I am so happy to be in a new environment. Let's communicate more and do more!

Long ago people imagined that they could use bells to frighten away evil spirits. Bells appeared a simple type of noisemaking. They could be simply purchased or made and everybody knew how to use them. Lots of people believed that as winter started, evil spirits would come to damage them. So all over the dark days after the harvest or the hunt, people would appoint in ceremonies to keep bad things from coming about them as they waited for Spring and warm days.

The practice of using noisemakers like bells throughout these times carried over into the celebration of Christmas. But instead of making noise to keep away evil, people made noise to have fun and rejoice something happy.

There's an insidious movement afoot that I think needs addressing. It has to do with the propensity for academics to re-define terms contextually. We see it all the time in academic writing when the author includes a paragraph early in a paper wherein the terms used in the article are defined using phrases like "for the purposes of this paper the authors define TermX as ..."

When those definitions conform to a recognized reality which may not be well established in the field, this practice serves to enhance the understanding of readers who may be unfamiliar with certain constructs. When those definitions serve to re-define that reality, the practice runs the risk of re-defining important ideas out of existence by substituting an alternate reality for an existing one.

The following is my current blogsite reflecting part of my current teaching and learning.
http://ci8395.blogspots.com

Crystal

Greetings,
Thanks for designing this neat blog site.
Just happening half an hour ago that I could not log in from the General AECT home page due to I forgot my membership number. And with much ado, eventually I tried and got this page. Multiple ways of (alternative) access to resources is excellent! Feel home again.
Crystal

I've created some Multimedia Production Division stuff (t-shirt, tile, mousepad, journal...etc) for sale at CafePress.com -- a proceeds go to the division itself.

http://www.cafepress.com/AECT_MPD

For information about my research interests and current projects go to www.odu.edu/~aadcock

The best way to contact me is via email at aadcock@odu.edu

Having joined AECT Now I find something called "My Blog". Not being much of a blogger I can't afford to spread my blogging too thin across multiple blogs, so here is the link to my actually slightly active blog.
http://billfreese.blogspot.com.
Reading the recent comments I find Donal Little noting that weeks between posts suggest an unsuccessful communication channel. The next post appears seven weeks later. Urging people to use a channel of communication has no effect. Communication takes place when people have something to say to each other.

"My vote doesn't count anyway." The most common excuse for not participating in elections of any kind. The AECT elections are live right now. Anyone who cares about the future direction of the parent organization of this website, this blog, publications, the convention, or any other function of the organization will vote.

A couple of days ago I participated in the Nevada caucus. A first for this state, the caucus was chaotic, confusing, and invigorating. AECT's election is much easier to navigate! I can't imagine why every AECT member doesn't vote! Help me out here -- tell me why the answer to feeling powerless is to refuse to accept power that is given.

Off and on all day today I've been thinking about what I want for AECT. Ever since convention in Anaheim, I've been stewing about vision for AECT. Every time I think I can begin to see it, something happens to make me rethink it all. What drew me back to the blog was, again, the walls. As some of you know, I'm an English major, so I sometimes (often) feel most comfortable thinking in metaphors. Thus, walls.

I want walls to surround us when we need privacy to discuss an issue, resolve differences, decide direction, focus.

I want open space to encourage exploration, welcome newcomers, express who we are, become something new, different.