Are Aliens Out There? Of Course!
This afternoon I watched the TEDx talk, “Seth Shostak: ET is (probably) out there — get ready.” I totally agree with what Seth says about the statistical probability / near certainly of extra-terrestrial life and intelligence being “out there” in space. I also agree with his point that we need to focus on getting kids between age 8 and 11 both excited and interested in science, because ideas they encounter at that age can have a MAJOR impact on their life studies, interests, hobbies, profession, and “trajectory.” Check out the talk, it’s excellent. I told my 9 year old about this, and she watched it on my iPhone. Woo hoo for videos which encourage STEM interests!
Club Penguin Tweets to Rachel About Her Video
I just showed Rachel this exciting Tweet from Club Penguin! She’s excited to create more!
If you didn’t see the video Rachel made over the weekend, check it out: “How to make an igloo in Club Penguin.”
How to make an igloo in Club Penguin
I just made a 10 min. screencast today using Screenflow. It’s a ‘how to’ video for Club Penguin. It’s so cool!
Marie Curie
This is a book report Rachel wrote for Ms Moore’s 3rd grade class this year.
Marie Curie changed the world through science. Marie and her husband discovered two new elements, polonium and radium. Marie and two other scientists won the Nobel Prize in physics. In 1910, she isolated radium in the form of a metal. Marie won a second Nobel Prize, this time in chemistry.
Some of her main struggles were that her husband was killed in an accident right after they won the prize. Marie’s main struggle was that people treated her differently because she was a woman.
Her accomplishments inspire me to work harder in science. She proves that women can be as good as men in science. One of my favorite quotes of hers is:
“You cannot hope to build a better world without improving and, at the same time, share a general responsibility for all humanity, our particular duty being to aid those to whom we think can be most useful.” -Marie Curie
Her research into radiation helped others discover the structure of the atom. Even though radiation is very dangerous, it helps save lives even today through X rays, cancer treatments, and creating electricity.
A Tour of Club Penguin (February 2013)
In this screencast, 10 year old Rachel takes us on a guided tour of Club Penguin. I asked Rachel to do this because this morning, she shared how she had created an igloo to be like a funeral scene for a puffin in the game. The father of one of Rachel’s older sister’s friends died suddenly from a heart attack two weeks ago, and 3 of us attended the funeral last Saturday. Rachel didn’t attend, so I wasn’t sure if this “virtual encounter with death” was a way she was dealing with those feelings. It’s not clear to me that she is or was… She describes how she saw someone else doing this with their igloo, and she thought it was a clever way to get people to come to your igloo in Club Penguin where they can click “like” to show their approval.
This is an interesting dive into the the virtual world my youngest daughter plays in every week.
A Personal Tour of the International Space Station
This morning before school I shared the start of this video with Rachel, who is VERY interested in science, space, and all things NASA. It’s a 25 minute tour of the International Space Station by Sunita Williams, who was the commander of the station until this past November.
Rachel, YOU could be recording a tour like this from space in 15 or 20 years!
(I’m posting this here so Rachel can watch the rest of this after school or another day, and you can too!)
Hat tip to Mike Gras who shared this video on Facebook last night.
An Interview with Fred McPherson
This Friday I’m going to share a presentation at TEDxOU in Norman, Oklahoma. I’m planning to talk about the importance of storychasing the voices of our families, and am going to tell a story (among others) about Fred McPherson. Fred was like a grandfather to me, and a father to my mom and uncle who also spent some wonderful summer months with him and his wife, Alice, in Itasca, Texas.
In October 2005, my parents interviewed Fred about his life. This is the 78 minute audio interview they recorded with Fred.
I am going to share a 92 second edited excerpt of that interview in my TEDx talk on Friday, which I’ve shared to SoundCloud using the title, “Remembering the Early Days of Radio.”
Rest in peace, beloved Fred. My how you’d be amazed to see how your family members are communicating now around the world.
If That’s How It Is
Sarah gave two wonderful performances last night at the Poteet Theater in Oklahoma City last night for her winter vocal audition. Way to go Sarah!
Her vocal instructor and coach, Jay Prock, wisely scheduled a short vocal audition prior to the musical performance of “The Wizard of Oz.” as a result they had a nice audience for the recital!
Alexander’s Cake Model of the Cell (narrated food)
Alexander made a model of an animal cell for his 9th grade biology class this weekend. I asked him to take a photo of it, and (although he protested) he recorded a short AudioBoo describing his project and some of the cell parts. This media reflection is therefore an example of “narrated food,” as opposed to “narrated art.” 🙂
Plants versus Zombies
Plant versus Zombies is a game that you can download to your smart phone or iPhone. It is a very fun game! 🙂
Essay on Roman Myths
This is an amazing essay Rachel wrote in class in September during their Rome unit in social studies. (CLICK TO VIEW LARGER VERSION)
Cooking Lobstah in Maine
Some images and video from our wondering experiences cooking and eating LOBSTAH in Maine yesterday! I shot this with my iPhone5 and edited it using Pinnacle Studio for iPad. Many thanks to chef Jonathan!
Ferry to Peaks Island, Maine
Some video of our family trip yesterday taking the ferry from Portland, Maine, to Peaks Island and back. I shot this with my iPhone5 and edited it using Pinnacle Studio for iPad.
Visual Poem: Hood River Sunrise
Hood River Sunrise
credits:
Wesley Fryer, iPhone4 An amazing morning of clouds and light witnessed from Sakura Ridge B&B. 
Wesley Fryer, iPhone4 An amazing morning of clouds and light witnessed from Sakura Ridge B&B.
Sent from my iPhone