Background
During second semester, I will be teaching two courses during the same hour and in the same space: Introduction to Theater and Theater Arts. In order to help me better manage the running of these two classes and groups at the same time, I am using Moodle to create a "blended" learning format that mixes traditional and online, digital literacies.
Why Moodle?
During this course, I've come to realize that there are so many amazing digital tools available for educators to use as course management tools. I have seen excellent examples of webpages, wikis, and of course our own course Ning that blend the traditional classroom learning with online learning and digital writing to great effect. I would have really liked to explore using a Ning to manage these theater classes, however my district uses and supports Moodle, so that's what I'm going to use. the district also blocks Ning for students on the basis that it is essentially a social networking platform. So there goes that. :)
Organization
When a Moodle course is created, it is created with a specific organizational template already in place. At CHS, it is organized automatically by topic, meaning that each box or module could theoretically contain materials and activities related to a specifictopic or unit. Since that was how the courses usually came to me, I just assumed that was the only option I had. Since I began putzing around the course to learn more about my option, i discovered that there are several organizational options. In addition to the topic view, I could also use an organizational model that assigns each box or module a week out of the school year. I did seriously consider transferring to that model. The site would more closely resemble a traditional college syllabus and might be easier for the students to navigate. The major downside at this point however is that I have never taught either of these classes before and therefore have no idea exactly how long certain units, lessons, or projects will take. Additionally, I want to be able to respond flexibly to the needs of my students; we may need to spend extra time on top of what I planned to really cover particular topics or skills. Using a week-by-week model could get messy when I'm trying to keep up with students and the Moodle at the same time. If I organize by topic, I can upload all of my assignments, instructions, and multimedia ahead of time and reveal them as the students are ready for them without moving them all over the place.
Digital Writing Features on a Moodle
There are a number of digital writing opportunities available within a Moodle. For example, I created a recurring chat in the first module that I will use for online office hours. With two classes meeting at the same time, it is very likely that I will not be able to make it to all kids during class to answer questions By using the Chat, students can connect with me outside of the classroom to get their questions answered. Another option is the forum I created in the Intro to Theater/Theater History module in the Intro to Theater class. In the forum, I asked to students to watch this video of Stephen Sondheim's "Invocation and Instructions to the Audience" from his musical The Frogs. Then, I asked them to reflect and write about their experiences attending or participating in live theater. I asked them to post their writing as a new discussion, and then go out and respond to two other classmates' posts. I think this will be a simple but effective way to introduce the idea of reflection, sharing, and providing feedback. Students are also given a blog within the Moodle course, and I will likely use those to have students post journals and such. Eventually, when we get to the performance pieces of the course, I can create forums where students can share scripts they've written, designs they've created, or videos of performances or rehearsals for feedback.
Final Thoughts
I know there is a lot yet that I have to figure out and this is a huge undertaking, but I believe the pay-off for both the students and I will be well worth the effort. I'm excited to see how this works. When I get a few extra moments this spring (HA!), I'll come back here and reflect on how it's all going. Until then, take care and best of luck!
Monday, December 13, 2010
Using Online Portfolios
Well, here we are at the end. It's the end of the class, but also the end of my Masters program. Hooray! I made it!
As such, it feels like a highly appropriate time to think about portfolios and ways of demonstrating my growth and development over the last several years. I spent some time checking out the resources on the wiki. I really enjoyed the site that discussed the different purposes for creating a portfolio. I think that's a very important piece to consider. I actually chatted with my building tech person about it, and he agreed that the tool you used would definitely be determined by your purpose. I think a blog would be a great tool for showing growth--if a person started at the beginning of a process, he or she could post all of his or her products and reflect on each of the products using the comments section. I think wikis would be better suited for showcasing a body of work. As my tech guy said, a wiki feels more like a product. I know it can be used as more than that, but I see his point. I also find wikis a little bit easier to organize, particularly the pages and the ease with which one can link to other pages.
In looking at my own blog as a portfolio, I think someone could definitely see growth from me as an educator. Some of my earliest posts are from my Tech for Educators class that I took in 2008. It was the first time I had ever worked with many of these tools, like blogs or wikis, and I was a little overwhelmed and frustrated with the learning curve. Fast forward 2 years, and I'm embedding videos, creating podcasts, and writing digital poetry! I still get a little overwhelmed, but I'm more used to that feeling now, and I have adopted a "this too shall pass" attitude toward my frustration. It's actually a good reminder that everyone gets frustrated when trying new things--it helps me remember what it's like to be one of my students, trying things for the first time. :) I also think that I'm getting better at using digital tools for specific purposes, rather than just to use them. One big change I see in myself is my willingness to try new digital ideas. I used to be a little nervous about trying different tools, but now I know that I just have to jump in and try. If it bombs, it bombs--back to the drawing board to figure out what went wrong and how to make it better for next time. Moving forward, I think the biggest thing I need to do is not stop trying. Even though I won't be in Masters classes where tech is required, I still need to keep trying new things. Everything is changing SO quickly that to stop, even for a moment, puts you miles behind the pack. I plan to keep working with my building tech guy and taking classes when I can. Continuous, lifelong learning is the goal. :)
I'm very likely going to use portfolios for my Theater classes next semester. Since the class is quite literally a performance class, much of their work is going to be performance-based. E-Portfolios will work perfectly. Not only will kids be able to share journals, sketches, designs, and other written work, they'll also be able to share their performance work as well by recording and posting their performances. Students will have projects or performances for each of the units in the class, so a portfolio for the theater class would feature their final/best work for each unit, plus self-reflections on their work. I really liked this rubric that you linked to on the wiki as a basis for evaluating the portfolio. I would change some of the language since this rubric seems to address portfolios created by teachers, but other than that, I think it covers everything quite well.
Lastly, I have learned so much this semester that it's difficult to pick out just a few things--I want to do it all! :) However, as the saying goes, slow and steady wins the race. The two things I can see myself using the most are the podcasts and the vlogs. I've detailed in previous posts how I'd like to use the podcasting and vlogging tools to help both my 9th graders with their public speaking and my theater kids with their performances. As I mentioned in the last paragraph, I can also see myself using digital writing tools to help students create portfolios of their work.
I'll post again soon with my fial project information... using Moodle to help manage two classes meeting simultaneously in the same space. Second semester is going to be interesting.... :)
As such, it feels like a highly appropriate time to think about portfolios and ways of demonstrating my growth and development over the last several years. I spent some time checking out the resources on the wiki. I really enjoyed the site that discussed the different purposes for creating a portfolio. I think that's a very important piece to consider. I actually chatted with my building tech person about it, and he agreed that the tool you used would definitely be determined by your purpose. I think a blog would be a great tool for showing growth--if a person started at the beginning of a process, he or she could post all of his or her products and reflect on each of the products using the comments section. I think wikis would be better suited for showcasing a body of work. As my tech guy said, a wiki feels more like a product. I know it can be used as more than that, but I see his point. I also find wikis a little bit easier to organize, particularly the pages and the ease with which one can link to other pages.
In looking at my own blog as a portfolio, I think someone could definitely see growth from me as an educator. Some of my earliest posts are from my Tech for Educators class that I took in 2008. It was the first time I had ever worked with many of these tools, like blogs or wikis, and I was a little overwhelmed and frustrated with the learning curve. Fast forward 2 years, and I'm embedding videos, creating podcasts, and writing digital poetry! I still get a little overwhelmed, but I'm more used to that feeling now, and I have adopted a "this too shall pass" attitude toward my frustration. It's actually a good reminder that everyone gets frustrated when trying new things--it helps me remember what it's like to be one of my students, trying things for the first time. :) I also think that I'm getting better at using digital tools for specific purposes, rather than just to use them. One big change I see in myself is my willingness to try new digital ideas. I used to be a little nervous about trying different tools, but now I know that I just have to jump in and try. If it bombs, it bombs--back to the drawing board to figure out what went wrong and how to make it better for next time. Moving forward, I think the biggest thing I need to do is not stop trying. Even though I won't be in Masters classes where tech is required, I still need to keep trying new things. Everything is changing SO quickly that to stop, even for a moment, puts you miles behind the pack. I plan to keep working with my building tech guy and taking classes when I can. Continuous, lifelong learning is the goal. :)
I'm very likely going to use portfolios for my Theater classes next semester. Since the class is quite literally a performance class, much of their work is going to be performance-based. E-Portfolios will work perfectly. Not only will kids be able to share journals, sketches, designs, and other written work, they'll also be able to share their performance work as well by recording and posting their performances. Students will have projects or performances for each of the units in the class, so a portfolio for the theater class would feature their final/best work for each unit, plus self-reflections on their work. I really liked this rubric that you linked to on the wiki as a basis for evaluating the portfolio. I would change some of the language since this rubric seems to address portfolios created by teachers, but other than that, I think it covers everything quite well.
Lastly, I have learned so much this semester that it's difficult to pick out just a few things--I want to do it all! :) However, as the saying goes, slow and steady wins the race. The two things I can see myself using the most are the podcasts and the vlogs. I've detailed in previous posts how I'd like to use the podcasting and vlogging tools to help both my 9th graders with their public speaking and my theater kids with their performances. As I mentioned in the last paragraph, I can also see myself using digital writing tools to help students create portfolios of their work.
