FOOT: Pleasure Watching: Harry Potter 7!

So I recently saw the trailer for Part 2 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It makes me super excited for it to come out over this summer. I always attend the midnight showing of each movie because I love them so much. I have never been the person who dresses up, though I do have a shirt that I got for the release of the book. It says "Who Will Die?" with the release date of the book under it. Enjoy this trailer!

FOOT: Final Reflection

I found out a lot about teaching this semester in Multi-modals. It really helped force me to think about teaching differently than I had before. I think that I will incorporate some of the ideas learned this semester into my future classroom. I really think that I will use the multi-genre autobiography during the beginning of each semester to help my students think about different texts. I feel that it would make a great group project since most students will likely have watched very similar things. I would have each group focus on a different kind of text and present their presentation to the class.

I would also like to use some of the activities that we have done in class in my own classroom as ice breakers. I think Count to Ten would be a fun way to get the kids involved. I know that from our experience, we got really competitive which made it really fun. Another activity that I would like to incorporate would be the video project. I think that I would like to adapt this project to fit the texts that we are reading. It would be really neat if the students created videos with their adaptations of canonical texts. Another idea that I will use in the future would be some of the links on the canonical wiki. I think that it will prove to be a wonderful resource to use.

PYTASH: Final Reflection

This semester is coming to a screeching halt. I feel like I still have so much to learn and so much to do. This class has just been really good for actually covering a canonical text. I feel that even though I liked the set up of last semester’s class a little better, I feel very prepared to actually teach some lessons on Gatsby. I also really liked having the group projects. It really allowed group collaboration and generated many more ideas about teaching than I could have come up with on my own. It helped me realize that asking for other teachers’ opinions does not mean that you cannot do it; it just means that you want to make sure that what you are teaching is going to be the best possible option for your students. I just wish that we could have covered more books and I am totally going to keep the Jago book to refer back to once I start teaching. I almost feel that the one class a week was not enough, even though it was still a decent amount of week! I wish that there were a class very similar to this one but that just covered a ton of different canonical texts, almost like how we covered YA literature last semester. Even though it would probably be hard work, I think that students could benefit immensely from that kind of a class. I am definitely going to miss having Dr. Pytash next semester because I feel that I have learned so much about teaching from the two classes this year.

PYTASH: Literature, Knowledge, and the High School Graduate

I found this chapter of the book to be pretty interesting. I really liked the “A note on consistency” on page 155. I feel that in high school, I never really did in class essays like this. I think that students really need that practice of writing in class essays to prepare for standardized tests. Another thing that I really liked about this chapter was the example “Test on Julius Caesar.” I like the whole use of student thought in the questions instead of just “This is what happened.” I think that having students give their opinion on things as well as have to explain or back up their reasoning. I also think that it was a good idea to use their answers to start discussions the day after. It can help with creating lesson plans.

Although not technically part of the chapter, I really enjoyed the lists of canonical texts at the end of the book. I am going to use this as my “Books I Need to Read” list over this summer.

FOOT: Stumble Upon Spoken Word Poetry

Oh StumbleUpon... how you distract me from homework so easily. I never would have thought while stumbling, I would come upon an idea worth blogging about. Somehow everything has come full circle.

Anyway, as I was stumbling, I came across this video about Sarah Kay:



It's about an 18 minute video where Sarah Kay starts off with a spoken word poem. She is a founder of a program called Project V.O.I.C.E.

Basically, it is a program about promoting spoken word poetry. According to the website, "Project V.O.I.C.E. (Vocal Outreach Into Creative Expression) is a national movement that celebrates and inspires youth self-expression through Spoken Word Poetry. Conceived in 2004, Project V.O.I.C.E. encourages young people to engage with the world around them and use Spoken Word Poetry as an instrument through which they can explore and better understand their culture, their society, and ultimately themselves. Project V.O.I.C.E. brings together performance, writing, and a supportive environment to inspire youth to recognize that their views are significant, valid, and necessary."

I think that this would be a really good way to start off a unit about poetry and to show this video to students. The people behind this Project V.O.I.C.E also travel around the country putting on workshops for students and also educating teachers on how to tackle spoken word poetry in the classroom.

Also, If you wanted to look them up on Facebook, you can do so here.

