Present

Emma 1

I was like a big kid on the monorail out to Dadeland Mall to get Emma's surprise present - eyes on stalks, head spinning round! And that was a good clean break, because I felt sooo present at this morning's symposium.

Despite the setbacks: confusion over the start time (was it 8.00; 8.10; or 8.30? and a whole load of setbacks that delayed Barbara Guzzetti), the symposium went well. In the end it featured me, Michele Knobel, Shelley Xu and Donna Alvermann.

I posed 5 questions - missing out the detail these were:

1. What are the limits to the incorporation of new literacy practices into the curriculum - who gatekeeps?
2. How can we best theorise resistance through new literacy practices?
3. How do everyday literacy practices translate into cultural and social capital?
4. Are there more sophisticated ways in which we can explain the relationship between engagement, school achievement and new practices?
5. How can we provide new spaces in educational settings that allow for exploration of the liminal worlds between work and play; formality and informality; social networking and learning?

The ensuing discussion was particularly stimulating, which made for a good start to the day's shopping! Hey, ho! So that's NRC 2005, back to Blighty tomorrow: back to the cold.