Senior Seminar: What's We've Done So Far and Where We are Going

What we've done in Senior Seminar so far this semester . . .

We've learned about sketchnotes.

BLOG POST 1.  Who I Am (At the Moment) 

We used our knowledge of sketchnotes to complete a Who Am I (at this moment) graphic organizer and then constructed those ideas in LEGO bricks to represent different ways of expressing the same ideas.  An explanation of these sketchnotes and these LEGO constructs became our 1st required FlipGrid and also our first blog post. 

BLOG POST 2.  Songs of Myself

While I was out of town visiting three other schools in southern California and helping them to do some of the work we are doing here -- and learning how to do some of the work they are doing there -- I asked you folks to look at the music in your lives that represents who you are.  The instructions are in the top

BLOG 3. Myself 10 Years Ago (in Wood)

After looking at ourselves in the present, we started looking at ourselves in the past.  We sketchnoted ourselves 10 years ago for 5 minutes and then had 20 minutes to build a representation of 10 years ago selves out of scrap wood in the theater workshop. We then got on FlipGrid and explained our thinking.   On your blog, explain what you made and why you made it by embedding your FlipGrid and including images of your build.

BLOG 4. Advice to My Self 10 Years Ago

The next post asks you to think about yourself 10 years ago once more and write a one-page letter of advice.  Part of the work included completing a graphic organizer based on reading the first article in this list copied from an email I sent you.   Turn that graphic organizer in to me using a Google Drive folder labeled "[Your Name] Senior Seminar IN"  and making sure you have shared that

Everyone needs to take a look at: http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Column

Then, you'll pick two of these to look and check for the extent to which these writers use the advice from that article.  Be careful not to get into whether or not you agree with the writers.  You're looking for style and format, rather than advice for yourself.

http://www.bassmaster.com/bill-lowen/fishing-your-comfort-zone

https://georgesoutdoornews.bangordailynews.com/2015/11/05/hunting/if-you-havent-gotcha-deer-yet-read-this-column/

http://www.gatekeepergaming.com/article-1-to-kickstart-or-not-to-kickstart/

http://probaseballinsider.com/baseball-instruction/how-to-field-a-ground-ball/

https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2015/jun/07/sportswear-stylish-and-practical-rick-edwards

And finally, we'll take a look at this piece

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/07/tanehisi-coates-between-the-world-and-me/397619/'

BLOG 5.  iEvolution.  Myself 10  Years from Now (in Jenga, LEGO or Action Figures)

For this post, you were challenged to create a stop motion video that shows the evolution from yourself now to yourself 10 years from now.

BLOG 6. Big Questions & How Might I's? 

LIST 1.  Your interests, hobbies, goals, passions, career goals, possibilities, wants, needs, etc.

For me:  teaching (seriously, I'm an education nerd), comics, comedy, movies, theater, technology, community development, entrepreneurship, marketing, storytelling, building a garage, building furniture

LIST 2.  Some big questions you'd like to be able to answer that relate to those interests, etc.

For me:  How do you write a screenplay?  How do you write a novel?  How do you start your own business?  How do you open a performance space?  What does it take to build a garage?  What does it take to hire someone to build a garage?  How do community organizers do their work?  What does it take to bring new businesses to a region?  Why do you people seem to spend more time looking for ways to save money than they do ways to make money?

LIST 3. Turn some of those questions into possibilities by writing "How might we . . .?" or "How might I . . .?" statements

How might I write a screenplay?
How might we open a performance space in downtown Farmington?
How might we bring new businesses to Franklin county?
How might we turn our schools into economic engines of opportunity for kids and community members alike?

These lists are important because they are going to guide your first inquiry & design challenge that's based on your interests and goals.

And where do we go from here?  We get even more focused on your future, we start looking at a our heroic journeys, and you start your first Senior Seminar personal question, answer and prototype project.  

Senior Seminar: Funky Week, Big Questions, Day to Catch Up, and a Survey

It's Friday and you are all taking the health survey as I write this.  I'm super appreciative of how serious you are taking that survey.  The information matters.

Once you finish the survey, I'm going to show you how to update the Senior Seminar Q3 Blog Tracker.  It's easy once you get the hang of it.  Getting the hang of it . . . ehhhhhh . . . a little trickier.

