Further reading notes on Kozol's Letters to a young teacher

To see where this started, please see the previous booknote.

When I read books like this, I find myself noting pages or passages that made me nod or stop and think a moment. So, let me make a few reading notes. The first is just something that made me think, and it did remind me of a couple of recalcitrant kids I had back in my time.

• "None of us should make the error of assuming that a child who is hostile to us at the start, or who retreats into a sullenness and silence or sarcastic disregard for everything that's going on around him in the room does not have the will to learn, and plenty of interesting stuff to teach us too, if we are willing to invest the time and inventiveness to penetrate his seemingly implacable belief that grown-ups do not mean him well and that, if he trusts you, we will probably betray or disappoint him" (67).
  

Like me, Kozol has no patience for jargon and the self-important consultants and educrats that spout it. The problem with this, unfortunately, is that teachers often have to embrace this pseudolanguage if they want the higher-ups to even listen. Kozol writes:

• "This kind of jargon, which relies upon the pumping up of any simple notion by tacking on a fancy-sounding prefix or a needless extra syllable, infests the dialogue of public education nowadays like a strange syntactic illness that induces many educators to believe they have to imitate this language if they want to have a place in the discussion" (89).
  

By the way, that male bovine excrement infestation is very alive in higher education as well. You see various examples of it during accreditation time. Overall, educators learn two languages: "conference" talk or "expert" talk, and normal English (97). Basically, we become fluent as needed. I would speculate that this is a form of code-switching. By the way, a lot of librarianship also suffers from this.

Kozol argues that all teachers should express themselves as witnesses:

• "So I come back again and again to the need for teachers to speak out as witnesses to what they see each day before their eyes, whether they do this only in the most restrained and quiet ways at schoolwide gatherings or meetings in the districts where they work or in bolder voices at the larger education conferences and in the education journals and the mainstream media. 'Witnessing' is a familiar term among the clergy of progressive and compassionate denominators. As I've said to you before, I think it ought to be the privilege, and obligation, of our teachers" (193-194).
  

I will add that we librarians ought to be witnessing as well. There are one or two librarian bloggers who fit the bill, but they are few and far between. This is a significant lack in the librarian blogosphere, but I digress. Let me get back to the book.

Kozol also reminds us that education is political. As much as I despise politics, I know that I need to be able to navigate them when the need arises. Kozol writes on this:

• "There are those in Washington and elsewhere who believe that teachers are already 'too political.' I could not more deeply disagree. I think the problem is exactly the reverse. Teachers, in their large numbers, aren't nearly political enough. (I am also not speaking about teacher unions, which are, and ought to be, political, but about the teacher in and of herself, or himself, as an individual)" (206).

I think the above is very applicable to librarians as well. Sure, the big national professional organization for libraries is very political (and we can look over the good and the very bad some other time). But librarians, as individuals, for the most part, are not political enough. Part of it may be the nature of the profession, but I am digressing again.

Finally, Kozol answers when Francesca asks how does one go on in the face of adversity and an opposition determined to eradicate public education along with any idea of a common good. He writes:

• "Whenever I tell myself that it just seems too hard or hopeless to continue trying to keep up the battle to defend the values you and I hold dear and to go out in public, when I have to, and debate those very agile and sometimes sadistically effective people from the right-wing think tanks, which is no fun at all, I think of the indomitable courage of so many older women like Bernice, who face not merely trivial and one-time injuries or disappointments or political reversals, but extremes of physical discomfort from untreated illnesses as well as psychological ordeals that most of us can only empathetically imagine" (224).
  

Talk about putting things in perspective. And this is not always easy. Any good teacher can probably relate to this. Kozol reminds us that we can never give up:

• "This, Francesca, is the ultimate answer to the question that you posed. I don't believe that any of us has the right to pull back from the battlefield because we are feeling 'weary'"(225).
  

I think that keeps me going as well when I feel weary. I draw strength from the small victories. And thus we can maintain hope.

Booknote: Jonathan Kozol's Letters to a young teacher

Title: Letters to a Young Teacher.
Author: Jonathan Kozol.
ISBN: 978-0-307-39371-5
Genre: Nonfiction
Subgenre: Education

As it happens when I read one of Kozol's books, I had my angry moments. At any rate, I ended up writing a pretty long draft. So, I will post part of it now, and some specific reading notes next time. So, on to the post.

