The Socially Networked Classroom- Ch 6

♧ The section "Is there Enough Time in My Schedule For Social Networking?" was very helpful. Taking minimal class time to demonstrate new medias is one way to help show students how to use different tools.  Students can give tutorials to each other and learn from each other. This simple task does not take that much time out of a schedule to help students learn about the media. In fact by doing this, they can learn more from each other and become more familiar with a new social network.  I feared that because technology changes so frequently, I wouldn't have enough time to share with my students each new piece of technology.  This chapter helped me with this issue. Kist provides an example of allowing the "tech-savvy students to teach mini-lessons that briefly introduce the technology or application being used using a projector" (Kist 120).  I think this is a great way to show new technology, and it doesn't take up a lot of the teacher's planning time or classroom time.

♧ I like the idea of building choice into assignments.  By making different medias an option in a project, it doesn't take a lot of time away from the teaching.  If students spark an interest, individual or group lessons after school or during a free period could be used to help teach these interested students.  

Twilight

✈ I will admit that I am a Twilight fan. I feel as though I was the last person to like Twilight though because I hated it when I started it.  It took me over a year to get into the first book, and I am a pretty fast reader.  The reason I didn't like Twilight was because I was such a huge Harry Potter fan and I thought I was letting my wizards down.  I also thought the writing/ grammar in Twilight was dull for successful the text was.  After giving it a second chance I became a huge fan.  I read the series in a week. 

✈After reading the article online I remember why I started loving Twilight so much.  I was interested in Stephanie Meyer.  I found it fascinating that she didn't expect her book to become so popular. The article provided a lot of information about Stephanie such as she was a stay-at-home mother.  Her website, http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/, provides more background information. 

✈ Stephanie's blog helped her become successful. I appreciate that she wrote back to fans or posted comments onto her blog.  It shows she really cares about her fans. I think it's great that a Twilight dictionary is available.  Some terms could be confusing throughout the series and the dictionary can help readers keep characters and words straight.  I visited the dictionary online. It provides family bios, cars, clothing, timelines, vampire and werewolf myths.  If you are a Twilight fan. check out the website! Click here. 

✈Lastly, although this wasn't in the article, Stephanie's website provides her partial unpublished version of Midnight Sun.  I have read about half way through and it is written in Edward's point of view.  This is a great way to see what Edward originally thought because all of the books, except for Breaking Dawn, is strictly told from Bella's point of view.  If you are interested in reading the manuscript..check out Meyer's website!

☞ I worked very hard on my multigenre project.  I spent many hours cutting music and reflecting upon my past and present to make a great presentation to present to the class.  These medias that impacted me shaped me into who I am today.  Growing up I wanted to be a CSI but because the different medias impacted my life, I changed my mind and wanted to be and English teacher.  The teachers I had growing up used different medias to instill a teacher-like persona in me and I want to use my media along with new media to help impact my students. ( Sorry to my class, I wanted to end my presentation with this.)

☞ It was fun to see everyone's different medias that impacted their life.  A lot of us had similarities when it came to TV shows and books. You could tell the boys music from the girls music because girls tended to have pop princesses and boy bands. I like how a lot of the presentations started off with early years and progressed to later life. 

☞ If I had to change something about my autobiography, I would break it down in early years to later years rather than different categories.  My favorite part about my project was finding different sounds to relate to a TV show or news clip.  It was fun to use more than one media to show the impact in my life.  

☞ The benefits of this assignment allow students to reflect on their life.  Seeing what inspired them to grow and what they were interested in as a kid and as they grow is not only fun but allows students to see how they have learned.  I like the concept we did in this project to find our own clips and pictures to show.  For my students I would set a limit on the number of slides.  I know I got carried away because it's fun to reflect, but students may need a limit.  

Enjoy my Autobiography below..

