A simple name search on the soccer jerseys Internet provides extensive accounts of today's star players; the information available on people like Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter or Ryan Howard is boundless.
The big names get the books, the biographies, and the sabre-metric essays. The journeymen get next to nothing. But that doesn't mean they do nothing.
Think of Matt Stairs. In last year's playoffs, he had only four at-bats and just one hit. But that hit -- a game-altering bomb at Dodger Stadium in the National League Championship Series -- will draw smiles in Philadelphia for decades.
Over in the American League we find catcher Jeff Mathis. He may never amount to anything more than a serviceable back-up in the big leagues, but one good throw and two late-game at-bats turned the Angels on the Yankees Monday. Yes, the Angels have shown borderline disinterest in their series, but when the club's best playoff moments are revisited in years to come, Mathis' moment will shine.
Durbin was called in to face Manny Ramirez, who represented the tying run in the fifth inning. Durbin's second pitch -- a sinker at the ankles -- was fouled off Manny's shin. A little later, Durbin jammed the great slugger, followed with a 1-2-3 sixth and killed any hope the Dodgers had of staging a rally. It was a critical performance, one that will not jump out in the boxscore.
Jayson Werth got the curtain call, Brad Lidge got the nationally broadcast post-game interview, and Howard got the MVP trophy. Durbin got nothing more then handshakes and hugs. Heck, he probably had to pay for his drinks after the game too.
But if the Phillies are having their fingers sized for World Series rings -- again -- in a few weeks time, you can bet the team's big stars will pay Durbin a sizeable tribute.
Others will get little recognition for critical contributions because no home run is hit, no side is struck-out, no miraculous double-play is turned.
Take Chad Durbin, a non-descript right-handed pitcher who will never be mistaken for an all-star. A few years back, he was an unsuccessful starter for a bad Kansas City team before beginning the journey of a big-league survivor. But a simple inning-and-a-third in Wednesday's game was imperative to a Phillies victory.
2010年5月15日星期六
2010年5月14日星期五
LIFE AFTER DOC
And the absence of NBA jerseys Halladay has also left a leadership void. Early indications are that Vernon Wells, the longest-tenured, home-grown Blue Jay in camp and Aaron Hill have stepped up and are the most vocal players in camp.
It always troubled me that, going back to the Carlos Delgado/Shawn Green days, no one wanted to be called "the leader," including Halladay. Hopefully those days are now ancient history.
Every good team always has visible leader. Maybe Wells and Hill are the ones to lead the Jays back into contention.
It’s interesting to hear that during his time with the Blue Jays, Roy Halladay cast quite an intimidating shadow over the rest of the pitching staff, especially the young starters. It seems things are a lot looser this spring with Halladay now plying his trade five minutes away by car in Clearwater. Not that anyone is glad that their former ace is no longer around, it’s just that they have moved on, and with what they received from the Phillies in return, it seems like the Jays may be better off in the long run, if losing a perennial Cy Young Award contender makes that at all possible.
It always troubled me that, going back to the Carlos Delgado/Shawn Green days, no one wanted to be called "the leader," including Halladay. Hopefully those days are now ancient history.
Every good team always has visible leader. Maybe Wells and Hill are the ones to lead the Jays back into contention.
It’s interesting to hear that during his time with the Blue Jays, Roy Halladay cast quite an intimidating shadow over the rest of the pitching staff, especially the young starters. It seems things are a lot looser this spring with Halladay now plying his trade five minutes away by car in Clearwater. Not that anyone is glad that their former ace is no longer around, it’s just that they have moved on, and with what they received from the Phillies in return, it seems like the Jays may be better off in the long run, if losing a perennial Cy Young Award contender makes that at all possible.
Rush to judgment
First of all, no it’s not good that Brandon Morrow, expected to NBA jerseys be the Jays’ No. 3 starter after the Dec. 23 trade with the Mariners, couldn’t make his start on Friday due to a sore shoulder. Let’s all take a step away from this news and don’t gather around the burning garbage can, breaking into a serenade of "Here we go again."
Now, before you all start getting red in the face and hyper-ventilating; let’s take stock of exactly what has transpired over the last couple of days.
And it was also not good news when Dustin McGowan, making his first appearance in a game since July 8, 2008, couldn’t break 89 m.p.h. on the radar gun in a Triple-A start on Friday, throwing 36 pitches. In what is being described as going through a "dead arm" period, something that happens to many pitchers during spring training, the Jay are going to shut McGowan down for a week before he steps up on the hill again. There’s nothing wrong with that. Having him make the Opening Day roster was overly ambitious and not realistic.