This books should be issued to every student teacher. Veteran teachers may want to read it as well to remind themselves of why they follow their calling. Teaching, especially young children, is certainly a calling. You won't get rich doing it, a lot of people will not recognize you for it (but they will bitch and moan if they see you do anything wrong, even if they themselves have no idea how to do what you do), but if you are good at it, you'll touch many lives in a positive way. So give this book to every new teacher so they never forget the significance of their work. Give this book to every new teacher so they know that they are not alone.

I have been a fan of Kozol's writing for many years now. It is strong and passionate writing that stirs emotions. I know that when I read one of his books I will probably get angry. Sure enough, this book made me angry sometimes. I get angry because I can't understand how politicians and educrats so easily segregate and disregard a large segment of our child population (actually, I think I have a pretty good idea of how they do it, which makes me hate them even more for their lack of ethics, humanity, and compassion). People who claim that you can't fix public schools with money but send their own children to high priced private schools are hypocrites. It's those people that make me angry as an educator. No, I don't care if they send their kids to a private school. It's just their hypocrisy when it comes to other people's children. And I am sure Mr. Kozol has his angry moments as well. That he manages to maintain hope is amazing to me.

When compared to his other works, this book has more of a gentle tone. The book contains letters he is writing to Francesca, a young first year teacher. Kozol offers guidance and advice, but he also looks at the state of education in the nation. He includes stories and anecdotes from his experiences, taking his correspondence with Francesca as an opportunity to reflect on himself as an educator too. I found myself at times thinking about my experience as a teacher, first in public school then in college. This is another reason why the book would be a good gift for new teachers. It will invite reflection.

So, do I recommend it? You bet I do.

My Reading List for 2007

Well, we are starting a New Year, and it is a good time to look back as we move on to the new year. I did the reading list post last year, so I figured I would follow up again this year. Here is the reading list for 2006. 2007 for me was a year with a lot of upheaval, and as I look at this list, at times I am amazed I got any reading done. I have discovered some new things to read, which is always good. The reading slowed down a bit at the end of 2007 as I caught a pesky cold that persisted into the new year; it dimmed my mood for reading, which means the two books I am currently reading are not done yet. Oh well, they will be the first two entries for 2008 come December. Getting graphic novels may be a bit of a challenge now given bookstore selections in Tyler are fairly limited, and the local public library's selection is simply dismal; a lot of the graphic novels I read I borrowed from Harris County Public, which while not great itself in selection, they certainly made a good effort to have graphic novels. So, I will likely purchase a few more, and see what I can get on Interlibrary Loan.

For me, if it is something I feel I will reread, is one of my favorites (for instance, Alan Moore's graphic novels), or that I can get cheap (usually second hand), I buy it; I rarely buy anything brand new when it comes to books; I don't have the urgency to read bestsellers. It's like video games: why pay $50 now (or about $30 for a hardback) when you can pay $20 or so (or $7 when it comes out in paperback) in a few months?. Stuff to be read once I usually borrow. That space at home is at a premium means I have more of an incentive to be selective on what books I do buy. In fact, we did a major weeding before we moved. I learned there was a lot I could do without, which has shown me I can use my local library more (or rather Interlibrary Loan at work). And that's the short digression.

So, here's to a New Year in Reading.

The 2007 list:

January:

• Michael Reaves and Steve Perry. Star Wars: Medstar I: Battle Surgeons.
• Michael Reaves and Steve Perry. Star Wars: Medstar II: Jedi Healer.
• Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. Catwoman: When in Rome.
• Geoff Johns. Teen Titans: Beast Boys and Girls.
• Geoff Johns and James Robinson. Hawkman: Endless Flight.
• Warren Davis Graham, Jr. Black Belt Librarians: Every Librarian's Real World Guide to a Safer Workplace.
• Susan E. Cleyle and Louise M. McGillis. Last One Out Turn Off the Lights: Is This the Future of American and Canadian Libraries?
• Mike Winegardner, The Godfather Returns.
  

February:

• Sacha Zimmerman, For America.
  
• Damon Linker, The Theocons.
  
• Wendy Northcutt, The Darwin Awards 4.
  

March:

• Kohta Hirano, Hellsing, Vol. 2.
  
• Kohta Hirano, Hellsing, Vol. 3.
  
