Exploring Chinese Mythology!

Online resources:

Ashliman, D.L. (2007). Folklore and Mythology Electronic Texts. Retrieved September 30, 2007 from http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/folktexts.html

Xindeco Business Information Company (1998). Selected Chinese Myths and Fantasies. Retrieved September 30, 2007 from http://www.chinavista.com/experience/story/story.html


Purpose:

This is to be used as an activity for grade 6 English Language Arts. It also incorporates themes from Topic C of the Social Studies curriculum.

Students would be required to use the above websites (or approved sites from an internet search) to find a Chinese folktale which they enjoy. After reading the folktale, students would then have to compare the chosen tale either to either a personal experience or another folktale that they are familiar with. This activity would be used to emphasize similarities and differences across cultures and serve as a writing activity. Students would have to type up their response using a word processor.


General learner outcomes from the English Language Arts Program of Study:

GLO 1: Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to explore thoughts, ideas, feelings and experiences.

GLO 2: Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to comprehend and respond personally and critically to oral, print and other media texts.

GLO 3: Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to manage ideas and
information.

GLO 5: Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to respect, support and collaborate with others.


Specific learner outcomes from the English Language Arts Program of Studies:

As a result of the pervasive nature of the English Language Arts curriculum, most SLOs from this PoS could be incorporated into this activity. However, I chose to highlight the ones that related to exploring the media form and interpreting the information.

SLO 1.1: Discover and Explore

• Express ideas and develop understanding: read, write, represent and talk to explore and explain connections between prior knowledge and new information in oral, print and other media texts
• Engage in exploratory communication to share personal responses and develop own interpretations

SLO 1.2: Clarify and Extend

• Combine ideas: use talk, notes, personal writing and representing, together with texts and the ideas of others, to clarify and shape understanding

SLO 2.2: Respond to Texts

• Experience various texts: experience oral, print and other media texts from a variety of cultural traditions and genres, such as autobiographies, travelogues, comics, short films, myths, legends and dramatic performances
• Discuss common topics or themes in a variety of oral, print and other media texts

SLO 3.2: Select and Process

• Use a variety of sources: locate information to answer research questions, using a variety of sources, such as printed texts, bulletin boards, biographies, art, music, community resource people, CDROMs and the Internet

SLO 5.1: Respect Others and Strengthen Community

• Appreciate Diversity: compare personal challenges and situations encountered in daily life with those experienced by people or characters in other times, places and cultures portrayed in oral, print and other media texts … share and discuss ideas and experiences that contribute to different responses to oral, print and other media texts

Relevant ICT outcomes:

C.1 - Students will access, use and communicate information from a variety of technologies.

• 2.1 - access and retrieve appropriate information from the Internet by using a specific search path or from given uniform resource locations (URLs)
  

C.3 - Students will critically assess information accessed through the use of a variety of technologies.

• 2.1 - identify and distinguish points of view expressed in electronic sources on a particular topic
• 2.2 - recognize that information serves different purposes and that data from electronic sources may need to be verified to determine accuracy or relevance for the purpose used
  

P.1 - Students will compose, revise and edit text.

• 2.1 - create and revise original text to communicate and demonstrate understanding of forms and techniques
• 2.2 - edit and format text to clarify and enhance meaning, using such word processing features as the thesaurus, find/change, text alignment, font size and font style
  

Rationale for computer integration:

By using these internet resources, the students are able to access many different viewpoints which may not be readily accessible otherwise. It also teaches the students to be able to locate information (rather than just handing them a book), which provides a certain ownership of the project – it will be more meaningful and they will gain more from the experience.

Blogging in classrooms?

I believe that blogging can be a very useful tool in classrooms. Some general uses of blogs and the benefits of incorporating this technology are listed below.

