Greetings from Camp Magic MacGuffin and Bunkhouse 2 (aka Wäscälly Wäbbits)! Sorry I didn’t write home sooner; I started my journey a little behind schedule and got lost along the way. I am happy to report I arrived safe and sound, albeit a little frazzled.
I am slowly, but surely, getting up to speed with the camp agenda, activities, and, of course, the technologies. Arriving a little late and a little naive left me lost in the woods for a week or so, but following the sounds of activity at camp and sending out the occasional smoke signal, I found my way to camp, gathered my supplies, and dove (or belly flopped) into the stream of other campers, counselors, and the activities!
My social networking experience was limited to Facebook, LinkedIn, and very limitedly Google, so I had to sign up and learn to use Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, and SoundCloud. It’s pretty cool that these tools have apps I have added to my iPhone and iPad to make my participation easier while away from my laptop.
I also got to chose my very own domain name, set up a blog site, and started blogging! Be proud…it was quite an accomplishment for me! This is where you can follow my progress through the summer. So far, I’ve been able to add a Gallery that posts by Flickr photos, a Twitter feed, and a little window dressing to pretty it up a bit!
Everyone here has been helpful and nice so far, except for one rogue camper that raised some hackles. The camp directors have him sequestered now, so we can get on with the fun and games. Looking forward to meeting new people, getting new perspectives and trying new things. That was one of my New Year’s resolutions this year, and as it turns out, this camp is a great opportunity to do just that!
The Daily Creates (TDC) are a lot of fun. This camp’s visual assignments gave me excuse I’ve been looking for to buy a new camera. I chose the Canon Powershot SX260 for its compact, point and shoot size with a megazoom (80x!!!) So far, I am LOVING it and the ds106 TDCs are giving my great way to play with my new toy and explore its features and capabilities. It also took awesome photos at the ZZ Top concert yesterday!
I’ve been sharing the TDCs on my blog individually as I completed them, but I think in the coming weeks as my blogging become more frequent, I will be transitioning to a “once-per-week recap” format. Maybe. I get so excited about each one that I can’t help but share, share, share it!
I also learned about Vonnegut and The Shape of Stories. This gave me a get opportunity to share my newest literary (ok, I use that term loosely) obsession with Fifty Shades of Grey! I’m on book #2 now, Fifty Shades Darker. True, it’s kinda like “mommy porn” but all the hoopla and controversy over this book trilogy seems a little miss placed. If you’d be offended by a sexually explicit language or acts, don’t read it. But if you’re open-minded and not a prude, give it a try. It’s making my commutes from work to camp (more than 2 hours each way everyday), MUCH more interesting! Hahaha! 
Due to my other obligations and responsibilities, I have yet to be able to join the others at the campfire, but I trying to get there this coming Thursday, if I can de-conflict my schedule. In addition, I still have a few things to do to get completely up to speed and get some badges, including:
- Complete TDC136, a video recap of a family legend. But which one to share? And I HATE myself on video. Guess I’m gonna have to suck it up and get used to it. I doubt I can avoid video assignment for the entire experience.
- Watch the Mike Wesch video on internet culture and media learning and write a reflection of the material on my blog. I’ve started watching it, but boy, is it long. I rarely make it through watching an entire movie these days. All my activities are exhausting, but watch for it. I’ll have it done by the end of the week.
- I’ve spent a significant amount of time on Bryan Alexander’s (author of Introduction to Digital Storytelling) website and checking out his stories and links. Now I just have to put pen to paper, so to speak, pick one and discuss it.
- Minecraft. Well, I’m not really looking forward to this one. I’m not much of a video game person. Okay, except for maybe Angry Birds, if you consider that a video game. A shortage of funds has kept me from starting on this adventure, but I’ll be starting soon. I hope to find a lot of help there; as I’m sure my inexperience in these types of forums will have me in a learning curve. Maybe I’ll type a rope around my waist or leave a trail of bread crumbs, in case my bunk mates need to send out a search party
All this and more will be accomplished by my next weekly letter home this coming weekend. I’ve already seen the Week 3 announcements and agenda and I’m optimistic that I’m proficient enough with the tools to set a good pace forward. Time to wrap up my rambling…
Stay tuned until next time…
