Thursday, April 30, 2015

Brit Lit: Design Challenges: Discovery & Experiment Phase

We'll start today with a ten-minute blog prompt to serve as part of our Discovery phase of our MUDDING SIGNAGE and THERMOSTAT CAR STARTER design challenge.

PROMPT.  Why did you choose the design challenge topic you did?  What experiences have you, or people in your life, had that led you to this topic?  What experience can you bring to the table that will inform possible solutions?

Then we'll complete DEEP dt Adventure Grids to game plan the next stages of the design challenge.

Then, we're going to jump right into some Experiment phase and make some low-rez prototypes of possible solutions.  We're going to use our Adventure Grids to guide us into Empathy work next week.  Expect to experiment each day going forward though.

The other thing to expect next week is a spreadsheet in Google Drive and assessments on PowerSchool  that will give you a checklist of exactly what you need to do between now and the end of the year.

ASSESSMENT.

Req'd Blog Post.  
Why did you choose the design challenge topic you did?  What experiences have you, or people in your life, had that led you to this topic?  What experience can you bring to the table that will inform possible solutions?
Due. Thursday, April 30.

Humanities: Little Things Essay: Discovery & Experiment Phases

We continue Discovery phase of designing our Little Things essays today.  We also jump over Empathy phase and start Experiment phases.  (We'll come back to Empathy when we do some peer feedback sessions & have some empathy conversations about readership,  details, storytelling)  

From Ms. Boiselle:

Below are station options for today’s class. You are required to do three of them today.

1.     Dialogue
In this station, you will use the pictures below to re-create dialogue for the scene presented. Then when you have finished writing dialogue for the scene, I want you to read it to a friend, without showing them the picture, and have them guess which picture you created the dialogue from.

For example:
“Sally, can I tell you a secret?”
“Duh Jane, I love secrets!” Sally replied.
I leaned in close and started to whisper my deepest, darkest, secret into my friends ear, when all of a sudden I hear, “Oh no Jane! If that is your secret, I’m gonna have to tell my mom!”

Can you figure out which picture that goes to?




2.     Setting a Scene
Using legos, rebuild the scene you are trying to create. This can be either literally or figuratively.
3.     Timeline Station
  Take index cards and write down the key things that happen throughout the scene that you believe are really important. Then with the index cards, put them in order, change the order around, and see what the best timeline of events would look like. When you feel you are comfortable with the timeline, take a picture of it so you can have it during the essay writing process.
4.     Topic Refining Station

 Finish the Rose Bud Thorn activity if you haven’t already. If you have finished that, use this station time to write down the most important pieces of the little thing that matters to you most. This can include the reason why it is important, the setting and time that makes it important, whatever it may be. Create these ideas on a stickie note, or index card and take a picture of what you write so you will have it during the essay writing process.


ASSESSMENTS.

BLOG. 3+ Posts
Req'd Post 1.  Students Making a Difference Playlist.
Create a playlist of three videos showing students making a difference in their local, national or global communities.  Post these videos on your blog and explain what the student did and why you chose to include it in your playlist.   Be intentional.

This playlist is only one of your posts for the week and will be our pre-work for our final project of the year.

Req'd Post 2.  Composition & Culture.  Create a slideshow or video of your presentation that can be shared with a wider audience.  Post it on your blog.  Include voice over or typed commentary and music -- the qualities that you know will appeal to your users based on our empathy conversations.

Due. Friday, May 1st.

Culture & Composition.  
Export your slideshows as QuickTime movies OR PDFs and put in your Humanities IN folders along with your rationales and self-assessment (Four Corners).
Due. ASAP.

ROOTS 12. Quiz.
Due.  Thursday, May 7

WRITE. Baltimore story.
Based on slideshow
Due. Today, April 29

LITTLE THINGS ESSAY.
Discover Phase:  Brainstorm, Rose/Bud/Thorn.
Post to Blog.
Due.  Wednesday, April 29.

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Pop Culture: Film Scoring

Today, Ms. Boiselle will be rocking us through a film scoring activity.

We'll start by reading this article and sketchnoting it to demonstrate our understanding of the process this composter uses.



Then you'll try your hand at film composing.

