“Arguments over grammar and style are often as fierce as those over IBM versus Mac, and as fruitless as Coke versus Pepsi and boxers versus briefs (Jack Lynch).”
Like most things, when trying to define grammar I turn to the internet. Wikipedia defines grammar in the following way. “In linguistics, grammar refers to the logical and structural rules that govern the composition of sentences, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology and syntax, often complemented by phonetics, phonology, semantics, and pragmatics. Each language has its own distinct grammar (singular). "English grammar" is the set of rules within the English language itself. "
Well, so what? What does that mean to me as a student? Students today are a mix of talented individuals that will need to know at least two English dialects in order to be successful in the 21st century. That’s right; you need to be taught bidialecticalism! Where else other than the English classroom is it wrong to ask, “Can I go to the bathroom?” Only in an English classroom will the answer be, “I don’t know, can you?” I agree that the language of our neighborhoods is what will get us through life, but it is “Standard English” that will catapult you into the next income bracket.
There is a lot of discussion surrounding the teaching of grammar. If you are anything like me, you may wonder how to use and apply grammar that you were never formally taught. In today’s diverse classrooms we are taking an innovative approach. That is to say, let’s look at the connection between grammar and being able to read and write in a way that will help to get a job or run a business. Let’s apply grammar to the real world. In addition, lets look at dialects the students are bringing into the classroom and their connection to “Standard English”. Absolutely every dialect is perfect at serving the community that uses it. Yes, I am saying that how you speak is perfect! Ya feel me? However, in a society dominated by one dialect, that dialect needs to be mastered in order to increase your ability for successful interactions with those who have the power. I proclaim that “Standard English” is your money language! Unless you have a guaranteed career are in the athletics or the entertainment industry, you will need to be able to conform to the rules of “Standard English”. There can be no argument to the fact that there is power in being able to speak “Standard English”. It is time that you ensure that you can fluently communicate in a way that will not put you at risk of being perceived as ignorant or unsophisticated. This is not something to learn and forget. As you leave school and embark on the career that will define your professional life, the ability to talk the talk will separate you from the pack. You may not be asked to solve an algebraic equation, but you will be asked to speak.
At the same time, you need to know that there is also a time and place to speak the language of the neighborhood. This is where the idea of being bidialectical comes into play. The goals and solutions this book proposes aims to teach grammar, as well to provide information about grammar. Now is the time to grab a hold of grammar. This insightful and culturally inclusive book will inspire you to bring the excitement of grammar and the richness of language into your life. It is time to embrace, and use to your advantage, “Standard English.” It is my hope that this book will teach you how to manipulate the English language in a way that will get you an advantage in life.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Three Quotes
1. "Students are learning how to think for themselves and how to educate themselves over the course of their lives. When given ownership over the direction of their learning, they will work at their greatest capacity and in a creative fashion." Page 105
I feel that when students, or anyone for that matter, feels like they have control over what is happening to them, they are able to function at a much higher level. The goals they set for themselves, and the progress they make are because of the effort put in. They learn how to succeed through planning, follow-through, and hard-work.
2. "Portfolios place just as much importance on process an on product." Page 106
Wrting is a process. Often times learning how to learn a process is just as important, or more important, than the final product produced. One of my top priorities with students is to teach them how to learn on thier own. This is something that I live and model by being a life-long learner.
3. "Portfolios will not produce tidy scores that are conductive to the kind of quick comparisons that the public likes to make." Page 108
I think that teaching in a way that created portfolios over weekly test scored may be a challenge. I think that assessment is important. I think that incorporating some type of assessment into most lessons is a necessary component to me being successful as a teacher. This assessment will come in varied forms, but it will be there.
I feel that when students, or anyone for that matter, feels like they have control over what is happening to them, they are able to function at a much higher level. The goals they set for themselves, and the progress they make are because of the effort put in. They learn how to succeed through planning, follow-through, and hard-work.
2. "Portfolios place just as much importance on process an on product." Page 106
Wrting is a process. Often times learning how to learn a process is just as important, or more important, than the final product produced. One of my top priorities with students is to teach them how to learn on thier own. This is something that I live and model by being a life-long learner.
3. "Portfolios will not produce tidy scores that are conductive to the kind of quick comparisons that the public likes to make." Page 108
I think that teaching in a way that created portfolios over weekly test scored may be a challenge. I think that assessment is important. I think that incorporating some type of assessment into most lessons is a necessary component to me being successful as a teacher. This assessment will come in varied forms, but it will be there.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Burke Ch 7
This chapter is the best thing since sliced bread. Thoe more I read Burke the more intrigued and appreciative I am about his book and his insight into teaching English. This chapter focusues in teaching writing, no not doing writing, but teaching writing. Often times I have thought of writing as an activity that students will do and acquire mostly on thier own. While this may be tru for some students, all students will benefit from a planned out format in which teaching specific strategies for different modes is outlined.
