Week 2 Blog 1 9 images

 Created with bighugelabs mosaic maker (It takes longer than it looks)

Week 1 Blog 3: Twitter Gadget and more

I'm a really organized/disorganized person. To help my brain compartmentalize, I need to make some things smaller or I get overwhelmed and declare things "stupid" and don't give them a fair chance. Twitter is overwhelming to me (there I said it), and I'm also not really into being in front of people (literally or metaphorically). Who the hell cares what I think about _______________? Dan Ryder...I know you care, but you know me. It seems really public. This was confirmed when I made a Freaks and Geeks reference that was favorited (favorited is not a word is it Blogger) by a stranger. Not a person taking this class stranger, but a real stranger. That is a little uncomfortable for me.

Facebook lets me select who gets to see my posts (at least seemingly), and I like this. Blogger allows me to set my account to private and select my viewers. It actually doesn't matter, because even if it set to public (and it is) who is really going to read this blog except Dan Ryder and maybe people from our class? Twitter is different though. It feels super public. And the lack of letters allowed only makes it worse. There's just not enough room for me to explain myself, and I'm not particularly verbose. 

My first step in compartmentalizing was creating a gadget (blogger speak) or widget (twitterspeak) for my blog. I'm putting the steps below because I know I'll have to do this with my students if we try to do this Twitter thing (more on that later). I'm not sure if I'm sold on it, but it's been okay so far.

A quick google search (I'm really good at these when I truly want to know how to do something.) showed me how to do it. The link is here.

Adding a Twitterfeed to Blogger

So here's the thing about digital storytelling. When I think about it (usually), I think about the personal narrative that Jason Ohler gets at perfectly with his piece for Educational Leadership. He talks about making it "personal" while also striking a "universal chord." I think about This American Life, StoryCorps, the Moth, This I Believe, and, well, most things on NPR I guess. I like to write. I like long sentences and lots of pretty words with lovely imagery. The personal narrative that I truly enjoy makes me laugh, cry, and/or think. It makes me feel. This is what I ask my students to do with their writing. Write pieces that are both unique and universal. Write pieces that make readers feel.

The question for me is can this be done with Twitter? I'm sure it can. I was doubtful until I remembered that there is a Twitter Fiction Festival. What I've read has been good. There are some sock you in the stomach lines, and some places where I've laughed, but sometimes I feel as though I'm missing some depth. It's a bit like reading Jennifer Egan's A Visit From the Good Squad (a great book by the way). The pieces make me feel like I'm missing the full story. I miss all of the characters (letters, words, and yeah, maybe people) that don't fit into the allotted spaces. With her book, it all made sense because she had space and words to manipulate. Twitter just doesn't make sense to me (yet).

I don't need to be cajoled or anything. It's good for me to use it. I'm really trying to comment and make sure this is real for me (not just a hoop), and do you know what? I'm already finding that it's not taking much "trying" anymore. It's kind of fun to check out what people are saying. Most of the time. 

Week 1 Blog 2 and Artifact 1

Week 1
Post 2
I did this really quickly on google docs, but I found another cool tool that I tried out. It just didn't fit this assignment as well as it could.  "Kids" is caps and bold because they're good at getting their needs met right now. "Manipulated" is softer. They don't overtly manipulate me, but they are just so dang cute and squishy. "Me" is smaller because I kind of feel that way lately. "I let them" is a small whispery kind of end note because I feel like it's a secret (at least it was).

Here is the other one I did. It's animated, but I can't send the link to anyone because I used the old web version. The app is way cooler (I'm certain). http://www.storyabout.net/typedrawing/

This is my first artifact. While the app is certainly cooler, (because drawing with your finger is easier than drawing with a trackpad) I feel as though the web version will work for students too. That's the biggest issue with apps that cost money in general (I think)...equity. All of my students have access (at least at school). If purchasing an app is involved, then equity becomes an issue. 

When would I use this artifact?

I could use it when writing concrete poems (if I had my students write this kind of poem).

I would be more apt to use it when teaching imagery or diction. 

I will use it when I ask my students to write their own 6 word memoirs (or truths). 

I would ask students to manipulate the words so they represent something concrete (or abstract for that matter).

I used my MacBook to make a screen recording in quicktime and uploaded it to my blog. It's the first time I've ever done this (yay me!) I figured out that video is way easier to upload to blogger than audio. Actually, is there an easy way to upload audio to blogger?

Week 1 Blog 1

I have no idea what you mean about Dungeons and Dragons or World of Warcraft. Orcs and Elves are very Lord of the Rings for me. Are they the same in games? What do you mean about categories or descriptors? I can handle it (I think).

This forest-dwelling cleric has brown eyes, a pale complexion, and wavy/curly/sometimes straightish (just in the front) brown hair worn loose until it is dry. It then is in a bun or a ponytail to keep children from grabbing it and to keep it out of her food. She is short to everyone except her niece who believes she is the standard of a tall woman. It should be noted that her niece's mother, actually every other woman in the family who is twelve or older is taller than she is. She loves clothes and has an affinity for the color red, though she doesn't wear it often. She's good at keeping secrets and mastered a withering look at the age of nine. You should see it now.

• Strength: 12
• Dexterity: 12
• Constitution: 14
• Intelligence: 16
• Wisdom: 16
• Charisma: 11

The above random roll of the dice numbers actually fit her character fairly well. Strength and dexterity are weak for her (physically at least), but mentally she's both strong and dexterous. Thus, a slightly above average number works well.

The next three work too. She's not always good at being wrong. Actually, she's never really good at it.

When she speaks she wants to be correct, and because of this she sometimes tends to hold back and not speak/write what she wants to. This is where the average charisma score comes in.

She's not super charismatic, but she's okay with that. People who take the time to get to know her realize quite quickly that she has a quick sense of humor and likes to have a good time. 

It should be noted that she hates writing in third person. This was painful.