Module I: How to use ICT to Enrich the Teaching of Shakespeare

The plays and sonnets of William Shakespeare are often approached by secondary English students with apprehension due to their anxiety and uneasiness regarding the language of Shakespeare’s time. In order to overcome students’ apprehension ICT tools can be implemented by teachers to encourage enthusiasm for Shakespeare and to ensure students feel confident when dealing with his texts. An example of an ICT tool to enrich students’ study of Shakespeare is ‘Virtual Macbeth’ which is accessible through the program Second Life. In Second Life students can create an avatar and explore certain islands such as ‘Virtual Macbeth.’ Second Life is installed quickly and without difficulty. To ‘transport’ to the ‘Virtual Macbeth’ island students who have downloaded Second Life can do so by searching for the island and clicking on the link called ‘Foul Whisperings, Strange Matters.’ For someone new to Second Life it the ICT tool is fairly difficult to work out, after some time I figured out how to move my avatar around and could click on objects to bring up information about Macbeth.  An example of a portion of a ‘Notecard ‘ I found is below. Each ‘Notecard’ contains a variety of activities for students to complete. I think that this tool could be effective in the Secondary English classroom for students who have some knowledge and ability to navigate their way around Second Life. I could use this ICT tool to encourage students to investigate themes, context, technique characters, dialogue and more. This tool could be used in class in general, with students discovering Macbeth through their own exploration of the island, or with the teacher (who is confident in using Second Life) guiding learning. This tool could also be used for assessment with students completing the questions on one ‘Notecard’ that they discover during their exploration of the island. Students can also interact with each other through the island and work collaboratively on completing the questions in a ‘Notecard.’ This tool would appeal to students who prefer to learn through visual and auditory aids. Students would find this exciting due to the technology and gaming nature of the program. A screenshot is below to demonstrate the visual and game-like features of this ICT tool. All in all this seems like an effective tool that I could use in y secondary English classroom once I develop a better understanding of how to navigate around the ‘Virtual Macbeth’ Island.

Object: Statue of Macbeth Themes and keywords: Poetic License Alternative outcomes; choices in real life; playwrights choices; reflection on the specific character of Macbeth, notions of leadership & authority. *Poetic license is also known as artistic license or dramatic license. Discuss examples in Macbeth where Shakespeare has taken ‘poetic licence’ with the historical sources to enhance the drama. *When have you had to convince some-one to do something they didn’t want to do? What happened? Did you succeed? *Do you believe in the occult? Witches? Magic? *Have you ever had your fortune told? *The Elizabethans believed in the existence of witches. Why does Shakespeare begin the play with the witches? *The first scene with the witches demonstrates Shakespeare practice of poetic license when it comes to word usage and meaning - where the language choice is based not only on creating meaning but meeting the demands of the verse structure. What verse structure is Shakespeare using in this scene? And why? Network *Why do the characters sometimes speak in prose? What is the dramatic effect of Macbeth switching from verse to prose (and visa versa) when he meets with the murderers in Act 3, scene 1 ? *Discuss this dialogue between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. MACBETH: If we should fail? LADY MACBETH: We fail? But screw your courage to the sticking-place And we’ll not fail. Act 1, Scene 7 Lines 59 - 61

Module H: Using ICT to Enrich HSC Learning

This week's module focused on the variety of ways in which HSC learning and results can be enriched by the use of ICT.  The module outlined the use of encouraging students to access websites such as the Board of Studies website and the HSC Online site. Both of which provide students with access to past HSC papers, feedback from the Marking Centres and links to resources. Further to this students can be encouraged to use ICT in their study and for assignments. Examples can include asking students to create a power point presentation, podcasts or prezis. Furthermore teachers can organize community websites such as Edmodo and wiki to encourage students to communicate with one another, share their work and work co-operatively. This week I looked closely at wikis to examine how they can be used to enrich HSC learning. Wikis are a web site that can be developed collaboratively by a community of users, allowing any user to add and edit content. The wiki I examined was based on the HSC Area of Study Belonging and can be accessed from, http://hscbelonging.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/belonging-to-a-place/. This wiki aims to present simple introductions to texts which might be appropriate for study as related material, the wiki also indicates which core text the related material presented would be most appropriately linked. This wiki is extremely useful in the secondary English classroom, as it can allow teachers to encourage their students to use the wiki to determine what would be an appropriate related material. I think this wiki is extremely useful for HSC students as it discusses a variety of texts and links to other use information. Wikis in general are also beneficial as they allow students to share work and ideas. 