"The second thing that makes certain teachers great is something that isn't taught. It is sending out a feeling of their own aspiration and love for writing that their students will pick up on." To me this is very similar to telling a kid that they shouldn't smoke while sending them to the store to pick you up a pack. We must teach through example.
Error as an invitation to improve. We must always do our best to help students correct mistakes they are making. Coming from an athletic background, I lean on those skills whenever I am trying to teach or improve a skill without killing confidence. As I have said before, a way that works well for me in the sandwich approach, followed by clear instructions on how to fix the problem. Finally, I ask students or athletes to tell me what they heard so that we are all on the same page.
Several traits distinguish effective journals in the English class. These traits need to be shared with your students so they understand the purpose behind the jourmaling activities. The quote on 187 regarding confidentiality is a must when having students write about potentially risky subjects. PAge 99 lists several interesting ways to jumpstart journal writing. I feel as if there should be a mix in journal entries, both personal and non-personal. Using prompts that are not personal in nature can be a great way for students to write creatively. For example, inventing new words, describing them and using them is a journal entry.
Creating "real-world" applications for writing have to be included. These are the skills that may end up putting food on studets' tables, or atleast getting them an interview.While all of the smape assignments on 207-209 are great, I particularly like studetsn to be effective writers of the e-mail, resumes, letters, as well as confidence with the interview.
There is so much useful inofrmation in this chapter. My final topic that I will respond to is the advice on handling "the paper load." A few of th key ideas I got out of this section are:
1. Focus on no mre than three items in a paper (ex. nouns, verbs, and spelling)
2. Have students seek other sources for input
3.Use rubric scoring
4. Have a time limit
5. Conference with students
6. Share with each other
7. Use the "check"system
"The second thing that makes certain teachers great is something that isn't taught. It is sending out a feeling of their own aspiration and love for writing that their students will pick up on." To me this is very similar to telling a kid that they shouldn't smoke while sending them to the store to pick you up a pack. We must teach through example.
Error as an invitation to improve. We must always do our best to help students correct mistakes they are making. Coming from an athletic background, I lean on those skills whenever I am trying to teach or improve a skill without killing confidence. As I have said before, a way that works well for me in the sandwich approach, followed by clear instructions on how to fix the problem. Finally, I ask students or athletes to tell me what they heard so that we are all on the same page.
Several traits distinguish effective journals in the English class. These traits need to be shared with your students so they understand the purpose behind the jourmaling activities. The quote on 187 regarding confidentiality is a must when having students write about potentially risky subjects. PAge 99 lists several interesting ways to jumpstart journal writing. I feel as if there should be a mix in journal entries, both personal and non-personal. Using prompts that are not personal in nature can be a great way for students to write creatively. For example, inventing new words, describing them and using them is a journal entry.
Creating "real-world" applications for writing have to be included. These are the skills that may end up putting food on studets' tables, or atleast getting them an interview.While all of the smape assignments on 207-209 are great, I particularly like studetsn to be effective writers of the e-mail, resumes, letters, as well as confidence with the interview.
There is so much useful inofrmation in this chapter. My final topic that I will respond to is the advice on handling "the paper load." A few of th key ideas I got out of this section are:
1. Focus on no mre than three items in a paper (ex. nouns, verbs, and spelling)
2. Have students seek other sources for input
3.Use rubric scoring
4. Have a time limit
5. Conference with students
6. Share with each other
7. Use the "check"system
A Mode of Writing I Want to Teach
There are several types of writing that I want to teach. I thin that the best mode to get students comfortable with the wrting process is the narrative. In chapter 5 the text says, "To enhance students' chances of success we recommend starting with personal narratives." Students with have a greater deal of experience to translate onto the paper if they write about personal experiences. I hope that this form of writing will create a richer, deeper piece of work.
When writing narratives with students they will often want to write about exotic topics that they have little or no experience with. A lifetime of experiences can provide writers with a wealth of knowledge and specific details. Students need to know that the experiences that they have gone through are interesting and will make for a muck more interesting narrative than writing about a completely fictional event. Furthermore, the urban students that I am being trained to serve will most likely have encountered lots of interesting poeple, and seen spectacular events by the time they reach my secondary classroom.
Being able to write a narrative may help students outside of the classroom by giving them a voice. With the internet there are countless oppurtunities to express youurself creatively and speak to a wide audience. One example is the blog. Another example would be to work as a freelance writer sharing your experiences with publications who may pay you for using your work in their publication.
When writing narratives with students they will often want to write about exotic topics that they have little or no experience with. A lifetime of experiences can provide writers with a wealth of knowledge and specific details. Students need to know that the experiences that they have gone through are interesting and will make for a muck more interesting narrative than writing about a completely fictional event. Furthermore, the urban students that I am being trained to serve will most likely have encountered lots of interesting poeple, and seen spectacular events by the time they reach my secondary classroom.
