End of the Quarter

My junior English class wrapped up their Edgar Allan Poe imovie projects. I am quite pleased. Most worked very hard. Some struggled and some did next to nothing. But how is that different from any other class?

For those who worked and struggled, they still took pride in their creations. That is something that is quite different from most of my classes.

Four groups finished early (actually, it was just three - one group decided to make two separate videos to see which one they like better. They couldn't decide, so they asked me to be the judge. I accepted them both! Now how often does a teacher have an assignment where a student does an extra version of it?). So I created an iDVD of them. This means I literally made a DVD, complete with a set up menu (like real DVDs) with various pictures of Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven (a clip from the Simpson's version of it from their first Halloween special, The Treehouse of Horror), the Masque of the Red Death, and The Black Cat. All probably illegally downloaded, but I'm guilty, so what? Then I added a song I bought from itunes to the menu (Lou Reed's "Edgar Allan Poe," apparently the former member of the Eagles is a huge Poe fan and created a solo album devoted to his works). We watched it in class on Friday. Then I turned the remaining students loose to finish their imovies.

For the rest of the day, I had students stopping in to see if I had created an iDVD for them so they could bring it home to show their parents (Now I don't even need to ask how often that happens!). For the second set of imovies, I used different pictures for the set up menu (a create claymation picture of Edgar Allan Poe and a picture of the Poe action figure - complete with a raven that sits on his shoulder - that I have in my classroom). I chose Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper" for the music. Seemed kinda appropriate.

On Monday we will watch them.

Overall, were they perfect? Not even close. We're copyright laws violated? Most certainly. Did they learn anything to help them on a BST or standard? Nope. But did they have fun, take ownership, use technology, hone skills they will likely use in the workplace, experience engagement and flow? Without a doubt.

One student in particular highlights this assignment. She struggles with her regular assignments and attendance. She is quiet and withdrawn. Or at least that was until we started this project. Unlike the others, she chose to work alone. She diligently sat at her computer class after class. Finally, she asked me to look at her clip. It was great. She selected "The Raven" to use. She had various slides of Poe and ravens and adaptations of the poem. Then she typed in stanzas from the poem that fit perfectly with the pictures. The color of the font was a blood red, which also fit perfectly. She wanted some help with the music. So I told her I'd download a song that would be perfect for it, "The Raven" by the Allan Parson's Project (of "The Eye in the Sky" fame back in '82 or '83). We put that on, and it turned out great. It was by far the hardest she had worked all year. What a payoff for her too.

Thgis has easily the highlight of my year.