A few months back, our classroom was chosen to be part of the National Council Teachers of English's professional development webcourse, "Pathways for 21st Century Literacies." They were interested in Dragon Booktalk's literature circle podcasts. Laurie Henry and an assistant came and videotaped the students as they podcasted, and interviewed me. Today, the edited video went online, along with some of my resources and links involved in the project. I was very pleased with the final video, and enjoy the site; it has many tech resources and work from actual teachers in the field. Also, it's another way that my students have found an authentic audience, and their good work is archived for the forseeable future.
Unfortunately, the site is not free or accessible by the general public. However, if you're an educator and interested further, the "Pathways for 21st Century Literacies" course is available at:
http://www.ncte.org/pathways/21stcentury
As of today, I'm on the course's home page as a "Classroom Spotlight," but the video and materials are also repeatedly threaded throughout several places on the site.
Special thanks to NCTE's Laurie Henry and Leslie Froeschl for making our participation possible.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Summer at the midpoint
Fleeting, fleeting summer. Here we are, just a month out before school begins again (and Ayla goes to kindergarten).
School, of course, has not been too far away. I spent a week in Bowling Green for an AP Institute (to learn how to teach AP Literature & Composition). It was actually very productive, thanks to our instructor Danny Lawrence. I enjoyed some good meals as well. I will never look at cornbread, garlic mashed potatoes or prime rib the same after Montana Grille, and if there's a higher deity that loves me, Zaxby's will come to Louisville one of these days.
I also have been reading up for a Myths & Legends class that I'll be teaching for the first time next year. I hope to include some discussion of urban legends, especially local ones. (After all, the tools for discerning an urban legend as true or untrue are the same for determining any source is credible.) One of the sources for memorable folklore is a book Weird Kentucky; I definitely recommend it. Oh, and I'm sure Joseph Campbell will make its way into the curriculum . . .
But enough about school. April and I enjoyed our trip to Memphis over Memorial Day weekend. As planned, we hit Graceland, Sun Studios and the National Civil Rights Museum. Strangely, I felt more excited and closer to Elvis at Sun than I did at his home. As for the NCRM, it's a must if you're in the area. The museum is one of the best I've ever visited, and I can't describe how moved I was, looking into room 306 of the Lorraine Motel. On a lighter note, we were glad to have the chance to walk Beale Street and ate some of the best ribs ever at Charles Vergos' Rendezvous.
Going to the Outer Banks was amazing as well. A 12 hour drive was a bit much, although renting a mini-van helped, and Ayla really was a trooper. (On the way there, we stopped by Grand Caverns, Virginia and took a tour, so that gave us a chance to stretch our legs. Beautiful cave!) It felt good to touch the ocean -- and once Ayla got over her apprehension about the power of the waves, she enjoyed it as well. April, Ayla and I climbed Currituck Lighthouse, ascended the dunes at Jockey's Ridge, ambled around the Elizabethan Gardens, huffed around the Wright Brothers Memorial (the mound with the monument is a bit of a hike!) and saw the wild horses of Corolla in person, thanks to a 4 x 4 tour. All in all, pretty fantastic.
Canada is coming soon -- our last big trip of the summer. As long as we get to spend time with our friends Dan and Amy, and take a peek at Niagra Falls and the CN Tower, I'll be happy. After our 12 hour driving adventure, driving 9 up to Paris, Ontario will be a cakewalk.
What else to discuss? Oh yes, the big news of Michael Jackon's death. Have to admit, I got pulled in and watched the memorial live from the Staples Center, so I'm guilty of gawking as well. It's interesting, and sad, that MJ hasn't been on the blip of pop culture for years (indeed, I only found out about his 50 sold out London shows after he died), but when he died, all sins were forgiven by the public and his albums are charting again. How ironic that his current post-mortem album sales may erase his blossoming debt! Look, even if MJ was innocent of specific child molestation charges, he clearly is guilty of horrible judgment and decisions when it came to children. In addition to that, more than likely his death was the result of drug abuse. Should I feel sorry for a multi-millionaire that used drugs to kill the pain of his life? Certainly, he suffered; MJ's father got what he wanted, but what a price. In the end, it's hard to feel sorry for Jackson, if only for one reason: his children. When the world apparently stopped loving him unconditionally, he decided to become a father three times over to fill that void. I'm sure he really loved them, and did his best to raise them. But here's the deal. Jackson chose drugs, which had the chance of killing him, over his children. Because of that choice, with half or more of their child years ahead of them, they'll now be fatherless. And that's the part that guiles me most about Michael Jackson. It's a tragedy, and yes, I'm sure he had personal demons that were nearly impossible to fight -- but in the end, his choices led to three kids without a dad.
