Letters

Source: Letter claiming to be from Jack the Ripper (MEPO 3/142 pt2/273
The National Archives http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/workshops/ripper.htm

Reflection on teaching

Well some positives and some minuses. The students were able to comment on their reflections of the different digital narratives that I had asked them to view.  Students noted that they liked the effect of music and sound especially in evoking suspense and the interactive component of Inanimate Alice, as well as the video footage, 'which made you feel as though you were driving in the car' and others commented how they liked the voice and images of True America. Other elements that were mentioned was the use of text, the use of quotes in Darren Lockyer. I responded, I think, appropriately to their commentary and extending their reflections.

After this 10 minute discussion (approximately), we watched a remake of Jack the ripper on You Tube, entitled 'Jack'. This is when we encountered time lapse problems which detracted from the suspense of the short film clip. Reminder to self: always download and save on computer, rather than watching directly from You Tube. This is something I know off by heart, and chastise myself that I didn't do it! As a result, we then had less time to watch the beginning of Alfred Hitchcock's first film, The Lodger'. Tomorrow, we will discuss, student's thoughts on these two silent movies.

Resources: So many you tube clips available on Jack the Ripper. I really like The National Archives to give an insight into the Victorian Era. Here is a documentary on Jack the Ripper.

Digital narrative

This particular lesson had the last stragglers finishing their 'windows'. I had booked the laptops and as they finished the students then explored four examples of digital stories that I had found. 

Storycentre.org http://www.storycenter.org/stories/index.php?cat=3
True America http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRR0-7EFhlc 

Inanimate Alice http://inanimatealice.com/ 

Darren Lockyear http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jvSmSYT4dk

Two of these are student created. I hope the students will consider which were the most effective and why. They will  look at the ones they did not view today over the weekend.  Have asked for comments on two. In hindsight I may not have made that clear to all students. I did also  ask at beginning of lesson if they found any new examples to email links to both the teachers. I do need to remember that instructions need to be explicitly clarified at the end of the lesson, as at the beginning. 

So our next lesson we will have a brief discussion on their reflections.
Brief intro to silent movies especially Hitchcock and his first film, the lodger, and the remake - focus on Mood of Suspense in the clips. Watch 10 minutes of the lodger (disc) and Jack (remake) on you tube.
Discuss how elements of silent movies can be helpful in creating digital narratives.

Mood of Suspense

Students finished their graphic organisers this week.  The teacher clarified any student questions, and checked individual work. A couple of the students had to go back and revise what they had written. To complete this particular activity, the students transfer their information on to the hall windows using dry chalk textas (coloured, which are easily wiped off windows when dry). It is a great way for the students to consolidate their understanding as they use different coloured textas for the various elements in the novel that contribute to the mood of suspense.

Digital narratives

I have been working towards creating my lesson plans, an assessment rubric and resources to support the students in their creation of a digital narrative. I am not sure if they have already created on before, so I am planning on opening the first lesson, with an introduction to digital narratives by showing them several examples from You Tube and Digital narrtive websites. I have booked the laptops, so the students can then explore the internet for other examples. The focus will be on them reflecting what works, and what doesn't in those that they find. The school uses Moodle, so I will have them comment on their Moodle page. I also have a fact booklet of major elements of digital storytelling to support their learning. There is so much information available on the web about it, that they can refer to. Hopefully the booklet will be a good first resource for them. It is too easy to get lost in the Web, even for secondary students.

The IT teacher will be showing them different software over the next five weeks that they can use. It is great to have the support of other departments. A grade 10 student has also been asked to come in to answer any questions about creating movies, videos and using tools such as photostory, movie maker etc.

Students will work in pairs, to create a digital narrative of the class text, The Lodger, choosing from any of the motifs they have studied over the course of this unit.

Extending students

I sat in and observed again with the Grade 9's.  The students have really grasped the concepts of the novel, and the teacher feels they are a group that really need extending, so she is planning on having the students focus on linking different literacy elements.  She is introducing diction to the class, which normally would not cover later. Diction looks at the specific use of language and how even one word can convey meaning and be significant in the development of the the characters, and/or the cultural setting of the novel.  It ties in with different forms of imagery, and looking at the mood of suspense, which also links to the irony and foreshadowing evident in the text. The Lodger is a novel that is full of auditory and kinesthetic imagery - not only visual imagery, and the students are encouraged to find evidence of the different forms of imagery.  When introducing something new, the teacher models the visual framework that the students will create, as well as clarifies new understandings with evidence form the novel.  The students have their previous graphic organizers displayed around the room, and they can refer to these as well as from the book to come up with specific examples of motifs, a quote, that they can draw examples of diction.  The quote also may exemplify the creation of characterization either directly (from characters themselves) or indirectly(inferred, or implied by another character's reaction etc).  Over the course of reading the novel and exploring the motifs and story, students continually refine their understandings through the use of graphic organizers and the development of questioning, before they need to write any essay or create any summative assessment.

Goals

Sat down with my associate teacher and went over my personal goals for the next month. It is quite hard when you are already a practicing teacher, albeit not for this subject, to put yourself into the framework of a beginner teacher.  Reflection is a constant and a given for a teacher. It is so important to be able to reflect on what you have done, the extent to what was achieved, and future directions.

However, these are my goals:
1. to utilise technology in the classroom especially with a focus on students demonstrating their knowledge through creating multimodal products
2.  focusing on planning and assessment
3. continued improvement of my professional knowledge and practice:
          teaching secondary students, extending my IT skills, knowledge and practice, and in secondary       literature
Other aims include extending my resource collection. I have sent off the goals, but with some misgivings. I feel I need to be more specific. So will be going back to the drawing board.