Monday, February 21, 2005

Watching yourself speak 

Early in my career teaching I taught an interactive TV class, broadcasting from SCSU to the local technical college and a second site at a reservation school up near Onamia. The classes were also put on tape. I watched them for about fifteen minutes and realized how bad I was. Many nervous habits, largely a function of not being able to pace the front of a classroom. I mean hideously bad. Burn-the-tape bad.

I've gotten better, but after reading Doug's transcribed SCSU Scholars Interview of me not nearly enough. I used to use "OK" as a pause to catch my thoughts. I broke myself of the habit ... but now I use "and so". Count them in the interview, and bring your clicker. And the ellipses? Those mark a fish changing direction in the water. I neither speak nor think in a continuously linear way. I don't think I can change that, and I don't know as I want to.

A transcription is an odd way to watch yourself speak. I've never had an interview transcribed before. But looking at it, it is kind of fun to remember a conversation by reading.

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