According to the 25-year-old right-hander, he’s gone through bouts of soreness in previous pre-seasons, so it’s nothing new for him and his new team to worry about. Morrow will see a doctor on Sunday and he is likely to make his next assignment, scheduled for Wednesday against division-rival Tampa Bay in nearby St. Petersburg. Of course, the Blue Jays are going to err on the side of caution, seeing as this is Morrow’s first spring with the team and they don’t have intimate knowledge of his past health. So it will be up to the doctors to give Morrow the clearance before he toes the rubber again.
With the Blue Jays not expected to challenge for the post-season in 2010, rushing McGowan back makes absolutely no sense. He should start the season on the disabled list, stay in warm weather Florida to build up his stamina, and then make several rehab starts before they think about making any regular season appearances. Unfortunately, the Jays no longer have any options allowing them to send McGowan to Triple-A Las Vegas to get game-ready. He wouldn’t be the first pitcher to need extra time to return from shoulder surgery, so an extremely cautious approach makes the most sense.
Am I the only one that feels that Saturday’s starting lineup against the Braves might very well be the one Cito Gaston has stand alongside him on the third baseline at The Ballpark in Arlington when the Blue Jays open their 34th season against the Rangers in Texas? I would have no problem if the following nine is handed to umpires before the game:
With Edwin Encarnacion still bothered by a sore wrist after off-season surgery and yet to take part in exhibition games with two weeks left on the schedule, it would make sense if he starts the season on the bench or even the disabled list. That would allow Bautista to play third, Lind left field and Ruiz, who has done nothing but hit this spring, to get some early action as the designated hitter. In fact, Saturday’s starting lineup might be the best nine that the Jays can put out there.
Now, before you all start getting red in the face and hyper-ventilating; let’s take stock of exactly what has transpired over the last couple of days.
And it was also not good news when Dustin McGowan, making his first appearance in a game since July 8, 2008, couldn’t break 89 m.p.h. on the radar gun in a Triple-A start on Friday, throwing 36 pitches. In what is being described as going through a "dead arm" period, something that happens to many pitchers during spring training, the Jay are going to shut McGowan down for a week before he steps up on the hill again. There’s nothing wrong with that. Having him make the Opening Day roster was overly ambitious and not realistic.
According to the 25-year-old right-hander, he’s gone through bouts of soreness in previous pre-seasons, so it’s nothing new for him and his new team to worry about. Morrow will see a doctor on Sunday and he is likely to make his next assignment, scheduled for Wednesday against division-rival Tampa Bay in nearby St. Petersburg. Of course, the Blue Jays are going to err on the side of caution, seeing as this is Morrow’s first spring with the team and they don’t have intimate knowledge of his past health. So it will be up to the doctors to give Morrow the clearance before he toes the rubber again.
With the Blue Jays not expected to challenge for the post-season in 2010, rushing McGowan back makes absolutely no sense. He should start the season on the disabled list, stay in warm weather Florida to build up his stamina, and then make several rehab starts before they think about making any regular season appearances. Unfortunately, the Jays no longer have any options allowing them to send McGowan to Triple-A Las Vegas to get game-ready. He wouldn’t be the first pitcher to need extra time to return from shoulder surgery, so an extremely cautious approach makes the most sense.
Am I the only one that feels that Saturday’s starting lineup against the Braves might very well be the one Cito Gaston has stand alongside him on the third baseline at The Ballpark in Arlington when the Blue Jays open their 34th season against the Rangers in Texas? I would have no problem if the following nine is handed to umpires before the game:
With Edwin Encarnacion still bothered by a sore wrist after off-season surgery and yet to take part in exhibition games with two weeks left on the schedule, it would make sense if he starts the season on the bench or even the disabled list. That would allow Bautista to play third, Lind left field and Ruiz, who has done nothing but hit this spring, to get some early action as the designated hitter. In fact, Saturday’s starting lineup might be the best nine that the Jays can put out there.
2010年5月11日星期二
All-Star gazing
This weekend, I have the 2010 World Cup Jerseys opportunity to cover the NHL All-Star Game for the very first time in my career. I get to rub shoulders with some of the greatest players in the game like Joe Thornton, Alexander Ovechkin and Stephane Robidas.
Years before he gave away Roberto Luongo and Zdeno Chara for nothing, Mike Milbury caused an uproar when he named tough guy Chris Nilan to the All-Star team in 1991. As a result, the board of governors changed the rules for naming the All-Star team and took away that privilege from the head coach. Ironically enough, Nilan broke his ankle just before the mid-season classic, preventing us from seeing him dropping the gloves and pummeling Vincent Damphousse before he scored his four goals in the All-Star Game that year.
