Some final reflections about teaching like the Savior

After last week’s class, I jotted down a few reflections about teaching in the classroom. As we model the Savior in our teaching, we need to follow a few guidelines that will make us more effective. A student brought up that when Christ was asked a question, he answered in the form of a parable. This allowed the person asking the question to get out the applicable meaning for the questioner at that time. This also allowed the questioner to think about the answer without getting a response of “think about it.” Furthermore, the answer would stick in the mind the of the person a lot better if a creative answer was given.

Such an example shows that we need to look for ways in which we can be an inspiration to those we teach. More than teaching them how to do something, we need to teach them how to learn. If we can learn to be more like the Savior in our teaching, we will surely make learning a fun process, and we will instill a love of learning in those we teach.

Lesson Plan Overview

Summary:
Students in 11th grade language arts classes will use digital cameras and iMovie to make a presentation and persuade the audience to some kind of action. This could range from a community issue to a national or world issue. For the intents of the IPT286 class, my assignment is to make a presentation to persuade an audience, BYU students, to attend a semester at the BYU-Nauvoo Semester Abroad Program.
Core Standards addressed:
Standard 9: Students use process strategies before, during, and after presenting.

Objective 2 Use strategies to deliver an effective presentation.
Activate audience prior knowledge and provide additional background knowledge if necessary.
Convey the central ideas and supporting details of the presentation clearly.
Use voice, body language, and technology to support meaning.
Vary tone, pitch, pace, and use of technology in presentation to aid communication.
Adjust presentation to accommodate audience response.
Demonstrate ethical and appropriate use of resources to enhance presentation, e.g., the Internet, library resources, others' ideas.
Use conventions of spoken language that are appropriate to the audience and that reflect standard usage.

Learning Outcomes:
Not only will students be able to show their understanding of a particular topic, but they will gain experience in putting together a presentation and learn the following concepts (among many others): information sometimes needs additional aids to be persuasive; information presented to the general public needs to be separated from the “package” in which it comes; and sometimes ideas seem great until they are presented.

Resources Needed:
This project requires a digital camera with motion picture capability. A 6.0 mega pixel camera would be desirable, but anything less could suffice. iMovie, by Apple, is the software program needed. For this project, it will be assumed that all students have access to such a camera, computers, and software, through the media lab.
Ethical Issues to Consider:
Since this project will draw from a number of media resources, there are a few issues that will need to be discussed in class. If a student uses a song not in public domain, the student must only use 10 percent of it, which is 30 seconds for every 3 minutes. The following issues arise: how long can the videos made be kept if they contain copyright music; if a student wants to use a song throughout the video in blurbs which equal the 10 percent, is that legal; and what film footage and photos from the internet are considered public domain? The most part, at least the music segments would need to be deleted after a month if the videos were kept and students may use several blurbs of music as long as it equals no more than 10 percent of the whole song. Internet sources will need to be checked on the internet to make sure they are not copyright. The safest idea is to search the creative commons page for film footage.

Instructional Procedures:
Students are to make a 10 minute presentation on iMovie, using photos, video, music, and narration to persuade the audience to some kind of action. This action could be a social issue, a political issue, a school issue, or an issue important to the student. For the intent of the IPT286 class, every student will do an individual presentation. Each student will be equipped with a digital camera with motion picture capability, iMovie software, a computer with internet access, and a short guide to what is ethical for use in the movies (for IPT class, it would be the wiki pages on ethics). The students will have 2 weeks to complete the assignment and to email the file to the instructor.

Grading Rubric
The presentation will be graded on the following criteria:
Presentation gives appropriate background of why the issue in worth addressing
The background information is presented clearly
The creator’s argument is easy to identity
There are at least 3 supporting details and they pertain to main argument
Presentation has a variety of motion picture, photos, music, and narration
Music, photos, narrative tone and media made main idea more persuasive (this the most subjective part of the grading; this is basically to make sure the tone of the media supports the main idea; i.e. student didn’t use rap during a narrative of Mother Theresa’s life)
Media used does not violate copyright law
Grammar and usage fits Standard English guidelines

Lesson Plan Overview

Summary:
Students in 11th grade language arts classes will use digital cameras and iMovie to make a presentation and persuade the audience to some kind of action. This could range from a community issue to a national or world issue. For the intents of the IPT286 class, my assignment is to make a presentation to persuade an audience, BYU students, to attend a semester at the BYU-Nauvoo Semester Abroad Program.
Core Standards addressed:
Standard 9: Students use process strategies before, during, and after presenting.

Objective 2 Use strategies to deliver an effective presentation.
Activate audience prior knowledge and provide additional background knowledge if necessary.
Convey the central ideas and supporting details of the presentation clearly.
Use voice, body language, and technology to support meaning.
Vary tone, pitch, pace, and use of technology in presentation to aid communication.
Adjust presentation to accommodate audience response.
Demonstrate ethical and appropriate use of resources to enhance presentation, e.g., the Internet, library resources, others' ideas.
Use conventions of spoken language that are appropriate to the audience and that reflect standard usage.

