01 July 2016

Memory Lane - #100DayProject - Day 092

I decided to take a stroll down memory lane tonight and watch one of my favorite superhero movies, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. And it was not only a walk down memory lane because this version of Batman came out in 1993, but because I was watching the actual VHS tape I watched when I was a kid back in 1993. And just in case you forgot what a VHS tape is, here's a link to a Wikipedia article about VHS.
Image Source: Wikipedia.org

Why would I pick an animated version of Batman over many of the other versions available? Because I think the animated version from the early 90s was one of the best produced, not too dark and not too cartoony, even though it was animated. I loved the storylines as well animation style because again, it was a little more realistic than other cartoons. But I also chose Mask of the Phantasm because sometimes nothing beats the older versions of items, even if they lack more modern touches and sometimes it's because of that lack.

Just like my movie selection, I often choose learning tools that are not as modern or digital. I love taking notes with pens/pencils and paper, working out rough drafts on paper as opposed to digital tools, and often prefer to read paper books over ebooks. I also enjoy allowing my students the same option of using either high- or low-tech for projects based on their personal preferences. While there are some assignments I have my students use specific tools, others are totally up to them. And what I love to see is regularly some students will just choose their analog tools over the digital while others always pick digital. I think it's important we allow for choice in tools whenever possible because it shows students it's more about the project or results over the specific tool used. We need to always keep that in mind and never create an assignment merely to use a specific high-tech tool unless the outcome is to help students better learn how that tool works.

Maybe take your own stroll down memory lane and watch a movie or read a book from your past that helps you remember the way things used to be. Then open up to the idea of doing the same in your class next year. Nothing wrong with using a great analog tool every now and then.

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