Project 1 idea:
"Journalism aims at accuracy, but fiction's aim is truth" -- John L'Heureux.
I think that we've all sort of been hitting on the fact that the general project 1 isn't really 'cutting it' for us. Could it be that we spent the most time with it? I don't know. But this is me, putting in my two, or three cents.
Looking at one's life is certainly enjoyable and, in some cases, therapeutic. But what I'm finding is that my students (I actually did travel writing but I have a hunch many problems overlap) are having a difficult time deciding 1) where the balance is between scholarly and personal, 2) who their audience is, 3) what tone they're using, 4) when to start and end their essay, 5) what order to tell events and details in.
This leads me to believe it would not be out of the question to ask our students to write a memoir as though it were a short story. This would free students from the "boredom" associated with regular papers, and it could get them excited about writing again (or for the first time).
In using setting, plot, theme, dialogue, characters, point of view, and the ever-present theory of rising action, I believe that students will more easily find their authorial voice, as well as be more readily able to identity who their audience is. Once they are able to identify these core components, I believe that their 2nd and 3rd project papers will be not only stronger, but closer to innovation. Writing a story allows students to step outside the 5 paragraph essay, in fact it forces them to.
I keep trying to find ways to shake my students out of their comfort zones, and I think that this is an exciting way to do just that.
Stories would need to be a min. of 6 pages (think how much space dialogue takes up) with at least two passages of dialogue of at least 4 lines. There needs to be at least 2 main characters, and perhaps one minor character. I would also probably not allow students to write in the 1st person (too easy!) this would force them to write about themselves from an outside view and give them perspective. What happens to you when you become a character in a story? A lot.
Such are my thoughts. It might seem easy but it's harder than it looks!
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Project 3 idea
Cyber-Selves: The Do-It-Yourself PR
The article that Mr. Moxley sent us about Facebook set my brain into hyper-mode. I used the article as an in-class essay prompt for my students and was very surprised to find that the majority of my students agree with the practices discussed in the article. A lot of people mentioned in their essays that the internet is a direct representation of either 1) who you are or 2) who you wish you were. This sort of split identity interested me. Do we represent ourselves differently on the internet? How much control do these cyber-selves have over our lives? By splitting ourselves into two people, what happens? So here’s my idea: getting students to go out there and see for themselves. How does technology affect identity? Here’s how I plan to find out: each student will carefully construct 2 separate personas. One should be the closest they can get to themselves, and the other should be someone that they wish they could be like. They will then create two different accounts on social networking websites and test drive these personas. They will set their profiles and blogs to public so that anyone can see them. For 2 weeks (at least 3xs a week) the student will interact with those who interact with them – those who post comments on their pictures or blogs, those who email them. All interaction will be recorded and used in their final paper. Students would not be required to use their real names, but would be required to use at least one picture in their profile. One depicting them as they are, and one to go along with their alter-ego. Students would then examine the differences in the personas and their interactions with people via the internet. They will then reflect on how it makes them feel. The message is for students to look past the ‘bumper stickers’ and the ‘pokes’ and to examine something they’ve always taken for granted with mature and informed eyes. Does it change their view of these websites and of the internet as a whole? (It should). How does it change the way the student will interact with the internet in the future? Let the student tell you about their findings and then let them tell you about how it feels.
For this project there are two very distinctive parts for me: the research and the reflection. As such, I think they should be treated as two separate parts. The student would be required to turn in all forms of communication (printing off blogs with their comments) – we should have the URL and check it regularly, but the students should still present you with a completed packet. To ensure that students don’t wait to talk about their feelings, they should keep a journal and write in it after every time they post something, or interact with someone. Do they feel violated? Exposed? Vulnerable? Powerful? Mysterious? Students should also be asked to think critically about their experience: should there be stricter rules in place on websites? Should laws be enacted to separate legally the online persona from the real persona? Should there be laws that tie them together in a more concrete way? Their experiences could lead them into some really fascinating conversations. It would tie together two things everyone loves: the internet and talking about how they feel.
Readings could include the article that started all of this, but there’s actually a great deal of research on the Cyber-self. I’m sure there’s documentaries or news report clips we can show in class, or have them blog on. This is a contemporary topic that I really feel is relevant to their lives. It’s also become a mini obsession of my own.
Love it? Hate it?