Nancy Keck’s Blog

“Boba Fett: Bounty Trail”

Watch the videos and tell me whether you think the fan film helps or hurts the franchise and how. What are the dangers of letting fans make up their own StarWars-based stories?

I really liked Star Wars but I did not think this video was in the same caliber of the Lucas film. I thought the video was boring but I continued to watch to see if any lines had been crossed. I do not think that the video infringed on Star Wars but, it was a pale rendition of the true story. The danger of fan-based stories is that someone could alter the character personalities and not being true to the story line might hurt the franchise. 

Jenkins notes that in 2004 political candidates who were successful on the Internet were not necessarily successful with the general public. He notes that new media did not take over the political process but it did influence the process.

How has the Internet and new media changed culture and institutions in general?


Media played a tremendous role in this year’s elections do you remember how the public were able to video tape their questions and the candidates had to respond. What a turn around from the 2004 debates. There has been quite a stir last week with the “Tax Parties” on April 15… some blame Fox News and some blame has been put on the Republican Party. The event was orchestrated through the internet and it might mean a change in how the Republicans will use the internet and media in the next election.

How has the Internet and new media changed education?

My thoughts are best expressed in a December interview that I gave to Cable in the Classroom magazine about my use of technology and media in my special education classroom.

Bits and pieces of my interview…

My students have specific learning disabilities. They have been able to interview the producer of Discovery’s Planet Earth, conduct interactive experiments with Mr. Wizard, or chat with an astronaut through online tools like the Discovery Educator Network and live webinars. I use cable television, the Internet, digital cameras, and a projection system to come up with interactive, hands-on activities to teach math. I teach by strand areas… I just hit them in a different way. Using technology in interesting ways makes math class a favored destination for my students. For one project, my students followed an Animal Planet program (Meerkat Manor) like a soap opera, keeping track of the animals and their families. The math lesson emerged through the bar graphs and data the students created to monitor the meerkats’ activities. I see what programs are out there, tie them into something from the real world, and then look for the math. This outside-the-box teaching has resulted in improved test scores and more. I’ve seen my students placed in co-taught classrooms with success and our test scores have gone up. My students have become used to using their math skills developed by internet/discovery education programming to solve real world problems. 

Link to the magazine article…

 by Cable in the Classroom Magazine

Have there been any books or movies that have inspired you to the point of action, either to be like people/characters in the book/movie, or to do something creative? What books/movies and what did you do?The movie last year “The Ultimate Gift” inspired my co-teacher, myself and Robin Abrams to create a year long project based on the Movie. We won the Brighthouse Star Teacher’s 2008 award for this project. We hope that you all enjoyed our “Share the Gift…Change a Life” project this year. Here is a collection of some of those special moments. We wish each and everyone of you a very properous life.

