Different Genres, News and Documentaries....Beach

Teaching the numerous genres in the classroom today is extremely exciting, especially when I remember my years in schools. The lesson plans were boring, tedious and always the same. The attitude must of been if it ain't broke don't fix it, however "it" was broken and many years have passed without a tune-up.
What we need now is a major overhaul!
Beach presents a new way to explore the field of media technology which creates an atmosphere of inclusion. There are movies today which explore the life and times of different cultures. These types are now being introduced to the students in the classroom with encouraging results.
Reviewing different genres will provide a well-rounded view for the students. Teachers will help students develop a critical eye while watching many of these films. Analyzing and critiquing films also provide students with the abilities to move their skills outside of the classroom and in to the real world.
News and documentaries are important in the class and have always been apart of education. But once again the scope has widened to included all races and cultures. Which is necessary to develop the mind of all students.
The fast pace of the Internet and global information via CNN makes us connected with the world and the news is fresh and immediate. However teachers must be aware and try to provide information that is accurate. This is always not going to be the case and the students should understand that the news and documentaries are biased at times.

Thing Number 38

Thing number 38 was amazing!

I checked all of the sites and discovered my favorite was SKETCH...I viewed the site a couple of times and realized how much fun the students will have.

I did not think it was difficult and the mini instruction explained how to use in simple language.

Cropping and resizing images seemed easy and yes I would definitely use in my library. Can't wait to get started.

SCREEN-O-MATIC had many interesting options too and students can create videos at a much faster rate than before. This technique will provide the students different options for capturing their ideas on film visa the computers. I liked the Note Box, where users could add or make comments to the site.

Thing 29.............................

My attention gravitated towards Gmail primarily because I am a huge user of e mail!
The tools are user friendly and there are a variety of options. I especially thought the built in text,voice,or video section was interesting.
Students enjoy seeing their selves on camera, adding a voice makes the experience come alive.
Search tools, alerts and google news also peaked my interest. In the future these and many more Internet options will assist me with lesson planning and student involvement. I am finding morethingsonastick extremely helpful.

IDEAS FOR MEDIA UNIT....

Proposal

Edgar Allan Poe

Short stories and poems...

Introduction to Poe , the man via video clips

PBS Production of Poe's life....

"The Raven" read to class by a celebrity personality

Video clip of television show The Simpson's" doing "The Raven"

Audio clip of The Raven or Cat

Copies of The Black Cat"

Production of a story board from a poem or short story of Poe's

Analyze Poe's poems and short stories

Compare the many different versions of The Black Cat

Standards: Senior High Students 12 th grade

Literature:

The student will actively engage in the reading process and read,understand respond to, analyze, interpret, evaluate and appreciate a wide variety of fiction, poetic and non-fiction texts.

Special Effects & Slide Shows

More Things #24, 25 and 27......

Explored and added a few goodies to my blog....
There is an abundance of interesting information on the site and most of it would provide great educational value to students.
The whistles and bells make blogs come alive. Students can capture many facets of their personality and display their interest.
Planning a blog with an entire English class sounds like good fun to me.
Each student would download the cover to a book they have read along with a brief summary, perhaps installing moving thumbs up or down as an indicator towards liking the book or not.
There are numerous options to add creativity to any project. English courses especially can benefit from these sites.

Beach Review

Chapters 3 and 4 of Richard Beaches' book Teachingmeidaliteracy.com is loaded with valuable information, techniques and numerous websites for online teaching and development skills for teaching media in the classroom. There is a lot of information to digest and comprehend. I discovered many different venues to create web based lessons plans which will aid students in their production of thinking visually and critically.
Teaching students' how to recognize and utilize film techniques such as editing,sound, and lighting were examined in the book along with analysing images of still photography. The text recommends beginning the process slowly so as not to overwhelm. I agree. The chapters mention also to keep the students' grade level in mind, not all films are appropriate for everyone.

The site, Internet Movie Data Base, (IMDB) was amazing! Their list of television, film and movies were endless, not to mention the site is FREE.
Another interesting and resourceful site is Rottentomatoes.com which too provided recent television shows and sitcoms no longer on the air.

The Closer is a crime drama show on the station TNT. The drama provides its viewers with an extremely diverse cast. The actors of color are portrayed in power positions and in excellent standing with the community. The lead character is a intelligent female who takes charge.
This is an important show because of the polished writing and the diversity. Students will see themselves in the characters and a healthy self esteem is the result of witnessing actors who resemble their culture.

Television and Film:Necessary in the Classroom....Say What?

"Establishing powerful , critical connections between the popular world and the academic curriculum ensures that the knowledge created will not remain confined within the classroom walls.' 'It will necessarily spill out into the real world to deal with real issues."(Morrell p.87)

Quotes Facts Words That Make You Aware Informed & Enlightened

"The knowledge reflected in these lyrics could engender discussions of esteem, power,place, and purpose or encourage students to further their own knowledge of urban sociology and politics." (Morrell P. 61)

More Interesting Facts from The Mind of Morrell

"Critical teachers of popular music will fine ways to simultaneously affirm and challenge while maintaing a problem-posing environment in which studnets feel free to challenge each other and the teacher as well."(Morrell, p.71)