The Socially Networked Classroom-Ch 2

☏ In chapter 2 I enjoyed reading about how Dr. Kist came up with our Muiltigenre projects.  It was interesting that he use to have the project on paper. I don't think that would have been as effective as presenting the projects as a powerpoint or different forms.  I'm glad Kist wrote some of the selected items in this chapter to refresh my memory of seeing it on the slideshow.  For those who didn't see it, the list gives future teachers and idea of what he is looking for and talking about. 

☏ I liked the activity involving the silent birthday.  I remember participating in this activity at camps and RA training.  I never thought of applying this activity to the classroom, and I think using an activity such as this to have students line up as the events of a story happen, is not only fun but also gets the students thinking about a text. I plan to use this activity in my own classroom. 

☏ I think the random phrase poem is a wonderful idea.  Social networks are inevitable in today's society and students are familiar with the "lingo" use in social networks.  I think showing students that even a simple sentence derived from a social network such as Twitter can be used in the English classroom.  I think English teachers have a more difficult time; however, in today's society of trying to teach effective English skills because students get use to the way they type or text.  This activity is one way to show that something simply can be educational. 

Reflections of Multi Media and Teaching Literature in Secondary Schools

✄ I am really enjoying multi-media thus far.  The multigenre autobiography is so much fun to look back on past medias in my life.  When I got to slide 70 something I just felt like I had so much to share for my presentation.  Once you start thinking of past medias, it is really hard to stop.  This project is very important to me because it allows me to reflect upon my childhood and how the different medias impacted my life.  It is fun to see that I am still watching some shows, listening to some music, enjoying the same texts and musicals as I did when I was younger.  I really haven't had any issues. The only issue is having a difficult time transferring/ configuring the MAC format to a PC format. I would love to use this assignment for my students because it gets them to see what has impacted their life and they are able to see how they have grown in different medias. 

✄ I really enjoy learning the different activities Dr. Kist shows us in class to take to my future classroom.  My favorite so far was grouping with famous friends and working on the Little Brother Text.  Having students write different words to define the text and make a poem is a great way to enhance their understanding of the text.

✐ In Dr. Pytash's class I have really enjoyed learning how to write lesson plans.  Having the class period to write and share ideas of how we would teach The Great Gatsby was really helpful because I have never wrote a lesson plan before.  I was able to use my ideas and actually see how I could use them in a classroom.  My group had students break into groups and become experts on a specific character to share with the class.  I liked the idea from a group of having students create large character's on paper to connect how each character relates. 

✐ Seeing the different learning styles such as language as artifact, expression, development, and social allowed me to see how I would want to teach my classroom.  I picked development because I believe all students can learn and be individual learners. In this strategy, students learn through peer review and discussions.  

Lesson Design For Classic Literature

☂ In chapter 6 of Classics in the Classroom, I enjoyed reading about the different steps of lesson study.  The different steps reminds me of something we learned in Principles of Teaching.  First defining the problem in the class room will help make your classroom a better learning environment.  I like the example Jago uses in her book as stimulating student interest.  This appears to be a common problem. As teachers plan a lesson, they need to think of ways to address that problem.  Step five according to Jago is revisiting the lesson.  This is a great way to help the classroom. Being an effective teacher is seeing that a lesson isn't working and isn't stimulating student thought.  A teacher is a good teacher if they can switch the plan to help make students understand material better.  

☂ What I liked about this chapter was it provided ways to teach the material.  I like the note form she passes out.  It shows students what the lecture is about.  This allows students to write down comments and questions as the lecture progresses. Since the Odyssey is fairly long, the length and divisions Carol provides in chapter six are not only helpful for the Odyssey, but you can see how a longer novel can be divided.  

☂ She provides different comprehension tools that I find useful. Charts are a good way to identify a certain element in a story, and for the Odyssey, the greek gods in a chart is a useful tool for students. Maps are a great way to visually show students where a story takes place.  Looking back at the Great Gatsby from our class earlier this semester, the map of West Egg and East Egg would be a helpful tool when showing students where different characters live. Character charts are also very helpful.  This works with any story to show how characters relate, who identifies with who, and general information. I also like the quiz questions she provided at the end of the chapter.  This allows me as a future teacher to see the different levels of cognition being applied to quiz questions. Future teachers, and current teachers can develop questions based on these. All of the different handouts, quizzes, presentations, group projects can be useful with any novel. I really enjoyed chapter six. 

