Walter Elias “Walt” Disney (December 5, 1901 – December 15, 1966) was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon and philanthropist. Disney is famous for his influence in the field of entertainment during the twentieth century. As the co-founder (with his brother Roy O. Disney) of Walt Disney Productions, Disney became one of the best-known motion picture producers in the world. The corporation he co-founded, now known as The Walt Disney Company, today has annual revenues of approximately U.S. $35 billion.

Disney is particularly noted for being a film producer and a popular showman, as well as an innovator in animation and theme park design. He and his staff created a number of the world’s most famous fictional characters including Mickey Mouse. He received fifty-nine Academy Award nominations and won twenty-six Oscars, including a record four in one year,  giving him more awards and nominations than any other individual. He also won seven Emmy Awards. He is the namesake for Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort theme parks in the United States, Japan, France, and China.

Disney died of lung cancer on December 15, 1966, a few years prior to the opening of his Walt Disney World Resort dream project in Florida.

Trivia:

Wife Lillian Disney passed away. [16 December 1997]

Death caused by circulatory failure due to complications from lung cancer

Disney’s death spawned two rumors that became urban legends. The first is that he had his body cryogenically frozen. The second held that he was buried somewhere on the grounds of Disneyland. Both rumors are completely untrue. Disney was cremated and his ashes interred at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.

Active anti-communist

As a teenager, Walt Disney was a member of the Order of DeMolay, a youth organization affiliated with Free Masons.

Interred at Forest Lawn, Glendale, California, USA. Facing the Freedom Mausoleum, to your left hand side are two small private gardens. His is the one farthest back. Plaque is on the wall behind the trees (to your left standing at the gate).

Holds the record of winning the most Academy Awards with 22 wins in competitive categories. Additionally, he won three honorary Oscars and an Irving Thalberg Memorial Award.

Identified as the founder of the Tomorrowland Transit Authority in film clips shown in the queue area of Rocket Rods (formerly, the CircleVision 360 Theater) at Disneyland

Became interested in personalizing animals’ characters after carelessly killing a small owl as a young boy. He felt deeply remorseful and guilty and vowed never again to kill a living creature.

Father of Diane Disney (born December 18, 1933).

Inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2000 for the multiplane camera.

Worked as a paperboy as a youth.

Briefly worked for Walter Lantz as an animator.

In the animated short Mickey’s Rival (1936), a character named Mortimer Mouse was modeled after him.

Chose Anaheim, California for the location of Disneyland after demographics experts convinced him it would become a major population center within 10 years. They were right.

His death was not publicly announced until after his funeral, which was attended only by close family members.

Reportedly, his famous trademark signature was designed for him by one of his animators.

Was a frequent target of satire by animator Jay Ward.

Reports surfaced that shortly after his death, Disney Company executive board members were shown a short film that Disney had made before his death, where he addressed the board members by name, telling each of them what was expected of them. The film ended with Disney saying, “I’ll be seeing you.”

Mickey Mouse’s birthday is November 18, 1928, the date when Steamboat Willie (1928) was released.

Donald Duck’s birthday is June 9, 1934, the date when The Wise Little Hen (1934) was released.

The name Donald Duck is frequently written in on voting ballots in Scandanavian countries as a protest vote.

Inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians in 1993.

Shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, an Army draft notice, addressed to Mr. Donald Duck, was delivered to the Disney studios.

Tribute in the Memory of Film section at the Flanders International Film Festival in Ghent, Belgium. [2001]

The Disney family came from Kilkenny, Ireland. The D’Isney family settled in County Kilkenny to escape religious persecution and later traveled to America.

Daughter Sharon Disney was adopted.

Grandfather of Christopher Disney Miller, Joanna Miller, Tamara Scheer, Jennifer Miller-Goff, Walter Elias Disney Miller, Ronald Miller, Victoria Brown.

Brother of Herbert Disney, Raymond Disney, Roy O. Disney and Ruth Disney.

Son of Elias Disney and Flora Disney.

Was dyslexic.

After adapting Ludwig van Beethoven’s 6th Symphony for the soundtrack of Fantasia (1940), he exclaimed, “My God, this Beethoven will go a long way!”

Pictured on a 6¢ US commemorative postage stamp issued in his honor, 11 September 1968.

