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 :)
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
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.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Kajder Text
The Kajder reading for this week was incredibly insightful. Firstly, I loved that she commented on the necessity of her student's having a choice in what they read and how they present it. As far as the audiobooks are concerned, I think that this is a great idea to implement into the classroom. I also liked that the teacher (Kristen) gave the student's the freedom to pick the images they wanted to use to represent their work. I was confused though when she said that some kids had trouble with this and were "print-trained" (p.73). That hurts me as a future ELA teacher. I never want my kid's to be frustrated by choice, and I think that in this case maybe telling them that there were no wrong answers and giving them a rubric to follow may have alleviated the problem. Type A's always need a rubric. Just saying.
The story of Leo (p. 67-9) also saddened me, however this sadness has nothing to do with the student and everything to do with the tests that we subject them too. I completely agree that the definition of literacy needs to be reworked, but then so does the testing scheme. It's obvious that everyone learns differently and yet we value people based on a biased and boring standardized test. The same kids that are accepted into prestigious art schools are not the same as those who apply to an Ivy League college, and those that enter the business world are no less valuable than those that choose to go on for higher education. So why would we not test them differently or offer multiple variations of these standardized tests so that every kid has the chance to succeed on at least one? They would still have to learn valuable skills, but we would meet them halfway by allowing them to be themselves and if they find the education more useful, wouldn't they be better engaged? This is a shame and in my classroom I never want a child's worth to be determined by his grade. So allowing the freedoms offered in this chapter is something that I would definitely consider.
Finally, Kristen mentions that she works in a school where student's are not formally tracked (p. 70). I don't know how I feel about this? Thought? I was tracked throughout my educational career and saw a lot more benefits than I saw disadvantages, because there was always the option to opt out. However, I admit that I've never seen a classroom that wasn't "tracked," so I guess I'll just have to wait and see and form my opinion later.
The story of Leo (p. 67-9) also saddened me, however this sadness has nothing to do with the student and everything to do with the tests that we subject them too. I completely agree that the definition of literacy needs to be reworked, but then so does the testing scheme. It's obvious that everyone learns differently and yet we value people based on a biased and boring standardized test. The same kids that are accepted into prestigious art schools are not the same as those who apply to an Ivy League college, and those that enter the business world are no less valuable than those that choose to go on for higher education. So why would we not test them differently or offer multiple variations of these standardized tests so that every kid has the chance to succeed on at least one? They would still have to learn valuable skills, but we would meet them halfway by allowing them to be themselves and if they find the education more useful, wouldn't they be better engaged? This is a shame and in my classroom I never want a child's worth to be determined by his grade. So allowing the freedoms offered in this chapter is something that I would definitely consider.
Finally, Kristen mentions that she works in a school where student's are not formally tracked (p. 70). I don't know how I feel about this? Thought? I was tracked throughout my educational career and saw a lot more benefits than I saw disadvantages, because there was always the option to opt out. However, I admit that I've never seen a classroom that wasn't "tracked," so I guess I'll just have to wait and see and form my opinion later.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Warning: This is a Rant (Note the Angry Red Font)
Dear Academic Universe,
Why on Earth do we need to have 9725 different types of citation guidelines? This is a serious question as a personally see absolutely no reason why we can't just pick one? One of the main complaints I hear from educator's is that they don't have enough time to teach everything that they are supposed to. Well here's an idea....eliminate all the irrelevant citation styles and that's a few extra days of teaching the important stuff!
I do think that plagiarism is a huge problem, and in integrating new medias into our classrooms it is a constant worry, but maybe kid's would be more open to citing information if we didn't make it so stinking difficult! For instance, if everyone who is reading an academic article (which is a very specific audience to begin with) can't find the original article based on an MLA citation and works cited page then isn't this a problem with comprehension? I don't think that capitalizing or not capitalizing a title makes any difference at all, nor do I think that it matters what is in the parentheses after the citation as long as it references the proper article in the works cited. It's annoying for me as a future educator so I can only imagine how my future student's will respond. Just saying. In my opinion, sometimes simplicity really is best!
Why on Earth do we need to have 9725 different types of citation guidelines? This is a serious question as a personally see absolutely no reason why we can't just pick one? One of the main complaints I hear from educator's is that they don't have enough time to teach everything that they are supposed to. Well here's an idea....eliminate all the irrelevant citation styles and that's a few extra days of teaching the important stuff!
I do think that plagiarism is a huge problem, and in integrating new medias into our classrooms it is a constant worry, but maybe kid's would be more open to citing information if we didn't make it so stinking difficult! For instance, if everyone who is reading an academic article (which is a very specific audience to begin with) can't find the original article based on an MLA citation and works cited page then isn't this a problem with comprehension? I don't think that capitalizing or not capitalizing a title makes any difference at all, nor do I think that it matters what is in the parentheses after the citation as long as it references the proper article in the works cited. It's annoying for me as a future educator so I can only imagine how my future student's will respond. Just saying. In my opinion, sometimes simplicity really is best!
Monday, October 1, 2012
Other Teachers Who Want to Help!
Fascinating. I had no idea that teacher's were so into blogging? Not only are they into it, but they are good at it! It was amazing how much information I was able to gather in about twenty minutes of blog surfing. Of course, some stuff didn't apply to me, but some of the blogs put into words things that I have been feeling for years! They agree with me! How cool is that? They also have great ideas that I, as a student and inexperienced teacher, can totally benefit from! Yay! :)
Some of my favorites were rebeccablood.net and doyle-sciencetech.blogspot.com (On this one, check out the Dr. Seuss as science teacher blog! It's something I think could be useful in ELA classes too with a few adaptations)
Some of my favorites were rebeccablood.net and doyle-sciencetech.blogspot.com (On this one, check out the Dr. Seuss as science teacher blog! It's something I think could be useful in ELA classes too with a few adaptations)
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