While designing the unit, we reflected on what it means to be literate in the 21st century, and what it means to teach in the 21st century. Although the unit is on a physical novel, we incorporated a variety of subsidiary texts that support a more fluid definition of the word “text”. It was both exciting and challenging to think of innovative ways to incorporate multimedia in the classroom. Our goal was to engage students but still have a purpose for everything that was used in our lessons. We refrained from using multiple classes for “movie days” and instead played shorter clips that achieved the same purpose. Technology was used tastefully to compliment our lessons, while still preserving some of the traditional teaching approaches we felt were staples in an English class.
Incorporating various forms of multimedia into our lesson plans made us realize our dependency on resources and our environments. We had to take a step back and ask ourselves, “Could we somehow apply this unit/lesson in any school we teach at?”. Ideally, a classroom would have a projector, and a DVD player, and netbooks, but we cannot assume these resources will be readily available or available at all. For example, journal entries were going to be posted on a forum placed on our website. Our previous experiences in schools have made us aware that not only do all schools not have resources, but many of students may not have internet access at home. This reinforces the importance of getting to know the class. The forum is still present on the website and is a viable option to utilize. The final product can be slightly modified to meet the needs of all students and be used in the most affluent of schools or those with little funding.
The experience of building a detailed unit plan was challenging, but immensely rewarding. The process has made us firm believers in the benefits of developing a professional learning community. Working together, we found ways to compliment each other’s unique teaching styles to create what we believe is our best work. Furthermore, this experience helped us to professionally reflect on our teaching practices and identify our strengths and weaknesses.
Incorporating various forms of multimedia into our lesson plans made us realize our dependency on resources and our environments. We had to take a step back and ask ourselves, “Could we somehow apply this unit/lesson in any school we teach at?”. Ideally, a classroom would have a projector, and a DVD player, and netbooks, but we cannot assume these resources will be readily available or available at all. For example, journal entries were going to be posted on a forum placed on our website. Our previous experiences in schools have made us aware that not only do all schools not have resources, but many of students may not have internet access at home. This reinforces the importance of getting to know the class. The forum is still present on the website and is a viable option to utilize. The final product can be slightly modified to meet the needs of all students and be used in the most affluent of schools or those with little funding.
The experience of building a detailed unit plan was challenging, but immensely rewarding. The process has made us firm believers in the benefits of developing a professional learning community. Working together, we found ways to compliment each other’s unique teaching styles to create what we believe is our best work. Furthermore, this experience helped us to professionally reflect on our teaching practices and identify our strengths and weaknesses.