So why did I watch the memorial, and despite all of that, still had a twinge of pity for him? When I think of Jackson, I think of Thriller on cassette, playing "Billie Jean" over and over. Watching "Thriller" on MTV and always getting freaked out when he crumples to the ground while his date asks is he's okay -- and then he looks up with those frickin' yellow eyes. (Really, was that video appropriate in the middle of the MTV day for a nine-year old kid?) But mainly, when I think of Jackson, I think of my 1980's youth. Jackson wanted to stay childlike forever, and symbolically, even tragically, it seems he finally paid the price for that desire. When he died, I realized, part of my youth died too. I have a feeling a lot of people around the world felt the same way.
School, of course, has not been too far away. I spent a week in Bowling Green for an AP Institute (to learn how to teach AP Literature & Composition). It was actually very productive, thanks to our instructor Danny Lawrence. I enjoyed some good meals as well. I will never look at cornbread, garlic mashed potatoes or prime rib the same after Montana Grille, and if there's a higher deity that loves me, Zaxby's will come to Louisville one of these days.
I also have been reading up for a Myths & Legends class that I'll be teaching for the first time next year. I hope to include some discussion of urban legends, especially local ones. (After all, the tools for discerning an urban legend as true or untrue are the same for determining any source is credible.) One of the sources for memorable folklore is a book Weird Kentucky; I definitely recommend it. Oh, and I'm sure Joseph Campbell will make its way into the curriculum . . .
But enough about school. April and I enjoyed our trip to Memphis over Memorial Day weekend. As planned, we hit Graceland, Sun Studios and the National Civil Rights Museum. Strangely, I felt more excited and closer to Elvis at Sun than I did at his home. As for the NCRM, it's a must if you're in the area. The museum is one of the best I've ever visited, and I can't describe how moved I was, looking into room 306 of the Lorraine Motel. On a lighter note, we were glad to have the chance to walk Beale Street and ate some of the best ribs ever at Charles Vergos' Rendezvous.
Going to the Outer Banks was amazing as well. A 12 hour drive was a bit much, although renting a mini-van helped, and Ayla really was a trooper. (On the way there, we stopped by Grand Caverns, Virginia and took a tour, so that gave us a chance to stretch our legs. Beautiful cave!) It felt good to touch the ocean -- and once Ayla got over her apprehension about the power of the waves, she enjoyed it as well. April, Ayla and I climbed Currituck Lighthouse, ascended the dunes at Jockey's Ridge, ambled around the Elizabethan Gardens, huffed around the Wright Brothers Memorial (the mound with the monument is a bit of a hike!) and saw the wild horses of Corolla in person, thanks to a 4 x 4 tour. All in all, pretty fantastic.
Canada is coming soon -- our last big trip of the summer. As long as we get to spend time with our friends Dan and Amy, and take a peek at Niagra Falls and the CN Tower, I'll be happy. After our 12 hour driving adventure, driving 9 up to Paris, Ontario will be a cakewalk.
What else to discuss? Oh yes, the big news of Michael Jackon's death. Have to admit, I got pulled in and watched the memorial live from the Staples Center, so I'm guilty of gawking as well. It's interesting, and sad, that MJ hasn't been on the blip of pop culture for years (indeed, I only found out about his 50 sold out London shows after he died), but when he died, all sins were forgiven by the public and his albums are charting again. How ironic that his current post-mortem album sales may erase his blossoming debt! Look, even if MJ was innocent of specific child molestation charges, he clearly is guilty of horrible judgment and decisions when it came to children. In addition to that, more than likely his death was the result of drug abuse. Should I feel sorry for a multi-millionaire that used drugs to kill the pain of his life? Certainly, he suffered; MJ's father got what he wanted, but what a price. In the end, it's hard to feel sorry for Jackson, if only for one reason: his children. When the world apparently stopped loving him unconditionally, he decided to become a father three times over to fill that void. I'm sure he really loved them, and did his best to raise them. But here's the deal. Jackson chose drugs, which had the chance of killing him, over his children. Because of that choice, with half or more of their child years ahead of them, they'll now be fatherless. And that's the part that guiles me most about Michael Jackson. It's a tragedy, and yes, I'm sure he had personal demons that were nearly impossible to fight -- but in the end, his choices led to three kids without a dad.
