Thirteen Ways of Looking at Green

1.
A mist of pollen hugs the mountains -
green, Indian Summer.

2.
Question in the inner mind
question in the wood of green
green, green.

3.
Like the cycle of life, never-ending.

4.
Green is the first dandelion twisting its
way up through the asphalt.

5.
Illumination for an open idea.

--penned by the 2009 NIWP Summer Institute Fellows
with humble thanks to Wallace Stevens

Websites I Love, Follow, Wish I Could Visit More Often

There are a ton of resources out there, both writing and teacherly. However, trying to slog through all of the various websites to find a diamond takes time. Here I've provided links to some of my favorite sites that are officially Resources Dipped in AwesomeSauce.

• Teachers Teaching Teachers
• Adventures in Writing
• The Literary Lab
• NWP Book Group Ning
• The National Writing Project
• Jim Burke's English Companion
• Writing Fix

This is a digital story that Mercedes created during our Summer Institute this year.

I Am From

Why I Write...

I write because I want to hear myself think;
because I need to develop thought, idea, substance;
because I must create.

I write because I want to enter the dialogue;
because I need to listen, integrate, join the conversation;
because I must absorb.

I write because I want my words to stand on their own;
because I need to hear the rejoinders, opposing opinions, hope;
because I must exist.

Sound FX for Digital Stories

It's sometimes difficult to find great sounds and effects. Here's a great compilation of sites and resources.

Digital Storytelling Resources

Various Resources: Explore the following websites. Some will lead you down rabbit trails, but all should provide something invaluable whether it's a nugget of info or a place to gather images, sounds, or songs.

Easy Storytelling Guide: getting at the nugget of story http://www.storycenter.org/canada/

Resources: http://www.tech-head.com/dstory.htm

Image, Music, and Video Resources: http://www.digitales.us/resources/image_sources.php

7 Steps to Making a Digital Story: http://www.digitales.us/resources/seven_steps.php

Explore many digital stories: http://www.digitales.us/ under the Storykeeper’s Gallery drop-down menu

Recipe: how to make a digital story: http://www.storycenter.org/memvoice/pages/cookbook.html

For teachers: http://www.teachingteachers.com/index.htm

Introduction to Digital Storytelling

Set Activity: Visit this site and watch the digital story, Momnotmom.

First, visit this site and jot down key components of the Digital Story. Begin creating a definition for "digital story", adding to it as you journey along.

Next, visit the Storycenter again and listen to the different stories. As you do, add to your definition of Digital Story. Watch as many as you want but make sure you find "Tanya" and "Dear Jody" so that we have a common experience.

Consider the following:

• What makes up a digital story?
• What are the different layers? (e.g. music, voice, etc)
• What makes one story more or less effective than another?
• What are the different purposes/audiences for creating digital stories.
• What are possible purposes within the classroom?

Finally, create a post for your blog that defines Digital Storytelling. This is a work in progress, so don't feel that it has to be perfect: it's simply a record of your learning at this moment in time.

Fruit & Veggie One-Liners

Peas: nubile bumps nudging toward adolescence, how modest your nightgown, how tightly zipped, how crisply closed, how green.

Broccoli: haven for so many birds; I claim you off-limits, official Avian Reserve.

Cherry: impaled upon your own crescent splinter, you swell to bursting.

Cilantro: verdant lace dancing across the crimson bosom of Tomato, you quiver with the soul of Salsa.

Carrot: slim stiletto of beta carotene, you dart into rich dark earth with grim determination.

21st Century Religion

moralistic braying
catches me by surprise
whips my head back,
singes my hair.
I duck the spittle, spraying
like napalm,
seeking out my
every biological
particle –
search
and
destroy –
burning flesh,
searing nerve-
endings.

Silence.

No reprieve.
Reload. Click.
And words
ricochet off walls
pummel my body
like so many rubber bullets
not wounding per se
but leaving bruises
the size of grapefruit
swelling and purpling
until the crosshairs
never leave the
bull’s eye
of my soul.

pinched voice
strident,
and preaching,
pushing me down
down
down
into the smallest
Insignificant
fragment
of fragility,
skittering under the edge
of anonymity