Screencast: East of Eden



My biggest hurdle in doing this video was this:

I hate my voice.

Other than that, I struggled a bit with rambling too much about the book. Most of my first takes on this were around four minutes long, and that was with me cutting out a lot of content. I think the key with videos like this is to keep them short and genuine, and that sort of masks any opportunity to really delve into the intricacies of the book. This is, of course, fine my be, as I'm just supposed to be pitching the book and not reading it verbatim for all of you.

This software was interesting to use - it seemed like a slight derivative of a Twitch stream. It certainly seems to be applicable in a classroom setting, though more for online makeup work as opposed to something I would utilize in class. I'd much rather explain things in person as opposed to having students watch a video of me rambling while I am sitting right there. BUT the applications for this software are there and I am actually quite glad I know how to use it now!

Comments

  1. McCallumJuly 4, 2018 at 11:27 AM

    Thanks, Troy. Thanks for sharing this. I know the teachers of the Classic Novel class at my school want to bring this book in. They're struggling with what to cut out, but I can see why they'd be so interested in including it. I appreciated your sport fan analogy and your genuine interest in the text. You show how the book is important to you and why it could be key for others, especially younger readers, to grapple with it.

    I agree with you that it's similar to streaming. There's not much removed, which is why I like it. If students get used to this, it opens up your classroom and their own abilities to broadcast with purpose. It's way easier than it used to be, and it's free.

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  2. UnknownJuly 8, 2018 at 4:14 PM

    Hi Troy! You've definitely sold me on this book. I loved Of Mice and Men and also think that Steinbeck is a stellar storyteller. He really does articulate human decision making beautifully and he's very focused on the morals and ethics, right and wrong. I also appreciate that you said this is "not a book to say that you've read a book." It's tough and long and you're straightforward about that. Sometimes it's the books that really make you work for it that become your favorite. Oh, and I also struggled listening to my voice-- don't worry, we can all relate. Great job! Time to add this to my ever-growing list.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Leyla SuleimanJuly 8, 2018 at 11:20 PM

    Hey! I can totally relate to your dislike of hearing your voice recorded- I feel the same way about mine. Honestly though, your voice was clear and I could hear in the sincerity in your voice of how much you love this book, and that was incredibly compelling. I've never read East of Eden, but your description of it makes me feel confident that it is one worth reading, reflecting on, and processing over time. You explained that it is a book that tackles the complexity and confusing nature of human emotion, but since you didn't have time to share more about how Steinbeck does that (within the parameters of this assignment), I'm genuinely curious to know more.

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