Dear Family,

The first week at camp has been exciting and sometimes scary. (There’s a guy here named Hatchet Jack.  Seriously, you did investigate the reputation of this camp before you sent me, right?)

So far I’ve done two arts and crafts workshops: one where I told the story of my dad and the lion and another where I traced a photo of Christopher’s face.

We also sat around the campfire getting to know each other—it was awkward since it was the first time we were all really together, and then the smoke made it hard to see the faces of the other campers…

Oh, do you remember Mike Wesch, the guy I was raving about last year?  He was here! Although the presentation was the same as the one I’d already seen, it wasn’t any less enjoyable.  When I’m home I’m too often reminded of the resistance encountered in the university setting to any REAL change that reflects the reality of how we access, use, manipulate, consume, control, and create information, so it’s nice to be reminded that there are people out there exploring new approaches.  Too often innovation in the classroom is limited to the mere inclusion of technology; students access written documents, submit written assignments and check their grades online, none of which acknowledges the shift in power that has taken place.  Students know the power structure has shifted; instructors can no longer be the keepers of knowledge meting out parcels of information when, how, and to whom they see fit.  Instead they need to take on the role of mediator.  Mike Wesch understands this.

I’ll write more next week.

A