LoveMrs Abrams, Mrs Dilmore, and Mrs KeckBubbleShare: Share photos - Powered by BubbleShareOur Share the Gift…Change a Life project is based on the book by Jim Stovall, “The Ultimate Gift”. It tells the story of twenty-four-year-old Jason Stevens. When Jason learns of the death of his billionaire great uncle, Red Stevens, he is eager to receive his portion of the fortune. Like his other greedy, ungrateful relatives, Jason only cares about monetary gain. Red recorded a series of video messages that Jason must follow in order to receive his eventual inheritance. Through a year long journey, Jason discovers the importance of many life-changing gifts, forges meaningful relationships that he never knew could exist, and learns to give back to others in need.This year our students will participate in exciting activities that address the 12 gifts of the story. Students will be exposed to each of the twelve gifts that Jason experiences. They will have the opportunity to address each theme and engage in activities and discussions that provide insight into their importance. Through the completion of the activities, hopefully students will gain an understanding of their ability to make a lasting positive impact and experience a rewarding year in our Math/Geography classes. These include:★ The Gift of Self/Gratitude★ The Gift of Friends★ The Gift of Giving (Service Project Component)★ The Gift of a Day ★ The Gift of Learning★ The Gift of Laughter★ The Gift of Problems★ The Gift of Family★ The Gift of Money★ The Gift of Work★ The Gift of Dreams★ The Gift of LoveGift 1… “Gift of Self/Gratitude”This lesson is designed to take our student’s experiences and frame them in such a way that they can begin to make their lives what they know they should be in order to create their own versions of “The Ultimate Gift”. In this way, we can all begin to Share the gift and Change our lives. Students created Gift bags, boxes, or baskets full of items that reflected their unique characteristics. Gift 2…”The Gift of Friends” Freedom WalkWe have connected with “America Supports You” On Sept. 11, Greenwood Lakes Middle School faculty, staff, administration, JRROTC, and students joined with America Supports You, a Department of Defense program recognizing citizens support for our military and communicating that support to members of our Armed Forces and their families. We received recognition from Allison Barber, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense. Students also wrote letters of encouragement to be sent to our military. Student designed a “postage stamp” to be affixed to the letters. We also celebrated “Constitution Day” and “Veterans Day” with programs and lessons from the “History Channel”.Gift #3… “Take the Lead To Help Others” Community Service ComponentUsing examples of the generosity demonstrated by the story’s lead character, Jason Stevens, students are urged to learn to take on responsibility by designing and conducting a service project that allows them to give away part of themselves to others in need.Today…We have connected with local daycare centers and elementary schools to promote “Firstbook”. We participated in Jumpstart “Read for the Record” and Dr Seuss’s 50th birthday. Our participation in the Seuss celebration included making 1,100 birthday cards for the “Cat” to send to Random House Inc. as part of Project 236, a nationwide initiative to get books to disenfranchised students through the First Book project. The goal of Jumpstart’s Read for the Record campaign is to raise public awareness about significant disparities in early education. How Jumpstart’s Read for the Record Works…Read the official campaign book, “The Story of Ferdinand”. We are members of Seminole County’s Partners in Preservation…Students will participate in Air Potato Raid in January.We also support Steve Irwin’s Australian Zoo by wearing Wildlife Warriors bracelets.We have donated animal supplies to our local Animal Services of Seminole County because of a fire to their building. Students collected 500 signatures on a petition to be sent to our Florida senators encouraging their vote on “Buck’s Bill” the bill supports Pet Safety and Protection Act.Students also adopted a child from Nambia.Students knitted blankets and booties for newborns at the Winnie Arnold Hospital.Gift #4… “Gift of a Day” World Space Week Balloon LaunchWe joined educators and space enthusiasts around the world to celebrate World Space Week, Oct. 4-10, 2007. This year’s celebration commemorates the 50th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik 1, marking the beginning of the Space Age. World Space Week is the largest public space event in the world, with celebrations in more than 50 nations. Gift #5… “Gift of Learning” Mathlincs ProjectProject You Be The TeacherMrs Dilmore, Mrs Abrams and myself have joined a Math/Geography Collaboration project called MathLincs. We have posted links to our classroom blog on our class webpage. We participated in classroom webinars with Discovery Education…Planet Earth, Discovery Science/Nasa Astronauts, Build it Bigger with Danny Forster, Meerkats and Mr Wizard.Gift #6… “The Gift of Laughter”Project “Our Gift of Laughter” Survey:Our class designed a survey to be shared. We will take our results and make graphical representations of the data.Gift #7…The Gift of ProblemsOur classes have written letters to our Congressman and Senators about “Global Warming” and its effects. One student designed a “Protect the Environment postage stamp” to be affixed to the letters.Gift #8…The Gift of FamilyWe have created tote bags with various games, books, and dvds. Bags are taken home and shared with their families. A journal is kept with each bag so families can share their observations. Gift #9…The Gift of Money Gift #10…The Gift of WorkStock Market ProjectHow do stockbrokers and financial analysts determine what stocks to buy? Students will collect data about a company and use formulas to analyze the data. Activities will help them better understand how stockbrokers and financial analysts track stock performance to determine what stocks to buy.Gift #11…The Gift of LoveGift #12…The Gift of DreamsDear Sweet Parent/Grandparent Gift Bag filled with photos, letters of love, and dreams.100 acts of kindness from Martin Luthor King’s birthday to Valentines Day…students performed a 100 acts of kindness to represent the beliefs and philosophy of Martin Luthor King.I have a Dream Speech authored by our studentsFinal outcome…”Life lived to its fullest is its own Ultimate Gift.”

Copy of My personal autographed print from “Yoda” in St Maarten

 Chapter 4: Quentin Tarantino’s Star Wars?


 How has technology change the division between folk culture and commercial or mass culture?