At the 1998 All-Star Game in Vancouver, the league introduced the unpopular "North America vs. The World" format. The NHL expected Canadian fans to cheer for Tony Amonte, Keith Tkachuk, Chris Chelios and a bunch of other American stars, just a few weeks before the Winter Olympics in Nagano. Like that was going to happen. My favourite moment from the game came when the World Team made a complete five-man change during the play, causing Bob Cole to say, "Harry, the World is changing." Truer words were never spoken.
At the Skills Competition at the 1993 All-Star Game, Al Iafrate blew everyone away with his 105-mph slapshot. But did anyone really care? We were all too focused on Iafrate's bizarre combination of a rapidly-receding hairline with an extra-long mullet. It was one of the strangest sights I've ever seen in hockey. Iafrate could have blasted a 200-mph slapshot and it wouldn't have mattered. I was too focused on The Skullet.
There is no way that anybody remembers that Eric Daze won the All-Star Game MVP in 2002 in Los Angeles. In doing so, Daze becomes arguably the shadiest player to win an MVP award at an All-Star Game in the four major sports. Other candidates for this dubious distinction: Tom Chambers (NBA), Terry Steinbach (MLB) and anyone who has won a Pro-Bowl MVP.
- Rendez-Vous '87 Instead of the usual All-Star Game, the NHL decided to have a two-game exhibition challenge with the Russians at the Colisee in Quebec City. A big controversy erupted in Canada when the Soviet referee for Game 1 of the series only called one penalty against the Russians for the entire game. For the record, the referee's name was Sergei Morozov, which loosely translated in English is "Kerry Fraser."
Owen Nolan had one of the most memorable performances in All-Star Game history in 1997. Playing in front of his home crowd in San Jose, Nolan scored a hat trick, including his famous "called shot" on Dominik Hasek on a breakaway. And yet for some reason, Nolan didn't win the MVP award. The guy had one of the all-time great Babe Ruth moments and he gets beat to the award by Mark Recchi.
ng goaltender I've ever seen in my life. And yet, Irbe was the first goalie to ever be credited with a point at an All-Star Game, when he picked up an assist on a goal by Teemu Selanne in 1999. It's amazing that with all of the great puck-handling goalies that have played in the All-Star Game (Ron Hextall, Martin Brodeur, etc…), that the guy who treated the puck like a hand grenade is the only one to ever get a point.
A member of the Panthers, Sandis Ozolinsh was named to the All-Star Team and was going to get the chance to play in front of his home crowd in Florida. However, the night before the game, the Panthers traded him to Anaheim. So when he came onto the ice for the pre-game introductions, the PA announcer had this awkward phrase to read off: "From your Florida Panthers, but now playing for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, here is No. 8 Sandis Ozolinsh." Could the Panthers and Ducks not have waited one extra day to make that trade? It's not like either of them were playing any games.
The last time I watched any part of the YoungStars game was back in 2004, when goaltender Philippe Sauve was named the MVP of the game. In case you are wondering, he is currently a goaltender for the Hamburg Freezers in the German Elite League, proving that the YoungStars Game isn't necessarily a great barometer for future success in the NHL.
The first time I was allowed to stay up late and watch a full All-Star Game was the 1985 game played in Calgary. Most people will remember Mario Lemieux's performance as a rookie, as he won the MVP award. But my defining moment from that game was watching Miroslav Frycer score a goal for the Campbell Conference. Frycer was the only representative from a brutal Toronto Maple Leafs team. And quite frankly, I've been waiting almost two years to make a random Miroslav Frycer reference in one of my blogs.
Years before he gave away Roberto Luongo and Zdeno Chara for nothing, Mike Milbury caused an uproar when he named tough guy Chris Nilan to the All-Star team in 1991. As a result, the board of governors changed the rules for naming the All-Star team and took away that privilege from the head coach. Ironically enough, Nilan broke his ankle just before the mid-season classic, preventing us from seeing him dropping the gloves and pummeling Vincent Damphousse before he scored his four goals in the All-Star Game that year.
At the 1998 All-Star Game in Vancouver, the league introduced the unpopular "North America vs. The World" format. The NHL expected Canadian fans to cheer for Tony Amonte, Keith Tkachuk, Chris Chelios and a bunch of other American stars, just a few weeks before the Winter Olympics in Nagano. Like that was going to happen. My favourite moment from the game came when the World Team made a complete five-man change during the play, causing Bob Cole to say, "Harry, the World is changing." Truer words were never spoken.
At the Skills Competition at the 1993 All-Star Game, Al Iafrate blew everyone away with his 105-mph slapshot. But did anyone really care? We were all too focused on Iafrate's bizarre combination of a rapidly-receding hairline with an extra-long mullet. It was one of the strangest sights I've ever seen in hockey. Iafrate could have blasted a 200-mph slapshot and it wouldn't have mattered. I was too focused on The Skullet.
