Jsansing's Blog

I like the idea of using portfolios to assess student learning.  The new and improved e-portfolio gives students easier access to their proof of learning, and a chance to shine. In addition, students can use e-portfolios as instruments to working out their thoughts.

The country of Afghanistan-the setting of the award-winning novels The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns- is the focus of my individual digital project. Due to the fact that I believe students may have little (or maybe inaccurate) knowledge and perceptions of this region, I believe that it will be very useful for giving them a better understanding of the novels’ setting and the elements within.

When I began working on the project, I thought that I would do my project on part one of A Thousand Splendid Suns. I decided to note unfamiliar words and places while reading through the book. Once I came up with a list of these concepts, I began to research the information. Once we were asked to storyboard the project, I began to realize that I needed to narrow down what I want to include in the video.

After talking with Dr. Dail, I decided that I would trim my video down, and propose it as part of a series. This move relieved a lot of the stress that I was beginning to feel. Meanwhile, I continued to search for images to include. I attempted to use sites (like Flickr) to obtain the most relevant pictures. Due to the fact that I wanted the overall feel of the project to be like a tour of the City, I wanted to use pictures that had actually been taken by tourists in the region. I also began to download sound effects. My goal was to make the viewer feel as though they were truly on a trip in Afghanistan.

After putting all the images and and sound effects into place on the storyboard and timeline in Windows Movie Maker, I began the fun task of recording my script. I will be honest and say that I had a difficult time finding the right volume of the microphone. I am pretty sure that some of the audio in my video is not consistent, because I had to record it in chunks.

Publishing my video was the most challenging part of the entire assignment. I could not get my video to publish until I started a whole new project, and transfered all the work piece by piece. I had to save the work in pieces as well-just to make sure that it was going to publish in the end.

Overall, I feel like this assignment was a good experience for me. For one, I learned and put into use a lot of technology skills that I have never used before. Secondly, it let me experience the frustrations and triumphs related to completing such a project. Now, if I assign a similar project in a future class, I will know what to expect from my students, and also how to help them troubleshoot the problems.

Here is the Worksheet: Nursery Rhyme Worksheet (as the students would see it)

ONCE UPON A TIME…

DIRECTIONS:

Use the video we viewed in class-as well as the “Humpty Dumpty” story we read aloud- as a model, and revise a classic nursery rhyme by re-telling it from a different character’s point of view.

YOU MUST:

• Choose one classic children’s nursery rhyme

(An extensive list can be found at http://www.zelo.com/family/nursery/index.asp)

• Select one character within the rhyme you chose, and consider their viewpoint of the story

• Re-write the entire rhyme in prose form-depending upon the tale you choose, this will mean that the end product will look very different from the original

(Remember, prose is a written form characterized by full sentences and paragraphs.)

• Type the finished product
  • It must be at least two pages in length.
  • It must be typed in 12 point font.

YOU MAY:

• Choose to write an alternative ending and/or twist to the original tale.
• Design a cover-page using whatever creative means you feel represent your story.

DUE DATE:

• The due date for this assignment is 2/25- that is TWO weeks from today.

GRADING:

• This assignment will be worth 30 points of your total grade.

• You will be graded on
  • Grammar, punctuation, and spelling(15 points)
  • Cohesiveness and Flow of story (Does it have a beginning, middle, and end? Is the story easy to read/is it organized? Do you maintain a consistent focus?)(10 points)
  • Following guidelines (5 points)

Here is my rationale:

“Behind the scenes thinking”

The teaching context: The grade level that I would consider this assignment for would be 9^th grade. Although it is more of a creative writing assignment, I think it could also be introduced within a poetry unit. Most nursery rhymes are a type of poetry, and because students are familiar with them (in most cases), it would be a great way to introduce poetry (in a less intimidating way) to the class.

I chose this animated video clip, because I felt that it was a good example of the type of finished product that I could be expected from the students upon completion of the assignment.  The video was humorous, and I felt that it would catch the students’ interest.  I was also interested in this clip, because it was produced in a different medium (than the assignment), and that could spark the students’ creativity, and their own ideas for the project.

