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Subway Map of the Brain: Non-linear Slide Shows

Slide shows made with Keynote or PowerPoint don’t need to follow a set order (slide 1, slide 2, slide 3… linear). Instead, they can be designed to allow the viewer to choose the next slide (slide 1, maybe slide 33 or slide 17, then back to slide 1… non-linear). This is done by using hyperlinks to link to other slides.

My hands-on experience with this grew out of a paper and pencil assignment from my AP Psychology class. The basic idea is to take all the parts of the brain we’re studying and create a map which shows how they’re all connected to each other – kind of how a subway map shows how all the stations are connected (hence the name of the project). This is fine and dandy on paper, but wouldn’t it be cool if you could click on a brain part learn more about that particular part? This is where the idea for non-linear slide show popped up.

The first slide shows the map of the brain. Viewers can click on any of the “stations” to learn more. This additional information includes text (definitions), photos, videos, and/or audio. Since the viewer decides where to go, the slide show becomes more interactive and engaging. Of course, it helps to have interesting, well designed content.

The biggest problem with this project is sharing the completed slide shows. The slide show doesn’t work unless you have it on your computer because you need to be able to click on the stations. (If I’m totally missing something here, someone please let me know). These files tend to get pretty big, too.

Other potential uses for non-linear slide shows include other mind-map type stuff, timelines (which I’m going to try with my Developmental Psych unit), and choose-your-own-adventure type stories (which I also want to try as a wiki project).

Short Story Project: Script, Screencast, Movie

My colleague from the English department, Karen Taylor, approached me looking for some ways to use technology to help students discover and enjoy the short stories of Lu Xun. The primary goal was to get students to analyze a short story. After some brainstorming, here’s what we came up with…

Diary of a Madman Short Story Project

Students chose, read, and analyzed a short story. Students then created a movie script for this short story which was supposed to effectively and correctly show plot and character while focusing on the symbolism present in the text. After completing the script, students recorded a screencast discussing why their group made the choices that they did, and supported their choices with evidence from the text. If needed, students could make changes to the script after the screencast. The script and screencast were then given to another group to film. Students also evaluated their group members at the end of the project.

The emphasis of this project was not the film (20 points), but the analytical process which was assessed with the script (112 points – due to odd math and rubric) and the screencast (90 points).  

I’ve included links (and vids) for the script, screencast, and completed film for the story Some Rabbits and a Cat. The screencast isn’t very exciting – but it was not supposed to be. It’s where students were to give their analysis of the story and explain their script. All students were supposed to contribute to the screencast, and this group lost a few points because most of the explanation was done by one person. Remember, the film was not made by the students who wrote the script and made the screencast.

Length of project: 4 weeks total. This included a week without classes due to an H1N1 outbreak. Without H1N1, it would have been shorter.

Technology Utilized: Screencasts (Berio), iMovie

How students benefited:

• Students have a greater appreciation for this less famous writer and can see the author’s personal style and beliefs.
• Students were able to see connections between the stories that might not have been obvious by just reading them.
• Students were able to apply their learning about symbols and themes to a completed visual project.
• Students learned that a bad movie based on a short story could be due to the script or the story – some stories do not lend themselves to becoming movies.
• Students learned to verbally explain their writing.

What worked:

• The time frame for the project.
• The students doing the filming had to really focus on what the scriptwriting group had to say on their screencast – the screencast became a tool, not just an assignment.

Changes for next time:

• The audience for the completed films was the class, not the world. There were some copyright issues, and since the film was a very minor part of the project, we were not too concerned. If doing this for a wider audience, the use of copyrighted materials (particularly music) would be addressed.
• Students need to be taught how to write a script.
• Have the script writers use the rubric to critique how well their classmates converted the script into a film.
• Choosing a good story is important. Create a list of “recommended” stories.

Script:

Screencast: Part 1

Screencast: Part 2

Movie:

Two Glasses of Wine

A former co-worker was getting ready to leave the company, he emailed a few words along with the following story. I don't usually care for these types of "forwards" but because this is related to food, I had to read it, so maybe you will too.  

Four Management Lessons

Perfect

In the last year I have had two relationships that lasted over a month. Both of those were over before the two month mark. The other three lasted less than a month. In all but one I did the breaking up. That one was Darrell and his story will have to wait until another day.  