• Various authors, Universal Calvacade of Horror.
  
• John Ney Rieber and Chuck Austen, Captain America, Vol. 2: The Extremists. (Marvel Knights)
  
• John Scalzi, The Ghost Brigades.
• Dave Gibbons, Captain America, Vol. 4: Cap Lives. (Marvel Knights)
  
• Various authors, Captain America: To Serve and Protect.

April: (this was a really bad month in terms of reading books. It was busy at work; I went to TLA. A bit overwhelming).

• Dilevko, Juris and Lisa Gottlieb. Reading and the Reference Librarian: The Importance to Library Service of Staff Reading Habits.
• Ogle, Maureen. Ambitious Brew: The Story of American Beer.
• Rooney, Andy. Out of my mind.

May:

• Elmborg, James K. and Sheril Hook eds. Centers for Learning: Writing Centers and Libraries in Collaboration.
• Quino. 10 Años con Mafalda.
• Jeph Loeb, et. al. Superman: Our Worlds at War, Book One.
  
• Jeph Loeb, et.al. Superman: Our Worlds at War, Book Two.
• Morrison, Grant. New X-Men, Vol. 2: Imperial.
• Various authors. The Best of Wolverine, Vol.1.
• Morales, Robert et. al. Captain America Vol. 5: Homeland.
• Gostick, Adrian and Chester Elton. The Carrot Principle: How the Best Managers Use Recognition to Engage Their People, Retain Talent, and Accelerate Performance.
• Taylor, William C. and Polly LaBarre. Mavericks at Work: Why the Most Original Minds in Business Win.
• Schwartz, Barry. The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less.
• Ettlinger, Steve. Twinkie, Deconstructed: My Journey to Discover How the Ingredients Found in Processed Foods Are Grown, Mined (Yes. Mined), and Manipulated into What America Eats.
• Axelrod, Alan. Patton on Leadership: Strategic Lessons for Corporate Warfare.

June:

• Busiek, Kurt and Stuart Immonen. Superman: Secret Identity.
• Morrison, Grant. New X-Men, vol. 6: Planet X.
• Claremont, Chris and Jim Lee. X-Men Legends Vol. 1: Mutant Genesis.
• Rucka, Greg. Wonder Woman: Eyes of the Gorgon.
• Grassian, Esther S. and Joan R. Kaplowitz. Learning to Lead and Manage Information Literacy Instruction.
• Nelson, Sara. So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading.
• Rucka, Greg. Wonder Woman: Land of the Dead.
• Frampton, Otis. Oddly Normal, Volume 1.
• Hing, Lee Chung and Hui King Sum. Resident Evil Code: Veronica, #1.
• Yang, Gene Luen. American Born Chinese.
• Dick, Philip K., A Scanner Darkly (graphic novel adaptation).
• Resnick, Mike and Martin H. Greenberg, eds. Sherlock Holmes in Orbit.
• Mitchell, Stacy. Big-Box Swindle: The True Cost of Mega-retailers and the Fight for America's Independent Business.
• Craughwell, Thomas J. Saints Behaving Badly: The Cutthroats, Crooks, Trollops, Con Men, and Devil Worshippers who Became Saints.
• Sutton, Robert I. The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't.
• Williams, Stephen P. How to Be President: What to Do and Where to Go Once You are in Office.

July:

• Arvind Sharma, A Guide to Hindu Spirituality.
  
• Tom Shachtman, Rumspringa: To Be or Not to Be Amish.
  
• Neal Boortz, Somebody's Gotta Say It.
  
• Michael Jan Friedman, The Federation Travel Guide (Star Trek).
  
• Mark Winegardner, The Godfather's Revenge.
  
• Thomas Harris, Hannibal Rising.
  

August:

• Steve Englehart, Captain America and the Falcon: Secret Empire.
  
• Richard A. Knaak, Night of Blood (The Minotaur Wars, Book 1).
  
• Michael Reaves, Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter (Star Wars).
• The Dalai Lama, The Wisdom of Forgiveness.
  
• Jeph Loeb, Superman/Batman: Absolute Power.
  
• Eric Schlosser, Fast Food Nation.
  
• David Kidder, The Intellectual Devotional.
  
• James Sturm, The Golem's Mighty Swing.
  
