One of the most important aspects of planning student
products is to keep in mind that students are more intrinsically motivated to
present and share work they are proud of.
Creative assignments that showcase their abilities and allow them to
demonstrate their strengths are, by far, the most meaningful to students. Using technology in the classroom is a way to help students
see that the Internet can be used for more than games and communicating with
friends. Students can become a part of
a worldly community, produce work for audiences outside the classroom and collaborate
with like-minds. The more comfortable
and familiar students become with the computer, the better prepared they are to
compete in the job-market. As
an educator, I want parents to be able to be as much a part of their child’s
learning experience as they want to be.
The Internet allows parents to view the positive, productive work their
children are producing in their English classrooms while simultaneously easing the
fears and concerns they may have about their children spending time on the
Internet. | I invite you to review lessons I have created during Methods II : Performance and Technology, where I explore uses of different technology to engage students in the study of language (written and verbal) and critical thinking skills. |
1. The Illuminated text assignment works well with
Shakespeare’s Sonnets. In this assignment students create hyperlinks out
of interesting or unfamiliar words. Students explore the many meanings a
word can have as they develop their own unique interpretations of texts.
2. Using the Microsoft program, Photo
Story, students obtain photos that fit their unique interpretation of a
short passage or poem. The students
arrange the photos, choose custom animation sequences for the photos and
narrate the “story” using a recording of their own voice.
3. Students write for a real,
rhetorical situation by posting their own book reviews on Amazon.com. Not only will they be writing for their
teacher and peers, for a whole community of people.
4. Web 2.0 allows students to use the
internet to contribute their products.
In this assignment students will post their products to a class website
which will enable other classmates to make positive comments on their
work. Parents can also view the
positive and productive ways their children are using the internet.
5. In this Film Unit, students study
the classic film It’s A Wonderful Life.
Students study the film just as they would study the literary elements
of a text. Students observe how the
filmmaker creates a message to views and how the themes of this film speak to
other mediums such as short stories.
6. This lesson takes the student
through the process of creating a film thought a series of written assignments
and collaborative learning. Students
post their films to youtube.com.
8. Using the Mac program, Garageband
students record an interpretive reading of a passage and add supplemental
sounds to create a soundscape. These
assignments in close reading enables students analyze text and look beyond
surface level meaning.
 | Feel free to email me with questions about software, internet resources or lesson plans : krstngross@gmail.com |