Being able to write a narrative may help students outside of the classroom by giving them a voice. With the internet there are countless oppurtunities to express youurself creatively and speak to a wide audience. One example is the blog. Another example would be to work as a freelance writer sharing your experiences with publications who may pay you for using your work in their publication.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
My Response to Blasingame & Bushman Ch 1-3
Chapter 1 starts out with a lot of useful info students and thier attitudes toward writing. Like any activity, doing something new causes, amonf other things, anxiety. This particular emotion is the exact opposite way i want my students to feel. In order to reduce anxiety, teachers need to create an environment in which students are free to explore, learn, and make mistakes. If students feel safe, they are more likely to open up. The other big thing that I got from this chapter was to remember that not only are students developing mentally, but also physically. These changes will only increase the self-awareness. All the ore reason to demand and create a "safe" environment.
Chapter 2- Keep it interesting. There is nothing worse than a boring stagnet classroom. Talking, reading, and pre-writing activities are crucial to successful writing. We need to build background and develop interest in the topics we are writing about. We need to make writing come alive. There are great out of the box activities in this chapter. Look at what is going on in the world, wrote a slogan for your favorite product, speak out against an injustice. Write about what you and your kids know and are interested about. Forget about the typical, reach out and connect the lives of your students with the writing they are doing. Finally, be proud of your students' wrok and publish it. Many, like myself, will rise to the oppurtunity of a challenge. All students deserve to have thier work looked at by the community. Build confidence and believe that your students can and will produce amazing work.
Chapter 3- Be organized and have a plan. That goes for everything, but your students deserve to have you be prepared for them. How can you expect them to prepare for you if you do not put in the time preparing for them. e involved in thier process. If you know where they are in the process, it is much more realistic to help them. Use a chart to help you and the student keep track of thier process. The superstars will help motovate others as everyone's progress will be posted. Take time to read and talk about the writing. Give feedback, and allow students to read and offer feedback to thier peers.
WOW! - What a great start. All this seems so simple, yet not often talked about!
Chapter 2- Keep it interesting. There is nothing worse than a boring stagnet classroom. Talking, reading, and pre-writing activities are crucial to successful writing. We need to build background and develop interest in the topics we are writing about. We need to make writing come alive. There are great out of the box activities in this chapter. Look at what is going on in the world, wrote a slogan for your favorite product, speak out against an injustice. Write about what you and your kids know and are interested about. Forget about the typical, reach out and connect the lives of your students with the writing they are doing. Finally, be proud of your students' wrok and publish it. Many, like myself, will rise to the oppurtunity of a challenge. All students deserve to have thier work looked at by the community. Build confidence and believe that your students can and will produce amazing work.
Chapter 3- Be organized and have a plan. That goes for everything, but your students deserve to have you be prepared for them. How can you expect them to prepare for you if you do not put in the time preparing for them. e involved in thier process. If you know where they are in the process, it is much more realistic to help them. Use a chart to help you and the student keep track of thier process. The superstars will help motovate others as everyone's progress will be posted. Take time to read and talk about the writing. Give feedback, and allow students to read and offer feedback to thier peers.
WOW! - What a great start. All this seems so simple, yet not often talked about!
Monday, March 16, 2009
My Experience as a Student in the Classroom
My classroom experiences have varied. I was taught in middle school and most of high school in a teacher centered classroom. That is to say, the teacher had all of the knowledge and they were trying to pass it along to me. However, alot of times I did not identify with the text or the teacher. Without this connection, it was very difficult for me to accept anything that they were trying to pass along. Usually, I was to engaged in talking with my friends or doing all I could to dusrupt what ever it was the teacher was trying to do for us to learn.
Then, there was the teacher that cared what my peers and I had to say. This was the class that my opinions were wanted, the class that I learned more even though the teacher talked less. These were usually the teachers that got me to do my homework so I could demonstrate my newly acquired knowledge with them in a class discussion. These were the classes that seemed to fly by, the discussions that spewed over into the hallway. Somehow I learned more when the teacher spoke less. Somehow I cared what the teacher had to say when they showed interest in what I had to say.
WHODATHUNK - Teachers can say less and impart more!
Then, there was the teacher that cared what my peers and I had to say. This was the class that my opinions were wanted, the class that I learned more even though the teacher talked less. These were usually the teachers that got me to do my homework so I could demonstrate my newly acquired knowledge with them in a class discussion. These were the classes that seemed to fly by, the discussions that spewed over into the hallway. Somehow I learned more when the teacher spoke less. Somehow I cared what the teacher had to say when they showed interest in what I had to say.
WHODATHUNK - Teachers can say less and impart more!