Next week,  you'll be choosing the best evidence from your blog posts for me to assess toward your grades.  Your best example of writing, of reading, of using media (creating/building), of your MUGS (grammar/spelling), and so on.  More on that next Tuesday, as well as how the grading system works in here. It's easy once you get the hang of it.  Getting the hang of it . . . ehhhhh . . . a little trickier.

We'll wrap up with an activity around big questions and "How might We/I's."  For your blog, I'm asking that you make a few list of the following:

LIST 1.  Your interests, hobbies, goals, passions, career goals, possibilities, wants, needs, etc.

For me:  teaching (seriously, I'm an education nerd), comics, comedy, movies, theater, technology, community development, entrepreneurship, marketing, storytelling, building a garage, building furniture

LIST 2.  Some big questions you'd like to be able to answer that relate to those interests, etc.

For me:  How do you write a screenplay?  How do you write a novel?  How do you start your own business?  How do you open a performance space?  What does it take to build a garage?  What does it take to hire someone to build a garage?  How do community organizers do their work?  What does it take to bring new businesses to a region?  Why do you people seem to spend more time looking for ways to save money than they do ways to make money?

LIST 3. Turn some of those questions into possibilities by writing "How might we . . .?" or "How might I . . .?" statements

How might I write a screenplay?
How might we open a performance space in downtown Farmington?
How might we bring new businesses to Franklin county?
How might we turn our schools into economic engines of opportunity for kids and community members alike?

These lists are important because they are going to guide your first inquiry & design challenge that's based on your interests and goals.


SHOW YOUR WORK.

UPDATE.  Update the Blog Tracker and your blog.
Due:  Friday, Feb 10th.

BLOG.  Big Questions & How Might We's?
Due: Friday, Feb 10th.

Eng 9: Design Challenges: Marketing Wicked Focus & Personal Branding: Video Resources

Hi folks,

Quick review of the design challenges we've done in English 9 so far this year following the DEEP Design Thinking process.

DESIGN CHALLENGE How might we bring joy to another?
User: someone else in the classroom you don't know well
Creative Constraints: a manila folder, four paper clips, tape, markers, scissors, 20 minutes

DESIGN CHALLENGE How might we solve a problem for others or bring joy to others using two pieces of cardboard?
User: members of Mrs. Howatt's chemistry classes
Creative Constraints: two pieces of cardboard (2x3), decorating/design supplies
Standards: media, listening/speaking, writing (narrative reflection after challenge)

DESIGN CHALLENGE  How might we design a tiny house that meets the needs of others?
User: Characters from Of Mice & Men
Creative Constraints: built to scale, physical or digital prototype, choose one or more characters from novel, present your prototype
Standards: reading, media, listening/speaking

We are in the DISCOVERY Phase of our Wicked Focus.com Marketing & Personal Brand design challenges.  We're trying to answer TWO How Might We's at the same time, which is a challenge all its own.

DESIGN CHALLENGE How might we develop our personal brands?
User: friends, family, teachers, strangers, foster tech, potential employers, colleges/universities
Creative Constraints: web presence of blog and/or site, self selected social media (if any), weekly content

DESIGN CHALLENGE How might we market Wicked Focus focus fidgets?
Creative Constraints: Must use knowledge of anxiety, stress, and/or attention disorders in the marketing strategy, other constraints to be determined

During DISCOVERY we are trying to learn all we can about the challenges.

PERSONAL BRANDING.
One class met with Lorri Brown and received tips on developing one's personal brand.

Another class was able to Zoom conference with Mikhail and Sabba, two personal branding experts.

WICKED FOCUS FIDGET MARKETING  

To help us understand marketing, I have found us these videos.

We have also taken a look at The Mighty and done some Notice/Wish/Wonder work with its videos.

And we also have these 15 TED Talks to consider as well organized on A Thing Called, a blog about anxiety. 

The 15 Best TED Talks On Anxiety, Stress, and Fear

Meanwhile, we are also trying to keep keep Roots going, starting up our classroom blogs, and getting back on the No Red Ink wagon.  Phew.  That's a lot.  And we can do it all!

Oh yeah, we're starting the novel, Speak, soon, too.

SHOW YOUR WORK.

Complete the Personal Brand graphic organizer in the English 9 OUT Folder.

Due Monday, Feb 13.

