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NOTE TO TEACHERS Jon Katz's book, Geeks, has a freshness and an immediacy that will appeal to your advanced readers as well as your reluctant readers. In fact, a segment of the book appeared in Rolling Stone magazine before publication. Geeks looks into the lives of two boys who are on the outside of the social world of high school and captures their perspectives about their lives at a unique period in history. At first glance, this appears to be a book about technology. Teachers who did not grow up with websites, e-mail, jpegs, gifs and java (unless it was a cool way of saying coffee) might be nervous about leading a classroom discussion on such topics. But Geeks is less about RAM and hard drives, and more about the willingness of desperate people to take a chance. It's the story of adventurers, pioneers, and gamblers. Jon Katz was a reporter who wanted to write a book about kids on the Internet. When he got an e-mail from teenager and self-proclaimed geek, Jesse Daily, something in it compelled him to drop the idea of a survey and focus the book on one individual. Katz quickly lost his professional detachment and advised Jesse and his friend Eric as they struggled to understand who they were and who they might become. The boys set off on an odyssey of self-discovery with a former teacher, Mr. Brown, and Katz as their guides. Jesse and Eric credit Mr. Brown for saving them in high school by creating a safe haven for the boys to escape the pressures of the social scene. They stayed in touch with Mr. Brown even after they graduated. Geeks is right on time. As we move farther away from the tragedies at Columbine High School and continue to learn of high school shootings from angry, frustrated, isolated young people, we must read Geeks in order to understand what life is like for someone who is outcast for being different. TEACHING IDEAS Preparing to read Katz begins the book with seven definitions for the word geek. The ascendency of Geeks in our society through our reliance on computer technology has put the issues of difference at center stage. Students should be encouraged to examine themselves and their actions on a daily basis. What does it mean to pick on someone who is different? How does it affect them? Students need to pay special attention to their feelings toward Jesse and Eric. At the beginning of the book, Jesse is guarded toward Katz and others. By the end of the story, we feel as if we have a new friend we might just drop an e-mail to. All this because we've taken the time to get to know Jesse through the book. Might this approach work with someone in school who's labeled an outsider? What if more people invested themselves in the lives of lost boys or girls? DISCUSSION AND WRITING Questions for Discussion and Comprehension The questions and discussion topics that follow are designed to guide students and teachers as they approach the issues raised in Geeks. Introduction How does the ascension of Geeks correlate with the rise of the Internet and the world wide web? How does Katz define the notion of other? Why do people need Geeks today? What happens in the radio station which changes Katz's notions about Geeks? Who is Louis Rossetto and why is he a pioneer? What was it about Jesse's e-mail that intrigued Katz so much? Chapter One: First Encounter Where does Jesse work? What comparison does Katz make between computers and cars? Katz has a notion of parenting. How is that notion different from the world in which Jesse and Eric live? Jesse says "The Net is my safety. It's my community. It's not a substitute for life for me. It is life." How does this play into daily decisions that Jesse and Eric make? How do Eric and Jesse make extra money? Why do the boys ride bikes? How does the loss of the car propel the boys into action? Chapter Two: The Cave Describe Eric and Jesse's apartment. How do they work on their machines? How did Eric grow up? How did Jesse grow up and what is the mantra that he has developed because of his upbringing? Chapter Three: The Geek Club How did the Geek Club start? What does it mean tobe idea starved? Describe each boy's approach to his frustrations? What does Jesse doin high school before he joined the Geek Club? What happens when the two popular kids show up during a session of the Geek Club? |
| Publick Occurrences, Both Foreign and Domestick |
The Yellow Kid cartoon in 1898 click image to enlarge |
Radio Station KDKA in Pittsburgh in 1920 |
Time magazine cover April 12, 1993 |
The Wall Street Journal |
| Rule No. 1: In a simple series, use a comma to separate the elements, but don’t put a comma before the conjunction. | Rule No. 2: Use a comma to separate two independent clauses connected by a coordinating conjunction. |
| Rule No. 3: Use a comma following an introductory clause or prepositional phrase of four words or more. | Rule No. 4: Use commas to set off modifiers that are not essential to the reader's ability to identify a particular person, place or thing. |
| Rule No. 5: Use commas to separate adjectives of equal rank. | Rule No. 6: Use commas to set off words that add emphasis, shift attention or provide a fuller explanation (parentheticals, "yes," "no," names in direct address). |
| Rule No. 7: Use commas to set off participial modifiers that come at the beginning of a sentence or after the verb. | Rule No. 8: Use a comma, carefully, to set off quotes or paraphrases. |
| Rule No. 9: Use a comma with hometowns, ages, years with months and days, names of states and nations with cities, affiliations and most large numbers. | Rule No. 10: Use a comma to separate duplicate words to eliminate confusion. |
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The Farnsworth Chronicles This is a concise and easily accessible site detailing the efforts of Philo T. Farnsworth, the inventor of modern television. Exploratorium Exhibits Exciting online demos and guided discovery help explain how we come to "make pictures" on the tube. Vocabulary
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