My Autobiography as a Writer Part Two - Challenges
As a writer I have faced many challenges. Oneof the biggest challanges that I continue to face is that of a lack of confidence. I enjoy reading, I enjoy writing but often times I do not enjoy reading my writing. Furthermore, when I stretch myself as a writer I leave myself open to criticism. This criticism can do more than inspire me to do better, if often times can shut me down. Like any constructive criticism, when reading less than positive commentary on my work, it is much easier swallowed and digested with a large helping of ego-stroking.
This can look like:
I really liked...
I really found it interesting when you said...
One thing you may want to think about is...
My favorite part is...
The good-old-fashioned sandwich technique.
Another challenge that I face is learning new genre's of writing. As a student, it feels as if as soon as I get comfortable with one kind of writing, it is time to learn another. I am best coaxed to move forward when the teacher scaffolds the experience with examples of what this new kind of writing looks like.
As a teacher, I plan to remember these sorts of things.
This can look like:
I really liked...
I really found it interesting when you said...
One thing you may want to think about is...
My favorite part is...
The good-old-fashioned sandwich technique.
Another challenge that I face is learning new genre's of writing. As a student, it feels as if as soon as I get comfortable with one kind of writing, it is time to learn another. I am best coaxed to move forward when the teacher scaffolds the experience with examples of what this new kind of writing looks like.
As a teacher, I plan to remember these sorts of things.
How do I manage to get a piece of writing completed?
Usually I manage to get a piece of writing complete at the last minute. However, like most things, wrting that gets done st the 11th hour, is far from work that I am proud of. Perhaps the question should be: How do you manage to get a piece of writing comeplete that you are proud of? In that case I would say that U ahve a process that takes much longer. First, I read. Second, I write and write as long as I can. Third, I leave it alone for atleast a day. The next step, which I really dread, is coming back to a piece of writing and reading it for the first time. At this point I generally make one of two decisions. The first decision is to scrap the whole thing. The second decision, which if at all possible, I try to always do is begin somekind of an outlining process.
If I am able to move ahead with the outline process, I decide what belongs where. After moving stuff around, I will proofread for grammar and spelling only. Then, I look at the areas of my paper that are weak, read some more, write some more. Once this painstaking process is over, my final goal is to make the writing enjoyable to read. This invloves checking for flow and overall entertainment factors. Often times this is the time I like to add some interesting facts, quotes, or other pieces of knowledge that I find interesting.
If I am able to move ahead with the outline process, I decide what belongs where. After moving stuff around, I will proofread for grammar and spelling only. Then, I look at the areas of my paper that are weak, read some more, write some more. Once this painstaking process is over, my final goal is to make the writing enjoyable to read. This invloves checking for flow and overall entertainment factors. Often times this is the time I like to add some interesting facts, quotes, or other pieces of knowledge that I find interesting.
My Autobiography as a Writer
How have I learned to write?”
That is a very good question and one worth a bit of examination. I think my writing skills developed, first of all, with my reading skills. While I was always an effective reader and good speller, it is only recently that I have begun to enjoy reading. This newfound pleasure has truly transformed my writing. It started as a boring ability to say what was said and quote others. Now, I get a thrill out of putting my thoughts onto papers for others to read. I now consciously intend for anything I write to be both informational and entertaining, when and if possible. That is a brief explanation of my current writing style.
My ability to acedemically write well, begun in ninth grade. For the first time I had a teacher that did more than ask me to write. She showed us what a good piece of writing looked like, and why. Amazing, I Know! A teacher that actually thought that us inner-city kids might need a little review before expecting us to write. Anyways, something clicked that day. For the first time I knew what "good writing" was suppose to look like, and I could look for that in my writing. That was all it took to be able to get through high school, and quite honestly, most of college.
When I began to look at writing as an art, I wanted to be the artist. Like most things, it takes desire and practice to be able to write well. In my case, it also takes alot of intrinsic motivation and a side of interest. To those other competetive folks, any time their is a competition involved, like displayed work, I am motivated to put in the effort to get the result.
That is a very good question and one worth a bit of examination. I think my writing skills developed, first of all, with my reading skills. While I was always an effective reader and good speller, it is only recently that I have begun to enjoy reading. This newfound pleasure has truly transformed my writing. It started as a boring ability to say what was said and quote others. Now, I get a thrill out of putting my thoughts onto papers for others to read. I now consciously intend for anything I write to be both informational and entertaining, when and if possible. That is a brief explanation of my current writing style.
My ability to acedemically write well, begun in ninth grade. For the first time I had a teacher that did more than ask me to write. She showed us what a good piece of writing looked like, and why. Amazing, I Know! A teacher that actually thought that us inner-city kids might need a little review before expecting us to write. Anyways, something clicked that day. For the first time I knew what "good writing" was suppose to look like, and I could look for that in my writing. That was all it took to be able to get through high school, and quite honestly, most of college.
