Transcript `Erzählraum im virtuellen Raum: Rewriting Bernhard Schlink`s Der

‘Erzählraum im virtuellen Raum:
Rewriting Bernhard Schlink’s Der
Vorleser on the Web’,
Caroline Schaumann, 2000
The project…
• Senior seminar German class at Middlebury
College
• Pilot course for “Collaboration in Virtual Space”
project at Middlebury
• After reading & discussing novel, ss created a
website incl. info on author, cultural-historical
background, reception of text
• & developed interactive, annotated text pages
Why use the web?
• Pro-web research results
esp. integrating web-based activities into
learning process (as opposed to using as
supplement)
• Shift from focus on teacher LEARNER
• Creators not just consumers of technology
Why use the web?
• Flexibility & accessibility
• Visually appealing (photos, videos)
• Use of links, incl. online dictionaries,
eliminated need for glossing
• The Foreign Language Instructional
Technology Specialist helped teacher & ss in
designing course website
Preliminary teacher work
• 2 mos. before course beginning, Schaumann
created website that included:
– Course description, syllabus, list of related
workshops & lectures, bibliography, Moosigang, &
various English-German dictionaries
– Also prepared empty directories w/ templates &
sample annotations
Some early challenges & solutions
• C: Confusion about where to put finished
work on site.
• S: Distinguish group work fr. existing templates
& secure site so ss can edit pages w/o
changing/deleting templates
• C: Controlling access (copyright issues & ss
work in progress) vs. sharing site
• S: Password protect work in progress &
copyright-restricted work & left rest accessible
A few more challenges
• C: Gaining copyright privileges
– Request to Diogenes: using novel for website
alone, ss will purchase & read book, novel would
be password protected
• S: Granted 1-year copyright if included Diogenes link
on website
• C: Scanning text was extremely time-consuming: 5
mins per pg!! (much speedier today!)
Course progression
• First 2 weeks: Focus on close reading &
discussion of novel, but introduced to basic
features of website
• Then technician came in 2x for hands-on
instruction in web authoring (composing text,
incl. creating links, scanning images)
• Ss had access to staff help for questions
Balance of activities
•
•
•
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Lecture
Discussion
Partner/group work
Student presentations
Course requirements
(breakdown of grade)
_ Computer tasks (45%)
– 4 Response papers (20%)
– Final exam (%20)
– Attendance/participation (15%)
Group Projects
• Groups created web pages on author, text’s
historical/cultural setting, or text’s reception
Revision
• Ss posted work on web & presented it in class
• Then ss posted anonymous feedback for each
group
• Final feedback incl. suggestions on vocab. &
grammar from teacher & ss
Student Creations
• Example of creative webpage:
group working “Geschichtlicher Hintergrund
zu Der Vorleser” created 5 sections, each w/
text, images, & further links
– I Deutsche Geschichte in den 50er Jahren, II
Konzentrationslager, III Väterliteratur, IV
Nachkriegsprozesse, V Bibliographie
Annotation
• Working in gps, then alone, ss chose sets of
words for annotation
• Challenge: different views on types of words
(unfamiliar vocab? only content words?
Cultural/historical background knowledge?)
• Decided to provide few translations (online
dictionaries) except words not easily found in
dictionary or false friends
Ss explained cultural concepts
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Provided cultural-historical
background
• E.g., gave short introduction to “die
Aufklärung, including, “…Der Philosoph
Immanuel Kant hat auch eine sehr bekannte
Antwort auf die Frage ‘Was ist Aufklärung’
gegeben”
• & provided a link for more information
• In 2 weeks each group annotated 30 words +
10 additional wds per student
• Ss anticipated future ss difficulties
• Decided main goal of annotation:
“encourage an informed & critical reading of
text”
Differing approaches
• Some liked to incl. text analysis
• Others against attempts to guide reader
• Compromised w/ variety of styles:
– Guiding reader by Iding important passages,
repetitions, or omissions
– Posing critical questions
– Creating a timeline to assist w/ reading (instead of
interpreting text)
• Students created links for additonal
information…
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Controversial annotations
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Great discussions
• …followed from controversial annotations
– Ethics & consequences of publishing (OJ Simpson)
– Place of humor in Nazi Germany & Holocaust
subject (Ikea)
– Showing criminal in a sympathetic light (Hanna
becoming literate)
Student reactions
• “unusual,”
“ground-breaking,”
“non-traditional,”
“very proud of the results”
Outcomes
• Fostered active learning b.c. ss felt responsible
for final product
• Collaboration & interdependence
• Dev. skills of creating content, negotiating
meaning, publishing results which
“became an engaging and empowering process
that extended beyond the classroom walls”