Watching a Text: Motivating and Teaching Students Through Film

Does the average student spend the majority of her time reading a book, or does the typical teenager prefer to be engrossed in some form of media, be it video games, television, the Internet, or movies? While the obvious answers to these questions may be a frustrating truth for a librarian, the denial of these truths is fruitless. Instead of agonizing over the situation, perhaps teachers and media center specialists can learn to harness the energy students spend enjoying media. In Valerie Muller’s article “Film as Film: Using Movies to Help Students Visualize Literary Theory,” she encourages teachers to use film in the classroom to “help students better understand complicated literary theories” while still encouraging excitement for the lesson (32).

Muller begins her article by explaining that no matter how much teachers and librarians may love “printed texts, students are inherently more interested in multimedia—film, television, cell phones, music, the Internet—than traditional print texts” (32). While many use film in the classroom, Muller believes that too many of them teach “film as literature” (33). In other words, instead of treating film like a different type of text that employs both sound and visuals, teachers ask the same questions about film as they do about literature. Muller has several problems with this plan: 1. If the two mediums “are taught in nearly the same way,” struggling students will have the same problems with literature as they do with film. 2. “[T]he film-as-literature approach ignores the fact that a director has created a film text to shape the viewer’s reactions. 3. If the teacher only asks the same kinds of questions that he asks about literature, the film will fail to challenge all of the students. Muller is not proposing that teachers avoid using movies in the classroom; instead, she just argues that film needs to be taught “as film,” not as literature (33).

When film is taught as film, the students have a unique experience. Because film makes use of “lighting, music, and camera angles” the instructor needs to teach these elements in the classroom and incorporate them into the class’s analysis. If educators do not know about these elements already, Muller suggests reading Film Art: An Introduction or Reading in the Dark: Using Film as a Tool in the English Classroom. Once the instructor is educated on the subject, she can start incorporating movies into her units. According to the article, if an instructor opens the year with a “short unit on film techniques,” the students will be ready to appreciate film in all its facets when it is brought into the classroom.

Muller made some great points about the qualities that are uniquely film. I love the idea of taking an entirely new approach to the classroom by implementing movies and the cinematic techniques that are inherently a part of the film experience. Bringing these new experiences to students should be exciting for them and make the classroom more of an adventure. Furthermore, they may even begin to appreciate the movies that they watch in their spare time on a deeper level when they realize how much energy goes into each scene in a film.

Best of all, her article led me to think of ways to implement film into my future profession as a librarian. Rather than simply saying that film uses “lightning, camera angle, and framing” and determining what the director is trying to get across with these “cinematic tools,” I could ask the students what a novelist may have done differently to convey the same message (34). For example, if students have determined that the film used a high angle shot in order to make the character look weak, I could ask my students how a novelist would have made the character seem weak in that moment without the visual image. Students could do a creative writing assignment in which they turn a scene from a movie into a short story while being aware of how they translate the visuals and sounds the director uses into words on a page.

The reverse of this exercise could help students think critically as well. If students are reading a book after we have done a unit on film, the students could write a paper or create a storyboard showing how a scene would work on film without losing any of the information. These kind of exercises unite film and literature in a way that does not demean either; instead, they encourage students to see that each medium has its own advantages and disadvantages for its audience while helping students to interact with texts and develop the critical thinking skills that are so beneficial in life.

Because teachers have so much to cover in their classroom and they often use film already, librarians could serve as the experts before a class watches film. Introducing the film terminology as Muller describes could be a great lesson for a librarian to present. Then, the students would be more prepared to watch the films they watch in class!

Works Cited

Muller, Valerie. “Film as Film: Using Movies to Help Students Visualize Literary Theory.” English Journal 95.3 (Jan. 2006): 32-38. Academic Search Premier. Web. 11 Jan. 2008.

Where did my recess go?

I really enjoyed reading Tom Barlett's "A Case for Play" for the LEEP weekend class day. While reading this, I was really separating my response into two: one as a mother and one as a teacher. In both instances, I found myself nodding over and over again in agreement for the "Case for Play."