• Ed Brubaker, Captain America, Vol. 1: The Winter Soldier.
  

September: (This was the month I was moving to my new job at UT Tyler. Since it is a state job, as was my job in Houston, I had to do some logistical magic so some of the benefits would transfer. It was a very fast paced transition, so reading fell by the side for a while).

• Richard A. Knaak, Tides of Blood (The Minotaur Wars, Book 2).
  

October:

• Charles M. Schulz, The Complete Peanuts, 1955-1956.
  
• Charles M. Schulz, The Complete Peanuts, 1957-1958.
• Kohta Hirano, Hellsing, Vol. 4
• P.J. O'Rourke, On The Wealth of Nations.
  
• Michael P. Sauers, Blogging and RSS: A Librarian's Guide.
  
• Richard A. Knaak, Empire of Blood (The Minotaur Wars, Book 3).
  
• Joann Sfar, Vampire Loves.
  

November:

• Charles R. Anderson, Reference Librarianship: Notes from the Trenches.
  
• Kerry Max Cook, Chasing Justice.
  
• Kinky Friedman, Texas Hold 'Em.
  
• Arthur C. Clarke, Rendezvous with Rama.
  
• Steve Jarding and Dave Saunders, Foxes in the Henhouse.

December:

• Lou Dobbs, War on the Middle Class.
• Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis.
• Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis 2.
  
• Kinky Friedman, You Can Lead a Politician to Water, But You Can't Make Him Think.
  
• Drew Karpyshyn, Darth Bane: Path of Destruction: A Novel of the Old Republic (Star Wars).
  
• Nancy Pearl, More Book Lust.
  
• Barbara Ehrenreich, Nickel and Dimed.
  
• Stephen Colbert, I Am America (And So Can You).
  

Some of the stats (for those who may care about that):

• Number of books read in 2007: 85
• New books read in 2007: All (I may have reread bits and pieces, but for books, pretty much all new. It was all new last year too).
  
• Number of books read in 2006: 106
• Number of books read in 2005: 73
  

• Number read in the worst month of 2007: 1 (September. Considering all the commotion and hectic pace, it's a miracle I read anything).
  
• Number read in the best month of 2007: 16 (June. I was surprised by this considering much of the summer was hectic as well).
  

• Fiction: 46.
  
• I found myself reading a bit more fiction this year. Graphic novels were still a big part of my reading. This is clearly one of my favorite forms of reading, so I will likely continue reading more next year. I am trying out new manga titles as well. For graphic novels, as last year, I noticed some were fiction, and others were memoirs, which I would put in as nonfiction. I also found myself in more of a mood to read fantasy, particularly light/series fantasy. Reading The Minotaur Wars trilogy has gotten me interested in reading more in that genre. I think in part because this type of fiction is light and quick in reading pace. I am still reading scifi, but I am being a bit more selective with it.
  
• Nonfiction: 39.
  
• This was a bit of everything, as it usually is when it comes to my nonfiction reading. A bit more on politics and current affairs it seems, not sure why other than I was in the mood for it at the time. I did manage to read a few items that were class assignments for some of the classes I offered bibliographic instruction for, and this was an achievement for me. I also found myself reading some books on leadership; it seems I may be developing an interest on the topic. I still managed to read a few books on LIS, though I was not as thrilled with the selections this time around. Part of it is that some of the topics those books covered were old news to me by the time I got to the book (i.e. I often had read and covered the topic via online reading and blogs).
  

My favorites for this year:

• Jeph Loeb's graphic novels (this was also a favorite last year. At this point, I will read just about anything this guy writes.).
  
• Kohta Hirano's Hellsing series.
  
• Alan Axelrod, Patton on Leadership.
  
• Kurt Busiek and Stuart Immonen, Superman: Secret Identity.
• Robert I. Sutton, The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't.
• Richard Knaak's Minotaur Wars trilogy. (This series just sucked me in. It was a bit like reading about political intrigues, coups, and fantasy all in one. I want to read more of his stuff, but a bit worried it may not be as good since series fiction, be it DragonLance or Star Wars, can be hit or miss.).
  
• Drew Karpyshyn, Darth Bane: Path of Destruction: A Novel of the Old Republic (Star Wars) (This is a book where you just have to root for the bad guy.).
  