In 1981, Walt Disney Productions (now The Walt Disney Company) purchased the rights to the Disney name from Retlaw Enterprises, the Disney family’s company. Retlaw is Walter spelled backwards.

His grandfather lived in Ontario, Canada. From there he moved to the United States.

Was a major contributor to the success of the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair, primarily via his creative use of audio-animatronics (lifelike, internally animated figures). Among other things, he designed the Carousel of Progress for the General Electric exhibit, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln for the State of Illinois exhibit, and, most enduringly, It’s a Small World for Pepsi Cola. One of the most popular attractions at the Fair, featuring animated figures of children from all over the world, the latter has since successfully established itself as a perennial crowd-pleaser at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. All three exhibits were transformed into attractions at Disneyland. Only the Carousel of Progress is not still open. It was closed to be turned into America Sings in Tomorrowland.

It is Hollywood legend that, lying on his deathbed at St. Jospeh’s Hospital in Burbank (across the street from the Disney Studios) his last words were about how shabby the studio’s water tower looked. Visible from a nearby freeway, towering above the backlot, it is adorned with the image of his most beloved creation, Mickey Mouse. In adherance with what they believed were their founder’s last wishes, studio executives have made sure the water tower was regularly repainted since he died in 1966.

He was a chain smoker. He avoided smoking when he was in public view, especially where he might be seen by children. His smokers’ cough often heralded his arrival in a particular wing of the studio, allowing off-task employees time to get on task.

In his autobiography, one-time Disney storyboard artist Bill Peet essentially described Walt Disney as a chain-smoking “work-a-holic” who was prone to strong mood swings.

He often called composer Robert B. Sherman into his office to play the piano for him. His favorite song was Feed the Birds from Mary Poppins (1964).

He got his idea and inspiration for Disneyland, when he visited the “Tivoli”-park in Denmark.

Was initiated into DeMolay at the Mother Chapter in Kansas City Missouri, in 1920.

Received the DeMolay Legion of Honor in 1931.

On November 13, 1986, he was a member of the first group to be inducted into the DeMolay Hall of Fame.

His father, Elias Disney, was a professional carpenter by trade who, among other things, worked on the construction of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, the prototype for all World’s Fairs to follow. When Walt and his brother Roy O. Disney were boys, their father would tell them of the many wonders of the Fair, such as the first ferris wheel, thus inspiring the dreams that would make them both successful as adults.

Was awarded an honorary Oscar “For the creation of Mickey Mouse” by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences at the fifth Awards ceremony held on November 10, 1932, at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. It was only the second honorary Oscar yet awarded by the Academy. The recipient of the first honorary Oscar, Charles Chaplin, was supposed to present the award to Disney, but he stayed home that night.

He also founded the motion picture distribution company Buena Vista Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of his empire. His empire now includes Hollywood Pictures Company and its specialty films unit; Caravan Pictures; Touchstone Pictures; Miramax Films Corporation and its specialty films unit, Dimension Films; American Broadcasting Company (ABC), ABC Family Channel, and ESPN.

According to former Disney animators, the whispered code that Walt Disney was nearby was “Man is in the forest,” a sly reference to the film Bambi (1942).

Profiled in in J.A. Aberdeen’s “Hollywood Renegades: The Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers.”.

Although he has been called politically conservative, actually voted mainly for Democrats until the 1940 presidential election. This was a main reason why he was asked by HUAC to testify, and was always particularly anti-communist, because his worst nightmare was being called one.

In 1964, Disney was one of several Americans chosen by President Lyndon Johnson to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. The award ceremony was held at the White House on 14 September 1964. The urban myth that Disney wore a “Vote for Goldwater” button during the ceremony to endorse Johnson’s opponent in the upcoming election, Republican Barry Goldwater, is completely false and has been debunked many times.

He was one of the founding members of the right-wing Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals in February 1944, along with Robert Taylor, Adolphe Menjou, Sam Wood, Norman Taurog, Gary Cooper, Clarence Brown and Clark Gable.

Wanted to name Mickey Mouse “Mortimer Mouse” when he drew him. He showed the picture to his wife and his wife did not like the idea and told him to name him “Mickey Mouse”. Some historians believe that Mickey’s name was inspired from a toy mouse by Performo Toy Company named “Micky” (spelled without an “e”), which was extremely popular and had already been selling at the time when Disney was developing his Mickey Mouse.

