For Friday’s Class, November 20

On Friday I will be presenting at a state conference about using technology in the classroom. You’ll have a sub. Here’s the plan for the day:

In Class

–take vocab quiz on Moodle (paper copies available if you need to mark the page)

–work on any of your English work.

1. Reading to page 183 in Unbowed in preparation for quiz on readings on Monday.

2. Transcribing your interview. Upload to Moodle when complete.

3. Writing your “Impressions” entry. See blog entries posted yesterday for more detail. Upload to Moodle when completed.

*Reminder

If you are pressed for time and anxious about the amount of reading you have due, spend class time reading. I would like your interview work (transcripts and impressions) to be uploaded before we go on Thanksgiving break, but I won’t check for completion until after break. Use your time wisely.

Unbowed

In conjunction with our work on writing biographies, we continue to work through our text, Unbowed.

In the evenings, you should be staying on schedule with approximately 15 pages per night.

You took a quiz on Monday on Chapter 6. Now you should be moving through chapters 7 & 8. If you need to make that up, please see me ASAP.

Here’s a recommended approach to the reading for those of you who need help budgeting your time.

Tuesday/Wednesday night: 139-154

Wednesday/Thursday night: 155-170

Weekend: 171-183

Remember to pay attention to chapter title and consider how that title is informed by the reading.

Actively mark your text. Watch for those anecdotes that offer meaning to Maathai’s life story.

Post Interview

Congratulations on completing your first interview!

You all are now well-aware of the challenges you face.

Now we set to work capturing the experience in writing so you can use it in your final piece. Don’t worry so much if you had challenges. Part of the experience is problem solving and thinking critically.

Here are your first tasks.

1) Transcribe your interview. Do your best to capture every piece of the interview. You will appreciate having this raw material when it comes to making some decisions about content. Transcribing is the most labor-intensive part of the process, but one of the most important. When you are done, upload your transcript to Moodle under “Transcript 1.” Only one member of your group needs to upload the transcript.

2) Reflect on the experience. This writing is like a journal entry. Don’t worry about grammar or organization here. Your goal is to write down your personal impressions of the day. This writing should be about 1/2-1 page in length. You may find that these journal type assignments will give you material to use in your final project. Upload your “Impressions” assignment to Moodle. I need one from each member of the group.

These should be uploaded by Tuesday November 24th. You will have classtime on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday to complete them.

Interviews Tomorrow

Meet in front of school at 8 a.m!

Some helpful handouts are available on Edmodo. These are also uploaded on Moodle under “Biography Project.”

Periods A and F, please review the resources posted on Edmodo.

Prepping for Interviews

Biography Project launches tomorrow!

Arrive on time. Buses will leave at 8:00 a.m. SHARP! Meet in front of the library with all your stuff READY!

What stuff?

–Questions (PRINTED OUT. DON’T STORE ON YOUR LAPTOP!)

–Charged Laptop

–Digital Camera (optional)

–Video Device (optional)

Our first assignment after the interview will be transcribing the interview. To complete this task, you will need to have a recording of the interview. Be ready to collect the information or you risk being at a disadvantage for the first official work of the project.

In the interview–

Introduce yourselves and each other

Tell your interviewee that you are hoping to capture a good story that he or she would like to preserve and share.

Try to direct your questioning towards stories that seem like ones you could write about.

Let the conversation flow. Most importantly tomorrow, you want to get a sense of your person and collect some basic information.

Be yourself. Be natural. Be genuine. Be respectful. You’re going to be great.

Reminder about Podcasts

A few people have posted their podcasts to Podbean. Very cool. Don’t forget, you also need to post the text to your poem! The three that I see in there right now have only uploaded audio.

Midterm Review Resource

Check out our wiki and help build the resource!

Bloggers in the News…

“Cuban Blogger Says She Won’t Be Deterred” (Reuters)

Check out what happened to Yoani Sanchez as a result of her blog….

Podcasting 101

In long periods this week, we’ll be working on podcasting. Using your “I am From” poem, you will create a podcast in Garageband.

Here are the required elements:

1) cover art

2) opening/intro sounds and closing sounds

3) at least 3 sweeteners.

When you are done, upload the file to iTunes.

In class, set up your authoring rights with Ms. Giraud so you can post your podcast on our podcast hosting site, Podbeam.

Monday November 9

In Class

–discussed readings. Considered anecdotes that reveal culture and Maathai’s journey

–Listened to some stories from “Driveway Moments” and “Life Stories” in preparation for our work with Garageband.

Homework

–Due for your long period class this week: Write your own “I am From” poem. Use the model on Moodle posted in the biography project box.

–Come to class (your long period) with your own version. Use the guide posted with the original to help you.

Honors–read to page 97 in Unbowed, due for Tuesday

Regulars–read to page 118, due for your next class that is NOT your long class