Possible clips to choose from 
·      Yeah I can Fly – Iron Man http://movieclips.com/HhtE-iron-man-movie-yeah-i-can-fly/
·      Sleep Tight – The Blind Side http://movieclips.com/jiXqG-the-blind-side-movie-sleep-tight/
·      First Practice – Coach Carter http://movieclips.com/NCXy-coach-carter-movie-first-practice/
·      I’m Flying– Titanic http://movieclips.com/xwKU-titanic-movie-im-flying/
·      Graduation Drums – Fame http://movieclips.com/4nqj-fame-movie-graduation-drums/

And the music composition tools to help you create your scores here in the classroom. 


and Garage Band (on your laptop)

On  your blog, embed the video you used and either upload the .MP3 to Soundcloud and link it on your blog or link to it if you made it in Beatlab.  Lots of options there.  #showyourwork.  

Put your sketchnote up on your blog, too!  Look at how much of your blogging for the week you can complete TODAY!  WOOT to the showing your understanding!   POWER RAD! 


ASSESSMENTS.

BLOG.  3+ Posts.
CURATION. 2+ Items.
PIN. on Flight307 Pop Culture Pinterest.
REQ'D POST. Music Supervision and Inspiration. 


OPTION ONE.

1.  Read through the articles provided on Pinterest about music supervision.

2. Select a film or episode of a TV series.

3. Carefully select three pieces of music to use in that film or episode in very specific moments. 

4. Explain your reasons for each choice.

5. Here's the most challenging part: connect your reasoning and decisions to the thinking of one of the music supervisors you read about in the article.  Show how you use a professional's process and reasoning to inform your own decisions.

OPTION TWO.

1.  Read through the articles provided on Pinterest about music supervision.

2. Select a film or episode of a TV series.

3. Carefully and specifically describe, and title, three songs created by your Create-a-Band that you would use for that film or episode. 

4. Explain your reasons for each choice.

5. Here's the most challenging part: connect your reasoning and decisions to the thinking of one of the music supervisors you read about in the article.  Show how you use a professional's process and reasoning to inform your own decisions.

Due: Friday, May 1st.



Humanities: Baltimore & Fishbowl

Today some folks will present their Culture & Composition slide decks.

Then we'll do an activity and discussion around the slide show Mr. Brackett sends you regarding Baltimore and talk about what's happening there.  You'll write an explanation of the story the images tell and then there will be a discussion following.

ASSESSMENTS.

BLOG. 3+ Posts
Req'd Post 1.  Students Making a Difference Playlist.
Create a playlist of three videos showing students making a difference in their local, national or global communities.  Post these videos on your blog and explain what the student did and why you chose to include it in your playlist.   Be intentional.

This playlist is only one of your posts for the week and will be our pre-work for our final project of the year.

Req'd Post 2.  Composition & Culture.  Create a slideshow or video of your presentation that can be shared with a wider audience.  Post it on your blog.  Include voice over or typed commentary and music -- the qualities that you know will appeal to your users based on our empathy conversations.

Due. Friday, May 1st.

Culture & Composition.  
Export your slideshows as QuickTime movies OR PDFs and put in your Humanities IN folders along with your rationales and self-assessment (Four Corners).
Due. ASAP.

ROOTS 12. Quiz.
Due.  Thursday, May 7

WRITE. Baltimore story.
Based on slideshow
Due. Today, April 29

LITTLE THINGS ESSAY.
Discover Phase:  Brainstorm, Rose/Bud/Thorn.
Post to Blog.
Due.  Wednesday, April 29. 


Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Brit Lit: Discovery Phase: Design Challenge

Today . . .

1.  Find an article/video/podcast/website related to your design challenge:  mudding signage or thermostat car starter

2.  Use EasyBib.com to create a proper MLA formatted citation for  your article/video/podcast/website.

3.  Complete one of the four literacy strategies to show that you understand the text.

Notice/Wish/Wonder.

Text Connections.

Sketchnotes.

Soundtracking.

4.  Put your work in your Brit Lit IN folder.


Humanities: Feedback and Little Things Essay Intro

We'll start with our last few Composition & Culture presentations and some feedback for those presenters.

From there we'll break into our four stations because TUESDAY!


STATION 1.  FRANKENWORD with BOISELLE.  You'll be using Roots 12 to have a FrankenWord experience with Ms. Boiselle.