Complete a Notice/Wish/Wonder graphic organizer over one of the TED Talk videos above.

Due Monday, Feb 13.

Blog Post.  List of all on the Blog Tracker available soon.

Roots Quiz 10.  Thursday/Friday, Feb 16/17.

Pop Culture: Design a Band Design Challenge

Pop Culture: Design Challenge: Design a Band

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.

EMPATHY.

Partner with someone you don't know particularly well.

PART 1. 

4 Questions

1. How big of a role does music play in your life?

2. When do you listen to music?

3. What sorts of music do you listen to in those times? Bands or artists

4. Tell me about a time  you remember listening to band, going to a concert, or having another experience with music that you really enjoyed.

PART 2.

3x3 Interviews.  Three questions.  Three subjects.

1. What sorts of fonts appeal to you?  Handwriting? Block? Serif? San Serif?

by mostash.

2. What colors appeal to you?

by Dehahs.

3. Do you prefer realistic or abstract images?

Realistic To Abstract from kyoung

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.)

OR Choose an image from Unsplash.  It doesn't have a random generator so just do your best to be random in your grabbing of an image.  Part of this challenge is combining random elements so that they seem intentional.

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?  Include the album cover.

Add a couple of spaces on that blog post and then do this critical thinking . . .

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?  Explain the intentions behind your design, the colors you used, the fonts, the layout.  Explain the intentions behind your band's background.  

Complete an intention map to explain exactly how your design met your users needs. Copy and paste that intention map on to your blog post.

7. 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

Next class we'll get into some feedback rounds for our bands.

AP Lit: Hamlet Acts II & III: Discovery/Experiment Phases of HMW Stage "To Be or Not to Be"

We're doing a bunch of close readings, we're exploring how Shakespeare constructs this narrative, we're discussing how Shakespeare serves as a drama rather than a dogma, we're heading toward building empathy for these characters, and we are taking each class period as it comes so we can focus on the scenes, the moments that speak most to us in the moment.

Phew.  I'm tried just writing all of that.

Here are the blog prompts of last week and this week with regards to Hamlet.   The new blog tracker is up.

ACT I.
Blog: Analytical and Design.  Potent Quotable.  Choose a line from the act I you believe captures the essential TONE of the play so far.  The attitude Shakespeare as author, creator, intent driven artist is bringing to the words of the play.  Playful? Pedantic? Satiric? Doleful?

Then take that one line and illustrate with either an original photograph of your own or an image from Unsplash.com.  Use fonts and your design skills to create a visual.  Post it along with a written or recorded explanation of your intentions behind your design.  Posting your intentions is necessary to meeting the standards for media and reading.

Blog:  Critical Creativity.  Color Palette.  Use ColourLovers.com to create a three to five color color palette for Hamlet Act I. Give each color a unique name that reveals your understanding of the characters thus far.  Explain your intentions to meet the reading standard.
Due Jan 27, 2017

ACT II.

Blog post:  Casting Call.  Very few people did this one last time.  Important to do so this time around because this sort of thinking will help you with your design challenge.  Cast Prince Hamlet, Ophelia, Claudius, Gertrude, Ghost Hamlet, Polonius, Laertes and Horatio.  Creative constraint:  must be a cast that could actually exist.  In other words, you may use actors from the past, but all of the cast must be from that era.  Include a line of dialogue you can imagine the actor speaking in that role and a brief rationale for each chocie.

Blog Post: Close reading Hamlet.  Select a speech or soliloquy from Acts I or II -- any speech except for this, too, too, sullied flesh.  Unpack the speech in terms of poetic and literary devices used, allusions and references, and finally how those elements seem to contribute to a key idea in Hamlet.

Due Feb 6, 2017

ACT III.

Staging Hamlet.  Rose/Bud/Thorn.  Take a look at these three versions of Act I, Scene i.  Rose/Bud/Thorn each interpretation and record your thoughts on FlipGrid.  Then embed your FlipGrid on your blog.  (Help each other to figure out how to do this.  You can do it!)

Scoring Hamlet. (Act III.)   Create an original score for any scene in Act III using either live instrumentation, Garage Band, SoundTrap  Wolfram Tones, Beat Lab, or another online/digital music generator/creator.  Explain your intentions.

Due Friday, Feb 10th, 2017.