Why would I be willing to try process drama in my classroom? Honestly, I would be willing to try it simply for the fact that my students will have to interact with one another outside of the realm of text messaging. I have witnessed several examples of poor social skills in my student observations, and in my opinion this is ridiculous. Kids rely on technology far to much for communication and we are losing the common social skills that generations past have taken for granted. For instance, kids need to learn to react to each other without the protection of an electronic device. Using an emoticon does NOT give you the right to be nasty to someone else. I really think that students struggle with this!
Anyway, back to process drama and Pirie's quote the "[one] function of drama [...] is its compelling invitiation to widen our focus beyond the individual, to include interactions with others and with contexts " (p. 51). I agree! Kids need to interact with each other and the texts in a way that is concrete and real. Sure they can do it via the computer, but I like the added challenge of forcing students to be in the same room to complete a project. Imagine that?! It's also important for works that were meant to be seen and not read (like Shakespeare's plays), and students need to understand how both the text and the stage directions work together. It would also force them to understand tone and purpose as a lot of what they will be doing is left up to their interpretation. So of course I would try this in my classroom because the benefits far outweigh my concerns!
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Friday, November 9, 2012
It's Been a Long Week
Ok, perhaps I'm just being cynical, but what is the benefit of doing literature circles online? It's cute in theory, but the same thing can be accomplished with good ol pen and paper, and considering the problems that technology can introduce in the classroom (technical difficulties, distraction, cyberbullying) is this really worth it? I think that this was just a desperate attempt to reach students that is pointless in a real classroom. Sorry, but I'll be sticking with the good old fashioned way of doing things for this particular activity.
The Logistics of Technology
What I've noticed while in field is that sometimes the difficulties of using technology outweigh the benefits. For instance, I watched several students waste class time when their laptops wouldn't work properly, and several teachers experienced technical difficulty as well. I just don't know if it is worth the hassle in all instances.
That being said though, in the yearbook room I saw students flourish with the help of technology. Students were engaged, creative, and excited about their work. However, this goes back to a point that I made previously in that maybe technology is best left to the classes that are designed around it rather than as an addition to a "traditional" classroom. Thoughts?
That being said though, in the yearbook room I saw students flourish with the help of technology. Students were engaged, creative, and excited about their work. However, this goes back to a point that I made previously in that maybe technology is best left to the classes that are designed around it rather than as an addition to a "traditional" classroom. Thoughts?
Friday, November 2, 2012
Unlimited Possibilities?
The Kist book brought up some points that I really want to discuss further. I found this chapter to be particularly challenging in an ethical sense. For instance, I have had several co-ops tell me to delete my social media accounts because the kids will use them in inappropriate ways. I also had a co-op whose personal account was hacked by a student afters school, and he spent time changing his password and updating his security settings. Why would I want to encourage this kind of negativity in my classroom? I understand that it can be valuable, but I just don't know if the value is worth the risk and the time I would have to spend monitoring my students outside of class, even if the account wasn't their real identity. It's a great source for networking, but as far as the standards are concerned a pen, paper, and markers would do much the same thing.
In the book, Liz created a curriculum that was "available for students to interact with [...] whenever they want" (101). Problem! Students don't ever want to do work, especially outside of class. In fact, I witnessed what happened when a teacher assigned homework. Less than half the class brought it back to school the next day. If it isn't done in class, then it doesn't get done. So yes, this may work for highly motivated or tech-savvy kids, but for the general population, at least as far as I've observed them, they would receive zeros for anything assigned outside of class. Again, this works in theory and I would love to try it, but it would have to be in a super specific population of students and I just don't know how feasible that would be.
In the book, Liz created a curriculum that was "available for students to interact with [...] whenever they want" (101). Problem! Students don't ever want to do work, especially outside of class. In fact, I witnessed what happened when a teacher assigned homework. Less than half the class brought it back to school the next day. If it isn't done in class, then it doesn't get done. So yes, this may work for highly motivated or tech-savvy kids, but for the general population, at least as far as I've observed them, they would receive zeros for anything assigned outside of class. Again, this works in theory and I would love to try it, but it would have to be in a super specific population of students and I just don't know how feasible that would be.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Epiphany!
So, I had a moment while sitting in my room with the t.v. on and a magazine in my hand...advertisements can be a valuable teaching tool, and one that I had forgotten about! It's also one that I have seen implemented in both a high school and collegiate setting with great success. Students are exposed to so many ads in their daily life, that they already have so much previous knowledge on this subject. I don't think that they realize that they are experts on the subject. They also aren't aware of how much their lives are saturated by advertisements, and I think it's important that they realize this. Also, the project ideas are endless!