STATION 2.  FEEDBACK TRENDS.  (Production Phase of DEEP dt) Go through the feedback you've received on your Composition & Culture presentation.   Answer the following two questions in either a blog post OR an email to Ryder/Brackett

A. What trends do you notice across the feedback?  Things people noticed OR things people seemed to overlook that you noticed?

B. How might you apply this feedback to a revision/next iteration of your presentation?  What's your action plan?

Haven't finished your presentation?  Use this time to work on it.

STATION 3.  FEEDBACK with BRACKETT.  Have a conversation with Mr. Brackett about the presentations and how a next iteration could improve the situation.

STATION 4.  BRAINSTORMING and ROSE/BUD/THORN with RYDER.

Today you are being assigned your next essay.  The first submission draft will be due early next week.  Exact date TBA.

Little Things Essay

How might we design essays in which we share experiences of our own, or those of others, where a little thing had a significant (big) impact?   Consider objects, moments in time, single experiences, interactions . . .

In this station you will first brainstorm and spidea (word association) and then sort those ideas into Roses (gorgeous ideas), Buds (neat thoughts but not sure where to go with them), and Thorns (stay away from these ideas OR wrangle them carefully)

We will be using Post-Its.  Lots of Post-Its.

ASSESSMENTS.

BLOG. 3+ Posts
Req'd Post 1.  Students Making a Difference Playlist.
Create a playlist of three videos showing students making a difference in their local, national or global communities.  Post these videos on your blog and explain what the student did and why you chose to include it in your playlist.   Be intentional.

This playlist is only one of your posts for the week and will be our pre-work for our final project of the year.

Req'd Post 2.  Composition & Culture.  Create a slideshow or video of your presentation that can be shared with a wider audience.  Post it on your blog.  Include voice over or typed commentary and music -- the qualities that you know will appeal to your users based on our empathy conversations.

Due. Friday, May 1st.

Culture & Composition.  
Export your slideshows as QuickTime movies OR PDFs and put in your Humanities IN folders along with your rationales and self-assessment (Four Corners).
Due. ASAP.

ROOTS 12. Quiz.
Due.  Thursday, May 7

LITTLE THINGS ESSAY.
Discover Phase:  Brainstorm, Rose/Bud/Thorn.
Post to Blog.
Due.  Wednesday, April 29.

Monday, April 27, 2015

Pop Culture: Music Supervision

As we continue down the path with our Create-a-Band bands, we're gearing for our transition into our next mini-units: film and television cultures.

Today we'll look at music supervision and Wednesday we will explore film scoring.

Head to our Pinterest boards and take a look at the series of articles I've pinned related to music supervision.  Pick one article and complete the Notice Wish Wonder graphic organizer shared with you in Google Drive.  (You'll need to make a copy that you can edit.)  We'll do a row together as a class to get you started.

OR

You may choose to sketchnote the article instead.  The goal is to demonstrate your understanding of the article.

Then we'll play around with music supervising a couple of different clips and discuss which of our bands would create music suited for which genres of films and television.

And we'll talk about possibilities for your music culture projects, due next Thursday, May 7.


BLOG.  3+ Posts.
CURATION. 2+ Items.
PIN. on Flight307 Pop Culture Pinterest.
REQ'D POST. Music Supervision and Inspiration.


OPTION ONE.

1.  Read through the articles provided on Pinterest about music supervision.

2. Select a film or episode of a TV series.

3. Carefully select three pieces of music to use in that film or episode in very specific moments.

4. Explain your reasons for each choice.

5. Here's the most challenging part: connect your reasoning and decisions to the thinking of one of the music supervisors you read about in the article.  Show how you use a professional's process and reasoning to inform your own decisions.

OPTION TWO.

1.  Read through the articles provided on Pinterest about music supervision.

2. Select a film or episode of a TV series.

3. Carefully and specifically describe, and title, three songs created by your Create-a-Band that you would use for that film or episode.

4. Explain your reasons for each choice.

5. Here's the most challenging part: connect your reasoning and decisions to the thinking of one of the music supervisors you read about in the article.  Show how you use a professional's process and reasoning to inform your own decisions.

Due: Friday, May 1st.



Humanities: Composition & Culture Presentations

Today we will present the rest of our Composition & Culture presentations -- pecha kucha style.


ASSESSMENTS.

