Friday, July 15, 2011

Reading Harry Potter : What now?





Harry Potter's world
Photomontage: Maxton Walker

As one of the educators who teached the 1st generation who grew up with Harry Potter's saga, reading Harry Potter books in the classroom and going to the the theaters to see some Harry Potter movies with my students, I feel myself such a fan as the "Harry Potter's Gen". 

And why? Because they have growing up in my courses of Fiction and Poetry. We shared great moments in formal learning and non formal learning.  As an innovative educator, over the last several years I’ve explored online and blended learning options to my students.




Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
1st book of the saga

Blended learning made it easier providing multiple learning strategies. The first elearning contents (2001) and PLN (2005) to Portuguese students in Secondary School - Languages curriculum - was mine.  

And first blogs in Education (2005): Portuguese (native language) and French (foreign langhuage to complete teaching an learning out of school.

I feel touched with the series over and all the events that are coming out. Yes, indeed. Harry Potter brought so many new young readers!

But, let's follow the last news! The release of the final film featuring "Harry Potter" the boy wizard is being treated as a momentous cultural event. You can remember here

July 13, it was the big day all almost all over the world! In Portugal, the big day was yesterday, July 14 and all sessions were completely sold out! 





Premiere in London
credits: Katherine Rose for the Observer

July 13, it was the big world day for Harry Potter fans! In Portugal the big day was yesterday, July 14 and all sessions completely sold out! 

Excited fans spilled out of the lobby of cinemas, and into the streets near by. In Portugal, all the best cinemas are in the molls. Lots of fans around the lobby waiting for hours the 'premiere'.

Of course, I am going to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Harrous - part 2. Not now! I will wait for quite days.

14 years ago Harry Potter first captured our imaginations - my students' imagination and mine reading the first five books in the classroom.

Take a look back at Harry Potter's most memorable moments over the past ten years of Harry Potter's movies:




‎"You're a wizard, Harry." From the moment Hagrid whisked him away to Hogwarts on his 11th birthday, Harry has experienced the most magical adventures (some more dangerous than others), and we have been with him every step of the way.


The final chapter of the Harry Potter series may have been closed, but it looks like fans of the boy wizard can look forward to new adventures as author JK Rowling turns her hand to online news.



JK Rowling annoucement
creditsPaul Grover

"I'm writing, and I've done quite a lot since finishing 'Harry,' " (...) "I also felt I wanted the last film out of the way before I made any moves on the publishing front. 'Harry' is so huge and I suppose my involvement with the world has still been quite intense. This feels like a new beginning to me."


And there we are! Suddenly, one month before the final part of the series' adapatation, fans were suprised for a new project. 

First, Pottermore.com unveiled June, 16 and the wonderful countdown clock on YouTube

After Rowling announced via a web video that she will be opening Pottermore, an online website for fans that she described as "an online reading experience unlike any other."




Pottermore

And Pottermore.com unveiled three special previews of one of the Pottermore chapters: 
  • An introduction to Chapter 6: 'The Journey From Platform Nine and Three-Quarters' ; 

  • Discovering some exclusive J.K. Rowling content ; 

  • Preview New from J.K. Rowling here





Pottermore Insider

Yesterday, July 14, on @pottermore the new unveiled: The Pottermore Insider

"Welcome to Pottermore’s official blog, the Pottermore Insider"



So, fans will have some more! For the moment, an official Pottermore wallpaper for fans' desktop, tablet or smartphone.

"It's kind of sad," remarks Charlotte, 14. Stephanie, 15, agrees: "We've grown up with these films."


Yes, one or two "Harry Potter's Gen" were grown up with the books and the movies' adaptation, but a new one will growing with the Harry Potter e-books. 






Pottermore

Education:


Students will be back to school later this summer. Educators have now wonderful resources to captivate students to read in school! 


Harry Potter saga : resources
  • Books
  • Movies
  • Games
  • e-Books 
and some more. Just can't wait for October!


This is the good aim of this post! The importance of reading in school! No matter the resources we choose and there are a good number to include into school curriculum in formal learning or informal learning.




J.K. Rowling
credits: Toby Canham/Getty Images

The Potter movies weren't just an adaptation of a series of books, but a living, evolving collaborative phenomenon between pages and screen.


"The performance or display of a movie by teachers in a course of face-to-face teaching activities in a classroom or similar place devoted to instruction like learning environment can be one of the most interesting educational resources for k-12 and junior high-school. 
It's a rich interactive approach of exploring Literature for children and youth. Students enjoy it a lot."


G.Souto





Harry Potter and the  Deathly Hallows (Part 2)

Now, it's different. In school, we have the generations who watched the movies before reading the books. 


Even more! Next academic year, educators will have the first generation reading Harry Potter on web2! And, of course, as innovative educators you will not miss such a awesome interative resource.



My thoughts:

In the 90's, Harry Potter were the first books that contained a suitable number of pages and a good story to captivate young people really absorved into a book.

Diversity in children and adolescents' books had long been a complex issue. Since there, despite good  efforts and some big strides forward in the years before, children's books remained disappointingly short of enough culturally diverse stories.

So this is about some very well-known books. It makes a change to the sort of books teachers normally read in their lessons.


Harry Potter final books contain some gothic elements, such as an atmosphere of mystery and suspense, some unexplicable events, supernatural creatures and ocurrences such as prophecies and visions. Young people love it!


"Potter heptalogy, the 'archetypal' modern gothic novel, with an orphan who fulfills a prophecy and gradually develops his magic powers comes from two things: the Cornish landscapes, which are very similar to those around Hogwarts. Secondly and bove all, three larger-than-life characters cannot have a place in a conventional realistic novel."


And moviesDisplaying a movie in a face-to-face lesson, or going to the movies with a class allows to explore the incredible adventure of 3D before reading the books.

Don't underestimate the power of magic of reading in the classroom with your students appealing to all the captivating resources we have now.


Resources for Teachers:

"Harry Potter saga in the classroom!": you will find several posts on this blog (for teachers) And in other two blogs (for students): BlogdosCaloiros (Portuguese native language) and BlogSkidz (French foreign language) two different blogs created to my students exploring educational digital resources in and out the school.

The great Harry Potter viewing marathon, The Guardian | Culture

The importance of reading in the school
http://gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com/2011

Alice in Wonderland by Tim Burton in the classroom

Games in Schools

Amis moldus testez vos connaissances sur l'univers d'Harry Potter (quiz)

Harry Potter and the A-Z of Magic

Harry Potter | Wikipedia

"Dans quinze ans, des critiques de cinéma quadragénaires qui ont connu leurs premiers émois en voyant L'Ecole des sorciers Ã©tabliront de rigoureux classements qui diront les mérites respectifs de Harry Potter, du Seigneur des anneaux et de Transformers. Les élèves de Poudlard devraient y figurer honorablement."


Lemonde.fr | Cinéma

"Rowling has shown superhuman strength in transcending this and ignoring the constant belittling of her talent from jealous peers. She has paid her success forward as a patron, activist and philanthropist. In her wake is a generation of writers creating brilliant young adult fantasy series."


The Guardian | News

G-Souto


15.07.2011
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