This week I did a digital composition project. Admittedly, I forced myself to keep a the time I spent on the project to be 40 minutes, as I know that my perfectionism would lead me to endlessly polish this for several hours, despite being "mini". I present Book Trailer: Steel Ball Run
While I admit that this product is relatively poorly polished compared to my other work, I had a lot of fun doing it. In Confronting the Challenges
of Participatory Culture:
Media Education for the
21st Century, Jenkins explores the use of play in learning.
"When children are deep at play they engage with the fierce, intense attention that we’d like to see them apply to their schoolwork. Interestingly enough, no matter how intent and focused a child is at that play, maybe even grimly determined they may be at that gameplay, if you asked them afterwards, they will say that they were having fun. So, the fun of game play is not non-stop mirth but rather the fun of engaging of attention that demands a lot of you and rewards that effort." (Jenkins 2006)
"When children are deep at play they engage with the fierce, intense attention that we’d like to see them apply to their schoolwork. Interestingly enough, no matter how intent and focused a child is at that play, maybe even grimly determined they may be at that gameplay, if you asked them afterwards, they will say that they were having fun. So, the fun of game play is not non-stop mirth but rather the fun of engaging of attention that demands a lot of you and rewards that effort." (Jenkins 2006)
When I think about all that I had to do I was surprised how much that was related to the book. I had to correctly identify several characters from the text and determine which individuals should be included. This, along with my summary, showed off my knowledge of the book's content.
That's not all, though. I also had to determine a good song to fit in the background. I chose "Personal Jesus" by Depeche Mode, because a common theme through the story is salvation through the use of Steel Ball Run. For example, Gyro needs the money to pardon a child in Italy abd Sandman wants to win the race so he can save his tribe from poverty and be welcomed again. What's also neat is that I got to tune the film up to different parts of the song (albeit somewhat poorly) as a way to transition to different parts.
This was a very interesting learning experience because it didn't feel like learning. It just felt like me fooling around on Windows Movie Maker for a while. I didn't actually realize how much I learned or analyzed in the text until I looked at it now. It's like I was being tricked to learn. As a result, I highly recommend trying to do this in the class because it's educational and isn't just a plain old grind.
Your book trailer is awesome! I have been wanting to read more manga as it is, but now your trailer make me want to read even more. I like the song you picked, too, and I liked that it did not include vocals. I also agree that I would like to try something like this in class because, like you said, it isn't just a plain old grind. I can see students having a lot of fun with this because it would be very personal to them and something they truly care about. Good job!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea, Max! Book trailers are a way to get students interested in books they usually have to read. If they look forward to reading, then they will start seeing it less as work. Also, creating a book trailer allows them to not only be creative but also helps them remember the book's main ideas. I loved the music use use to fit the mood of the book, especially since I love Depeche Mode!
ReplyDeleteTotally agree that this exercise felt less like "homework" and more like "fooling around with cool junk to pass the time." Kids are inundated with "read, worksheet, write essay, repeat" in English class, so this sort of thing can easily have the same effect on learning while appealing to perhaps a more wide range of students.
ReplyDeleteSweet book trailer! I love what you said in your last paragraph. I really couldn't have said it better myself. It's like being "tricked" into learning...but in a good way! I also like what Travis said that kids are stuck doing the read, worksheet, essay, repeat. If you can incorporate stuff like this, kids will want to be in your class. That's what I think.
ReplyDeleteI've never read any manga apart from some Shonen Jump issues (only for the Yu-Gi-Oh! segments of course) way back when i was in 4th-ish grade, but your trailer would easily make me pick up this little number titled "Steel Ball Run"....
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun way to make a book sound interesting! Sometimes the summary on the back isn't enough, but putting it to music and making a trailer makes it look a lot more exciting! Definitely a nice tool to make for people that judge books by their cover.
ReplyDeleteDitto that your foray into book trailers is awesome. You definitely exemplified the power of play in learning. Well done!! Also, I'm a huge fan of Depeche Mode. Thanks for bringing me back to my Junior and High school days.
ReplyDeleteAlso, you did a great job of editing the song to take out the vocals and also build suspense. Kudos to you!!
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