I'll post again soon with my fial project information... using Moodle to help manage two classes meeting simultaneously in the same space. Second semester is going to be interesting.... :)
Sunday, December 12, 2010
My podcast: Using Vocal Variety--Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
Here's my podcast. I decided to go with my original idea to demonstrate the difference between interpreting a piece with and without vocal variety.
I really liked working with Audacity. It was very easy to use, although I didn't try to do anything particularly complex with it. I'm sure I could do cooler stuff after tinkering around with it for a bit.
I think it will be helpful for kids to hear themselves read a text. I even noticed things that I didn't realize I was doing when I listened to myself. Very, very cool tool!
I really liked working with Audacity. It was very easy to use, although I didn't try to do anything particularly complex with it. I'm sure I could do cooler stuff after tinkering around with it for a bit.
I think it will be helpful for kids to hear themselves read a text. I even noticed things that I didn't realize I was doing when I listened to myself. Very, very cool tool!
Idea for podcast...
Some ideas for podcasting...
1. The entire second semester of 9th grade English is a speech class. Students are required to do several small, medium, and large speeches throughout the semester. One of the major speeches is an oral interpretation of a children's story, tv show, movie scene, etc. The purpose of the speech is to help students develop their delivery skills: pace, pitch, volume, vocal variety, etc. The students are videotaped and are then required to watch themselves and complete a self-evaluation. I think that before I get to that point, I could use podcasting/audio recording to demonstrate what vocal variety looks and sounds like. I could record myself reading a children's story with very little variety and then with the right amount of variety. using the audacity or GarageBand software, I can actually show the studens to soundwaves and inflections and tec as they listen. They can then record themselves practicing and look at their own patterns in the soundwaves etc. I think that would be WAY more effective than me just telling them over and over. :)
2. This is very similar to #1, except I could do it with my theater kids. I could record them performing monologues in order to discuss their rate, inflection, diction, interpretation, etc.
3. One of the books we read is A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah. The story is about Beah's time as a child soldier in Sierra Leone during their civil war in the late 90's. Beah was eventually extricated from the war by Unicef and rehabilitated in camps set up specifically for child soldiers. It would be really cool to have the kids research the isue of child soldiers and the different groups and organizations that are working to help rehabilitate child soldiers and then put together a podcast to share that information. Sort of like a radio program. That would be an awesome project! :)
1. The entire second semester of 9th grade English is a speech class. Students are required to do several small, medium, and large speeches throughout the semester. One of the major speeches is an oral interpretation of a children's story, tv show, movie scene, etc. The purpose of the speech is to help students develop their delivery skills: pace, pitch, volume, vocal variety, etc. The students are videotaped and are then required to watch themselves and complete a self-evaluation. I think that before I get to that point, I could use podcasting/audio recording to demonstrate what vocal variety looks and sounds like. I could record myself reading a children's story with very little variety and then with the right amount of variety. using the audacity or GarageBand software, I can actually show the studens to soundwaves and inflections and tec as they listen. They can then record themselves practicing and look at their own patterns in the soundwaves etc. I think that would be WAY more effective than me just telling them over and over. :)
2. This is very similar to #1, except I could do it with my theater kids. I could record them performing monologues in order to discuss their rate, inflection, diction, interpretation, etc.
3. One of the books we read is A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah. The story is about Beah's time as a child soldier in Sierra Leone during their civil war in the late 90's. Beah was eventually extricated from the war by Unicef and rehabilitated in camps set up specifically for child soldiers. It would be really cool to have the kids research the isue of child soldiers and the different groups and organizations that are working to help rehabilitate child soldiers and then put together a podcast to share that information. Sort of like a radio program. That would be an awesome project! :)
My Flickr SlideShow
Here's my slideshow from Flickr.
When I was searching for images, I used the term "family." In class right now, we're reading a novel about a young woman who finds out she's adopted and goes in search of her birth parents. One of the underlying themes in the novel is nature versus nurture: Is Sandy (the main character) who she is because of her genes/birth parents or is she who she is because of her adoptive parents? Sandy struggles with the question of her identity because she discovers there's a piece of it she never knew existed.
I think it might be cool to show students a collection of family pictures from different eras and have them write creatively about how the families might have worked and functioned as a group of individuals and how hey influenced and shaped each other's character and development. Then, the students could move from there to writing about how their own families shape them.
When I was searching for images, I used the term "family." In class right now, we're reading a novel about a young woman who finds out she's adopted and goes in search of her birth parents. One of the underlying themes in the novel is nature versus nurture: Is Sandy (the main character) who she is because of her genes/birth parents or is she who she is because of her adoptive parents? Sandy struggles with the question of her identity because she discovers there's a piece of it she never knew existed.
I think it might be cool to show students a collection of family pictures from different eras and have them write creatively about how the families might have worked and functioned as a group of individuals and how hey influenced and shaped each other's character and development. Then, the students could move from there to writing about how their own families shape them.
My VoiceThread
Here is my VoiceThread. I just used pictures of me, my friends, my family, and other images of things and places I love. I guess this provides a little insight into who I am! :) I also thought that VoiceThread was REALLY easy to use. I had no problem figuring out how everything worked. It would be really cool as a creative writing exercise to put a really interesting picture into VT and have students comment on it or narrate the thoughts of the people in the picture. :)
My Bubbl.us mind map
I created a mind map of the characters in Romeo and Juliet. Especially when we first begin reading the play, the students get pretty confused trying to follow who all the characters are and how they're connected. I've had students draw out maps like this on construction paper, but this is a lot more fun. I also like that you don't need to purchase software for this.
Using Search Engines
Searching for informatin on the web completely overwhelms me. There is SO much out there, and I never feel like I have the time I need to do a really good, thorough search. I'm almost as bad as my kids in terms of my search habits. I usually just go to Google and click through the first couple sites that I see. I am better than them at checking the reliability and validity of the sites; usually I scroll through the page, looking at the information, checking for credentials, etc. Even when I use Wikipedia, I scroll down to the bottom of the page first to check the sources the article cites.
I now have a Google Reader, but that's almost more stressful to me than Google searching. I log in to my reader and there's an obnoxious amount of content to look through. I probably just need to be pickier about who or what I'm subscribing to. That's a good lesson for students, too; be picky and focused when you add content to your reader. I didn't really have a specific purpose other than just trying it out when I started my reader, which is why it's all over the place now. Overwhelming as it is, I can definitely see how using a blog to gather info on a topic could be extremely useful. Actually, next semester my students will be doing persuasive speeches and debates. I'm thinking that they could create RSS feeds around their topics to help them with their research. Creating an RSS feed around a topic will help them avoid the craziness I experienced. We would also need to start with a lesson or two on evaluating sites for validity and credibility before they started searching for sites on their own. I'm thinking I could do some basic front-loading in class, perhaps an in-class model, and then I could create a Webquest about validity and credibility to illustrate how students can check for those things.
In terms of annotating and storing that information, I did already demo Diigo for my kids this fall. While it is a great tool, it would have to be installed on all the school computers, and I don't know that our tech people will do that. Most of the kids used Google Docs on our last big research project to share notes, but that was a little tricky as well. The formatting kept getting all out of whack. I think what I need to learn more about and use is Microsoft OneNote. We have that on our computers at school, and I know it has a collaboration function. I think I might investigate that option since it is something we have available at school.
Alright, some good ideas are brewing... :) I'll report back!
I now have a Google Reader, but that's almost more stressful to me than Google searching. I log in to my reader and there's an obnoxious amount of content to look through. I probably just need to be pickier about who or what I'm subscribing to. That's a good lesson for students, too; be picky and focused when you add content to your reader. I didn't really have a specific purpose other than just trying it out when I started my reader, which is why it's all over the place now. Overwhelming as it is, I can definitely see how using a blog to gather info on a topic could be extremely useful. Actually, next semester my students will be doing persuasive speeches and debates. I'm thinking that they could create RSS feeds around their topics to help them with their research. Creating an RSS feed around a topic will help them avoid the craziness I experienced. We would also need to start with a lesson or two on evaluating sites for validity and credibility before they started searching for sites on their own. I'm thinking I could do some basic front-loading in class, perhaps an in-class model, and then I could create a Webquest about validity and credibility to illustrate how students can check for those things.
In terms of annotating and storing that information, I did already demo Diigo for my kids this fall. While it is a great tool, it would have to be installed on all the school computers, and I don't know that our tech people will do that. Most of the kids used Google Docs on our last big research project to share notes, but that was a little tricky as well. The formatting kept getting all out of whack. I think what I need to learn more about and use is Microsoft OneNote. We have that on our computers at school, and I know it has a collaboration function. I think I might investigate that option since it is something we have available at school.
Alright, some good ideas are brewing... :) I'll report back!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Providing Online Feedback
For my final project, I plan on developing a Moodle or Ning site that I can use for my combined Theater classes during second semester. I will be teaching an Intro to Theater course and an intermediate-level Theater Arts course during the same hour next semester, and I’d like to see how I can use Moodle or Ning to help with the organization and execution of the classes, as well as using the tools within the sites to foster more digital writing.
