Tuesday, April 22, 2014

4.23.14 - Media Techniques

Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Monday, April 21, 2014

CPR for Luke

 Foundation. Something that is important in growth.. Before Luke dove into his speech about the lessons that he has learned from his friend and through his friend’s death, he first created a foundation. Establishing himself at the podium Luke created the foundation of reflection. He provided a brief introduction to let the audience know that this speech was a tribute and not a eulogy, a reflection over the last 4 years and the immense growth that he has gone through after the loss of a friend at a young age.


A friend.
An accident.
A loss.
A lesson.
A tribute.

Although some may think that Luke was speaking too softly, in the setting of a reflection speech I believed his volume to be perfect for the situation at hand. He was reserved and composed while reflecting on a difficult journey. Emotional recovery and introspection is something that no one ever likes to discuss. Death is something that is really hard to talk about and I believe Luke did a really good job at being able to shed light on the situation and truly describe the type of person Matt was while acknowledging that he did not want to belittle his life by burying his contributions in clichés which help provided vivid imagery that Matt truly was who Luke said he was. A man who held values that very few his age did.

Moments of distraction were the few times that Luke used vocal pauses (ums and like) These instances could have been strengthened by a silent pause for a small dramatic effect to help let the audience take in the information.

Alexander encourages and advocated for a poetic and artistic response to evaluate student performances because I think it calls the peer who is critique and reflecting to think of the speech in a different way other than the notes on the paper. It helps provide a different example and summary of the presentation.


Posted by at No comments:

CPR for Shannon

Shannon began her speech with a confident throat clearing, followed by a quick dive into the content of her speech. From the start of her speech, she was able to incorporate digital media very successfully and allow it to complement her performance. The pictures and her anecdotes help her to successfully explain what a close relationship her and Drake had.

Numb,
Shocked,
Confused,
Fatigued,
Shred for Drake.

Sad,
Scared,
Vulnerable,
Yearning,
Don’t forget, Shred for Drake. 

Guilt,
Lonesome,
Tired,
Anger,
Keep moving, Shred for Drake.

Recovery,
Rebuilding,
Learning,
Taking meaning,
Keep moving, Shred for Drake.

She is also able to use dramatic pauses to help emphasize how important this relationship is to her. The most effective pause Shannon used was undoubtedly directly before revealing to us that Drake had been in a car accident. This pause is so powerful because it allows you to feel the emotion that Shannon has for Drake. One moment of distraction is that Shannon relies very heavily on her script. She does look up from her script to provide eye contact, however, she only does so for a few seconds at a time. I wonder how Shannon would do with just an outline, instead of a script. I think it would help to free her to look up at the audience more instead of worrying about getting the words exactly right. I think that Alexander’s method of speech is very effective because it helps you to think about critique in a much less objective way. I think that he advocates for this because there is much more to a performance than simply the “how” and the “what”. I think that by going through a creative process it is much easier to see this.
Posted by at No comments:

CPR Neda's Speech

As I could see until now, Neda loves go first every time we have a speech. I think she has a great skill by going first because that mean she is not nervous and she is very well prepare. I do agree that she stood up in front us with a very confident language. In addition, she was very prepare and well ready on her speech. At the begging, she told us to imagine that her sister is standing close by her, and that was very helpful to understand the contents. Overall, her speech was very beautiful and the way she delivered the speech was easy to understand especially with the examples and stories that she mentioned about her sister because that could get the attention of the audience in the room.

A person who I trust, won't be more than a father.
A person who I trust, won't be more than a mother.
A person who I trust, won't be more than a brother.
A person who I trust, won't be more than a sister.
A person who I trust, won't be more than a friend.
A person who I trust, will be the one whom I give my life.
A person who I trust, will be the one whom I cry when he gets hurt.
A person who I trust, will be the one whom I care of when he needs.
A person who I trust, will be the person whom I love.

Her sister is a friend of her, and she is the one that she cares about. She loves her sister too much and she feels that her sister is the nearest one for her. Neda has made her sister as a strong person who does not care about doing the things she loves. She showed us that her sister is a hero especially I could see that when she mentioned the surgery stuff that her sister had.

I think Alexander advocates for using a poetic or artistic response to evaluate student performances because I think he encourages the performance on the speech. In addition, the CPR is a method to get the audience attentions, so it is recommended for the speaker to get narrative feedback about their speech. Therefore, the responses will be more beneficial for students and the audience as well, and it shows viewpoints and more ideas.
Posted by at No comments:

Sarah

Sarah stepped up to the podium with sheer power in her stance. There was no signs of fear especially when she began talking about her cousin right away. Through out the time she held our attention, she enhanced her message with eye contact, pauses and the clever repetition of "Monkey see, Monkey do." Sarah allowed her audience to imagine her cousin as though we had meet him ourselves through her powerful words and engaging stories.