As a teacher, the thought "The emphasis on standardized testing, on attempting to constantly monitor, measure, and quantify what students learn, has forced teachers to spend more of the school day engaged in so-called direct instruction and has substantially reduced or eliminated opportunities that children have for exploring, interacting, and learning on their own" resonates (Bartlett). Let me first define what I believe to be "exploring, interacting, and learning on their own" at the high school level, since the idea of "play" has a different definition in high school teaching than in elementary teaching. My idea is that "exploring" and "interacting" in the high school English classroom is becoming intimately involved with literature. Students need to read and re-read, discuss and re-discuss the texts that they are reading (which should most often be fiction) in order learn the skill of reading. This exploration does not exist by only teaching the test taking skills of main idea, detail, paraphrasing, and summarizing. These, of course, have their place, but I am finding more and more, that the literature and the exploration of this, is taking a backseat to skill building. Sometimes, literature is not even in the car. We must have a balance. I do not believe that "Free Play" should be exclusive at any level, especially not in the high school, but exploration is ultimately very important. What are the skills even worth if students do not know how to use and explore these on their own when they are not in a testing situation? Problem based learning, in many ways, is the "play" at the high school level. This philosophy has many benefits to the students, which I would argue are the same or similar to the "play" that is argued young children need. Just as play is "a critical part of childhood," so too is the exploration in the minds of high school students.

As a mom, I cringe for the future education of my students. The concept of "'drill and kill'" that Bartlett speaks about is an ominous idea that lurks in the future. I can already see and agree with the idea "That ability to think abstractly is a huge mental lead forward, and play can make it happen." I see this in my own son. Just a few days ago, he used a paper towel roll as a boulder to reach the high wall outside a castle, which was being attacked by a dragon. He also used an old broom stick as a damaged road that this Hot Wheels cars had to navigate to get to where they were going. Later, he used the same stick to reach a ball that had rolled under the couch because he knew that his arm couldn't reach it, and daddy wasn't home to move the couch. He was thinking abstractly about multiple items, and using the multiple items in different ways. He learned all of this through playing. I game him no guidance in any of this. It is an absolute wonder to see how his imagination soars, and at the same time, it is an absolute learning experience.

I also wanted to look a bit further into the "Ultimate Block Party" idea. This is a wonderful, and interactive way to not just say "Hey our kids need play," but to create an interactive platform for this idea to be seen and heard. After finding that New York City hosts an Ultimate Block Party, I took some time to visit the different areas of their website (http://ultimateblockparty.com). On this website, there is a great "Resources" tab that includes a mountain of books, articles, and more. There was one resource that I particularly like because it had some astounding statistics on it, that lead to my "mom" fears. It is said in this resource that "In a recent report, 25% of kindergarten teachers surveyed said they had no time at all for free play in their classrooms." It is also reported by the American Academy of Pediatricians that the "eight hours of free play a week...lost...in the last two decades" is "'a national crisis." My son will be in kindergarten in a year! Should I assume that he will not play and explore in his classroom? Furthermore, "40 million elementary school children will have no arts or music training in their schools this year [2009]". I am awestruck by these facts and statistics.

I am a firm believer that everything should happen in moderation. As a teacher, I am not naive enough to believe that one can ignore the tests and keep her fingers crossed. We should address these tests, but realize that play and exploration have an important place as well. As a mom, I want my son's and daughter's teachers to prepare them for these important exams. At the same time, though, I was these teachers to show my children that learning is a fun, exciting a thought-provoking experience that can last a lifetime.

Bartlett, Tom. "The Case for Play: How a Handful of Researchers are Trying to Save Childhood." The Chronicle of High Education. February 20, 2011.

"The Case for Play: Get the Facts." Ultimate Block Party - October 3, 2010 - Central Park - New York City - the Arts and Sciences of Play - UltimateBlockParty.com. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. .

Game Play

This week’s readings were very informative. I learned quite a bit about game play (The Case for Play by Bartlett) and game literacy, theories, and teaching about games (Game Literacy in Theory and Practice by Buckingham/ Burn).

For example, Bartlett’s article focuses on how children pretend to play, and the benefits therein such has improved cognitive, and memory skills, while reviewing the works of Piaget, Peter Smith as well as Edward Miller, to help frame the debate from different perspectives. Additionally, what I found interesting was Bartlett’s questioning on what was missing within various testing on children’s play, while looking at what these test did not test for. I think this deeper analysis helped to provide further insight into how young people think/interact and the impact on their creativity, and some implications.