After completing the assignment, I would like the students to be able to take character perspectives into account when reading literature.  I believe this is an important ELA skill to learn, because it enables the students to achieve a deeper understanding of the works that they encounter.  From a writing standpoint, I would like the students to demonstrate an ability to write creatively with a consistent well-organized focus.  The students should also be able to exhibit a good understanding of the grammar and rules of English.

This is an individual project, and would be completed mostly outside of classroom time.  However, I would give my students time to begin brainstorming project ideas immediately after it is assigned.  I would designate classroom time for students to communicate their initial ideas with their peers. This time would be structured, and would most likely occur within 2-3 days after assigning the project.

I have found many examples of these types of stories on-line, and would read at least one of them aloud to the students (in addition to the viewing of the video).  I would be careful not to give the students too many examples, because I would not want to inhibit their own ideas.

The three standards that I found that this assignment fulfills are:

• ELA9W1- The student produces writing that establishes an appropriate organizational structure, sets a context and engages the reader, maintains a coherent focus throughout, and signals closure.
• ELAA9C1- The student demonstrates understanding and control of the rules of the English language, realizing that usage involves the appropriate application of conventions and grammar in both written and spoken formats.
• ELA9LSV1- The student participates in student-to-teacher, student-to-student, and group verbal interactions. The student
  • d. Actively solicits another person’s comments or opinions.
  • e. Offers own opinion forcefully without domineering.
  • g. Gives reasons in support of opinions expressed.

The literary meme I chose to explore is the “Don’t Tase me Bro” video.

This is an example of a meme, because it is cultural information that has been passed on by groups of people who have like mindsets. The “Don’t Tase me Bro” article on Wikipedia states that the video has had over 4.3 million views (as of the end of 2009).

What I found interesting in the Wikipedia article, was the fact that they gave background information to supplement the events seen in the video.  It makes me wonder : out of all the people who viewed this video, how many knew the information outside of what why saw…

For some viewers, the video may have been funny, and maybe that is what caused them to pass it on. Just look at this t-shirt inspired by the viral video- certainly, anyone who would purchase this would have to feel that the video was funny.

For other viewers, the video may have been a way to call into question the actions of the police in the situation or what not to do if 7 police officers are trying to escort you out of a building!

Either way, the video was a huge success.

Memes in the classroom can be an interesting thing.  I think it would be very powerful to ask students to critically evaluate the information that they previously were viewing in a different light.  Most memes catch our students attention because they are funny. However, students should also be able to understand the reasons behind their success.  They should also be able to critically evaluate information, and not just accept it for what it seems to be.  There are websites out there, such as Know Your Meme, that evaluate memes for you.  I think this would be a great place for students to get an idea of what they should be thinking about when evaluating memes.

“Advertisers are America’s real pornographers”

Wow, what a statement to make… The first thing that comes to my mind when I read this quote is the connection that is being made to advertising as a scandolous type of buisness.  As the saying goes, “sex sells.” Just look at this add from Burger King:

Aside from the visual image, the words “desire”, “juicy”, “mind-blowing”, and “seven-incher” are all very explicit, and make it apparent that this ad is very sexually charged.  I think this ad is a great example of a sexually-charged ad that is geared towards women, because I think that most people think that ads like this are geared towards men.

In addition, I think that this metaphor implies that advertisers promote a type of product that is out of touch with reality, and unattainable for some.  Just think about it-pornography is a type of escape for those that watch it.  Its not THEIR reality, otherwise they would be doing it themselves, instead of watching it. This

The impact that this has on our culture is very evident.  Racy ads are seen everywhere, and it gives the impression to children that sex can be used as a means of getting what one wants.  In addition, it gives young girls a false sense of reality.  These type of ads portray women as perfect-with the perfect body-and not everyone looks like that.  These types of ads could create a sense of low self-worth if a child imagines that they do not live up to the standards in commercials.