I never met your cousin or his bride,
But you made me feel like I had none them for a lifetime,
You captured my attention with your eyes
And never let a dull moment go by,
It was the toast of a lifetime.

Sarah did an amazing job keeping the attention of the audience. With her constant eye contact and affective pauses, it was impossible to get bored. She kept her speed nice and steady through out the speech, never talking too fast or too slow. I personally though her speech would have been a more affective weeding speech if she spoke more about the bride and not focus the whole speech on the groom. I also believe that if she had added another "Monkey see, Monkey do" to the end of the speech it would have led to a much more affective conclusion. There were a few points through out the speech where I thought Sarah was about to wrap up which did distract me a little.

Alexander advocates for using poetic/artistic responses because it allows him to feel and analyze the performances more carefully. It allows us to not look at the person in a cut and dry manner but rather leads us to dissect their actions through our own emotions. This method allows us to better understand the elements of other peoples performances as well as our own. By looking at ourselves in this manner we are able to better improve the way we perform.  
Posted by at No comments:

Jessi's CPR for Caitlin

CPR – Caitlin's Tribute Speech

Caitlin began by announcing that her sister is graduating from college and that was the reason she was speaking. Quickly, it became evident that she was speaking not just about her sister's accomplishments that led to this success, but of their relationship along the way. Using descriptions of moments shared and personality traits that clashed, Caitlin spoke to the fact that not only is her sister incredible, she inspires others to be the same way.


Admiration,
    Aspiration,
        Admonition,
            Adulation,

Yearning
    for
       Independence,

And
   You
       Will
           Never
              Slip

Because
   I
     Will
        Show
          Them
              All.



One of the most effective devices in this speech was the use of the second person narrative. The speech was delivered as if Caitlin's sister was there and being spoken to directly. Despite this fact, the speech was still made relate-able to everyone else that would also be there. For example, the sharing of personal stories that connect them as sisters serves as a personal moment for the speaker and her sister and as an insightful moment into their relationship for everyone else. Also, delivering the speech in such a way makes it seem more personable overall. Many people think of graduation speeches as rehearsed and impersonal, but this speech contradicts both of those stereotypes by incorporating the recipient of the speech into the delivery.


One moment of distraction occurs towards the end of the speech where Caitlin is remarking on how she had trouble last winter and her sister helped her to pull through. After that, the speech becomes about Caitlin for a little while and it is not clear to me where her sister fits in to some of the anecdotes. For example, being asked to leave the table for laughing and fall off her chair. I wonder if it was her sister that made her laugh, or else why it is relevant to her sister specifically. However, just before the end of the speech it goes back to connecting the stories of the sisters together. There is just that little while where the anecdotes about Caitlin don't seem to correspond directly with her sister, and I get lost trying to follow the connection.
Posted by at 1 comment:

Anna's CPR for Amanda

Amanda seemed to take the podium tentatively. After a couple deep breaths she began her speech softly. At first, I wondered if it was because she was nervous – perhaps it was – but I later learned that her tone and way of speaking was actually very beneficial to her speech and gave it much more emphasis and authenticity. The simple way she spoke of her former teacher and the personal stories that she gave were not only easy to picture but almost made me feel as if I was there.

I wasn’t there
When your teacher tackled you for a donut
Or how he opened up to the class
I wasn’t there
When the news of his death arrived
But after your speech
I felt like I was

Amanda did an excellent job with her speech. I remember most of her first speech but this one just felt much more authentic than the first. She brought a different kind of tone that the previous people didn’t necessarily bring. She did a really good job also at sharing personal and funny stories. I recall at one point in her speech where she was reminiscing on how her teacher once tackled her for her donut that she smiled to herself. In that sense, I really admired how authentic and genuine her speech was.

There were not a lot of moments of distraction, but I would definitely say that her volume was a distraction at least in the beginning. Her tone goes both ways, however. I do feel that the way that she was speaking really contributed to the speech, but at the beginning she was very soft and it was almost challenging to hear. I think that there was a pivotal part in her speech though where she seemed to gain her momentum and the speech seemed to flow better and was a little easier to hear.

 Alexander advocates for using poetic/artistic responses because he feels that by doing so we can see the nature of their reports, performances, etc. more clearly. It also forces us to look at the subject in a more abstract manner, making us not just look at the facts, but the reactions that we feel from these “performances”. Looking at performances like this helps us analyze better and in a new light as well as having the potential to look at our own performances in a different way and perhaps even alter or improve them.
Posted by at No comments:

CPR- Cerena



Cerena began to settle in front of the room. With both hands on the podium and glancing down at her freshly developed tribute to her hero, she took a breath. She turned her head to confirm that the picture of her mother be projected on the screen behind her. By simply doing so, she gained reassurance and quickly began to speak over life lessons Cerena’s mother had exemplified through periods of struggle and strife. Cerena envelopes her image of a hero by not only inviting the class to learn of her strong mother, but by creating a fuller grasp with supporting images and real-life examples that allow the audience to take a peek within her life.

