The Plan

So, because it has become quite clear that I need to give myself more direction in how I'm going to manage this blog (or else an empty week like the last one will occur once more), I've decided to finally come up with my "PLAN". And, just as a short reminder, I figured it would be a good idea to post the learning objects, just to make sure that I'm covering all of my bases.

1. Gain Shakespeare Literacy

Demonstrate mastery over fundamental information about Shakespeare’s works, life, and legacy

     a. Breadth (knowledge of a range of Shakespeare’s works)

     b. Depth (more thorough knowledge of a single work)

     c. Performance (stage and screen)

     d. Legacy (history, scholarship, popular culture)

2. Analyze Shakespeare Critically

Interpret Shakespeare’s works critically in their written form, in performance (stage or screen) and in digitally mediated transformations. This includes 

     a. Textual analysis (theme, language, formal devices)

     b. Contextual analysis (historical, contemporary, cultural)

     c. Application of literary theories 

     d. Analysis of digital mediations

3. Engage Shakespeare Creatively

     a. Performance (memorization, recitation, scene on stage or video)

     b. Individual creative work (literary imitation, art, music)

     c. Collaborative creative project

  

4. Share Shakespeare Meaningfully

This includes engaging in the following:

     a. Formal Writing. Develop and communicate your ideas about Shakespeare clearly in formal and          researched writing and through a format and medium that puts your ideas into public circulation.

     b. Informal Writing. This mainly means through regular online writing

     c. Connecting. Share one’s learning and creative work with others both in and outside of class.

5. Gain Digital Literacy

 Students use their study of Shakespeare as a way of understanding and developing fluency in 21st century learning skills and computer-mediated modes of communication. Those skills are grouped under the following categories.
     a. Consume - Effective and independent selecting, searching, researching,
     b. Create - Producing content that demonstrates learning and which can be shared for others to profit from.
     c. Connect - Engage with other learners within and outside of the class to develop thinking and share more formal work.

I believe that this blog covers the main concepts of the last two learning outcomes, so I'll focus primarily on what I can do to accomplish the prior three.

Gaining Shakespeare Literacy involves reading and studying the Bard's works, so the current set-up of class--reading a different genre of Shakespeare a week--helps meet this requirement. When we break down into smaller concepts and more focused study, the literacy concept will probably become a bit more complex, but this works for now.

Analyze Shakespeare Critically calls for an indepth look at characters, settings, all of the seperate little elements that make up his works. Because I intend to focus more on these minut details rather than a play as a whole, the 'critical-ness' of this requirement becomes something more of a 'direct-ness'.

And finally, the part I am most interested in: Engage Shakespeare Creatively. Creativity is what I do best, so I've decided to show the varying adaptations and alterations of Shakespeare's plays. Furthermore (because I'm a writer and an actor and all that jazz) I want to demonstrate how it is possible to take an element of his work--a single character, for instance--and adapt it into a new revenue or work of literature so that it becomes something not only Shakespeare but me, as well.

So, in order to be a bit more specific, here's how the plan will work. Mind you, this will probably change in the second half of the semester once we start on our ebook or such.

3 Posts a Week
     a. One analyzing an Element of the current play and presenting current adaptations.
     b. One reviewing an current scholarship available concerning the above Element.
     c. One demonstrating how the Element can be changed and/or used in a new piece of literature from a writer's stand-point.

That should be concrete enough to keep me on track. Cross your fingers for me! (And, just for a bit of humor, this will be my inspiration for NOT procrastinating. :) )