Poetry Month

To celebrate poetry month, Inter-Lakes has been involved in a variety of muse engaging activities! Throughout the school, poems, excerpts, and quotes by well known (and not so well known) poets have been hung up. Every other morning a short poem is read over the announcements to get the students in the mood to be creative.

There are several different poem related activities I've seen students take part in around the school. In art class, students are given older books. Opening the book to a single page, they block out the words with a piece of art and avoid covering a few select words to create a found poem. When students enter the library, they have the opportunity to create a magnetic poem that others can change and evolve. In my World Literature class, we've just finished reading The Kite Runner. Each of us chose a specific scene from the book and created a found poem. Once they were complete, the poems were hung in the hall according to their order in the book. Together,  we told the story of The Kite Runner! Finally, to keep our muse flowing, the library is hosting an open mic on Friday before vacation.

There are many ways to stimulate your students by using poetry while giving them a lesson at the same time. What interesting methods can you come up with?

What Is a Media Lab?

A newly trending resource for students around America is the media lab. These things are popping up all over the place! But what are they exactly and what purpose do they serve?

Unofficially, a media lab has been referred to as a space where different organizations and individuals can gather to work and research new media, digital culture and technology. All types of media are practiced here, from simple computer work to 3D printers! In this environment you learn by doing, starting from scratch and creating videos and presentations that are unique and original.

What can you find in a media lab? Just about anything. Media labs are usually located in the library of high schools, and found in more independent places at universities. Depending on the place, size and budget for the media lab, different tools can be utilized there. Most often, a lab will have access to computers and their software. Video cameras and green screens are a popular trend that allows students to create short movies, further diversifying the presentations in their classes. A new trend that is becoming more and more popular is the 3D printer. These can be utilized for many things such as creating models for a design class. In the end, there are no limits. The idea of a media as a free form digital work space means that if you can imagine it and execute it, it's best done in the lab!

This is the first year our school has had a media lab and though it is still in the works, it has the basics down. Already it has been used by students for both assignments and free form projects. When looking to start one for your school or on your own, ask yourself "what isn't a media lab?"