Comic Strip Generator

Movie

"Create stories, poems, sketches, songs, and plays, including those that reflect traditional and popular American culture, using typical features of a given genre; create an effective voice, using a variety of writing styles appropriate to different audiences, purposes, and settings."

Much like Animoto, the comic strip generator could be used for a variety of purposes. Compared to Animoto, I would be more likely to use the comic strip generator with a younger crowd. While you are still able to create stories and the above performance indicator, you lose much of the customization that you get through Animoto. 

Student sketches would be judged on their ability to cohesively address the topic in logical order. Students would be required to write a sensible dialog of at least 3 scenes which follows a logical pattern. Students are then asked to support their own work and explain why the chose the actions they did. Students who score well will have demonstrated why their comic strip addresses the question presented to them.

Animoto

Animoto

"Create stories, poems, sketches, songs, and plays, including those that reflect traditional and popular American culture, using typical features of a given genre; create an effective voice, using a variety of writing styles appropriate to different audiences, purposes, and settings."

Through the use of Animoto, students will be given the opportunity to create their own digital short videos. The assignment couple be something simple, or it could be more complex. While topics may very, the prompt could be something as simple as, "Show me something that's important in your life." With Animoto, students would be required to find/upload pictures that fall in line with the subject they choose. Students should understand the appropriateness of what they choose as well as showcase their ability to create a media piece.

Ted-Ed

I created a Ted-Ed lesson on the Use of Technology in Foreign Language Classrooms. The idea is for students to begin thinking outside the box when it comes to technology. So many students tend to focus on the social implications of such materials, but I think that the engagement and feedback mechanisms can play an even more integral part in student achievement. While the video showed one way technology could be used, it also shows the teacher giving students extra help along the way.

Students would be judged on whether their proposed use of technology would be potentially useful in a classroom. If students shows some level of thought in their response it would be considered successful. The main idea is to spread engagement through engagement. An active student is more likely to learn successfully than one who tries to absorb information via osmosis.

Flipped Classroom

The idea of a flipped classroom is an interesting one. Changing the focus from lecture to engagement can definitely have its benefits. The more one on one time that can be spent with students, the more likely teachers will be able to quickly sort out learning gaps. Depending on the type of class and type of student, this may be a very successful way to conduct class. On the other hand, it may also land far below expectation.

Flipped classroom approaches allow students an easier medium to catch up if they are to fall behind, but are there unexpected consequences to this? What is the likelihood that the students won't just take this as an excuse to not go to class at all? In high schools, this issue may be circumvented due to attendance restrictions, but in colleges this may be an issue.

Another issue is the availability of technology for the students to view their lessons. If a student encounters an issue where they cannot, or do not, watch the video, the teacher may be stuck teaching the material as a lecture anyway, in essence costing time rather than saving it. While actually in the classroom, this may be accounted for by making the videos available to those who haven't watched them, but will the students stay on task.

While there are benefits to this teaching style, I think that it takes a certain class with a certain teacher to really make it successful. I think the most effective way to implement this would be for the students to join the class in a college environment knowing this is the way the class will be held in advance. Giving them the option to do so, rather than force it on the students as a way of teaching would be the optimal way to increase engagement while also minimizing downtime.