Instructional Architect

You know, I'd never heard of this program before this class. But now I have. And I like it. Here's our first try on this teaching tool known as IA:

http://ia.usu.edu/viewproject.php?project=ia:5345

Explanation

I was thinking that our little horror film needed an explanation. It came as an assignment in class: Get a partner, take a camera, and go film something, hopefully related to your subject area. You have a half-hour. Go.

So, being English majors, my partner and I headed towards the library. And we . . . filmed stuff. It was only later, in "post," that we decided what it was going to be about. Once we stuck those shaky and old-timey filters on the library shot, we realized it was a scary movie. So we edited the rest to be such.

It started out a "how-to" movie for using the library, and ended up . . . very entertaining.

Well, we laughed a lot as we were making it, anyway. And in the end, isn't that what matters?

The Joy of Making Movies

The movie we made for class! It's not much, but it's ours.

Oh, and by the way, we got an A.

INST 3500 Course Assignment

First off, here's a nice background for a lesson on figurative language--and by background, I literally mean background.

And as for this course, I’m a huge fan. I’m a big supporter of the “learning by doing” method, especially when it comes to technology. The way the class is set up allows for a lot of hands on, creative work that we can individually adapt to our content areas. Basically, I feel like I get to do my own work while learning a lot of new programs and operating systems. The one improvement I suggest would be to have it a little more clearly stated in class what we are required to do—exactly what assignments are due when, etc., especially because it appears the original expectations have changed. This could be fixed by a single clear explanation in class. On the whole, I am enjoying and benefiting greatly from this course!

Using Open Source Theory in the Classroom

Applying a Theory of Technology in an English Classroom

1st:
The idea is to get students to understand the theory behind the technology they use daily.
- Identify the technology they use (i.e. message boards, chat, text messaging, or for our purposes, open source culture)
- Explain what it technically is (Open Source = a set of principles and practices that promote access to the design and production of goods and knowledge)
- Explain what it does, and why it works (Open Source theory = the creative practice of appropriation and free sharing of found and created content)

2nd:
Once they understand the concept or theory behind it, help students learn to apply it to the course content.
- If Open Source is to open up your work to the public to work together for a better product, then Open Source poetry is to open up your work to the public to work together for a better product.
- Example: http://opensourcepoetry.org

RULES
Of course, there must be guidelines and restrictions. This is school, after all.

Open Source Classroom Rules

• Rule 1: You are free to use and combine your work to create something new. The argument is that two heads are better than one, that someone else's idea may have some flaws in it that you can improve upon and keep it going.
• Rule 2: You still can't violate copyright. This is a new movement, so any work or works that were created before or without this or don't specifically claim otherwise ARE copyrighted.
  
• Rule 3: When you make someone else's work yours, it doesn't stay yours. You have to "pay it forward." That is, you can't take something for free then sell it for money. You must leave it open to be changed again by someone else.
• Rule 4: In my classroom, the Open Source rule would apply only some of the time. When it is decided in class that the assignment will be open source, feel free to use anything that is already free. But when it comes to many assignments (certain essays, tests, etc) I need to evaluate YOUR personal work and you MAY NOT appropriate, include, use, or copy anyone else's. (Hopefully this would rule out essay-buying or internet copying)
  

Open Source in Other Content Areas

L.H.O.O.Q. by Marcel Duchamp

Open Source art?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appropriation_%28art%29

This is for our class project today. I took this right on campus.
ENGLISH CLASS PROMPT: Describe how your life is like a greenhouse.