Thursday, August 27

Today is Thursday of Week 1, and here is a link to the Orientation Week assignments for Thursday. I hope you will enjoy learning about "growth mindset" today, and you'll also be writing your Introduction blog post too (and if you didn't finish the Wednesday item about the Storybooks, there's a grace period this morning when you can do that).

Class Procedures and Reminders

Class Directory. Now that everybody has their blog up and running, I've updated the Class Directory. Please check to see if I've listed you properly and linked to the right blog. And remember: it's fine if you want to just use your initials or to use a pseudonym in this class (pseudonyms can be fun!). If you want me to adjust your Directory listing, let me know.

Please ask questions! You should feel free to contact me with questions at any time (email is fine, Canvas messaging, whichever you prefer). If I happen to be online, I will write you back right away. If not, I will get back to you when I am next online, usually the next morning. Asking questions is how you learn... and it helps me know what things I need to explain more clearly about the class. So, if you have a question, just ask!

Week 2 Commenting. For the Week 2 blog comments, you will be leaving comments on each other's Introduction posts, and some people are already working ahead and have started the Week 2 commenting. Meanwhile, I am continuing to read and reply to the Favorite Places posts (I hope to finish those this week), and then I will start commenting on Introduction posts too.

The following items are for fun and exploration:

Blog stream. Here is a marvelous favorite place that Rachel G. in Myth-Folklore has visited: Hobbiton! Yes, for real... in New Zealand, where Peter Jackson filmed the LotR movies. Find out more in Rachel's post!


Twitter stream. Yesterday was National Dog Day, so Twitter was full of wonderful dog-related items! Here is a lovely painting of a dog from the Ashmolean Museum:


And from Disability History (one of my favorite Twitter accounts), here is a piece about using medieval art to learn about blind people and their dogs in the Middle Ages: Guide dogs or good dogs?


Storybook. Now that you know how the Storybooks work, I'll be featuring a Storybook each day in the announcements; here's one that features a famous dog: Toto's Adventures in Oz.


100-Word Stories. And for a dog story, here is a folktale from India about a dog and a donkey and a thief in the night: The Donkey and the Watchdog (this is a story from an ancient collection called the Hitopadesha).



And carrying on with the dog theme, here is a fun one: this is a good dog who wants to eat your homework.


And just to include a cat as well, here's a cat palindrome: TACO CAT.


And finally a wonderful video about LOLCats (of course I think the answer here is yes!) Are LOLCats and Internet Memes Art?


August 27: Theremin. Today marks the birthday of Leon Theremin, who was born in 1896; he died in 1993. He was the inventor of the Theremin, a remarkable electronic musical instrument. You can read about Leon Theremin at Wikipedia, and if you ever get a chance to see this documentary about Theremin's truly bizarre life, I highly recommend it: Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey. This YouTube video shows Theremin playing his instrument.


And here's an "electrotheremin" in the Beach Boys' Good Vibrations (listen/look for it at around 1 min. 20 sec. for example); more about that at NPR.



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