Transitioning to Buckingham and Burn’s article was also an interesting and insightful read, as well as being a good complement to the Barlett article. I really enjoyed learning about about the implications of the use of computer games/internet/ other forms of media as teaching tools to reach young people. Additionally, while teaching about games, one is able to understand some of the cultural norms that develop as a result. Furthermore, the section on game literacy helped to frame my understanding on how literacy is understand through the use of technology. Yet, the authors are quick to note that when explaining game literacy, its important to address central questions such as: Is it just a way of talking about how people learn and play, or is it much broader?

Prior to reading this article, I had no clue that computer games are almost “invariably multi-modal context- which is t say that they often combine different communicative modes, such as still and moving images, sound and music, speech and writing, and so further.” This point was further expanded by the introduction of various scholars who have debated the merits of game theory, while looking at how games themselves are played, and the analysis of game literacy.

Personally, I found the second have of the article most insightful. The discussion on literacy as critical social practice, added to my limited knowledge relating to the players of games, coupled with how games are made, the culture of game play (who plays these games and why, as well as gender identities) transitioning to game structures: levels, obstacles, rewards and win-lose states. Finally, the concluding remarks provided a good synthesis to what was learned in the article, and how game literacy may impact the understanding of education.

Collectively, both articles were thought generating and meaningful. I am also reminded of another reading, albeit not required for this class, but nonetheless helped too explore game theory, and who maybe the intended audience once games are constructed:

Constance Steinkuehler's (2006) defines “The Mangle of Play” as essentially being the game that is played by users as not being the game that the developers had in mind at inception, but rather the outcome of a ‘mangle of production and consumption,’ coupled with human intentions, broader social norms, cultural practices, and even chance. Game developers and designers may potentially imagine a specific type of users during the design process of the game, which in turns may lead to the development of a template for how that technology should be used.

I too think it’s important to consider who develops the games, what they hope users will do with the technology, what they will learn, how the game impacts the user, and to what extent they hope the users will not do. Yet, it is also clear that developers cannot predict how their technology will be used, and by whom. Given these uncertainties, I found Steinkhueler’s article an interesting and thought provoking read being that I rarely pay attention to these types of issues when thinking/using games. Furthermore, not being a “game techie person”, but more of a casual player/user, the article was insightful, providing me with a framework for better understanding the effects of game design, play, the users, and culture within virtual worlds/spaces.

I would be remiss not to say however, that, at some points in the article, I did find my mind wondering, mainly because, one can only write so such about game design. Although the article was brief, someone less acquainted with video technology and conceptualization, may not potentially fully grasped, or relate to all points.

Let me add that my last point was not to question, raise objection or critique the article, but to point out that to the average person (such as myself), might not necessarily keep interest with this article give that it seems to be targeted to a specific audience. Nonetheless, because I knew I was responsible for writing this blog, I found myself having to re-read, re-focusing, and “trying” to grasp to the overall message therein, specifically: The difference between the software and games, and the increasing mangle of play, leads to the unpredictability in how games are taken up, and developed is especially apparent in online gaming creation/content. Additionally, another point I found of interest can be found on the last page: “By the time this short essay is circulated, the practices I have described will have evolved and the descriptions I’ve will no longer be accurate or complete” (p. 211). From this statement, I inferred that media technology is always evolving, and that present technology (games) becomes outdated once they are marketed/made available to the public.

VH1's Pop-Up Videos and Media Literacy

As I was reflecting about our discussion from class today, particularly when we were talking about how to actually approach media literacy in a class or library setting, I started to think about VH1's Pop-Up Video. I used to watch these all the time, but hadn't really thought about them in years. I was considering making a video for this entry, and that's what brought it back to my attention. These videos are not only interesting to critique in and of themselves, but the producers have actually added some contextual information and analysis to the videos--making them little examples of media analyses.

