Personal Learning Plan

I hear you Professor Burton; I need a plan. Self-directed learning is new to me, but I think I'm starting to come around to what I should be doing.

1. Gain Shakespeare Literacy

Demonstrate mastery over fundamental information about Shakespeare’s works, life, and legacy

a. Breadth (knowledge of a range of Shakespeare’s works)
Read and blog about all of the assigned plays, as well as two additional plays.

b. Depth (more thorough knowledge of a single work)
Identify academic and other research options for the plays in order to learn how to choose emphases for the depth requirement.

c. Performance (stage and screen)
See an adaptation of each of the plays we read.

d. Legacy (history, scholarship, popular culture)
Make connections between scholarly work and popular culture.

2. Analyze Shakespeare Critically

Interpret Shakespeare’s works critically in their written form, in performance (stage or screen) and in digitally mediated transformations. This includes

a. Textual analysis (theme, language, formal devices)

b. Contextual analysis (historical, contemporary, cultural)

c. Application of literary theories

d. Analysis of digital mediations

This will be the focus of my third blog post each week. I think this placement is best, since I'll have the most time to read through and think about the work.

3. Engage Shakespeare Creatively

a. Performance (memorization, recitation, scene on stage or video)

b. Individual creative work (literary imitation, art, music)

c. Collaborative creative project

This should be fun. I would love to imagine a stage production from start to finish (including technical aspects).

4. Share Shakespeare Meaningfully

This includes engaging in the following:

a. Formal Writing. Develop and communicate your ideas about Shakespeare clearly in formal and researched writing and through a format and medium that puts your ideas into public circulation.

b. Informal Writing. This mainly means through regular online writing

c. Connecting. Share one’s learning and creative work with others both in and outside of class.

This would include a formal paper, my blog posts, and my interaction with class members' writing. I'm doing quite a bit of sharing outside of class. I'm sure my roommates and friends will tire of it pretty soon. "Want to watch a chick flick?" "Want to watch Henry V??"

5. Gain Digital Literacy

Students use their study of Shakespeare as a way of understanding and developing fluency in 21st century learning skills and computer-mediated modes of communication. Those skills are grouped under the following categories.
a. Consume - Effective and independent selecting, searching, researching,
b. Create - Producing content that demonstrates learning and which can be shared for others to profit from.
c. Connect - Engage with other learners within and outside of the class to develop thinking and share more formal work.

So, I'm going to post three times a week.
1. Initial reactions, as well as pop culture connections.
2. Scholarly research, perhaps with links to popular culture.
3. Textual Analysis

For every one of my posts, I'll comment on two of my peers, so that comes out to six a week.

Well, hopefully this plan is clear enough to keep me on track. That's right, I'm a girl with a plan. Feels great.