Ms. Hunt's Homepage

Project Title: Hands-On MovableType Training Simulation Module

Learning Goal: To train faculty and staff in the procedures for maintaining instructional and administrative blogs through the MovableType program

Audience: Faculty and staff at Athens Academy, an independent, co-educational, college preparatory, day school in Athens, Georgia

Client/Motivations: The Media and Technology Department is responsible for training faculty and staff to maintain their MovableType blogs featured on the school's website. The department produced a training manual and offers small-group and one-on-one sessions with faculty, but follow-up on the hands-on sessions is difficult to schedule, given the demanding nature of the workday. Therefore, the department would like to complement the other training available by offering a hands-on session teachers and administrators could work through on their own. This would reinforce the other training methods employed, and it would accommodate the busy schedules of the people working at the school. The audio/visual/kinesthetic nature of the new module would appeal to a broad spectrum of learning styles.

Instructional Methods Selection: As noted above, the client would like to complement the other training available by offering a hands-on session teachers and administrators could work through on their own. This would reinforce the other training methods employed, and it would accommodate the busy schedules of the people working at the school. The audio/visual/kinesthetic nature of the new module would appeal to a broad spectrum of learning styles.

Scope of the Project: If successful, the client would like to develop training simulations for faculty/staff, including more advanced use of MovableType, use of digital video editing software, and use of the school's information management systems. The client would also like to develop training simulations for classroom use, including training students to develop blogs/webs for classroom presentations.

Skills Needed: Training on Captivate software

Benefits of Implementation for Client and Audience: Obviously, teachers and administrators will improve their ability to communicate via the school website, positively impacting both instructional and organizational processes at the school.

Posted by Ms. Hunt at 12:32 PM | Permalink

This week, I've met with my clients, the Media and Technology staff at Athens Academy, to determine the scope of the project and to identify the project's key Subject Matter Expert, Ms. Beth Rodgers.

To begin work on the MovableType simulation training module, I've done the following:
1. I wrote an overview of the project and submitted it to clients for their approval.
1. I collected the training manual Ms. Rodgers produced for use of MovableType by the school's faculty and staff.
2. I ordered the Captivate software I'll use to produce the simulation.
3. I've participated in several face-to-face MovableType training sessions with Academy teachers.
4. I've identified faculty and staff who will assist with the review and evaluation of the module.

So far, everything is falling into place. My next steps will be to train myself on the Captivate program and write a script (using Ms. Rodgers' training manual) for the simulation.

Posted by Ms. Hunt at 12:24 PM | Permalink

Identity Project

Responding to "Who am I and what has shaped me into who I am?"

1. Write one chapter from your life story.
2. Compile at least 20 images into a slide show, and pull at least 20 sentences from your chapter as captions for the photos.
2. The images and sentences should compose your digital "graphic novel chapter" that relates a pivotal time, event, or thread in your life.
3. Use PowerPoint to create the slide show.

Progress Report # 1

1. What is the title of your chapter? Come up with a working title, even if you might change it later.
2. On what event/topic/idea does the chapter focus?
3. Have you collected images? How many so far?
4. Do you need to collect more images and do you need to scan them?
5. How many slides have you completed (with images and captions)?
6. What background(s) did you select for the slides? Why did you choose this design (or these designs)?
7. When do you think you’ll be finished with the slide show?

Personal Code Project

Create an artifact (song, story, painting, business or travel proposal, sculpture, whatever...) that responds to the following question: How will I live my life?

Progress Report # 1

1. Describe the project you’re working on.
2. How does this reflect your response to the question, “How will I live?”
3. List three tasks you need to accomplish as you work toward completing the project. Give an approximate ETC (“estimated time of completion”) for each of the three tasks.

A. Task/ETC
B. Task/ETC
C. Task/ETC

Posted by Ms. Hunt at 02:03 PM | Permalink

1. Select a soliloquy:

"O that this too too sullied [solid] flesh would melt" (1.2.129-159)
"O what a rogue and peasant slave am I!" (2.2.549-607)
"To be, or not to be, that is the question" (3.1.56-89)
"How all occasions do inform against me" (4.4.32-66)

2. Copy the etext of the soliloquy into an MS Word document.

http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/MobHaml.html

3. Create a promptbook for the soliloquy.

Follow these instructions to create your promptbook: Download file
Try this great online resource on About.com.

Act I: Download file
Act II: Download file
Act III: Download file
Act IV: Download file
Act V: Download file

5. Create a storyboard for your film.

How to develop a storyboard

Storyboard Lessons

Storyboard Example

The Storyboard Artist

Use PowerPoint slides as storyboards—scan/insert drawings or clip art or photos—add narration to explain shots—experiment w/ transitions as precursor to establishing camera angles and editing footage.

Include on each slide: number them, which lines covered in scene, sound effects, music, narration, lighting, special effects, camera angles/movement, graphics, on-screen text, titles, NOTES.

