Foot: Superlong Graphic Novel Comparison

I did actually enjoy reading these graphic novels, although I think it would be really hard to incorporate teaching these into my classrooms. If my students enjoy reading them, I will definitely encourage them to do so. On the other hand, unless I was doing a unit on different genres or was doing a unit on different versions of fairy tales, I don't know if I would actually teach these. While they are fun, there isn't really a whole lot of literary merit to these. Anyway, onto the comparison!


Text and Dialogue:
     Narration: Naruto and  Pinocchio are both told from outside narrators, although at the same time, each story is sort of through each character's eyes. Both Naruto and Pinocchio give the reader their opinions and reactions to other characters and the events that are happening.
     Balloons: Naruto definitely uses balloons. There are the standard circular balloons when a character is talking calmly and the balloons are more jagged to show excitement or anger. If a character is thinking, then the words are written write overtop, not in a balloon or anything. Pinocchio has square boxes when there is narration (mostly placing the scene) and there are the circular balloons for when characters are speaking.
     Captions: There weren’t really any captions in either of the graphic novels, but there are prologue type scenes where the setting is being set or a character is doing a flashback. I suppose these could be considered captions because there wasn’t dialogue or anything like that.
     Emanata: Naruto definitely had some emanata, usually to show some idea or thought the characters had. Pinocchio didn’t really have much emanata, at least not that I noticed.
     Labels/signs: there weren’t a whole lot of signs or labels, but there were a few. Naruto had some different pages that looked to be chapter dividers and there were also pages where Kishimoto would describe how the characters have evolved. Pinocchio had a sign for the carpentry shop, but beyond that I don’t think there was a whole lot.
     Lettering: Naruto-a computer font, but meant to look like someone could have written it. Pinocchio-pretty much the same
     Sound effects- both graphic novels use sound effects, Naruto more than Pinocchio. Both were used to emphasize what was going on in the scene

Visual Features:
     Characters: the characters in each are drawn differently. Pinocchio had more square-ish figures and it was easy to tell the difference between the characters because there weren’t a whole lot introduced throughout the novel. Naruto was more like the standard Japanese type characters, but a lot of them look alike, especially because some were introduced and then left the story quickly.
     Objects: Naruto would eat food and there were weapons and scrolls. It was mostly stuff that one wouldn’t see all the time, but were real objects. Pinocchio was much the same; his room looked like a real person could live there because the objects were life-like.
     Icons: I don’t think there were really any icons in either of the graphic novels. It was just mostly objects.
     Scenery: Pinocchio had simpler scenery, although it was not less effective than Naruto. Pinocchio mostly took place in a small town, but in different parts of the town. Naruto had a town, a school, wilderness, and so on, but the scenery was life like. However, there was a lot more going on in the scenery in Naruto than in Pinocchio.
     Depicted action: both novels had a ton of action going on. There was fighting, but there was also some mental action going on (Naruto struggling with himself against his destiny, Pinocchio lamenting his life and Geppetto’s “death)

General Layout and Design:
     Borders: there weren’t really any borders in either of the graphic novels, at least not that I noticed.
     Gutters: both novels used gutters, used to separate the boxes from each. A lot of times, the boxes with gutters were used to show different shots in the scene
     Panels: both novels had panels, both small and large. While a lot were horizontal, there were a few that were vertical
     Open Panel: while there weren’t a lot of open panels, there were a few. For example, Naruto has open panels for the demon fox guy and for some action shots. Pinocchio mostly has open spaces in the very beginning when the scene is being set, but also when an important character came on the show
     Splash: there were a couple of splashes in both. Pinocchio has it for setting the scene or for large action shots. Naruto has it for some of the “chapter introducations” and also when Naruto does his doppelganger trick a couple of different times.

Angles and Frame:
     Bleed: there were a few bleeds in Naruto, like when he is talking to the vampires. Also, a lot of times when his nose grows, it goes into the box next to that picture. Naruto didn’t really seem to have a lot of bleeds, at least not that I noticed.
     All of the different shots: (there are so many different shots, that I decided to combine this into one). Both of the texts utilize much of these shots. There are close-ups of characters, especially when something important is revealed that is shocking. Head shots are also used, although there are more close-ups. Head-shoulder shots are used, usually to show action that is going on. There are definitely full-figure shots, and long shots are often used to set the scene, same with extreme longshots.

Rhetorical techniques:
     Exaggeration: Pinocchio has bolded words that are usually meant to show excitement or sarcasm. The look on Pinocchio’s face whenever his nose grows is often comically shocked/angry. Naruto also has bolded words and the facial expressions are often exaggerated (tears literally streaming down a character’s face)
     Empathy/identification: in both graphic novels, it is pretty easy to sympathize with the characters. Pinocchio is sad when talking about his father and it is pretty believable. The reader wants Naruto to graduate and is happy when he does so
     Mood/tone: Pinocchio is a dark graphic novel and is pretty violent for a wooden puppet. Naruto is violent too, but it seems different than Pinocchio. Naruto can make the reader laugh, so it does have some comedy in it
     Simplicity/complexity: the dialogue and the plot are pretty simple for both. Pinocchio is simpler than Naruto in what is going on in the scenes.
     Irony/satire: I didn’t really think there is really any satire or irony in either of these novels. I think Pinocchio tries to be ironic when Geppetto turns out to be the leader of the vampires (his turning caused Pinocchio to seek revenge and then it turns out he is fighting his father) but this is a poor form of irony, so I wouldn’t really count it
     Realism: the characters are pretty real, once you get past the puppet and magical/ninja/demon thing, but the characters have feelings and they struggle. However, the worlds are realistic at all
     Order/disorder: the stories are orderly. There are flashbacks, but it is easy to tell when these begin and end so it’s not hard to read
     Juxtoposition: didn’t really notice it for either
     Relationships: the characters struggle with each other and with themselves in each graphic novel
     Point of view: outsider. Neither story is told from a character who is in the novel, but the p.o.v. does show the struggles, triumphs, and emotions that the characters go through, so the p.o.v. isn’t detached

Pytash: Final Reflection

I enjoyed our class this semester, although I think I like the fall's class better. I was surprised by how different Jago was from Beers and while I like Beers' approach to teaching better, Jago does definitely make some good points. I was all excited last semester, learning how to incorporate young adult lit into the classroom. Jago, for me, stressed the importance of making sure the y.a. lit is used accordingly. We can't just teach Y.A. lit to teach it; there has to be a purpose. However, I think Jago does need to be a little more easy about incorporating Y.A. lit in her classroom. From the way she wrote, it seemed like she thought Y.A. lit had no real place in an English classroom.

