Showing posts with label F20. Show all posts
Showing posts with label F20. Show all posts

Final Announcements: Fall 2020

You have reached the end of Week 15... CONGRATULATIONS to everybody on finishing up this class during this long and hard semester! The class will be over today, Friday, at noon, and below is some important information about the end of the class:

Tiny Tales: contributions still open! I'm working on the microfiction anthology right now and I hope to finish editing on Sunday so I can publish on Monday (I'll send around an email to everybody when the book is ready). That means if you want to send me your 100-word story (or stories) today or on Saturday, that would be great. More information here: Anthology. You might get some ideas from looking at the draft so far: book draft. Just send me an email with your contribution(s), plus the author credit you prefer: name, initials, pseudonym, or anonymous; all options are good!


Check your blogs for comments. People have been leaving comments on blog posts and blog comment walls up until the last day of class, including Friday morning, so take a look at the comments on your blog to see if you find anything new.

Blogs and Websites. I hope very much that you will want to leave your Storybooks and Portfolios online so that future students can use them for ideas and inspiration; more information here: Storybook and Blog Options.

Class Announcements. If you are subscribed to the class announcements by email, you can decide if you want to stay on the list or unsubscribe (there is an unsubscribe link at the bottom of each email). Each semester the announcements are a mix of new and old items, so perhaps you would enjoy staying on the list just for fun.

Grades. I'll be filing the grades in the Banner System on Friday afternoon. Again, congratulations to everybody on your good work. I know this semester was a really hard one, and everybody can be proud of the work you did for this class!

Course Evaluation. If you have not filled out the course evaluation yet at eval.ou.edu, I hope you will take a minute to do that — more than ever before your feedback really matters. OU needs to find out what works well in online courses, and what does not work well... and you are now the experts since you have probably had multiple online classes this semester. So, if you have a minute to spare, please fill out the course evaluation. The return rate so far this semester has been lower than usual, which is totally understandable, but at the same time this is also the semester when your feedback is incredibly important. And think about it this way: when participation is lower, that just increases your chances of winning a prize in the raffle afterwards: maybe someone in this class will win a new iPad!


Advice Padlet. There is a Padlet to share advice with future students, and some of you may have already added some advice there back in Week 14 (thank you for that!). If you have other thoughts to add, please feel free to do that now: Advice Padlet. (This Padlet is the source for the advice you see popping up in the sidebar of the blog too.)


And, last but not least, a big THANK YOU to everybody for sticking with this class during this pandemic semester and doing such good work on all your projects and stories. I am really grateful for that, and I hope the new year ahead will hold better things for all of us: 2021 will be here VERY soon!

~ ~ ~

Finally, I thought you might enjoy this amazing video of Eric Whitacre's virtual choir, composed of thousands of voices singing together to tell a beautiful story of hope and change: Fly to Paradise.





As always, see the

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Friday, December 4

Today is Friday of Week 14. Yes, it really is Friday again! Here is a link to Week 14 and also to Week 15. If you can finish up the class either today or over the weekend, that will give you time next week to prepare for finals in your other classes. Here's more info about finishing up in this class.

Class Procedures and Reminders

Week 14 Blog comments. As you'll see, there's something different this week: you can add to the Advice Padlet as part of this week's blog commenting! Details here: Week 14 Blog Comments.

Project stack. I've got just a few projects in the stack, and I should be able to reply to everybody today. As usual, you can check the stack to make sure I got your project.

The following items are for fun and exploration:

Blog stream. It's always when fun to see the microfiction people are doing, and here are two stories paired up... ominously for the fish, as you can imagine. Here's Ann Marie's post: Fish and Cats.


100-Word Stories. And here's a story about Anansi tricking some foolish fish: Anansi and the Fish-Children.


Twitter stream. From the OU Daily, an article about Jamelia Reed and her new book: OU student publishes book.


Some gorgeous Durga art from India: the goddess versus the water-buffalo demon.


And did you know that in ancient Rome there was a fixed number of hours in the day, so when the daylight was less in winter the hours were shorter, and then in summer the hours were longer because there was more daylight? Telling time: it's a cultural thing! This tweet shows how that worked:


Storybook. And here's a Storybook about curses and reincarnation over time: Reverberations of Time.


And if you're facing a time-crunch at the end of the semester, here's a fun procrastination flowchart (larger view):


Meanwhile, everyone needs friends, even T-Rex. A cartoon from Dinoman:


And music for the weekend: a T-Rex song to enjoy... sung by none other than Samuel Jackson!


December 4: Omar Khayyam. Today marks the death in the year 1131 of the great Persian poet and scholar, Omar Khayyam. He is best known in the West for his collection of poems called the Rubaiyat, and he is also renowned as a mathematician and astronomer. You can read more about Omar Khayyam's remarkable life and career in this Wikipedia article, and there is a wonderful statue of Khayyam outside Farzaneh Hall:


Here is a video with some of his famous poetry:



Check out the Twitter stream for information and fun stuff during the day, or click here for past announcements.
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Thursday, December 3

Today is Thursday of Week 14. Here is a link to Week 14 and a link to Week 15 also. That's all that's left of the semester! You can see how all the dates work here in the class calendar.

