The Alamo

"In the southern part of Texas, in the town of San Antone,
There's a fortress all in ruin that the weeds have overgrown.
You may look in vain for crosses and you'll never see a one,
But sometime between the setting and the rising of the sun,
You can hear a ghostly bugle as the men go marching by;
You can hear them as they answer to that roll call in the sky:
Colonel Travis, Davy Crockett and a hundred eighty more;
Captain Dickenson, Jim Bowie, present and accounted for."
-Marty Robbins, Ballad of the Alamo

One of the most highlights of my trip to NECC this year was a visit to the Alamo.

As a child of the '50s and '60s, I grew up with some TV heroes. Most of them were cowboys, with one shining exception: Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier.



I understand that the Disneyfied version of this real American was occasionally (O.K. mostly) short on historical accuracy, but my further reading and research on David Crockett never dislodged my affection for this icon of my youth.

My husband shares the same generation and the same sentiment. One of the most meaningful moments for him, of our vacation in California a few years ago, was a visit to the Fess Parker Vineyards, where he posed for a picture with the portrait of our childhood idol.

I realize that the story of the Alamo and the Texans' fight for independence from Mexico is a complicated one. But I found myself in tears as I stood in the old mission building that many people regard as a shrine.

To commemorate this visit, my husband created a painting for me. It is one of my chiefest treasures and dearest mementos of San Antonio.

" In the southern part of Texas, near the town of San Antone,
Like a statue on his Pinto rides a cowboy all alone.
And he sees the cattle grazin' where a century before,
Santa Anna's guns were blazin' and the cannons used to roar.
And his eyes turn sort of misty, and his heart begins to glow,
And he takes his hat off slowly to the men of Alamo.
To the thirteen days of glory at the siege of Alamo."
-Marty Robbins, Ballad of the Alamo

"Sunset" by Tim Cordell
"Davy Crockett Poster" from tvparty
"Line in the Sand" by dmcordell

Where in the World? Part 2

I decided to create a companion mosaic to display after the Animoto clip has played. This would allow for discussion of the visual clues to the geographic area that's being spotlighted.

There are infinite variations on the Where in the World? theme. For example, individual students or teams could brainstorm significant landmarks, products, topological features, etc. of a city, state, province, country, continent, or biome, locate appropriate pictures, then challenge their classmates to identify what's being described. A similar project might involve finding images of the 7 wonders of the ancient or modern world.

Partner projects, like Where in Time ? or Where in History? would utilize photos and illustrations of primary source artifacts, buildings, and reenacters.

Upload some vacation photos and give it a try - then use your product to model the activity for a class. And, please, share your masterpieces with the rest of us!

Where in the World?

Since I hope to incorporate "geography literacy" in my Current Events class next year, I decided to make some Animoto clips featuring different parts of the world.

My first one was inspired by NECC. Can you guess Where in the World it is from the images? If anyone else would like to spotlight a city or country via Animoto, Voicethread, or any other tool, please send a link and help me build a data bank.