Wanda+Austin

Wanda's Page


 * Saturday afternoon:**

Write a reflection on the following quotation: "If you don't have a good story to tell, you might as well save yourself the expensive digital bells and whistles and go back to your writing table" (Storytellers of the New Millenium). Click on your page and label it with today's date.

April 28, 2012 Everyone has a good story to tell. Everyone may not realize it, but we all have stories that are burning to be told. I have to admit that I was skeptical when I began this class. I didn't think I could do the assignment. I am not a technological genius by any stretch of the imagination. I was a little intimidated by the mere name of this class. I have changed my closed mind. I am full of stories and I know that my students are full of stories. My students love technology and I have been the fearful one. My eyes have been opened and I am thankful for the digital bells and whistles that accompany the writing table.

I have to realize that my students need to write based from many different vantage points and media. Memoirs are a good tool of reaching back to go forwards. Question of the day. Problem solving for the day. What if?? Aesthetic writing is crucial to today's students. They have so much going on in their lives and they need a vehicle that is safe. Students need to examine the world in which they participate and get involved now with thoughts and ideas for change. I believe this will create a value system that says, "I can about your thoughts. What your thoughts about what you see, hear and experience everyday."

The 21st century teacher must evolve with the 21st century student or they will be in the same classroom not speaking the same language. As I watched some of the digital stories, I was inspired and motivated to change. This is a wonderful tool for cross curriculum teaching that includes: research, media, music, speaking, writing from the student's perspective, collaboration and a freedom to be indivduals.

The last article asked the question, "What is missing?" The book used to be the entertainment for the bus, plane, doctor's office etc. As I travel around the world, I have noticed that people and myself need to see imgaes other than words on a page.

When I taught K-5 last year, the director of education said that everything needed a picture. So for every word that I taught, there was a visual. If I couldn't find a picture for a particular word, then I took pictures of the students and then wrote sentences that included the students. For the word run, I took a picture of the students running across the playground and then wrote, we can run fast. They loved being in the images that helped them learn all year long.

My criteria would be as follows: 1. Thought provoking 2.Some of the images would not be a run of the mill image 3. Evoked emotion 4. Captured the viewers attention 5. Shocking at times 6. Colorful at times 7. Black and white at times 8. Abstract 9. Perception-bias-prejudice 10. lighting 11. Background and foreground (Depth perception) 12. Appeals to the 5 senses. 13. Patterns and shapes, sizes, textures 14. Sharpness, clarity of an image or muted to achieve an effect

There is a quote from the visual page that captured my attention, "Those who control the flow of images can hope to control the minds of the populace convincing citizens to support..." Now for me I left the end of the quote open because many of my students have based their: conversation, clothing, decisions, problem solving (smile), music, desires, hopes and dreams based on the images that are available to them 24 hours a day. They, my students have been brainwashed to accept that the loudest, most vocal, best swag or attitude of I don't care is acceptable. The images I saw on this sight spoke of pain and torment and I remember being disturbed by them when I first saw them many years ago. I need to incorporate images into the middle school setting that will spark meaningful dialogue that brings about 1.) description, 2.) Analysis, 3.) Interpretation and 4.) Judgment. This is the 21st century student who can succeed and excel.

Activity 2 . **Activity 4** - The Lesson for Digital Storytelling WI Standard: Students will engage effectively in a range of collabartive discussions (one-on-one, in groups and teacher led) where they will build on other's ideas and expressing their own clearly. Students will acknowledge new information expressed by others, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views in light of the evidence presented and possibly modify their own view.
 * 1) Click Reading Across a Dozen Literacies, read the introduction and focus particularly on the sections devoted to artistic and visual literacy. Be sure to follow the links exploring the nature and power of these two literacies today.
 * 2) Then click on your and reflect on insights you have gained.
 * 3) Make a list of criteria you would use in selecting an image to include in a digital story.

Essential Questions: 1. How does what you see influence your thoughts/ideas and responses? 2. What type of images effect your positively and negatively?

**Instructional Procedures**: Look at the 2 images on the monitor. What do you see? Where does your eye go first? Why? Write down 5 words that describe your impressions. Pair, Share in groups of 2 or 3 and share your responses. Create a list of 5 group words and write them on the tagboard using a marker. Tape your group board up on the wall. Let's compare and contrast the views and thoughts from around the room.

Look at the picture of the sharecroppers. What do you know about sharecroppers? Has anyone in your family ever been a sharecropper? (Later work: Interveiw an elderly family member or friend about his or her knowledge of sharecropping). It is at this time that I will give a brief lesson on sharecropping using different images of sharecropping on the monitor.

How does the picture make you feel? How do you think they feel? Go to [|www.AfricanAmericanImages.com] and save the sharecropping picture in word. (Instructions will be given) Compose a response from the sharecroppers. What would they say about the other image of the successful and influential people in the other image? What would the successful and influential people say to the sharecroppers?

Share your responses with the class.

**Activity**: Go to one of the safe sites listed on your hand-out and find 2 contrasting images that evoke strong feelings and emotions. Save the images on your flashdrive. Why did you choose these images? What did you feel when you saw these images? Add words to begin a story about your two images. Poject your images onto the screen and share the begining of your story.

**Tools**: Intenet, flash drive,

**Formative Assessment**: Meet with Ms. Wanda and share your images and how they made you feel.

**Summative Assessment**: Utilize your two images and create a lesson for the class. Students will have to compare and contrast images. Students will create a power point presentation that shows a story using 4 to 5 images. The students in the class will write a sentence for the student images. Compare and contrast the varying views.

Candace: Wanda, I loved the way you incorporated your sharecropper photos into your lesson. It allows for interaction and reflection.The use of the formative and summative assessment activities really allows students to apply what they know. Would you monitor the students photo selection to ensure they got it from the safe site? Great job. Just make the few corrections in typing. errors.

Kim Meier: I really like how you are taking experiences, in this case share cropping, and relating it to the students possible past. I thought the lesson in which students talked to their elders to find out about possible connections was very valid, and can be thought provoking for the student. I also like how students need to find powerful images that evoke emotion in their lesson. Question: What about allowing the kids to use a variety of writing styles...may be poetry for example. I enjoyed your lesson plan and thought that the images that you chose were very thought provoking.

P=Praise Q=Question P=Polish

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