Class Procedures and Reminders:
Storybook Stack. (repeat announcement) I don't update the Storybook stack as often on the weekends, but you can check there to make sure I received your assignment; I'll update it at least once or twice over the weekend. If you want comments back on your assignment sooner rather than later, turn your work earlier on Sunday rather than waiting until later. If you wait until Sunday evening, you will be farther down in the stack and will have to wait longer for my comments back to you.
Week 4 Responding. (repeat announcement) For the Read and Respond assignment, there are new groups this week! Plus, there is another extra credit responding option this week too. You'll find that information at the bottom of the regular assignment instructions.
The following items are for fun and exploration:
Featured Tech Tip: Animated GIF. I tried out a new animated GIF maker - GIFPal - and was really impressed at how easy it was to use while also offering some great features such as the ability to set the time lapse between frames. Here's an animated GIF of Latin LOLCats that I made with GIFPal - and if you are wanting to include an animated GIF on a Google Sites page, read this note about GIFs and Google Sites.
Featured Storybook: Remember the Alamo!. This is a great example of a Storybook inspired by history but with a very creative storytelling style, featuring General Sam Houston as our main storyteller.
FREE Kindle eBook: Hindu Tales from the Sanskrit by S. M. Mitra and Nancy Bell. Here is a link to the book at Amazon, and this blog post provides additional information about the contents of the book, which includes stories from the Panchatantra and other traditional Indian sources.
Words of Wisdom: Today's proverb poster is A lion may be beholden to a mouse (an English proverb). Details at the Proverb Lab. The proverb alludes to the Aesop's fable about the mouse who freed the lion from the snare by gnawing through the ropes.
Ramayana Image: Today's Ramayana image shows Rama embracing his brother Bharata. Rama is the central figure (he's blue), and you can also see his wife Sita standing beside him, with the monkey Hanuman who is his most loyal follower on the far left and his brother Lakshmana kneeling on the far right. On the throne are Rama's sandals, which Bharata placed there, awaiting Rama's return.
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September 15: Marco Polo. Today, September 15, marks the birthday of the great Italian explorer Marco Polo in the year 1254. Marco Polo together with his father and his uncle were among the first Europeans to travel and live in China (Marco spent almost 20 years in China). After he returned to Europe in 1295, Marco Polo wrote a marvelous account of his travels, part fact and part fiction, which is known in English as The Travels of Marco Polo (Il Milione in Italian). You can read more about Marco Polo in the detailed article at Wikipedia, which is also the source for this image, showing an illuminated manuscript of Marco Polo's famous account of his travels:
Note: You can page back through older blog posts to see any announcements you might have missed.
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