Nervous, yet excited she stands
“Don’t give up, you are limitless”, she expands
And how can such words not resonate within
When sometimes we do not even know where to begin

“Love unconditionally”, I often forget
Why are mothers so wise?
Because they give what they get

I feel her power, the sense of relief
When she says “Be kind”, no need for grief
And she relaxes, smiles
I relax, smile

Effective moments were clearly identifiable within Cerena's speech. These points were distinguishable when she took a moment to pause and embrace her disposition (at the beginning). But after a few seconds, Cerena's speed of her speech-while impressive- was somewhat distracting. Fortunately, she later relaxes when speaking about unconditional love. Within this was an effective moment of silence and the subsequent cracking of her voice when giving the example of her mother letting her uncle stay with them. After subtly tearing up, Cerena was able to relax and from then on 100% improved her speed and began conveying a more open body language by using hand gestures. 

Alexander advocates to use poetic/artistic responses in order to create a holistic evaluation for his student. He believes, especially within performative arts such as acting and public speaking, that more components exist apart from simple delivery and content. Alexander is interested in the existing implications and subtext of the speaker. He wishes to dig deeper when analyzing them, leading to a more comprehensible understanding of not only what they spoke of, but how they did so, and the effects it had on the audience. 
Posted by at 3 comments:

CPR - Amy

Amy approached the podium and immediately began her speech, addressing us as if we were attending her parents' wedding. She began with a little snippet of a story, then paused to introduce her speech and let us know that it was for her parents on their wedding day, then went back to tell the story. Amy seemed calm throughout the whole speech and she didn't have any problems with nervous fidgeting or saying "um" too much.

"I'll give it a try"
her parents said many times.
Down-to-earth:
Chili's for a date,
engaged in the comfort of their home,
small wedding, and sensible.
In three short minutes
Its like I know them
Or it makes me want to.
Many times, her parents took a chance
It makes me wonder
Could I "give it a try"?

Amy started off with Journey lyrics, which effectively drew the audience's attention right away. Throughout her speech, Amy had a theme of "I'll give it a try". I think this was very effective and was a great use of repetition. There were moments of humor, like when her mom almost threw her dad's number away, or when there was the unknown man in the back of the chapel probably looking for free food. It helped that Amy smiled or chuckled slightly so that the audience knew it was a joke.I think that Amy did a really good job of portraying how her parents met in story-form without making it sound like she was just reading from a sheet of paper. There were a few moments when her voice got a little quieter and she said "um" once or twice, but it wasn't too distracting from the speech Amy had to take herself almost completely out of the speech because she wasn't born when any of the events she spoke of happened. Overall, I think she chose a difficult speech to make but she did it very well and effectively.

Alexander advocates for using a poetic or artistic response to evaluate student responses because it almost forces people to think outside of the box and be creative in their evaluations. He believes that performance is powerful and poetic responses are a good way to creatively portray responses to students. Poetic or artistic response not only effects how the person writes their evaluation but also how the person being evaluated receives their feedback. They can understand what the other person is not only thinking, but feeling too.
Posted by at 2 comments:

CPR for Norah's Speech

From the moment Norah walked to the front of the room, I felt as though I was in the room at her mother’s birthday celebration as she intimately and powerfully delivered a tribute to her mother and their unique and multi-faceted relationship. In her tribute, she talked about good times and bad, revealing a profoundly human dimension that made the speech relatable rather than merely portraying the relationship as flawless. The raw emotion that Norah revealed during certain parts of the speech was incredibly moving and a testament to the depth of her love for her mother.

Happy birthday, Mom…
Norah speaks
And delivers
A beautiful tribute.
She tells us about 
her mom as a person
as well as 
their
complex
unique 
loving
relationship.
She tells us about
the happy times
the playful insults
but
also
the hard parts
and the
annoyances.
Tears formed in my eyes
as her voice
broke
and she fought back
tears
of her own.
Happy birthday, Mom.

Overall, there were many moments of effectiveness throughout Norah’s speech. Her voice projects well, which was maintained throughout the speech. She had a script, which clearly helped her but was not a distraction, as she was able to transform her use of the script into a more extemporaneous style of speaking. Her delivery and emotion were incredibly real and genuine, which captivated the audience. I did not find many moments of distraction throughout the speech. The main one was when she apologized to the audience while tearing up. Although I understand that such an apology is intuitive and seems appropriate in a public context, if this happens during a future speech, I would allow the emotion to simply show itself while refraining from apologizing to the audience.

