This week, I have been inundated with a host of readings around project based learning.  A key one for me is: The Main Course, Not Dessert How Are Students Reaching 21st Century Goals With 21st Century Project Based Learning? Authors: John Larmer ...

http://depts.washington.edu/writeuw/lowstakeswriting.html After finding the video about low stakes writing on edutopia I wanted to read a bit more about it. This was a really short and sweet article explaining low stakes writing. I loved it because this is exactly what I needed… a quick look at low stakes writing and how it is being used […]

AWESOME Video!!!. This was a great video that explored the idea of using low stakes writing in the classroom.   Literature- The presence of literature was so amazing in this video. It showed students writing in every academic subject. I love the idea how differently it was being used across subjects. Some teachers gave students […]

Before I die, Candy Chang, New Orleans 2011In a prolific example of participatory art, New Orleans artist Candy Chang has created an epidemic of expression, hope, and prosperity through her expansive graffiti murals. Much like the participation necessa...

This week I went with the bucket list assignment.  My summer theme of change/transformation and risk-taking seems to lend itself quite nicely to this assignment and really, I wanted to go back and really consider a few of my life's choices.  This seemed like a great opportunity to do that.

So, I had a handy-dandy bucket list available.  A few years ago, I stumbled upon on of those ridiculous FaceBook lists.  It was a essentially a bucket list in which recipients were asked to identify the ones they had already completed.  It was a nonsensical grouping of items.  One of the really great things about being on social media for a good length of time is that is can serve as a kind of repository for these types of personal inventories.

So, I went back and, as I recalled, I found my own personal bucket list which I wrote on May 29, 2010.  It seemed like a great idea to take stock now, six years later through this particular assignment which now may become a part of my own digital story.

Here is my list:

 Sit on a balcony in a Tuscan villa drinking a lovely red wine with my husband and watching the stars twinkle in the sky (I have not done this yet--but it is still on my list today)
• Wipe the tears from my eyes as each of my children marries the love of their lives.  (I've done it once and let me tell you, it is a precious moment!)  
• Learn to appreciate a beautiful sunrise. (I am coming to appreciate the peace early morning hours afford me.  There is a goodness in solitude which is hard to find at other times of the day.)
• Learn to speak Italian. (not yet and dropping off the list quickly.  I think at this point in my life, being able to order a gelato in Florence is about as close as I am going to get!)
• Be able to retire knowing that I made a positive difference for at least one other human being as a result of my occupational labors. (I can check this one off.  My career has been extraordinarily rewarding and wondrous!)
• Develop an observable bicep muscle. (Ain't happening--time to drop this one off the list.)
• Attend a performance at the Sydney Opera House.  (This one needs to be moved up on the list!)
• Peer into the eyes of my grandchildren and see a part of me twinkling there. (Done and she's precious and definitely a part of her grammy!)
• Run a marathon  (Time to exit this one off the list!)
• Take a trip on the Orient Express (Does it even exist anymore?)
• Write one really great piece of fiction. (Not the great American Novel—I’d settle for a published short story.) (I still want to do this--and now more than ever since I have developed a real interest in the power of our stories)
• Spend an unlimited amount of time in the Vatican—and it’s archives reading Church Historical documents. (How am I going to pull this one off--I would love to--I just cannot figure out how to make it happen)
• Swim in open water without worrying about the aquatic beasties waiting to make me dinner.  (Time to remove this one from the list.)
• Learn to dance like Ginger Rodgers with my fabulous husband!  (We are two willing, awkward, geeky people.  Do you think we still could pull this off?)
• Worry less, enjoy more, love deeply,  (I am definitely better at this than I was in 2010.  I shall keep on moving in this direction more intentionally.)

I think I may see a great digital story growing out of this list--so I need to keep my mind on it as a possibility for further development.  I was so glad to have found it in my archives which is a great reminder that our social media can actually become a repository of our shared experiences and narratives.

