and the song-birds just going it

[lunabee34]

1. One day this week, there were about a million robins (plus some other birds I couldn't really identify because I don't see well and also don't know what birds look like LOL) in the yard after a rain, so Fiona and I sat on the front steps and watched them. They were so loud, and they were making so many different kinds of calls, and it was beautiful. I have to admit that I've never really paid much attention to bird calls. I mean, I know what the mourning dove and the woodpecker and the hawk sound like because they are so distinctive, but that's about it. The author I study, Ouida, is always rhapsodizing about bird song, and I've never really gotten it before, but faced with such sheer volume of bird music, I finally got it.

2. I submitted a piece about fostering connection in online classes to a conference that has decided to do an e-publication instead of a virtual conference this year. I had excellent luck with article submissions last year, and I hope it will carry over to this one. *crosses fingers*

3.

Reviewing Sex: Gender and the Reception of Victorian Novels by Nicola Diane Thompson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is fantastic. Thompson writes about the gendered expectations of the reading public as revealed by reviews of their work in the periodical press with Charles Reade, Emily Bronte, Anthony Trollope, and Charlotte Yonge as extended examples. For instance, she argues that Trollope's fall from favor by the end of the 19th century is attributable to his focus on character, the domestic setting of his novels, and his prolific writing (all seen as traits of women writers).

I really like Thompson's writing style; she is very accessible with little jargon.

This book made me want to read a Geraldine Jewsbury novel and read more about her life. She was one of the most important woman reviewers of the 19th century. I've read some of Jewsbury's reviews (of Ouida, naturally) but none of her other work.



View all my reviews

4.

Teaching Writing Online: How and Why by Scott Warnock

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This book is just too old. So much has changed technologically in the last eleven years that the majority of this book is outdated. Warnock spends a lot of time talking about how to deal with issues that current learning management systems just solve automatically for instructors. His ideas about online pedagogy are solid, and if someone has never taught online before, I think she'd find some good information here, but I wouldn't recommend this particular book because it's so outdated. For someone who's been teaching online for over a decade, there's nothing new for me here.



View all my reviews

Comments

[gloss]

The clamor of birdcall! That experience sounds wonderful.

I'm going to look for the Thompson; it looks really interesting.

[lunabee34]

It was! It felt like they were putting on a show just for us.

[zulu]

Haha, here after mistakenly commenting elsewhere...

I hope the submission goes well!

And nothing like going camping for birdsong...if you like waking up early. :D

[lunabee34]

Thank you!

I am trying to be outdoors more, but I am not a camping person. Sleeping in a tent sounds like misery to me. LOL

[chelseagirl]

I have a Geraldine Jewsbury in my collection but it is unread to date.

Actually curious what your thoughts are in fostering said connection. I'm finding my students remain silent unless called upon but then say really smart things when they are. (Of course, this is an honors section.) Not quite sure how to reconcile their plaints about feeling isolated with their determination to keep their cameras off except that I'm teaching at 9 and I suspect they may be pulling their laptops over to the bed? (My other 2 this semester are asynch. I get one whole course release -- was 2 before the pandemic -- to run the Writing Center which is NOT ENOUGH.)

[lunabee34]

All my online classes are asynch, so I don't have good advice for what to do during virtual meetings. I mostly talked about how I use the announcements, email, and discussion boards to stay in touch with the students (encouraging video posts to discussion boards and making them myself) and how I've pretty much quit being a hardass about deadlines. Since the pandemic, I allow pretty much anybody who wants to turn in late work to do so.

Nothing really novel for people who've been teaching online for awhile. The only things maybe that you might not already be doing that I talked about are putting "Action Required" in the subject line of emails I send to students when I want them to do things. It's such a small thing, but my response rate is much greater with that subject line. Also, I post a discussion overview after I grade each discussion that mentions each student by name and something that each said (plus adding my own two cents and correcting any misconceptions). I used to do these in text but have started doing them in video, and the student response has been really positive.

[corvidology]

Bird song in England is just... MOAR! Eloquent, ain't I? :D

One of the first things I noticed about the US was how there wasn't a constant chorus of birdsong, even though it was summer.

[lunabee34]

Oh that's fascinating. I hadn't realized there would be a difference. I wonder if that's partly why Ouida writes about birdsong so much.

[corvidology]

I suspect that's the case. There's a lot of green space in our cities too so even if you live in London it's part of the sound of the city.

[lunabee34]

She grew up in Bury St. Edmunds, moved into the Langham Hotel in London in 1867, and then moved to Italy in 1871 where she lived until she died. I bet the Italian countryside was pretty high on birdsong at that time as well.

[amejisuto]

Robins already? I bet that was an awesome sight to see! You got lucky!

[lunabee34]

I know! It felt like they were putting on a show just for us.

[spikedluv]

Best of luck with the submission!

[lunabee34]

*crosses fingers*

At least with this one, I will know quickly one way or the other.