Article Note: On blogs for community building and networking

Citation for the article (as provided by author):

Wiebrands, Constance (2006) Creating community: The blog as a networking device, in ALIA 2006 Biennial Conference, Perth, 19-22 September 2006.

I read it online.

This is one of the best explanations of why librarians should be blogging that I have seen in a while. In simple and plain language, Constance Wiebrands, who blogs over in Ruminations as CW, gives us a good summary of reasons why blogging is more than just an online journal. It is a tool for conversations and reflection. It is a way for us to engage each other in the librarian community. It is also a way for libraries to engage with their communities. That certainly was a reason why we started a blog here at my workplace. We are striving to build a conversation with our academic community.

As I always do, I will make some notes for myself. However, I do recommend for others to go and read this paper. In fact, printing it out and handing it to administrators may be a good idea too.

• "The central argument of this paper is that librarians should seriously consider blogging as a useful and viable way of interacting and conversing with each other, and with the communities we serve." This is pretty straightforward, and I think over time it has been proven. All we need to do is take a look at the librarian sector of the blogosphere.
  
• CW draws on the work of J. Bechtel for the idea of conversations. She uses it to make her call to librarians: "Continuing with Bechtel's conversation paradigm, librarians need to participate fully in the conversations within each individual library, between the library and the library's users, and within the wider community." This goes along with CW's idea on building trust, where she looks at how the business world has been using blogging to humanize itself. Blogging can also serve as a way to lead by example. That one I have to think about a bit more myself. I certainly don't see myself leading anyone anywhere in these meandering notes. However, CW cites Jonathan Schwartz CEO of Sun Microsystems who "suggests that by blogging he creates a culture of openness and transparency that can 'build loyalty and be a recruitment tool to boot' (J. Schwartz, 2005, p.30)." Now this I can definitely see. For me, blogging has been a way to be a bit more transparent and open, and it is open I often keep somewhere in my mind as I blog: how much open and how transparent should I be. For libraries, this is definitely important as it can be a way to dispel mysteries and make our libraries more familiar.
  
• I find it interesting to note that ALIA sanctions blogging as a form of professional development. Would it not be nice if our professional organizations and workplaces did the same? And I don't mean just under the radar as some workplaces do. I mean actually taking a stand and saying that yes, this is proper and valid for professional development, and we believe in promoting it.
  
• "Another vital use of blogging is the sharing of information and ideas and the facilitation of discussion." Blogs can be great tools for information and knowledge management.
  
• "Similar to the book review (also well represented on blogs), the review of research and professional literature is a growing area with more and more librarian bloggers posting reviews of journal articles and books on topics in librarianship. This can be very useful way for librarians to discuss research and its application in our libraries." Indeed, a good number of librarians out there post their book reviews. A lot of them happen to be YA librarians, at least from what I have seen. As for reviewing the professional literature, many do provide good guidance on what to read and what to avoid, so there is a sort of digest function.
  
• "For the individual librarian, maintaining a blog and writing posts for it can function as writing practice." This is one reason why I blog.
  
• CW gives a reassuring note as well: "One does not need to actually maintain a blog to participate in the conversation. Active reading and commenting on others' blogs can be as stimulating and interesting as actually maintaining one's own blog." I think this is important to say because some out there may feel pressed to create a blog. Blogging is not for everyone, and that is perfectly cool. If you think it may work for you, give it a try. Nowadays it is very easy to try it out given the many free tools out there (assuming Internet access is available). But if it is not for you, that is fine too. However, you should still be reading the blogs. A lot of the best thinking in our profession is happening on blogs right now. You should be reading it and responding. Commenting is certainly a valid and welcome way to engage in the various conversations.
  
• CW also mentions that a blog can serve as a content management system. This is something I have been giving some thought here in terms of an internal blog for reference and knowledge management. One idea that occurs to me, in the web edition of Wordpress, using those extra pages you can develop for certain topics or guides. Something I should explore further. CW is citing a British librarian on the role of the academic librarians:
  
• "'One role which academic librarians can provide is to manage that content and take an active role in discovering and disclosing information relevant to academics, students, and the university community in general. ...[the blog can be] used not just for transmission of information, but for critical commentary and for the creation and authoring on new ideas.'"
  
• I think the above pretty much says it all. Clearly, it will take some work, but I have faith we can get there.
  

So, this paper gives a good amount of food for thought for potential bloggers as well as for library managers and administrators.