When I began to look at writing as an art, I wanted to be the artist. Like most things, it takes desire and practice to be able to write well. In my case, it also takes alot of intrinsic motivation and a side of interest. To those other competetive folks, any time their is a competition involved, like displayed work, I am motivated to put in the effort to get the result.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Beech Chapter 9
Should I use the newspaper in my secondary English classroom?
Absolutely! Being a news junkie, this is great "news". While they are many great applications to teachign from the local paper, like anything else there has to be some yin to the yang. Teaching writing by looking at articles can be a great door through which students can enter a world, which seems much more accessible than a 100 year selection of boring literature. Probably not the best thing for an English major to say. But truthully, reading about stories occurring in students' communities is much more personally relevant than trying to build similarities between Shakespeare and tenth graders. That effort to build personal relevance usually sounds something like, "Have you ever felt like..., well so did..."
So yes, I think it would be valuable to use these resources in my English classroom. However, it turns out that news companies have reeponsibities to make money. In addition, many news companies are attached to larger companies. Therefore, even with the news, you have to have a pinch of skepticism about anythin that another person tells you.
A Great Idea - "Students could also study how writers may metaphors or hyperbolic language to describe an event in a manner that represents a particular attitude toward that event. For example, in writing about the Palestinian / Isreali conflict, a writer might describe one side's bombing or attack as an "incursion", "Deadly Destruction" or "Massacre". How and why writers choose these words would be a great discussion to lead off a journalism activity.
Absolutely! Being a news junkie, this is great "news". While they are many great applications to teachign from the local paper, like anything else there has to be some yin to the yang. Teaching writing by looking at articles can be a great door through which students can enter a world, which seems much more accessible than a 100 year selection of boring literature. Probably not the best thing for an English major to say. But truthully, reading about stories occurring in students' communities is much more personally relevant than trying to build similarities between Shakespeare and tenth graders. That effort to build personal relevance usually sounds something like, "Have you ever felt like..., well so did..."
So yes, I think it would be valuable to use these resources in my English classroom. However, it turns out that news companies have reeponsibities to make money. In addition, many news companies are attached to larger companies. Therefore, even with the news, you have to have a pinch of skepticism about anythin that another person tells you.
A Great Idea - "Students could also study how writers may metaphors or hyperbolic language to describe an event in a manner that represents a particular attitude toward that event. For example, in writing about the Palestinian / Isreali conflict, a writer might describe one side's bombing or attack as an "incursion", "Deadly Destruction" or "Massacre". How and why writers choose these words would be a great discussion to lead off a journalism activity.
Beech Chapter 7
Beech says, "In studying the prototypical features of different film / television genres, as well as those of comics, graphic novels, and popular music, students are learning to understand how these features not not only reflect historical and cultural forces, but also shape perceptions of these forces. With this understanding they are better able to critique the ideological aspects inherent in these features."
What I take from this chapter as well as this statement, is that students need to understand how popular media is decided upon. In addition, helping students to understand the forces behind popular media ill enable them to be consciuous of the information that is being sold to them.
As an educator, this chapter gives me insight into further activities that can be academically relevant, while being personally engaging to th students. Often we think that there is little to be gained from TV and film. I say that like everything else, yu get out of it what you put in. So, studying popular media can benefit students.
The teaching idea on page 67, "Engaging Students in Active Viewing and Thinking", could be adapted to teaching all text including literature. Teasley and Wilder's six characteristics for analyzing film, is a great start for all of us to begin academic analyzation. Before this can be done, I think it would be fun and informative to teach and activate prior knowledge about the different genre types. One idea that I have is to make lists of films and programs that fall into different genres, then discussing what about them makes them unique to a particular genre.
What I take from this chapter as well as this statement, is that students need to understand how popular media is decided upon. In addition, helping students to understand the forces behind popular media ill enable them to be consciuous of the information that is being sold to them.
As an educator, this chapter gives me insight into further activities that can be academically relevant, while being personally engaging to th students. Often we think that there is little to be gained from TV and film. I say that like everything else, yu get out of it what you put in. So, studying popular media can benefit students.
The teaching idea on page 67, "Engaging Students in Active Viewing and Thinking", could be adapted to teaching all text including literature. Teasley and Wilder's six characteristics for analyzing film, is a great start for all of us to begin academic analyzation. Before this can be done, I think it would be fun and informative to teach and activate prior knowledge about the different genre types. One idea that I have is to make lists of films and programs that fall into different genres, then discussing what about them makes them unique to a particular genre.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Thing 29 - Google
The first activity, Google Tools, would be an interesting short video to watch with students. I think this would be a great way to discuss the issues surrounding copyright, and plagiarism. I do think that they need to be able to navigate the woderful tool that Google is. The more they know about all of the features that this innovative service has to offer, the more efficient and productive their researching will become.