There is no way that anybody remembers that Eric Daze won the All-Star Game MVP in 2002 in Los Angeles. In doing so, Daze becomes arguably the shadiest player to win an MVP award at an All-Star Game in the four major sports. Other candidates for this dubious distinction: Tom Chambers (NBA), Terry Steinbach (MLB) and anyone who has won a Pro-Bowl MVP.
- Rendez-Vous '87 Instead of the usual All-Star Game, the NHL decided to have a two-game exhibition challenge with the Russians at the Colisee in Quebec City. A big controversy erupted in Canada when the Soviet referee for Game 1 of the series only called one penalty against the Russians for the entire game. For the record, the referee's name was Sergei Morozov, which loosely translated in English is "Kerry Fraser."
Owen Nolan had one of the most memorable performances in All-Star Game history in 1997. Playing in front of his home crowd in San Jose, Nolan scored a hat trick, including his famous "called shot" on Dominik Hasek on a breakaway. And yet for some reason, Nolan didn't win the MVP award. The guy had one of the all-time great Babe Ruth moments and he gets beat to the award by Mark Recchi.
ng goaltender I've ever seen in my life. And yet, Irbe was the first goalie to ever be credited with a point at an All-Star Game, when he picked up an assist on a goal by Teemu Selanne in 1999. It's amazing that with all of the great puck-handling goalies that have played in the All-Star Game (Ron Hextall, Martin Brodeur, etc…), that the guy who treated the puck like a hand grenade is the only one to ever get a point.
A member of the Panthers, Sandis Ozolinsh was named to the All-Star Team and was going to get the chance to play in front of his home crowd in Florida. However, the night before the game, the Panthers traded him to Anaheim. So when he came onto the ice for the pre-game introductions, the PA announcer had this awkward phrase to read off: "From your Florida Panthers, but now playing for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, here is No. 8 Sandis Ozolinsh." Could the Panthers and Ducks not have waited one extra day to make that trade? It's not like either of them were playing any games.
The last time I watched any part of the YoungStars game was back in 2004, when goaltender Philippe Sauve was named the MVP of the game. In case you are wondering, he is currently a goaltender for the Hamburg Freezers in the German Elite League, proving that the YoungStars Game isn't necessarily a great barometer for future success in the NHL.
The first time I was allowed to stay up late and watch a full All-Star Game was the 1985 game played in Calgary. Most people will remember Mario Lemieux's performance as a rookie, as he won the MVP award. But my defining moment from that game was watching Miroslav Frycer score a goal for the Campbell Conference. Frycer was the only representative from a brutal Toronto Maple Leafs team. And quite frankly, I've been waiting almost two years to make a random Miroslav Frycer reference in one of my blogs.
All-Star gazing
This weekend, I have the 2010 World Cup Jerseys opportunity to cover the NHL All-Star Game for the very first time in my career. I get to rub shoulders with some of the greatest players in the game like Joe Thornton, Alexander Ovechkin and Stephane Robidas.
Years before he gave away Roberto Luongo and Zdeno Chara for nothing, Mike Milbury caused an uproar when he named tough guy Chris Nilan to the All-Star team in 1991. As a result, the board of governors changed the rules for naming the All-Star team and took away that privilege from the head coach. Ironically enough, Nilan broke his ankle just before the mid-season classic, preventing us from seeing him dropping the gloves and pummeling Vincent Damphousse before he scored his four goals in the All-Star Game that year.
At the 1998 All-Star Game in Vancouver, the league introduced the unpopular "North America vs. The World" format. The NHL expected Canadian fans to cheer for Tony Amonte, Keith Tkachuk, Chris Chelios and a bunch of other American stars, just a few weeks before the Winter Olympics in Nagano. Like that was going to happen. My favourite moment from the game came when the World Team made a complete five-man change during the play, causing Bob Cole to say, "Harry, the World is changing." Truer words were never spoken.
At the Skills Competition at the 1993 All-Star Game, Al Iafrate blew everyone away with his 105-mph slapshot. But did anyone really care? We were all too focused on Iafrate's bizarre combination of a rapidly-receding hairline with an extra-long mullet. It was one of the strangest sights I've ever seen in hockey. Iafrate could have blasted a 200-mph slapshot and it wouldn't have mattered. I was too focused on The Skullet.
There is no way that anybody remembers that Eric Daze won the All-Star Game MVP in 2002 in Los Angeles. In doing so, Daze becomes arguably the shadiest player to win an MVP award at an All-Star Game in the four major sports. Other candidates for this dubious distinction: Tom Chambers (NBA), Terry Steinbach (MLB) and anyone who has won a Pro-Bowl MVP.
