are many people who have the characteristics of the "mainstream" but still face many misconceptions and stereotypes. As mentioned in the Bishop article, multicultural literature includes those who are underrepresented and also those from the "mainstream".