Since theater is a performance-based art, there will be A LOT of performance-based assessments in these classes. I could easily see using the blog or forum features to have students journal about their progress during a particular unit or to reflect on their learning/performance after an assessment.
In terms of specific assignments, there is one that jumps to mind. The Theater Arts students will be using selections from the book Working by Studs Terkel to write character monologues. This will be part of the unit where they read The Laramie Project by Moises Kaufman and The Tectonic Theater Project, which features monologues culled from interviews with residents of Laramie, Wyoming. I’ve attached the assignment sheet here so you see the gist of the assignment—it still needs some tweaking, but it’s pretty decent for a first draft.
When I provide feedback to students on their rough drafts, I would use two different methods. For the first draft, I will provide feedback via a podcast. Since they are writing a piece that is meant to be performed, I will start by doing a cold reading of their piece on camera so they can see and hear their work. Then, I will provide feedback from the perspective of an actor interpreting and performing the piece and from the perspective of a director looking at the structure of the piece. Changing my role from teacher to collaborator will automatically force me to switch into descriptive, reader-focused feedback-mode.
Before the second draft is turned in, we will discuss the students’ reactions to the first round of feedback. I will try to guide them to recognize the helpfulness of reader-focused feedback and then provide a brief overview and practice session on that type of feedback. For their second drafts, students will post their monologues on the discussion forum of whatever site (Moodle or Ning) that we’re using. Each student will have two or three people from the class for whom they must provide feedback. In explaining this process, I will also encourage them to engage in conversation with each other as they respond to each others’ work, so it becomes interactive and collaborative, rather than isolated and disconnected.
In terms of the assessment piece, the monologue itself will probably just end up being a Word document they print off and hand in. There really won’t be a need for a specialized rubric that takes digital writing elements into consideration. Where I will need a rubric like that is the Character Study. Check out the attached rubric I created to assess the Character Study. I divided it into three sections: section one assesses on the content of the presentation; section two looks specifically at the visual and audio components; and section three looks at how the digital elements work together.
Since theater is a performance-based art, there will be A LOT of performance-based assessments in these classes. I could easily see using the blog or forum features to have students journal about their progress during a particular unit or to reflect on their learning/performance after an assessment.
In terms of specific assignments, there is one that jumps to mind. The Theater Arts students will be using selections from the book Working by Studs Terkel to write character monologues. This will be part of the unit where they read The Laramie Project by Moises Kaufman and The Tectonic Theater Project, which features monologues culled from interviews with residents of Laramie, Wyoming. I’ve attached the assignment sheet here so you see the gist of the assignment—it still needs some tweaking, but it’s pretty decent for a first draft.
When I provide feedback to students on their rough drafts, I would use two different methods. For the first draft, I will provide feedback via a podcast. Since they are writing a piece that is meant to be performed, I will start by doing a cold reading of their piece on camera so they can see and hear their work. Then, I will provide feedback from the perspective of an actor interpreting and performing the piece and from the perspective of a director looking at the structure of the piece. Changing my role from teacher to collaborator will automatically force me to switch into descriptive, reader-focused feedback-mode.
Before the second draft is turned in, we will discuss the students’ reactions to the first round of feedback. I will try to guide them to recognize the helpfulness of reader-focused feedback and then provide a brief overview and practice session on that type of feedback. For their second drafts, students will post their monologues on the discussion forum of whatever site (Moodle or Ning) that we’re using. Each student will have two or three people from the class for whom they must provide feedback. In explaining this process, I will also encourage them to engage in conversation with each other as they respond to each others’ work, so it becomes interactive and collaborative, rather than isolated and disconnected.
In terms of the assessment piece, the monologue itself will probably just end up being a Word document they print off and hand in. There really won’t be a need for a specialized rubric that takes digital writing elements into consideration. Where I will need a rubric like that is the Character Study. Check out the attached rubric I created to assess the Character Study. I divided it into three sections: section one assesses on the content of the presentation; section two looks specifically at the visual and audio components; and section three looks at how the digital elements work together.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Readability of Websites
So, for the two websites I compared, I took a look at one of my favorite websites--Television Without Pity-- and the website for Apple. Granted each website has a different purpose, but I thin they are still worth comparing for their design aesthetic.
Television Without Pity is a website devoted to following TV shows--it is a place where avid TV fans can read recaps of their favorite shows, view photos and video clips, and interact with other viewers in the forums, among other things. I discovered TWoP when I was following the series Veronica Mars. Now, I read their very snarky recaps of Glee, which continually point out the fact that Will Schuester doesn't even come close to resembling any kind of teacher on the planet, but that's a totally different blog post--one you can access here! When I first began reading TWoP five years ago, the site was still young and not quite as full of content as it is now. The burgeoning amount of information available on the site has transformed a once simply-designed-but-easily-navigated site into a bit of a mess. They have so much going on that it is hard to sift through everything or know where to look. The menu bar at the top of the screen, while easily found, is a pain when running the mouse over the page because all of the menus are drop-downs and they get in the way. There are also now tons of ads--particularly pop-up video ads--that come attached to every page and spring up on top of whatever someone is trying to read. The designers tried to make things easier to understand by using diffferent boxes to separate different content on the main page, but all of the boxes are the same size, making it hard to distinguish which are the important boxes. Lastly, the website started with recaps of shows--that's their bread and butter. The most recent reacps are hidden toward the bottom of the main page, not up at the top where most would expect to find them. I didn't even realize they were still publishing those on the main page because I usually don't get farther than the un-subordinated boxes at the top. Ultimately, the site is not bad--there are DEFINITELY worse sites out there--but it does leave something to be desired.
Apple. Ah, Apple. It makes sense that their website would be so beautifully and simply designed; their product looks the same. It's streamlined, organized, sophisticated, and clutter-free. The menu bar is simple and to the point, featuring seven clearly labeled buttons that do not drop down and obscure the rest of the screen should your cursor stray over them. The most important information sits at the top of the page, accompanied by a large image to grab a viewer's attention. Each following box is subordinated by size, cuing the viewer in on the importance of each item in a subtle manner. With the understandable exception of the store page, each other page is laid out in a similar fashion so viewers know where to look for the same kinds of information. Apple is just so classy-looking, you feel like you ought to be sipping a well-mixed martini or a glass of a classic Old Vine Zinfandel while browsing their site. Unfortunately, the only thing TWoP's design reminds me of is the massive, groggy headaches after too many tequila shots and Long Islands at the bar during my undergrad years.
In terms of how this connects to my work in the classroom...
I think it would be really easy to do a comparison with my students on the design aspects of websites or presentations. They are pretty savvy with websites, and they've seen enough Power Point presentations from teachers and each other that hey could pretty easily identify a good website/presentation versus a poor one. I like the idea of having them do an activity like this in the lead-up to the persuasive speech in the spring. They are required to use visual aids and many of them automatically use Power Point to share facts, graphs, charts, or images. I think they would really get into options like creating their own webpages, Glogs, or Prezis. I could see starting by examining websites for good and poor design. The kids could brainstorm the categories that the design elements would fit into, and then I could fill in the categories or items they missed. They could do a group comparison of a pair of websites. Then, we could shift to paired work looking at presentation samples. We could talk about whether or not the same design principles used for websites apply to presentations as well. As a culminating piece, they could create the part of the assessment that looks at their creation and presentation of their visual aids.
Lots of opportunities to explore here, but I'm a bit too burned out right now to explore all of them in depth. Desperately in need of the 5-day Thanksgiving break. Will post more later! Happy Thanksgiving!
Television Without Pity is a website devoted to following TV shows--it is a place where avid TV fans can read recaps of their favorite shows, view photos and video clips, and interact with other viewers in the forums, among other things. I discovered TWoP when I was following the series Veronica Mars. Now, I read their very snarky recaps of Glee, which continually point out the fact that Will Schuester doesn't even come close to resembling any kind of teacher on the planet, but that's a totally different blog post--one you can access here! When I first began reading TWoP five years ago, the site was still young and not quite as full of content as it is now. The burgeoning amount of information available on the site has transformed a once simply-designed-but-easily-navigated site into a bit of a mess. They have so much going on that it is hard to sift through everything or know where to look. The menu bar at the top of the screen, while easily found, is a pain when running the mouse over the page because all of the menus are drop-downs and they get in the way. There are also now tons of ads--particularly pop-up video ads--that come attached to every page and spring up on top of whatever someone is trying to read. The designers tried to make things easier to understand by using diffferent boxes to separate different content on the main page, but all of the boxes are the same size, making it hard to distinguish which are the important boxes. Lastly, the website started with recaps of shows--that's their bread and butter. The most recent reacps are hidden toward the bottom of the main page, not up at the top where most would expect to find them. I didn't even realize they were still publishing those on the main page because I usually don't get farther than the un-subordinated boxes at the top. Ultimately, the site is not bad--there are DEFINITELY worse sites out there--but it does leave something to be desired.
