a few words from our friend Ryu...

As some of you attempt the final Who Are You project, Ryu has a few reminders about copyright and fair use in regards to putting pictures on your websites or slideshows.


GoAnimate.com: ryu copyright by reckj

Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!

And if you'd like to use this website for the visual component of the project, by all means. I'd love to see what you come up with.

Grade Sheets

As you all wrap up your final pieces of writing for the year, it's time for a quick refresher on our grade sheets. Just as you've done all year, I ask that you reflect on process and your writing honestly--you should be the best judge of your work.

Before you grade yourself, take a few moments to review the scoring guidelines on the back of the sheet; we'll spend some time in class on this as well.

So where can you get one of these when you're ready?
* On the school computers, you can print a copy from the Reck folder
* From anywhere else, you can access a copy on Edline

Thank you for all your hard work this year, gang.

2011 Icky Awards

The ballots have all been counted, and the results of the 2011 International Candy Company Awards are in. Prizes were given in seven categories, from best product line to best jingle to the big prize, best overall website.

Here are the winning websites, as voted by your peers, for each class:

Crater's Candy Company

Sara's Sugar Shop

Fro-Zone Candy Company

And as an added bonus, here's the most amazing company jingle I've ever heard, brought to you by Crater's Candy Company:

Speaking of Hunger Games...

One of my students told me today that trailers for the movie are on YouTube. While I don't think these are the official trailers, seeing as the film is still in preproduction, I did come across a few great sites, including a cool Hunger Games fan site, jabberjays.com.

And while we're waiting for the actual movie trailers to be released, check out this amazing fan-made trailer (I didn't even know this was possible):




If you haven't caught on yet, you need to read these books.

Now.

Making Our Book Logs More Social

For this entire year, your sad paper book logs (assuming you still have it) have been hidden away in your CA notebooks, archiving your efforts in the dark, freightening depths of your lockers.

This is a sad thing: while you do have a record of all the novels you've taken on this year, I have done you a great disservice. With the majority of you having finished between twenty and forty novels this school year--not to mention those couple of lunatics who have reached triple digits--we've missed a crucial piece to what many adult readers do: get social with our reading.

Sure, we've spent a few minutes booktalking most Fridays, with usually the same folks sharing their latest finds or updating us on books they're still plowing through. But we could do so much more. What if I finish Mockingjay on Monday during 11th period, the last in the Hunger Games series, and I simply have no idea where to go after an experience like that? Wouldn't it be great if I could just grab a netbook, go online, and see what Sara's reading? Or what Zach just finished the other day? Or everything that Maria has read and given a ten this year?

Solution: Goodreads. I can set up a group for all of us, so we can extend our discussions online--or simply snoop in on what your classmates are reading and steal their ideas. It's okay. It's what we do as adults.

Check out my bookshelf at the right, head to Goodreads, and get started on your shelf. Your book logs deserve it.

out of the gates

So the problem is, I'm not totally sure how to use this thing. There's a lot to say on creativity (or the squashing of it), reading (or the death of it), and candy (just candy). It seems like much has already been said, and it's much safer to read posts and comments endlessly and soak it all in.

We'll see.