 

Module G: Open-ended and Integrated Assessment

Assessment is usually a daunting task for students. A way to minimize the fear associated with assessments is to allow students to present their assessment in a variety of ways. Some ways or presenting assessment as outlined on the UNSW wiki include: A podcast, a digi-text, a digi-timeline, a slideshow, a short film, as a blog or a wiki. A website that can be used to create a digi-timeline for assessment purposes is www.dipity.com. Dipity allows students to create timelines that can include text, images, video links and web links. Dipity is easy to navigate and allows students to create a digi-timeline with ease. Digi-timelines are useful as they allow students to gain a deeper understanding of the importance of particular events, the sequence of actions that lead to a major event and the most important events in a person’s life. A timeline is also chronological making understanding the order of events easier to remember. Furthermore timelines and digi-timelines go over the most important information, which encourages students who are creating timelines to work on their summarizing skills. Research on a person, event or particular topic could be presented creatively in a digi-timeline. Dipity allows students to present their timeline in the traditional format, as a flipbook, as a list or on a map. Dipity also allows students to share their work with their teacher or peers and can also be used collaboratively by students for a pair/group assessment. An example of a digi-timeline about Steve Jobs created (by someone else) using dipity is below.

Module F: Poetry, Writing and ICT

Whilst studying this module I payed particular attention to the website Instant Poetry Forms, http://ettcweb.lr.k12.nj.us/forms/newpoem.htm. This website is an effective way to introduce students to poetic forms and encourage creativity through the mode of poetry. Instant Poetry forms has a variety of templates that can allow students to fill in the blanks in a template to create a poem. There are various poetry form templates, some of which include: Emotional Animal, Love That Poem, All About Me Poem, "Big Day" Haiku, I Remember, If Emotion were a..., Lament, Limerick, Noun + Adjective + Phrase = Poem, Octopoem, Some of my Best Friends are Metaphors, What If..., Who am I?, Wishes and Fears and Yes, But Poem. This ICT tool is effective as it allows students to create a poem using basic steps, and allows students to develop an understanding of the techniques involved in creating a poem. Further to this Instant Poetry Form, is a fun and easy tool that allows students to become more interested in poetry and overcome any reservations in regards to studying and writing poetry. In the classroom this tool can be used to assist students to create their own poetry and to create their own poem in the same form of a set text to gain an understanding of techniques. Instant Poetry Forms is a great website that makes the studying and writing of poetry easier to understand as poems are broken up into a step-by-step process, further to this, examples and prompts ensure students find the website enjoyable and simple to use. Below I have included a template for a ‘Wishes and Fears’ poem, and a poem I created using this template.

I am afraid of being lonely
I am afraid of the sadness loneliness brings
I am afraid that you may leave me
I am afraid that you won't come back
I am even afraid that this loss will be permanent

I am afraid of never sleeping again
I am afraid of not being able to breathe
I am afraid that my heart may actually break
I am afraid that my soul will be forever tortured
I am even afraid misery will be everlasting

I want you
I want you forever
I want you to be all mine
I want you to always be mine
I even want you when I am asleep

I want you to be happy
I want for you to be happy with me
I want you to know that
I want you more than anything
And I want you to love me back
Most of all

Module E: Ways students can use ICT to create

During my examination of this module, I focused on the website www.makebeliefscomix.com. This website can be used as an ICT tool to assist students to ‘create’ original texts. Creating original texts is useful for several reasons (as outlined in the module) such as boosting confidence, inspiring creativity, improving vocabulary and encouraging collaboration and reflection. www.makebeliefscomix.com is an ICT tool that allows students to create a comic strip. Students can edit backgrounds, insert characters, add speech and thought bubbles, insert panel prompts, add different objects and scenes and edit all these to create a comic strip to their liking. Once students have finalised their comic strip they can print it to keep a copy or email it to share with others for assessment (by a teacher) or review and collaboration (from peers.) I believe that this ICT tool could be used in the secondary English classroom for a variety of reasons. Students examining a text from a different era could create a comic to create a modern version of a scene from their text. This idea could be used if students were studying a play of Shakespeare, students could pick a scene and create a modern interpretation of this via a comic strip. This ICT tool could be used for poetry also, students could be asked to focus on the imagery of a particular poem, and then create a comic to represent the key images of the poem. This would help students to visually represent images in poetry and understand the impact and contribution imagery makes to this form of text. Similarly, students studying a novel could be asked to focus on an event that has impacted significantly on a key character and to represent this event in a comic strip, allowing the students to take an in-depth look into key events and characters to gain a greater understanding. Further to all this www.makebeliefscomix.com is a fun ICT tool that encourages creativity and would be enthusiastically embraced by students. An example of a comic that I have created is below. I found this website both enjoyable and easy to use and would like to experiment with this website in the classroom.