If you asked me what was wrong with each of these guys, I could give you various reasons. One was too tall, one too round. One used to try to thank waiters/waitresses in a foreign language (it failed every time).  One guy got mad that I was on Twitter and actually told me I had to get off of the site if I wanted to date him.  While any of these reasons alone were enough to annoy me into breaking things off, there was one common problem with all of these guys. They thought I was perfect.

I admit that I'm a very easy going person. I like all kinds of food, and I'll try almost anything once. I'll watch most movies, with the exception of Zombie thrillers and extreme horror.  I like putt putt golf, long walks on the beach and eating ice cream. I like theme parks and camping. I like going to clubs and dancing. I like baseball and football and riding four wheelers. Hell I even like going to the grocery store. My point is, I'm an easy date. I don't need you to take me to a five star restaurant at the top of some fancy hotel in order for me to have good time. I try to even things out a little too. I don't mind buying dinner or paying for the movie tickets. 

I have a relatively normal family. We don’t have any history of neurological psychosis, as far as I know I haven’t descended from any serial killers or rapists, we live a relatively normal, middle class life. My parents are still married, going on 30 years together. They don’t always agree with everything my sisters and I do, but they’ve never kicked us out, stopped talking to us, or otherwise made us feel like we were not a part of the family. I’ve done so much shit that they completely disagreed with and they’ve always always been there for me no matter what.

I have a good education and a solid career.  I can take care of myself and I don’t need a prince charming to come in on his white horse and rescue me.

What I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, is perfect.

Perfect means I don’t need you to hold my hand and comfort me when I’m feeling down.

Perfect means I don’t need to fall asleep with your arms around me.

Perfect means I don’t need you to understand the hurt I’ve gone through in the past and try to work through that hurt with me even though you weren’t responsible in any way for that.

Perfect means I don’t need you to be there for me unless it’s convenient for you.

By this definition of perfect I don’t even need you.

By this definition of perfect I am one fantastic fucked up mess.

That’s what none of these guys was able to understand. They made a few initial observations. She’s hot. She’s got her shit together. She’s cool with pretty much anything. She’s a lot of fun to be around.

And they just stopped trying.

 I was reaching a point where I could trust them with the parts of me that weren’t perfect and they had settled into a mindset that I was this mystical creature that was the answer to every lonely night and the end to every TV dinner they’d ever microwaved for a minute too long.

Maybe it’s me. I don’t try to project a perfect exterior. I’m just me, all the time, spooned out in doses I think you can handle. I try not to complain much, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have problems. I don't drop my fantastic mess of a life in your lap in the first month, and I would hope you don't drop anything like that in my lap that quickly either. I wait and see how you handle the first time we're on the phone and there's fifty gazillion things going on in the background and I zone out on you for a second or two. Or when I have to cancel plans because my son is sick or my family needs me. If you get frustrated and can't handle something that simple because it messes with your mental image of "perfect" me, that's my cue to cut my losses and head for the door.

It’s been one month to the day since I met number six. So far he seems to know I’m anything but perfect. Too bad I’m not allowed to fall for this one. Sometimes no strings attached relationships are the best and make you wonder what’s wrong with all these other people trying to tie each other down and suffocate the life out of them.

Lesson 01 - Clear Direction

Clear Direction Is The Key To Getting Anything Done. Without It What Do You Expect?

I have 12 different layers in this design and 2 text layers. I used a few different textures, applying overlay, vivid light, and colorburn to some of the layers. Then I added black gradient-to-transparent around the edges.

This applies to many different things. :)

 

family tips lessons instruction group everyone

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family tips lessons instruction group everyone

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Search query by BlogSearchQuery.com
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2. Friends Family Barbie Contemporary 1973-Now Dolls Dolls Bears

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Weblog search by BlogSearchQuery.com
5 Online Store Search Results

1. Family Guy Animation Characters Animation Art, Characters Collectibles

2. Friends Family Barbie Contempor ary 1973-Now Dolls Dolls Bears

3. Guides, Tips Ferrules Rod Building Repair Fishing

4. Acrylic Nails Tips Nail Care Polish Store

5. Friends Family Barbie Vintage Pre-1973 Dolls Dolls Bears

• The Ways One Commits Adultery In this article, I'll give you 10 signs of cheating in a relationship, and also how to get real evidence that there's cheating going on. There can be many different signs of cheating in a relationship and signs that are obvious in one relationship may not trigger warning bells in...
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• Be careful about tipping your hand I generally try to be a helpful person.  I like sharing what I know, and like to think that people will share what they know in return.In many instances, though, this sharing of information isn't returned, and my questions are left unanswered or answered misleadingly, on purpose.  In sharing something...
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• Keep Your Money for Yourself - Part 2: Get the Best Deals Finding the best deals does not need to be difficult. For some like me (the compulsive shopper), shopping can be an addiction. By making wise money choices, you give yourself the opportunity to make wise-money investments. This second article in a four-part series offers nine tips that will help you...
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Blogging search by BlogSearchQuery.com