- Rendez-Vous '87 Instead of the usual All-Star Game, the NHL decided to have a two-game exhibition challenge with the Russians at the Colisee in Quebec City. A big controversy erupted in Canada when the Soviet referee for Game 1 of the series only called one penalty against the Russians for the entire game. For the record, the referee's name was Sergei Morozov, which loosely translated in English is "Kerry Fraser."
Owen Nolan had one of the most memorable performances in All-Star Game history in 1997. Playing in front of his home crowd in San Jose, Nolan scored a hat trick, including his famous "called shot" on Dominik Hasek on a breakaway. And yet for some reason, Nolan didn't win the MVP award. The guy had one of the all-time great Babe Ruth moments and he gets beat to the award by Mark Recchi.
ng goaltender I've ever seen in my life. And yet, Irbe was the first goalie to ever be credited with a point at an All-Star Game, when he picked up an assist on a goal by Teemu Selanne in 1999. It's amazing that with all of the great puck-handling goalies that have played in the All-Star Game (Ron Hextall, Martin Brodeur, etc…), that the guy who treated the puck like a hand grenade is the only one to ever get a point.
A member of the Panthers, Sandis Ozolinsh was named to the All-Star Team and was going to get the chance to play in front of his home crowd in Florida. However, the night before the game, the Panthers traded him to Anaheim. So when he came onto the ice for the pre-game introductions, the PA announcer had this awkward phrase to read off: "From your Florida Panthers, but now playing for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, here is No. 8 Sandis Ozolinsh." Could the Panthers and Ducks not have waited one extra day to make that trade? It's not like either of them were playing any games.
The last time I watched any part of the YoungStars game was back in 2004, when goaltender Philippe Sauve was named the MVP of the game. In case you are wondering, he is currently a goaltender for the Hamburg Freezers in the German Elite League, proving that the YoungStars Game isn't necessarily a great barometer for future success in the NHL.
The first time I was allowed to stay up late and watch a full All-Star Game was the 1985 game played in Calgary. Most people will remember Mario Lemieux's performance as a rookie, as he won the MVP award. But my defining moment from that game was watching Miroslav Frycer score a goal for the Campbell Conference. Frycer was the only representative from a brutal Toronto Maple Leafs team. And quite frankly, I've been waiting almost two years to make a random Miroslav Frycer reference in one of my blogs.
Years before he gave away Roberto Luongo and Zdeno Chara for nothing, Mike Milbury caused an uproar when he named tough guy Chris Nilan to the All-Star team in 1991. As a result, the board of governors changed the rules for naming the All-Star team and took away that privilege from the head coach. Ironically enough, Nilan broke his ankle just before the mid-season classic, preventing us from seeing him dropping the gloves and pummeling Vincent Damphousse before he scored his four goals in the All-Star Game that year.
At the 1998 All-Star Game in Vancouver, the league introduced the unpopular "North America vs. The World" format. The NHL expected Canadian fans to cheer for Tony Amonte, Keith Tkachuk, Chris Chelios and a bunch of other American stars, just a few weeks before the Winter Olympics in Nagano. Like that was going to happen. My favourite moment from the game came when the World Team made a complete five-man change during the play, causing Bob Cole to say, "Harry, the World is changing." Truer words were never spoken.
At the Skills Competition at the 1993 All-Star Game, Al Iafrate blew everyone away with his 105-mph slapshot. But did anyone really care? We were all too focused on Iafrate's bizarre combination of a rapidly-receding hairline with an extra-long mullet. It was one of the strangest sights I've ever seen in hockey. Iafrate could have blasted a 200-mph slapshot and it wouldn't have mattered. I was too focused on The Skullet.
There is no way that anybody remembers that Eric Daze won the All-Star Game MVP in 2002 in Los Angeles. In doing so, Daze becomes arguably the shadiest player to win an MVP award at an All-Star Game in the four major sports. Other candidates for this dubious distinction: Tom Chambers (NBA), Terry Steinbach (MLB) and anyone who has won a Pro-Bowl MVP.
- Rendez-Vous '87 Instead of the usual All-Star Game, the NHL decided to have a two-game exhibition challenge with the Russians at the Colisee in Quebec City. A big controversy erupted in Canada when the Soviet referee for Game 1 of the series only called one penalty against the Russians for the entire game. For the record, the referee's name was Sergei Morozov, which loosely translated in English is "Kerry Fraser."