Learning Outcomes:
Not only will students be able to show their understanding of a particular topic, but they will gain experience in putting together a presentation and learn the following concepts (among many others): information sometimes needs additional aids to be persuasive; information presented to the general public needs to be separated from the “package” in which it comes; and sometimes ideas seem great until they are presented.

Resources Needed:
This project requires a digital camera with motion picture capability. A 6.0 mega pixel camera would be desirable, but anything less could suffice. iMovie, by Apple, is the software program needed. For this project, it will be assumed that all students have access to such a camera, computers, and software, through the media lab.
Ethical Issues to Consider:
Since this project will draw from a number of media resources, there are a few issues that will need to be discussed in class. If a student uses a song not in public domain, the student must only use 10 percent of it, which is 30 seconds for every 3 minutes. The following issues arise: how long can the videos made be kept if they contain copyright music; if a student wants to use a song throughout the video in blurbs which equal the 10 percent, is that legal; and what film footage and photos from the internet are considered public domain? The most part, at least the music segments would need to be deleted after a month if the videos were kept and students may use several blurbs of music as long as it equals no more than 10 percent of the whole song. Internet sources will need to be checked on the internet to make sure they are not copyright. The safest idea is to search the creative commons page for film footage.

Instructional Procedures:
Students are to make a 10 minute presentation on iMovie, using photos, video, music, and narration to persuade the audience to some kind of action. This action could be a social issue, a political issue, a school issue, or an issue important to the student. For the intent of the IPT286 class, every student will do an individual presentation. Each student will be equipped with a digital camera with motion picture capability, iMovie software, a computer with internet access, and a short guide to what is ethical for use in the movies (for IPT class, it would be the wiki pages on ethics). The students will have 2 weeks to complete the assignment and to email the file to the instructor.

Grading Rubric
The presentation will be graded on the following criteria:
Presentation gives appropriate background of why the issue in worth addressing
The background information is presented clearly
The creator’s argument is easy to identity
There are at least 3 supporting details and they pertain to main argument
Presentation has a variety of motion picture, photos, music, and narration
Music, photos, narrative tone and media made main idea more persuasive (this the most subjective part of the grading; this is basically to make sure the tone of the media supports the main idea; i.e. student didn’t use rap during a narrative of Mother Theresa’s life)
Media used does not violate copyright law
Grammar and usage fits Standard English guidelines

Lesson Plan Overview

This plan may have a few more details than necessary, but here it is so far:

Summary:
Students in 11th grade language arts classes will use digital cameras and iMovie to make a presentation and persuade the audience to some kind of action. This could range from a community issue to a national or world issue. For the intents of the IPT286 class, my assignment is to make a presentation to persuade an audience, BYU students, to attend a semester at the BYU-Nauvoo Semester Abroad Program.
Core Standards addressed:
Standard 9: Students use process strategies before, during, and after presenting.

Objective 2 Use strategies to deliver an effective presentation.
Activate audience prior knowledge and provide additional background knowledge if necessary.
Convey the central ideas and supporting details of the presentation clearly.
Use voice, body language, and technology to support meaning.
Vary tone, pitch, pace, and use of technology in presentation to aid communication.
Adjust presentation to accommodate audience response.
Demonstrate ethical and appropriate use of resources to enhance presentation, e.g., the Internet, library resources, others' ideas.
Use conventions of spoken language that are appropriate to the audience and that reflect standard usage.

Learning Outcomes:

Not only will students be able to show their understanding of a particular topic, but they will gain experience in putting together a presentation and learn the following concepts (among many others): information sometimes needs additional aids to be persuasive; information presented to the general public needs to be separated from the “package” in which it comes; and sometimes ideas seem great until they are presented.

Resources Needed:

This project requires a digital camera with motion picture capability. A 6.0 mega pixel camera would be desirable, but anything less could suffice. iMovie, by Apple, is the software program needed. For this project, it will be assumed that all students have access to such a camera, computers, and software, through the media lab.
Ethical Issues to Consider:
Since this project will draw from a number of media resources, there are a few issues that will need to be discussed in class. If a student uses a song not in public domain, the student must only use 10 percent of it, which is 30 seconds for every 3 minutes. The following issues arise: how long can the videos made be kept if they contain copyright music; if a student wants to use a song throughout the video in blurbs which equal the 10 percent, is that legal; and what film footage and photos from the internet are considered public domain? The most part, at least the music segments would need to be deleted after a month if the videos were kept and students may use several blurbs of music as long as it equals no more than 10 percent of the whole song. Internet sources will need to be checked on the internet to make sure they are not copyright. The safest idea is to search the creative commons page for film footage.

