NCEA 3.9 - Close reading (new standard)

my year 13s have just completed this new standard, and i am keen to see their results! it has been a long, hard experience, seeing as the standard is brand new and we had to break new ground as we went.

we have spent the last two terms building up to this standard. in a nutshell, for the standard (3.9B), they have to close read two extracts by the same director. we spent term 1 viewing two films (Django Unchained and Reservoir Dogs) by my chosen director, and composing our 3.4 (writing) around those films with The Quentin Tarantino Magazine, which is full of reviews, analyses, storyboards, and fanfic. i think the boys thought i was nuts, but i'm so chuffed with the end product that i'm going to send it in for external moderation to see how we did.

in the process of preparing for 3.4, i modelled a close reading and had them do one of their own on one of our practice films. ("what? no credits?") this term, we viewed our actual film study, and they had to view yet another film on their own. this created a lot of conversation comparing and contrasting style and substance between films, some of which i had to admit to not having yet seen. (i encouraged them to watch Deathproof, which features kiwi Zoe Bell in a main role.)

for the assignment, i made them complete two separate analyses of their extracts. first they had to cut the film themselves and submit the extracts to me. then they had to capture the stills to storyboard the extracts, analysing each frame. finally, they had to prepare their final analysis, which was due friday in the form of an oral presentation outline and slideshow, to also work towards credit in 3.5. some chose to write a straight report, which was fine, but too late to be part of their 3.4 package.

boy, did they whinge all year about all the internal due dates that weren't "for credits!" but in the end, i think we've come up with some pretty solid close reading at a high level.

in the middle of all this, i was called away to the usa due to a death in the family. some might think this would be a problem, but no - this is the 21st century! they were quite used to communicating with me online, submitting work for feedback via google docs, etc, so it was easy enough to keep the assignment going while i was away for 2 weeks (NB: i do not recommend working up till flight time, running around like a looney for 2 weeks, then heading straight into work after your return flight. i am knackered!). of course, the mice thought they could have a play while the cat was away - boys will be boys, after all - but no! upon the first deadline, when those samples didn't hit my inbox, they all got a personal snappy email reminding them that any final assignment resulting in NA which had not been received for the two internal feedback due dates would not be considered for resubmission. that got them working, i'll tell you!

in the end, i'm pretty pleased with the work that has been submitted, and am looking forward with pleasure to their presentations early next term. it's been quite the learning experience for all of us, and i think we've done a damn fine job. well done, boys, well done.

uLearn11

another great conference behind us, and the best thing is that after 3 very long terms, and virtually no break these holidays, i am totally stoked to get back to school next week!

there's nothing better than getting out there with like minded peers and sharing ideas. not being much of a creative thinker myself, spending time talking with and listening to others is an important facet of my own learning and teaching.

as i said to the delegates in my own session: take away ONE thing you're going to give a go. i'm practising what i preach, and my one thing this ulearn is QR codes.

@dakinane gave the session i attended, and he said we would be surprised at how easy it is. boy, was i! i've already prepared my "mission" (traditional word: homework) for this week, with a QR code for my level 1 students. the link is to the online flashcards i created last week. i'm hoping that the non-traditional delivery

of homework will lead to further engagement with the material, as they have really struggled with language features. (nb: flashcards designed specifically for my class, and often refer to things we've discussed, just fyi).

Flip cams & other things

so, my last post was about using flip video in the classroom.  and no sooner had our department bought a whole set then the mashable article came out about them being discontinued.

i have a couple of thoughts on this.  one, i find using the video recorded easier with my own version of the flip video. i have a VADO i bought it at ulearn09. since it automatically saves files in .avi, i find it much quicker and easier to use for editing after videoing, so i personally won't miss the actual flip video brand, but hope that usb video cams stay viable. i think they are an important tool in the toolbox for both staff and students.

secondly, having had our staff record their speeches on flip video cams made my job of preparing for external moderation so much EASIER. before, i had to wade through heaps of random audio & videos files that required converting, then manually plow through each because the file didn't "cut" at the end of speeches, but rather linked two or more together and ended wherever it wanted, so i might have up to 25 pieces of video for one speech and a half, yet just 1 piece for another two or three. added to the fact that i didn't know all the students by sight, it made for a headachy time and took about 8 - 10 hours to put together 8 candidates.

worth noting is the fact that before i took on this task, my department had never (as in EVER) had speeches properly externally moderated via viewing the speeches. moderators were given a DVD with the original video files (which were unplayable) and the assessment sheets, and each year they would come back as not moderated due to unplayable video.  because of my dedication to tech (i produce a video with title cards of candidate names and marks before each speech to match the assessment sheets, saved as a video that can be opened in any common media player), we are now properly moderated, and i am pleased to say that we have 100% moderation mark agreement. it is nice to have that confirmed so that all staff are standardised.

i have had some other things on my mind lately, and i may share some of them with you during the holidays. i'd really love to get your feedback on them.

enjoy your time off for holidays/spring break,
kelly