Blog. 3+ Posts
Req'd Post 1.  Students Making a Difference Playlist.
Create a playlist of three videos showing students making a difference in their local, national or global communities.  Post these videos on your blog and explain what the student did and why you chose to include it in your playlist.   Be intentional.

This playlist is only one of your posts for the week and will be our pre-work for our final project of the year.

Req'd Post 2.  Composition & Culture.  Create a slideshow or video of your presentation that can be shared with a wider audience.  Post it on your blog.  Include voice over or typed commentary and music -- the qualities that you know will appeal to your users based on our empathy conversations.

Due. Friday, May 1st.

Culture & Composition.  
Export your slideshows as QuickTime movies OR PDFs and put in your Humanities IN folders along with your rationales and self-assessment (Four Corners).
Due. ASAP.

AP Lit: Test Prep and Watchmen

This is it folks . . . the last sprint to the test.

Here's the work for this week into next.

In Class.  Test Prep.  

Be prepared to write a 15 minute prompt each day.   We'll go through all three types of questions: poetry, prose, and open response.

Also be prepared to do a multiple choice item each day.  We'll do two poetry items and two prose items before the test.

We will discuss each item.  Discuss approaches to the writing prompt.

And . . .

Watchmen.  We start Watchmen this week.  We will use our analysis of each chapter to prime our minds for the test.

We'll read just one chapter a night until post-test.


ASSESSMENTS.

Read.  Watchmen.  Chapter 1.
Due. Next Class.  Just read.  We'll analyze and sketch note in class.

Blog. 3+ Posts.
Req'd Post.  AP Review Pinterest Boards.
Create a set of Pinterest boards to aid in your review, and your peers' review, of three texts YOU LOVE from the past four years and want to have mentally ready for the open-ended prompt at the test.

Your set of boards MUST include pins that will help you to remember:
Characters & Narrators
Structure & Point of View
Conflicts & Resolution
Imagery & Symbolism
Items, Objects of Significance
Settings of Significance
Overarching Themes
These categories are based on trends one can see in the open ended response prompts of the past. 

Now, how you organize your boards is up to your brain.  It may make sense to have one board for each title.  It may make sense to have one board for each category of analysis.  Set it up in a way that makes sense to your brain and has deliberate intentions. DESIGN it for you the user and for me the observer.

Put links to each of your boards on your blog post.

Here's an example: https://www.pinterest.com/maceeqi/frankenstein/ 

And another: https://www.pinterest.com/anjanordstrom/frankenstein/

Due. Friday, May 1.

Poetry as Design.
Get your three components completed and in your AP LIT Inbox  if not done so already.

Reminder of Expectations.

1.  DESIGN a POEM.  Craft an original piece that evokes the theme of happiness or connectedness.  It must use at least 7 poetic devices from this menu.
Due. April 15.  Poem for installation.
Due. April 16. 1 page analysis.

2.  DESIGN an INTERPRETATION of a POEM.  Craft a visual/audio/tactile interpretation of any poem you feel suits this theme.  Consider using Poetry Foundation  as a starting point for  your search.
Due.  April 15.  Interpretation for installation
Due. April 16.  1 page analysis.  Use poetic devices from this menu as backbone of this analysis.

3. DESIGN an EXPERIENCE with POETRY.  Design an interactive experience for students on campus that uses elements of poetry and increases happiness and/or connectedness at Mt. Blue Campus.  This is where the crux of our design work occurs.
Due. April 15.  Installation.
Due.  April 16.  Collection of poems explored.  Three analyses completed using SCOUT & CRAP. 
Due.  April 16.  Documentation.  DEEP. Discovery. Empathy. Experiment.  Produce.  Req'd Blog Posts for the Week.  Have documentation of every phase and explanations ready for viewing. 

Due.  ASAP.






Wednesday, April 15, 2015

AP Lit: Poetry by Design Installation This Week

Hey folks,

Lots happening this week . . .

Hoping this post puts it all in context for you and serve as a schedule/checklist.


I'm going to organize it by component here.


INDIVIDUAL POEMS.
DUE: Wednesday Night.

Dan sent you a template for Pages.  (Only change I would make -- and I should've said this to Dan yesterday because he did run it by me first -- is move your name as poet to the bottom of the page.)

Please put your poem in this template, save, and EXPORT as PDF and send it to me.   (If you send me a Pages document I won't be able to open it.)