Owen Nolan had one of the most memorable performances in All-Star Game history in 1997. Playing in front of his home crowd in San Jose, Nolan scored a hat trick, including his famous "called shot" on Dominik Hasek on a breakaway. And yet for some reason, Nolan didn't win the MVP award. The guy had one of the all-time great Babe Ruth moments and he gets beat to the award by Mark Recchi.
ng goaltender I've ever seen in my life. And yet, Irbe was the first goalie to ever be credited with a point at an All-Star Game, when he picked up an assist on a goal by Teemu Selanne in 1999. It's amazing that with all of the great puck-handling goalies that have played in the All-Star Game (Ron Hextall, Martin Brodeur, etc…), that the guy who treated the puck like a hand grenade is the only one to ever get a point.
A member of the Panthers, Sandis Ozolinsh was named to the All-Star Team and was going to get the chance to play in front of his home crowd in Florida. However, the night before the game, the Panthers traded him to Anaheim. So when he came onto the ice for the pre-game introductions, the PA announcer had this awkward phrase to read off: "From your Florida Panthers, but now playing for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, here is No. 8 Sandis Ozolinsh." Could the Panthers and Ducks not have waited one extra day to make that trade? It's not like either of them were playing any games.
The last time I watched any part of the YoungStars game was back in 2004, when goaltender Philippe Sauve was named the MVP of the game. In case you are wondering, he is currently a goaltender for the Hamburg Freezers in the German Elite League, proving that the YoungStars Game isn't necessarily a great barometer for future success in the NHL.
The first time I was allowed to stay up late and watch a full All-Star Game was the 1985 game played in Calgary. Most people will remember Mario Lemieux's performance as a rookie, as he won the MVP award. But my defining moment from that game was watching Miroslav Frycer score a goal for the Campbell Conference. Frycer was the only representative from a brutal Toronto Maple Leafs team. And quite frankly, I've been waiting almost two years to make a random Miroslav Frycer reference in one of my blogs.
2010年5月10日星期一
Why this Matters in the Blogging Classroom
For me, one of NHL jerseys my central pedagogical goals is always to teach students to critically engage media. As such, I feel it is important to teach students how to become critical navigators in the digital spaces where a majority of their information will be taken in. And for me, this is one of the reasons that blogging in the classroom can serve an important pedagogical role that writing in paper format alone cannot accomplish. If one simply transfers the "book-way" of writing onto the digital space, students have learned little that they could not have gained from more traditional writing assignments. The situation may even be worse than one of unnecessary reconfiguration, for in the digital medium, writing often produces technological frustrations which, if not offset by other gains, leads to negative experiences for the students. Since the context of writing has shifted in the digital, it is important to demonstrate to student how authorship itself has shifted in the age of the digital.
Writing in the age of the digital is no longer a matter of being the absolute genius creator who gives birth to an idea and writes it all down for the world to see (as if it ever was); managing context on the web for writers has become a significantly different task. To write “well” in this space students need to learn not only how to cite and link, but indeed to package their writings in a different way. RSS helps accomplish this goal.
Helping Students to Become Better Readers to Become Better Writers
The amount of information on the web is overwhelming to say the least. I could spend the rest of my life reading Wikipedia and would probably never finish. While this is also true of a large library (say here at the University at Albany) as well, the tools one uses to navigate the library, a static electronic database easily searchable by author, title, or book, is clearly inadequate for the web. RSS helps to give students control over content on the web, reducing time spent navigating from site to site to see what has changed, and instead allowing them to receive updates about the content they are interested in tracking or material that is relevant to class. For example, if you were teaching a class on the Holocaust you could require that students subscribe to feeds that related to the recent trials of Holocaust deniers in Germany, and to the situation in Darfur. In this way students would get regular updates and could read the most relevant content without getting lost in a quagmire of information.
But more important than staying up to date on information is the ability RSS provides to sort what one wants to read from what is not of interest, not only in terms of selecting to receive only certain feeds, but also as a matter of reading only in detail a few of the feeds you receive: sorting again the information you receive, separating what is not of interest from that which is (an invaluable skill for students who will increasingly rely on digital information). For example, I subscribe to somewhere over 100 feeds that allow me to monitor somewhere close to 200 websites (some of the feeds are just a collection of websites all in one feed), which means that on any given day I can receive over 500 new items in my feed reader. This clearly means that I cannot read them all, or even half of them. What a good feed reader does is allow you to quickly scan the headlines, mark the ones you want to read, toss out the ones you don't, and return either immediately, or at a later more convenient time, to carefully read the ones you have selected.