Class Procedures and Reminders

Story Lab: Week 14 and 15. For both this week and also next week, you can choose to do a new Story post at your blog, or you can do a Story Lab. If you have not looked at the microfiction options, it's not too late to give that a try. If you have written some microfiction(s) this semester, you might want to revise them (that's one of the options), and maybe submit them to go in a class anthology (details about doing the anthology).

Project Stack. I'm now reading and reply to the projects in the stack from people who are done with the class already; I've read almost all the new stories, so I will get to those today, and then start replying to all the revised projects in the stack. As always, you can check the stack to make sure I received your project.

The following items are for fun and exploration:

Blog stream. Here's a fun Wikipedia Trail that Katie did, starting from ramen: From Ramen to Winterization.


Storybook. And here is a Storybook with a Japanese theme: Sunlight's Reflection: A Mirror for Gods and Humans. It's about the goddess Amaterasu.


Twitter stream. Nice write-up at the OUDaily about a very useful Library tool for online browsing and research: Library Browser Extension.




Very cool animated gif with the zodiac wheel of the year!


And a brilliant photo from photographer Zach Cooley:


100-Word Stories. Speaking of the moon: The Fox and the Moon (things do not end well for the fox).


A COVID-plus-Netflix thought from Dinoman:


Some wisdom from Tiny Buddha:


December 3: International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The United Nations has declared December 3 to mark the observance of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, and the theme for 2020 is Building back better: towards an inclusive, accessible and sustainable post COVID-19 world by, for and with persons with disabilities. You can learn more about the disability rights movement in this Wikipedia article, which also lists additional resources. And I thought this would also be a great occasion to share a new video from Sparsh Shah plus one of his talks (more at his YouTube channel):


Check out the Twitter stream for information and fun stuff during the day, or click here for past announcements.
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Wednesday, December 2

Today is Wednesday of Week 14. Here is a link to Week 14, plus a link to Week 15. More information about the schedule here: class calendar, along with information about finishing up the class. Let me know if you have any questions about any of that. :-)

Class Procedures and Reminders

Advice for future students. Remember the Advice Padlet? You saw that back at the start of the semester, and it is an option for the Week 14 Blog Comments as you'll see when you get to that this week. Any and all advice about the class is helpful, especially if you can think of something you would have wanted to know when the semester was getting started.

Project Stack. I've replied to all the projects in the stack for people who are waiting on my comments so that they can move on to the Week 14 project. Now I'll start reading and replying to the projects of people who are done with the class. Thank you for your patience while I get to everybody! Meanwhile, you can always check the stack to make sure I received your project.

The following items are for fun and exploration:

Blog stream. People have been writing some great microfictions, and here's one from Natalia: Dreams. (I hope people might be interested in contributing their microfictions to a class anthology; find out more here).




Some of the most important sources of American folktale traditions are the African storytellers brought to America as slaves, so I'm sharing this important new resource (and on the slavery now, see below): Enslaved.org.


Storybook. And on the subject of African stories in America, this is a Storybook I did last year for Myth-Folklore: Tales of Brer Rabbit and the Witch-Rabbit.


Words from wisdom from Awkward Yeti for your impulsive heart:


And something lovely from Dinoman:


I was excited to see that Alice Wong is giving a (Zoom) talk at OU on December 3 (tomorrow); you can find out more at the OU Daily: Alice Wong in webinar to celebrate International Day of Persons with Disabilities. And here's a quick video about Alice Wong and her work:


December 2: Abolition of Slavery. Today is the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, which means the abolition of bonded labour and debt bondage, along with child labor and human trafficking: out of the 24.9 million people trapped in forced labour, 16 million people are exploited in the private sector such as domestic work, construction or agriculture; 4.8 million people in forced sexual exploitation, and 4 million people in forced labour imposed by state authorities. Find out more at the UN website.



Check out the Twitter stream for information and fun stuff during the day, or click here for past announcements.
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Tuesday, December 1

Today is Tuesday of Week 14. Here is a link to Week 14 and also Week 15. It's now European reading in Myth-Folklore, with more free choice reading in Indian Epics. I hope you will enjoy this week's reading!

Class Procedures and Reminders

Eval.ou.edu. I think you all received an email that the course evaluations are available now. and I hope you will take a few minutes to fill out evaluations for all your courses at eval.ou.edu. Your feedback is especially important right now as the university tries to find good ways to make use of online education during the pandemic. 


Project Stack. I'm working through the stack starting with people who are not yet done with the class, and then I'll start on the projects of people who are already done (since the comments are just FYI without anything you need to turn in). Thank you for your patience with that, and I'll be sure to get through the stack before the weekend! As always you can check the stack to make sure I received your project.

The following items are for fun and exploration:

Blog stream. People added so much good stuff at the Connection Padlet, including this lovely piece of advice:


Twitter stream. After the ice storm, I definitely noticed this bit of folklore: ghost apples!