Folk culture has always been important remember “Woodstock” or the first time the Beatles played on the Ed Sullivan show. Now, current technology such as Youtube can give folk culture the tools necessary to expand globally within minutes such as Susan Boyle’s appearance on British TV last Saturday and 30 million hits on Youtube within a week.

How did Japanese media companies work with anime fans?

They made use of many of their works, which then created a larger fan base. One example is the popularity of Pokemon. (http://www.pokemon.com/)

Jenkins goes on quite a bit about how Lucas and Lucas Arts have tried to deal with fan fiction. What have been the various ways they’ve tried to promote their StarWars franchises without losing control of the IP?

Star War’s has an online site for children to build upon their popularity and introduce the characters to a new generation… http://www.starwars.com/

Disney is offering a Star War’s adventure for 4 weekends at Disney Hollywood Studios to celebrate the heros, villains, creatures and droids of the saga.

Cartoon network has a show called “The Clone Wars” which is a spin off of Star Wars.

One amazing adventure I had was on a trip to St Maarten with Sara was the fact that we met “Yoda” and toured his art gallery…

It was a Star Wars fan dream come true!!!

Not only is “Yoda” a fantastic person, but a great artist. His store basically consists of a small tour, and original pieces of art and other collectibles. We were able to purchase some of his personal prints from Star Wars and he personally autographed the prints for us.

Nick’s website is http://www.yodaguy.com/

I think the most amazing thing that happened this week is the phenomena of Susan Boyle and the amazing technological advance of her career on Youtube. I feel that Susan Boyle has taught us all a lesson. As a special education teacher, I have found that too many wonderful people/students with fantastic talents and tales to tell are passed by each day without a second look. I believe that on the whole society is suffering because of it…the songs, the poems, the stories, the intelligence and the experiences are never heard because someone is different, they might learn differently, acts differently than others, looks differently, they might be in a wheel chair or severely handicapped, they might be overweight, and they are beautiful in the classic sense. I believe that we are missing so much that would enrich our lives if we would simply stop for a moment and listen and not judge people by their appearances. ”Never judge a book by it’s cover…” we need to look at each other and give ourselves and our students the opportunity to “Shine”. Go Susan! and may God bless you in your journeys.  You have given me one of those life-learning “wake up calls”.

Susan Boyle’s fanclub site… 

Susan Boyle’s Youtube link… 

“Stories are basic to all human cultures, the primary means by which we structure, share, and make sense of our common experiences. Rather, we are seeing the emergence of new story structures, which create complexity by expanding the range of narrative possibility rather than pursuing a single path with a beginning, middle, and end.”

I have begun to introduce topics via xtranormal clips that students can expand on and create their own stories…

xtranormal clip for introduction of  ”The Hunt for Pythagoras”…  Jenkins, H. (2008). “Convergence Culture Where Old and New Media Collide.” New York, NY, USA: New York University Press

“Just as the social dynamic of these online communities reaffirms and / or redefines their individual members’ brand loyalties, a similar dynamic shapes the ways people media and products within their family or with friends”

This statement makes a lot of sense to me and reminds me of the communities that students have set up to play games. The video introduction.mov“… is one that I created as an introduction to a Treasure Hunt game that we plan on using next year in our classes.

References:

Clipart in video retrieved March 7, 2009 from www.creativecommmons.org

Jenkins, H. (2008). “Convergence Culture Where Old and New Media Collide.” New York, NY, USA: New York University Press

“Collective intelligences refers to this ability of virtual communities to leverage the combined expertise of their members. What we cannot know or do on our own, we may now be able to do collectively.”

I think back to the time before I was a DEN member (Discovery Educators Network) and think how “boring” my teaching was. I now read the new blogs of the Den star members as well as the blogs from our wonderful “leaders”. I have learned about many web 2.0 sites from these people. Therefore, all new sites have been introduced to my students. The favorites this year are “xtranormal” and “Glogster“. All students love “Animoto“. I attend as many “webinars” as possible. I have had my class participate in webinars. Their favorite was the webinar last year with Mr Wizard. My students loved to collaborate with other classes and we joined Mathlincs a project created by Den Star Martha Thornburg.

I can attest to the philosophy of collective intelligences because the Den and it’s members have changed my teaching style and enhanced my student’s learning and their lives.

Thank you Den! 

Jenkins, H. (2008). “Convergence Culture Where Old and New Media Collide.” New York, NY, USA: New York University Press