Raven Blogger Award: Snapshots

I really enjoyed reading all of your Snapshot posts and seeing your pictures. Many of them could have been picked for the award, so I chose two from each hour.

I can tell that many of you are working on improving your writing. Remember, you are writing for a global audience, so you always want to put your best foot forward.

Feel free to check out the blogs from your classmates on the right and leave comments!

Here are the winners for this week's award:

This is a very cool and unique 1st person photo by Ryenn from her horse. (4th Hour)

Here is a funny photo of a few of your classmates at an early age! (Nate 4th Hour)

A very well-written post from Katie (5th Hour).

Did you know that Taylor can fly a helicopter? Very cool picture here. (5th Hour)

Hunter has a great family photo and story about his grandpa. (Hunter 7th Hour)

Who knew that Tyler M. could jump this high? Nice ups in this picture! (Tyler M. 7th Hour)

Outside Reading #1

Outside Reading #1 is due Monday, January 31st.

I am reading The War for Late Night: When Leno Went Early and Television Went Crazy by Bill Carter.

It is the true-story about why NBC decided to guarantee Conan O'Brien The Tonight Show, and took a chance on moving Jay Leno to 9:00 in order to ensure that he wouldn't go to another network.

I am going to use the faces of K-State's Frank Martin to rate this book. This is how I am feeling about this book right now:

Frank is pretty happy!

I am really enjoying reading this book. I have always been interested in how the entertainment industry operates and makes decisions. It is fascinating to read about the mistakes that NBC, O'Brien and Leno all made that turned into a total mess. I am 3/4 of the way finished with this already, so it has gone through all of the background that led up to January 2010 when Conan was given the choice of moving his show back 30 minutes to make way for Jay Leno. That is where I am right now in the book.

One of the most fascinating parts of the book is how Carter interviewed some of the other late-night personalities, notably Jimmy Kimmel. Jimmy performed an impersonation of Jay for an entire show, getting in plenty of digs about the fact that Jay was taking The Tonight Show back away from Conan.  As a result, Jay asked Jimmy to be a guest on his show for a "10-Questions" segment. I thought it was hilarious when Jay asked him, "'Is there anything you haven't hosted that you want to host?' 'Oh, this is a trick, right?' Kimmel asked. 'Where you get me to host The Tonight Show and then take it back from me?'" (Carter 336). Carter remarks that Jimmy is pummeling Jay with insults, and he just sits there and takes it!

You can watch the clip here:



I would love to ask the author how he got all of these interviews from the key players in the saga. You feel like you are a fly on the wall in some of the conversations that take place, and you can tell Mr. Carter did considerable research and interviewing for this book.

Outside Reading Novels

You will blog about your outside reading novel this quarter.

Remember my requirements for your book:

1. At or above grade level
2. No picture/comic books
3. Minimum of 150+ pages

For each blog post you must include the following criteria:

1. Rating System: Come up with your own unique rating system. It could be a picture, stars, thumbs up/down, etc... Be creative! For each post, you will rate the book up to that point and explain why you are giving it that rating. Your first post should explain your rating system.

2. Image: Each post must include one image. It could be the cover of the book, or an image you find that relates to the book.

3. Questions: What questions would you have for the author? What don't you understand? What is confusing?

4. One quote: Embed one important quote from the book that speaks to you, you don't understand, is important, etc... Make sure to use correct citation!

Each blog post should be about the book up until that point.

Proofread. This goes without saying.

Top Posts: AOW #1

I enjoyed reading all of your pleas to JCCC to readmit Ms. Byrnes back into school after she posted the photo on Facebook. I think some of you have a career as lawyers in your future!

Here are a few of the top posts:

Sean has a solid thesis statement that sets up his argument. (5th Hour)

Allison showed the other side of the argument, admitting that her client had a momentary lapse in judgment. (7th Hour)

Julee uses pathos to appeal to JCCC's emotional side. (4th Hour)

POW #2: Snapshots

Photographs are among our most prized possessions. They capture a sliver of time in our lives that we can instantly be transported back to when we look at it. With the invention of digital photographs, you can now take thousands of photos at almost no cost.

Create a blog post about a snapshot. It could be about:

• A photograph that first comes to mind
• Your most treasured photograph
• The photograph you wish you had never taken (or been in)
• A photograph that taught you something
• A photograph you most associate with loss; Happiness; A change in your life

You do not have to post a photograph to complete this post, although you may. If you post a picture of someone else, do not include their full name, and please get permission from them first.

My example:

POW #2: Snapshots

This photo was taken on January 11th, 2010 moments after my son, Brady, was born.

The thing I remember the most about his birth was how much hair he had (unlike his father!). He has been a great baby and it was truly a life-changing moment for my family.

I documented the entire last year in a Photo 365 project where I took a picture every day for an entire year. This was a really fun project where I could document his growth over the course of a year. You can check it out here.

Top blog posts: Hello, my name is...

I enjoyed reading about how you got your name. There were some great stories, and I learned some new things about several of you.

One problem I saw in several posts was a lack of proofreading. Far too many capitalization errors ("I" as a pronoun is ALWAYS capitalized), spelling and grammatical errors. Remember, you are publishing for a global audience. You should put your best foot forward with your writing. These are simple errors that we need to clean up. 

Several people did not publish or do their name post. Please come see me if you have questions about how to operate your blog. I am here to help and I want to see that everyone is successful.

Here are a few posts to check out from your fellow classmates:

My name is... (Monica 4th Hour)

Hello! My name is... (Rachel 5th hour)

Michi? Misha? Michaela? Dakota? What's your name again? (Misha 7th Hour)

A bra is a woman's undergarment, not a nickname (Braden 7th Hour)

AOW #1: Nursing student dismissed for Facebook photo

Photo via KC Star

Read the AOW #1 here.

Imagine that you are the lawyer for Ms. Byrnes, the student dismissed from nursing school for the Facebook picture.

In a well-written, thoughtful blog post, persuade the school administration to readmit her to school. You should include evidence that will help your client's case. What argument would you make on her behalf?

Title your post "AOW #1" and label it "AOW".

This post is due Tuesday, January 18th, 2010.