I think my favorite thing from this class is actually our final. I liked being able to pair a canonical text with a young adult book and creating a lesson plan for both of these in conjunction. I didn't really care so much about using literary theories, but I can recognize the benefits of introducing these to students. It helps students realize different perspectives and to think about texts in different ways.

Overall, I feel like this class was good experience. The only thing I would want to change is to have more practice writing lesson plans. While I wouldn't want to do one a week, I feel like we should have done more practice lessons.

Pytash: Jago, Chapter 7

On one hand, I do sort of agree with the thought that only future English majors (or INLA) really need to learn how to analyze a piece of literature. For other students who aren't planning on an English related career, these skills of interpreting and analyzing literature may seem like a waste of time. But I also know that it can help the mind grow.Maybe most students won't have to write a literary analysis for their careers. But this can teach them how to analyze different aspects besides which it also gives writing practice. Every person needs to know how to write; it doesn't matter whether you are an English major, a business major, or even a mechanic. Everyone has to be able to write up reports and whatnot and writing literary analyses can help with this skill.

I liked how Jago helps students connect to Julius Caesar, asking them to think about who they would elect as president. I never thought of that, but that would be a good way for students to get involved with a text, besides just reading it because this would help them decide what they look for in a leader.

Foot: Final Reflection

Last semester, our education classes were my two favorite classes and I was really hoping it would be the same way this semester. However, I did not really enjoy Multi-Modal Lit. A lot of the projects we did for M.M. lit, I cannot really see doing in my classroom and didn't really like doing as a student. There are a few I specifically would like to mention:

• Multi-genre autiobiography- I really liked the idea of this project at first. I thought it would be really interesting to look back on my reading history and see what texts have stuck with me and I did enjoy this. However, if I were to do it in my classroom, I feel like I would do it more as a introduction type project for the students, so I can get to know them and what they like. I wouldn't be as concerned with as many of the topics we had to cover for class and I would split it on multiple days (definitely if the class is only 50 minutes) so each student could take longer. I wouldn't really expect my students to describe how the texts have influenced them; I think seeing what they feel has stayed with them is good enough.
• Blogs- I, personally, am not a fan of blogging. I feel like we have to do all this work for the blogs and then we don't even really talk about them in class. We were required to read so many different articles but we never talked about them in class. We were required to blog about Little Brother, but barely spent any time on the novel in class. Really, I feel like the blogs were to check that we were reading and I think discussing in class is a much better way to do this. Also, I didn't like having to spread our posts out over the course. While I can understand why we were supposed to do this, I and so many of us had so much other stuff to do that it was hard to find the time to get on and post a blog, or read and respond to classmates. It just wasn't worth it to me and it seemed like busywork. I don't think I really go anything out of it. Also, while I get adding technology into our blogs because of the nature of the course, I didn't like doing it. I think of blogs as online journals and it's not like a person has a song playing in their journal (at least usually. It would be weird if they did), or pictures, links, and youtube videos.
• The Cleveland Film Festival and other related film analyses- Okay, I get that it can help students think about literature in a different way. For example, the activity we did with Lost could really help some students with identifying literary elements in the novel. It is, after all, usually easier to pick up the mood of a piece when you can hear it rather than read the words. But, a lot of the stuff we did with films I thought was a waste of time. I enjoyed going to the Film Festival, but I didn't like being required to go. I feel like, since we had the time off from class to do it, we should have gone as a class. Also, the activity we had to do with the film we saw could have been done quite as easily with a movie we owned or a Hollywood production we saw in a nearby theater. The shot by shot analysis isn't something I would do at all in an English classroom. I don't see how identifying what a shot is will help students understand literature better. I can see using it for identifying mood or using it to compare and contrast with the novel, but teachers have to be really careful and make sure they aren't show films just to show films. I firmly believe it should connect with the literature in some way and I don't feel (for the most part) that what we did in class was accomplishing this. 

     I enjoyed Little Brother, I just wished we had talked about it more. To be honest, I feel like the only worthwhile activities/projects we did was tutoring in Firestone and the Canonical Wiki. I don't know how much I really helped my student with the OGT but I can definitely see the benefits of going into a school and helping students prepare for the test. The Wiki will be a good resource for us to refer to when we are teaching and it helped me see the variety of lessons that can be done with a text.     I was disappointed with this class and I don't like saying that because I feel like my education classes should be my favorite. I do feel like I gained some valuable ideas, but on the whole, this class didn't really help me prepare as a teacher. Also, the university should consider getting rid of Ed. Tech since Multi-Modal covered (even if not always well) many of the same topics and other topics Ed. Tech. never even touched.

Foot: Chronicles of Narnia

I believe The Chronicles of Narnia was the first series I read as a child that I really enjoyed and it still has a place on my book shelves. Actually, I need to buy a new copy because mine is falling apart. A lot of times, I'm not a huge fan of film adaptation of books because I usually find think the book is better. However, I love the new Narnia movies that are being made and I almost like them better than the books. I re-read the series a few months ago and while I definitely still enjoy them, the movies just work better for me.

I bought the newest movie (Voyage of the Dawn Treader) when it came out and then put it aside because I had to get more homework done. Well, that worked for about a day and then I popped it in and instantly got swept into Narnia. I didn't really think that much of Ben Barnes in this movie, although I'm not really a fan of his character anyway so that's probably a part of it. I thought Eustace was amazingly well cast. Will Poulter did an amazing job starting off as a little, annoying boy and transforming into a mature young man. Skandar Keyens and Georgie Henley were really good, just like in the previous movies. I like being able to watch these two actors grow and mature as actors. I can't really explain it, but it's not the same (for me) as watching the Harry Potter actors grow up. I think it has something with how I feel that Keyens and Henley were already well on their way to being good actors when they started out. I watch the first HP movie and try not to laugh, but I don't do the same with the first Narnia movie. I don't think that really makes sense, but oh well. And I love that Carrie Underwood's song is in the credits.

Foot: Pleasure Reading???

I so wish I had the time to read for pleasure right now. I'm so bogged down with reading for school and other homework that even reading Deadline for the Facebook literature circle seems a chore. I look at all the novels to read on my to do list and I almost want to cry. Anyway, this blog isn't going to be about me complaining because I know I'm not the only one buried with school work (well, beyond these few sentences). We're all feeling it at the moment. No, I'd rather talk about the books I plan on reading before summer classes start.

