Last year, after reading about Read Magazine's Much Ado performance on Facebook, I felt inspired to use my grade 10 English class to perform Antigone. Well, we've finally begun. As with many tech-based projects, it's turning out to be more work than I thought, but also very interesting, and the kids are actually starting to get into it. They have to work to maintain their usual everything-in-school-is painfully-boring facade.
The Rationale
So why Antigone on Facebook?
I basically had two goals:
Design a task allowing students to show their understanding of character and theme in Antigone, without the superficial nature of a literary essay.
Use social media in an organic manner that both utilizes students' current understanding of its power, and pushes those boundaries.
The Premise
After reading and discussing Antigone in class, students will "rewrite" the play as a series of Facebook status updates, and "perform" it over the course of 5 days. We will invite the secondary school, parents, and wider community members to "like" the characters and follow the performance. We will encourage audience participation through comments on the status updates, thus creating a community-wide discussion on the nature of civil disobedience.
That's the dream, anyway. This is one of the those projects that could be either great, or a total disaster.
Pre-Production
I wanted this project to be mostly designed by the students, so rather than giving them a handout of tasks, our first class session was mostly discussion on how to go about getting this off the ground. Big mistake. The kids were unfocused and had many off-the-wall ideas; I settled for a compromise of me providing structure, with students providing content and labor.
Division of Labor: Students self selected into character groups (Antigone, Creon, Haemon, Ismene and Tiresias), with each group needing a minimum of three members. Within each group, students chose a task: script writer, page creator, or background/publicity.
We also had a group of tech-savvy students to create a background video (using Xtranormal) and an all-purpose Tumblr site to provide directions, links to everything, and daily posts of the status updates, in case people find it difficult to follow on FB.
DAY ONE-THREE
Students broke in to their character groups, and I gave them a handout of questions related to each character. They worked together to answer the questions based on the text, and finding relevant quotations to support their ideas. The point, of course, was to get them really thinking about their character, her/his motivations and psychological make-up. We then discussed all the characters as a class.
DAY FOUR:
Students decided in whole group discussion how they wanted to update the plot. Again, it went to some pretty weird places at times, but I always drew it back to the main themes and ideas in the play, and how they were going to a) mirror those and b) make it relevant for our audience. Their final decision (it's set in a fictional high school, with Antigone as the student body president and Creon as the school's Director/Superintendent) may lack somewhat in originality, but will certainly make it relatable.
NEXT POST: PRODUCTION
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Tweet the MPAA: Anti-Bullying Film Given R Rating
This infuriates me. In brief, the MPAA rated a powerful anti-bullying movie R because of strong language. ( Teens never hear swear words, you know). This will keep the very kids who NEED to see the film from seeing it. Please tweet @MPAA, contact them via fax, phone or email and insist they reconsider this rating.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
Literacy Week 2012: Tell a Tiny Story
It's that time of year again. Each year, the library sponsors a "Literacy Week," which is a lot of work, but also pretty fun. I'll blog all of our plans later next week, once they're finalized, but for this post, I want to share what we're doing for this year's competition.
If you haven't seen it, hitrecord.org is an
Working through the English and Language Departments, we're sponsoring a contest for students to write their own tiny story. To make it easier, they have the option to draw their own photo, take a photo, or find a photo on Flickr Creative Commons. (If I were doing this as an in-class project with my English class, it would be a great collaborative opportunity with the art teacher!)
We'll have three grade categories: 3-5, 6-9, and 10-12, the prize being our school water bottle (ridiculously expensive, but I cut a bulk deal with the student council!) . And I will, of course, talk to the students about finding creative commons photos.
Anyway, the handout for the teachers to use is below. Feel free to use and adapt! I also bought a couple copies of their book, which is great fun to read.
UPDATE: I should mention, our theme this year is Food for Thought. Thus, their story needs to be food-related, however they choose to interpret that!
Tiny Story
If you haven't seen it, hitrecord.org is an
open collaborative production company, and this website is where we make things together. Writers, musicians, filmmakers, video editors, animators, illustrators, photographers, photo-shoppers... Wanna work with us? When one of our productions makes money, we split the profits 50/50 between the company and the contributing artists.They have some fun projects, and one of them is the Tiny Stories (my favorite example below). Basically, an image accompanied by a 1-3 sentence story that (in the best of them) surprises the reader, or makes the see things from a different perspective.
Working through the English and Language Departments, we're sponsoring a contest for students to write their own tiny story. To make it easier, they have the option to draw their own photo, take a photo, or find a photo on Flickr Creative Commons. (If I were doing this as an in-class project with my English class, it would be a great collaborative opportunity with the art teacher!)