FOOT: Naruto/Pinocchio

This is my comparison/contrast of Naruto and Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer. Each text follows a main character who faces different obstacles throughout the novel.

Text and Dialogue

Narration
With Pinocchio, there was little narration after the first few pages. It was mostly dialogue. In Naruto, there was more narration boxes throughout the text.

Balloons (words/thoughts)

Both novels contained balloons for dialogue. In Pinocchio, they are mostly round or oval shaped balloons. In Naruto, the balloons change shape from circular and jagged edged shapes.

Captions

There are a few captions in Naruto. For example, on 152, there is one that says “Naruto shed a few tears….” In Pinocchio, there are only captions in the beginning of the book. For example, when Pinocchio is having a flash back to when Geppetto died, there are caption boxes.

Emanata

I couldn’t find any emanata in Pinocchio but I found a lot in Naruto. I found a lot of “!” in bubbles above various character’s heads. You can find examples of these on page 154 and 155

Labels/signs

In Pinocchio, the only sign I found was of Geppetto’s workshop. In Naruto, there are signs when there are pictures of cityscapes.

Lettering

The lettering in Pinocchio is more consistent than the lettering found in Naruto. In Naruto, the dialogue lettering is similar but the sound words and other words throughout the graphic novel vary.

Sound Effects

There are many sound effects in both books, but I feel that there are more in Naruto than in Pinocchio. In Naruto, the sound effects tend to take up a large amount of a page.

Visual Features

Characters

There are more characters in Naruto than in Pinocchio. The characters in Pinocchio are less detailed than the ones in Naruto, which are very detailed.

Objects

There are objects in both graphic novels. In Pinocchio, there seem to be more close ups of his nose, since that is one of the things that makes him special and he uses it to kill vampires. In Naruto, the main symbol that is seen throughout the novel is his headband.

Icons

I could not find any icons within either text. The only thing that I think could be close to an icon is the symbol on Naruto’s headband.

Scenery

The scenery in both novels is very different. In Pinocchio, it is a lot darker than in Naruto. In Naruto, the scenery ranges from school, cityscape and forest.

Depicted action (internal/external)

Both novels show a lot of emotion on the character’s faces to show their internal actions. The external action for both novels is mostly the fight scenes.

General Layout and Design

Borders

In Naruto, the borders are very inconsistent. The page layout and borders pretty much change on every page. In Pinocchio, the borders are much more consistent because they are mostly floating boxes on every white page. There are some different pages where it is mostly black to demonstrate mood.

Gutters

The gutters in Naruto change throughout the story and they change in thickness. In Pinocchio, the gutters are just like the borders and tend to me more consistent in sizing.

Panels

Naruto’s panels ranged a lot throughout the novel. Some were large, small, or full page. In Pinocchio, the panels also ranged in size but I feel that they are more orderly than Naruto.

Open Panel

In Pinocchio, the only thing that is not enclosed in the panels sometimes was text. In Naruto, there were more open panels because I feel that a lot more words left their boxes. I also feel that it made this text harder to read.

Splash

There are splashes in both novels, but I believe that there are more splashes in Naruto than in Pinocchio.

Angles and Frames

Bleed

In Pinocchio, I saw a few bleeds. For example, there is a bleed when the fox and the cat are hung. I did not really see any bleeding in Naruto. It was more words that would bleed from one panel to the next.

Close-up

Both texts use close ups, especially when a character is talking. There are a large variety of different shots.

Head shot

Both novels used these shots. In Pinocchio, when Cherry rescues Pinocchio from being hung, there is a head shot of Cherry saying “Bless me...”

Head-shoulder shot

I saw many head-shoulder shots in both texts. In Naruto, an example of this can be seen on page 31.

Full-figure shot

Both texts use Full-figure shots throughout the text. There are a wide variety of shots in the text.

Longshot

Both novels use longshots in the text.

Extreme longshot

Both texts uses these shots. In Pinocchio, I think a good example of this is at the beginning when it says “I’m Pinocchio, I kill vampires.”

Reverse

Both texts use reverse shots. For example, in Pinocchio, there is a reverse shot when Cherry is carrying Pinocchio from almost being hung.

Rhetorical techniques applied in text, visuals, and design

Exaggeration

Both texts use exaggeration and are not very realistic. There are human characters in both books but they are not realistically drawn or may have super human powers.

