Mike & Tammi's Camino from SJPP

[tammi]

Hello pilgrims. I have found the most useful information on the Internet for our upcoming camino on this forum. Thank you all very much.
Our camino is still months away, (end of May) and as we work on preparing physically, mentally and linguistically, I am also working on something to fill my students in on my intention (I am a public elementary school teacher).
I have created a presentation that I plan to show them in the spring to explain the basics of the camino. Keep in mind that I am a teacher in a PUBLIC school, therefore have to be VERY careful about keeping this as secular as possible (sadly, even mentioning St. James is a little scary in public education). I also had to curb my enthusiasm to keep from giving so much information that I put them to sleep.
I am sharing it here for a few reasons 1. Accuracy. Because I have not walked the camino myself, all my information is what I have found on the Internet. I would feel much better having someone that has actually done the pilgrimage confirming my information as correct. 2. Are there points that I left out that take away from painting a descriptive picture of walking the camino, (keeping in mind the 'boring factor' of a 10 year old). 3. Did it keep your interest? If it puts any of you to sleep, it is sure to bore my students to death.
So, if you have an extra 17 minutes and care to take a look, please know I have tough skin and would greatly appreciate any criticisms. It's timed to advance through the slides automatically, so just click on the link below and (hopefully) enjoy. Thank you and buen camino.
Tammi
https://docs.google.com/presentatio...z4FsnE/pub?start=true&loop=false&delayms=3000

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Accurate and enjoyable!

 

[Icacos]

I can't speak to the 'boring factor' of a 10 year old, but I think your presentation is excellent. Just a few comments:

• Slide 22 - as far as I know water does not cost extra, but you are paying for the wine
• Slide 26 - love the snail
• Slide 33 - nothing showed up for me although I waited a while
• Slide 34 - I believe you when you say that 30% of the Frances consists of walking through industrial areas and cities, but it didn't seem so much to me
• You make no mention of 'bathroom breaks' when there are no flushable toilets around - a concern not to be overlooked!
• Perhaps take the opportunity to stress the "Pack out what you pack in" rule. That is "No Littering."

Lucky kids!

Buen Camino

 

[tammi]

THANK YOU!!

Falcon... I have read so many of your posts and consider your opinion quite important! I am flattered you found it enjoyable.

lcacos...I GREATLY appreciate your input. The water thing I had read on several forums and found a bit odd but interesting...however interesting means nothing if it isn't accurate. I'm still debating on if the giggles brought on by the 'bathroom breaks' will be worth the information. I REALLY want to put it in, but the things you learn after years of working with kids tend to make you look at things differently. Shame on me for not thinking of mentioning something about littering, I am on the Green Committee at our school. I'll look at slide #33 and see what's up with that.

Thanks again so much for the time and comments! I hesitated on posting it, but I also knew I would find the best audience for critiquing it here.

 

[tammi]

Oh...and the snail, as well as 90% of the pictures are from Sherry Ott. I discovered her photography and asked her permission to use it. She has some incredible photos of the camino and other places she has traveled.

 

[Theatregal]

A wonderful, informative presentation Tammi! I think it will engage 10 yr olds. Very accurate. A couple (very minor) things I noticed:

-both wine and water are generally included in the pilgrim's menu.
-it is not required to show your credential to order from the pilgrim's menu.

Buen camino!

 

[tammi]

Changes made! Thanks again!
Side note: (educator in me creeping out) Google Drive is a wonderful thing. If you are a user of Microsoft products, and aren't familiar with it, check it out!
Changes are automatic, no need to repost another link.

 

[Icacos]

-both wine and water are generally included in the pilgrim's menu.

Quite right. The price for the peregrino menu is fixed but, as I recollect, one is given the choice of either wine or water. Either way, not a big issue ....​

 

[Felipe]

Very good, accurate and sometimes quite funny.
I have some comments and suggestions.
I think this presentation could be very good...for an adult public. For schoolchildren, I frankly consider it is a case of info overload.
More "cartoon stuff" or equivalent may be convenient. A good laugh is always better than a big yawn.
Some points are introduced right away, like shells, arrows and albergues, and explained only much later.
Do you think children will be interested in "admin aspects", as credential, and practical issues as good shoes, poles, etc.? That´s typically parents' stuff.
I would change the narrative from "What will I" to" "What will you (or the pilgrim) do". Maybe I am not getting your idea (I suppose you will be making some additional comments on the slides).