I definitely want to read the Atwood books I bought a few months ago (Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood). I've read both of these books before, but it's been awhile and and I've been itching to read them again. Also, I feel that Atwood, while not easy, is pretty accessible for high school students, especially her novels that are dystopian in setting, like the mentioned novels and also The Handmaid's Tale. I read Oryx and Crake for an individual project in high school and loved it. The characters are engaging, the plot is creative and new; the whole concept is imaginative and I really feel like it would be a worthwhile book to teach in school. In many of my high school classes, we did some type of novel along the lines of dystopian novels and this was definitely my favorite. It also does deal with some of the same themes as Frankenstein as in it can be viewed as a comment on human advancements in science. This can always be connected with such topics as cloning or searching for cancer cures and a lot of students find these topics highly debatable. The Year of the Flood takes place before Oryx and Crake and is also a really good novel, but between the two (teaching wise) I would choose the latter.

At the same time, I want to finish the Percy Jackson series, re-read a ton of other books and I'm still working on my goal on reading all of Shakespeare's plays and a lot more classics that I can't even begin to list. I would also love to get the list of books my cooperating teacher plans on teaching next year and read those in preparation. Ideally, my whole summer would be spent on novels I want to read. However, I know this won't happen, but I will definitely try to read at least a few books for pleasure reading because I think that is highly important. Many students get turned off of reading because they are bored by what they read in class and think all books are like that. That's why I like summer reading; the lists can be mixed up and include books teenagers want to read, not just what we tell them to read.

Pytash: Jago, Chapter 6

Jago's mention of the importance of taking notes is important and worthwhile to keep in mind. While it might be easier to just make copies of handouts for our students, they aren't really learning. As she says "once you hand them a paper, they don't think they need to read it" (pg. 107). Not only won't they might not read but, but as a teacher, I may explain the notes in a way that makes perfect sense to me, but not so much to my students. If they are taking the notes themselves, then they are connecting to the information and are more likely to notice if something doesn't make sense and ask for clarification. I don't really like the Cornell Notes handout she uses; it looks sort of complicated to me. I would much rather just have bullet points or an outline, but if it works for her and her students, then it would be worth using.

When dealing with an epic or a novel with a lot of characters, it can be helpful to create a chart of the characters and the relationships between the two, especially when some of the characters share the same name such as in Hamlet. This doesn't have to be anything fancy; it could be like the list Jago presents or a family tree type thing. Either way, having charts like this helps students keep the characters straight.

Pytash: Jago, Chapter 4

I think what I liked most about this chapter was Jago's brief descriptions of literary elements and literary devices. Hopefully, as INLA majors, we know most of these terms already or at least have somewhat of an idea, many of our students might not know some of these terms or easily confuse them. I think posting brief definitions of words that can be used to discuss literature around the classroom would be a good idea and something I will try to remember. The more often a person sees something, the more likely it is that it will be remembered and easily recalled. If students see over and over Freytaq's Pyramid (while it might get boring after awhile), they may be more likely to identify elements from the pyramid as they are reading a piece of literature and not identify them after the reading is done.

While it seems obvious, approaching a text by discussing the elements or examining the literary devices within the text is often a simple but effective way of helping students comprehend the literature. As Jago illustrates with The Grapes of Wrath, the students are able to hint at several themes in the novel, simply by analyzing three different phrases from a few paragraphs in a chapter. Each student examines what the phrase makes them feel or think and what it might suggest about the novel or Steinbeck's novel overall.

Pytash: Jago, Chapter 2

I liked the idea Jago presents about using a bookmark to help students identify what words they struggle with. I know many times while I'm reading, I tend to just skip over the word, getting the gist of it through context clues. I do mean to look up the word, but I always forget too because it's not that important to me. But if I wrote them down on a bookmark, something that I would be seeing any time I opened the book, I would be more likely to look those unfamiliar words up. I also liked how she used a word the students struggled with (entombment) instead of using a word she thought they might have problems with. Breaking the word down to its root and then to the prefixes and suffixes really helped the students figure out what the word meant, without just being told the definition. This works really well with words that they can figure out; however, there are words like "miasma" that cannot be figured out this way, as Jago points out. Jago asked the students to figure out what the word meant out using the surrounding words.

I do like that Jago creates a distinction between having an idea of what a word means and actually being able to provide a definition. I often find myself struggling with this. I may know what a word means in pretty much any context and I can use the word effectively, but I cannot always come up with a definition for it.

Teaching our students vocabulary is important but there are different ways to do it than just having vocab lists or having students look up the definitions for a grade. Jago lists some good ideas in the chart on page 32, such as using personalized examples, encouraging students to use new words, and keeping lists of new words posted around the classroom.

Foot: Firestone Experience

While at Firestone, there was not a whole lot of opportunity to just talk with my student beyond anything other than the OGT. However, we did manage to work in a little bit of technology and other multi-modalities. For example, my student used his cell phone to calculate a math problem. This kind of worried me because I did not want him or me getting in trouble because this was before the school day was out and because Mr. Martin was in the library at the time, standing near us. I asked him if they were allowed cell phones and he said that they were not supposed to have them on them, but kept in lockers. He put his cell phone away after this, and I will admit, I felt a lot better. We also talked a little bit about T.V. shows, when it was applicable. For example, there was one reading passage about the differences between anthropologists and archeologists and how both of these professions can be used to help solve crimes. We talked a little bit about the T.V. show Bones because it is the same basis. Dr. Temperance Brenan and Special Agent Seeley Booth work together to solve crimes. I love this show and could have kept talking about it. My student said he knew the show and liked it, but I could tell he did not really want to talk about it. But beyond these two examples, I was so focused on working on the OGT making sure he was prepared, even though he did not really need the help, to talk about other stuff.

While I might not have infused many different modalities in our tutoring sessions, I can see how it would be helpful. One idea I had applies to the English section. I thought, if the school had them, a whole class could work on a reading selection or writing questions on a SmartBoard. For example, a class could read through a reading selection and use the SmartBoard tools to highlight important sections. Or, if in the writing section or even a short answer response in another section, students could draft a response on the SmartBoard.  I know we did similar activities in my high school classes. For one of my English classes, the teacher showed us how to formulate and write a thesis statement on a SmartBoard. While it is basically the same thing as an overhead or a chalk board, it was fun doing it on a SmartBoard because we could work in different colors and move around different segments of the sentence. I also think this could really help with math classes too. Since math can be difficult to comprehend and is sometimes easier to understand when an example is shown, this might help students understand different types of problems. It would be a lot easier to do this on a SmartBoard instead of an overhead or the chalk board, but those two can also work.