So why did I watch the memorial, and despite all of that, still had a twinge of pity for him? When I think of Jackson, I think of Thriller on cassette, playing "Billie Jean" over and over. Watching "Thriller" on MTV and always getting freaked out when he crumples to the ground while his date asks is he's okay -- and then he looks up with those frickin' yellow eyes. (Really, was that video appropriate in the middle of the MTV day for a nine-year old kid?) But mainly, when I think of Jackson, I think of my 1980's youth. Jackson wanted to stay childlike forever, and symbolically, even tragically, it seems he finally paid the price for that desire. When he died, I realized, part of my youth died too. I have a feeling a lot of people around the world felt the same way.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Site Updates and Teacher News
Summer is fast approaching; it's hard to believe we're only a few weeks away from another school year complete. April and I are planning some trips in the next few months:
In other news . . .
I've updated my personal site and Jackpot Tiger:
For my personal site, I fixed some broken links, updated the Bio, added YouTube links to "Occasional Poisonings from the Kitchen" to the Showcase page, and updated the Press Room to reflect some of the latest teacher news.
For Jackpot Tiger, I updated About Us and fixed some broken links.
And now for the latest teacher news. First, our class podcasting site (Dragon Booktalk) made the cover of the April 2009 issue of Kentucky Teacher! The issue is archived as a PDF; click here for a link to download it, and look on pages 8 and 11. Here's the cover:
- Memphis. We've always wanted to make a pilgrammage to Graceland, but we're also looking forward to seeing Sun Studios and the National Civil Rights Museum.
- Paris, Ontario (just outside Toronto). We'll visit our old friends Dan and Amy, and among other sights and sounds, check out nearby Niagra Falls. In fact, we're getting our passport IDs today.
- Outer Banks, NC. We've been wanting to get to a beach and see a lighthouse in person ever since Ayla was born, so we're finally going to do both. As a lover of Shakespeare, checking out the Fort Raleigh National Historical Site (with its Elizabethan Gardens) is a given, but we also can't wait to see the Currituck Beach Lighthouse, the Wright Brothers National Memorial, and maybe a wild horse or two:
In other news . . .
I've updated my personal site and Jackpot Tiger:
For my personal site, I fixed some broken links, updated the Bio, added YouTube links to "Occasional Poisonings from the Kitchen" to the Showcase page, and updated the Press Room to reflect some of the latest teacher news.
For Jackpot Tiger, I updated About Us and fixed some broken links.
And now for the latest teacher news. First, our class podcasting site (Dragon Booktalk) made the cover of the April 2009 issue of Kentucky Teacher! The issue is archived as a PDF; click here for a link to download it, and look on pages 8 and 11. Here's the cover:
Last but not least, my colleagues and faculty have voted me as South Oldham's 2009-2010 Teacher of the Year. I am very flattered and humbled to get the award, and will work hard to earn it.
With being busy wrapping up the school year, I probably won't have a chance to blog until summer. At the very least, I'll try to give updates after our vacations and post a pic or two. Until then, enjoy the end of spring!
Sunday, April 05, 2009
"Occasional..." on YouTube
Two months! Ahhh, Tiempo Padre. As our spring break is about to end, wanted to take a few minutes to write an entry.
Since I last blogged, the Honest Abe Festival ended. It was an incredible experience; I was so glad and honored to work with Juergen and Bunbury again.
On one of the last shows, I videotaped the evening and ended up producing and editing a DVD of the Festival. From that footage, I did something for the first time: posted an original video on YouTube. The entire play is posted in four parts totalling about a half-hour. Here are the links:
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Another article about our podcasting site is in the works; this one will definitely be available online, so I'll post when it is published.
Happy Easter to all who celebrate it!
----Adam
Since I last blogged, the Honest Abe Festival ended. It was an incredible experience; I was so glad and honored to work with Juergen and Bunbury again.
On one of the last shows, I videotaped the evening and ended up producing and editing a DVD of the Festival. From that footage, I did something for the first time: posted an original video on YouTube. The entire play is posted in four parts totalling about a half-hour. Here are the links:
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Another article about our podcasting site is in the works; this one will definitely be available online, so I'll post when it is published.
Happy Easter to all who celebrate it!
