Week+8

=Bitstrips/Comic Life=


 * I missed class today for personal reasons, however I went to Bitstrips and made myself an avatar and created a little comic:
 * I really like the idea of using this in a classroom. The website presented lots of options for a teacher with a class of students, who could all go on and then we could create our own digital classroom. Then, you can post assignments from the site, and students upload finished products there and can be presented to the class (with permission).
 * This would be exciting to use in an English class. I could ask students to take a key scene from a Shakespeare play, or a novel, or whatever we're working on, and re-create it into a comic, ensuring that they are touching upon the key aspects of the text. Some students just would not be receptive to being asked to draw something like this free-hand, so this would provide an opportunity for them to click, drag, and drop images/characters/props into their strip.
 * I like this program a lot.
 * I was unable to put something together in Comic Life, however it could be used for the same sort of assignment. In fact, there was a presentation recently that touched upon such an idea. I just really like the idea of giving students the opportunity to use computers and technology to express how they interpret a text.
 * This could also be useful in a Religion class as well; we could have students illustrate an important Gospel message through the use of a comic strip.
 * Again, I really like these programs a lot.
 * Media literacy was the topic of discussion during class, and I have a couple of thoughts on the matter. Students are not engaging with the work the way teachers hope and intend for them to; that is just the reality of this new generation. I think this point really reflects the Standards of Practice for teachers, in that we need to be committed to our students and their learning. We cannot be complacent, but instead strive to find new and invigorating ways to connect with students. Does this mean spending a class talking about the literacy involved in Facebook? Maybe...or maybe we spend a day using Twitter to find the latest stories, and incorporate that into the daily exercises of the class. I don't know if that is realistic, but it is a possibility. As a presenter, you have to play to your audience, you have to feed off of them, take what they're giving you. A teacher has to do the same.