The Twilert is also an innovative way for students, and everyone else to stay up to date on topics of interests. I also think this would be a good resource for researching. One concern that I have about having all of this information available to students is information overload. That is, I think they may get overwhelmed with the vastness of information available to them. Today, in class, I was working with a fifth grade class doing a research and writing project on a place. Over the weekend students were suppose to locate books of their location. About half of the students came with books or articles on thier topic. The students that did not have sources of information were permitted to use lap tops to find information and to begin recording facts and information for their writing project. The students with the internet access accompleiched much less in this 90 minute period than did the students pulling information out of books and articles.
If these same students were trained on the use of the search wiki in google, there time today may have been better spent. They would have been able to look through many sites, comment on them, and return to them later to search a few sites in more depth.
Requiring the use of g-mail for e-mail usage would result in a familiarity in logging into a google account. Once logged in on a regular basis, students would be more likely to begin to use all these features on a more regular basis.
The Twilert is also an innovative way for students, and everyone else to stay up to date on topics of interests. I also think this would be a good resource for researching. One concern that I have about having all of this information available to students is information overload. That is, I think they may get overwhelmed with the vastness of information available to them. Today, in class, I was working with a fifth grade class doing a research and writing project on a place. Over the weekend students were suppose to locate books of their location. About half of the students came with books or articles on thier topic. The students that did not have sources of information were permitted to use lap tops to find information and to begin recording facts and information for their writing project. The students with the internet access accompleiched much less in this 90 minute period than did the students pulling information out of books and articles.
If these same students were trained on the use of the search wiki in google, there time today may have been better spent. They would have been able to look through many sites, comment on them, and return to them later to search a few sites in more depth.
Requiring the use of g-mail for e-mail usage would result in a familiarity in logging into a google account. Once logged in on a regular basis, students would be more likely to begin to use all these features on a more regular basis.
Unit Plan Ideas
I think that this ten day unit will be the first ten days of teaching To Kill a Mockingbird. This novel is often times taught in middle school. Therefore, my lessons will cater to an eighth grade inner-city class of mixed ability levels. Since I do not yet know my students, I will modify my orginal plans to meet any special needs that they may have.
Since this plan will be both about a piece of literature as well as film, I will use a variety of technidques to meet my learning goals. In this unit I will combine the reading of To Kill a Mockingbird with it's film counterpart. In addition, Iplan to use other films to demonstrate characters representations such as hero, villian, antagoonist, protagonist, etc.
The first day of the unit, students will be introduced to basic film shots including the close-up, medium-shot, and long shot. They will also be introduced to story boarding. During the unit we will read scenes in the novel, discuss appropriate shot types, story board a few shots, and then see how the film makers ultimately ended up shooting the shot. Toward the end of the second week, students will storyboard approxiamately two minutes worth of shots from scenes in the book. These storyboards will be shared with the class to promote public speaking skills.
Assessment will include reviewing students' in class work, discussions about the readings, journal entries, and a final presentation of the two minute's worth of story board. There will also be written quizzes to provide feedback to me as an instructor as to what needs the students still have in order to own the concepts explored in class. This will be a unit centered around the student and driven by the text.
I will need some technology for this unit. This will be limited to TV, DVD player, and DVDs. In addition, I will scaffold this text with vocabulary exercises in order to fully promote the richness of the writing.
Since this plan will be both about a piece of literature as well as film, I will use a variety of technidques to meet my learning goals. In this unit I will combine the reading of To Kill a Mockingbird with it's film counterpart. In addition, Iplan to use other films to demonstrate characters representations such as hero, villian, antagoonist, protagonist, etc.
The first day of the unit, students will be introduced to basic film shots including the close-up, medium-shot, and long shot. They will also be introduced to story boarding. During the unit we will read scenes in the novel, discuss appropriate shot types, story board a few shots, and then see how the film makers ultimately ended up shooting the shot. Toward the end of the second week, students will storyboard approxiamately two minutes worth of shots from scenes in the book. These storyboards will be shared with the class to promote public speaking skills.
Assessment will include reviewing students' in class work, discussions about the readings, journal entries, and a final presentation of the two minute's worth of story board. There will also be written quizzes to provide feedback to me as an instructor as to what needs the students still have in order to own the concepts explored in class. This will be a unit centered around the student and driven by the text.
I will need some technology for this unit. This will be limited to TV, DVD player, and DVDs. In addition, I will scaffold this text with vocabulary exercises in order to fully promote the richness of the writing.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
More Things on a Stick...
