Literacy Education Online: The 16th Century

Artist in Wood
Good grief! Here comes Isaac, the autodidact, with his current projects: literacy education online, for teens as well as general writing.

1500 CE Arithmetic Symbols, "+" And "-," Are Introduced In Europe.

Higher math in old Europe had dryness
As its feature. There was little of wryness
And its tools, they were rough
Making math really tough
Until came the "+" and the "-."

1500 CE In England, The Middle Class Becomes Increasingly Literate

Around 1500 we see
The new growth of literacy
Cheeky nobles, unpleasant,
Were amazed that the peasant
could read. Now we won't; there's TV.

1500 CE " The Portable Clock Comes To Europe. "

Out of earshot from the bell
Of the church, which timed hours with knell
From its tower. Tick tock
Came the portable clock
To the slower paced life, say farewell.

Not that the American public is opposed to culture, of course. In fact, it is considered "quaint." Literacy education online even makes it less odious. Indeed, many seekers of wisdom have belonged to Great Books Reading Groups, those tomes which Molly defines as ones which everyone wishes to have read but nobody reads. Such erudite groups sputter and die, for the member comes first with enthusiasm, but pressed down by mundane concerns, eventually fails to complete assigned readings. Unable to participate in a meaningful discussion of the text, she feels as she did in her public school days, when her homework was not finished. Perhaps she could blame the dog?

Maybe she could take her literacy education online?

Given that Kathleen's vocabulary isn't too shabby, one might be surprised by how little reading she actually does these days, getting much of her literacy education online with Wikipedia. Between her work in the pub, freelance writing services, non-fiction, volunteer teaching, and fiction writing, who has the time? Nevertheless, it is quite necessary to quaff deeply from the fountain of knowledge, so you will often find her buzzing about the pub while connected to her iPod(TM), one fairly stuffed with eBooks which is not quite the same as literacy education online but easier than carrying about a monitor.

1502 CE The Pocket watch.

And for the first time it occurred
To the merchant to offer a word
Decrying debauch
With his new pocket watch
Of late clerks; all who found him absurd.

1504 CE " Michelangelo Sculpts the "David. "

Michelangelo sculpts his fine David
Poised to take down Goliath, and braved it
With sly subterfuge
Note his hands, which are HUGE,
Out of scale with the body he gave it.