Apple. Ah, Apple. It makes sense that their website would be so beautifully and simply designed; their product looks the same. It's streamlined, organized, sophisticated, and clutter-free. The menu bar is simple and to the point, featuring seven clearly labeled buttons that do not drop down and obscure the rest of the screen should your cursor stray over them. The most important information sits at the top of the page, accompanied by a large image to grab a viewer's attention. Each following box is subordinated by size, cuing the viewer in on the importance of each item in a subtle manner. With the understandable exception of the store page, each other page is laid out in a similar fashion so viewers know where to look for the same kinds of information. Apple is just so classy-looking, you feel like you ought to be sipping a well-mixed martini or a glass of a classic Old Vine Zinfandel while browsing their site. Unfortunately, the only thing TWoP's design reminds me of is the massive, groggy headaches after too many tequila shots and Long Islands at the bar during my undergrad years.
In terms of how this connects to my work in the classroom...
I think it would be really easy to do a comparison with my students on the design aspects of websites or presentations. They are pretty savvy with websites, and they've seen enough Power Point presentations from teachers and each other that hey could pretty easily identify a good website/presentation versus a poor one. I like the idea of having them do an activity like this in the lead-up to the persuasive speech in the spring. They are required to use visual aids and many of them automatically use Power Point to share facts, graphs, charts, or images. I think they would really get into options like creating their own webpages, Glogs, or Prezis. I could see starting by examining websites for good and poor design. The kids could brainstorm the categories that the design elements would fit into, and then I could fill in the categories or items they missed. They could do a group comparison of a pair of websites. Then, we could shift to paired work looking at presentation samples. We could talk about whether or not the same design principles used for websites apply to presentations as well. As a culminating piece, they could create the part of the assessment that looks at their creation and presentation of their visual aids.
Lots of opportunities to explore here, but I'm a bit too burned out right now to explore all of them in depth. Desperately in need of the 5-day Thanksgiving break. Will post more later! Happy Thanksgiving!
Monday, November 22, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Using Wikis
I was first introduced to wikis several years ago in my Tech Tools for Educators class and have since used them with students for a a number of different assignments. In my sophomore class at Maple Grove Senior High, I used a class wiki to help students share poetry they had written. The students themselves also created wiki pages to share research they had done on the 1960's in preparation for reading The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. I've done similar research projects with students at Chaska to prepare them for reading different books, including A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah and Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare.
Whether because I haven't done enough reading or thinking about it, I have never used wikis for more than just sharing information or writing. I have a strong feeling that there are a lot more uses for wikis than what I've used them for. I wish I had more time (doesn't everyone?) to explore and read more about what I could use them for.
I really liked the idea of the Dinkytown ethnography that we did in class. Instead of just doing a straight research project, it might be interesting to do an ethnographic study--via pictures and videos over the Web--of places where our stories take place. Like an ethnographic study of Sierra Leone, which is where A Long Way Gone takes place. It would be super cool to find a school in Sierra Leone with whom we could collaborate--interviews, photo sharing, etc.
I could also see using a wiki in my creative writing class. It would be super cool to team up with another creative writing class somewhere and have the students share their writing. How cool would it be for kids to know they have other eyes out there reading their work and commenting on it?
I think it could also be possible to use a wiki for my theater class. Kids could share useful websites they've found for monologues, upload designs for sets, costumes, or lights, upload videos of themselves rehearsing scenes or monologues, share videos/photos of productions of plays we're reading, etc.
There are a number of great ideas for wikis--I just need the time to think through them and figure out how they can best help students learn.
Whether because I haven't done enough reading or thinking about it, I have never used wikis for more than just sharing information or writing. I have a strong feeling that there are a lot more uses for wikis than what I've used them for. I wish I had more time (doesn't everyone?) to explore and read more about what I could use them for.
I really liked the idea of the Dinkytown ethnography that we did in class. Instead of just doing a straight research project, it might be interesting to do an ethnographic study--via pictures and videos over the Web--of places where our stories take place. Like an ethnographic study of Sierra Leone, which is where A Long Way Gone takes place. It would be super cool to find a school in Sierra Leone with whom we could collaborate--interviews, photo sharing, etc.
I could also see using a wiki in my creative writing class. It would be super cool to team up with another creative writing class somewhere and have the students share their writing. How cool would it be for kids to know they have other eyes out there reading their work and commenting on it?
I think it could also be possible to use a wiki for my theater class. Kids could share useful websites they've found for monologues, upload designs for sets, costumes, or lights, upload videos of themselves rehearsing scenes or monologues, share videos/photos of productions of plays we're reading, etc.
There are a number of great ideas for wikis--I just need the time to think through them and figure out how they can best help students learn.
Using Comics in the classroom
Well, this is a very appropriate topic for me right now. I have several students in my classes who cannot pry themselves away from their manga books long enough to pay attention in class. On one hand, I'm very glad that they're reading; on the other hand, I wish that they were as interested in what we're reading in class as they are in their manga books. It's sort of driving me and my colleagues crazy.
Onto more productive thoughts. I have used comics before in my classroom. A couple years ago, I used excerpts from Art Spiegelman's Maus during a unit on the Holocaust. The kids responded pretty well, and the text offered some interesting ideas for discussion. Then, last year my accelerated 9th graders read Persepolis Part I as part of a unit titled "Seeing versus Being Seen," which included the novels A Beautiful Mind, The Bluest Eye, and Love Medicine, and focused thematically on issues of power, access, and voice. Persepolis in conjunction with the other novels, served as a fantastic jumping off point for some fairly in depth discussions. I also had the students create their own hand-written, hand-drawn comics about an issue in the lives of today's teenagers that revolved around the idea of voice and power. I don't think I explained it as clearly as I should have, because the results I got weren't exactly what I was hoping for, but it was the first time I'd tried it.
In the future, I like the idea of using comics as a way for kids to challenge texts by re-creating the stories and changing the things they had problems with. For example, a lot of the kids get a little frustrated with Romeo and Juliet and how impulsively they act, or how limited Juliet is in what she can do as a woman in the Renaissance. It would be really cool to discuss these things with kids and then allow them to re-write the story-challenging what they see as issues-using a comic book format. In addition to my students who are addicted to reading manga, I have a lot of artists who like to doodle and draw during class. This would be a great way to get them more engaged and allow them to share their talents with their classmates.
I think the real work on my part would be teaching them how the simple placement of characters and text can communicate something about the characters, their relationships with others, their relative status as compared to other characters, etc. That might take a little more preparation and modeling on my part, but it would definitely create a more thoughtful final product from the students.
Onto more productive thoughts. I have used comics before in my classroom. A couple years ago, I used excerpts from Art Spiegelman's Maus during a unit on the Holocaust. The kids responded pretty well, and the text offered some interesting ideas for discussion. Then, last year my accelerated 9th graders read Persepolis Part I as part of a unit titled "Seeing versus Being Seen," which included the novels A Beautiful Mind, The Bluest Eye, and Love Medicine, and focused thematically on issues of power, access, and voice. Persepolis in conjunction with the other novels, served as a fantastic jumping off point for some fairly in depth discussions. I also had the students create their own hand-written, hand-drawn comics about an issue in the lives of today's teenagers that revolved around the idea of voice and power. I don't think I explained it as clearly as I should have, because the results I got weren't exactly what I was hoping for, but it was the first time I'd tried it.
In the future, I like the idea of using comics as a way for kids to challenge texts by re-creating the stories and changing the things they had problems with. For example, a lot of the kids get a little frustrated with Romeo and Juliet and how impulsively they act, or how limited Juliet is in what she can do as a woman in the Renaissance. It would be really cool to discuss these things with kids and then allow them to re-write the story-challenging what they see as issues-using a comic book format. In addition to my students who are addicted to reading manga, I have a lot of artists who like to doodle and draw during class. This would be a great way to get them more engaged and allow them to share their talents with their classmates.
I think the real work on my part would be teaching them how the simple placement of characters and text can communicate something about the characters, their relationships with others, their relative status as compared to other characters, etc. That might take a little more preparation and modeling on my part, but it would definitely create a more thoughtful final product from the students.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
iMovie assignment: work in progress!
I was learning how to use iMovie today. Here's a work in progress!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Vlogs for classroom use
I have to admit that the vlog assignment was not my favorite. I got SUPER frustrated trying to work with the video technology, and I think that talking about myself into a camera is weird and self-indulgent. So, I was a little anti-vlog to start with.
However, I had an idea. My 9th graders have been working on a research project for the past couple weeks. They are researching topics of their own choosing related to the Renaissance in preparation for reading Romeo and Juliet. They are then sharing their research on a class wiki site. After the wiki is complete, they will be doing a "wiki-quest" of their classmates' pages.
Since they are using wikis to write and record their research, I stipulated in the assignment that they should use images and videos in their wikis to help communicate the necessary information. Many of the kids who have very common topics like Shakespeare or da Vinci or something like that have had little to no trouble finding videos to include on their pages. Other kids though, who have really awesome, interesting topics--like women's roles in the Renaissance--have had a really hard time finding anything.