- Blogs can be used as an administration tool (like a class webpage with easy access for both students and parents).
- They allow for centralized discussion with opportunity for everyone to contribute their ideas. It is a way to connect to students who are not necessarily comfortable speaking in class (this is not to say that it should replace classroom discussions). Also, it allows for viewing of the linear progression of the discussion.
- Blogs can be used as a publication tool. It allows the teacher and students to publish their work in a way that allows for numerous others to read it and give feedback. Similarly, it can be used as a student portfolio which allowing for a centralized collection of works which are easily available to be viewed by anyone who has access.
- It is also a meaningful opportunity to both read and write. As posts are available to other students and peers, it promotes pride of work.

In addition to this, blog sites are an easy way to facilitate communication on the internet. Setting up a site requires minimal technical knowledge (as opposed to building a website) and is easily created and maintained. Blogger.com advertises their “Push-Button Publishing.”

Links supporting blogging in classrooms:
http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/articles/bloggingtech/index.htm
http://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/educationupclose.phtml/47



While researching the usage of blogs in grade 12 English classes, I discovered many ways in which they have been integrated into real classrooms. Two of my favourite sites are below.


"Mrs. C's Senior English Blogs"
http://mtnbrookseniors.blogspot.com/

Mrs. C uses this blog as a discussion and publication tool. Her “rules” at the top of the page are as follows:

“Every week you will be expected to post at least two comments to this blog. Feel free to post your own ideas or comment on mine. All posts must be relevant to class discussions and assignments. Please mind your manners and use this spot for interesting discourse. Have fun this last semester of your senior year!”

Posts include antidotes, stories, or topics relating to the school or world in general (ex. Drug Free Week, war, terrorism, etc). All topics stem ideas and allow for student thought and reflection. She also brings blog topics back to the classroom which promotes further discussion while allowing students to be able to formulate their thoughts beforehand. In addition, duplicated responses do not get marked (which encourages independent thinking).

This site appears to be a very good way to spark discussion, develop thinking about world topics and it promotes writing with a purpose.


"Mrs. Huff's English Classes"
http://class.huffenglish.com/

This blog is used for all of Mrs. Huff’s English classes (grades 9-12). It is mostly used as an administrative tool: posts are directed to both students and parents with reminders of due dates, projects and feedback on specific classes. She also writes posts which have interesting links, posts articles and gives helpful hints (ex. tips for note taking).

Her site works as an easy and effective communication tool. As both students and parents are involved, it encourages everyone to be involved.

If I were to use blogs in my classroom, I would use the following ideas to ensure student safety.

- Discuss safe and acceptable procedures for online authorship in blogs. Both school policy and common sense dictates this. Also, students should be reminded not to use full names or email addresses.
- Many sites allow for restricted access to blogs. Access should only be granted to teachers, class members, parents and possibly approved others.
- Have open communication! Ongoing discussions of safety, as well as transfer of web discussions back to the classroom setting are very important.

Here is goes!

Hi there ... welcome to my very first blog! My name is Sarah McCune and this is for the Communication and Technology module of my 1st professional semester. This is my 5th year at the University of Lethbridge and I am excited to be starting education after finishing my music degree. It is my goal to one day teach band or choir in a middle school!

Blogs can be incorporated into a classroom in many different ways. They can act as a journal, a publication tool or an administrative tool. They can be used to access links, photos, videos and audio file. For an English 30 class, a teacher could set up a blog for the students to discuss their opinions on character relationships in "Death of a Salesman". Students could have to set up a blog for their CALM 10 course to discuss personal choices. A teacher could set up a blog to provide course information and additional resources for their Biology 20 class. Its format, convenience and accessibility make it an open-ended tool for the classroom.

However, there are also many drawbacks to this form of technology. A major issue can be privacy and personal security. And although the students can be warned of these dangers, they are still many dangers in making one’s life public. Internet predators can be deceptively non-threatening. There are also concerns of release of inappropriate or confidential information. As a teacher, you have so much responsibility for your students that these dangers can be worrisome.

I believe that if students are educated in all aspects of blogging and the use of it is regularly monitored by the teacher, that blogging can be a useful supplement to other teaching methods. It is something that I will incorporate into my class in the future.