My experience with this site, so far, has been very positive. I think this would be a fun and interesting way to explore technology with students. Using the features on this website and incorporating them into websites or blogs would be something that I think students would have a lot of fun with. Playing the devil's advocate, I am not sure how much of this could be utilized within an urban secnodary English class. My concern is two-fold. First of all, this process has taken me a long time to become familiar with. There is so much other curriculum needed to be covered, I am skeptical about being able to devote the time needed to be successful. My second concern is that of having access to technology, including high-speed accees, both in the class as well as at home. While this concern should not keep me from teaching it, it may present a challenge in being successsful with it. I hope to be able to use this, however with limited resources, I am skeptical about its' practicality in the urban secondary English classroom. If access to current technology is an obstacle for some students, and not others, how can we truly ensure success?
Sunday, February 8, 2009
The Persuaders
This very insightful program about marketing began with the industry term “clutter”. Clutter in marketing refers to the amount of messages that consumers are bombarded with everyday. An example not talked about in the video, is schools. Some schools facing budget issues have allowed local businesses to advertise on school papers including study guides and tests. All of us are bombarded with an immense amount of advertising. The most well known example would be Times Square in New York City.
In the past brands would market a differentiation between themselves and other brands. For example, a laundry detergent would suggest that their product gets clothes whiter than the competitors’ brands. Today’s consumer believes that all brands will get the job done in a similar fashion. Today’s products and the advertising that goes along with them is geared around a lifestyle and sense of belonging to a group. “Brands become an invitation to a lifestyle.” Marketers are aware that we want to be a part of a group and they use that desire to “create a cult-like status”. Examples of companies that have been successful in this are Saturn, Macintosh, BMW, Nike, and Budweiser.
With the advent of the digital video recorder, advertising through the traditional format of the thirty second commercial has become less successful. “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” That was the comment of an advertising executive discussing the decline in success of the thirty second commercial. Companies are now engaged in “product-placement”. This is the act of placing the actual product within a show or film. Two examples of successful product-placement are Absolut Vodka in HBO’s Sex in the City and Fed-Ex in the film Cast Away. One fear about product placement is that consumers will be turned off by this distraction in their entertainment and refrain from purchasing the product.
“Consumers are driven by unconscious desires.” One of the preeminent experts in the field of consumer research says that we make purchase decisions based on our reptilian desires. SUV that are most successful have been successful in meeting the of our desire of having the feeling that we are dominators. Therefore, the larger and more powerful the vehicle is, the more likely it is to meet our primal desire of being the dominant member of the group. “The secret of persuasion is convincing a person to persuade themselves.”
I would use this with students to help them become more aware of the advertisements that they are exposed to. A great project would be to have students decide what brands they are drawn to and write about the lifestyle that these brands express to them. This would be followed by creating “the perfect brand” for the lifestyle they would like to be a part of. What would be the demographics that you would market this product for?
In the past brands would market a differentiation between themselves and other brands. For example, a laundry detergent would suggest that their product gets clothes whiter than the competitors’ brands. Today’s consumer believes that all brands will get the job done in a similar fashion. Today’s products and the advertising that goes along with them is geared around a lifestyle and sense of belonging to a group. “Brands become an invitation to a lifestyle.” Marketers are aware that we want to be a part of a group and they use that desire to “create a cult-like status”. Examples of companies that have been successful in this are Saturn, Macintosh, BMW, Nike, and Budweiser.
With the advent of the digital video recorder, advertising through the traditional format of the thirty second commercial has become less successful. “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” That was the comment of an advertising executive discussing the decline in success of the thirty second commercial. Companies are now engaged in “product-placement”. This is the act of placing the actual product within a show or film. Two examples of successful product-placement are Absolut Vodka in HBO’s Sex in the City and Fed-Ex in the film Cast Away. One fear about product placement is that consumers will be turned off by this distraction in their entertainment and refrain from purchasing the product.
“Consumers are driven by unconscious desires.” One of the preeminent experts in the field of consumer research says that we make purchase decisions based on our reptilian desires. SUV that are most successful have been successful in meeting the of our desire of having the feeling that we are dominators. Therefore, the larger and more powerful the vehicle is, the more likely it is to meet our primal desire of being the dominant member of the group. “The secret of persuasion is convincing a person to persuade themselves.”
I would use this with students to help them become more aware of the advertisements that they are exposed to. A great project would be to have students decide what brands they are drawn to and write about the lifestyle that these brands express to them. This would be followed by creating “the perfect brand” for the lifestyle they would like to be a part of. What would be the demographics that you would market this product for?
Saturday, February 7, 2009
A Film to Use in Class
I think of myself as somewhat of a movie buff. Therefore, narrowing down the choices of great movies that I would use to facilitate media literacy is quite daunting. Here is a short list off of the tope of my head.
1. Goodfellow's
2. Godfather 1
3. Godfather 2
4. Boiler Room
5. Schindler's List
6. Top Gun
7. Casa Blanca
8. Raging Bull
9. Citizen Kane
10 To Kill a Mockingbird
1. Goodfellow's
2. Godfather 1
3. Godfather 2
4. Boiler Room
5. Schindler's List
6. Top Gun
7. Casa Blanca
8. Raging Bull
9. Citizen Kane
10 To Kill a Mockingbird
Beach - Chapter 3 & 4 - A look at what I learned...