Was first nominated for an Oscar (as producer) in 1932, the year he also got the honorary award for creating Mickey Mouse. From that year until 1965 (the year before his death), Disney received one or more Academy Award nominations every year except 1933 and 1941.

Supported Ronald Reagan’s run for governor of California in 1966.

The last animated movie he ever put his personal touch on was The Jungle Book (1967).

Disney had been in bad health for a few months, before he finally entered St. Joseph Hospital in Burbank, California, on 2 November 1966, complaining of pain in his neck and back. An X-ray revealed a tumor on his left lung and surgery was advised. Disney, however checked out to finish some studio business and re-entered the hospital on 6 November. Surgery was performed the next day and his left lung was found to be entirely cancerous and was removed.

He refused to allow Alfred Hitchcock to film at Disneyland in the early 1960s, because Hitchcock had made “that disgusting movie Psycho (1960).”.

Served in a Red Cross unit with Ray Kroc, future founder of the McDonald’s fast food chain.

Disney is credited as Retlaw Yensid for Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N. (1966)’s original story. The pseudonym is Walter Disney reversed. The Disney family’s company was named Retlaw Enterprises, Disney’s first full name reversed.

Theme parks Disneyland and Disneyworld are respectively located in Orange County (Anaheim, California) and Orange County (Orlando, Florida).

Disney’s record-breaking streaks of consecutive Oscar wins include: 1934-1940 (7) and 1951-1956 (6).

Has a record of 59 Oscar-nominations.

Walt’s ancestors were named d’Isigny, and came from Isigny-sur-Mer in Normandy, France. In 1066, two soldiers, Hughes d’Isigny and his son Robert, fought with William the Conqueror during the conquest of England. After the conquest, Hughes d’Isigny and his son decided to stay in England. Their name was, over the generations, transformed into “Disney”. In the XVII century, a branch of the Disney family emigrated to Ireland. In 1834, Arundel Elias Disney and his brother Robert emigrated from Kilkenny County, Ireland, to Northern America with their families. They left Liverpool and arrived to New York on October 3rd. Once in America, the two brothers parted. Robert established himself in a farm in the Midwest, whereas Arundel decided to reach Goderich Township, Ontario, a few steps from Canada.

Became friends with Charles Chaplin during their respective days at United Arists in the 1930s; Disney credited Chaplin for helping him correctly pace his feature films.

Personally disliked Alice in Wonderland (1951) and Peter Pan (1953) because of the lack of “heart” and “warmth” in their main characters. Was very sad about the unfavorable reception of Fantasia (1940) as he was proud of the film. Ironically, the first re-issue of Fantasia (1940) after his death was the first time it turned a profit.

Among his favorite desserts were lemon meringue pie and chocolate ice cream soda.

Survived the 1918 flu.

Although he wore a mustache all his life, he forbade his employees to wear them, not wanting to compromise on the “clean-cut image” that the Disney company had.

Before his 35th birthday, his brother Roy encouraged employees to throw the boss a surprise party. Two of the animators thought it would be hilarious to make a short movie of Mickey and Minnie Mouse “consummating their relationship.” When Disney saw the animation at the party, he feigned laughter and playfully asked who made the film. As soon as the two animators came forward, he fired them on the spot and left.

The day that he opened Disneyland in Anaheim, a plumber’s strike broke out and water pressure was restricted to avoid plumbing problems. Disney had to choose between either water fountains or toilets, there wasn’t enough water for both. He chose toilets, causing one reporter to half-jokingly quip, “Walt’s trying to force us to buy Coca-Cola.”.

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A new project, fake workbenches, and the perils of building your dream woodworking project. You can check out the Markham Console Bar that I mention in this episode here.

The task for today was to create a “dream project”, which I would do with my foreign language class and which should also have a connection with the Hessian curriculum.

For my task I chose the topic “Young People Exploring the World” (“Jugendliche und ihre Welt”) for 11th grade and the sub-topic “Culture and Media” (“Kultur und Medien”) which deals with popular culture (music, videos, literature, ads, fashion, sports, etc.). I would let my pupils work on music and videos because I think that they have become quite essential for the pupil´s (and also for my own) generation.