Module D: Teaching Activities Using ICT

This week I examined the teaching resource tagxedo (www.tagxedo.com.) Tagxedo is an interesting website, where students and teachers can create ‘wordclouds.’ ‘Wordclouds’ are images created with key words an example is below. Tagxedo can be used by teachers to highlight important themes, techniques and characters in a text and hand out their own creation to their students. Further to this tagxedo can be used as an educational resource in the classroom. Teachers could ask students to identify key words, highlight various themes in a text, draw attention to characters or certain personality traits of one character and identify important techniques. All of these ensure that a student has developed an understanding of the text and its vital components. This tool appeals to visual learners as students are able to manipulate their cloud to emphasize words they find most important and manipulate colour, shape, font and theme to their liking. Tagxedo also promotes peer work as students can save, share and print their creations. In all tagxedo is an effective tool to highlight basic key points of a variety of texts in a visual manner. Below I have created a ‘wordcloud’ that shows different types of texts secondary students could encounter.

Module C: Introduction to the Collaborative use of Technology

This week I examined the website Edmodo (http://www.edmodo.com.) Edmodo can be described as an educational version of Facebook. Students create their own profile and make connections with teachers and other students. Teachers can make groups, specific to certain classes, such as Year 7 English and invite their students to join the group and lines for communication are opened. Members of the group are able to participate in discussions, access notes and assignment information, attempt quizzes and participate in polls.  This tool involves mostly reading and writing, with some viewing. Students may be required to recall information when answering quizzes, apply information and knowledge for various assignments, and create their own notes, quizzes or polls. This tool can be utilized in the classroom and at home, teachers would need to demonstrate how to use this tool and assist students in creating their own profiles and navigating the various functions of the tool. Further to this written communication is essential as the website involves students being able to comprehend written notes from teachers in regards to general information and assignments, as well as written communication from peers involving discussions, quizzes and polls. This tool could be effectively used in various secondary English classrooms for differing topics. Students could be studying a poem and be asked to ‘discuss’ a certain technique in the poem, students could also be asked to create a quiz or poll regarding character’s in a novel and answer others’ quizzes and polls. In all Edmodo is a very effective tool that can be used to encourage communication between students and teachers, collaboration amongst students and finally peer evaluation and support.

Module B: Web 2.0 Online Texts

Online and multimedia texts are an example of effective technologies that can be implemented in the English classroom. Whilst examining this module, I took an in-depth look into the multimedia text ‘Tales of 20^th Century London’, (http://www.talesoflondon.org.uk/?PHPSESSID=ac9af1988b28086211bb5aff4a52a2ad.) This fascinating example of a multimedia text is interactive, visually exciting and educational. In contrast to traditional reading of a text, this multimedia involves fluid animation to accompany the wording. Further to the “Book”, this multimedia also includes interactive activities. This multimedia text is beyond anything educational I have ever seen and I was truly entranced by it. I believe that ‘Tales of 20^th Century London’ could be used in a secondary English classroom. For example any class studying a novel set in London, could use this multimedia to gain an understanding of the context of their novel. This type of technology could also be utilized by the class to create a profile of the time in which a novel’s character lived, including experiences they may have had, clothes they may have worn, significant events in that time-period and so on. In addition to this multimedia I briefly researched other multimedia texts to gain an understanding of the extent of such texts available. As these multimedia texts are primarily visual, the most effective pedagogy, or method of instruction for students, would be an auditory explanation accompanied by a visual demonstration of such programs, followed by students own physical exploration of the multimedia texts, with support available from the teacher.  In the classroom, these multimedia technologies would be best utilized with the students examining them alone, and then communicating their progress and ideas with classmates.