Literacy of course encompasses reading and writing. In this graduate program, I've been happy to find that all of the courses that I've taken in some way touch on how literacy is acquired. What factors influence acquisition? How do you study those factors? How are those factors influenced by culture? Pondering these types of questions has, I believe, made me a better writing teacher. The students where I teach are mostly first generation college students. Some come from underprivileged backgrounds. Some come from oral cultures. The ways that I've been asked to consider literacy in my courses here at IUP have made me question why western-based pedagogy is so highly foregrounded in the academy. It would seem that in an institution that encourages knowledge expansion, it would be routine to ask undergraduates to approach literacy not only from a western tradition, but from eastern and indigenous traditions as well.

I must admit that it was difficult to go tech free during a time in which I had lots (and lots!) of homework to get done. For this reason I knew that I wouldn't be able to maintain a tech-free status for a full 24 hours. Thus I shot for 8 hours. The big thing was preparation. I had tons of reading to accomplish this weekend, so I printed out the assigned journal articles. Really, that was no big deal. The harder part was not being able to check for texts and not being able to check Facebook. While I am away, I rely on these two to keep my homesickness at bay. If I can't be enjoying an awe-inspiring summer in Alaska, then I want to vicariously experience one through my friends. Also, I worried about the ability of my friends to reach me in the event that something bad happened to one of  my sled dogs. It is somewhat ironic that I was assigned a tech-free period during a time when I am most dependent on technology. Here at IUP, and here in the Lower 48, technology seems more imbedded, more "normal." In Alasks, many people live completely off the grid--no electricity, no indoor plumbing, no road system. I have lived without the first two and actually found it quite freeing. Right now, I am negotiating to buy a cabin, to live in, that is not connected to an electrical grid. Any electricity that I need will have to come from a generator. The cabin is plumbed, but there is no well. That means that until I put in a well, I will have to haul water (provided free by the local gas station) for myself and for my dogs. At night, I will warm a large pot of water and use that to take a sponge bath. I will wash my hair over a bucket. I am actually looking forward to living this type of low-tech existence again because my previous experience doing so brought be closer to nature in that it made me work for and appreciate two of the most basic necessities--water and heat. Although Alaska is the biggest state in the union, about 90 percent of it is inaccessible via road. My existence in my new cabin will be considered luxurious by those who live in the bush (off the road system). Those living there either maintain a completely subsistence lifestyle, or have to pay high prices for modern necessities to be flown or boated in. For example, gas in the bush is $8/gallon. I am looking forward to evenings in my new cabin using a pencil and paper to do my creative nonfiction and poetry while snuggling with my team by the soft light of a lantern.

• When compared, the two film clips help illuminate a key question for this course: How has our relationship to technology changed over time? It seems that over time we have become more dependent on technology. This is ironic in that our constant push to advance technology is based on our belief that technology will set us free. But has it? Or has it made our lives busier than ever, just in a different way? For example, I lived for a year in a dry cabin (read: no indoor plumbing) for a year. I had to spend time hauling water for myself and my dog team. You would think that with all of the technology available in the other aspects of my life, I would have had plenty of extra time for my new-found chore. Not so. Squeezing in this task was a struggle as technology had increased the workload I was under at my job. In fact, hauling water became for me a happily anticipated activity as it was so primitive and physical. It was the antithesis of the technology running rampant over the other areas of my life.

Lewis is my all-time favorite dog, thus my address for this blog.