My idea--too late in the process to make it work this time, but definitely a possibility for next year--would be to have the kids create their own videos or vlogs about their topics and include those videos in their wikis. It would take a lot of front-loading about storyboarding, planning, and use of technology, but I think the pay-off would be awesome. I've been really impressed in the past by students who have undertaken video projects--they have been really fun and creative and offered a clear assessment of whether or not the students understand and can synthesize the information.
While I know that I still need to putz around with the technology more before I ask students to do anything with it, I can definitely see the possibilities in using vlogs in the classroom.
However, I had an idea. My 9th graders have been working on a research project for the past couple weeks. They are researching topics of their own choosing related to the Renaissance in preparation for reading Romeo and Juliet. They are then sharing their research on a class wiki site. After the wiki is complete, they will be doing a "wiki-quest" of their classmates' pages.
Since they are using wikis to write and record their research, I stipulated in the assignment that they should use images and videos in their wikis to help communicate the necessary information. Many of the kids who have very common topics like Shakespeare or da Vinci or something like that have had little to no trouble finding videos to include on their pages. Other kids though, who have really awesome, interesting topics--like women's roles in the Renaissance--have had a really hard time finding anything.
My idea--too late in the process to make it work this time, but definitely a possibility for next year--would be to have the kids create their own videos or vlogs about their topics and include those videos in their wikis. It would take a lot of front-loading about storyboarding, planning, and use of technology, but I think the pay-off would be awesome. I've been really impressed in the past by students who have undertaken video projects--they have been really fun and creative and offered a clear assessment of whether or not the students understand and can synthesize the information.
While I know that I still need to putz around with the technology more before I ask students to do anything with it, I can definitely see the possibilities in using vlogs in the classroom.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Musings on writing in the classroom
So, I'm teaching a Creative Writing class this semester. I have never taught Creative Writing before, and I've only done a little of it myself. It's going to be an interesting semester in that respect, but that's not what I wanted to write about.
To start the class, I asked the students to write a short piece that explores and discusses the history of their writing: where did they learn? What do they like writing about? How have they grown? What do they like and dislike about writing?
Their responses were mostly what I expected: they started in elementary school. They wrote lots of creative pieces when they were younger. They had a teacher at some point who really lit a fire for them about writing.
Another common thread was the dislike of structured writing assignments in academic classes. This is not surprising, especially coming from a group that is highly creative and fights against conformity. This is also not a problem for me as the teacher; the Creative Writing class is an elective and is therefore more flexible in terms of structure and how we go about class each day. Doing a true writing workshop structure here is not a problem.
No, my issue with the dislike of structured academic writing is in how it works in a mainstream, required English or Social Studies class where almost all of the writing assignments are teacher-controlled.
I understand the arguments from the teacher's perspective: We have standards that must be met, and to our knowledge, this is the best way to demonstrate mastery of standards and skills. Also, many of our students will be heading to college after high school, and each discipline has its own writing structure that students must work with and within. Isn't it best that they get accustomed to that now? Then there's the organizational nightmare that would result if every kid got to pick what and how and about what they were going to write. I get that. It runs through my head on a daily basis.
However, I absolutely get where students are as well. I don't like having something forced on me more than anyone else does. I know that students are more excited and interested in writing when they can choose what to write about. I know that each of them are in different places with their writing and need instruction/direction/help to varying degrees and on varying topics and skills.
So, how? How do I/we create a space that accomplishes the goals we need to without sacrificing student ownership of their learning? How do I/we do that in the traditional high school environment? What needs to change or be present to make this work? What's the hybrid?
I'm throwing this out there in hopes that someone has some good ideas to share. Please share away! I'll do the same as I come up with ideas. :)
That's it for tonight. Take care!
To start the class, I asked the students to write a short piece that explores and discusses the history of their writing: where did they learn? What do they like writing about? How have they grown? What do they like and dislike about writing?
Their responses were mostly what I expected: they started in elementary school. They wrote lots of creative pieces when they were younger. They had a teacher at some point who really lit a fire for them about writing.
Another common thread was the dislike of structured writing assignments in academic classes. This is not surprising, especially coming from a group that is highly creative and fights against conformity. This is also not a problem for me as the teacher; the Creative Writing class is an elective and is therefore more flexible in terms of structure and how we go about class each day. Doing a true writing workshop structure here is not a problem.
No, my issue with the dislike of structured academic writing is in how it works in a mainstream, required English or Social Studies class where almost all of the writing assignments are teacher-controlled.
I understand the arguments from the teacher's perspective: We have standards that must be met, and to our knowledge, this is the best way to demonstrate mastery of standards and skills. Also, many of our students will be heading to college after high school, and each discipline has its own writing structure that students must work with and within. Isn't it best that they get accustomed to that now? Then there's the organizational nightmare that would result if every kid got to pick what and how and about what they were going to write. I get that. It runs through my head on a daily basis.
However, I absolutely get where students are as well. I don't like having something forced on me more than anyone else does. I know that students are more excited and interested in writing when they can choose what to write about. I know that each of them are in different places with their writing and need instruction/direction/help to varying degrees and on varying topics and skills.
So, how? How do I/we create a space that accomplishes the goals we need to without sacrificing student ownership of their learning? How do I/we do that in the traditional high school environment? What needs to change or be present to make this work? What's the hybrid?
I'm throwing this out there in hopes that someone has some good ideas to share. Please share away! I'll do the same as I come up with ideas. :)
That's it for tonight. Take care!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
More practicing...
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| This is my awesome cast from The Crucible this past spring |
Using Blogs in Learning and Everyday Life
First of all, I am really enjoying the Richardson book. It's very engagingly written and offers some very practical, applicable ideas. I also really appreciated how he encourages teachers to try the tools for themselves for awhile before introducing them in the classroom. I often feel like I immediately need to start using tools that are introduced to me, so a reminder that it's okay to take time to learn for yourself first is very welcome and reassuring.
I started using a blog, primarily for my Masters coursework at the U, about 2 or 3 years ago. I have posted several posts about more daily life, personal stuff, but most of my interaction with blogs has been educationally-based. I have received a few comments about my postings, and those comments were very cool to receive, so I understand the draw of having an authentic audience, but I've never really received the interaction that Beach and Richardson describe in their books. I probably need to write more often, with more depth, and use stuff like tags more often. :)
Educationally, I can definitely see the benefit of blogs. Right now, I'm teaching a Creative Writing elective. Each day, I'm having kids do about 5-10 minutes of writing around a journal prompt, and then giving them time every so often to go back and re-visit or re-write any journal they were drawn to. I could save some class time by posting my journal prompts on my course Moodle, and then asking each student to create a blog and do their journal prompts on their blogs. They could then subscribe to each others' blogs and comment on each others' writing. I could also require them to find and subscribe to blogs of other creative writers to provide them with models and samples. Or we could team up with another Creative Writing class in another building, either in our district or outside, and have the kids comment on each others' writing. That would be a great way for them to get authentic, continuous feedback on their work.
Whether I use blogs with my regular English 9 kids or with my mixed grade level CW kids, I would really like more instruction and practice in teaching kids how to provide quality feedback to each other. I think that's one major piece that is missing from my writing instruction in general, that would totally change what the kids and I do. I think it would be absolutely essential to teach the kids this skill before starting any online writing, as one of the purposes/benefits of online writing is receiving feedback from peers.
I'm definitely going to have to put together some lessons on appropriate use and privacy before we go online as well. Both Beach and Richardson point out the fact that kids are using these different medias constantly, but without much guidance in terms of benefits and drawbacks, consequences, privacy issues, and all that good stuff. So, a good deal of front-loading is going to be necessary.
Very excited about this. Just reminding myself that I don't have to do it all at once, right now, this very minute... :)
I started using a blog, primarily for my Masters coursework at the U, about 2 or 3 years ago. I have posted several posts about more daily life, personal stuff, but most of my interaction with blogs has been educationally-based. I have received a few comments about my postings, and those comments were very cool to receive, so I understand the draw of having an authentic audience, but I've never really received the interaction that Beach and Richardson describe in their books. I probably need to write more often, with more depth, and use stuff like tags more often. :)
Educationally, I can definitely see the benefit of blogs. Right now, I'm teaching a Creative Writing elective. Each day, I'm having kids do about 5-10 minutes of writing around a journal prompt, and then giving them time every so often to go back and re-visit or re-write any journal they were drawn to. I could save some class time by posting my journal prompts on my course Moodle, and then asking each student to create a blog and do their journal prompts on their blogs. They could then subscribe to each others' blogs and comment on each others' writing. I could also require them to find and subscribe to blogs of other creative writers to provide them with models and samples. Or we could team up with another Creative Writing class in another building, either in our district or outside, and have the kids comment on each others' writing. That would be a great way for them to get authentic, continuous feedback on their work.
Whether I use blogs with my regular English 9 kids or with my mixed grade level CW kids, I would really like more instruction and practice in teaching kids how to provide quality feedback to each other. I think that's one major piece that is missing from my writing instruction in general, that would totally change what the kids and I do. I think it would be absolutely essential to teach the kids this skill before starting any online writing, as one of the purposes/benefits of online writing is receiving feedback from peers.
