Clik here to view.
Do you ever want to experiment with technology and open educational resources in literature classes? In some ways, this can be a challenge because literature classes are wedded to the text. If the novel, poetry, or play was published before 1923, instead of ordering a new revised edition, check to see if it has been digitized by Project Gutenberg. This is not that difficult since so many literature classes teach the canon, and much of the canon is in the public domain (i.e. published before 1923).
Last year, I decided to recast my Big Book: Jane Eyre class into an iPad OER class. I used Project Gutenberg‘s ePub of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre and Subtext (which was free in the last academic year). For the most part, students only used the iPad to consume. Some of them were a little daunted to read such a long book on a tablet but everyone navigated e-reading with varying levels of success.
This year, I wanted students to create and explore on the iPad. Given my intention, the first night’s assignment was to explore Subtext (we only used features that were free) in particular and the iPad in general, which included any iPad apps and share what they learned with their peers the following day in class. It was a great exercise because students figured out and shared with each other how to highlight, look for definitions, change settings, etc, in Subtext. I did not have to show them how to use the program. They also explored the app store and downloaded free apps, which they shared.
To continue to foster this spirit of inquiry, curiosity, and boldness, I assigned an iPad app project where students had to find an app and use it to create a project that addressed an element of Jane Eyre. I wanted students to develop an approach to technology that is true to how a 21st Century person moves through the world:
- one has a question
- one goes in search of an answer
- one evaluates what is found
- one chooses the answer that is an appropriate response
This is the assignment that I gave to students: Jane Eyre iPad App Project Guidelines
How do you use technology in your literature classes?