So here is one of my big pedagogical and theoretical claims: The speed of reading in the age of the digital has changed, and we need to help students navigate this. Being able to “surf” around countless webpages, scanning information, might be a good practice for cursory knowledge acquisition, but it does not lend itself to in-depth reading. In fact, I would argue that these are almost two separate mental practices. And it is important to teach students to distinguish between these two. Reading on the internet requires two separate skills: one, the quick analysis to find what is worth reading, and the second, a switch to slow analysis to carefully consider what has been found. What RSS does is allow students to make this distinction, to receive content as "bits" easy to scan, and then to select what they want to read. In a library, notice how these two operations are separated by the act of walking to the stacks and checking out the books. You first scan the database for book titles, copy down the call numbers, walk to the shelves, scan the book to see if you want to read it, and check it out, taking it home to read slowly. The distinction between scanning and careful reading is reinforced in this model by the change in venue: the process of checking the book out and leaving the library. On the computer, since all of this happens in one place and through one interface, it is all too easy to conflate the two. What I tell students to do is actually make a mental separation between tagging items to be read, and then reading items. I even go as so far as to suggest that they take a break between these two processes. And learning to use RSS (along with tabbed browsing) greatly aids this type of reading practice.
One of the most significant concerns about using blogs in the classroom is that students often feel as if they are doing the same writing, just placing it on the web. Since context determines meaning, the method and message of writing necessarily changes as students compose for the internet; however, many academics fail to convey this information to students. Recently, there has been a significant amount of hype about “Web 2.0,” the idea that the Web has changed from a reading space to a read-write space. Regardless of the intellectually spurious claim to absolutely separate out reading from writing, web content in recent years has changed, most significantly with regard to the increase in wikis, blogs, social sites, and even the speed at which traditional sites now get updated.
Writing in the age of the digital is no longer a matter of being the absolute genius creator who gives birth to an idea and writes it all down for the world to see (as if it ever was); managing context on the web for writers has become a significantly different task. To write “well” in this space students need to learn not only how to cite and link, but indeed to package their writings in a different way. RSS helps accomplish this goal.
Helping Students to Become Better Readers to Become Better Writers
The amount of information on the web is overwhelming to say the least. I could spend the rest of my life reading Wikipedia and would probably never finish. While this is also true of a large library (say here at the University at Albany) as well, the tools one uses to navigate the library, a static electronic database easily searchable by author, title, or book, is clearly inadequate for the web. RSS helps to give students control over content on the web, reducing time spent navigating from site to site to see what has changed, and instead allowing them to receive updates about the content they are interested in tracking or material that is relevant to class. For example, if you were teaching a class on the Holocaust you could require that students subscribe to feeds that related to the recent trials of Holocaust deniers in Germany, and to the situation in Darfur. In this way students would get regular updates and could read the most relevant content without getting lost in a quagmire of information.
But more important than staying up to date on information is the ability RSS provides to sort what one wants to read from what is not of interest, not only in terms of selecting to receive only certain feeds, but also as a matter of reading only in detail a few of the feeds you receive: sorting again the information you receive, separating what is not of interest from that which is (an invaluable skill for students who will increasingly rely on digital information). For example, I subscribe to somewhere over 100 feeds that allow me to monitor somewhere close to 200 websites (some of the feeds are just a collection of websites all in one feed), which means that on any given day I can receive over 500 new items in my feed reader. This clearly means that I cannot read them all, or even half of them. What a good feed reader does is allow you to quickly scan the headlines, mark the ones you want to read, toss out the ones you don't, and return either immediately, or at a later more convenient time, to carefully read the ones you have selected.
So here is one of my big pedagogical and theoretical claims: The speed of reading in the age of the digital has changed, and we need to help students navigate this. Being able to “surf” around countless webpages, scanning information, might be a good practice for cursory knowledge acquisition, but it does not lend itself to in-depth reading. In fact, I would argue that these are almost two separate mental practices. And it is important to teach students to distinguish between these two. Reading on the internet requires two separate skills: one, the quick analysis to find what is worth reading, and the second, a switch to slow analysis to carefully consider what has been found. What RSS does is allow students to make this distinction, to receive content as "bits" easy to scan, and then to select what they want to read. In a library, notice how these two operations are separated by the act of walking to the stacks and checking out the books. You first scan the database for book titles, copy down the call numbers, walk to the shelves, scan the book to see if you want to read it, and check it out, taking it home to read slowly. The distinction between scanning and careful reading is reinforced in this model by the change in venue: the process of checking the book out and leaving the library. On the computer, since all of this happens in one place and through one interface, it is all too easy to conflate the two. What I tell students to do is actually make a mental separation between tagging items to be read, and then reading items. I even go as so far as to suggest that they take a break between these two processes. And learning to use RSS (along with tabbed browsing) greatly aids this type of reading practice.
One of the most significant concerns about using blogs in the classroom is that students often feel as if they are doing the same writing, just placing it on the web. Since context determines meaning, the method and message of writing necessarily changes as students compose for the internet; however, many academics fail to convey this information to students. Recently, there has been a significant amount of hype about “Web 2.0,” the idea that the Web has changed from a reading space to a read-write space. Regardless of the intellectually spurious claim to absolutely separate out reading from writing, web content in recent years has changed, most significantly with regard to the increase in wikis, blogs, social sites, and even the speed at which traditional sites now get updated.
