Sunday, November 9, 2014
Digital Applications
To complete the memoir process (and yes, these are long processes from brainstorming and drafting to the final presentation, but that is what it looks like in a K-12 classroom), you all did various digital applications. What type of response did you most appreciate? The Bitstrips? The movie trailers? Soundtracks? The websites? Other options you think folks could have done? Share your ideas on what you liked, what you think about what you did, and how you think you could use this in your future classroom... Please post by Tuesday, Nov. 11th and respond to 4 classmates by Thursday, Nov. 13th.
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I think the memoir process provided every student with an opportunity to not only reflect on their own piece but also reflect their peers' pieces. I loved getting to read everyone else's piece throughout the process and the ideas that were formed throughout the process. I appreciated the originality the process spurred within the class. I used the app called Bitstrip during my process for the first time and I loved it. I could really see myself using this app in the classroom to provide a less intimidating response to an assignment rather than writing a paragraph or paper. In the classroom, I could see myself asking a transfer student, for example, to respond to an article or assignment I had the class previously complete to create a summary on the previous article. That way the student could take in the information but instead of writing a paper or utilizing class discussion, the transfer student would be able to critically think among the pictures provided on Bitstrip and create their own response.
ReplyDeleteMeredith, I really enjoyed your use of Bitstrips.I had always seen people posting Bitstrips on Facebook, but I never really knew what they were or how they worked. It was interesting to see how much freedom each user had or didn't have during the creation process. I think students, especially in middle school, could really enjoy using these comic strips.
DeleteMeredith, I, too, truly enjoyed your use of Bitstrips. I especially enjoyed the fact that you found a way to copy and paste it to a PowerPoint. I would appreciate a little sharing of knowledge on how you accomplished that witchcraft. All jokes aside, you did a great job.
DeleteI agree that the simplicity of BItstrip could be a very powerful way to express a memoir for those students who do not feel comfortably writing everything down. Your Bitstrip was wonderful Meredith!
DeleteI also liked the bitstip presentations. I think that is perfect for elementary aged boys. Especially those kids that don't like to write stories, they can create their stories with fewer words. I would absolutely use bit strip in my classroom.
DeleteThe memoir process was definitely a long one, but I enjoyed it. I really liked how our final piece was a digital application. After doing a lot of writing throughout this process with multiple drafts and constant feedback we were giving to classmates, the digital options were a nice change of pace. Going digital made me think about my memoir in a different way. The digital option I chose to present my project with was a soundtrack. This option, along with the movie/book trailer option, made me think about my memoir as an actual movie. I had to really sit and think "what type of song would be playing in this scene?" and "what kind of emotion am I trying to capture?" In my future classroom, which would be science, I think I could use a movie trailer or soundtrack to reflect a specific scientist and their discoveries. It might be a little more far-reaching in a science classroom, but it would definitely be doable.
ReplyDeleteCould you try and have kids illustrate a scientific phenomenon with a movie trailer? It seems like it could be fun! For example, check out Gravity when it hits the ground near you! It could even be punny! YES!
DeleteThat is wonderful that you were able to think so in depth about your writing. How would you use this activity in a science classroom? What would you use this lesson for in the classroom? Could you see yourself using this specifically for memoirs?
DeleteI think the idea of applying a soundtrack to certain scientists is definitely interesting! If I was in your class, I would like that activity, because it would force me to think not only about a scientists' discoveries, but how they felt about them and connect it to music.
DeleteCombining the sound track and the movie trailer would actually be an amazing idea. That would basically be a short movie, and well that is definitely something students would love to do; make a movie :)
DeleteIt sounds very challenging, but irresistible at the same time...
The memoir process was extremely long, but well worth it. I really, really enjoyed Mahogany's use of the website. It was extremely powerful the way she presented everything, and I think the format played a role in that. However, I do still believe that the Bitstrips application, which I chose to utilize, was a great format. Bitstrip use in a future classsroom is very likely. Once you get used to it, it really is an entertaining way to illustrate a piece of writing.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the use of media after writing was quite exciting. I think you are right that students were definitely able utilize the different mediums in very initiative ways. I loved being able to tell my memoir in another way other than just writing it out in an essay format. I hope you are able to use Bitstrips and other applications to let students write in the classroom.
DeleteI was also very impressed with Mahogany's website and I wish more people chose to use that form of digital response, but I understand why you feel Bitstrip is easy and useful. It is not only simplistic, but also fun and creative, and a great way to get the point of a memoir across using visuals instead of words for visual learners.
DeleteI also really liked Mahogany's website idea. That would be so much fun to have students do. i have seen lots of fake facebook pages made in elementary classrooms, but i don't think there have been many websites created. Creating a website with all the information you just learned in a chapter of a text book or all about a character in a book we read, I think would really capture my students attention.
DeleteYes, Mahogany definitely impressed me with her website. I believe it took her a lot of time and effort to complete such website, and I also believe that it was not an easy thing to do; however, she managed to prove how such digital application can be used for expressing students creativity, their organizing skills, as well as improving visual and written observation.
DeleteI enjoyed every form of digital response and I believe they can all be used when paired with the right memoir. I think my favorite application would be the soundtrack though. I love hearing music being paired with certain emotions, especially when the music fits perfectly. I would definitely use all of these forms of digital responses in my classroom, but I would be open to any other digital ideas my students may have that they think could work.
ReplyDeleteI love the soundtrack too! I love how the student can create another aspect of the assignment that they feel so personal too. The songs provide not only an extra avenue of emotion but an extra level of connections that the audience can relate too. Would you add any other digital ideas to the memoir assignment for your students?
DeleteYes, the soundtracks were great, but at some point I felt like I had a hard time relating some of the songs to the emotion the writer was trying to express at a particular moment/section/paragraph of his/her memoir. Maybe including some images related to those emotions and song playing in the background would make it even better :)
Deletemy favorite digital application to the memoirs were the movie trailers. They were all very impressive and realistic and connected well to the memoirs. Making a movie trailer for a chapter in a text book we are about to read might get students excited about what they are about to learn. I would love to have my students create movie trailers for chapters of boring texts.
ReplyDeleteMy least favorite style of digital memoir application was the soundtracks. I thought they were a little detached from the memoirs even though to the writer they made complete sense. I wonder if it would be improved if the sound tracks could play in the background while the memoir is being read so that each song plays during the section of the memoir that it is meant.
I love the soundtrack applications for the memoirs too! I think you are right in saying that it could add background when a student reads their peer's memoir. I think it could be helpful for students to listen to the soundtracks before reading each other's memoirs. It would be really neat for the students to predict what the stories are about based off of the soundtracks.
DeleteI actually liked every single digital application, but if would really, really have to choose then I would definitely agree with you on these two Lindsy. Movie trailers made me want to read more, while soundtrack would confuse me from time to time as I was not completely experiencing those memories through the songs the same way the individuals that wrote it did. However, I believe we all did an amazing job, and we all accomplished our goals :)
DeleteI cannot really decide which ones were my favorite as every single application was creative, captive, and unique in its own way. However, there was something especially unique about movie trailers as those made me want to read and learn more about particular pieces and topics/ideas. Movie trailers could be used for different topics, with different ideas and aims such as making the assigned reading material more interesting, and thereby encourage students to read and cultivate material that is not particularly of their interest. I also cannot really tell which one was my least favorite one, but I would somewhat agree with Lindsey regarding the soundtracks. Even with the soundtracks I would try incorporate more material that would make those songs even more attached to whatever my memoir was about. For example, make something like a movie trailer but with the same soundtrack in the background. :)
ReplyDelete