As I have been thinking about writing and how to show my students the mechanics and methods of writing in media, I have been impressed by the standout ideas shared by my cohort. I have found that our rather diverse backgrounds have given us the opportunity to see how to teach similar ideas from different perspectives. All of us had to come up with an assignment for the writing of a story. I was impressed by the diversity of structures and activities that resulted from that. Emily designed her lesson for children ages 3-11. I found the project remarkably cohesive and doable. The video example of her sons work based on the lesson proved the effectiveness of the plan. It showed that media literacy is not something that should be limited to high school age kids. Amy's lesson was particularly useful in showing a very practical and accesible way to assess students knowledge of basis narrative structure. I was also taken by Mindy's oral history approach. Oral histories are becoming a fascinating way to introduce people into the lives of others. Podcasts, video diaries, and the like have become modern incarnations of the old stories grandpa used to tell around the fire. I think that her lesson lent itself to that kind of end production. Reilly showed that there is value in the short film and that students need to realize that as a form it has much potential.
I look forward to the things that we will continue to share in this class.
I'm glad that you recognize and appreciate this as well, Bob. The fact that we have different perspectives and work in different environment really rounds out our approach to these assignments. Seeing that diversity has really emphasized how pervasive stories are in our lives.
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