6. Explore past stage and screen interpretations and historical examples of promptbooks.

Reviews of stage and film productions: http://pages.unibas.ch/shine/linkstraghamletwf2.html#reviews

Stage production: http://www.georgedillon.com/theatre/hamlet.shtml

List of contemporary performances to investigate: http://www.is.bham.ac.uk/traffic/

http://pages.unibas.ch/shine/revengechesnoiu.htm Romanian Hamlets

Ophelia in Film Productions (Helena Bonham Carter, Kate Winslet, Julia Stiles)

More Ophelia

HamletWorks.org

Historical Examples of Promptbooks

sample promptbook for scene 1.4: http://shea.mit.edu/ramparts/collections/upenn/index.htm

Shakespearean Prompt-Books of the Seventeenth Century at UVA: http://etext.virginia.edu/bsuva/promptbook/

19th Century Hamlet Promptbooks: http://www3.humnet.unipi.it/nutshell/hamlet/start.html

Posted by Ms. Hunt at 01:30 PM | Permalink

Unit One: 21st Century Living
Films: Garden State, Office Space, Gattaca, Soylent Green, Logan's Run, Munich, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Unit Two: Existential Crisis and Philosophy
Films: A Room with a View, The Hours, Four Days in September, Thelma and Louise

Unit Three: Hamlet

Units Four and Five: Personal Code and Personal Identity
Films: Gosford Park, Moonstruck, The Joy Luck Club, Bend It Like Beckham, Ma Vie en Rose, The Age of Innocence, Eat Drink Man Woman, Fiddler on the Roof, Jeremiah Johnson, The Grapes of Wrath, Stand and Deliver, Norma Rae, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, October Sky

Posted by Ms. Hunt at 01:18 PM | Permalink

For August 28:
Everyone -- Philosopher.org

Group One -- Existential Primer
Group Two -- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (from intro through section 2.3)
Group Three -- Wikipedia

Salinger Sites

Posted by Ms. Hunt at 01:09 PM | Permalink

For an overview of the texts and activities of this course, please visit the Course Overview page.

Permission Slip for Film Unit (Please sign and return the first week of the semester.)
Download file

Students will view films in class, at scheduled Movie Nights, and individually at home.

Existentialism is a complicated topic, but if you're interested in engaging your child in a discussion of this philosophy, you might explore the resources on the links page to learn more about this 20th century school of thought.

Posted by Ms. Hunt at 12:42 PM | Permalink

According to requirements on the assignments page, access the Discussion Board.

To begin, follow these instructions:

Sign up for the Discussion Board the first week of class.
Go to http://www.athensacademy.net/forums/. This will be the main forum page.
On this page, click on Register. Use your Academy username, and your network password.

Posted by Ms. Hunt at 12:31 PM | Permalink

Uphold the Honor Code.

1. All work is pledged work unless otherwise noted by your instructor. When we collaborate on assignments, the teacher will make clear to what extent the activity is pledged work.
2. Write out the Honor Pledge and sign your name at the bottom of all pledged work.
3. For assignments submitted electronically, type the Honor Pledge at the start of the file.

Complete all work on time and be on time to class.

1. Sign the English Department's Late Work Policy.
2. Regular homework will not be accepted late.
3. If work is not turned in at the beginning of class or by an otherwise appointed deadline, it is considered late.
4. Some projects and papers will not be accepted past the deadline.
5. Homework may be brought in the day following an absence, but projects and papers must be turned in by the due date. In the case of absence, email your assignment to your teacher or send it in with a friend or family member (on paper or on disk).
6. You must make up work from absences in a timely manner.

Type homework and final drafts.

1. Arial, size 10, single-spaced, standard margins or smaller
2. In the top left corner (on one continuous line), write your name, the assignment title, and date. Skip a line and begin the draft.
3. Prepare your work the day before to allow for tech glitches and the resolution of those problems.
4. In the face of a technological meltdown, call a friend, call your teacher, and grab paper and pen!
5. BEFORE you come to class, print assignments to be handed in. Electronic submission deadlines will vary.

Access information via the web and email.

1. I will post information to the web page, and when needed, I will contact you via email.
2. YOU MUST CHECK THE CLASS WEB PAGE AND YOUR EMAIL EVERY DAY!
3. When you hand in your work via folder on Instruction or email, make sure to include the following in the subject line: Eggs: your name’s assignment title date
4. Contribute to the discussion board as directed by your teacher.

Remember that the laptops should serve our educational objectives.

1. Perform backups every Friday on your own. A few times a week in class, we’ll copy our new or revised English files and post them to private folders on the network.
2. You’ll email me your work at the end of most class periods so I can check your progress.
3. Label your power cord and laptop, and bring them to class every day.
4. Always carry your laptop in its carrying case, not in your backpack. Use your locker between classes to lighten your load. You won’t have much to bring to English class beyond your laptop, a paperback, your class folder, paper, and pen. Backpacks should not be necessary for class.
5. It is your responsibility to visit the help desk when necessary. Laptop problems do not excuse missed deadlines.
6. Laptop indiscretions will result in a loss of 10 homework points.

Respect others and the classroom environment.

1. Follow the honor code.
2. Speak respectfully to your classmates and your teacher.
3. Keep the room clean. Gum, food, and drinks are not allowed in class (exception=water) except on special occasions that involve the entire class (coffeehouses, movie nights).
4. Consistent with school policy, cell phones are not be on nor used in class.

Monitor your attendance and tardy patterns.

1. Expect calls home if you are absent on test day or the day major assignments are due.
2. Makeup tests will be more difficult and will require more time to complete. Makeup tests will require written permission from parents/doctor's excuses.
3. Expect a parent conference if this pattern continues.

Posted by Ms. Hunt at 12:10 PM | Permalink

Welcome to Existentialism in Literature and Film!

The course explores the 20th century philosophy of existentialism through many lenses—books, movies, plays, and music. We’ll read, watch, and perform Hamlet and several parodies of the play, including Tom Stoppard’s clever and provocative Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, and we’ll compose our own film adaptation proposals. Twice a month, we’ll have a coffeehouse discussion to relate the philosophy’s “big questions” to our own lives. We’ll read novels, short stories, poetry, and prose excerpts from around the world to see how different writers address the same question: What does it mean to be a human being?

Follow the links on the right to access the course overview, information page for parents, assignments, etc.

If you have questions, please contact Ms. Hunt via email or by phone in the Media Center.

Research Zone | Reading Web | US English Department | Discussion Board

Posted by Ms. Hunt at 09:29 AM | Permalink