Generally speaking a good presentation try to engage the public. Let the children imagine they (not just somebody else) could be in the camino, someday. Actually, there are children (even babies!) and teens doing it, with families or organized school groups.
Anyway, you know your school and your students better than anybody else. Just follow your experience (and not only your pilgrim-to-be enthusiasm).
Good talk, and tell us how it was.

 

[tammi]

Felipe...due to the incredibly strict (and sometimes ridiculous) guidelines for Common Core (blah, blah) the only way I'm able to incorporate sharing something like this is to "sneak" it into the curriculum. The assignment: an informative presentation created with Google Slides. Mine is overkill compared with what they are required, but I'm using it as an example to demonstrate all the features of the program, and showing examples of what is required of an "informative presentation". I tried to get in a little humor, and totally agree, I may have to add a bit more to keep them hooked. Damn sad state of affairs when I have to "sneak" a half hour into my students day to tell them about this, but it is what it is...5 yrs till retirement.

 

[Felipe]

...5 yrs till retirement.

A teacher, too. Still 10 yrs to me before retirement....but already planning a loooong camino. I can inaugurate the Vladivostok - Compostela way !!!!

 

[NavyBlue]

Hello Tammi,

I appreciate your presentation for itself and also... as I have been asked one by a school manager ;-)

I am not a teacher, by far, but I think your starting point is quite adequate (asking each pupil to figure he/she will walk a future camino). As far as I know, kids are interested in what differs from their daily life (seen in a WW2 + 20th century museum : the exhibit which had most impressed a group of kids was the schoolboy leather shoes of the '50s, as compared to their sneakers). Your pic of a crowded dormitory are a good example in this area.

A controversial point : 30% of the camino (IMO much less but I have no figures) is not rural landscape. But towns and industry are real life / real Spain as well. Might be preferable not to convey the idea that industry is bad.

Your slides are quite accurate and to the point. Some comments :

Slides 5-6 : Why a shift from km to miles ?
Slide 11 : You mention "basic essentials" then walking poles, which are more optional items.
Slide 22 : Menu del Peregrino
Slide 24 : True needs vs. wants (instead of true wants vs. needs ?)
Slide 40 : Are cows that ugly ?
Slide 42 : The Cruz de Ferro is not in Galicia, but still in Léon.
Slide 52 : another diploma rather than another compostella.

Thanks again for sharing !

 

[tammi]

Again, I must say how I LOVE this forum.

NavyBlue, those are exactly the type of corrections I was hoping people would catch for me.

• The shift in KM to miles was intentional to help my kiddos understand the distance...the European standard for measurement is not something they use regularly, or would easily be able to calculate.
• I'm not happy with the "what will you need" slide (as well as a few others). The sentence about the poles will most likely not make the final cut.
• I do not speak Spanish and had to rely on Google translator...I had a feeling some things would not translate right.
• I love cows, and do not find them ugly at all...I couldn't find a pic of what the cows DO to the path in some areas (have to keep looking).
• Thank you on the geographic error!
• Again, thanks for the correction.

 

[wayfarer]

Great presentation Tammi, Thank you. Roll on May 2015.
Buen Camino.

 

[Eileen W]

As someone who hasn't walked the Camino yet, I loved it and think it's an excellent explanation as well as a good demonstration of the Google slide show medium. The only two points I'd like to make is that, 1) I found that the photos of the arrows and shells flashed by too quickly and I wasn't able to see all of them on the pages before they had passed by, and 2) I felt that there was a slight imbalance between the text and the visuals. The write-up's fine, but I also think that more photos would work better. I'm a photographer and artist mind, so I love my visuals and that's just my own preference, but I think children gain a lot from visuals too.

 

[jpflavin1]

Good luck on keeping ten year old's attention. That said, it is a good presentation.

May I ask where you are located in Illinois?

