Friday, December 18, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Dec 10 --Using Film in the Classroom
After reading the Christel and Sullivan chapters that talked about using media and film in the classroom I am really excited to try out some of the great ideas mentioned.
I met with my cooperating teacher a couple weeks ago and found out I am going to be teaching Romeo and Juliet. In the readings I saw one lesson plan that had students create movie trailers around a particular theme of Romeo and Juliet. I really like the lesson plan outlined in the reading. Students look for quotes that pertain to their assigned theme and use imovie to add still images, live footage, music and other special effects to enhance the quotes they pick. Students then construct a “movie trailer.”
What I like most about this lesson is how the teacher planned to teach students how to use the technology they would be using. Instead of showing students how to do everything –upload images, videos, music, add transitions, etc –the teacher taught students how to do one thing each day. Day one was importing still images; day two was importing videos, and so on. This is a great way to keep students on track and also is a way to not overwhelm them. Since I am teaching Romeo and Juliet I’m looking for interesting lesson plans that engage students and I believe this would be a fun engaging project for students. This project would also support a constructivist learning environment. Students will be working in groups and coming to their own understandings of quotes and messages related to their theme.
There are so many other ways to use film in the classroom that excite me. Although the readings did not mention any lesson plans having to do with documentaries, I am so excited to teach them some day. For my final project in this class, Meredith and I are in the process of lesson planning a unit on documentaries. We found 7 types of documentaries and plan to teach one type each day, let students play around and create something using each type, consider exactly what a documentary is, who they are made by, their message or agenda, and so forth. Finally students will be creating their own documentary using imovie as a final project.
Students will need to write a 2 page paper addressing message, audience, type of documentary, and so on. This project is a way for students to think critically about what they are viewing, who they are getting information from, and why authors use the techniques they do.
I would also love to look at film adaptations and video poetry as well. I also read a lesson plan about teaching graphic novels, one being Art Speigelman’s Maus. I just recently read this book and one of my colleagues did a technology presentation with this novel using VoiceThread to analyze the graphic novels. Students were able to comment on their assigned theme and then listen to everyone’s comments—which included many themes. VoiceThread is a very effective tool for analyzing and commenting on images, and it worked very well with selected pages from Maus.
I met with my cooperating teacher a couple weeks ago and found out I am going to be teaching Romeo and Juliet. In the readings I saw one lesson plan that had students create movie trailers around a particular theme of Romeo and Juliet. I really like the lesson plan outlined in the reading. Students look for quotes that pertain to their assigned theme and use imovie to add still images, live footage, music and other special effects to enhance the quotes they pick. Students then construct a “movie trailer.”
What I like most about this lesson is how the teacher planned to teach students how to use the technology they would be using. Instead of showing students how to do everything –upload images, videos, music, add transitions, etc –the teacher taught students how to do one thing each day. Day one was importing still images; day two was importing videos, and so on. This is a great way to keep students on track and also is a way to not overwhelm them. Since I am teaching Romeo and Juliet I’m looking for interesting lesson plans that engage students and I believe this would be a fun engaging project for students. This project would also support a constructivist learning environment. Students will be working in groups and coming to their own understandings of quotes and messages related to their theme.
There are so many other ways to use film in the classroom that excite me. Although the readings did not mention any lesson plans having to do with documentaries, I am so excited to teach them some day. For my final project in this class, Meredith and I are in the process of lesson planning a unit on documentaries. We found 7 types of documentaries and plan to teach one type each day, let students play around and create something using each type, consider exactly what a documentary is, who they are made by, their message or agenda, and so forth. Finally students will be creating their own documentary using imovie as a final project.
Students will need to write a 2 page paper addressing message, audience, type of documentary, and so on. This project is a way for students to think critically about what they are viewing, who they are getting information from, and why authors use the techniques they do.
I would also love to look at film adaptations and video poetry as well. I also read a lesson plan about teaching graphic novels, one being Art Speigelman’s Maus. I just recently read this book and one of my colleagues did a technology presentation with this novel using VoiceThread to analyze the graphic novels. Students were able to comment on their assigned theme and then listen to everyone’s comments—which included many themes. VoiceThread is a very effective tool for analyzing and commenting on images, and it worked very well with selected pages from Maus.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Dec. 3 Music Post
It is so hard for me to pick one song or one genre of music that appeals most to me. Really, depending on my mood, I can listen to anything. I grew up listening mostly to classic rock, things that my parents like. As I got older, I was most influenced by my older sister who was into Boys2Men, Alanis Morrisette,and other Top 40 Hits.
Today, I listen to a variety of music. I enjoy listening to the radio in the car. My stations are set to Cities 97, KS95, 101.3 KDWB, Jack 104.1, The Current, and Kool 108--Quite the variety. Although I do enjoy listening to one particular artist while I am studying, I like the variety of the radio.
When I got to college I started exploring more music, music that wasn't really being played on the radio. One artist in particular that I fell in love with was Mason Jennings. What first prompted me to explore Mason Jennings was the fact that he is a local artist, from Minnesota. I like his references to Minnesota. One of his songs is called Duluth.
If I had to pick one song by Mason Jennings it would be "Big Sur." This song has some emotional ties to me. I remember listening to this song during final, the first semester of my freshman year. I was sitting in my dorm at Middlebrook Hall, eating M&Ms and feeling great. I knew I had to take this final, but I was happy. Happy with where I was in my life, and where I was going.
All of Mason Jenning's music calms me down. I like to listen to it as I'm walking outside or trying to relax. I really like his simple style, with his guitar. His albums sound very similar to his live performances. (I haven't seen Mason Jennings live, I would love to!) Here is a video of Mason Jennings' song Big Sur. The video is of a live performance.
Again, because I like such a variety of music, it is hard for me to pick one song or genre, but ocerall, Mason Jennings is one of my favorites.
Today, I listen to a variety of music. I enjoy listening to the radio in the car. My stations are set to Cities 97, KS95, 101.3 KDWB, Jack 104.1, The Current, and Kool 108--Quite the variety. Although I do enjoy listening to one particular artist while I am studying, I like the variety of the radio.
When I got to college I started exploring more music, music that wasn't really being played on the radio. One artist in particular that I fell in love with was Mason Jennings. What first prompted me to explore Mason Jennings was the fact that he is a local artist, from Minnesota. I like his references to Minnesota. One of his songs is called Duluth.
If I had to pick one song by Mason Jennings it would be "Big Sur." This song has some emotional ties to me. I remember listening to this song during final, the first semester of my freshman year. I was sitting in my dorm at Middlebrook Hall, eating M&Ms and feeling great. I knew I had to take this final, but I was happy. Happy with where I was in my life, and where I was going.
All of Mason Jenning's music calms me down. I like to listen to it as I'm walking outside or trying to relax. I really like his simple style, with his guitar. His albums sound very similar to his live performances. (I haven't seen Mason Jennings live, I would love to!) Here is a video of Mason Jennings' song Big Sur. The video is of a live performance.
Again, because I like such a variety of music, it is hard for me to pick one song or genre, but ocerall, Mason Jennings is one of my favorites.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