While the videos do not cite sources (I guess we have to trust that the VH1 staff members did their jobs and their homework), they lend themselves well to study and classroom use. Although students today have probably never heard of this "show" (it stopped airing regularly in 2002), it could be a great way to introduce them to or have them work on developing media literacy. For instance, it would be interesting to show them the original music video to see what they come up with on their own and then show them the VH1 pop up video version. It would demonstrate how interesting it is to know about the context of a music video, or any type of media, when analyzing it.

Embedded above is the Pop-Up Video version of Ace of Base's "Beautiful Life." You can tell by watching it that it largely gives two types of information: contextual information and random facts. For instance, the bit at the beginning about burping wouldn't be relevant in a discussion about how to analyze this text, but the other information is highly useful. Through the course of the video we learn the band members' names, how the group started, how decisions (and what decisions) were made during the making of the video, and so forth. This is important information to have at hand when analyzing the video, and I wish I would have thought of using these when I was still teaching!

Youth and media technology dependability

My blog is an extension of what I posted on the class moodle:

Borrowing from David Lazear’s definition of multimodal learning, “In a nutshell it means that the more different ways you learn something the more you will really learn it! The more different ways you learn something, the more you will remember it! The more different ways you learn something, the more you will genuinely understand it!”

Furthermore, Lazear writes, “In formal education you basically learn to learn in two or three ways--the famous “reading, and writing, and ‘rithmetic” ways which are at the heart of most of the learning we did in school.” This week’s video assignments dispelled these traditional forms of learning, and entailed applying other senses such as listening and seeing to the learning process.

After viewing Channel One, specifically the interviews and Pop and Presidential Quizzes, I concluded that although the videos were definitely age-appropriate, each was effective in its execution in trying to impart a particular message related to either health/fitness to quick facts. Also, with this week’s assignments, we saw different types of literacy. The means by which the messages were broadcasted whether through print, video coupled with sound, or listening afforded the viewer a different lens through which to try and understand what message with being conveyed. For example, Channel One, YouTube (Antibullying) required the viewer to listen and watch, rather than just applying one sense, especially since it was important to really take note of the word “acceptance” that was written on each child’s shirt, coupled with the music therein. Collectively, each video represented forms of mulitmodel literacy.

YouthRadio.com seemed to have more of teen/adult content, ranging from education, health to media, albeit students ran these programs.

Collectively, I think the strategies employed by each types of videos whether it be film, music, or audio, was constructed in an effective way to reach an intended audience.

I am also reminded of John Cornwell’s (2008) article “Is technology ruining children?: Technology is molding a generation of children unable to think for themselves or empathize with others? Essentially, Cornwelll ponders if the advancements in technology have lead to kids becoming depended upon technology to write papers, not being able to critically analyze and /or think critically in schools or other settings? Although I think this is a far-reaching conclusion, I can't help bur to also think that the question hold merit, and is still thought provoking! I also wonder about my nephews and nieces who seem to use every form of "the latest" technology to communicate with their friends and families, one another, while becoming very distracted easily when they are asked to do simple task such as their homework, complete a writing assignment, or read a book. I find that they want to know the “quick, simple, easy” method that does not require them to do too much independent work such as going to the library, or spending time to fully develop assignments. I also wonder about my nephews and nieces when they go to college. I wonder if with the advancements in technology that they will become too dependent. Although I think there is value in having access to various forms of technology, there needs to be a balance between technology and creating opportunities for them to think independently and creatively.

From the past few weeks in our Media Literacy class/ discussions, we spent quite a bit of time looking at how youth are being impacted by media technology and what that means for librarians, educators and or parents. Although there is no one simple answer, so far, I have been able to conclude that because youth are very impressionable that as educators/librarians, its equally important to not only use different forms of technology to teach youth, but also create environments free of them as well.

The debate is still out as to whether authors such as Cornwell are correct in impressions of today’s youth.

Non-fiction Reading Skills and Media Literacy.