I think giving students multiple practice opportunities is a good idea too and the questions do not have to be just OGT sample questions, since that would sort of be like teaching to the test. However, I see no reason why teachers could not use what they are currently doing in the classroom to help students prepare for the test. For example, if a class is reading The Crucible, the teacher could formulate questions like the students might find on the test. There could be simple plot questions, questions about the tone of the passage or the author’s intent. There could be short answer responses that have students examine a theme or a certain passage in the text. These are all questions students could encounter in the test and would be different than just using OGT sample questions. This way teachers could still teach what they want (according to standards and whatnot), but still prepare their students for the test.

Also, while I am not going to post specific sites, there are a ton of resources out there we can use to help our students prepare for the OGT. There are grammar sites, answer analyses, practice tests, test taking strategies, and so many others. I simply Googled “OGT Prep” and got a ton of hits that teachers could just skim through and find what would work for his or her individual class.

I used to be totally against the OGT and other forms of standardized tests. It was not the tests so much, as that there is so much emphasis on passing them and I do not feel that not passing a state test is a good enough reason for a student not being able to graduate. They could simply be really poor test takers, but otherwise really good students. I feel that the OGT is good in theory. I think education should be standardized across the country and that we should seek to catch up with other countries, which is what the OGT and other state tests seek to do. But, it does not actually work in practice. I feel like the standards should be the same everywhere and it is up to each individual teacher and school district to meet those standards. While this would put a lot of work on teachers and administration, since we are the ones who are with our students, I feel that we are the best to determine if our students are meeting the standards and not some strangers that put together and grade a test.

I cannot say that literacy is really decreasing or not, but I do feel like people are reading less and many people are only reading because they have to.  For me, I think the best way to fix this is to get students hooked on reading earlier in their school careers. Teachers should show that reading can be fun by introducing a variety of texts and not just the classics. I feel like approaching the text with the right attitude is important as well. Someone should not approach a text with a negative attitude, even if they know that it will be hard and a struggle to get through.

I feel like preparing for the OGT could be merged with multi-modal literacies. Teachers could use a variety of texts, maybe even T.V. shows or movies as their “reading” selections for practice. Or, like one example from class, using music the student is interested to help them understand poetry.  However, while getting the students prepared is one of the most important jobs we have because the test is critical to graduating, I also feel students need to be prepared for the form the OGT is in. Using different methods to prepare them is great, but students also need to know how to deal with the way the test is worded and the type of questions found in the test.

Foot: Cleveland Film Festival part 2

Again, I saw Rubber (the serial killer tire).
A) Personal Issues: I think what I liked the most about this film was the absurdness of it. You can't examine this film too closely or I think it will be ruined. There is no reason for this film; it just is and it works, at least for me. I went into the film expecting the film to be totally crazy because the little blurb in the pamphlet we got commented that the film was absurd. I wasn't expecting some artistic movie that commented on the deeper meaning of life, so I had no problem with this film. I think other people will feel the same way, to differing extents, of course. If someone is expecting a serious film, then they will be disappointed by this film. But if they are just looking for a good time and for a few laughs, I think this film would be good.
B) Technique: While the acting in the movie was definitely over the top, the film was put together really well. The music really heightened what was going on and was mostly instrumental, which fit with what was going on. There were some sections that had lyrics, but this also worked. For example, some of the lyrics when the tire first sees the girl that is a main focus point, the lyrics are something like "Don't want to be lonely no more." It helped to give the tire personality that it might not have had since it couldn't talk. In my opinion, the special effects were pretty good. I couldn't see that there were strings or anything moving the tire, but it also didn't look like it was CGI. The tire looked real and really looked like it had a mind of its own. Overall, the film looked really good.
C) Acting: Robert, the tire, was the main character and really, even though it wasn't an actual actor, was probably the best "actor." Throughout the film, the tire really seems to have a mind of its own. I do have to say that the tire wouldn't have been as good by itself; it was definitely helped out by the real actors. Although they have names according to the cast list, they weren't really named during the film, so I won't call them by name. But the male actors who played the main cop and the accountant were two of my favorites, along with the actor in the wheel chair. While some of the acting was over the top (so serious that it was too serious and became funny), this fit with the mood of the film. Overall, I would say the actors were cast well and, given the situation of the movie, were believable.
D) Plot: Rubber is about a serial killer tire named Robert. Robert discovers that he is able to blow people up using his telekinetic powers and sets out on a killing spree. Meanwhile, a group of spectators are "safely" watching Robert from a distance and Robert is being chased by cops.
      Is the plot realistic and believable? Not at all. But for a movie that claims it is an homage to no reason, the plot really works. I thought the plot was pretty original. I have never seen or read anything about a serial killer tire, especially not one that has super powers. While watching the film, I tended to personify Robert. Even though I knew he was a tire, I would start to wonder what was he was thinking, why he was on this killing spree, and so on. I think since the film was able to do this, the plot, although extremely absurd, was good.
E) Themes: I think, if there is a deeper meaning to this film, it is that we try to put chaos into order, even when it will not benefit us. We try to make sense of everything around us, even though there are some things in this world that just defies sense.  But I also feel that this film doesn't need to have a deeper meaning. The cop at the beginning warns us that there is no point to this film and he is right. If I am right about the deeper meaning, it's not distracting from the plot.
F) Genre: If I had to choose, I would classify Rubber as a supernatural horror/comedy movie. I mean, there is a live tire that kills people, but the film is funny. But honestly, because Rubber sets itself up as being so absurd, I sort of feel like it is in its own class, although I don't know what that would be. I think many people want to believe in the supernatural, at least for a little bit of time. That's why movies about vampires and witches, or even superheroes are so popular. As a society, we like horror because it allows us to examine our fear without being in that situation. Finally, we like comedy because sometimes we just want to laugh. It doesn't matter from what, we just want to see things that make us laugh.
G) Representation: This film doesn't really represent different kinds of people because they aren't really the main focus points. Yes, there is diversity (men, women, children, teenagers, adults, there is a man in a wheelchair, there is an African American woman), but the film doesn't highlight their differences. They are just there watching a tire. This film isn't meant to examine life or people. There is no reason to the film.
H) Ideology: If I had to choose an ideology, I would go back to the deeper meaning I have already discussed. It's natural for human beings to try to make sense of the world around us, even when sense can't really be applied. I think the film challenges this belief, because the more someone tries to make sense of the film, the more he or she can't. As I've said before, the film has no reason. The plot is absurd, the characters are absurd. The whole concept of the film is crazy specifically so that the film won't make any real sense.