I'm definitely going to have to put together some lessons on appropriate use and privacy before we go online as well. Both Beach and Richardson point out the fact that kids are using these different medias constantly, but without much guidance in terms of benefits and drawbacks, consequences, privacy issues, and all that good stuff. So, a good deal of front-loading is going to be necessary.
Very excited about this. Just reminding myself that I don't have to do it all at once, right now, this very minute... :)
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Censorship: A Mini-Unit
Lesson 1: As an anticipatory set, I would create and administer a survey to students, asking them about their tastes in music, TV, film, and books. As a class, we would then create a graphic representation of the information gathered and refer back to it as we worked through the mini-unit. Then, the students would be asked to reflect in writing in discuss as a class the following questions:
This reflection and discussion would lead into a discussion of what censorship is and it’s history. I would probably find an article on censorship from our school’s media center databases, and ask the students to read it for the following day’s activities.
Lesson 2: After reading the assigned article, students would hopefully have a better idea of what censorship is, where it comes from, and what people do to stop it. We would put our ideas into practice by examining a specific example. I might use the “Cop Killer” song that we used in class, or I might find another, more recent song by someone like Eminem. As a class, we would listen to the song and analyze the lyrics. After we analyzed the song, the students would break into groups and each group would be assigned an identity: concerned parent, music industry executive, minority or group “attacked” in the song (women, homosexuals, African Americans, etc), teenager, school principal, etc. Each group would be asked to identify the stake their particular identity had in the song and its distribution, and also come up with a statement summarizing why this identified person would or would not support the censorship of this song. This would serve as preparation for the culminating activity.
Lesson 3: The Great Censorship Debate! This lesson might take several days to complete, due to the amount of prep work required.
1. Of the music, films, TV shows, and books that you enjoy, are there any that your parents don’t like or don’t want you to watch? What are those songs/shows/books?
2. Why do you think your parents don’t want you to listen to/watch/read those things?
3. Why do you like those songs/shows/books?
This reflection and discussion would lead into a discussion of what censorship is and it’s history. I would probably find an article on censorship from our school’s media center databases, and ask the students to read it for the following day’s activities.
Lesson 2: After reading the assigned article, students would hopefully have a better idea of what censorship is, where it comes from, and what people do to stop it. We would put our ideas into practice by examining a specific example. I might use the “Cop Killer” song that we used in class, or I might find another, more recent song by someone like Eminem. As a class, we would listen to the song and analyze the lyrics. After we analyzed the song, the students would break into groups and each group would be assigned an identity: concerned parent, music industry executive, minority or group “attacked” in the song (women, homosexuals, African Americans, etc), teenager, school principal, etc. Each group would be asked to identify the stake their particular identity had in the song and its distribution, and also come up with a statement summarizing why this identified person would or would not support the censorship of this song. This would serve as preparation for the culminating activity.
Lesson 3: The Great Censorship Debate! This lesson might take several days to complete, due to the amount of prep work required.
The Situation: An English teacher at the local high school wants to use the Harry Potter books as required curriculum in his or her 9th grade English class. Certain groups are furious and do not want the books used at all, while other groups are supportive and would like to see the books used. To figure out what to do, tProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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school board will be holding an open meeting to hear from both sides of the argument, as well as allow attendees to ask questions, before they make a decision.
The Set-up: Students will be assigned to one of three groups: Those in favor, those opposed, and the audience. All students will be given a day or two in the media center to research ALL sides of the issue. Then, each group will meet together to compare notes and come up with a strategy. For the actual arguers, they will prepare a statement expressing their view and a refutation and rebuttal of the opposing side. The audience will prepare insightful questions to ask both sides during the Q&A section of the debate. For greater challenge, students could be given different identities within their larger groups as well.
The Debate: Students will have a day in class (preferably a block day) to have their debate. If they desired, students could invite the building administrators or actual school board members to hear their debate and offer some insight and feedback.
Reflection: Following the debate, students would reflectively discuss what they discovered and offer evaluative suggestions on what they think should be done. They could also discuss censorship and its ramifications as a larger social issue as well.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
News Analysis: Teaching Ideas
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Friday, June 11, 2010
TV News Analysis: WCCO, 10pm, 6/11/10
Viewing Log
| Station: WCCO Date: | |||
| Time | Type of content | Type of stories | |
| 5 min, 13 sec. | News—local | Crime stories: attempted sexual assaults, a stabbing in an office building, a possible kidnapping, follow-up to attempted bank robbery Labor news: Nurses’ strike and video clip of confrontation between nurses and hospital employees Health/Wellness story: more people affected by e. coli-infected milk from MN farm Human interest: Pool safety classes founded by members of family of girl who died in pool accident Public concern: Pack of coyotes spotted in | |
| 4 min, 08 sec. | News—national | Environmental: Gulf of Mexico-BP oil spill Global-local connection: Three MN hikers being held in Natural disaster: Flash floods in AK Human interest: Teenage sailor found and being returned home Editorial on parents of teenage sailor allowing her to sail around the world on her own | |
| 6 min, 02 sec | Sports | International: World Cop National: U of NE joins Big 10—2 separate stories Local: Recap of tonight’s Twins game, Vikings mini-camp—A.P. a no-show, Childress upset High school: current state tournaments—softball, track, lacrosse | |
| 2 min, 06 sec | Entertainment/education | Nightly segment called “Good Question” with Jason DeRusha | |
| 3 min, 31 sec | Weather | Full forecast and recap @ end of news | |
Reflection:
I will admit it: I do not normally watch the news. That probably makes me a poor citizen, but the news is usually so depressing and not as informative as I’d like it to be, so I just skip it. I scan the newspaper at lunch every day for my daily take and occasionally click on stories online that interest me. Therefore, it was interesting for me to sit down and actually watch the news, top to bottom tonight.
The first thing I noticed was that WCCO follows the shock news pattern for its ordering of stories. The first three stories tonight all concerned crimes, with the most recent and dramatic story starting the broadcast. I will give the station credit for not sensationalizing the story of the attempted sexual assaults. The story was informative and to-the-point and clearly did not want to scare people more than necessary, but it would have been good for them to include some safety tips for women as part of the story. The next biggest local news story (based on the amount of time allotted) was the story on the nurses’ strike. This is obviously a big story due to the number of people affected by the strike and the contract negotiations. I felt like the story positioned me to respond favorably to the nurses because they talked about how some nurses weren’t allowed to return to work today and how that was in violation of their contract. The story claims the hospitals are saying there’s no specific clause describing procedure for nurses returning from strike, which makes the hospitals sound a little sketchy and retaliatory.
The biggest national story is, not surprisingly, the oil spill in the Gulf. Given our nation’s renewed interest in the environment plus the recent focus on that region due to Hurricane Katrina, it’s no wonder that this story garners a lot of attention. The popular opinion definitely seems to be that BP is totally responsible for this mess, and the story reinforces that opinion. It also contains some shock value, as it reports that scientists are now claiming that more oil leaked out then was originally thought. Now that the spill has been mostly contained, the news media need to keep up the interest in the story, and reporting new findings like this keeps the story fresh and engaging.
Sports definitely got the most coverage, with the most time devoted to local sporting news, like the Twins victory over the Braves, Adrien Peterson skipping the Vikings’ mini-camp today, and the on-going state high school tournaments. The reporters did a nice job covering the Adrien Peterson story because they shared both Brad Childress’s frustration and a teammate’s support for Peterson’s decision. It’s not ground-breaking news, but Minnesotans expect a pretty high level of responsibility and work ethic from our sports figures, so this story would be of interest to many MN sports fans.
We Minnesotans love to discuss the weather, mostly because we get so much of it, which explains why the weather was allotted 3 ½ minutes in the broadcast. I also enjoyed the entertainment-driven nightly feature called “Good Question” with Jason DeRusha. Viewers email or text in questions of any variety and DeRusha investigates to find the answers. Tonight’s questions related to the rainy weather we’ve been experiencing lately, the nurses’ strike, how streets are named, and why police officers are allowed to be on computers while they’re driving when regular citizens aren’t allowed to text. I think this segment is designed to make viewers feel like they’re a part of the show and be entertaining and educational at the same time. In a small way, it encourages curiosity and investigation, which is always good.
