The Digital English Classroom

This has been an exceptionally challenging but rewarding task.  I decided to do a slide show for part of the poem “Tintern Abbey” because I do teach William Wordsworth to my sophomores and I talked about it in the previous post.  I was really picky about the pictures I chose, but Flicker had a vast array of them.  Also, RockYou is a VERY easy tool to use when making slide shows.  I just got nervous because when I signed up for it (it suggests that you do this to edit your slide shows, I noticed it was public and I didn’t want “curranb” floating around on the web).  So, here is my show with part of the poem.  I am looking forward to trying out the other slide show options as well.  This would be an excellent tool for the classroom because it is relatively easy and students could really have fun creating shows, especially the feature that allows you to add modern music and funky transitions/themes to it. 

Slide Show: http://www.rockyou.com/show_my_gallery2.php?instanceid=114676990

Photo Credits: 

Slide 1 “A Winter’s Day” by _marmota  http://www.flickr.com/photos/chilledsalad/2139772885/

Slide 2  “Wye” by Joe Dunckley

http://www.flickr.com/photos/steinsky/540285598/

Slide 3  by Articulate!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/articulate/133477586/

Slide 4 “TinternAbbey” by willposh http://www.flickr.com/photos/willposh/2471313203/

Slide 5 “Pushing daisies” by suzienewshoes http://www.flickr.com/photos/suzannehitchen/2472748005/

Slide 6 “Tintern Abbey” by willposh  http://www.flickr.com/photos/willposh/2471340871/

Using pictures while teaching writing, literature, and vocabulary has always been an important part of my curriculum.  One of the biggest challenges is finding pictures that are not restricted (I confess, I have used some that were not from Creative Commons).   I chose the advanced search function on Flickr and checked off the box that only included CC photos.  At first, I typed in names of places where our literature takes place (Russia, London, Tintern Abbey, Cuba, etc.)  I discovered a very unique photo of Tintern Abbey entitled “God’s Eye.”   I thought it would generate a significant amount of discussion and provide a unique pre-reading experience.  Students could write about this pastoral poem from a completely different viewpoint than its author, William Wordsworth.  My students, in a sense, could take their own trips to Tintern Abbey and create their own impression of the place. 

Tintern Abbey image by Just A Slice