And the Bloscar goes to…

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Welcome to the first annual Bloscar Awards.  Tonight we will be honoring the blog posts that have been exceptional this year.  There are 4 categories that will be awarded tonight: creativity, professionalism, design and people’s choice.  And now, without further ado, let’s commence with the show.

Please give a heartfelt welcome to our Bloscar hosts, Russell Crowe and Julianne Moore.

Mr. Crowe: Thank you.  Thank you.  We are honored to be here.  Our first award this evening goes out to the blog post that exemplifies the most creative posting.

Ms. Moore: And the envelope please?  The winner of the most creative blog posting goes to Michelle Shaw for her creation of…Yahoo!

Ms. Shaw: Oh my goodness.  First, I need to thank the academy for this opportunity to acknowledge the contributions our leading bloggers are making to this evolving world of digital writing.

When I began creating my first Photo Story, I had no idea where it would lead.  In fact, on that very first day, the Photo Story consisted merely of my own photos and music that was available on the Photo Story software.  However, having slept on it, I realized there was so much more I wanted to do, and telling the story of my wedding day was my number one priority.  Since it was very difficult for me to not have the wedding day I imagined, I wanted to share the day I actually experienced.  Needless to say, I was motivated to do my best.  The written story came pretty naturally as I examined my pictures, and I even added a few photos as I concluded that I wanted to honor the special people who helped me get through that difficult time.   I was proud of my efforts because I felt like I played a huge role in creating every part of it.  For this technology rookie, that was a huge accomplishment.

Ms. Moore: And the winner of the most professional blog post goes once again to Michelle Shaw for her posting of What strategies will students utilize when participating in  a VoiceThread?

Ms. Shaw: I am thrilled about this second award because I really took the time to reflect on software that I wanted to use to share my own personal writing so that I could use it in the classroom with my students.  In fact, I even thought of ideas that would be applicable for all of the French homeroom teachers at our school to use in their classrooms.   After viewing my original VoiceThread about my dogs, my students have been really excited about doing their own projects.  They have already bought the flash drives so that they can transport their VoiceThread photos to school, and they proudly clasp them as they hang around their necks every day.  I can’t wait to get started!

Mr. Crowe: And finally, for the blog post that stands out in the area of design goes once again to Michelle Shaw for her posting of How do I use role-play and simulation in the classroom?

Ms. Shaw: Thank you, Russell.  This is a special category for me because this was the first time I had designed an avatar on my own.  My avatar also helped me design my role-play character and led me to discover exactly what my profile was going to be.  This creation of an online role-play character has motivated me to try this with my students in my classroom, and I know that they will greatly enjoy creating their own characters as we explore topics from history.  I’m hoping that the District Media Department will purchase the necessary software so that we can begin using ELGG before the school year ends.

Ms. Moore: Now for our final and most prestigious award, we are honored to have Ms. Audrey Hepburn here to present the Bloscar for People’s Choice.

Ms. Hepburn: Good evening.  This was a tough category because there were just so many amazing blogs to choose from.  Everyone was so honest and thoughtful in their postings, and each person had a different goal for his or her blog.  Here are the top 3 nominees for the People’s Choice Bloscar:

Natasha’s visual description of A Hatched Rock put words behind the intense feeling of creating something beautiful that is completely unexpected.

Elizabeth’s use of VoiceThread to make the characters of  The Things They Carried come alive for her students.

Debi’s VoiceThread about a hobby she is passionate about.  What a great way to learn more about your students!

Ms. Hepburn: Thank you all for coming to the First Annual Bloscar Awards.  You have been a lovely audience.  Good night!