Adrienne’s posterous

From a scholarly article I'm reading (emphasis mine):

"The software was subsequently enhanced to include an open data architecture that allows users and curriculum designers to create their own data libraries."

The article:
Edelson, D.C., Gordin, D.N., & Pea, R.D. (1999). Addressing the challenges of inquiry-based learning through technology and curriculum design. The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 8(3&4), 391-450.

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Thanksgiving: A time when people are meant to be grateful/thankful/feeling fortunate for all that they have in their lives. By definition, it is a time when people express gratitude.

According to my conversations with American friends and Wikipedia's article on American Thanksgiving:

• The Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade is one of the country's time-honored traditions.
• Many Americans also traditionally watch or play football on Thanksgiving.
• Shopping on Black Friday is also a tradition for many Americans, who hit the shops hoping to find the best deals before Christmas.

Is it just me, or do none of these events have anything to do with being grateful and spending time with family and friends? I'm not intentionally being critical or negative about American traditions, but it seems ironic to me that the biggest American secular holiday is traditionally celebrated by doing things that have nothing to do with loved ones or gratitude.

Or is it called something else? Is this irony? paradoxical? I'm an English teacher and I'm not even sure how to categorize this...

Mind you, considering that America is founded upon principles of capitalism, independence, and -- let's face it -- consumerism, perhaps these events (all corporate-sponsored, to be sure) are especially appropriate for Thanksgiving.

(... has anyone ever asked the American Indians what they are thankful for? do they even celebrate Thanksgiving?)

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How would learning look if we applied this principle to everything that had to be learned, anything that was "good for you," but that wasn't fun? Is it possible to apply "the fun theory" to all learning?

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So I thought I'd try out this Posterous thing, just to see how it works, ya know?

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Hmmm, let's see. What do I want my first blog post on Posterous to look like? Well, here I am. I need a new photo.

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