Civil War Day

This is an Animoto video I made for Civil War Day. The 8th grade social studies teachers (mostly Mr. Finkill) organize Civil War Day every two years since it is such an undertaking. Regardless of the forcasted rain tomorrow I am sure everyone will learn a lot and maybe even be inspired to learn more about our past.

The New Gettysburg Visitor's Center and Cyclorama Building

Gettysburgvisitorscenter 024, originally uploaded by atitzel.

Ths is is a picture I took of the new Visitor's Center and Cyclorama building at Gettysburg. This facility will officially open on April 14th. Although it will be open when we take our trip to Gettysburg, we will not be spending time there. However, if you get a chance I highly encourage you to take a trip to check out the new interactive exhibits, 22 minute feature film, and (opening in September ) the refurbished Cyclorama painting. This is a state of the art facility that is a must see prior to heading to the battlefield.

History Turns at Gettysburg

On Tuesday, April 22 our Team will be taking a field trip to the Gettysburg National Military Park. On that day we will literally walk in the footsteps of those brave soldiers who gave the "last full measure" of their lives in order for their country to survive. Whether that country was the United States of America, or the Confederate States of America, those soldiers fought on the very soil where we will be standing. The conditions they endured on those 3 days in July, 1863, is impossible for us to fully appreciate or comprehend, but maybe we can experience a slight glimpse into their world if we allow ourselves to imagine and empathize with their lives 145 years ago. The world has changed dramatically since then, but how different would the world be today if events at Gettysburg would have turned out with a Confederate victory? Gettysburg could have been the turning point battle on the road to a permanent Confederate States of America. Robert E. Lee would be the George Washington of his new nation. How many of us would be proud citizens of the C.S.A., instead of the U.S.A.? More importantly, how much longer would slavery have lasted and what would race relations be like today? What would international relations be like between the U.S. and C.S.?

The Duel--Vice President Burr kills Alexander Hamilton

This is a quick and easy video I made using Animoto. I just uploaded the pictures and selected the music from Animoto's music library, and voila, a professionally designed video. What do you think?

Are you a thoughtful person???

I don't mean are you a kind and considerate person. I mean do you think about things? Do you love to ask questions? Are you curious? Do you love to read for pleasure? Are you imaginative?

I am concerned that too many people nowadays are not that thoughtful. Our attention spans have been reduced to the point where a 30 second television advertisment doesn't really hold our attention unless something shockingly entertaining happens. Are we entertaining ourselves to death?

Here is a graph produced by the Killian & Company Ad Agency. Think about the questions I posed under the graph.



Read about how the Killian and Company ad agency uses knowledge of short attention spans to their advantage.