I am not sure why this didn't come to mind last week in class, but when I was cruising through Channel One and Youth Radio, it hit me that I struggle to help my students become media literature every Wednesday. When I began teaching, I had some wonderful mentors in the English department at my previous school. They knew YEARS before the PSAE (Prairie State Achievement Examination: a combo of the ACT and a second day of testing by which all Illinois schools are measured) that non-fiction reading skills were essential to the future success of their students. Furthermore, it is as Leah Price argues in "You Are What You Read," well "You Are What You Read." And what my colleugues knew is that if we did not provide students with information about current national and world events, that they would not be wise citizens during high school, and certainly not after. They needed to be media literature in that they needed to be knowledgeable about the world, and thus understanding of the events that are occurring in it. In an attempt (a successful one, I believe) they ordered and had delivered, weekly current events magazines that were written at the reading level of our students. At the time it was Teen Newsweek. I saw the success of this process, and even after leaving my first teaching job after four years, I brought this concept to my current job, and each week, I still have these magazines delivered. These are now published by Weekly Reader, and the magazine is titled Current Events.

Recent issue: Current Events

This is a recent issue of the magazine that my students tackled in December. My co-teacher and I have continued the belief that I was taught in my early years of teaching. The idea that if we teach them non-fiction skills, then they will have the ability to become media literate. Also, if we expose them to current events, they may (hopefully) continue to pay attention to these after they have left us. Since we do have the students for two years, we find that we can wrestle our way through those two years and they seem to (so far) keep up with current events. We have had students come back to us weekly and ask if we have extra copies from the week's magazine, which is a great feeling.

If you take a look at the magazine (follow link above), you can see that the magazine does a great job of drawing students in. We focus every week on the cover story, but the students are always eager to look at and read other areas of the magazine. They love the political cartoons each week, which always leads into a great discussion about current political issues. The debate section is always interesting and relevant to them, and there is always a funny/shocking "snippit" on something (This issue's was "K-9 Cutie") that they look for.

We have used this magazine to teach annotating, highlighting, note-taking, paraphrasing, summarizing, and vocabulary, as well as used it as a model for writing (thesis, detail, etc.). It has been hugely successful with our students. It is short enough that it keeps their attention, and interesting enough that they are willing to keep coming back for more.

There is also a website, and while this has shades of Channel One and Youth Radio, it is not the same, or as effective. First, the focus is not fully on students, but rather on the teachers as well. There are great resources available for teachers to access and use that coincide with the magazines. There is also information/resources on the many other magazines that Weekly Reader publishes. The section that is most like Channel One and Youth Radio, in that its focus is on young readers is "Kids and Teens." There students can find current news stories, as well as contents that they can enter, blogs and other digital content they may enjoy, a health section, and an area where they can voice their opinions on previous issues of the magazine. This is a great resource and site, but it in not dedicated to 'tweens and teens in the way that Channel One and Youth Radio are.

The bottom line is, that students must be media literate. They also must possess the non-fiction reading skills so that they can be media literate. Yes, there are places like Channel One and Youth Radio, where young people can go and get information on current events. But at some point, they are going to have to rely on their non-fiction literacy. I guess they could go to Channel One forever, but is that really realistic?

Price, Leah. "You Are What You Read." New York Times (December 23, 2007).

"Weekly Reader." Weekly Reader: Curriculum-Rich Resources for Teachers. Web. 22 Feb. 2011. .

Death of the Blog?

While the tenor of Blogs Wane as the Young Drift to Sites like Twitter did not surprise me, I am somewhat saddened by the confirmation of society’s decreasing ability/desire to read for meaning (see Blankenship’s Skimming for the Good Stuff post). While I have always thought of blogging as a little self-indulgent (after all, who could possibly be interested in my thoughts all that much?), the self-indulgence factor is no different for Facebook or Twitter—and I have accounts for both. Who is really that interested in my hemorrhaging liberal politics or the size of the huge egg one of my chickens laid (both real posts as of 2/21). I resisted Facebook for a long time and did not join until Summer 2009. A group of my girlfriends get together for monthly dinners and I felt very out-of-the-loop because they all seemed to know what was going on with each other because of Facebook. I finally caved and while I do not see them any more because of Facebook, I feel more connected to them—especially during the school year when I see practically no friends from September to May. Sometimes, I wish some of them did blog. I would have a deeper understanding of what is going on with them than I do through Facebook. To me, Facebook often feels like the electronic version of running into someone at the grocery store—you exchange pleasantries and it’s safe because you’re not going to go into anything heavy in the frozen veggies isle.