Media Representations Activity
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span+style%3D%22font-weight%3A+bold%3B%22%3EIntroduction%3C%2Fspan%3E%3A+In+class%2C+I+would+show+a+selection+of+clips+from+popular+TV+shows+that+feature+teenagers+in+leading+and%2For+supporting+roles.+After+watching+the+clips%2C+we+would+brainstorm+a+list+of+similarities+and+differences+between+the+clips%3A+character+types%2C+settings%2C+topics%2C+plot+devices%2C+themes%2C+etc.+Once+the+list+was+created%2C+we+would+examine+it+for+any+patterns.+Then%2C+we+would+discuss+why+the+same+things+and+patterns+keep+showing+up+over+and+over+again.+At+this+point%2C+I+would+present+a+short%2C+introductory+lesson+on+media+representations.+++%3Cp+class%3D%22MsoNormal%22%3E%3Co%3Ap%3E+%3C%2Fo%3Ap%3E%3C%2Fp%3E++%3Cp++class%3D%22MsoNormal%22+style%3D%22font-family%3Ageorgia%3B%22%3E%3Cspan+style%3D%22font-weight%3A+bold%3B%22%3EConnection+to+Self%3C%2Fspan%3E%3A+As+a+class%2C+students+would+create+a+list+of+common+representations+or+stereotypes+of+teenagers+that+they+see+in+the+media.+Then%2C+individual+students+would+write+about+which+stereotypes+they+identify+with+the+most+and+the+least.%3C%2Fp%3E++%3Cp++class%3D%22MsoNormal%22+style%3D%22font-family%3Ageorgia%3B%22%3E%3Co%3Ap%3E+%3C%2Fo%3Ap%3E%3C%2Fp%3E++%3Cp+face%3D%22georgia%22+class%3D%22MsoNormal%22%3E%3Cspan+style%3D%22font-weight%3A+bold%3B%22%3EConnection+between+self+and+text%3C%2Fspan%3E%3A+Each+student+would+receive+a+log+sheet.+Using+the+log+sheet%2C+students+will+be+asked+to+watch+a+certain+number+of+hours+of+television+or+film+in+a+given+time+period+and+make+note+of+the+representations+of+teenagers+that+they+encounter.+On+the+log+sheet%2C+they+might+record+things+like+what+show+they+were+watching%2C+which+network+is+was+on%2C+basic+demographic+information+about+the+characters%2C+types+of+characters+portrayed+or+any+number+of+other+things.+Students+would+bring+the+log+sheets+back+to+class+and+form+small+discussion+groups+to+share+and+analyze+their+findings.+There+could+be+a+group+sharing+in+the+form+of+a+poster%2C+power+point%2C+or+Glogster.+%3C%2Fp%3E++%3Cp+face%3D%22georgia%22+class%3D%22MsoNormal%22%3E%3Co%3Ap%3E+%3C%2Fo%3Ap%3E%3C%2Fp%3E++%3Cp+style%3D%22font-family%3A+georgia%3B%22+class%3D%22MsoNormal%22%3E%3Cspan+style%3D%22font-weight%3A+bold%3B%22%3EConnection+between+self%2C+text%2C+and+world%3C%2Fspan%3E%3A+Students+would+choose+one+specific+show+from+their+log+to+focus+on.+Students+would+be+asked+to+research+the+network+that+produces+the+show+and+investigate+the+connections+and+relationships+the+network+has+with+other+companies.+The+students+would+then+be+asked+to+present+%28in+their+choice+of+form%29+a+critical+analysis+that+synthesizes+the+information+from+their+log+sheet+and+their+research+to+come+to+a+conclusion+as+to+why+teenagers+are+portrayed+in+a+particular+way+on+that+show+on+that+network.%3C%2Fp%3E++%3Cp+style%3D%22font-family%3A+georgia%3B%22+class%3D%22MsoNormal%22%3E%3Co%3Ap%3E+%3C%2Fo%3Ap%3E%3C%2Fp%3E++%3Cp+style%3D%22font-family%3A+georgia%3B%22+class%3D%22MsoNormal%22%3E%3Cspan+style%3D%22font-weight%3A+bold%3B%22%3EExtension+option%3C%2Fspan%3E%3A+Students+could+then+form+groups+and+create+their+own+TV+programs+or+movies+that+accurately+portray+the+realities+of+teenagers%E2%80%99+diverse+backgrounds+and+personalities.+Or+this+could+lead+into+a+unit+on+satire+and+farce+and+students+could+create+programs+that+challenge+the+stereotypes+through+satire+and+farce.+%3C%2Fp%3E++
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span+style%3D%22font-weight%3A+bold%3B%22%3EIntroduction%3C%2Fspan%3E%3A+In+class%2C+I+would+show+a+selection+of+clips+from+popular+TV+shows+that+feature+teenagers+in+leading+and%2For+supporting+roles.+After+watching+the+clips%2C+we+would+brainstorm+a+list+of+similarities+and+differences+between+the+clips%3A+character+types%2C+settings%2C+topics%2C+plot+devices%2C+themes%2C+etc.+Once+the+list+was+created%2C+we+would+examine+it+for+any+patterns.+Then%2C+we+would+discuss+why+the+same+things+and+patterns+keep+showing+up+over+and+over+again.+At+this+point%2C+I+would+present+a+short%2C+introductory+lesson+on+media+representations.+++%3Cp+class%3D%22MsoNormal%22%3E%3Co%3Ap%3E+%3C%2Fo%3Ap%3E%3C%2Fp%3E++%3Cp++class%3D%22MsoNormal%22+style%3D%22font-family%3Ageorgia%3B%22%3E%3Cspan+style%3D%22font-weight%3A+bold%3B%22%3EConnection+to+Self%3C%2Fspan%3E%3A+As+a+class%2C+students+would+create+a+list+of+common+representations+or+stereotypes+of+teenagers+that+they+see+in+the+media.+Then%2C+individual+students+would+write+about+which+stereotypes+they+identify+with+the+most+and+the+least.%3C%2Fp%3E++%3Cp++class%3D%22MsoNormal%22+style%3D%22font-family%3Ageorgia%3B%22%3E%3Co%3Ap%3E+%3C%2Fo%3Ap%3E%3C%2Fp%3E++%3Cp+face%3D%22georgia%22+class%3D%22MsoNormal%22%3E%3Cspan+style%3D%22font-weight%3A+bold%3B%22%3EConnection+between+self+and+text%3C%2Fspan%3E%3A+Each+student+would+receive+a+log+sheet.+Using+the+log+sheet%2C+students+will+be+asked+to+watch+a+certain+number+of+hours+of+television+or+film+in+a+given+time+period+and+make+note+of+the+representations+of+teenagers+that+they+encounter.+On+the+log+sheet%2C+they+might+record+things+like+what+show+they+were+watching%2C+which+network+is+was+on%2C+basic+demographic+information+about+the+characters%2C+types+of+characters+portrayed+or+any+number+of+other+things.+Students+would+bring+the+log+sheets+back+to+class+and+form+small+discussion+groups+to+share+and+analyze+their+findings.+There+could+be+a+group+sharing+in+the+form+of+a+poster%2C+power+point%2C+or+Glogster.+%3C%2Fp%3E++%3Cp+face%3D%22georgia%22+class%3D%22MsoNormal%22%3E%3Co%3Ap%3E+%3C%2Fo%3Ap%3E%3C%2Fp%3E++%3Cp+style%3D%22font-family%3A+georgia%3B%22+class%3D%22MsoNormal%22%3E%3Cspan+style%3D%22font-weight%3A+bold%3B%22%3EConnection+between+self%2C+text%2C+and+world%3C%2Fspan%3E%3A+Students+would+choose+one+specific+show+from+their+log+to+focus+on.+Students+would+be+asked+to+research+the+network+that+produces+the+show+and+investigate+the+connections+and+relationships+the+network+has+with+other+companies.+The+students+would+then+be+asked+to+present+%28in+their+choice+of+form%29+a+critical+analysis+that+synthesizes+the+information+from+their+log+sheet+and+their+research+to+come+to+a+conclusion+as+to+why+teenagers+are+portrayed+in+a+particular+way+on+that+show+on+that+network.%3C%2Fp%3E++%3Cp+style%3D%22font-family%3A+georgia%3B%22+class%3D%22MsoNormal%22%3E%3Co%3Ap%3E+%3C%2Fo%3Ap%3E%3C%2Fp%3E++%3Cp+style%3D%22font-family%3A+georgia%3B%22+class%3D%22MsoNormal%22%3E%3Cspan+style%3D%22font-weight%3A+bold%3B%22%3EExtension+option%3C%2Fspan%3E%3A+Students+could+then+form+groups+and+create+their+own+TV+programs+or+movies+that+accurately+portray+the+realities+of+teenagers%E2%80%99+diverse+backgrounds+and+personalities.+Or+this+could+lead+into+a+unit+on+satire+and+farce+and+students+could+create+programs+that+challenge+the+stereotypes+through+satire+and+farce.+%3C%2Fp%3E++
Teachers on TV: Analyzing Will Schuester
First off, if you have never watched the TV show Glee, you are missing out! So. Good.
I just recently got hooked on Fox’s huge hit Glee, a musical show that follows the trials, tribulations, and ultimately successes of high school Spanish teacher Will Schuester and his glee club, New Directions. Glee follows a time-honored tradition of teacher portrayals in the media. While there are some aspects of the show that seem to depart from the norm, a closer look reveals that the same problematic value systems underlie the character of Will Schuester as underlie almost every teacher character portrayed on film or TV.
To begin with, Schuester fills the stereotypical archetype of the teacher who fights for the underdog. In the Glee universe, being a member of glee club is something akin to being a leper. The glee students are routinely taunted, teased, and harassed via getting Slushies thrown in their faces for their participation. The kids are unusually talented and clearly VERY good at what they do, but they feel ashamed of their gifts because their peers do not value them. Enter Mr. Schuester. Mr. Schu, as the kids call him, is constantly trying to instill a sense of pride and confidence in them. He also is constantly going to the table for them, fighting the conflicted principal whose main concern seems to be finances and the scheming, conniving head cheerleading coach who wields an enormous amount of power in the school. As the advisor and director of several arts groups at my own school, I really appreciate the depiction of how hard it can be for arts-based programs to get the same support and recognition that sports teams get. However, the depiction of Schuester constantly fighting with admin and the kids is highly unrealistic. It adds to the dramatic tension in the show but does little to accurately show the difficulties teachers experience when they are trying to run an activity or athletic program.