I must say though, America is actually more discreet in what they let air on television.  I found many ads on YouTube that were very sexually explicit. A lot of these ads were “banned” in America, but not in other countries.  Overall, I was just surprised at how far advertisers will push it to achieve the shock-factor and have people talking about their product.

I believe that the metaphor presented makes its point very well.  As Postman says, “metaphors help us see and feel,” and advertisers are definitely using this concept to their advantage.

So, we as teachers should use metaphors to our advantage as well.  In the classroom, there are a variety of benefits that metaphors can bring to our students. By exploring metaphors, we will be building our students’ vocabulary.  A student is more likely to remember the meaning of a word if it is put into a conceptual framework of their own.  Metaphors can also help our students think more creatively, which would be beneficial for their writing skills.  I believe that looking at everyday things from a different aspect is an important skill to teach students.

As I read along in the Richardson textbook,to be honest, I was not quite sure about the concepts that were being introduced.  I have never heard of “social bookmarking sites,” but the more I read the more intrigued I became.  I am naturally an orginizational “freak.”  I cannot stand for things to be out of order, and I have to make lists to make it through the day.  That is why I really like the idea of being able to sort information found on the web into neat little lists.

After reading the assigned text, I decided it might be a good idea to check out the Diigo site (mainly because I was not real sure I understood everything that I was reading).    I opened the free account, and began playing around on the site.  I thought it would be a good idea to start organizing my web resources for the digital project in this class.  I really liked the fact that I could highlight the important ideas in each webpage-it’s almost as good as a physical piece of paper! Also, it is really cool that you can access the information from any computer anywhere. Overall, I think that this will be a great resource for me as I start to find more and more information.

After visiting the Diigo site, I went on to del.icio.us.  I have to admit that I didn’t spend as much time at this site-probably because the book didn’t either!  I figured that the concept was still the same, and one day I may find it useful to explore more in depth.

The text made a lot of points for using these sites in the classroom, but I have to be honest and say that I am a bit intimidated!  At this point, I do feel like it would be a very good idea to introduce students to these sites as a resource for their research. It would be great for them to be able to access their stored information that they worked on from home in the school library.  For all those disorganized students, this leaves no room for excuses about leaving their work at home,etc.  I also like that I could access their bookmarks as well through an RSS feed.  This way I could check-up on their progress of finding resources without really interfering at all.  Then again, if I felt that a particular student (or more) is having trouble, I can post relevant links for them to explore-given that they are added to my network.

Most of all, I believe that students could use this as a tool for organizing and prioritizing information that they retrieve during the composing process.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED:

I AM ABOUT TO SAY SOMETHING SHOCKING…

I have never had a Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter account.  I have never even been on facebook or read a tweet (is that what you call them?)…or really had any experience on any other social networking site outside of the classroom.

Although that may be a horrible thing to admit to, it is true, and I am okay with it…

Having said that, I would like to become more tech savvy than I currently am, and there are a few social networking sites that I believe could have a profound impact on me in the future career as a teacher.

The EnglishCompanion Ning is great. I have been on this site before, and it’s like I go into a trance while looking through all the information.  There is just so many great resources to dive into.  For example:

* The New Teachers discussion board.

* The Teaching Texts discussion board.

* The Free Tools for English Teachers discussion board.

There is a lot of good information, that I on my own would never be able to come up with, but sometimes when I am trying to find help I feel like there is TOO much information.  My mind starts to wander to other things, and I cannot stay focused on my main goals.

In addition to personal uses, social networking can have a very integral role in the classroom as well.

Sites such as twitter can be used in a variety of interesting ways.  Once students have set up accounts (and committed to following one another) they can use Twitter as a way to communicate with one another, as well as to retrieve important information from outside sources.

Twitter can be used:

As a way to continue class conversations outside the classroom.

As a way to keep up with current events.

As a way to get instant feedback on questions (possibly problems with homework,etc)

After teaching the class a certain concept, have all students post one fact at a time-without repeating ideas.