We'll have three grade categories: 3-5, 6-9, and 10-12, the prize being our school water bottle (ridiculously expensive, but I cut a bulk deal with the student council!) . And I will, of course, talk to the students about finding creative commons photos.
Anyway, the handout for the teachers to use is below. Feel free to use and adapt! I also bought a couple copies of their book, which is great fun to read.
UPDATE: I should mention, our theme this year is Food for Thought. Thus, their story needs to be food-related, however they choose to interpret that!
 | ||
| by cat-cat http://www.hitrecord.org/records/452393 |
Tiny Story
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Of Petitions, Mandates, and the Battle of the Blog Comments
Wow. Michael Moore was right. You really don't want to mess with librarians.
Have you been following the kerfuffle Buffy Hamilton's and Doug Johnson's blogs this week? It started with a now-defunct petition that stated the following:
I, of course, am about to add my own two cents' worth. But let me start with a bit of transparency. Not only do I no longer work in public schools, I no longer even work in the country. In that sense, I don't have a dog in this fight--except that the struggles going on in the US and UK are leading indicators for what could become international trends, and media specialists everywhere better be paying attention.
I won't even comment much on the downright uncivil nature of some of the comments others' wrote. People's jobs and livelihood are at stake and passions run high, which is no excuse (we're not only supposed to be professionals, we're on the frontlines for teaching appropriate online behavior), but does call for at least a bit of understanding.
Like Buffy, I didn't sign the petition, and for very similar reasons. She and Doug both articulated the arguments against the petition well; there is no need for me to repeat those. I plan to address some of the comments, which I think often miss the point.
In a rather snarky post on Doug's blog, Linda Roche commented,
Another commenter claimed "well, there wasn't much room on the petition." How much more important is it, then, to ensure that what space you DO have addresses essential information and not some abstract "18 books per student" claim, especially when the purpose of the petition "is an attempt to force Mr. Obama to take a closer look at the disastrous consequences RTTT and NCLB policies have rained upon school libraries nationwide." Yet nowhere does the petition delineate those effects, or how libraries address them.
Moreover, it's not enough to cite the plethora of studies showing librarians' relevance to today's information world, and accuse anyone who dares criticize you of being "unaware of the research." (Really? That's your argument? You think Buffy and Doug--leaders in the field--don't know the studies?) Having a library degree is no guarantee one not just knows their stuff, but embeds best-practice into their daily routines. I'm a relatively recent graduate (five years ago) from a top-ranked library school, and I had to do an independent study in order to learn about blogs and podcasts and Web 2.0. I assume curriculum has improved since then, but my point is much of what I know (or value) about my role as librarian, I learned after I graduated (and, I might add, from reading Buffy and Doug).
I am not as evolved in my thinking as they, and my own practice falls pretty short sometimes. But I am trying to re-imagine and re-shape my role within the school, and even starting to question the need for a designated library space, or at least, a specific space to which I, the LMS, am attached. I'll post on that idea one of these days, but if we really want to EMBED the library throughout the school, if we want to make it participatory, with all that entails, then the LMS needs to be mobile, with regular swings through a "learning commons," or collaborative work space as part of a regular route. Leave an aid there for crowd control and book check-outs. In fact, when they ask, I've stopped telling people I'm a librarian, and just say I'm a teacher. When they ask what I teach, I tell them media and research literacy.
Look, I'll say it: Traditional librarianship is a dying profession. It may even be dead.
As painful as that may be--it's destroying an iconic image, after all-- maybe it's time to burn down the forest to allow for new growth and re-visioning, to echo Doug. With all due respect to good, well-intentioned people, there are far too many librarians out there who think books, in their various formats, are the be-all and end-all of libraries, who believe they're techy if they offer a variety of databases, use Power Point (or Prezi) for their lessons, and show kids how to search the citations in Wikipedia for background references. And they are NOT just the old-timers. In fact, I'm in my 50's, and am far more up-to-date than, for example, a candidate in her early 30's who interviewed for my position when I left CT. When I explained the job, which was very tech heavy, she made it clear she was NOT interested in that, and, should she be offered the position, really wanted to work on building the fiction collection. What really saddened me, the high-school principal (an ex-English teacher) wanted to hire her.
And that's the problem. We don't need to convince legislators. We need to convince our administrators and faculty and, more importantly, our parents and communities. If THEY were behind us, we'd have the funding, believe me. Unfortunately, and I can be guilty of this myself, too often we confuse providing resources and tools with actual learning, so we throw tools at students without taking the time to teach the habits of mind that make effective learners and researchers. Until we can demonstrate clearly how we actively facilitate learning beyond resources, all of these petitions and letters-to-the-editor are pretty much preaching to the choir. Heck, when even the teaching profession as a whole is under fire (and under-funded), how can we expect libraries, perceived as a degree removed from learning, not to be?