Choosing Which Books to Teach

♡ Chapter Three of Classics in the Classroom was helpful with seeing what books to teach in class and what books to let student read on their own.  The 14 points of a classic book really helped define what a "classic" really is.  I really liked point six; " A classic is a book that has never exhausted all it has to say to its readers" (pg 40). The reason I like this point is because most classics have been around for years and the same message the book tried to get across years ago can still apply to people today.  

♡ I liked the list Carol provided for the different semesters.  I also like her requirement of allowing students to read five books per semester.  Although I like the idea of providing a list of books for students to read, I think students should be able to pick what they are interested in reading.  If I would use this approach, I would mix it up a little and let students pick at least 2 or 3 of the books required for the semester, and the last two they have to pick from a list.  Allowing students to choose what they want to read will draw more interest in reading, rather than doing it just for an assignment. I liked her idea of keeping a log of books students have read for the semester and think different grades and schools should adopt this concept.  After graduation, or even a after completing a grade, students can look back to see what they have read. 

♡ The section on choosing books was helpful.  Carol gives a list of what books have literary merit.  This list helps choose good texts to teach in the classroom. Teachers need to be able to choose books that will get students thinking and allowing students to see connections between characters in the story and themselves.  I agree with Carol that teachers need to read and prepare for teaching a novel just as long, if not longer, than students.  In order to teach a book successfully teachers need to be prepared, and in Carol's case that is putting 20 plus hours into preparing.  

♡ Discussing Frankenstein was a good way to show someway how to teach a novel.  Carol gives great examples in her chapters of what to do as a teacher, but never provides a good understanding of how to teach a novel, which I would like to see.   I really liked the quote by Dinesh D' Souza that reads, "It is less important for students to learn about the great books than it is for them to learn from the great books." Students can learn about a book with all the information the teacher gives them, but it is really an accomplishment if a student can learn from a text. 

The Internet

✘ The article on the internet was fascinating.  It took many people, many long hours, and many years to complete what is now used world-wide.  I found it surprising that AT&T didn't want a part in the project.  With how big AT&T is, I would have expected them to want to take part. 

✘ The people apart of the project never gave up and that is wonderful.  With many failed tries, the team stuck together.  Reading the part about resenting the internet in a meeting and it not work was heart breaking.  

✘ I liked the quote from Jim Clark. He said "Sometimes, you know, you just happen to be at the right place at the right time. Once we went public, everyone—everyone—had a new idea. We basically created the late-90s boom in technology stocks, and it became out of control, as you know." It's fascinating that the internet just worked out and people worked together.  Jim is glad he was in the right place to help with such a wonderful project.  

Little Brother 230-end

☀ As soon as I finished Little Brother, I was sad that I read the end fast.  The final section of the book was great, but again it may be too graphic when discussing the sex scenes to teach in a classroom.  Cory Doctorow was smart to incorporate vampires because they have become the "it" thing in society today.  It was fun to read how the gamers got dressed up to play their game.  I was nervous for Marcus to meet Masha at first because I was afraid she was going to turn out bad.  Although she wasn't bad, I found myself loathing this character for some reason.  I felt for Marcus when he had to leave Ange behind because she helped him through everything.  

☀ When Marcus is finally arrested by severe haircut lady, I was anxious to see how Marcus would react.  Because Marcus knew the torture he was about to endure, he wasn't as nervous as he had been before. During the interrogation, I expected Van, or Ange, or even Darryl to save Marcus in the end, but was surprised when Barbara rescued him.  