----Adam
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Honest Abe Review, and 35th Birthday Shenanigans
Cory Vaughn, over at Theatre Louisville, posted a review of the Honest Abe Festival. In short, he enjoyed it! You can read it here:
http://theatrelouisville.org/reviews2009/cv_honestabe.php
It's hard to get reviewed in this town unless you're Kentucky Center, so I appreciate Mr. Vaughn taking the time to do so.
I saw the show Saturday, and was pleasantly surprised when Dan and Amy, two friends from Canada, were sitting in the audience! April had somehow coordinated the logistics to get them here. It was a great birthday surprise.
I had not had a chance to see the show from start to finish, so it was a treat. It was obvious how much hard work had been put into the plays. I enjoyed myself, and when my play was staged, I still got that funny tickle of disbelief that actors down there were saying my lines. Thank you, Juergen, for giving me this wonderful opportunity. And thank you to the cast and crew of the Festival, who did a marvelous job.
Afterwards, the four of us went to 21c Museum Hotel for the night. (We had already had reservations, but somehow, April had also arranged for Dan and Amy's room as well. Unbelievable.) This was our second stay. You would think it's impossible for a hotel to be beautiful, modern, intriguing, have a sense of humor, have friendly staff, and NOT be snooty, but 21c manages to attain the delicate balance. We also had dinner there at Proof on Main, and Tyrone Cotton, you were right: the Bison Burger is pretty darn good.
I could not ask for a more fantastic 35th birthday. April, you're amazing. I love you.
My last plea on behalf of Bunbury and myself: if you haven't come to see the plays, BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW! Two more weeks!
http://theatrelouisville.org/reviews2009/cv_honestabe.php
It's hard to get reviewed in this town unless you're Kentucky Center, so I appreciate Mr. Vaughn taking the time to do so.
I saw the show Saturday, and was pleasantly surprised when Dan and Amy, two friends from Canada, were sitting in the audience! April had somehow coordinated the logistics to get them here. It was a great birthday surprise.
I had not had a chance to see the show from start to finish, so it was a treat. It was obvious how much hard work had been put into the plays. I enjoyed myself, and when my play was staged, I still got that funny tickle of disbelief that actors down there were saying my lines. Thank you, Juergen, for giving me this wonderful opportunity. And thank you to the cast and crew of the Festival, who did a marvelous job.
Afterwards, the four of us went to 21c Museum Hotel for the night. (We had already had reservations, but somehow, April had also arranged for Dan and Amy's room as well. Unbelievable.) This was our second stay. You would think it's impossible for a hotel to be beautiful, modern, intriguing, have a sense of humor, have friendly staff, and NOT be snooty, but 21c manages to attain the delicate balance. We also had dinner there at Proof on Main, and Tyrone Cotton, you were right: the Bison Burger is pretty darn good.
I could not ask for a more fantastic 35th birthday. April, you're amazing. I love you.
My last plea on behalf of Bunbury and myself: if you haven't come to see the plays, BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW! Two more weeks!
Friday, February 06, 2009
Articles, NCTE, Opening Night
It has been a whirlwind week. First, let's talk about our class podcasting project, Dragon Booktalk. Some major bullets:
- So far, two authors -- Larry Colton (Counting Coup) and Michael D'Antonio (Hershey) -- have contacted me about Dragon Booktalk. They listened to the podcasts and sent their kudos to the students for their work. As if that wasn't enough . . .
- Dragon Booktalk was mentioned in a NCTE INBOX e-newsletter (with 115,000 subscribers), and the site and C-J article was discussed at length in a corresponding blog entry. This has led to . . .
- A lot of hits. It took three months to get the first 400 hits at the site. In the course of 48 hours, we've climbed over 1000. In addition, I've received emails from all over the United States, as well as a Canadian associate professor and a teacher in China!
I'm thrilled for the students, who are getting the opportunity to reach a global audience.
The Honest Abe Festival opened last night, and John Foster interviewed and photographed myself, Matt Orme, Dale Strange, and Juergen Tossmann for a feature article. No pictures online, but you can read the text of the article here, which came out in yesterday's edition.
Oh, and I turn 35 this weekend. What better way to celebrate a birthday than the opening of my play?
More thoughts on the production later . . .
Come to Bunbury! The three week run begins NOW!
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Courier-Journal article on Festival!
Apparently, Bunbury is not the only theater with Lincoln on the stage!
