Nicole Reczek

It's Bitstrip Time!

Good morning, Grade 8s! For the past few days, we've been spending time creating our avatars/characters and learning how to use BitStrips! As an example, we all created a quick comic strip on a "day in the life of our grade 8 classroom."  The examples I have seen so far are phenomenal, and your characters are so unique!

Here is my comic creation:
Click on the image to make it larger!


Now, we're focusing on making connections between what we've done in Language class and creating a comic to promote our Big Idea! Remember our classroom code (it is written on chart paper in class), and login to our class and your specific avatar. 

CREATE: a comic on what it means to be a Global Citizen in a local environment - in your school, at home, at the bus stop, in the mall, etc. What actions can you do on a daily basis to promote being a global citizen in your society?

Remember your audience and the purpose - what do you want them to learn? We will be printing out these comics and putting them up on our reserved wall in the hallway to teach the students around us what it means to be a Global Citizen!

Remember spelling and grammar - pretend this will be printed in a newspaper; make sure you double-check your grammar (even though it's typing online, use "you" instead of "u"!)

Once you're finished, make sure to "share" the comic,
and post a link to the comic in the comments below!
Along with the link, EXPLAIN what your message is
and what you want your audience to learn!
Nicole Reczek

Open Talk: iPhone 93?

Picture found from here

Parents & Guardians: "Open Talk" is our way of continuing discussions we were not able to finish in class due to time constraints (or recess!) and allows the students more time to comment on it. The topics relate to "big ideas" in class and are a way of chronicling our deeper talks!

Deeper-Thinking Students: We had a great conversation today while preparing for our "letter to the future" assignments coming up when we talked about, What will the future look like? As global citizens, we need to keep in mind current actions that will benefit future societies. 

The topic soon turned to technology: will there finally be flying cars? Will there be an iPhone 93 by the year 2050? Will mp3 players be available as chips that we implant into our brains? Unfortunately, we did not have time to continue this discussion.

Here's your chance! Use the comments to discuss and predict how technology will be used in the future! Using our Twitter accounts, you could also send a tweet using the hashtag #iPhone93. We will check this hashtag and any comments tomorrow morning! 

Nicole Reczek

Global Citizens: Having a Critical Eye

Part of our BIG IDEA of being a GLOBAL CITIZEN is keeping a critical eye (or two!) on the media that is found all around us. In class we discussed the various places we see advertisements: TV commercials, billboards, magazines, newspapers, bus shelters, on websites, etc. 

We also discussed how a lot of advertisements contain stereotype and bias (click on these words to be taken to their definitions and add to your "words of the day" journals!) and how we need to be aware of how they are used in commercials because they have an influence on the audience.

PONDERINGS: Have you ever been effected or influenced by a commercial (for food, clothing, a movie, etc)? What kind of effect did it have on you? Do you find yourself bombarded by advertisements or do you not pay attention to them?

Our BIG PROJECT is to create our own commercials - but first, let's analyze a few! Here is a Dove commercial that became popular because it challenged the stereotypes and biases found in most advertisements targeted towards girls and women. Have a look!





Commercial made by Dove and found from YouTube


In the comments below either: (A) analyze this commercial and if it had any effect on you, or what it made you think about as a critical thinker; or (B) pick your own commercial from YouTube that contains stereotype/bias and describe what it is and what audience the commercial is targeting.

Dear Parents: Through this activity, students will be able to analyse and discuss how media addresses their intended purpose and audience, according to the media literacy section in the curriculum, as well as discuss the effectiveness of advertisements. As a result, students will be able to critically think about stereotypes/bias which will lead to their big idea and group project coming up!
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