Empathy/identification

Both novels evoke empathy. I think there is more empathy for Pinocchio than Naruto because Pinocchio lost his father, who became a vampire.

Mood/tone

The mood in Pinocchio is very dark and gloomy due to the plot and how it is drawn. Naruto seems to be more upbeat and happy looking.

Simplicity/complexity

Both novels are relatively complex, though Naruto has many, many more details.

Irony/satire

I could not really find any examples of irony in either text.

Realism/icons/symbolism

Both novels were not realistic at all. Pinocchio is about a wooden boy who kills vampires with his nose that grows when he lies. Naruto is about a young boy at a ninja school. Neither situation is realistic.

Order/disorder

I feel that both novels are examples of disorder because both characters are going through tough situations.

Juxtaposition

I feel that both novels had some juxtaposition in them. Pinocchio represented good and he was fighting evil. Naruto was against the guy at the end that held the bells.

Relationships (opposition, conflict, power, identification,

mirroring, analogy, comparison)

There are a variety of relationships represented in both novels. For example, there was the father/son relationship in Pinocchio and in Naruto, Naruto wanted the girl that liked the other guy.

Point of View (insider/outsider, detached, child, etc.)

In Naruto, the reader doesn’t really get inside Naruto’s head, where as in Pinocchio, there is more of a glimpse into Pinocchio’s emotional state.

PYTASH: Lesson Design for Classical Literature

I really like how this chapter really walked us through a bunch of different activities for classical literature, while mostly applied to The Odyssey. I think that my favorite assignment was where her students imitated the first 16 lines of The Odyssey. I think that it is a really good way to incorporate creative writing into the classroom while having it still tied to the text being studied. The one girls piece was really good and it can help a teacher see that she really got it and went with it instead of just writing the bare minimum.

Another part of this chapter I liked is "A Note on Visualizing Fictional Works." I think that some students have such a hard time visualizing an unfamiliar setting that they get discouraged and stop reading the text. I also liked the venn diagram idea on page 147 with comparing heroes. It helps tie all the texts being read together.

Yet another thing I liked from this chapter was the ideas she had on quizzes. I know in my one college class, we had quizzes on the reading every day. I think this really helped keep me on track and made me really work at reading closely at home. If he would not have quizzed us, I most likely would have fallen behind on the reading because it was a lot of reading every night.

PYTASH: How Stories Work

I think that it is really important for students to learn the literary terms because I believe it can help with comprehension. If a student can identify different literary elements, such as typology, theme, or symbols, the student is more likely to be able to understand the text at a deeper level. One important thing I think that all students should know is Freytag's Triangle/Pyramid.


These are characteristics found in basically every text and needs to be understood by students so they can understand how a story progresses.

PYTASH: All About Words

I really liked some of the ideas that Jago brought up in chapter 2 about building vocabulary. When students don't know what words mean, there is no way to be able to just read the text and get it. Reading comprehension is directly tied to knowing vocabulary. Yet, I liked how Jago used the Vocabulary Bookmark on pg. 24. I think it is a way for students to identify their own weaknesses in vocabulary so that instruction becomes more meaningful.
Another thing that I really liked from the text was the Do and Don't list on page 32. I feel that these are all really good points to use. The only one I think I would like to change is the last don't about illustrating one word in a class period. I think that it shouldn't be in the classroom, but I think that it would be a great take home assignment so that way we could hang up the posters around the room so that I could refer to the words that the students had trouble with later on in the semester.
Another Vocabulary Bookmark can be found HERE.

FOOT: Pleasure Listening "Queen Bee and the Keepers"

So once again, Tiffany Ankrom and I went to a concert. This time it was at the Kent Stage. It was Queen Bee and the Keepers (Tiffany is friends with the members of the band), The Lighthouse and the Whaler, and Ashley Brooke Toussant. It was really good and once again she has exposed me to new music and I find myself liking a few more bands. If you would like to check out any of these bands to expand your own musical horizons, you can click on the links provided. Queen Bee and the Keepers have two songs on Bandcamp for free, too.

FOOT: Dressed Review

A) Personal Issues
I think one idea that struck a responsive chord was that Nary was abandoned by his parents at 14 years old. I cannot imagine how traumatic of an experience that must have been. For me, my parents are some of the most important people in my life and the ones I can always talk to. If I didn't have them in my life, it would have been completely different. I probably would not be in college and would probably be a very bitter person. This chord provides for a strong emotional response because even though every person in the audience may not be a fashion designer, everyone has parents in some capacity. This is why I believe that this response can be generalized to other viewers.

