mixed media

Here's the final glog.

aaaaaargh!

This is my VoiceThread effort at finishing this...Why is there not just one program which will allow me to link specific images directly to articles and/or resources while simultaneously mixing in music in a less lame-sounding way???

H1N1 and me, a final project story

Although I love an eight hour drive on I-94 as much as any other midwestern gal, I have to say that I was looking forward to a little voice recording upon my arrival in Chicago. Lo and behold, my parents had/have the dreaded lurghy...which is why I present you with 2 projects, neither of which are complete.

First, a VoiceThread that I began making as a tribute to the flim-flam family that just pulled out of my room. The funny part of this 'Thread (Yeah, that's right, I'm making up slang now, too.), is the amount of research that went into it. I linked every image, save one, to an article or a video that everyone should read/watch with a warm cup of tea. Second, a really rough family glog that I may just have to record my kids for, if grandma and grandpa don't buck up soon.

The Bloggy Awards

Despite the fact that we're here, at the Bloggies, I have to confess that blogging has - for me - been less red carpet and more yellow brick road. Now, on to the accolades.

People's Choice Awards
(I know we were supposed to choose just one person to recognize, but I couldn't. Ah, irrepressible socialist tendencies...)

1. --- Voice
I always check in on Kelsey's blog, specifically because I enjoy her voice. I am quite impressed with the way that she manages to weave mildly saucy opinion with textual reference, while remaining on topic throughout. Here's a great example of this.

2. --- Multimedia Multimodal component
Really, who wasn't impressed with Debi's Voicethread? It made me feel bold enough to say coxswain in polite conversation. (Not to mention the fact that Debi has a subliminal smiley face in the upper right-hand corner of her blog...)

3. --- Thoughtfulness
I am not sure that JoAnn could be more thoughtful. I read her blogs (with snack and bathroom breaks *wink*), and am always impressed with how meticulously she has unpacked her own thought processes. Here's a great example of the Blatchley thought train.

...and on the personal end of things...

1. --- Professionalism
So, um, here's the thing: My writing just isn't very professional. Engaging? I hope so. Interesting? Sometimes. Professional? Nope. If I had to choose, I guess I'd go with the entry that has the least sass and personal allegory...four demerits for me.

2. --- Creativity
I've long fancied myself the double-secret creative type. As I looked through the blogs I've posted for this class, I was most proud of this entry. Specifically, I was (easily) impressed with the moebius strip/internet analogy.


3. --- Design
Design wasn't something that I gave much thought too. The stylistic constraints of a neophyte blogger are, well, constraining. That said, Sneaky Cora, was the sea-level pinnacle of my design abilities...and only because I'm so enamored with dendroica cerulea's photo.

CPR

cartoon courtesy of jonny goldstein

During my freshman year of college, while enduring an uninspiring trimester of Comparative Political Regimes, collaborative writing was my lifeline. My professor, one year from retirement and not aiming to impress anyone, spoke in a numbing mono-drone, often derailing his own train of thought.

Despite the fact that I was an admitted nerd, I took to sitting with other disappointed frosh in the third row from the back of the lecture hall. A bold group, we third-row-from-the-back types, took to creating two-line stories. In case you're unfamiliar, here's how they work: The first person writes two lines, folds the paper so that only the last line is visible, and then passes the paper along to the next person, whooooo...writes two lines, folds the paper so that only the last line is visible, and then passes the paper along to the next person...ad infinitum...or at least until the paper and desire have been exhausted. Suffice to say that many a giggle was suppressed, and we all opted for the final essay in place of the multiple choice test.

The whole process was a mild analog to the Mad Lib...which is another of my favorite forms of collaborative writing, especially with primary students.

When I reflect on the collaborative digital compositions that my students have created, I realize that we haven't ventured much beyond the threshold of Kidspiration. Granted, we are second graders, but after poking around the internet, I realize that we could be doing (and will do!) a whole lot more. (In fact, I see no reason not to digitize the two-liner and let the kids have a great time with it.)

Am I ready to jump into second grade wikis full tilt? There's a question. I have never been very fond of pbwiki, but perhaps I could give it another look. This would be a great opportunity to reinforce the idea that social etiquette (and collaborative social goals, for that matter) are as important in cyberspace as they are in the physical world.

As a second grade teaching team, we now do a lot of collaborative writing, thanks in large part to the dynamic Google doc. As members of this class, I would also consider the blogging we do - complete with links to other blogs, documents, and sites - to be collaborative digital writing, if conceptualized more obliquely....aaand, wait, now that I'm all fired up, isn't a multimedia digital project which remixes images, sounds, and words the pinnacle of collaborative (if not exactly contemporaneous) writing? Okay, I'm getting down from my tiny soapbox now.


P.S. I also came across this posting about the "10 Best Practices for Using Wikis in Education", and had to include it because 1) It's useful....and 2) It's written by yet another tech savvy Schroeder.

Dessa, Eligh, and The Grouch

Dessa is one of my favorite oral storytellers...underrated writer, overrated rapper.
The Grouch and Eligh aren't too bad either...who else can write quality conscious hip-hop about global warming?

Using Schema To Make Inferences

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Using Schema To Make Inferences

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