---

Blog Search Query Tags:

private instructor Snow large scale learning experience Lessons Family beginner slope Kids group lessons group experience Skiing Snowboarding

Little White Lies

I like to think I'm a pretty bright girl. I may not get your joke with a double meaning, but I did manage to obtain a Masters Degree and that should count for something. I fancy myself pretty insightful, and when I think something looks suspicious more often than not it has turned out to be something shady.

I've had so many guys (friends too, but we'll focus on guys for now) lie to me and cheat on me, and they have always managed to get caught red handed. When I get a gut feeling that something isn't right, and I have a pretty good idea of what it is, I want to check it out. I'm not an extremely confrontational person. I want to see the best in people and give them a chance to explain themselves. Therefore, when I say something like "I saw you had a missed call from this number..." what I'm really saying is "I know that bitch is calling you, explain yourself". You guys aren't dumb; you know when you're getting called out on something. Don't insult my intelligence by trying to play dumb. I would have to say John was the worst about this. I once saw his rewards statement with a hotel stay under his wife's name. When I asked him about it he said she must have just used the number for her & her boyfriend. (Plausible, because I did know she was dating someone else). For a minute I almost believed him, but it turned out, intuition was right and he was lying. He did that every single day, with no problems. I never saw a moment of guilt or remorse. The only outward sign of any stress was him losing weight, but there were other excuses for that too.

I think there is a moment in a bad relationship where you just know. You know something is off, you finally decide to say something about it, and the other party has all kinds of reassurances that everything is fine. I hate that moment. Where you realize someone is lying to you. That has got to be the worst feeling in the world, to lose that trust. I know how it makes me feel, and I honestly believe I'd rather be branded. (For all you non-Texans, that's what we do to cattle, burn a brand on them using a flaming hot poker iron.)  Now anyone who has been hurt, lied to, cheated on, etc you should also know that to bring that baggage into a new relationship is doom.  You cannot go around being suspicious of every person just because you know everyone is human and is capable of being a liar. A new relationship deserves as much "benefit of the doubt" as possible. This can get pretty tough, especially if you're having dejavu from a past relationship. You might end up wrongly accusing someone because it looked a lot like something that happened in the past. If I'm in a relatively new relationship and feel like something might be going on (not cheating or anything serious, maybe just a little white lie) I am not going to get in your face and call you out. I would feel like a psycho bitch unloading all my dirty laundry on you. This is why, for as long as humanly possible I will take a passive approach to communication, hoping that you won't insult my intelligence, and will tell the truth to reinforce the trust that is there. This goes for friendships too. If I can't trust you to tell me the truth on a trivial matter, that has no bearing on anything important, how can I trust you when shit hits the fan and I really need someone?

I'm sorry but that's one thing I cannot stand is being lied to over something ridiculous. Actually I'm not sorry for that. You can take it or leave it, that's the way I am. I am so forgiving, if you did something that maybe wasn't with the best discretion in mind I can forgive you. Hell I forgave my husband for leaving me and cheating on me with another woman and even helped him fight for visitation rights to see his daughter that came from that relationship. The fact that he couldn't appreciate that and stay faithful to me is what finally drove us apart. I'm not perfect by any means. I tell my fair share of little white lies, and have lost friends over lies I've told. I hope that I'm becoming a better person and I attempt to be truthful more every day.  My point is, lies hurt. They hurt the people who hear them, but most of all they hurt the one who tells them. Because really, how can you live with yourself knowing that you've inflicted a pain worse than branding on someone who trusted you?

 

Texts

These are the type of text messages I get:

Name: Davis  Age: 25      
Education: College Degree
Our Relationship: Dated for about two months. He was looking for someone to marry, over-bearing with me & my son, wanted to fool around a lot, but not actually have sex. In his words, I was the most amazing girl he had ever dated (said to me after we broke up). I broke up with him when he made a joke about my son ending up behind bars. My son is 5 years old, it was way out of line.

