I am Malala- Post #1

This young woman's story is so empowering. It is amazing to see how, even as a (very) young adult, she thinks in such optimistic and feminist ways, even after all she has been through. Her family structure is very interesting, with her two brothers and her parents, who were not supposed to get married. Because her father is empowering and doesn't follow certain ideas or customs gives Malala a benefit. She becomes a target because of her father's actions.
I can see why this book is taught in schools, as it is very empowering. I think Malala's strength to go on and write this book is so admirable. I think she inspires not only girls like her, but anyone who has been "knocked down" and is ready to get back up. 

The Space Between Our Footsteps- Part 2

I am so glad that I was recommended this book. It has added to my single story so much. Women have such an important role in society, yet are constantly discriminated against. The culture centers around men, similarly to Mexican culture. Many of the poems written by women discussed the fact that they were overshadowed by men. These women are barely allowed to use these art forms as an outlet to express their feelings. It is interesting to see that both society and the men in their lives oppress women. But these women are so strong. They know that their culture oppresses women, but they continue to fight it. This collection immersed me into the culture of Middle Eastern people and their lives. This book was perfect as my first read because it gave me a good understanding of culture that I can use as a lens as I continue to read.

Sharon Flake

While the stories she writes about do not impact the single story I am currently studying, Sharon Flake brought up a good point. She explained how people who didn't fit her characters' descriptions would feel that it was "their story." Single stories need to be told because other  people can relate to them. Readers can understand that they aren't the only ones going through or feeling something. It also allows readers to have that realization that we are all human, the African American teenagers that Flake writes about and her reader, no matter their gender or race, can understand the deeper human connection of emotion. The women I am reading about have all faced oppression. I have faced it too, not as much as them but I can empathize for and with them while I read. We are both human. And that's why it is so important to allow yourself to dive into a single story, to understand that we are all human.

Mini Lesson Reflection- Kahoot

I do think that my classmates/students learned what I wanted them to learn. Many students seemed to enjoy using Kahoot and almost everyone responded that they would use this in future classrooms. There were only a few questions, all which I was able to answer. I do think I could have improved on specificity in the tools that Kahoot has for teachers to use, such as usage of the leader board, the option for students to choose their own names or automatically selected names, usage of pictures, but I think for the time that I had I did well on teaching the main tools of Kahoot. I am proud of myself for being able to find and create something that the future teachers and students thoroughly enjoyed. I think my presentation and Kahoot itself was very fun and easy going. I am also proud of myself for be able to get back on track after I accidentally exited out of the browser, it was honestly a scary moment and I already knew I was short on time, but thankfully I recovered quickly. All in all, I think I did better than I thought and I have to forgive myself for my mistakes, since nothing will ever go exactly as planned. 

Digital Poetry Interpretation

Here is my finished product of my digital poetry interpretation of Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare. I chose this poem because it isn't like many love poems. I had performed this sonnet for a Shakespeare monologue and sonnet competition back in high school, and I have always really loved it. But as I was story boarding I realized my interpretation had changed since high school. I now interpret the mistress as someone who is beautiful in her own way, she may not be what society considers to be perfect, but she is on her own, unique way. As soon as I realized this was my new way of reading the poem I contacted my friend Mazal, for not only did she fit the description, but she is so unique and beautiful in her own way. She agreed to do it and another friend agreed to read the poem and be featured at the end.
I think because I had a clear concept in my head this process was very easy and fun for me. Because I have a background in theatre, filming and directing was very easy. Clip Champ also made editing very easy for me and I was able to add the extra touches to really pull the video together. My process was very easy: story board, film, record, edit, and now I am so happy with the finished project! My three friends who helped me out did everything just as I had imagined.
After this project I definitely think a project like this, or any multimedia project would be really great in a classroom. I think even without a theatre or technology based background any student could do this. I would imagine students would rather do this than write a paper, even though more time could be put into making a video. Plus, students can learn this type of technology for later usage in life, whether it be in college or after. This was much easier and much more fun than expected!