Certainly, teens have plenty to say/muse about and the decrease of blogging indicates they are limiting themselves to the space provided by Facebook and Twitter. While a good writer can be incredibly pithy in 140 characters, Twitter is often about just that—being pithy and Twitter is the ultimate skim.

And don't think the irony of being able to share this post on Facebook or Twitter is at all lost...

What's Your Favorite Song?

Our class discussion last week about what teenagers listen to and what drives them to make their music listening choices, prompted me the next day to give my junior and senior English classes a new assignment. I started class by asking the students to take out a piece of paper and pencil. After reassuring them that this wasn’t a quiz, I gave them a simple direction.

Write down the title, artist, and genre of your favorite song.

Their initial excitement quickly turned to panic cries of “Just one?!” “I don’t have a favorite” and “How much time do we have for this?!” Some wrote their answer quickly and with great confidence. Others hesitated, wrote, erased, and rewrote. Once they all settled on a song, I offered the next detail of the assignment.

Describe the song.

Some immediately began writing. Others changed their song choice (again). As they wrote their paragraph descriptions, I asked them to include why this song was their favorite.

Finally I asked them to write down their favorite lyric to the song they chose. (Using asterisks where profanity would appear).

The classroom was buzzing as they passed in their papers. Some were comparing song choices. Others were telling me that I had to listen to their song ASAP or begging me to turn the class into a music session to hear all of the songs. Alas, we had to get back to the tasks of the day, but it did make me curious as to how I could incorporate music into writing assignments, since some of my more apathetic students showed more energy and effort in those ten minutes than I had seen all year.

As I read over their responses, some statistics that we saw in class were confirmed. Rap was the most popular, followed by R&B, Hip Hop, and Alternative. There were a few surprises too. Jazz, Classical, Christian, and Indie Rock were all selected by one or more students. And more students picked a Metal song than a Country song. However the most shocking part is that no two students picked the same song. Artists like Drake, Kanye West, and Nicki Minaj were on several papers, yet each student in all three classes picked a different song. Perhaps there is still some originality in teen culture.

Their descriptions of the songs were equally intriguing. I purposefully did not give them much direction because I wanted to see where they naturally went with describing their songs. Some went metaphorical like one boy describing a metal song as “being in a nightmare.” Over half of the students described the songs solely by the content. “This song is about a boy in love with a girl who doesn’t love him back,” etc. Others described their songs by telling how the songs make them feel. I could usually infer that these feelings came from the beat of the song. For instance one senior girl described how the hip hop song made her feel energized and pumps her up before a party or a cheerleading competition. A junior boy described an R&B song as “chill” and that it also makes him “feel chill,” redundant yet obvious that the feeling, not the lyrics, was what was most important to him. The smallest majority (only four students) described the songs strictly based on the music. Their own music knowledge was transparent as they described songs “written in the key of D major in ¾ time” or a singer with “a high-pitched, yet controlled voice.” Finally a quarter of the students described all of the above. Telling me what the lyrics were about while also describing the mood of the song, how it is preformed, and/or how they connect to it.

The results of this small assignment were interesting to me. I expected hip hop/rap to be the most popular, and they did hold true to that. But I was pleased to see that some students were not afraid to be unconventional and pick “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” as a favorite or to declare boldly (and sarcastically) on paper, “Yes, I know a teenager that’s into classical music. Oh no it’s the end of the world…”. I also expected their descriptions to be more about the beat/sound of the song, yet the majority was focused on content. They are listening to the words of these songs, and while there were a few who couldn’t think of a lyric to write out, the overwhelming majority found that part of the writing assignment to be easiest and even added their own interpretation of the lyric.

The bottom line for me, teenagers love music. I knew they loved to listen to it, but they also love to discuss it and will write freely about it without complaint. I see more music writing assignments in my classes’ futures because this is an underdeveloped opportunity to practice descriptive writing and self-expression.

book advertising...is it just word of mouth?

