A DIFFERENT KETTLE OF FISCH - Two More Blogs From "The Best of the Fischbowl 2007"

Happy Valentines Day Readers! Today, I will be writing about two blogs from "The Best of the Fischbowl 2007". These blogs were written during the month of April, 2007. The first blog, entitled 180 Days?, is by Karl Fisch. The blog discusses the timetable (180 days) U.S. classrooms use to teach/educate students. In the blog, Fisch mentions Barry Bachenheimer's video concerning the use of this timetable as an accurate measure (lengthwise) to determine students' educational success. Fisch mentions that he made his own video (a model of Bachenheimer's) as a means to "facilitate conversation" within his own classroom. Overall, the blog poses the question: "Should U.S. schools abandon the traditional curriculum timetable - in favor of one that could be more beneficial to their educational needs?".

The second blog, entitled Blogging 1984 - With Parents, is also by Fisch. In this blog, Fisch writes about the ninth grade honors classes of teachers Maura Moritz and Anne Smith. According to Fisch, both Moritz and Smith had their classes blog about the great dystopian classic - 1984 (by George Orwell). What is so unique about this blogging experience is that the teachers asked parents to get involved (in order to provide a different approach to understanding the novel - which was written around 1949). The teachers also helped to illustrate the ideas and principles within the great work by using modern-day advertisements/commercials, which-in my opinion- are blatant (if somewhat "petty") attempts to "mimic" various themes and situations covered in great detail and complexity by the novel itself.