I will print these off on cardstock and we will then put them up in those nooks and crannies in the school where our users may not expect to see them.

We'll keep a map of them so we know where the poems are at in the building.


INTERPRETATIONS. 
DUE: Thursday Morning.

Mike sent a Poetry Project tracker.  Here you need to post three important pieces of information for the installation process.  
1. the poem you are interpreting
2. the type of art you are creating
3. the location where you want it

Anyone with Period 1G free?  We could use some help with the installing.  We'll use the Theater Workshop as our rally point.  Drop off art there.

EXPERIENCES.
DUE: Thursday Morning.

Staging in the Theater Workshop.   Then each group should get 'em up as quickly as possible during Period 1.

Poetry Jenga 3x3.  Need those 3x3s ASAP from those folks creating them.   Everything is cut and assembled.  Dan created a cool SketchUp model to help us design it.   We are going to go black Sharpie on plain wood.  We tried it.  Looks good.

Poet-trees.   We will be laminating and cutting today.  Assembling in the workshop.   These are looking great.

Poets Scale.  Assembling in the workshop.


RATIONALES.
DUE: Friday.

BLOG: 3+ Posts
Req'd:  Document your poetry as design work.  This is the stuff.
Due: Friday.



Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Pop Culture: Design a Band

We start today with this "How Might We . . . ?"

How might we create an intentional band out of random elements?  

This will be run similar to a DEEPdt  flash lab.

DISCOVER.

Make a list of bands and artists that you believe have really great names. Even if you don't love the music or consider them a favorite, you hear the name and think, "that's a great name."  Throw in good names of movies, good names of books, TV series, while you are at it.  

Put three of your favorite names -- music or not -- and put each on a sticky note and up the marker board.

I notice.  I wish.  I wonder.  We'll look at those band names up on the board and discuss using only those stems to start our thinking.

EMPATHY.

3x3 Interviews.  Three questions.  Three subjects.

1. What sorts of fonts appeal to you?  Handwriting? Block? Serif? San Serif?
Serif vs Sans: The Final Battle
by mostash.


2. What colors appeal to you?
The Psychology of Color
by Dehahs.


3. Do you prefer realistic or abstract images?


Collect your responses and include them on your blog post when you discuss the album art you create.  Use what you know appeals to others visually to inform your choices.

EXPERIMENT.

Create-A-Band Process 

I'd Give Credit to the Creator of this Process  But It's From a While Back & I Can't Recall the Link! #arghface.
1. Go to the Random Article link on the Wikipedia front page. (You can find it in the top left navigation menu.) The title of the random article is your new band/artist's name.

2. Go to the Random Quote link on the Quotations Page front page. (You can find it in the left side navigation menu.) You will get a list of random quotes. Pull either a full or partial quote from that page. That is the album title for your band's latest release. (You might also find some song titles this way as well.)

3. Go to Flickr and click on the 'Interesting Uploads from the Last 7 Days' link. (You can find it by scrolling down and looking beside the 'Take the Tour' link.)

4. Pull that information together and then use an app like Pages, Google Draw or Google Docs, a photo editor like iPhoto or Gimp, or any other application that lets you manipulate words and images, and create your album cover.  Export your finished work as a .JPG and post it or  PDF and screenshot it and post it on your blog.

PRODUCE.

5.  On your blog, create a context for your band.  Who are the members?  How did they form and when?  What genre(s) do they play?  What was the gig that led to them making this album?  Where do they play? In other words, what is the story behind the band?  
Here's the big huge giant challenge of this creative endeavor: take those random elements from above and make them all seem intentional.  How might you create sense out of what might be nonsense by applying the filter of music to it?  What does this say about the power of music?
6. In a separate blog post, choose an artist or band you enjoy.  Select an album by that performer. Explore the relationship between the artist's name, the album's name, and the cover art for that album.  To what extent do they align?  Where do you see a clear relationship between the visuals and the music?  Where do you see it not working out?  What about the band's logo or the font used on the album cover?
One to two descriptive paragraphs with visuals to illustrate.
Extra helpful?  Embed some Vimeo links or Spotify links or other ways of proving your point through the music.
You might get some inspiration for your album covers here

10 Iconic Album Covers (Yahoo) Here

99 Well Designed Album Covers (Inspiredology) Here

21 Great Albums with Not So Great Art (AV Club) Here

Lego'd Album Covers Here