Text #1 10:13 AM  Hey girl, havent talked 2 u in a bit. Hope ur doing well. God bless. DJC

I didn't respond to this one.

Text #2 1:00 PM Hey what u up 2 2nite. Im feeling friendly. Want 2 cum, and play. LOL Im so totally joking. LOL Or am I?! ;^) Hope ur awesome. DJC

This pisses me off. First of all, why would you send this when I obviously ignored your earlier text? Secondly, anyone who knows me, and especially this guy, knows that I have my son every night of the week (with rare exceptions) and I don't go anywhere when I have him. So I simmer for about 30 minutes and decide that if I don't want anymore shady texts like this I need to respond and shut him down.

My Text #1 1:26 PM I have {my son} and he's still not feeling well. :[

This starts a conversation about what he has (a virus), and getting him healthy so I can hand him over to his dad this weekend. When I tell him it's not his dad's weekend, it's mine, this is what I get:

Text #3 1:41 PM Dang, ur on the hook alot. I know u love him, but moma needs her play time. ;)

Instead of responding I'm writing this blog. If I respond I'll say something like, "Fuck off dipshit I obviously do not want to hang out with you. Get a life. I make time for the people I want to hang out with, and you're obviously not one of them. Also, learn how to fucking spell and use punctuation marks."

On that note I am going to dive into a rant about single moms, shitty dads and even shittier boyfriends.

If you are any kind of decent single mom (I like to put myself in this category) you put your kids first, before anything else. They come before your job, before your play time, and especially before guys. I'm not going to lie, it's fucking difficult to be a single mom. I want to get laid just as much (probably more) than any single girl, but because I'm a single mom my free time is extremely limited. Anyone who has a standard custody agreement knows that dads get their kids about 2 weekends a month. This translates into 4 nights a month, 48 nights a year (not including times they are at dad's for summer, holidays, etc). Let's be generous and say he spends the night with dad (or grandparents, babysitters, etc) 100 nights out of the year. That means he spends the night with me 265 nights a year. In my case, daddy does not make time for his son. I have to bend over backwards to even get him to take our son for the standard weekend.  I could get angry about this fact and the unfairness of it all, but I choose not to. I do love my son more than anything in the world, and I hope that after making a few shitty decisions that hurt us both I've learned to shelter him better. After being divorced for almost 2 years I feel like I've finally grown up into a mature single mom who is able to control my desires and balance them against my son's dependence on me to protect him from being hurt. What this translates into literally is that if I'm seeing someone we get to hang out once a week, twice a week if I'm lucky, max. On average, that is six times a month I can hang out and possibly get laid. Trust me if I'm giving you that time you are pretty damn special.

If I feel like it's going well between me and a guy, if we are getting serious and thinking about taking things to the next level I will bring my son along on a "kid friendly" date. Usually this means somewhere he's going to be occupied with what's going on and not completely focused on the fact that there is a guy with us. This gives me a chance to see how well they interact, with relatively little pressure to get involved in one on one time. Trust me when I say that dating with kids is the worst kind of balancing act you can ever attempt. There are endless blogs, opinions, and advice columns out there that discuss this topic and I'm not going to get into all the ins and outs of attempting this feat. I think it's sufficient to say it's on the damn near impossible list. I brought my son on two dates with Davis. Once to the movies and once to eat a quickie lunch at a fun, outdoor place. The second date is when he made the joke and I dumped him that afternoon.

Now, to be fair, as hard as it is for me to date as a single mom, it is just as impossible to try and date me as a guy. Not only do you have the usual relationship shit, you have to also wrap your head around becoming some kind of "father figure" to my son. I've found that it doesn't necessarily help to already have kids of your own. It's definitely a challenge no matter where you're coming from. I'm just going to say one thing about it and that is that there's a fine line between helping me parent and trying to be the parent. That line can't be explained in an instruction manual I don't care how many pages it is.

Well it's been almost an hour since that text and I've run out of steam. I don't know why he keeps texting me, I'm as rude as possible without being ugly. I rarely return his texts and have turned down numerous invites to "hang out". There are mutual friends involved so I'm trying not to do anything that would cause him to talk bad about me to anyone. I'm not technically dating anyone so I can't use that as an excuse either. :[  Hopefully he'll get a clue soon. Until then, entertain me in the comments with your horrible dating stories or annoying texts you may have received lately. :]