Lost the Plot Productions. (2010). Zimmer twins. Retrieved from http://www.zimmertwins.com/
- http://www.zimmertwins.com/
- http://www.zimmertwins.com/about/teachers
- http://www.zimmertwins.com/sites/zimmertwins.com/files/teachers_lesson_thewritingprocess.pdf
- http://www.zimmertwins.com/node/949698
The above websites are not traditional kinds of sites from which teachers usually access information or lesson ideas. Also, as a disclaimer, I have never used this site in a classroom but I think any teacher could find some use for this site in many different ways (more about this in a moment) as long as they had access to computers for students to use. The site is called Zimmer Twins. The first site listed above is the actual site's home page. The second site is designed for teachers and includes lesson plans and teaching ideas for using the site. The third site is one of the lessons plans about teaching the writing process. Finally, the fourth site is an example of what I did with the site. (Oh, can you find my small error in it?)
So what is Zimmer Twins? According to the website, it "is a site devoted to kids and creative storytelling." Students can make their own simple short story in the form of a movie choosing between three characters – Edgar, Eva, and a cat named 13. With the fact that students can make short movies, I think it is good for them to be able to show their creative side and can be done individually or in groups. A teacher could use this site for a short story assignment, or even possibly to teach English (e.g. grammar, expressions, vocabulary) or to test comprehension.
I believe this website incorporates the TPACK concepts. From the example lesson plan that I picked, students are introduced to the writing process. The teacher is the expert of the content which includes writing and storytelling. The lesson includes a variety of pedagogical methods from group work, to pair work, to individual reflection. Technological knowledge is incorporated in the use of the Zimmer Twins site and its capabilities. Additionally, since this lesson involves writing and reading too, it is then also a literacy lesson. The example lesson plan is lacking a viable assessment tool and something like a rubric would need to be developed before this lesson is utilized. Though I created an example movie, it did not follow this lesson plan. A new movie would have to be generated and I think that is a necessity for students to have a model to follow. One limiting factor with the site is that the characters can't speak and this may affect students' interest in it. Nevertheless, if given the chance, I would like to try this site with students in the future.
Tim,
ReplyDeleteThose are very interesting. I like the way that you have taken something that may not traditionally be used to teach literacy and have adapted it. I think kids would really like this assignment too!
With regard to your post on my site, I totally agree with you. The one benefit of that resource is that it sets up all of the publisher pages in advance so students just input information. Your comments did bring back good memories.
Thanks,
Todd