Friday, November 16

HAPPY FRIDAY! You have finished the first part of Week 13, which stretches out all through next week also. Here is a link to the Week 13 assignments and also Week 14 for those of you working ahead in order to finish before Thanksgiving.

Class Procedures and Reminders

Week 13 schedule. After people finish up any last-minute stories this morning, I'll update the randomizer. Then you have a full week off in this class for Thanksgiving, so you can do your remaining Week 13 assignments now, or you can wait until next weekend, after Thanksgiving. Week 14 will then start on Monday, November 26.

Project Stack. Yesterday I replied to all the projects turned in on Sunday, and today I'll get through as much of the stack as I can. You can check the stack to make sure I received your email.

The following items are for fun and exploration:

Blog Stream. As you work on your Google Site, you might want to try adding some navigation buttons, like Cat did here: Stories of Merlin. You'll find buttons in the Insert menu under the Layout options, and if you put buttons in the footer, they'll show up on every page of the site.

You can also use a single button for visual effect, like Haley did here: The Story of Hidimbi.

Featured Storybook. Here is a post-apocalyptic project inspired by Beowulf: Not to Touch the Earth. The time has come for Rye to visit the Oracle. As he learns of his future, he may remind you already of a great hero from the past. And then... it's time to face the monster, the one who comes at night.

As the semester winds down, I am repeating favorite items from earlier announcements; these items come from Weeks 5 and 6:

Myth Video. Here's a video about comic book universes and the films made about them: The Mythic Potential of Comic Book Films.

Myth Item. Consider also the storytelling power of Legos: The Brick Testament.... including the Garden of Eden of course:

India Video. This video is about the avatars of Lord Vishnu, the Dashavatar. One of them, Rama, is the hero of the Ramayana, and another, Krishna, is a hero of the Mahabharata.

India Item. Here's a fact sheet about Vayu, the Wind God who was the father of Hanuman in the Ramayana, and the father of Bhima in the Mahabharata.

Writing. This is an astounding infographic; click to learn more: 69 Rules of Punctuation.

Here's a chart to help you ponder your to-do list this weekend: Importance and Urgency.

Growth Mindset Cats. I am a big fan of curiosity: Follow your natural curiosity and see what you learn.

And here's a great video about connecting: Empathy: The Human Connection. I would especially urge those of you going into the health professions to take a look at this one!

Event on Campus. There will be free showings of Crazy Rich Asians in Meacham at 6PM, 9PM and midnight (details).

Find out more about this and other events at the Campus Calendar online.

November 16: Alan Watts. Today marks the death in the year 1973 of Alan Watts, a Buddhist teacher, speaker, and writer who was a tremendous influence in the spread of Buddhist ideas in the West. You can read more at Wikipedia, and here is a video from the Alan Watts Project:

Check out the Twitter stream for information and fun stuff during the day, or click here for past announcements.