blogging as a new literary genre

Everything has evolved and of course the world of literature is now facing a new sort of challenge since there is now a deluge of literary stuff online which can easily be accessed by online readers all over the world. So where do the heavy hard-covered books fit in this new genre? We know that producing anything online can be done in just a matter of minutes regardless of quality. Is this good or bad news? Will real books lose their place in the sun one of these days?

Blogging is the latest tool writers can easily use to express themselves quickly. It is so easy for anyone to get read and to read anyone's blog as well.

Although the quality of the works online is in question, but their easy access makes them the more preferred and library books are now starting to gather dust.

I want 'em funny

Whether it's books or movies, I now have this special preference for one that makes me laugh. I used to enjoy books and movies with loaded plots, particularly those that capitalize on vengeance as the motivating factor that leads characters into the different twists and turns of events. Heavy. But those were the days. I do not have time anymore for anything that taxes my mind and emotions unnecessarily. I have more than enough of my day-to-day struggles I now want something that will tickle my funny bones. Any suggestions are most welcome.

I miss reading

Because of the many tasks I have to do for our TV show and also as a family woman, I have missed to do one of the things I love and that is reading.  I just envy those people who really find time to read and bury their faces in the pages of a book.  It's a shame because I recently bought two books from the local National Bookstore but until now they have remained untouched.  Sigh....

on bookish teachers..

Teachers who are slaves to their textbooks fail to bring in real-world lessons into the classroom and are thus seldom effective. Every word they say and every example they give is from the book. They cannot live without the book as their only source of information. This habit is not really bad but students only get to see one side of the lesson. A good teacher should be able to use book information as springboard for real discussion in the classroom. A good teacher should be able to merge theory with her own experience outside of the book. Even in subjects like Math. In teaching the intricacies of formulas, the teacher should be able to connect the lessons with the students' lives. How and where can they use these complex formulations?

Always remember that books had been written by people too, some in fact by new writers who had been teachers themselves but this does not make them the sole authority on the subject. You can use their work as reference but never as the Word of God in the classroom. A good teacher does her best to have more than one reference book on any subject. She gets the ideas and opinions of as many authors or writers, say, 3 to 6 books.

Any teacher with a good many years of experience can author a book on his subject. His wide classroom experience could offer valuable information to new teachers. With a dash of information from other authors to back his own, he will be able to come up with a book that not only teaches theory but also provides practice for students.

magazines, pocketbooks, textbooks

In college a student is privileged to borrow a certain number of books for a certain number of days. If a book is only good for two days and you haven't read it within the period allowed, one can always have it renewed. One simply has no reason not to be reading in college. Magazines, newspapers, books of all sorts are available for borrowing but it seems that some books have gathered dust and remained untouched all these years. Why? The internet. Students seldom borrow books nowadays because of the internet which has made them lazy actually. Some have not even seen what a book looks like. One particular student of mine did not know how to locate the name of the author and publication company. It's just incredible but this is what is happening to most of the students now. They always use the internet as ready excuse to not go to the library or to not borrow any book.

Okey. Libraries have updated their facilities and services and have, inside its area, a special room for those who would like to surf or do research online. Yes, libraries have computers available to students who have work to do online. But this fact still does not make students borrow books. Students always opt to use the easy way and you will notice them flocking in the computer area while the periodicals and the card catalogues sections now look like they're facing extinction. The rows and rows of book shelves with myriads of knowledge stored and locked within the pages of books now look like tombs in the middle of the night----dead silent and seldom visited.

I belonged to a generation of students who actually got hold of real books to gain information. We carried these heavy books from school to house and vice versa. It was a different kind of time because the search for knowledge seemed to be more challenging and more real.

Today's students pride themselves of being able to gain access to knowledge the fastest way through the internet. All sorts of cheating can happen with this method of seeking knowledge where there is very little or no control at all in the materials one can get his hands on. Verifying and checking is not easy as there are innumerable sites that offer free information and materials. In short, students coming up with dishonest papers would become common. Learning will thus be greatly diminished.

Magazines, pocketbooks, books.....I prefer those in which I can use a page marker and in which I can highlight and write some notes on the margins.

benefits of reading aloud

Yesterday I opened a discussion on reading at Mylot and I was amazed to discover that only a few, one or two, find time to do loud reading. Majority of the members read silently and do not see the value of reading aloud.

Of course, if loud reading is to be done, it is either in public (with an audience) or alone in the cozy nook of your room where no one will be bothered by the noise you create.

Loud reading is one of the best ways of training for effective speaking. You get to practice you tongue to say words correctly or properly. Loud reading enables you to give life to the story, poem, essay, or what-have-you and could lead to better comprehension.

This is especially effective in literature classes. The best service a teacher can do to her students in teaching literature is to give life or drama to the literary pieces the students are reading and this can be done through interpretative loud reading wherein the teacher reads the selection aloud in the most dramatic fashion using the voice and a minimum of body language.

Literature is meant to be shared and enacted. It started out as something that needs to be heard rather than read. Today, much reading is done in silent mode.

To be better appreciated and understood, literature should be shared, heard, and understood through the use of a simple method called "reading aloud"----choral, solo, by pairs---it is all up to the literature teacher.