I just read the Courier-Journal article online from Sunday's paper. Our Festival is thoroughly discussed; Nancy Gall-Clayton (playwright) and Matt Orme (actor protraying Lincoln in all the plays) are quoted at length; and Nancy is beautifully pictured at her desk.
Read it here:
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090125/SCENE05/901250326/1047/SCENE05
Two more days!
I just read the Courier-Journal article online from Sunday's paper. Our Festival is thoroughly discussed; Nancy Gall-Clayton (playwright) and Matt Orme (actor protraying Lincoln in all the plays) are quoted at length; and Nancy is beautifully pictured at her desk.
Read it here:
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090125/SCENE05/901250326/1047/SCENE05
Two more days!
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Oldham Era article, and How I Feel About Electricity
First things first: having no electricity, to put it gently, sucks. But I won't complain too loudly. Our house was without power for only two days, and considering as of this post that 100,000 are still in the dark, I consider myself lucky. Also, I had a week off of school, which I spent hanging out with family, so I was glad for the mini-break.
The press release for the Honest Abe Festival actually came out a few weeks ago; I posted links for it at both my personal and Jackpot Tiger site. But in case you missed it, click here.
I've been going to, on average, about one play rehearsal a week. I have to say, I'm very excited about the actors' work, Juergen's direction, and the set and lighting design. (Here would be a good time to give the actors a well-deserved shout-out: Matt Orme, Dale Strange, Ted Lesley, and Mike Burmester.) Actually, I'm impressed with the overall quality of the writing, directing, and acting of all of the plays in the Festival. Counting down to Thursday, February 5 -- the Festival's opening night -- and Saturday, February 7 -- my 35th birthday!
Yesterday, John Foster from the Oldham Era came to interview myself and Juergen, as well as take photographs. The article should run in this Wednesday's paper (February 4). Find a copy in Oldham County anywhere newspapers are sold.
At this point, I'll probably not post until after opening night, but let's hope for broken legs and no more ice storms.
The press release for the Honest Abe Festival actually came out a few weeks ago; I posted links for it at both my personal and Jackpot Tiger site. But in case you missed it, click here.
I've been going to, on average, about one play rehearsal a week. I have to say, I'm very excited about the actors' work, Juergen's direction, and the set and lighting design. (Here would be a good time to give the actors a well-deserved shout-out: Matt Orme, Dale Strange, Ted Lesley, and Mike Burmester.) Actually, I'm impressed with the overall quality of the writing, directing, and acting of all of the plays in the Festival. Counting down to Thursday, February 5 -- the Festival's opening night -- and Saturday, February 7 -- my 35th birthday!
Yesterday, John Foster from the Oldham Era came to interview myself and Juergen, as well as take photographs. The article should run in this Wednesday's paper (February 4). Find a copy in Oldham County anywhere newspapers are sold.
At this point, I'll probably not post until after opening night, but let's hope for broken legs and no more ice storms.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Podcasting Article in The Courier-Journal
My students work hard. And it's great when they get a chance to shine.
Sara Cunningham from The Courier-Journal came out a few weeks ago to interview myself and my students about a podcasting site we incorporate into the classroom. In short, they record literature circle discussions, and as a culminating project, write, record and edit a "book commercial." It's like a "movie trailer" for the book.
Read the article for more information and a link to the podcasting site:
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090121/ZONE09/901210362/-1/ZONE09
In play news, I've been to a few rehearsals, and I'm excited to see Juergen's ideas in action, as well as the actors bringing it to life. (As I told them last night, my favorite parts are the looks, reactions, and acting business they do between and around the lines -- after all, my words are just a scaffold!) We're hoping for some publicity opportunities, but I'll announce and/or link them here if and when they become definite.
Until then, the countdown continues to opening night February 5 . . .
Sara Cunningham from The Courier-Journal came out a few weeks ago to interview myself and my students about a podcasting site we incorporate into the classroom. In short, they record literature circle discussions, and as a culminating project, write, record and edit a "book commercial." It's like a "movie trailer" for the book.
Read the article for more information and a link to the podcasting site:
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090121/ZONE09/901210362/-1/ZONE09
In play news, I've been to a few rehearsals, and I'm excited to see Juergen's ideas in action, as well as the actors bringing it to life. (As I told them last night, my favorite parts are the looks, reactions, and acting business they do between and around the lines -- after all, my words are just a scaffold!) We're hoping for some publicity opportunities, but I'll announce and/or link them here if and when they become definite.
Until then, the countdown continues to opening night February 5 . . .
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