P.S. In the interest of disclosure, I am one of the bloggers who was surveyed for the paper. However, it was Connie Crosby's observation, quoted on the paper, on blogging as good publicity that I think provides a little more to think about. Like me, she does not identify her firm (she works for a law library), yet her blogging has given her employer good publicity. I try to keep the references to my workplace to a minimum, but when I do refer to it, I try to reflect on it positively. Anyways, for me, I have come to realize that blogging helps to build my professional reputation. OK, I know; it's not that great of a reputation, but I know that when I was in the market this time around that people did look at my blog. So there must be something to that.

Article Note: On Blog Credibility and Politically Interested Users

Citation for the article (as provided in the article):

Johnson, T. J., Kaye, B. K., Bichard, S. L., & Wong, w. J. (2007). Every blog has its day: Politically-interested Internet users' perceptions of blog credibility. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13(1), article 6. http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/johnson.html

I read it online.

This article is a bit on the long side, but the basic point is that it looks at how Internet users who have political interests view blogs. Specifically, it looks at how those users see the blogs' credibility. I am just going to highlight a few things I found interesting. Keep in mind, as I often do, I am just pulling some notes of interest. It may be good to go over and see the article.

• The authors point out, in their literature review, that politically-interested users "relied more on blogs than on any other news source for news and information and that blogs were judged as more credible than online newspaper site, online cable television sites, and online broadcast news sites." And yet, one has to note that political bloggers, for the most part, which is the type of blog the demographic in the study would likely be following, for the most part are pulling stories and linking from the same mainstream media. Many of those blogs are pretty much link collections. Only a few would qualify as offering any analysis or depth, which interestingly enough, is what helps determine the perception of credibility for the blogs in the users' minds.
  
• "Users may deem blogs to be credible because they are viewed as being independent from corporate-controlled media (Andrews, 2003; Regan, 2003; Singer, 2006)." I wonder if this can vary. I mean, many of the A-listers are either corporate or big enough to be corporate. On that last I am thinking of blog networks for instance. I guess I question if some of those voices are really as independent as they claim. And maybe this is where some of the significance comes in for me. It is in terms of information literacy and knowing where the information is coming from, the credibility, etc. As more students use more and more online sources, they are bound to find and use blogs for their research. How do those students see those blogs? Could this be another step, or a different step, to study?
  
• "Political observers and researchers have identified four main reasons why individuals frequent blogs: community, convenience, to check information found in other media, and information seeking."
  
• Then there was the notion of self-efficacy and how it was assessed. I just wondered how much of it was self-selected. Basically, who is going to admit that they are not well qualified to participate in politics or that they are less informed? I can certainly think of a few who probably should not participate in politics (or at least political blogging), but I am digressing. Then again, the authors do acknowledge the self-selected nature of their sample: "The respondents in this study were a self-selected group of politically-interested Internet users."
  
• And guess who are the blog users: "The demographic profile of this study closely matches the characteristics of respondents in studies that have examined blog users; people who seek out information from blogs tend to be well-educated, white middle-class males (Consumer Reports Web Watch, 2005)." What does this say for diversity? Not to mention what it could say about issues of digital divide?
  
• But there is some hope: "While Internet users are increasingly flocking to blogs as a source of political news and information, the moderate scores for credibility indicate that users also realize that blogs are not the final word."
  
• "Inexperienced users, who are unfamiliar with the often opinionated and non-traditional format of blogs, may find them a less credible source of information. It takes more experience to truly engage with blogs, from navigating the Web to finding political sites with topics of shared interest." Now when I read this, I wondered: can some of this be taught as part of teaching web evaluation skills and information literacy?
  
• "Perhaps blog content is perceived as more credible because it is considered more independent than news reported in corporate-controlled media."
  
• Something that is pretty obvious: "It stands to reason that users would find their preferred media selection the most credible." Here is where that element of seeking validation comes into play too.
  

This is an example of the kind of article we should be looking at. We should be thinking, at least in my field, of the applications and possibilities for information literacy. Blogs are becoming a more prominent part of news reporting and discussions. And yet, their eclectic nature as well as their biases have to be considered. Students are going to find these resources eventually. I don't think we can really tell them to simply not use them. We should instead be educating them so they can evaluate merits and act accordingly.