Foot: Cleveland Film Festival part 1

To be honest, at first I thought this was going to be somewhat a waste of time. I didn't really see the point of going all the way to Cleveland to see an independent film when the assignment we are doing with these films could quite easily be done with DVDs or movies in local theaters. While I still feel this way, I had a lot more fun at the festival than I thought I would. While I probably won't go back again simply because it is too much of a drive on top of other life stuff, I'm glad I did have to go because I really enjoyed the film. In a large part, this is because I went with Rebecca and some of her friends. This made it a lot more fun than going by myself.

(This is the trailer for the film we saw). We saw the film Rubber which is about a serial killer tire. The tire blows people's heads off using his telekinetic powers. At the same time, there are characters within the movie that are watching the tire's actions as if it is a movie. And then there are the characters in the movie that know (at first) that this is just a stunt, and then the tire continues on its killing spree. This sounds really confusing and it is hard to explain the movie. It was so absurd that if you were to really try to analyze it, the film would be ruined. Therein lies the awesomeness of this film. Even one of the characters (a cop chasing the tire) starts the film off telling the audience (both us and the audience in the movie) that some things are just like that: absurd and with "No Reason." This is definitely not a film for everyone and if you are looking for a meaningful film, you really shouldn't see Rubber. But the tire definitely steals the show and the film was well done, even if some of the acting was odd. But that also works with the film. The entire theater was laughing for most of the film. Overall, I think a lot of people will find something to laugh about with this film. I personally don't think it's quite a waste of time as some people say in their reviews on IMDB. But I enjoyed it and wouldn't mind seeing it again.

This video is the opening scene to the film.

Foot: Youtube Video

My dad emailed this to me. It is an actual school answering machine message and is about holding parents responsible. Or, at least the video claims it is real. I really liked this because it is so true. Yes, teachers have an influence on their students, but we are not with them all the time. Parents have to be held accountable for their kids and stop blaming teachers. At the same time, students need to hold themselves accountable. If I had homework to do and I didn't finish it, I owned up to it and so did most of my friends. Or I finished it before class was starting, but it was still up to me to finish it.

Foot: Spring Break

First, I would just like to wish everyone a good spring break. Enjoy the time off from classes. I know I will. While I'm definitely not taking the whole week off, I have worked it so that my homework will be done by Thursday (besides reading books-I don't really consider that homework if it is at least somewhat interesting). This way, I can have Friday and the weekend to relax and to take a break from school. But right now, I'm listening to music, typing this, wanting to play with my new cell phone and my puppy if there weren't people working on our roof. I also have a video game on pause! Then work tonight, and then maybe a little homework

Some of the customers where I work seem to think it's weird that I'm so eager for break. It's like they think that just because I am going to be a teacher, that automatically means that I want to be in school everyday. So not true, but I think a lot of people see that. Or there are a ton of people who go into teaching because of all the breaks. That's not why I'm in teaching and I'm sure anyone else in our class is the same. We're teachers because we know the value of education and want to pass that on. But that doesn't mean that we don't enjoy the time off. Teaching, even if we aren't really doing it yet, is draining and we need the time off to relax and regroup. Otherwise, we might become poor teachers, putting little effort into our plans and teaching. So the time off is good.

Anyway, have a good break, people! And I am jealous of anyone going on vacation...

Foot: Costanzo, Film in the English Class

First, I want to respond to one of the paragraphs on page 118. It is the first full paragraph and discusses how many different ways of showing and discussing a film in a class. A teacher may replay a certain scene or show the whole film before discussing. They may show a scene without the sound playing, asking students to imagine what they might hear. While this is ideal, how realistic is it really? If we are showing a movie in the classroom, most likely it is a way to kill some time (i.e., exam days, OGT week, and so on), as a reward for our students, or, in the best case scenario, because the film is related to the book we are reading. For example, students are reading Hamlet and are watching Brannagh's film version at the same time or after the reading. Watching film adaptations of Shakespeare is something that is common in the classroom, at least in my experience, because it helps students understand what is going on. But really, while we may be willing to take a couple of class periods to watch a movie, are we really going to spend a lot of time discussing that film when we have other things we have to cover? Sad to say but I really don't think so.

On a whole, I feel like this chapter is based on a film class or an English class that pretty much focused entirely on films, which is hard to believe. I don't feel like I got any information on how to incorporate watching films in my English class, beyond the mentioned method of helping students understand the literature. That's also sort of my issue with this book as a whole. I'm not really interested in how movies are made, so that aspect is out for me. I also feel like this book is meant for a class dedicated toward film, not classes that choose to utilize film to make their classrooms more technologically friendly. Maybe the study guide chapters are better; I don't really know because I've only skimmed through a couple. But so far, I don't find this book very useful for teaching secondary English.

Pytash: Jago, Chapter 5

Poetry is important, although it is not a favorite of mine. But there are simply concepts that can be well expressed in a poem form than in prose. I don't really know if I would start off the year with teaching poetry, but I can see how it would be helpful, rather than tackling a novel right away. I liked the example of Poe's The Raven because it really highlighted the struggle writers go through. It also highlights the importance of editing and revising, which is helpful for students. I just can't really see teaching a classic poem called The Parrot or, at least not a poem dealing with the same themes as The Raven. And of course modeling our thinking as we go through a poem is always useful and is a great strategy to get students thinking about a text.

I liked the suggestion of using song lyrics as an introduction to poetry or as a means to get students interested in poetry. This has been used many times to get students thinking about poetry. My question is why can't Jago see or write about young adult lit the same way? I feel like I am really beating this to death, but this really bugs me. If songs could be used as a springboard for learning poetry, couldn't Y.A. books be used as a springboard for canonical texts? If we are willing to spend a class period on songs as poetry, why not a week or so on "Romiette and Julio" to introduce students to "Romeo and Juliet"? Maybe I'm thinking about this too much, but I just don't get why Jago is so against using Y.A. lit in the classroom so long as it is relevant and meaningful. 