Some good pandemic advice via the New York Times: 10 Ways to Calm Down.


And from Scroll.in, a fascinating piece that involves Ravana (a character familiar to everyone in Indian Epics): Indian magic texts.


Storybook. And a Ravana Storybook: The Demon King of Lanka, Ravana.


100-Word Stories. A story involving magic, specifically: a magic hoe. Anansi and Tiger's Hoe.


Another one from Grant Snider, this time about the future of the book (larger view): everything old is new again.


And some advice from the world of proverbs: The fuller the cup, the sooner the spill. Don't keep your cup too full... literally and metaphorically! :-)


And don't sweat the mistakes: that's why they make erasers.


December: A Month of Latin Carols. For many years I've collected holiday songs in Latin, and each December I prepare a holiday calendar of those songs. I always start off with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in Latin, including a Gregorian chant version. Gaudete! Which means in Latin: Enjoy!




Check out the Twitter stream for information and fun stuff during the day, or click here for past announcements.
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Monday, November 30

Today is Monday of Week 14. I hope you had a wonderful holiday break! Here is a link to Week 14, plus a link to Week 13 if you are using the grace period this morning... and Week 15 if you are ready to use any of those assignments to finish up.

Class Procedures and Reminders

Last week of class. Yes, this is it: Week 14 is the last full week of class, although there is also a Week 15 with a complete range of assignments too, but Week 15 runs just through Friday, December 11 at noon. So, make sure you make good use of this week and have a plan in place for finishing up.

Project Stack. As usual, the stack is big on Monday, and I'll focus today on people who are still finishing up the class, and then I'll move on to comments on projects from people who are already done. Thank you for your patience while I work through the stack that way. Meanwhile, you can check the stack to make sure I received your project.

The following items are for fun and exploration:

Blog stream. Here's a fun Wikipedia Trail from Dorothy for anyone who is binge-watching The Crown these days! From Diana to I Dream of Jeannie.


Twitter stream. From Scroll.in, something about the Buddhist jatakas (which were a reading option for both classes!): The Burmese harp and the tales of the Buddha’s previous lives.


From the Library of Congress, a poem by Joe Dale Tate Nevaquaya (Comanche/Yuchi)... yes, recorded in Norman! Here he read his poem: In the Field.


And goodness from Gurdeep of the Yukon:


Storybook. In the spirit of King Arthur (see below), here's a great mash-up Storybook: King Arthur in Japan.


100-Word Stories. And here's a different sort of story about a king; this king is outwitted by Anansi: The King Banishes Anansi.






And finished means... happy! Someone shared this video at the Connection Padlet:


November 30: Mark Twain. Today marks the birthday of Mark Twain in the year 1835. My favorite of Twain's books is A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, which you can read for free online. His Diaries of Adam and Eve are also a fabulous storytelling experiment. The image below shows Twain accepting an honorary degree at Oxford University in 1907:



Check out the Twitter stream for information and fun stuff during the day, or click here for past announcements.
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Thanksgiving Edition, Fall 2020

Welcome to THANKSGIVING BREAK. You have a whole week off in this class, which means the end-of-week assignments for Week 13 are due on Sunday, November 29, with a grace period on Monday morning as usual, November 30, after the Thanksgiving holiday. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday week: stay safe, and rest up for the push to the end of the semester. I'm sure everybody is ready for a break! (I know I am!)

~ ~ ~

Week 13: Finishing up early. I set up a special option for this impossible semester to encourage people to finish up early: during Week 13, you can finish the class with 380 points for an A; 335 to finish with a B, or 300 to finish with a C. (After Week 13 is over, it goes back to the regular scale for the full 15-week semester: 410 for an A, 360 for a B, 320 for a C.) Hopefully lots of you can use this opportunity to finish early so that you will have more time to devote to the end-of-semester crunch and finals in your other classes. You can let me know you are done by filling out the "Finished!" form that you will see in the Canvas menu. 

Mix-and-match 13-14-15 all available. If you are interested in making a push to finish up now, you can use any of the assignments you see there in Canvas for Weeks 13, 14, and 15. All the points go into the same total, so feel free to choose the assignments that are most fun and or useful. 

Project stack. I have read and returned all the Week 12 projects that people turned in last week! I'll update the stack periodically over the Thanksgiving week, and then on Monday, November 30, I'll start replying to the project assignments that people have turned in over the break.

My schedule. I'm at home over the break, although I won't be checking email as often as during a regular work week. So, if you have any questions at all, let me know, and I should be able to reply to your email that same day.

Past announcements. If you want to browse the regular announcements, here are last week's announcements.

~ ~ ~

You might enjoy this article from the New York Times: Choose to Be Grateful. It Will Make You Happier by Arthur C. Brooks.


And here are some videos:

Gratitude by Louie Schwartzberg, featuring the words of Brother David Steindl-Rast.


And here is Brother David Steindl-Rast's TED talk: Want to be happy? Be grateful.



HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
A Longer Table.
When you have more than what you need,
build a longer table, not a higher fence.


And from India, here is a Thanksgiving kolam:



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