I was thinking the other day about all of the advertisements we see for cars, clothes, food and electronical devices. Ads in magazine, newspapers, tv (of course) and even the little pop up windows if one does not have have pop up blocker when cruisin' the internet. And even within these advertisements for one product there also seems to be another product hidden within them. For example, the new chrysler commercial that has Eminem. It is not only trying to sell the car, but it includes his song as well, maybe in hopes that people will also buy his song. And then there are movies and tv shows with their product placement. Being an avid dawson's creek fan, I noticed that Joey always drinks a coke product. I don't drink soda so I wasn't tempted to go out and buy a case when I saw her drinking it on tv, but others may have been. Even commercials for apple do a wonderful job a putting in additional items that a person could buy besides the product they are promoting. But what about BOOKS! Where are the advertisements for books. I don't see a lovely commercial of a person sitting on a park bench reading Fablehaven by Brandon Mull and then having someone sit down next to them and gloat about how excellent it is and should go buy a copy, or maybe just borrow theirs. So it makes me wonder how do people learn about the good books that are out there. I know I do amazon searches and they have that little bar that recommends similar books. I also cruise the shelves at the local library constantly since I work there as well and I get to see the new books even before they go on the shelf. I also work in a school library so I get publisher magazines that show the new releases, but if I didn't work at a library how would I know what was new, besides looking at the NY's bestseller's list which doesn't list new and wonderful books in juvinille literature, such as Fablehaven by Brandon Mull. So maybe the best adverstisement for books is just word of mouth. For example, i would highly recommended Fablehaven by Brandon Mull. I know in the schools when we have faculty meetings I show new books in our library and the funny thing is no one still takes them. When I read them to the ECE classes, in which the teachers come, the teachers are always like, "WOW that was a good book!" And I'm like when I told you about during the faculty meeting did you not believe me! It's very interesting. And look at how many products I just mentioned. It doesn't take much.

So I wonder if books really do need advertising or will the book industry be able to survive on word of mouth only?

How Can a High School Librarian Encourage Music Literacy?

Because I hope to use my degree from GSLIS to be a high school librarian, I thought about this week’s topic in terms of that future profession. How can a high school librarian encourage music literacy? I think a lot of high school librarians (and I certainly hope to) start book clubs within their schools, and book circle discussions are a great place to integrate music.

The first step would probably be to help students understand music, especially to help them listen beyond the lyrics to the tone and feeling of a song. A librarian could play sample songs to begin with in order to help students hone their skills. By playing the first 30 seconds before the lyrics even start, the students could try and guess what the song is going to be about. What feeling are the artists trying to convey in the opening of the song? Afterward, students can listen to more of the song and see how their initial impressions compared to the lyrics and mood of the rest of the song.

Students could use their newfound knowledge of music to think about the literature. Each student can bring in a song that they can connect to the literature of the book circle in some way. Although lyrics are a good starting point, they should try to go beyond the lyrics to determine the mood of the music, too. At the discussion where everyone brings their songs, students can play their songs, and the rest of the club can guess what part of the book the song connects to and why. This discussion can focus on specific details of the book and of the song.

This not only leads to some really thoughtful discussions on the book, but it also exposes students to music literacy skills. They have to think critically in order to find their own song to make connections; then, they get to perfect these skills further by listening and connecting to everyone else’s songs!

Techno Vocab...

You've seen it. You've done it. Maybe you've even assigned it. That's right. The long list of vocabulary students need to know (for the week, the month, the next test...whatever). I can hear the moans in my mind just thinking about giving this assignment to my middle school students. And the interesting thing is that with all of the free resources available, teachers continue to go with familiar--pencil and paper. Well, I'm here to say, chuck out that tired ditto and boot up your computer. I've got a couple of suggestions to add a bit of excitement to the traditional vocabulary drill.

http://dictionary.reference.com/
First, there are numerous dictionary choices students can choose from, but why not try Dictionary.com (it's certainly simple to remember). The site includes a dictionary, thesaurus, flashcards, quotes and even a translator. Oh, and it has a new Spanish language feature. The definitions themselves include a recorded pronunciation (something you definitely can't get it the paper version), definition, part of speech, and examples of the word used in a sentence.

So, then what? Why not have the students create an illustration to show the definition using a free animation tool?

http://domo.goanimate.com/

Has different backgrounds and characters students can put into panels that will eventually play like an animated cartoon. The site is free, but you do need an email to set up an account. My students did this yesterday and it took them seconds.

http://www.toondoo.com/
ToonDoo is another website that boasts the "World's Fastest Way to Create Cartoons." Where DomoAnimate has pre-made characters to choose from, ToonDoo allows the user to create their own characters.