Pytash: Jago, Chapter 3

I know this is only the third chapter, but I am frustrated that I can't really figure out if I like this book or not. While I think Jago has a ton of good points, I can't help but disagree with her view of young adult literature. I think it is something that could be very worthwhile to be incorporated in her classroom. Obviously the literature should be relevant. We shouldn't teach Y.A. lit just because it is easier or because we need to fill some time. But if we do something like the project we're doing in class, real learning could take place. Yes, our students should be challenged. But what if the canonical text is too far out of their reach, even with our guidance? Should we just ignore the requirement of teaching "xyz" novel and ignore the knowledge that we are not helping our students learn? Or should we try to find ways to get around the reading level difficulty and still teach the same themes and so on. Obviously the answer is the latter. We should do all we can to solve the challenge of students not being able to read a classic text and I think the answer could lie in reading young adult lit.

For example, while I'm sure none of us really found "Of Mice and Men" hard to understand and even enjoy, our students may not be able to do so. We are English teachers because we love to read and and understand a novel. We know how it can mirror the world around us and are eager, to some degree, to make these connections. But many of our students won't be future English teachers. Some may not go to college. Some may never read for fun and really struggle with this activity. So it is quite plausible that these same students may not be able to read "Of Mice and Men" let alone even begin to comprehend the intricacies of the novel. So, it would be wise to teach a young adult novel that deals with some of the same issues, such as "Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes." Why not if it will help our students? We want to be in the Zone that Jago constantly stresses. We don't want to put in minimal effort, but we also don't want to challenge our students so much they give up.

On the other hand, while I disagree with her thoughts on Y.A. lit in the classroom, I really liked her idea of documenting what literature students read throughout their entire high school career. This is beneficial to the students because they can track their reading and see how they have progressed. It is beneficial to the teachers because we can track their reading. Is the difficulty really increasing? Are we teaching relevant books? Is one teacher being too easy or too hard? I think it could also be used as a form of alternative assessment, especially if students reflect on the record at the end.

Foot: 2 more articles

"I (heart) Novels" was pretty interesting to read. While many of the terms went right over my head, I was most interested in the debate about whether these cell phone novels are considered literature or not. One of the comments in the article was "the novels aren’t literature at all but the offspring of an oral tradition originating with mawkish Edo-period marionette shows and extending to vapid J-pop love ballads' (pg. 3). While I can't really say if the second half is true, I would definitely agree with the thought that these aren't literature, at least not in the way we think of literature. One of my main components for what is considered literary is if it has endured. How long has it been around? Is it a recent novel? Has it been attacked and criticized? Has it been studied? These cell phone novels, while interesting sounding, have not yet become literature, at least in my opinion. I also liked the quote from Banana Yoshimoto, who is an author of physical books, not these cell phone novels. She said, “Youth have their own kind of suffering, and I think that the cell-phone novels became an outlet for their suffering. If the cell-phone novels act as some consolation, that is fine.” She went on, “I personally am not interested in them as novels. I feel that it’s a waste of time to read them' (pg. 3) I just found this funny.

On the other hand, while it might not be something I teach in my class, if students are interested in it, I would do my best to incorporate these cellphone novels in my teaching somehow. Maybe they become choice reads or I just have copies in my classroom library that they can borrow. I also think it would be interesting to do a writing activity where the students mimic the type of writing in cellphone novels. We teach them how to write creatively, in different forms, so this could just be another lesson.

"Publish or Perish"

I like the idea of e-books, although I'm still mostly for physical books. If I could afford it, I would like to get an iPad or Kindle or something of the like for my textbooks for school. It would be a lot easier to carry one little piece of technology than a bunch of textbooks. Also, a bit cheaper than having the actual books. But if I'm going to be reading for pleasure, even if it's reading novels for school, I would rather have a physical book. I don't think I could get into the story as much without turning real pages, feeling the texture of the paper, or smelling the book, whether it's the musty smell of old books or the cleanness of new books. I like to randomly look at the cover while I'm reading, especially if a character is pictured. I can do this easily with a physical book: simply mark my spot in some way and shut the book as much as I need to. But with an e-reader, I would have to scroll all the way back to the cover. While this might not be really hard, it would be a pain if I was pretty far into the book. Having e-books would be easier to pack on vacation, but I would miss having the actual book. If I'm floating in the pool, the worse that could happen with a physical book would be that I drop it and I may need to buy a new one. If I drop an e-reader...well, I wouldn't even have it near the pool anyway, so I guess that doesn't really matter. There are upsides to e-books and e-readers and there are downsides. I just think I would really miss having actual books if I didn't have it.

Pytash: Jago, Chapter 1

The biggest thing that struck me was the opposite view of young adult literature that is presented in the book, as opposed to some of our other books and lectures. Not that it is a negative view or anything; Jago just believes we shouldn't really teach young adult lit in the classroom (or at least be not the only thing we teach) because these books are not truly literature, at least in the sense we think of with classics. I do agree with this, to some extent. Obviously, there is a reason we teach the classics. They are tried and true, these books have some value and can impact us as people, not just as readers. But I think there is value for reading young adult lit too, not just what Jago mentions. She acknowledges the pleasure reading value and how it can mirror the students' lives. But I think there could also be academic value for reading "Say the Word" or "Speak" or "The Hunger Games" or so on. I don't think it should be the only thing we teach, but Y.A. lit can deal with prevalent issues that are also apparent in classics. It's just that the Y.A. lit is more accessible. If we are only using Y.A. lit to help students so that they don't fall behind, then yes we are missing the point of young adult lit and how it can help our students. But I believe there is some merit there.

Foot: 2 articles

For this blog, I decided to combine "I'm So Totally, Digitally Close to You" and "You're Leaving a Digital Trail." For the first article, I most want to respond to a comment Boyd said, after talking about how strangers Tweet her like they actually know her. She said “They can observe you, but it’s not the same as knowing you” (pg. 5) This is so true and is my issue with social networking. I have a personal Facebook and I do have friends there that I don't talk to. Some of them I simply don't want to talk to at all, but it's easier to accept their request and just ignore their posts than to keep declining their requests. I don't use Twitter because I simply don't care what my friends are doing every moment of the day. While I can understand why some people like this, I don't and I also don't want all of my friends to know what I'm doing. I update my status typically once a month, and it's usually something about homework or a show I'm watching. I don't want a lot of people who I don't really care about knowing that my grandfather died before I am ready to even tell my actual friends. And yet, my sisters don't have the same mindset, so then I have to deal with it and I'm sorry, but it irritates me.

