Competitor Analysis 6 Apps & Tools for Learning About Shakespeare http://www.avatargeneration.com/2013/10/6-­‐apps-­‐tools-­‐for-­‐learning-­‐about-­‐
shakespeare/ •
Swipespeare (app) o App designed for translation to modern English o Very basic, unrefined version of our filter idea o Single purpose •
Explore Shakespeare (app) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq9-­‐OPDKtac o Very refined app made by Cambridge University Press o Includes: §
Full text §
Voice narration by actors/actresses §
Glossaries for tough words §
Activities for understanding content §
Summaries §
Visualize scenes with photos §
(Confusing) Theme chart to show flow of play/scenes §
Nice display of character relationships §
Interactive “word clouds” •
What we may use to find themes in our surveys o No direct translation included o No communal aspects included •
Blogging Shakespeare (web) http://bloggingshakespeare.com/ o Community tool for sharing how Shakespeare is relevant to modern society o Contains: §
Articles §
Links to books §
Community sign up (receive the blog via email) •
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Facebook, Twitter, and Podcast Free webinars to share knowledge (inconsistent) o Decent idea, a lot of room for improvement o Room for additional community interaction •
Shakespeare’s Sonnets (app) http://shakespeares-­‐sonnets.touchpress.com/ o Features the text of his sonnets o Based heavily on the auditory learning aspect §
A member from the “all-­‐star cast” reading the sonnet’s aloud with a video at the top §
Video of the narrator seems excessive and unnecessary o Highlights the text below as it is being read aloud o “Allow[s] students to experience the poetry as it was meant to be experienced—aloud and with enthusiasm.” o Well crafted, straightforward o Expensive (I assume because of the sonnets included and “all-­‐star” narration) New Apps for Help Reading Shakespeare http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/books/review/new-­‐apps-­‐for-­‐help-­‐reading-­‐
shakespeare.html?_r=0 •
OTHELLO (iPad app) o “Whatever your experience in reading Shakespeare, it is in performance that his words come alive” o Heavy on showing Shakespeare’s plays performed §
Includes video clips of selected scenes from an 1987 performance o Additional audio and photos of performances provided o “one-­‐touch translation” of 1,400 terms •
Shakespeare (app) o Well categorized for plays, sonnets, and poems §
Plays have correlating images (or album covers) for additional viewing interest o Easily adjustable text size, text color, and background color o Search option available to find: §
Complete/individual plays §
Search within a scene §
Keep track of previous searches o Highlight phrases and add notes §
Can share notes with others (community) o Free version includes small glossary of words o Full version §
40,000 word glossary §
Shows scansion of words/syllables §
Biographical info §
Portrait gallery §
Statistics for characters, terms, etc… o Text used in app comes from PlayShakespeare.com •
Shakespeare at Play (app) http://www.shakespeareatplay.ca/ o Film entire productions of plays and embed at the top of the screen o Full videos to correlate with every scene of every play o Has line counts (important) o 3 ways to experience Shakespeare §
Video editions ($3.99 each) •
Includes full video of performance, text, many annotations, and a full glossary •
Each scene has an audio introduction, scene description, and list of characters §
Notes editions ($1.99 each) •
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Everything except the video included Text editions (free) •
Just the full text o App itself is free Statistical Research 15 Stats and Facts That Reveal the Power of eLearning http://info.shiftelearning.com/blog/bid/301248/15-­‐Facts-­‐and-­‐Stats-­‐That-­‐Reveal-­‐
The-­‐Power-­‐Of-­‐eLearning •
41.7% of global Fortune 500 companies used technology during formal education last year •
60% faster learning curve in students o eLearning gives students more control over their learning experience •
eLearning consumes 90% less energy and produces 85% fewer CO2 emissions than face-­‐to-­‐face courses •
Students who mix online learning with traditional coursework do best o In comparison to traditional or online only courses •
IBM found that their managers learned 5x the material in the same amount of time using an eLearning program 92% of College Students Prefer Reading Print Books to E-­‐Readers http://www.newrepublic.com/article/120765/naomi-­‐barons-­‐words-­‐onscreen-­‐fate-­‐
reading-­‐digital-­‐world • In 2014 65% of 6-­‐17 year olds said they would always prefer to read books in print o Up from 5% from the same study 2 years ago • Format of reading doesn’t matter as much for “light reading” o For serious reading, almost all students prefer print • Main problems with eText o Physical discomfort (headaches, eyestrain, etc.) o Distractions of electronic devices o Lack of self –accomplishment without the physical results o Visual memory of word placement on pages • Comprehension results are about the same from digital to print o More likely to re-­‐read the book later if it is in physical copy Derek Lawrence Interactive Design Research Music and Learning: Integrating Music in the Classroom http://education.jhu.edu/PD/newhorizons/strategies/topics/Arts%20in%20Educa
tion/brewer.htm Ways music can be utilized in the classroom: •
Learning Information o Music can stabilize mental, physical and emotional rhythms §
Helps attain a state of deep concentration and focus §
