11 Feb 09

11 February 2009

Blog Envy

I have just been looking at other blogger’s blogs that are posted on School Library Journal’s Extra Helpings newsletters. There are regular ones on non-fiction) by Marc Aaronson), comics, children’s literature, etc. Anyway, they all have links to other people’s blogs that they like as well. These linked blogs look like web pages. They are all fancily designed. Some have photos. All have the list of previous blogs. Geez!

I look at what I have done…and the stuff apparently lost to cyberspace with the old blog address and say, ‘At this point in time, this is what I can do. This was my skill level. Hey four years ago, I was: unable to successfully make a Power Point presentation; had not regularly operated a video camera; did not own a digital camera; and had watched others make digital videos. Now I can. So I wonder what will happen with my blogs and wikis in the future.

The technology thing this week was my work with 5th graders from all three classes. I had identified some of Lincoln’s words to do as a video project. Students were talent and camera operator pairs. I selected students who I thought were either fluent readers or readers with personality. Some were easy to direct. Others… not so much… I learned that I should have written the words larger. I kept running to blow up each set to hold over the camera operator’s head. What was fun was having them switch off jobs and give ideas as to how each little piece was to go, either by prop use of a top hat or the way the camera moved. I am going to take it home tonight and start editing it. I think it should look fine.11 February 2009