2010年5月9日星期日
NHL-worst Oilers stun Kings for 3rd straight win
Michal Handzus scored the NFL jerseys tying goal with 2:34 left in regulation and connected again in the shootout for the Kings, who hurt their chances of finishing fifth in the Western Conference heading into their first postseason since 2002.
Mike Comrie scored two early goals as the Oilers spoiled the Kings' home finale, making the most of their meager scoring chances. With just its second win in the past 23 road games, Edmonton snapped a 10-game winless streak on the road since Feb. 11, when the Oilers beat the Kings in another shootout.
Comrie got both of his goals in the first two periods on long passes up the middle of the ice, beating Quick for his 11th and 12th scores. Los Angeles otherwise dominated play, generating 39 shots in the first two periods, but had few great scoring chances against Dubnyk.
The Staples Center crowd booed its team when Gilbert scored just his fifth goal of the season early in the third period on a stoppable shot that somehow eluded Quick, whose shakiness is a major source of concern for the Kings heading into the postseason.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Rookie Devan Dubnyk made 52 saves and denied the Kings' last two shootout attempts, leading the league-worst Edmonton Oilers past playoff-bound Los Angeles 4-3 Saturday.
Tom Gilbert had a short-handed goal and two assists for the Oilers, who have won three straight near the close of their worst season since 1994. Edmonton blew a three-goal lead in the third period against the playoff-bound Kings, but Ryan Potulny and Shawn Horcoff scored in the
Brown ended Dubnyk's bid for his first career shutout with an easy rebound goal on the Kings' 46th shot with 13:21 to play, and Stoll fired a shot over Dubnyk's glove for his 15th goal 5 1/2 minutes later.
After Los Angeles took two penalties and killed off the ensuing two-man disadvantage, Rob Scuderi's shot from the point hit Edmonton's Jason Strudwick and fell to Handzus. His blind backhand shot slipped underneath Dubnyk for his 20th goal on the Kings' 52nd shot, matching their season high.
NOTES: The Kings went to a shootout in a franchise-record fourth straight game. ... Gilbert has three goals in nine games after scoring just two in his first 72. ... Edmonton can match the 1993-94 club's 64 points with a win at Anaheim on Sunday night, though the 1994 club didn't have the benefit of shootout and points from overtime losses. ... C Jeff Halpern returned to the Kings' lineup after missing three games with an upper-body injury.
Mike Comrie scored two early goals as the Oilers spoiled the Kings' home finale, making the most of their meager scoring chances. With just its second win in the past 23 road games, Edmonton snapped a 10-game winless streak on the road since Feb. 11, when the Oilers beat the Kings in another shootout.
Comrie got both of his goals in the first two periods on long passes up the middle of the ice, beating Quick for his 11th and 12th scores. Los Angeles otherwise dominated play, generating 39 shots in the first two periods, but had few great scoring chances against Dubnyk.
The Staples Center crowd booed its team when Gilbert scored just his fifth goal of the season early in the third period on a stoppable shot that somehow eluded Quick, whose shakiness is a major source of concern for the Kings heading into the postseason.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Rookie Devan Dubnyk made 52 saves and denied the Kings' last two shootout attempts, leading the league-worst Edmonton Oilers past playoff-bound Los Angeles 4-3 Saturday.
Tom Gilbert had a short-handed goal and two assists for the Oilers, who have won three straight near the close of their worst season since 1994. Edmonton blew a three-goal lead in the third period against the playoff-bound Kings, but Ryan Potulny and Shawn Horcoff scored in the
Brown ended Dubnyk's bid for his first career shutout with an easy rebound goal on the Kings' 46th shot with 13:21 to play, and Stoll fired a shot over Dubnyk's glove for his 15th goal 5 1/2 minutes later.
After Los Angeles took two penalties and killed off the ensuing two-man disadvantage, Rob Scuderi's shot from the point hit Edmonton's Jason Strudwick and fell to Handzus. His blind backhand shot slipped underneath Dubnyk for his 20th goal on the Kings' 52nd shot, matching their season high.
NOTES: The Kings went to a shootout in a franchise-record fourth straight game. ... Gilbert has three goals in nine games after scoring just two in his first 72. ... Edmonton can match the 1993-94 club's 64 points with a win at Anaheim on Sunday night, though the 1994 club didn't have the benefit of shootout and points from overtime losses. ... C Jeff Halpern returned to the Kings' lineup after missing three games with an upper-body injury.
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