I like the idea of using Twitter, because students are already competent at using their cellphones, and would jump at any chance to use them in the classroom.  Twitter also allows for easy access of information (even easier than a computer!)

I loved The Hunger Games.

The hunger games was such a great book that I went ahead and read the second book (which I didn’t really have the time to do!).  I also lent the books to one of my friends, and we sat around and discussed our predictions for the third book.  Yeah, I liked it that much.

The point is that this is the first book I’ve read in a long time that I wasn’t required to read (the 2nd one), and that made me want to read more.   It made me think more about what I will be having my students read in class.  I want my students to want to read, and not feel like it is a duty that they must perform.  I know that not all of my students will want to read, and I can accept that.  I also know that there is something that interests everyone. This book got me thinking about the ways that I could get my students to enjoy reading.

Things I DON’T want to do:

*Rely on quizzes to make certain that my students are reading.  Don’t get me wrong- quizzes are a good way to analyze your students’ knowledge, and whether they are “getting it” or not- but it gets so redundant, and boring! I found an approach that I do like though, which involves posting quizzes on-line (like in a blog) before class.  The questions are designed to get students thinking about what they have read.  They may also include questions like, “What did you have a hard time understanding?”.

Things I DO want to try:

*Giving students as many choices as I can.  This could be choices in the reading material, choices about the way that they are assessed, choices in the activities that will accompany the material.  Obviously, this would take a bit more planning, and I would have to give students the choices ahead of time. I would also have to take into account how I would decide whose choices I choose.

*Letting the students read material that is not required by me.  I would designate a particular time-probably at the beginning or end of class-for students to do this.

*I think that I might also let the students choose ONE book off of a list of required readings for the semester.  These books would probably be current books YA books that can be discussed and analyzed in the classroom.

So, I didn’t forget that this post was supposed to be a reaction to Hunger Games. I’ll admit I got a little off topic.  However, this was my reaction to reading the book (in a roundabout way).

Anyways, here are few things on the web that deal with the book explicitly.

*Take a look at the Hunger Games Fansite.

* Being that the book cover does not include pictures of the characters, what was your mental image of the characters? Look at others’ below:

Katniss

       Kabul, Afghanistan-the setting of the award-winning novels The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns- will be the focus of my individual digital project.  I will use Windows Moviemaker to present straightforward, factual information through video, pictures, and dialogue.  My project will focus on the complex culture, customs, and history of the controversial geographic location.  Due to the fact that I believe students may have little (or maybe inaccurate) knowledge and perceptions of this region, I believe that it would be very useful for giving them a better understanding of the novels’ setting and the elements within.

In thinking further upon the project, I am going to primarily use Splendid Suns, which is set up in a four part structure… because there is so much unfamiliar information, and I was to focus in as much as I can… I think that I will do my project on part one of the book.. I’m not really sure yet…I am making a list of unfamiliar words right now, and am going to incorporate those as specific examples while talking generally about the customs, culture,etc.

When I try to imagine how Americans envisioned the future of their country a hundred years ago, I imagine a very different picture than the reality that is the 21^st century today.  If I go even further to think of their reaction to our current technological advancements, I can only imagine that it is the same reaction we have to futuristic movies- Unconceivable (although I must admit that I tend to believe almost everything I see!).

The point is that technology is our country’s newest experiment out of many. Technology has advanced our country in unimaginable ways since its founding many years ago.  The author of the article argues that it is imperative that students learn about our great experiments- in addition to the factual information they are already required to learn.  I agree with Neil Postman on this point.  Students should be made aware of these views, because they are so relevant to their lives, and also offer implications of their future as well.  They are living in a time when experimentation with technology is still new, and everyone has an opinion-they should too!

Furthermore, I believe that experimentation from a historical viewpoint only strengthens the importance of students’ personal experimentation with learning.  As a future educator, the ultimate goal I should have for my students is development and progression.  Experimentation plays a very important role in obtaining that goal.

I think that Postman was making the point that  a correlation can be made between our students’ success and our country’s success, and students’ should be made aware that experimentation is at the heart of both.