☀It was a touching scene when Marcus finally found Ange and Darryl.  The line, " He had shredded his paper hospital gown. He was curled up, naked, in the back of the cell, shielding himself from the camera and our stares. I ran to him" (Doctorow 352) was very touching.  Just by reading this line, readers can sense what Darryl went through, how he wasn't himself anymore.  It was such a touching scene for Marcus and Darryl to reunite, under the circumstances. 

☀ The ending was good, but I expected more.  I almost felt at times that Doctorow was trying to finish the book and didn't let readers fully grasp how Darryl turned out. I expected more with Darryl after he was released. I thought it was great that Marcus and Ange worked for Barbara. 

☀Overall, I thought this was an excellent book.  The ending was a little disappointing, but the book kept my interest and made me want to know what was going to happen next.  I was sad when it ended.  This would be a great read for older adolescents, but it could be graphic/ censored based on the sexual contact between Marcus and Ange. 

Classics in the Classroom Ch 1

☃ I just finished chapter one of Classics in the Classroom and it has a lot of valuable information.  I liked all of the points that author Carol Jago points out, especially point number 2: Don't confuse reading for pleasure with the study of literature.  The reason I liked this point so much is because students need to read on their own about topics, themes, and characters that relate to them, but at the same rate they should be reading the classics that have stood the test of time.  Jago brings up good points such as "students' reading lives should include two very different books" (pg 5). "One kind acts as a mirror [...] students also need books that act as windows" (pg 5). I like the analogy Jago uses to show the difference between pleasure reading and classical reading.  I agree that it is a teacher's job and responsibility to help teach classical readings to help students see the themes, relationships, characters, and plots of these stories.  I love that Jago made reference to Oprah's book choice of "Traveling with the Classics." I think this is a great way to bring back and show readers the classics that have been popular for many years.  

☃ Although I enjoyed the points of chapter one and agree with them, I wish this chapter would have given readers suggestions on how to teach these to principles she suggests. I think some ideas would be great for future teachers to help teach classical literature. 

Little Brother pp 103-230

❀ This section of Little Brother was great, but at certain points it was a little bland.  I feel like all of the computer talk can be very confusing for young adults, especially since I am confused. The subplot of Marcus finding a love interest is very cute because young adults like to read about love interests.  I feel very bad for Marcus when he get suspended for speaking about what he believed in during social studies.  This section made me see how much the government has taken over, along with school taking over the lives of not only the students but the teachers.  Marcus didn't deserve the punishment he received and Ms. Galvez shouldn't have been fired for allowing her students to speak freely.  This made me see the kind of teacher I want to be, allowing my students to express their feelings and feeling safe in my classroom as I respect each of my students.  

❀ On page 226 there is a mention of Haiti. I have never really heard of Haiti until the past month and reading it really made me interested in Haiti a little more.  I thought it was interesting that this book made a reference to the mention of Haiti since it is so common in our news right now. 

❀ I am anxious to read the rest of Little Brother to see what happens to Darryl and I wonder if Marcus' father will come around to seeing his side.  I predict that Van and Marcus will become friends again, but I do wonder why Ange and Van don't get along.  

American Saturday Night

I am a concert junkie. I go to a concert a month and last Friday I had the opportunity to see Brad Paisley's American Saturday Night tour. Country music is in my blood and I love putting my boots on and dancing to the great country music. Brad Paisley got the crowd excited playing many of his hit songs and having many videos on the jumbo tron. One of my favorite Brad Paisley songs is "Little Moments." Click the link for the video. Along with Brad Paisley's melodic guitar solos, Miranda Lambert opened up for Brad, along with Justin Moore. Justin's song "Small Town USA" is a great song. I take pride in my country and this is a wonderful song for the love of America. Miranda Lambert has powerful songs about being a strong woman. Her latest hit "White Liar" was her first number one and I always enjoy seeing her in concert. Click here to see her perform this song live on the Ellen Show. My next concert is Friday February 5 to see my favorite local band Red Wanting Blue. Here is a sneak peak of their music- "U.S Bumper Sticker"