Technology and Theater

Here's another fun idea! Students love making videos. Last year, students had to write alternate endings to Romeo and Juliet and film them. This year, I had students read scenes from Romeo and Juliet and create "tableaux vivants" (or living pictures) of the scenes. As an option, students could photograph their living pictures and compile them into a Power Point or short film. But while these projects are fun for students to complete and fun for me to watch, are they worthwhile? I struggle with this question. For the alternate ending films, students had to write scripts that incorporated all the elements of dramatic literature - monologue, dialogue, soliquy, dramatic irony, etc. And the tableaux vivants require students to accurately summarize and imagine what the scene looks like, so I definitely think they create a way to assess learning. Nonetheless, I could probably accomplish such things in other, less time-consuming ways - like a test. But then, I think it is important for students to use and manipulate technology. Technology is a part of our everyday lives and definitely a part of the future, so they need to know how to use it. On the flip side of that statement, I'm not really teaching them how to use it; they already know.