Instructional Procedures:

Students are to make a 10 minute presentation on iMovie, using photos, video, music, and narration to persuade the audience to some kind of action. This action could be a social issue, a political issue, a school issue, or an issue important to the student. For the intent of the IPT286 class, every student will do an individual presentation. Each student will be equipped with a digital camera with motion picture capability, iMovie software, a computer with internet access, and a short guide to what is ethical for use in the movies (for IPT class, it would be the wiki pages on ethics). The students will have 2 weeks to complete the assignment and to email the file to the instructor.

Grading Rubric

The presentation will be graded on the following criteria:
Presentation gives appropriate background of why the issue in worth addressing
The background information is presented clearly
The creator’s argument is easy to identity
There are at least 3 supporting details and they pertain to main argument
Presentation has a variety of motion picture, photos, music, and narration
Music, photos, narrative tone and media made main idea more persuasive (this the most subjective part of the grading; this is basically to make sure the tone of the media supports the main idea; i.e. student didn’t use rap during a narrative of Mother Theresa’s life)
Media used does not violate copyright law
Grammar and usage fits Standard English guidelines

What I learned from the ethics class

There were several new ideas that I learned about this past week, and a few questions that I need answers to. First of all, I realized that many videos that are shown in classes are illegal, such as President Hinckley's video when he's on 60 minutes. Several seminary teachers, whithout knowing it, are illegally using copies of it. I also learned that tapes which are recorded off T.V. can only be kept for 45 days. That leaves me wondering if anyone is completely obeying these laws.

I was still unclear about playing music in class. If a teacher wants to play a whole song in class, what does she do? What is allowed? And what about adding copyright music to a slideshow or other creative work. What are the limits on that. Let me know what you all think.

How My Assignment Works

Here is a sample of how my assingment will work. After students view a hardcopy of each other's concept maps, they will each make a criticism, a defense, and revision to their concept map. After viewing my first concept map, a criticism could go like this:

Why the map is effective: A student critic of the first concept map could comment that the map is effective in showing who the symbolic characters are. The critic could also agree that the Puritan views that Hawthorne held are represented well by associating the devil’s communion and Goody Cloyse as symbols to represent the evils of Puritan society.

The critic: What could be improved or argued: If I were a critic of the first map, I would mention that the devil’s speech should be associated with this communion under “symbolism”, since they are both metaphorical and happen together in the story. I would also add that the characters need to be elaborated on as to why they are symbolic. The critic could also argue that there is no Oedipus Complex in a psychological analysis of the book, so that part should be deleted.

Defense: Playing the creator of the map, I would evaluate these criticisms and make appropriate changes to my map (see the second map.) I would then defend my map saying that while the devil’s speech explains that humans are inherently evil, this explains Hawthorne’s views that Puritan culture focuses on the evil nature of man rather than the goodness that can come from it. Since it is symbolic, I linked the two together, using the suggestion given. Also, I further explained in the map that the Oedipus Complex is present if the staff and serpent are metaphorical of male dominance.

A view of both concept maps is necessary to understand the critique and defense.

Using Concept Mapping for high school literature classes

Age group/subject: 11th Grade American Literature

Objective: Use concept mapping to create a relationship between the text of literature to various literary techniques, and then use these to analyze a certain book.

UEN objective covered: Standard 8: Students write functional, informational, and literary texts for various purposes, audiences, and situations.

Objective 3 Demonstrate competency in writing LITERARY text.
Use writing process strategies to construct a literary text, e.g., myth, essay, poetry, short story.
Use the features of each literary genre, e.g., character, plot, setting, meter.
Use the elements of literature, e.g., theme, metaphor, symbolism, types of conflict, dialogue.

Lesson Plan: Taking an American classic, such as the Scarlet Letter or Huckleberry Finn, students will take a number of literary concepts and create a concept map, creating relationships between elements of the story and these concepts. Using this, they will write at 2-3 page paper, taking one or two of these terms, answering questions such as, "How does this concept complicate, add to, or dimish from the author's point." To generate critical thought, students will share their concept maps with each other.

The technologies used for this project will include concept mapping software, the internet(for sharing concept maps), and computers. For the purposes of this lesson plan, we will assume that every student has access to a personal computer in a school computer lab.

Friday at 5:00 pm

It sounds like Friday at 5:00 would work ok for everyone. Let's plan on meeting at the computer lab by our classroom at 5:00, and we should be done by 5:30. Email me if there are concerns.

A time for us to meet together...

Camilla and Natalie,

Here are the times I can meet together for the assignment this week:

Wed: before 10:00, 12-12:50; 1:00-7:00
Thurs: before 12:00, 3:00-7:00
Friday: before 11:00; 1-7:00
Saturday: not 2-4 pm, any other time

I have to work 7:30-10:30 every night, but I am open to doing it after 10:30. Let me know.