1. ad analysis
2. Make a print ad touting a book or play
3. Make a commercial or trailer
4. Create a game with company symbols
5. Compare and contrast
6. Product creation
These are just off the top of my head! In a class where we are striving to teach in the medias that our students will be familiar with, I think that this is a fabulous idea and one that I have done as a student and will implement as a teacher. Again, not exactly original, but now that I have remembered it I doubt I'll forget it again :)
1. ad analysis
2. Make a print ad touting a book or play
3. Make a commercial or trailer
4. Create a game with company symbols
5. Compare and contrast
6. Product creation
These are just off the top of my head! In a class where we are striving to teach in the medias that our students will be familiar with, I think that this is a fabulous idea and one that I have done as a student and will implement as a teacher. Again, not exactly original, but now that I have remembered it I doubt I'll forget it again :)
Friday, October 19, 2012
Teaching the "How"
I like the idea of the Lund article, so I will start with the positives before I raise my concerns. Firstly, I love that this article mentions working with changing literacies rather than against them. Afterall, if Hollywood is constantly rewriting and reworking the classics then why shouldn't my students? I think rather than trying to fight the video and film world, my time and energy would be better spent embracing it and using it to teach my students valuable lessons in a form that they are familiar with.
I also like the idea that it would build a strong sense of team-work among my students. I want to encourage community and this seems like a great way to do it. The idea of having students draft a script and a storyboard are fabulous, and they will have to employ a lot of knowledge in order to make it effective.
However, what if my students do not have access to the equipment necessary to complete a full on video, and what if I do not have time to implement teaching of the technology into my curriculum? In order to combat this potential problem, I will focus more on the "how" of video production rather than critiquing the actual product. For instance, we can talk about filming techniques and what they mean, but I don't see a lot of value in the students actually doing it. Yes, it would be fun, but no, it is not necessary. A storyboard and a script will get them thinking just as much, and I am not wasting valuable time, resources, and energy on furthering what they have already learned. Overall, I like the idea, but I will adapt it to fit my needs and means.
I also like the idea that it would build a strong sense of team-work among my students. I want to encourage community and this seems like a great way to do it. The idea of having students draft a script and a storyboard are fabulous, and they will have to employ a lot of knowledge in order to make it effective.
However, what if my students do not have access to the equipment necessary to complete a full on video, and what if I do not have time to implement teaching of the technology into my curriculum? In order to combat this potential problem, I will focus more on the "how" of video production rather than critiquing the actual product. For instance, we can talk about filming techniques and what they mean, but I don't see a lot of value in the students actually doing it. Yes, it would be fun, but no, it is not necessary. A storyboard and a script will get them thinking just as much, and I am not wasting valuable time, resources, and energy on furthering what they have already learned. Overall, I like the idea, but I will adapt it to fit my needs and means.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Cool Stuff
Alright. This week I have a lot to report as I did my observations, part of which took place in a tech center. It was awesome! For the first time, I actually saw kids collaborating and learning in a complete tech environment. The class was designed to take up 4 full semesters, or two years at the high school level and focused on designing a video game as the final project. There were 2 possible routes that students could take. The students that I observed had chosen to take the artistic route (as opposed to the programming route) and were in the first and second semesters of the program. Ultimately, they will complete the program and have there own video game already under their belt, as well as apps that they can create and own the rights too. No joke, some of these kids already have offers from employers and they aren't even seniors yet!
However, what impressed me the most was how engaged they were the ENTIRE class period. There was dialogue and students were engaged in other things, but ultimately the work got done and it was high quality! They were in a creative environment (the room had couches, collaboration tables, white boards, bright colors, twinkling lights, and individual laptops for all students) and it showed in the quality of the students work. They were learning real world skills at a high school level that catered to their interests, and I can't wait to hear about their finished products!
Ultimately though, this experience was also a little sad. One student was observed in the tech classroom and then again in the standard English classroom and he was like a completely different student. He was so engaged when he was on the Internet, but then when doing a traditional writing assignment he was fidgety and uninterested. I maintain my stance that programs like this should be offered as electives for students like this. It's sad that we don't see these differences in kids, and more importantly, it's sad that we don't aim to help students like this. He wasn't any "dumber" than kids who excelled in a traditional classroom, but obviously his strengths showed in other areas. We shouldn't punish students for this, but overall, this was a wonderful experience and opportunity and I can honestly say that I see real world value in all tech classrooms.
However, what impressed me the most was how engaged they were the ENTIRE class period. There was dialogue and students were engaged in other things, but ultimately the work got done and it was high quality! They were in a creative environment (the room had couches, collaboration tables, white boards, bright colors, twinkling lights, and individual laptops for all students) and it showed in the quality of the students work. They were learning real world skills at a high school level that catered to their interests, and I can't wait to hear about their finished products!
Ultimately though, this experience was also a little sad. One student was observed in the tech classroom and then again in the standard English classroom and he was like a completely different student. He was so engaged when he was on the Internet, but then when doing a traditional writing assignment he was fidgety and uninterested. I maintain my stance that programs like this should be offered as electives for students like this. It's sad that we don't see these differences in kids, and more importantly, it's sad that we don't aim to help students like this. He wasn't any "dumber" than kids who excelled in a traditional classroom, but obviously his strengths showed in other areas. We shouldn't punish students for this, but overall, this was a wonderful experience and opportunity and I can honestly say that I see real world value in all tech classrooms.
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