There is a lot of interesting information in these chapters and related internet sites. One issue that stands out in my mind is that of time. I agree that teaching film in a secondary English class is appropriate and crucial to providing my students with the best education possible. Unfortunately, I will have a very limited amount of time to experience topics with my students. Being that most feature films would take 2 full class periods to view, I think that for most film analysis I will do, will be viewing clips and single frames. This will require teaching background information, however with the limited time we have together, this is the strategy I will employ. However, for films of great importance, in whick I wat to study in greater depth, we will view the entire film.
When selecting films to use, I have found that the Internet Movie Database is a valuable resource. In addition, I will also use Rottentomatoes.com and MovieLens. These interent sites also have oppurtunities for students to both read reviews as well as create their own. When discussing films, it is important to remember that students will usually be viewing the films for the first time. Therefore, in order to create an authentic discussion experience, it is imporatant for instructors to allow students to voice theri opinions ans interpretations, even when they may be inaccurate of in contrast of your personal insight.
In regards to critically approaching media teaxts, it is important to view these type of tect through a educated lens. If we give our students the ability to view these textx, especially advertisemts, through the lens of an advertiser, they will be set free from the need to conform to the image that advertisers are banking them to be. If we are successful in teaching students to critically engage in the media, students will begin to challenge the ideological and political assumptions operating in media texts, leading them to examine their own beliefs and attitudes about themselves and the world.
When selecting films to use, I have found that the Internet Movie Database is a valuable resource. In addition, I will also use Rottentomatoes.com and MovieLens. These interent sites also have oppurtunities for students to both read reviews as well as create their own. When discussing films, it is important to remember that students will usually be viewing the films for the first time. Therefore, in order to create an authentic discussion experience, it is imporatant for instructors to allow students to voice theri opinions ans interpretations, even when they may be inaccurate of in contrast of your personal insight.
In regards to critically approaching media teaxts, it is important to view these type of tect through a educated lens. If we give our students the ability to view these textx, especially advertisemts, through the lens of an advertiser, they will be set free from the need to conform to the image that advertisers are banking them to be. If we are successful in teaching students to critically engage in the media, students will begin to challenge the ideological and political assumptions operating in media texts, leading them to examine their own beliefs and attitudes about themselves and the world.
Ernest Morrell "Aha Moments" Pgs 57-114
Chapter 4
- The Notorious B.I.G said it best, "Either you slang crack-rock or you got a wicked jump-shot."
2. Baker (1993) and George (1999) all argue that the creative people who are talking about youth culture in a way that makes sense are rappers, and the youth are responding in many ways.
3. I further argue that hip-hop texts are literary texts and can be used to scaffold literary terms and concepts and ultimately foster literary interpretations.
4. Certainly, teachers should consult with their students early and often abouth the artists, songs, and genres that have had and are having a big impact on their lives.
-Does this mean I can't use Jimmy Buffet's Cheese Burger in Paradise?
5. Teachers should feel confident using popular music in conjunction with poetry, by itself, as a part of theme-based, multi-genre units or as part of a larger research on youth and popular culture.
6. The possibilities are virtually endless for the teacher who wants to bring popular music into her or hid English classroom.
Chapter 5
7. There is noo doubt that adolescents watch a great deal of television and film.
8. Many of the elite English programs now offer critical film studies courses.
9. ...students already possess many of the skills that we, as educators want to impart to them. However, by not allowing them to tap into their huge reservoirs of knowledge, we also prevent many from incorporating these skills into engagements of traditional texts.
10. I encourage creative appraoches to instruction that emenate from the worlds and perceptions of the students and are based upon a sound theoretical framework.
11. Teaching popular television and film in secondary English classrooms is a vital and valuable enterprise for many reasons. (Improve academic reading and writing / Facilitate critical engagement with popular media)
Chapter 6
12. Most people spend as much as 1/3 of their lives engaged with mass media.
13. A person of 60 years of age has seen, read, or heard as many as 50 million advertisements.
14. A recent report by the National Reading Conference on literacy development among adolescents calls for literacy educators to help students learn to more critically interrogate the mass media that play such a central role in their identity development and world view.
15. The British Broadcasting Standards commission has recommended that media studies be taught at primary school, given its' importance to students' lives.
-So not only is the rest of the world better at teaching math and science, but in areas of communication as well. Is there anything we are the best at, other than building war planes and nuclear bombs? It turns out that most of the rest of the modern world also requires more of their teachers and pays them better. In Australia, first-year teachers make more than first-year doctors!
16. I would go further in encouraging literacy educators to not only enable students to become critical consumers of media texts, but to provide the oppurtunities for students to become critical producers of counter-media texts.
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