Ultreya,
Joe

 

[Kitsambler]

This is a terrific presentation; kudos! I'm suspecting there will be an adult audience as well, and for them I suggest a derivative work, that inserts a slide or two addressing the "why?" component. Since this would be outside the classroom, perhaps your stringent Common Core considerations might not be so limiting. The accompanying bullet list might address such elements as (in no particular order): a retreat, a media fast, walking through history, experiencing Europe as a European rather than as a tourist, an opportunity to exchange isolating individualism for interdependent community, an adventure, a physical test, a survey of Romanesque architecture

 

[Mark Lee]

Having ties to career educators (my sister and my ex) I did my duty and watched the presentation.
I liked it and it looks like something that will keep a ten-year old's attention. Good job.
Definitely keep the distances in miles. Good or bad, American school kids don't relate with kilometers. I wouldn't worry about throwing in a bit about having to possibly poop or pee in the great outdoors. Just not that big of a deal to a kid. Same goes with getting too preachy about littering.
I can understand your need to keep it neutral and secular. Odd what people freak out about these days.

 

[J Willhaus]

Hello pilgrims. I have found the most useful information on the Internet for our upcoming camino on this forum. Thank you all very much.
Our camino is still months away, (end of May) and as we work on preparing physically, mentally and linguistically, I am also working on something to fill my students in on my intention (I am a public elementary school teacher).
I have created a presentation that I plan to show them in the spring to explain the basics of the camino. Keep in mind that I am a teacher in a PUBLIC school, therefore have to be VERY careful about keeping this as secular as possible (sadly, even mentioning St. James is a little scary in public education). I also had to curb my enthusiasm to keep from giving so much information that I put them to sleep.
I am sharing it here for a few reasons 1. Accuracy. Because I have not walked the camino myself, all my information is what I have found on the Internet. I would feel much better having someone that has actually done the pilgrimage confirming my information as correct. 2. Are there points that I left out that take away from painting a descriptive picture of walking the camino, (keeping in mind the 'boring factor' of a 10 year old). 3. Did it keep your interest? If it puts any of you to sleep, it is sure to bore my students to death.
So, if you have an extra 17 minutes and care to take a look, please know I have tough skin and would greatly appreciate any criticisms. It's timed to advance through the slides automatically, so just click on the link below and (hopefully) enjoy. Thank you and buen camino.
Tammi
https://docs.google.com/a/h122.org/...p=false&delayms=3000&slide=id.g4b11fb7a4_0454

Very lovely, Tammi. Felt like I was almost there! Will be fun to see what you have after your journey is complete!
Janet

 

[cherrys]

Good job. I would change "beds issued to beds assigned", but that's really minor. And I agree with some of the comments above about stressing the beauty and wonder of the whole trip, some of the parts of the cities, especially the old parts, were very interesting. When are you giving this presentation? And please let us view the final product. Thanks, Cherry

 

[ManyMiles2Go]

Great slide show, Tammi!! I think the kids will love it!

 

[Brissy]

Are you taking the children on camino? A whole class?

I saw a group of school children on camino. They were a Spanish group walking from Sarria to Santiago with their teacher.

They looked to be around 12 to 14 years old. They were full of enthusiasm and excitement and ran through the first couple of days. They overtook us each morning, waving greetings, with some stopping to chat.

After a couple of days there were some walking a slower pace, and fell into line with us oldies.

It must have been a wonderful time for them... Not so sure about how the teacher managed...

Good luck with your presentation. I enjoyed it. The only thing I would say, is using one measure for distance would make more sense. Either miles or km, not both.

 

[tammi]

Thank you again everyone!
I am teaching Google Docs now, but we won't be to the presentations until after the Christmas break, so that is when I will be showing it to them. I will definitely check back with you all afterward in hopes that I can report they enjoyed it as much as you did.
There is so much more I want to add, but I know my audience and have to keep it abbreviated. I'm also hoping that Google soon adds a feature to add sound so I can insert background music. The beauty of Google Docs is that it is in a continuous editing mode, it updates the link automatically every change I make.
Brissy....heavens no I'm not going with the students, but what a fantastic opportunity as a pre-teen. Kudos to the teachers that managed that extended field trip!! I'm going with my husband (occasionally same mentality as the kids )

 

[tammi]

Good luck on keeping ten year old's attention. That said, it is a good presentation.

May I ask where you are located in Illinois?

Ultreya,
Joe

Joe, That's what they pay me to do! ;-) The school district I teach in is in Loves Park, IL. It's near the Wisconsin/Illinois state line, 80 miles west of Chicago.

 

[Phillypilgrim]

Well done Tammi! I really enjoyed it. Here are two "poop" photos they may enjoy.

 

[Phillypilgrim]