I do give Glee credit for trying to show other aspects Will’s life outside of school, such as his relationship with his wife, except that the portrayal actually reinforces stereotypes rather than challenge them. Will’s marriage is on the rocks, in large part due to his devotion to his students. His wife even decides to fake a pregnancy to stop him from giving up on their relationship. Although I haven’t watched the whole season and thus have no idea how this plotline wraps up, I Proxy-Connection: keep-alive
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uld be willing to bet that Mr. Schu will sacrifice his personal life for these kids. While it tries to show that teachers have lives outside of school and does explore—albeit in a humorously overblown way—the difficulties and stresses of balancing work and home, Glee ultimately sticks to the same story: Teachers must sacrifice any semblance of a personal life in order to be successful with their students.
Another wrench in Will’s relationship with his wife is the adorably neurotic guidance counselor Emma, who is friends with Will. Again, I appreciate that Glee is trying to depict collegiality between teachers instead of setting up Schuester as alone without any support, but the crux of Will and Emma’s relationship is definitely the romantic tension. We do see scenes of Will going Emma to discuss an issue with a student or with the glee club, but it is abundantly clear that the purpose of the scene is to further accentuate the tension between Will and Emma, not accurately depict collaboration between colleagues for the benefit of a student or group of students. The other colleague relationships don’t do much better: Will is friends with the gym teacher, who is marrying Emma. The gym teacher is pretty much only there to act as a foil in Will’s relationship with Emma. He’s also portrayed in a stereotypically negative way: the big, dumb used-to-be jock who’s ironically out-of-shape for being a gym teacher. Then, there’s Sue Sylvester, the cheerleading coach and de facto villain of the show. She plays the drill sergeant stereotype with such gusto and dead-pan hilariousness that it’s impossible not to recognize the stereotype. Jane Lynch does a great job of making fun of the stereotype, but it is still a stereotype. Sylvester is also set up mainly as a foil to Schuester: where Sylvester is mean, pushy, demanding, and unrelenting, Schu is kind, concerned, empathetic, and supportive. It makes for very entertaining TV, but it does nothing to accurately portray the professional collaboration that happens between teachers every day in schools across the country.
While I still love Glee and will continue to watch it for its entertainment value, I don’t agree with its perpetuation of teacher stereotypes. The show has been hailed as original and inventive. What would be original and inventive is a portrayal of teachers that challenges the stereotypes and accurately reflects the important work we do every day.
I just recently got hooked on Fox’s huge hit Glee, a musical show that follows the trials, tribulations, and ultimately successes of high school Spanish teacher Will Schuester and his glee club, New Directions. Glee follows a time-honored tradition of teacher portrayals in the media. While there are some aspects of the show that seem to depart from the norm, a closer look reveals that the same problematic value systems underlie the character of Will Schuester as underlie almost every teacher character portrayed on film or TV.
To begin with, Schuester fills the stereotypical archetype of the teacher who fights for the underdog. In the Glee universe, being a member of glee club is something akin to being a leper. The glee students are routinely taunted, teased, and harassed via getting Slushies thrown in their faces for their participation. The kids are unusually talented and clearly VERY good at what they do, but they feel ashamed of their gifts because their peers do not value them. Enter Mr. Schuester. Mr. Schu, as the kids call him, is constantly trying to instill a sense of pride and confidence in them. He also is constantly going to the table for them, fighting the conflicted principal whose main concern seems to be finances and the scheming, conniving head cheerleading coach who wields an enormous amount of power in the school. As the advisor and director of several arts groups at my own school, I really appreciate the depiction of how hard it can be for arts-based programs to get the same support and recognition that sports teams get. However, the depiction of Schuester constantly fighting with admin and the kids is highly unrealistic. It adds to the dramatic tension in the show but does little to accurately show the difficulties teachers experience when they are trying to run an activity or athletic program.
I do give Glee credit for trying to show other aspects Will’s life outside of school, such as his relationship with his wife, except that the portrayal actually reinforces stereotypes rather than challenge them. Will’s marriage is on the rocks, in large part due to his devotion to his students. His wife even decides to fake a pregnancy to stop him from giving up on their relationship. Although I haven’t watched the whole season and thus have no idea how this plotline wraps up, I Proxy-Connection: keep-alive
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uld be willing to bet that Mr. Schu will sacrifice his personal life for these kids. While it tries to show that teachers have lives outside of school and does explore—albeit in a humorously overblown way—the difficulties and stresses of balancing work and home, Glee ultimately sticks to the same story: Teachers must sacrifice any semblance of a personal life in order to be successful with their students.
Another wrench in Will’s relationship with his wife is the adorably neurotic guidance counselor Emma, who is friends with Will. Again, I appreciate that Glee is trying to depict collegiality between teachers instead of setting up Schuester as alone without any support, but the crux of Will and Emma’s relationship is definitely the romantic tension. We do see scenes of Will going Emma to discuss an issue with a student or with the glee club, but it is abundantly clear that the purpose of the scene is to further accentuate the tension between Will and Emma, not accurately depict collaboration between colleagues for the benefit of a student or group of students. The other colleague relationships don’t do much better: Will is friends with the gym teacher, who is marrying Emma. The gym teacher is pretty much only there to act as a foil in Will’s relationship with Emma. He’s also portrayed in a stereotypically negative way: the big, dumb used-to-be jock who’s ironically out-of-shape for being a gym teacher. Then, there’s Sue Sylvester, the cheerleading coach and de facto villain of the show. She plays the drill sergeant stereotype with such gusto and dead-pan hilariousness that it’s impossible not to recognize the stereotype. Jane Lynch does a great job of making fun of the stereotype, but it is still a stereotype. Sylvester is also set up mainly as a foil to Schuester: where Sylvester is mean, pushy, demanding, and unrelenting, Schu is kind, concerned, empathetic, and supportive. It makes for very entertaining TV, but it does nothing to accurately portray the professional collaboration that happens between teachers every day in schools across the country.
While I still love Glee and will continue to watch it for its entertainment value, I don’t agree with its perpetuation of teacher stereotypes. The show has been hailed as original and inventive. What would be original and inventive is a portrayal of teachers that challenges the stereotypes and accurately reflects the important work we do every day.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Shot-by-Shot Analysis of Commercial: MLB 10: The Show featuring Joe Mauer and Kevin Butler
| The Shot | Meaning/Purpose |
| Joe Mauer inside the Twins clubhouse. A big, flat screen TV behind Mauer shows another man (presumably supposed to be a Twins player) playing the game he is advertising. Mauer is filmed in a medium shot. | This shot establishes Joe Mauer as the leading character in the commercial. The medium focus allows the audience to see both that Mauer is in the Twins clubhouse and the TV with the game in the background. The setting helps establish the credibility of the game—it’s being played inside a Major League Clubhouse. Mauer’s presence does the same—a Major League star plays this game. |
| Quick cut to Kevin Butler in his office at Playstation headquarters. Again, the game is shown being played on a large flat screen TV behind | This shot establishes Kevin Butler as the co-star of the commercial. The medium shot again does two things: it establishes the setting as |
| Quick cut to scenes from the video game. Scene is “shot” from behind home plate at Target field as Mauer is at bat, from the third base line watching Mauer swing, from the ground as Mauer makes a tag out at home plate, and from the pitcher’s mound as the team celebrates. | This series of scenes displays the main claim/feature of the product: how realistic the images are. It also draws on Joe Mauer’s popularity by showing images o him specifically and quietly suggests another benefit—if you buy this game, you can BE Joe Mauer. The scene also sets up the joke for the rest of the ad: |
| Quick cut back to | Reminder to audience who |
| Quick cut to Mauer protesting that he’s the AL MVP. | This series of scenes that quick cut back and forth are intended to entertain and amuse the audience. Humor is employed here in the gag that |
| Quick cut back | |
| Quick back to Mauer, saying his name in tone that suggests | |
| Quick cut back to | |
| Quick cut back to Mauer in close-up, who holds up a picture of himself and | |
| Quick cut back to | |
| Quick cut back to Mauer, who holds up a picture of | |
| Quick cut back to | |
| Cut to image of the cover of “The Show” in three different formats for PSP, PS2, and PS3 (which is placed in the center and is the largest). The tagline written above the games on a banner reads “The most realistic baseball game ever.” The voiceover says the name of the game and tells you the rating. | Shows product packaging, emphasizing the PS3 version of the game as the best by placing it in the middle and making it slightly larger than the other two versions. |
| Cut to PS3 slogan and logo. | Quick plug for PS3 as best system for the game. |
| Cut to Sony logo. | Quick plug for Sony, the company that makes PlayStation systems and products. |
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