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The creative process is nothing if not elusive. As soon as I’ve figured out what direction I want to go in, my other self takes over, and we go somewhere else entirely.
The Clmooc community welcomes this kind of wayward creative thinking. In fact, it depends on it. If you are not participating, you should at least lurk. Twitter is #clmooc. Facebook page here. Google plus here.
This week’s make assignment comes from the University of Illinois Writing Project. They posted a video, and they all look so young. No worries. That was me, once.
The make instructions can be a bit confusing. They ask us to remediate. But the word isn’t what we typically think about in education as remediation. The word comes from re- and media, meaning taking something and changing the media, creativity at its best.
I thought about this while I perused Facebook, a typical avoidance behavior for me. But this time, I was looking for what I thought would make a found poem. On Sunday, I posted a picture of a baby baptized in our church. This post got an amazing number of likes and comments. I decided to remediate the picture using the app WordFoto. The words came from the comments on the picture.
I wasn’t satisfied. So I kept looking. I saw a post that read, “Same sky. Same moon.” That did it. I wrote a poem using these lines as the kick off. I went to Animoto to build a video. Last week was a monumental week in the life of our country. We all know this. I was riveted by our president’s singing of Amazing Grace during his eulogy for Reverend Clementa Pinckney.
Amazing Grace has taken on new meaning for me. Always a favorite, I now see it as a song that gathers people together, all of us together under the same sky, the same moon, the same grace.
Reflections on the Teche 
WOW!!! So much learning. I love the idea of remediating something!! Beautiful picture and the video just took my breath away. I love the journey of learning that you take us on in your posts!
That Amazing Grace made me cry. This was the Obama I voted for. I feel like the job took the life out of him and now as it rounds out, he can be himself again. I had hoped he would have been someone who didn’t let the job change him into all those other politicians, sadly the job of President isn’t what it used to be. Our world is so complicated. Amazing Grace simplified it in to terms I’m more comfortable with.
Lovely, Margaret, Clmooc sounds fun & challenging too! Your post reminds me of the book Same Sun Here. It’s a sweet book about differences, but we are all under that same sun, just like your message today.
I want to second what Kimberly said. We all need amazing grace. When we accept that message for all we are in a much better place. Thank you!
You are amazing…I am all tapped out creatively, but I always know I can learn something new and fun from you.
Great post, great risk-taking, great bravery! I love reading your experiences and seeing/watching your remediations! So admire you, Margaret.
I have never heard of your definition of remediate before. Love what you created. Stunning!
This is so beautiful, Margaret! I love that you kept working at this, trusting the process to find the inspiration you needed to create this amazing video. Thank you for sharing your learning!
I soooo wanted to join this group of amazing WP teachers, but the summer was full of commitments and now seems to be slipping away. I must take the time to lurk, though, because your blogs have intrigued me. Thanks.
That poem photograph is just gorgeous, Margaret. I’m so impressed with the way you’re using technology to cross genres. And the video was breath-taking.
NICE! A fine celebration of all our same-nesses.