What's the other great thing about these sites? No worries about copyright issues because they are creating their own images. Have fun!

Is Classical Music the Only Way?

I like to think I know a lot about music. I grew up with it. My parents met and fell in love in high school band (yes, they were band geeks) and later took careers in music and the arts: my dad in classical radio and then public broadcasting, my mom as a professional oboist. They raised me with music very much in the forefront of consciousness.

I remember waking on weekend mornings to Bach and Chopin filling the living room from the stereo speakers or my mom's Baldwin piano. I remember answering the door for other children (sometimes some of my classmates) carrying plastic oboes in little wooden cases. I remember being forced to take piano lessons in first grade, but hating the convent where I had to go, and feeling vaguely cheated since I didn't choose it. It wasn't until I picked up the violin in fifth grade that I discovered the joy of making music, and I continued with it for over ten years.

Naturally, my mom was overjoyed, and she quickly gave me a big head about the choice I'd made. She'd give me a musician-to-musician insider smile and say things like: "You know music will raise your math and reading scores. It takes advantage of your whole brain, like nothing else!" Or: "Music is the answer to everything. It is the best of humanity, and it crosses all boundaries."

In short, I was encouraged to believe that music made me smarter, happier, and even wiser than the average Jane. I had made the Right Choice, and I should always keep music close to me. What a message for a 10-year-old!

Fast forward 16 years, and I no longer own a violin. I haven't touched one in 6 years, because I sold it after college to buy a new computer. My mom works hard to hide her disappointment, and constantly drops hints about joining a community orchestra. She still talks about my musical skill with wistful nostalgia - and complete confidence that I'll return to it someday. Maybe I will. But I also feel like I can appreciate music without playing the violin, and even without listening exclusively to classical.

What is it about classical music that gives it such preeminence in the intellectual world? Is it really the One and Only, the Boss of all music? When Jourdain talks about analyzing music - picking apart its melody, harmony, rhythm, meter, and phrasing - I get the distinct feeling he's discussing classical music at the exclusion of everything else. "Expert listening requires expert music," he declares, "Music that is painstakingly invented is quite different from popular genres that make no attempt at relational depth and consist mostly of moment-to-moment variations on a simple theme. The brain cannot know the pleasures of deep relations when there are none to be observed" (Jourdain 266). Does that really mean that all that is popular isn't painstaking - is inexpert? That my choice to listen to rock on the radio is stifling my brain?

I think of this year's Grammy winners, Arcade Fire, who composed a whole album on a few universal themes: growing up, leaving home, experiencing the changes in love and communication that come with both. They wrote 16 tracks that experiment with these themes in different styles - sometimes with the same lyrics - and they certainly take advantage of varied rhythm and phrasing, those musical surprises Jourdain prizes so much. They're also brilliant with multimedia. It's probable that all their attention and acclaim for "The Suburbs" came from their release of the first single, "We Used to Wait," as an HTML5 video that can be personalized for the user. I have to say I was enthralled.

Then there's that perennially heady band, Radiohead. Take a listen to "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" and say there isn't some interesting rythm and chord succession going on. (If you're familiar with music terminology, "arpeggio" means to play the tones of a chord in rapid succession rather than all at once). I was even inspired by a song that I got as a free download from (of all places) Starbucks, called "In the Dirt" by S. Carey. Neither of these songs has an overriding (or even particularly memorable) melody; rather, they work hard to create an ethereal musical texture to sit and contemplate. I wonder if Jourdain has ever heard these; if he'd dismiss them so easily just because they're popular.

Something else my mom always said to me was that Mozart was a "rock star" of his time. Considering his genius (which I won't argue), and the lack of many competing figures, this isn't hard to believe. I'm sure I would have been something of a groupie in the 18th century, but in the 21st, I'm not. There are plenty of other rock stars to command my attention and respect now, and they do absolutely get just as much of both from me as do Chopin or Beethoven. I love classical and rock. There is no boss of music.

Jourdain, Robert. Music, the Brain, and Ecstasy: How Music Captures Our Imagination. NY: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1997: 236-268.