I actually liked this "thing." I found it to be more useful than the others. I set-up google alerts on the topic of education. Maybe it will keep me more in the loop.
I also loved the Google News part. I adapted the page to bring up news going on around my hometown.
Another tool I explored was the Google calendar. I liked how you could share the calendar with family or friends.
You could explore these tools for hours (which I don't have) :) which made everything seem a little overwhelming. There are just too many avenues to explore. The alert tool could be helpful when I become a teacher because I could set it for a particular topic we are studying and see what things I find. I also thought I could maybe make a classroom calendar using Google Calendar and that would just be another way for me to keep my students up-to-date on what is going on in the classroom. I would love to keep exploring these tools when I have more time!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Beach Chapters 3 & 4
Chapter's 3 and 4 deal with film techniques and critical approaches to media text. When I began reading chapter 3, I immediatley flashed back to my senior year in high school when we studied film and remembered watching scenes from Hitchcock's Psycho. Beach talks about using Hitchcock films to help students familiarize themselves with purposeful use of film techniques.
I have always liked the idea of showing films in class, but wanted to make sure they were worth the time viewing them. Websites like rottentomatoes.com help me with that. They provide ratings for films that can help me dictate which films are worth my students viewing.
When studying film and film techniques, I think it is important for students to get background information on how films are made. The site Annenberg: How are Hollywood Films Made? does just that. It is very easy to navigate through and see what it takes to make a hollywood movie, from screenwriting to directing, and costume design.
As far as using a film/television clip in the classroom, I thought it would be beneficial for students to see the progress television has made in the past twenty years in terms of technique and issues addressed. We could compare clips of the old police drama, Hill Street Blues (which Beach mentions) and today's hit crime drama, Law and Order. Students could focus on the difference in lighting, camera angles, and sound. They could also discuss the various issues that each show addresses to see if the issues have changed according to the times. Both shows take place in an urban setting and deal with urban issues, so students may find these shows a little more realistic and easier to relate to.
I have always liked the idea of showing films in class, but wanted to make sure they were worth the time viewing them. Websites like rottentomatoes.com help me with that. They provide ratings for films that can help me dictate which films are worth my students viewing.
When studying film and film techniques, I think it is important for students to get background information on how films are made. The site Annenberg: How are Hollywood Films Made? does just that. It is very easy to navigate through and see what it takes to make a hollywood movie, from screenwriting to directing, and costume design.
As far as using a film/television clip in the classroom, I thought it would be beneficial for students to see the progress television has made in the past twenty years in terms of technique and issues addressed. We could compare clips of the old police drama, Hill Street Blues (which Beach mentions) and today's hit crime drama, Law and Order. Students could focus on the difference in lighting, camera angles, and sound. They could also discuss the various issues that each show addresses to see if the issues have changed according to the times. Both shows take place in an urban setting and deal with urban issues, so students may find these shows a little more realistic and easier to relate to.
More Things on a Stick
I added clickcomments to my blog. I like it! People can just click on an icon to tell me what they thought about my blog. The more things on a stick site is very easy to use and follow. Every thing is laid out for you step by step.
I then set-up a twitter account. Not sure about this one. I am not even sure what the point of twitter is, but I now twitter. It is nice to be updated on what people are doing, but it could get a little annoying having new updates every 5 seconds to check. I will have to play around a little more with twitter.
I would LOVE to incorporate the Web2.0 tools in my classroom. I could use them as part of a media literacy unit, or, it could just be a fun thing we work on throughout the school year. Every Friday (or whatever day) we could try to accomplish a few more things on a stick. At the end of the year, students can see the progress they have made. I think it is important to know how to do these kinds of things (or at least be familiar with them) to keep up with society. These things are becoming as normal a task as writing a document in Word. Students are going to have to be able to do these things when they enter the workforce, so why not get them started now? When it comes to the Web2.0 activities, I am sure the students will be teaching me a thing or two! :)
I then set-up a twitter account. Not sure about this one. I am not even sure what the point of twitter is, but I now twitter. It is nice to be updated on what people are doing, but it could get a little annoying having new updates every 5 seconds to check. I will have to play around a little more with twitter.
I would LOVE to incorporate the Web2.0 tools in my classroom. I could use them as part of a media literacy unit, or, it could just be a fun thing we work on throughout the school year. Every Friday (or whatever day) we could try to accomplish a few more things on a stick. At the end of the year, students can see the progress they have made. I think it is important to know how to do these kinds of things (or at least be familiar with them) to keep up with society. These things are becoming as normal a task as writing a document in Word. Students are going to have to be able to do these things when they enter the workforce, so why not get them started now? When it comes to the Web2.0 activities, I am sure the students will be teaching me a thing or two! :)
Friday, February 6, 2009
Morrell 57-114
- "Hip-hop texts are literary texts and can be used to scaffold literary terms and concepts and ultimately foster literary interpretations."
- I liked the idea on pg. 63 of having students interpret both a poem and a hip-hop text.
- I loved the idea of consulting with students about what songs or artists to study. Students really can be our teachers too.
- Pg. 74 "In colleges & universities all over the nation and the world, film is treated as a complex and intellectual media worthy of academic study." Why isn't it viewed as important in middle schools & high schools?
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