Shaking up Shakespeare
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An online book I recently read was, "If Shakespeare Could Tweet".
Most high school students aren't necessarily excited to read Shakespeare. By integrating iOS into their lessons, teachers can transform the experience of learning Romeo & Juliet and other plays. Students can go from laboriously reading Shakespeare to excitedly interacting with Shakespeare with just an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch. |
This book is written by the Apple Distinguished Educator, Lawrence Reiff. Other than being an author of multiple books also available through iBooks, he is an English Language Arts teacher in New York. Reiff is also a Google certified teacher, and completed the training program through the Folger Shakespeare Library's "Teaching Shakespeare Insitute" and the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
"If Shakespeare Could Tweet", was a very interesting read, and inspired me greatly to combine both historical work and current technology. Reiff's quote that "Technology truly allows students to interact with Shakespeare's work" is the most impactful. He suggests that marking up the script using interactive tools such as "iAnnotate" helps the students learn “to mark up and manipulate the original text. Students can annotate and personalize their own versions of the script. ”
Excerpt From: Lawrence Reiff. “If Shakespeare Could Tweet: Transforming Literature with iOS.” Lawrence Reiff, 2014. iBooks. https://itun.es/us/UchBY.l
I find the concept of marking up and editing the script very beneficial, considering the students can learn to translate the old English and keep the translation on the page for future reference. I also think the integration of the iPads in reading Shakespeare is important, because they learn that it's more than just a "dusty old book."
Excerpt From: Lawrence Reiff. “If Shakespeare Could Tweet: Transforming Literature with iOS.” Lawrence Reiff, 2014. iBooks. https://itun.es/us/UchBY.l
I find the concept of marking up and editing the script very beneficial, considering the students can learn to translate the old English and keep the translation on the page for future reference. I also think the integration of the iPads in reading Shakespeare is important, because they learn that it's more than just a "dusty old book."
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Another beneficial way that Reiff mentioned for students to comprehend Shakespeare through technology is the app, "ComicLife,". He says, “Having them create a graphic novel of a play can really assess what they’ve learned. ComicLife is the perfect app for creating graphic literature.” This teaches students valuable skills such as summarizing without plagiarizing, being creative, and referencing.
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These are only a couple of the multiple examples that Reiff includes in "If Shakespeare Could Tweet." Reiff does a fantastic job of including ideas for all aspects of teaching Shakespeare, whether it be using film, graphic novels, and even essays. My favorite part of the iBook is not the activities necessarily, but the different options of assessing the students. Not only does he create interesting and knowledgable approaches to teaching an otherwise lackluster subject, but he makes it simple and interesting for the teacher as well.
