Hi Everyone,
I hope your first week of classes feels like an accomplishment, as it should. For me, this past Tuesday was the first time teaching face to face since March 2020. I had been excited and nervous at the same time, but meeting students in the classroom felt energizing. Whether you are taking f2f and/ or online classes, it takes a while to get into the new semester rhythm. That said, maintaining a positive attitude, reaching out to your professors with questions, and having a set schedule to complete coursework are some essential elements of a successful college experience.
I also enjoyed meeting you on Flipgrid–thanks for posting your videos and for commenting on your classmates’ introductions. I replied to each one of you via video, on Flipgrid. Also, I read Post 1, your posts and replies to classmates. Moemin writes that “literacy is the foundation of life because we need it to learn about anything else.” Tanitia adds that literacy means to have the basic knowledge of anything that can be taught/learnable.” Nekya says that “education can be a synonym for literacy because it all depends on how much knowledge you have on a topic.” Armani comments that “Trischitti emphasizes the importance of literacy through the many components directly affected by illiteracy. In example, Trischitti enlightens the audience that if a child is not reading proficiently by the 4th grade, they have a 78% chance of not catching up.” Seyitnazar adds that “Literacy, for example, can help people understand that some illnesses, such as heart disease, are the leading cause of death around the world and work to reduce their severity.” Joshua, on the other hand, writes “I do not agree that literacy is THE way to solving issues with adolescents.” Similarly, Vera says “I do agree that illiteracy is an extremely important issue and is a much larger problem than most people think, but I do not believe that it is necessarily an answer to every question.” Keyana adds that “I don’t agree with John to the full extent, because there are some people who are literate, but are still homeless, poor, and committing crimes.” Deleny concludes that “Overall, I believe Trischitti’s belief that literacy is the greatest building block to life is true because without it, I wouldn’t have gained what I have today if I had never picked up my first book which began my interest in reading and literacy.”
A few of you posted your enormous post but not a reply to a classmate. Remember that replying to classmates is a key piece on our Discussion Board. Before Post 2, please review our DB rules, both how and what to post, if you need a refresher. I didn’t deduct points for shorter posts nor replies this time around, but please follow the 200 word+ and 75 word+ rule for posts and replies beginning this week.
Finally, tomorrow, Tuesday, February 8th, classes run on a Tuesday schedule. This means I won’t have my Tuesday office hours on campus, but I will be available via Zoom from 10am – 11am. Stop by if you have questions or simply want to say hi.
Prof. Barnes
