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Lotta information here, so read all the way through. There is a small chance that my blog will explode once I upload this vid-o-knowledge, so stand back. Protective eyewear required.
I worked on a screencast of my research process last night (about 2 hours worth). It showed the choices I make, my workflow, organization, reliable sources, etc. I hit Save…and nothing happened. I’m stuck with a 4GB avi that doesn’t play. Live and learn. I spent the rest of the night working on the following video, which shows a segment of my research on “nerds†for the Twilight paper (which will be awesome, btw).
Some of you wished to have a copy available at home, so I’m posting it here. I’m going to add notes to the video later to make it more self-explanatory, but I think it is fairly clear now. Also, if you have any suggestions (video speed, information, clarification, etc) for this video or anything else you’d like me to record, let me know. This is a learning process for me.
In addition to the screencasts, I thought I’d dive deeper into the social mediasphere. Since you all seem to be anti-RSS feeds, I’ve set up a Facebook page that will send you updates via your account. Just go here, inflate my ego by becoming a fan, and receive updates when I post to the blog. (I’ve connected my Twitter page to the feed as well, so if you are somehow on Twitter but not Facebook, follow me here.) This should be an efficient way of getting information to you guys outside of class, but we’ll see. It’s just a test. As always, if you have an idea about how to make this better, let me know.
The Winsome Scholar » My Fans! My Glorious Fans! says:
February 3, 2010 at 6:57 pm
[…] a screencast for the Brit Lit class. Videos for you guys will follow, but it might give you some insight into my […]
February 4, 2010 at 5:28 pm
what’d you use to record?
very nice by the way thanks!
February 4, 2010 at 5:48 pm
Thanks. I used Camtasia. If you’re interested in a free option, I hear good things about Camstudio, but that is what delivered my empty video. It’s open source, though, so it may get better with time.
February 6, 2010 at 9:32 pm
Heyo.
So, I got a lot of articles on my book, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, about how it has been banned from some school libraries because of children’s parents. I guess it’s pretty controversial as to whether or not it should be available to students.
On the other hand, there are a lot that say that the book can be very helpful to teens today because they are struggling with the same things that the main character is.
Am I on the right track? I’m a little confused as to what i should write about.
February 6, 2010 at 9:47 pm
You’re on the right track. You can make one of three arguments with this paper: historical (“This book reflects *these things that were going on at the time*”), philosophical (“This book is a great example of *this way of looking at the world”), or cultural (“This book made an impact years after it was written because of *these circumstances or cultural changes*”). Now, you won’t likely be able to write about the last one, as it is a fairly new book (unless opinions have changed, like some churches’ view of Harry Potter), but the book is perfect for the other two.
Now that you are familiar with the story and the issues surrounding it, look for possible explanations for the issues. What is it about the book that makes people upset? or, Why does Perks having been written now make sense? (That is, could this book have been written 100 years ago? Why not? What has changed?)
Your answer to one of these questions will be your thesis. Keep me updated.
February 7, 2010 at 8:48 pm
i have finally figured out a thesis after all this time
February 8, 2010 at 8:34 pm
I can’t think of a thesis! I have one in mind from one of the articles I read, but I feel like it’s someone elses’s theory, I’m just not too clear on what to do