“Songs, chants, poems, and raps will improve memory of content facts” •
Attention, Attitude, and Atmosphere o Background music promotes a more pleasant atmosphere §
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Helps prepare and motivate students Personal Expression o Background music can: §
Stimulate internal processing §
Facilitate creativity §
Encourage personal reflection The Benefit of Interactive Learning http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/14/11/benefit-­‐interactive-­‐learning This is a shorter article on the impact of interactive learning on a college level. I think it is easily translatable to interactive learning with a younger audience. •
It is easier to get students emotionally invested in learning “uninteresting” subjects •
Keeps the student aware of where the class is during the lecture o Interaction breaks down learning into smaller chunks to learn and review at once §
Makes learning a less overwhelming experience Derek Lawrence Life on the Screen: Visual Literacy in Education http://www.edutopia.org/life-­‐screen This is an interview with George Lucas on the future of education. Communication should be taught comprehensively, in all possible formats •
o Written/spoken word, graphics, music and cinema §
All deeply intertwined in the lives of our newest generation Has the idea of removing art and music from the “arts” section and placing it •
with the English and math sections o Group as a “Communications” section or circle §
Emotional/Visual -­‐ Music and arts §
Written/Spoken – English §
Precise – Math o We’ve moved away from teaching the emotional forms of communication §
Emotional intelligence is an important contribution to your intellectual intelligence Studies Confirm the Power of Visuals in eLearning http://info.shiftelearning.com/blog/bid/350326/Studies-­‐Confirm-­‐the-­‐Power-­‐of-­‐
Visuals-­‐in-­‐eLearning •
65% of the population are visual learners •
Visuals benefits: o Stick in long-­‐term memory o Transmit messages faster o Improve comprehension o Trigger emotions o Motivate learners •
If used incorrectly, visuals can push away a user Derek Lawrence Breakdown of Learning Styles http://www.ics.uci.edu/~jutts/CMC3Utts2008.pdf •
VARK o (V) Visual o (A) Aural/Auditory o (R) Read/Write o (K) Kinesthetic Think You’re an Auditory or Visual Learner? Scientists say it’s unlikely http://www.npr.org/sections/health-­‐shots/2011/08/29/139973743/think-­‐youre-­‐
an-­‐auditory-­‐or-­‐visual-­‐learner-­‐scientists-­‐say-­‐its-­‐unlikely •
“Recent studies find that our brains retain information better when we spread learning over a longer period of time” •
Mixing things up is scientifically backed to improve attention A Review of the Current Research on Comprehension Instruction http://www2.ed.gov/programs/readingfirst/support/compfinal.pdf Shakespeare
• Baptized April 26, 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon
• Birthday celebrated April 23—St. George’s feast day and date of his death in 1616
• Most people didn’t live past their teens because illness, fire, starvation
• Parents were Mary, an landed heiress, and John a tanner and alderman
• Catholic sympathizers=didn’t look good
• Education in Latin, rhetoric, logic, literature
• Married Anne Hathaway in 1582 at age 18=3 children
• 1593-1594 he published two narrative poems for a patron
• He possibly wrote most of his sonnets during the mid-late 90s b/c plague outbreak and
the theatre closed
• He made lots of money off of his success. He bought his family a nice home in Stratford,
but he remained mainly in London
• Founding Member of Lord Chamberlain’s Men, an acting group which performed at court
(1594). Under James, it was called the King’s Men because he became the king’s
playwright (1603).
• He was a founder of the Globe theatre
• He wrote for his time, and we must understand the context
• “They (early modern audiences) would enjoy the ghosts, the political intrigue, the murder
plots, the nations at war. These were things that were on people’s minds at that time,”
Sonnets
• 154
• 3 quatrains and one couplet
• 1-26 are about a male friend, 127-152 are about a dark lady
• explore the themes of time’s decay and the immortality of love and beauty in poetry
Plays
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histories, comedies, tragedies, romances
established as a professional writer-invented words an common phrases (3,000+)
turned ethical, social, and political issues into plays
used language as an extension of the drama
even his contemporaries had trouble fully comprehending what he meant
the meaning of some words has changed
the plays “deserve and demand” reading and re-reading
you will always be a person who does not understand or like him if you don’t pay careful
attention
“you will find enough, both to draw and hold you”
there were no elaborate sets, so Shakespeare relied on words to get the message across
words give us insight into characters personalities and their world
some additions alert readers to when word meaning has changed since S’s time
non-rhyming (blank verse) in iambic pentameter
lets actor know which words to stress
verse was used to distinguish classes, genre, or tone
Exact dates are uncertain
• Puns, metaphors
• Vocabulary and pronunciation changes
The Theatre
• playhouses, inn yards, and private theatres
• No actresses
• multi-sided structure with a central, uncovered "yard" surrounded by three tiers of covered
seating and a bare, raised stage at one end of the yard.
• Spectators could pay for seating at multiple price levels; those with the cheapest tickets
simply stood for the length of the plays.