OK, now it's time for two personal notes.
Perception is reality, and grammar matters when you're trying to convince others you are an educated, intelligent professional. So typing "failure to have a credentialed School Librarian to run that library should be punishable by a immediate withdrawal of all Federal monies" is not an option, and calling attention to it is not nit-picking, especially in a document purportedly for the President of the United States.
Finally and more importantly, rather than being chastised, derided and branded as library traitors in a if-you're-not-with-us-you're-aiding-the-terrorists kind of way, fellow librarians should cheer them on, celebrating the diversity of voices within our field, engaging with and challenging the ideas always with the goal of furthering and improving our understanding of our role. Shutting down the conversation by overt attacks on character, just because one disagrees with the opinions being stated, is NOT what librarians are about.
Have you been following the kerfuffle Buffy Hamilton's and Doug Johnson's blogs this week? It started with a now-defunct petition that stated the following:
Buffy and Doug both posted articulate, well thought-out, dissenting responses. Then the fun began. If you haven't, I really recommend you go to their sites and read not only their posts, but the comments, where you will receive quite an education in the current state of civil discourse in public spheres, among other things.“Any school receiving Federal funds should be required to have a credentialed School Librarian on staff full time with a library that contains a minimum of 18 books per student. Failure to have a school library open to all students and/or failure to have a credentialed School Librarian to run that library should be punishable by a immediate withdrawal of all Federal monies.Study after study has shown that well-stocked, well-funded, well-organized school libraries staffed by a “highly qualified” School Librarian, or other similarly qualified credentialed individual, improve student reading scores, test scores, and literacy rates. All children have the right to read and to have access to materials that will help them grow as learners and as people. No Library = No Freedom to Learn.”
I, of course, am about to add my own two cents' worth. But let me start with a bit of transparency. Not only do I no longer work in public schools, I no longer even work in the country. In that sense, I don't have a dog in this fight--except that the struggles going on in the US and UK are leading indicators for what could become international trends, and media specialists everywhere better be paying attention.
I won't even comment much on the downright uncivil nature of some of the comments others' wrote. People's jobs and livelihood are at stake and passions run high, which is no excuse (we're not only supposed to be professionals, we're on the frontlines for teaching appropriate online behavior), but does call for at least a bit of understanding.
Like Buffy, I didn't sign the petition, and for very similar reasons. She and Doug both articulated the arguments against the petition well; there is no need for me to repeat those. I plan to address some of the comments, which I think often miss the point.
In a rather snarky post on Doug's blog, Linda Roche commented,
So, the Unquiet Librarian and some readers won't push library services for all students, and reasons offered up are specious; a misspelled word, no guarantee of good service with credentialed professionals, or laws won't be obeyed anyway. Boo hoo. Lip service is easier to dish up than effort.First, the petition was not aimed at "others in our profession." It is aimed at the political class, who have very little understanding of libraries or library services. The problem with the petition, for me, was the very retro view that second paragraph gave of libraries; that is already the image in the minds of the general public (and our legislators), and they have pretty resoundingly rejected the necessity of funding that. Why-oh-why then, would you perpetuate that stereotype in a plea for your 21st Century relevance?
When we discuss school library services we assume that others in our professions understand we mean books, both digital and print, Web2, Information Literacy training, technology access and integrating these services with school curriculum that Teacher Librarians offer.
Another commenter claimed "well, there wasn't much room on the petition." How much more important is it, then, to ensure that what space you DO have addresses essential information and not some abstract "18 books per student" claim, especially when the purpose of the petition "is an attempt to force Mr. Obama to take a closer look at the disastrous consequences RTTT and NCLB policies have rained upon school libraries nationwide." Yet nowhere does the petition delineate those effects, or how libraries address them.Moreover, it's not enough to cite the plethora of studies showing librarians' relevance to today's information world, and accuse anyone who dares criticize you of being "unaware of the research." (Really? That's your argument? You think Buffy and Doug--leaders in the field--don't know the studies?) Having a library degree is no guarantee one not just knows their stuff, but embeds best-practice into their daily routines. I'm a relatively recent graduate (five years ago) from a top-ranked library school, and I had to do an independent study in order to learn about blogs and podcasts and Web 2.0. I assume curriculum has improved since then, but my point is much of what I know (or value) about my role as librarian, I learned after I graduated (and, I might add, from reading Buffy and Doug).
I am not as evolved in my thinking as they, and my own practice falls pretty short sometimes. But I am trying to re-imagine and re-shape my role within the school, and even starting to question the need for a designated library space, or at least, a specific space to which I, the LMS, am attached. I'll post on that idea one of these days, but if we really want to EMBED the library throughout the school, if we want to make it participatory, with all that entails, then the LMS needs to be mobile, with regular swings through a "learning commons," or collaborative work space as part of a regular route. Leave an aid there for crowd control and book check-outs. In fact, when they ask, I've stopped telling people I'm a librarian, and just say I'm a teacher. When they ask what I teach, I tell them media and research literacy.