"You're Leaving a Digital Trail" just made my skin crawl. No, I'm obviously not doing anything illegal (at least as far as I know), but I don't want people knowing what I do on the computer, what I write in e-mails or in messages to friends on Facebook. I don't want random people know what music I'm listening to. I like my privacy and I want it to stay that way: private. I know tracking people can really help protect everyone (i.e., watching potential terrorists or the SARS scare the article talked about) and that is really good that they can prevent stuff like that. And yet, maybe it's because I've read so many stories and seen so many movies, the idea of trusting so much to machines and people we don't know freaks me out. We saw this in Little Brother; an attack happened and the government over-responded. This is just me, of course. Some people may have absolutely no problem with being watched. Harrison Brown obviously doesn't, but it bugs me.

While reading these articles, Brad Paisley's song "Online" kept playing in my head, so I decided to put in the music video. It's about a guy who goes online and becomes someone else. Seems fitting. It's not that great of a video but I love the song. If you watch it, try to let it load all the way first because it's really slow.

How to use these in the classroom though? Personally, I don't think society will ever truly become comfortable for school children to be online for classes, at least not for a long time still. There are just too many issues still, such as privacy, content, and of course computer access. Would I love to do online literature circles? Yes, because I think there is a freedom there for students to voice their opinions that may not occur during face-to-face discussions. It is doable, but there is so much to watch out for and there can be such a big backlash that, at least until I get established, I feel like I might be too leery about doing it. I can't really think of any situations where I would want to use Twitter, but I could see using Facebook to do online literature circles like we're doing in class. But, if there was an online discussion board available (like Vista) that is powered through the school website, I would prefer to use that instead of Facebook.

Foot: Learning by Playing: Video Games in the Classroom

I really found this quote from the article interesting: "And while students at the school are put through the usual rigors of studying pre-algebra, basic physics, ancient civilizations and writing, they do it inside interdisciplinary classes with names like Codeworlds — a hybrid of math and English class — where the quests blend skills from different subject areas (pg. 2)" We all know that certain subjects are quite easy to mix together (History and English, Math and Science), but I never really considered how math and English may go together. However, the article didn't fully explain this, but from what I draw from the quote, students may have to solve math or English problems in order to progress in the quest. Whether I'm right or not, I think making learning seem like a quest (whether it's a quest in game like in this article or something else) is a great idea. It implies that learning is worth doing because there's some prize at the end.

I loved Akahr's quote at the end: "I am imagining the future." I thought this was really striking of him because it shows what we all hope. We want our classrooms to be technologically friendly, of course, and we have to learn how to do this. Of course our education classes help with this and can give us some idea of what to do, but I don't think we will really learn until we are actually out there doing it ourselves.

Foot: Pleasure Reading

So, I finally went out and bought the last two books in the Hunger Games and finished them in two days. I pretty much stayed up all night and didn't do any homework simply so I could finish them. I love this series and it is one I will definitely re-read, at least as soon as I get the first book back from my friend. I thought the plot was great and the characters were definitely engaging. The whole concept of the series just really worked for me, as I know it did for a lot of people.

If at all possible, this is a book that I would like to teach in class. I can easily see putting this in a unit with other books that present dystopias. I think it starting off with The Hunger Games and then moving onto harder books (I'm thinking novels like The Road, Brave New World, maybe even books like 1984 or Lord of the Files), could be a really interesting unit and may be really engaging to students.We could explore common themes in these books and try to pinpoint what makes them so interesting. Even if it's not something I could teach in class, I'm pretty sure that The Hunger Games will make it in my classroom library and on choice books lists. They definitely will keep a spot on one of my bookcases.

Foot: Great Films and How to Teach Them

Was anyone else sort of bored while reading the first four chapters? I'm not really interested in the process of making movies, although I do see how that can appeal to some people, so the first four chapters were basically information over-load. However, I did like the quotes on page three because I thought it showed the wide range of opinions on movies. The one I want to talk about is the one about Julius Caesar and how the student was able to get more out of the movie then reading the book. As a future teacher, I feel like if we show a movie in our classroom, that movie should serve some other purpose than entertainment. While that is an important factor because we don't want to waste time on something the students aren't interested in, I feel like the movies we show should also heighten student comprehension. That's why I agree with this quote about Shakespeare. Many times students struggle with Shakespeare plays, but if they can see a movie adaptation, they can better understand what is going on. I know it helped me watching Romeo and Juliet while reading the play. This was my first experience with Shakespeare. Setting besides the fact that this is one of the hardest plays to introduce Shakespeare with (I would chose Macbeth or a comedy personally), learning to understand Shakespearian English is tough until one gets the hang of it, so seeing it acted out helped me understand it. That's why I like the idea of showing a movie at the same time as reading a play. Or, if the class is exploring a theme in the classroom, watching movies that include that theme would be a great way to cover more material. It takes longer to read a book than it does watching a movie, so the combination of the two would be a great way to make the most of our time.

The next point I would like to talk about is the debate the book touches upon: adaptation. This is sort of weird for me because I fall on both sides. Some adaptations I love while others I hate. I don't think every piece of literature should be made into a film, while others should be. Case in point, I personally think Nicholas Sparks' books aren't all that great, but the movies are. I loved the film adaption of A Walk to Remember, but I was bored with the book. I enjoy the Dark Is Rising Sequence, but the movie version of the book that gives the series its name isn't all that good. As a movie itself, it's not bad, but as an adaptation, it's pretty much horrible.  For me, the film has to be able to capture what the book is. Yes, there will be some variations, due to constraints. I don't really want to keep going back to Twilight, but there are so many good examples. Sparkling vampires in the book is interesting. I don't entirely like it because I grew up with Buffy and that's how I think vampires should die, but I can appreciate the creative license. However, in the movie, it doesn't work at all. Also, minor plot points can be taken out for the sake of time constraints, like in the Harry Potter movies. While I don't really like that Neville basically replaced Dobby in the 4th and 5th movies and I would hate it if it had happened in the books, in the movies it works. It would be cheaper to have an actor take over that role than it would be to CGI Dobby in.