MTV has spread the video clip (“Musikvideo”) over the whole world so that it has become an important medium and an expression of the lifestyle of the youth. In my project I want my pupils to work on music videos as well as youtube videos because both are reflecting our society and our ethical values, for example a hip hop music video has a very different style than a heavy metal music video. Furthermore both genres and therefore also their videos propagate very different worldviews, which are also shown by the lyrics, which my students would have to analyse and interprete to get the connection between message and aesthetic aspects.

Youtube videos reflect also our society, e.g. videos in which people are severely injured or even killed are rated as “funny” or “entertaining”. That is a critical development which has to be scrutinized by the pupils: What do such ratings tell us about the mentality of our society? I would also analyse with my students how music videos are made (e.g. fast cuts, askant and weird camera perspectives, colours, etc.).

In this “dream project” my pupils would be allowed to choose their own topic because I think that it is highly motivating if you can work on sth. that is really important for you. My pupils would publish their results in their own internet blog because this is (as I found out during the seminar “Neue Medien im Fremdsprachenunterricht”) a highly efficient way to get acquainted with the New Media and it also easy for the teacher to have a look on the homework and on the whole progress of the project. In equipment matters I would be quite frugal, my students only need a PC with internet connection at home so that hey could do their blogs. For watching the various music and youtube videos a good equipped “school-cinema” (just like the one we admired in Kirchhain) with a big screen, a dvd player which is able to play every video format (like .flv for youtube videos, DivX, all kinds of Mpeg, etc.) and a good sound system. The walls of this “school cinema” should be insulated (again just like in Kirchhain) so that my students and me could turn up the volume (e.g. for heavy metal music videos ).

The time that I would need for my dream project would depend on the number of students. On each lesson, I would let two students present their videos, so when there were 30 pupils, I would need 15 lessons for the thorough presentation, analysis and discussion for every music or youtube video. Of course, the time that the students need for their blog tasks at home is excluded from this estimate.

Here some examples for videos that my pupils would maybe choose (because they would be free to choose any video they want as long as this video is not (too) violent, not pornographic at all and the video must have enough content for analysis and interpretation – nonsense videos would not be allowed):

Video Nr.1 (the heavy metal video by the Swedish band In Flames could be interpreted with its lyrics and its aesthetic aspects and how those are connected with each other –> The song is called “Pinball Map” and seems to be about a person who feels imprisoned or tied up (as you can see in the video) in the hectic everyday life (shown e.g. by the fast motion of the cars) and the person feels like a pinball on a pinball map which is catapulted by life. You can see that you can analyse and interpret a lot about music videos.

Video Nr.2 (“funny” accidents) shows -to my opinion- how sick our society can be because many people laugh about videos in which the filmed persons are injured or even killed (I would NOT allow videos in which people are killed in my project!!!). Those accident or “Pannen” videos could be connected with scientifical studies (the students could do research about that), e.g. about malicious joy (Schadenfreude) or about the increasing brutalization of our society.

I am looking forward to your positive and also negative comments!

I’ve named this as my lifetime project, due to it’s scale, risk and the change it’ll bring in my career and the way I see the world.

I always wanted not to end up with a Bachelor’s degree. I want a Master’s. I should be well read as I’m capable, have the will, have always been good in academics.
This is a dream which originated after 2 years in to the IT industry. Most of my classmates went to pursue their MS after 2 years of work experience, I didn’t have the privilege though due to financial constraints and family reasons. MS is not a viable option now.
I’ve spent 4 years of professional life in the IT industry doing system side programming in 2 of the most reputed companies in the nature of work I do. It’s every computer science student’s dream to work on system side, though I had to make sacrifices, I have no regrets. I’ve enjoyed everything from writing application programs, scripts, enhancing debuggers, fixing filesystem and volume manager defects, developing device drivers, firmware; it sort of completes the learning. I’ll not boast thatI’ve read and mastered everything but I know the nature of work in most of the domains. I’ve achieved the technical high and it’s time to bring upon some change.

MBA, yes that’s my AIM now. It’s practical at this stage of for my career growth.I do not want to imagine myself to be writing code even after 10-15 years. The only other option in IT industryis to move in the management ladder. I’ll be ill equipped with the background I have to be a people manager. MBA is the best option as it’ll fill in the most important gaps with most of the required knowledge to explore various paths. I’m not a good orator. Thus I would be looking for a job which requires planning, strategy and ground work after my MBA and choose such subjects during the course.
If I miss the bus now, I fear I’ll never be able to do it again. To be realistic, if not now, never. I’m 25, will be 26 when I start my course, 28 by the time I finish it and suitable time for marriage plans. I’m not interested in part time courses, definitely not my cup of tea.