Alexander advocates for using a poetic/artistic response to evaluate student performances for a variety of reasons. In terms of reflexivity, he argues that such a method of response fundamentally allows for greater reflexivity in the classroom, both in evaluating one’s own work as well as that of others. CPR brings attention to the performative nature of certain assignments, and helps students maintain cognizance of this facet. It also allows students to realize “how and why” they have received a certain grade, both in cases of satisfactory and unsatisfactory grades, with greater detail and a different perspective from simply receiving a letter grade. CPR clearly allows for providing constructive criticism as well as alternate ideas for improving future assignments, while helpfully expanding upon the traditional grading structure.






Posted by at 3 comments:

CPR for Courtney - Sarah Tornatzky

1.
From the minute that Courtney rose to the podium, she took the audience to a different place. I felt as is I were at her and her sisters birthday party, anxiously waiting to hear more about the both of them. Little did I know that Courtney would have her audiences immersed into a slideshow of wonderful pictures and memories that her and her twin have shared. As the presentation moved forward, I became increasingly intrigued to hear more and more about Courtney's life with her twin sister. She seemed so happy and excited to share with us a few memories that would make all of us feel the same happiness as we would become filled with laughter and joy.

2.
It started from the beginning
We all became intrigued by Courtneys excitement of "twinning".
You could see it in her eyes,
The known element of surprise
A twin? Sister? Best friend?
She presented her stories with an excitement you could hear in her voice
Her and her sisters life together, what an excellent choice
Through some nervous hiccups and minimum inconsistency with posture,
She owned that podium, she made her speech seem entirely pure.
Courtney made her audiences want to hear more
On the edges of our seats, it was anything but a bore

3.
I love how throughout Courtney's speech she maintained an energy that would spread to her entire audience. This energy and excitement to share her tribute for her sister made all of us feel as of we were someplace else, captivated by her stories. The photo presentation made her speech come to life. It's one thing hearing about someone, however, Courtney effectively incorporated the excitement and happiness of sisterhood into her speech and slideshow, weaving it all together as she progressed through the tribute.
The only ineffectiveness I found in her speech was the somewhat inconsistent body posture and eye contact. Although Courtney made the entire room feel like we were in another place, more individual eye contact with the audience would have made her entire speech that much better, elevating the effectiveness and success of it. Aside from the minor, easily fixable presentation methods, Courtney's speech was extremely entertaining and fun to experience.
Posted by at No comments:

CPR - Mohammed's Speech

1. When Mohammed stepped up to the podium, he had his computer and was ready to go. He started off by telling us a story about how he met his best friend and what that friend meant to him. Then Mohammed progressed to tell us what drew them apart: his studies while his friend took a turn for the worse. Mohammed kept adding the pieces of the story for us to imagine it before dropping the ending: his friend committed suicide. Mohammed didn’t stop there though. He had a way to tie this tragedy into a greater story with a moral teaching. Instead of focusing on the negative, Mohammed used funny and vulnerable stories with a mix of facts to have us envision Mohammed’s experience while gaining a lesson throughout the eulogy.


2. 
Anticipation ruled over the crowd as it waited on the end of its seat
to hear the words of
a different culture
a different experience.

When the words started, the teller crafted stories of the past.
A diversity like the culture,
but a human connection of friends and jokes.

Was this a tribute? A eulogy? Someone just talking of experience?

The teller crafted his stories
embracing the audience with gentle hands.
A sculpture was made
and hearts felt the struggle of friendship to loneliness and desperation.
Who is this friend? He’s not recognizable anymore.

As the story touched on brotherhood, separation, and the unexpected,
each heart ripped with the strong hands of suicide.
What could have been an ending took a sharp turn
and mended the hearts with a silver lining.
Sewing up the seams with a larger lesson eased the pain,
yet the memory of the event
left all in a dumbing, numbing silence.


3. The speech as a whole was definitely moving and quite a surprise. The casual tone of voice was conversational and welcoming. It would have been really neat to see more of a variation and a little more performance from the speech. There were definitely parts that sunk in with the audience that could have been driven in deeper if given a different tone, one slightly more dramatic.

Mohammed was totally genuine throughout the speech that it made it easy to listen to him. Especially being an international student, Mohammed’s grasp on English and his willingness to talk and improve is inspirational. One piece about the speech that was kind of distracting at first was the use of “like” constantly throughout explanations. It’s hard to kick these fillers, but if they’re pushed aside, the message would be the focus and people wouldn’t get as distracted. Overall, great speech and content! Being more performative would leave an even larger impact!


Discussion: Alexander advocates for using a poetic/artistic response to evaluate student performances because it gets students thinking in a more critical, artistic way. By being able to take on this lens, it makes student reflect from a different state of mind then people usually use: they’re more thoughtful and the lens evokes emotion. Being able to evaluate through poetry and art forces the individual to think using a different part of their brain where creativity and emotion mix to produce a more meaningful critique.

Posted by at 3 comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)