This is such a great article that I have had the chance to read before but it was great to revisit it. I had really forgotten so many of the great points that it brings up about white privilege. As I read through I was reminded that I think white privilege is something that whites […]

For this week’s story critique I chose a story that, just like with my focal theme article ended up being, was not something that I had originally set out to find.  In keeping with the theme of the reading that I chose to annotate and review for week 7 I started my search looking for […]

This week my chosen article and Digital Story are one in the same.  I came across an article titled “How the LGBT community is using digital storytelling to amplify activism and chronicle its history.” The article discusses the struggles of legalization of Gay Rights and the support that is needed to get there.  Of course, […]

This week we were given two articles to read.  The first is titled “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” I was really interested in this, I mean the title is obviously written to attract some attention.  Once I started reading into it, I couldn’t stop.  I normally read and annotate at the same time, but […]

For this week’s Digital Storytelling critique I chose a different type of video that could relate to my chosen storytelling theme about work-life balance. Similarly to last week I wanted to do something different with my video storytelling. This video is actually a video directed at lawyers but I think it still has the main […]

For this week’s DS106 Assignment Bank assignment, I chose to create a Wanted Poster in the style of the Wild, Wild, West. My chosen story theme is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Each MBTI type has their own strengths and weaknesses. I chose the Robinhood (ESTP) character because he is a thief, but with good intentions. A classic ESTP, Robinhood is…

This week’s readings were all about finding what doesn’t work and building something new. Processes, systems and societies are constantly evolving. Sometimes, pieces get stuck and repairs need to be made. In White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, we see that, even now in the 21st century, there are pieces of our society where the evolutionary… Continue reading Creating the New Normal →

This week’s reading was from the National SEED Program in the form of an article written by Dr. Peggy McIntosh about “unpacking the invisible knapsack of white privilege”.  I came to the reading a bit late this week, so it is hard for me to determine if my thoughts and feelings are about the reading itself or […]

This post will be the last of my weekly reflective summaries. Next week I will be posting a much longer reflection, but it will focus on the entire course rather than just a 7 day increment. I am very excited at the prospect, but am slightly disappointed to be ending my current (weekly) narratives. I […]

This week our required reading was from Nilsson (2010): Developing Voice in Digital Storytelling through Creativity, Narrative, and Multimodality.  My greatest take away from the reading was the word INSPIRATION.  The dictionary definition of inspiration is: inspiration noun in·spi·ra·tion \ˌin(t)-spə-ˈrā-shən, -(ˌ)spi-\ Simple Definition of inspiration something that makes someone want to do something or that […]

           So this weeks reading kind of caught my off guard. At the same time it is a very current topic given the horrendous events that have been occurring all over the world. The reading this week was about white privilege. While agree with the fact that there is white privilege in […]

This week’s reading: Developing Voice in Digital Storytelling Through Creativity, Narrative and Multimodality by Monica Nilsson discussed the ability for digital storytelling to encourage …

A few weeks ago, I reviewed a digital story about letterboxing.  I love letterboxing but my app has not been working lately and it is making it difficult to letterbox on the fly!  I had heard about Geocache but had not had time to figure out how you do it.  After watching several videos, I […]

Well, this week didn’t go too as well as you can see by the fact that I am posting it in technically week 7. Unfortunately there were some events last week that kept me from completing everything. That being said, I took my time this week to catch up on all of the assignments and […]

WARNING! The images in this video are disturbing and graphic.   Though this video is graphic it is intended to serve as a way to educate the general population. I know that this video does not represent all Factory Farms but I think it is important to be aware that many do operate in this […]

White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack I chose to do a reflection on this article as I am constantly talking about and aware of my white privilege.  I am aware of this mostly due to my first class at CU … Continue reading →

I chose this design assignment from the assignment bank this week.  The task was to create a word cloud that encompasses DS106.  I wanted to do this assignment the first time we were asked to complete a design project, but the description suggests that it be completed near the end of the course.  One reason this assignment […]

Nilsson (2010): Developing Voice in Digital Storytelling through Creativity, Narrative and Multimodality This was a reading I can relate to a lot and this could have been something worth reading earlier in the semester. One of the concepts discussed th...

This week I decided to pick a reading that addresses stress of students in school and its effect on their growing up and lives. As my study focus is growing up I have talked a lot about my own growing personally and professionally. This blog is making that connection to my students and the factors&ellipsis;Read the full post »

Check out the fanfiction film that inspired this post! Last week my time was spent looking into and investigating written fanfiction. This week I decided to explore more into the word of fanfiction short movies. I chose a video titled “Kara” | (2016) (An Unofficial Star Wars Film). I must say that overall fanfiction video&ellipsis;Read the full post »

Check out the prompt that started it all! I love the representation of contrasting emotions in this project. Going through and looking at other students work was pretty comical! Want to see for yourself check out #ds106 and #ILT5340.

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