Look, I'll say it: Traditional librarianship is a dying profession. It may even be dead.
As painful as that may be--it's destroying an iconic image, after all-- maybe it's time to burn down the forest to allow for new growth and re-visioning, to echo Doug. With all due respect to good, well-intentioned people, there are far too many librarians out there who think books, in their various formats, are the be-all and end-all of libraries, who believe they're techy if they offer a variety of databases, use Power Point (or Prezi) for their lessons, and show kids how to search the citations in Wikipedia for background references. And they are NOT just the old-timers. In fact, I'm in my 50's, and am far more up-to-date than, for example, a candidate in her early 30's who interviewed for my position when I left CT. When I explained the job, which was very tech heavy, she made it clear she was NOT interested in that, and, should she be offered the position, really wanted to work on building the fiction collection. What really saddened me, the high-school principal (an ex-English teacher) wanted to hire her.
And that's the problem. We don't need to convince legislators. We need to convince our administrators and faculty and, more importantly, our parents and communities. If THEY were behind us, we'd have the funding, believe me. Unfortunately, and I can be guilty of this myself, too often we confuse providing resources and tools with actual learning, so we throw tools at students without taking the time to teach the habits of mind that make effective learners and researchers. Until we can demonstrate clearly how we actively facilitate learning beyond resources, all of these petitions and letters-to-the-editor are pretty much preaching to the choir. Heck, when even the teaching profession as a whole is under fire (and under-funded), how can we expect libraries, perceived as a degree removed from learning, not to be?
OK, now it's time for two personal notes.
Perception is reality, and grammar matters when you're trying to convince others you are an educated, intelligent professional. So typing "failure to have a credentialed School Librarian to run that library should be punishable by a immediate withdrawal of all Federal monies" is not an option, and calling attention to it is not nit-picking, especially in a document purportedly for the President of the United States.
Finally and more importantly, rather than being chastised, derided and branded as library traitors in a if-you're-not-with-us-you're-aiding-the-terrorists kind of way, fellow librarians should cheer them on, celebrating the diversity of voices within our field, engaging with and challenging the ideas always with the goal of furthering and improving our understanding of our role. Shutting down the conversation by overt attacks on character, just because one disagrees with the opinions being stated, is NOT what librarians are about.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Blatant Self-Promotion
Here's my article on teaching internationally, in this month's SLJ. Of course, if you're a regular reader of the blog, you read it here first!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
FlipSnack: Publish Student Work!
OK, now this is just cool. My English 10 students just finished creating their own graphic short stories (after reading American Born Chinese). Some of them are really great. I want to share them with the wider school community, but wanted to do more than just upload a file to Scribd. Then I stumbled across FlipSnack.
It's actually an entire suite of tools, but the one I think most beneficial to teachers is FlipSnack. Just upload a PDF file, and it turns it into a linkable, embeddable book with pages that flip. With sound effects!
A sample below. Not the best comic that came in, but the one I had already in PDF form, so I didn't have to go scan anything! The tool gives you a few different book styles from which to choose, with a 100MB limit on the free flipbooks.
You can embed them for free with a watermark, but it will cost you $50 each to remove that, or $14 a month if you get a premium account.
Personally, I think they are really missing out here. VoiceThread went viral precisely because schools came on board with the free educator plan. Everybody was using it! They turned a profit on that by creating a package plan for school-wide accounts. FlipSnack is such a useful tool for schools, they are really missing out by charging so much.
I plan to choose the best five or six stories, and embed them on the library site, for a mention in our weekly school newsletter. (I'll post a link here, too!)
It's actually an entire suite of tools, but the one I think most beneficial to teachers is FlipSnack. Just upload a PDF file, and it turns it into a linkable, embeddable book with pages that flip. With sound effects!
A sample below. Not the best comic that came in, but the one I had already in PDF form, so I didn't have to go scan anything! The tool gives you a few different book styles from which to choose, with a 100MB limit on the free flipbooks.
You can embed them for free with a watermark, but it will cost you $50 each to remove that, or $14 a month if you get a premium account.
Personally, I think they are really missing out here. VoiceThread went viral precisely because schools came on board with the free educator plan. Everybody was using it! They turned a profit on that by creating a package plan for school-wide accounts. FlipSnack is such a useful tool for schools, they are really missing out by charging so much.
I plan to choose the best five or six stories, and embed them on the library site, for a mention in our weekly school newsletter. (I'll post a link here, too!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)