B) Technique
I feel that the use of music was really good in this film. One particularly good use of music was using music from a band called Sink to See. They interviewed some of the members of this band because Nary knew them in high school. The whole time I was watching the film, I kept thinking that I would look for the names of the bands in the credits so I could look them up. The camera work on the whole was pretty good. There were some really interesting shots from above when Nary got the call that he no longer had a venue to show at. Other than that, it was a typical documentary with standard interview scenes. I feel that one of the film's strengths was that it used text on the screen to help divide up the scenes and give more information about either the situation or the history of fashion. It gave the audience "little breathers" and helped make the film not seem like one big blob of images. As for it's weaknesses, it would appeal more to a select audience since not everyone is interested in the fashion industry.

C) Acting
I don't feel that I can critique the acting since it was a documentary. The performance was pretty authentic and genuine so it did not appear to be a mocumentary or made up.

D) Plot
I feel the plot was the typical rags-to-riches kind of story. Boy comes from a background where his parents abandoned him and he was homeless at 14, became a self taught designer, and moved to New York. The film follows Nary, an aspiring fashion designer, trying to put on a show at Fashion Week in New York. If follows his creative process, his financial issues, and other experiences he has that occur up until Fashion Week occurs.

E) Themes
The main idea of this film is that with hard work and perseverance anyone can succeed. Like I said in the previous answer, it is a rags-to-riches story. Yet at the same time, the filmmaker interjects statistics about the fashion industry and says that after 2 years, approximately 80% of designers will be out of the industry and don't make it. It is meant to be uplifting and show that despite all the bad things that happened in Nary's childhood, he still was able to make something of himself. I do not feel that there are any hidden messages or messages that distract from the plot. Everything works together very well and has a good flow to it.

F) Genre
This film is a documentary. It resembles many other documentaries because it follows one person through a period of time in their life. Some of the common characteristics of documentaries include on site filming of real people in their world. It may or may not contain interviews with people close to the subject or experts on a field. There typically is not a script the the main characters follow though there may be some voice overs that give general overviews of the topic. I don't think this is necessarily a popular genre today but it will continue to exist because they are based in fact and the real world. It is something mostly for education or to chronicle a life, time period or idea and not fictitious entertainment.

G) Representation
It represents people in the fashion culture the way they are through the use of interviews. It also represents one story of a person who was homeless and abandoned by his parents. I believe everyone in the film is represented the way they are because it is an unscripted documentary.

H) Ideology
It challenged the stereotype that all homeless people are bums and cannot achieve anything. Nary shows the audience that he will do anything it takes to achieve his dream and does not look for sympathy from others. He wanted to show the audience that he was strong enough to overcome his situation and succeed.

FOOT: Cleveland Film Festival "Dressed"

On Thursday night, Connor and I went to see Dressed. It is a documentary about a young fashion designer, Nary Manivong, and his journey to show a collection at New York Fashion Week. I chose this film because the head of Fashion Week Cleveland, Donald Shingler, had sent a mass e-mail to everyone involved in FWC, and it just so happened to be one of the only films I could fit in my schedule. I though that it was a really cool experience. When I got there, the film was on stand-by and I got tickets and waited in the food court even though it was closed. While I was waiting in the food court, Donald ran up to me and he was dressed in a suit and tie, which made me feel extremely under dressed in my jeans and crew neck sweatshirt. When we were let into the theater, they had a few speakers talk before the movie started. Low and behold, Donald was one of those speakers and he talked about how there is a group that is working on providing up and coming designers retail space in downtown Cleveland to help revitalize the city. I though that was really cool.

Then the movie had technical difficulties...



which led to a 30+ minute question and answer session with Nary while the director ran back to his hotel to get another copy of the film. It was really interesting because Nary was originally from a suburb of Cleveland, then moved to Columbus when he was about 8. It was cool to find out that he is working on a collection called NAHM with Tommy Hilfiger's daughter, Ally Hilfiger. To the right is a picture I took in the lobby of Tower City.

If you would like to view a trailer of the movie click HERE.