• The Globe Theatre, which S invested in, opened in 1599
• Actors had to fence onstage with great skill, sing songs or play instruments included in
the plays, and perform the vigorously athletic dances of their day
• Costumes, a major investment for an acting company, provided the essential "spectacle"
of the plays and were often second-hand clothes once owned and worn by nobles
Elizabethan Era (1558-1603)
• daily rumors of foreign invasion b/c Liz’s strained relationship w/ Rome and Catholic
monarchs
• Queen Mary’s horrific treatment of Protestant heretics caused strain
• War w/ France resulted in inflation
• Est. Protestantism as the national religion
• Early in her reign, England was still kind of backwards…
• Shakespeare’s literary contribution would be the measure of England’s transformation
• England became prosperous and global
• Liz was confident in her abilities as queen, and saw England’s stability as her priority
• Defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588=England as a tough cookie favored by God
• Succeeded by James of Scotland, a cousin
• He ruled over Scotland and England, but the two nations failed to get along
Elizabethan Fashion
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The well-to-do Elizabethan woman might have looked something like this: make-up base
of white lead and sulfur, various dyes on the cheeks, beauty spots drawn on, eyebrows
plucked thin, lips thickly lipsticked and hair powered, pinned and perfumed.
Elizabethan women wanted their clothing to look much like that of the men, with broad
shoulders, wide hips, and slim waists.
Women's dresses were not made all in one piece as they usually are today. Instead,
women wore two or more garments as one dress
Men: boots, shirt, fitted jacket, hose, breeches (pants) to his knees, and a codpiece in
front, which covered the opening in the breeches.
Codpieces were elaborate, and sometimes used as change purses.
Neck ruff, velvet cloak
Wealthy men wore fabrics that were colorful, adorned with expensive trimmings such as
gold and silver lace. They wore rare furs and jewels like pearls. Silk, brocade, satin and
velvet were favorite fabrics of the rich Elizabethan gentlemen known as "gentry" and
noblemen.
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Rich wanted clothing in the shape of armor with broad shoulders, broad hips, and narrow
waists. It could be compared to a suit of armor.
Young children of both sexes were clothed alike, in gowns that fell to the feet, aprons,
bibs and caps, until they were four or fives years old. Older children were dressed as
miniature versions of adults.
Commoner: coarse homespun woolen garments of reddish brown for the best, worn with
kersey or knitted hose and heavy hobnail shoes.
Field clothes were fustian tunics with loose breecches, canvas leggings buskined (tied in
place) with strips of cloth, and the "thrummed" (fringed or shaggy) hat
canvas, fustian, and leather for the poor
UTSA.edu says:
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“The language is so dense, so rich, the first couple plays they read are difficult. Not
because the language is archaic, but because it is semantically dense. You have to read
the lines over and over,” said Bayer. But like anything else, time and effort bring an
understanding, he said. “Students go into it because it is a requirement, but I do think
they end up enjoying it.”
Perhaps some of those students will end up like Craven, who finds that Shakespeare
forms a lens through which he sees life. “I find myself quoting Shakespeare all the time,”
he said. “There is almost always a quote for almost anything one wants to say.”
“Shakespeare wanted audiences to react. He wanted people to cheer and boo at his
characters.” These physical connections to Shakespeare are not as strong in San
Antonio as in other areas of the United States, where summer months bring
Shakespearean festivals or where there may even be local theater groups that focus on
Shakespeare, said Craven.
Shakespeare App
- Companion app
- Assists users in understanding Shakespeare and his works
FUNCTIONS
POINT REWARDS/TROPHY CASE
- Tap/Highlight Word Glossary
TROPHY CASE
- Swipe translation full text
- Get rewarded with shakespeare icons when moving through app
- Relationship Map
- See rewards you haven’t obtained yet and how to unlock
- San Serif vs. Serif
- This will encourage students to unlock items they want
- Type point size function
- Audio Function --> Iambic Pentameter
POINT REWARDS
- Text Version/ Play & Video Version / Gallery
- Obtain avatar clothing & accessories (wigs, etc.)
- Community Aspect
- Buy phrases to send to friends
- Buy taglines to use on user profile
MENU ITEMS
- Holiday exclusive items
- Search menu
POINT LEVEL SYSTEM
- Choose between Sonnets, Poems, Comedy, Etc.
- At 50 points --> Peasants
- Choose specific sonnet, or search for it
- At 100 points --> Working Class
- After finished reading, comprehension question
- All of the points --> Performer (etc.)
WORKS
- 50 points for reading and attempting question
- 50 points for answering correctly
TEACHER & CLASS FUNCTION
- Summary section for the text
- Use as study tool
- Swipe right --> modernized version
- Sign up as a class, invite students to join
- Swipe left --> iambic pentameter version
- Teacher is able to monitor the progress of her students, who is
struggling, who is working hard and how far they are relative to
each other
- Infographic icon summary possibility
REVIEW
- List of all your Saved Works
- Previously saved annotations
- Includes all the works you’ve previously read on the app
- Review questions from previous works and test yourself
- Summary section for the text
GLOSSARY
- Dictionary of words & phrases
- Send funny words & phrases to friends (interactive feature)
COMMUNITY
- User profile
- Shows friends
- Trophy case with trophies earned
- Icon gallery with clothes and accessories