Foot: Twilight

Let's get something straight. Look at Twilight as a piece of literature and not as an author who got lucky and the series is not good. I'll admit I was obsessed with it for awhile. But this is also when it first came out and I quickly grew up,especially after so many people became obsessed with it. I can realize the attraction-after all, most teenagers become obsessed with the supernatural at some point and vampires are like the poster creature for the supernatural world. But there are so many better vampire stories than Twilight and the movies are even worse than the books. There are two good things about Twilight that I can see right now. One is that because it is so popular, maybe it'll help out the economy. Although that would make them even worse because it would be like they saved the country. The second good thing is that it might convince some readers to read Dracula and at least then they are reading literature.

I can admit as well that I am a little jealous of Meyers. I mean, how lucky can you get? I would love what I write to become a phenomen like Twilight. I just hope what I write is a little more substantial. Good for her that she was in the right place at the right time with something that started out with potential. But, for me anyway, Twilight is basically a waste of time and it's only because I can't stand to give away books that the series still has a spot on my bookcase. Twilight would not be something I would teach in my classroom, not unless it was like a Modern Novel class. I just don't think there is enough depth to it and would be hard to have discussions that go beyond "I liked it." But, if that is what my students were interested in, I would put aside my opinion and try to incorporate it somehow in my class, whether is is as a choice read or just letting students to read it during SSR. Because at least this way they are reading, which is what I hope for as a teacher.

Also, Harry Potter is way better.

Oh, and Renesmee? Fail, Stephanie Meyers. Fail. As for the pictures, I couldn't resist.I couldn't find any good Buffy pictures, otherwise I would have put that in too.

Foot: Using technology in the classroom

I think I would love to teach the book "Little Brother" in my classroom, although I do recognize that it may be hard to integrate it in the classroom, simply because there are so many required texts that we have to teach. Because of this, "Little Brother" would be a really good choice book or to recommend to younger students. While this might change, as of right now, I think I would start students off with some type of anticipation guide. I would be curious to see how students think they would react if they went through similar events to what Marcus went through. I think that could spark a really good class discussion, which is something all teachers want. I think something like the 4 corners activity we did in class would be a good way to set students up in smaller discussion groups. While I might not have ten questions on the list like we did in class, I could come up with smaller amount of questions that relate directly to the book. It could be questions like "Was Marcus right to go against the government?" While this is sort of a lame question, it would be easy to mix students up and create groups. Some students may feel very strongly that Marcus was wrong, while others feel that he was in the right. Based on these groups that would be formed, we could do a project where students write a persuasive speech, including outside research, based on their belief of whether he is right or wrong.

As mentioned, 4 corners is a great way to create groups based on interests and could be done with a variety of questions. I could have questions like we did in class where they weren't really related to each other. Or, like I said with Little Brother, I could relate the questions to what we are doing or will be doing in class.

Snowball is another activity I would do in the classroom, although I would change it from what we did in class. I believe Snowball would be a really good way to create a round-robin type story, if the unit we are working on happened to be creative writing. Since one person would start the story and then past it along, seeing the direction the story took would be interesting. It would also be a good way to help students learn about plot flow because the story wouldn't be based entirely on what they did. However, like with most things, it would need to be carefully watched. Some students may write something inappropriate or not take the activity seriously and just goof off. My aunt is a third grade teacher and she did something similar in her classroom. The students came up with their own prompts, could write as long as they wanted, and then passed it off to another student. Ideally, the point was for each student to write on each story, but this didn't work out to well, but I think it's a really good, fun activity to do. Snowball could also be used to create discussion points in a classroom. What I mean by this is that students could each write down a thought or question they had about the text and then pass it along to other students to get their opinions. Then, we could come back as a class and discuss what was put on each of these points and see where that discussion took us.

I feel like another activity I might do would be the snapshot/tableaux dramas. In this activity, students pick a scene or are assigned a scene and they must decide how to "act" it out in front of their classmates. They don't really act it out, but they chose a pose and stay there for a minute or so. This requires that students first read the text, because they do have to know their scene well. Also, it would require them to interpret the scene. For example, if students want to re-create the scene of the rally in "Little Brother," they would have to decide how exactly they wanted to pose. Do they want to feature the band or Marcus and his girlfriend? Or, would they rather show the scene where the military comes in? It would require them to think about what is most important in this scene and how to "act it out." It also wouldn't be just based on the literature, but include some theatre elements. Students can think about costumes and props, which they would also interpret and analyze how it add to their understanding of the text. Again, the scene would need to be carefully picked in order to avoid problems such as being school appropriate. Also, the group dynamic would need to considered. Do I let my students pick their own groups or do I chose for them. Should I create random groups or place them in groups based on how I think they will work together? I think this would mostly depend on how much trust I have in my class. Some classes may be able to handle having a higher level of responsibility while other classes may not.

On  the other hand, we can also use a higher level of technology, such as an online literature circle. In lit. circles, each person has a role, whether it is something like Connector or Passage Master. While I think there is still an obvious value to face-to-face discussions, online lit. circles are also beneficial. Students may feel less pressured to give an "educated" answer and will put simply what they think. I know I have seen some people who have been so concerned with sounding smart that they completely messed up what they were trying to say. Also, since students are assigned or chose their roles before starting the text, at least is most cases, they know what to focus on while reading. I know some students, myself included, can get so overwhelmed with trying to pick up everything that is going on in the text that they miss something crucial. Also, if we happen to not have a lot of discussion time in class, doing online discussions would make up for this. While I don't think I would change the form of this activity to much from what we did in Pytash's class, I may decide to use the lit. circle for the whole class, instead of groups of three or more. While online lit. circles are beneficial for other reasons than what I mentioned, we do have to consider that not all of our students may have computers or internet access. If we have a strict schedule, then we should give the chance for students to post during class by going to a library or computer lab. Also, we do need to keep an eye on what is being posted and we also have to consider that some parents may not want their students involved in an online activity.

Like with any activity, there are upsides and downsides to what may happen when trying to implement one. One has to carefully consider the chosen activity and make sure that it's not being used as busywork or to fill a slow day, but has some purpose. The texts we use also have to be carefully considered. Are they too controversial? Or just enough? Are we teaching to the text or are we finding ways to teach about the test while not teaching it? These are just a few of the questions teachers need to constantly think about and they are important questions. Of course we all want to be great teachers and not mediocre or even worse. I believe technology, whether it is something like using Snowball or 4 corners or using Wikis, blogs, or online literature circles, is what can take a teacher from mediocre to great, so long as the technology is used effectively.