I’ve started browsing through websites of most of the world’s top B schools, listening to podcasts about application process, visiting MBA forums in the web, started preparing for GMAT(first step, have bought the official guide ).
I’ve never fared badly at anything. I have the confidence that I’ll make it to one of the top B schools, all I need to do is now focus and put all my energy in to the right channel.
As of now, the idea is to write GMAT in mid August and start the application process.

Wishing myself, “All the very best”

More, as I progress.

 A few days ago on Monday May 19th,  I began what I hope will be a 10 year long journey in what is tentatively called the Shield of Dreams. I want to visit elementary school classes from all over the country (hopefully some in Mexico too) and encourage children to never stop dreaming or give up on themselves. I made a short (hopefully) inspiring introduction video that I will show to them.

Then I’ll talk to them, share a few personal stories and hear from the students. Then on 2 pieces of blank paper that I will hand out to them, I will ask them to draw/ write what they would like to be when they grow up. If they are unsure, then they can draw about what they like to do/ what makes them happy.

On the second sheet of paper, I will have them draw/ write about goals they would like to accomplish in their lifetime. Then, they will put both papers in envelopes with their name on it, that I will give to them. I’ll collect the envelopes and mail it back to the students at the beginning of their senior year of high school, a very pivotal year in their lives, and it will be a reminder of who they were as children (before they were exposed to many negative aspects of the world) and hopefully serve as a guide to what they would like to do after high school, in case they become lost and need help finding themselves again.

The first class I visited was Mrs. Brubaker’s 5th grade class at Francisco Vasquez de Coronado in my hometown of Nogales, AZ. It was particularly special for two reasons:

1. Mrs. Brubaker was my younger siblings (18 & 20 year olds) as well as my 4th grade teacher.

2. My 10 year old sister is currently in that class, so it means a lot to me that she gets to participate in this project.

I was incredibly nervous, since I’m not a great public speaker by any means, but I kept telling myself that the reason behind the project and the children are a lot more important than my nerves and anxiety, so I sucked it up. As I was setting up, I calmed down. It really helped having my sister (who coincidently sat in the table right in front of the class, wehere I was going to be presenting) there supporting me as well as Mrs. Brubaker, who was great and very accomodating. I originally was going to show my intro video on my laptop with some speakers, but Mrs. Brubaker actually helped me set it up on her computer so I could show my video on her projector!

The students were really nice, some were shy, but they all seemed to like the activity There were some really good artists as well. I couldn’t draw that well when I was that age

After I collected the envelopes, I had a few volunteers go on camera and talk about their drawings as well as send some messages to their future selves. It was amazing talking to these children. One of the girls wants to be an animator (and her drawing was REALLY good) but she also said she wasnts to help stop world hunger, global warming, and save all the animals. I almost cried, but I didn’t want to in front of the children. Now, were we thinking about global problems when we were in 5th grade? That compassion and that desire to follow your dreams as well as help others is something I really want to encourage, and I hope these children stay strong and not let people bring them down.

It made me feel better about the future of the world.

Huge playground. It can't be captured in one photograph. Ahh, so many memories.

Coronado elementary’s playground entrance.

My beautiful sister and I fooling around on the playground.

If you would have any ideas, want to help, or would like more information on this poroject, please email me at curiosofilms@gmail.com

I’d love to hear what you have to say because the more people get involved, the bigger impact we will have on our future leaders and we can get one step closer to a better world!

Last year, VIA Dance Collaborative engaged the public through its Dream Project, culminating in a performance at the Ailey Citigroup Theater.  Now the company is about to begin The Seasons Project, which will chronicle the four seasons through outdoor improvisational explorations that coincide with the seasons.  The public is always invited to participate in or watch the improvisations.  After each one, the VIA dancers will head into the rehearsal studio to integrate their discoveries into a specific section of a larger dance work that, by the year’s end, will be a full-length piece based on the dancers’ and the public’s reflections on the changing seasons.

The first outdoor improvisation, which will explore spring, is this Saturday, May 9^th, from 4 to 6 PM on the lawn outside of Billy Johnson Playground in Central Park (enter at East 67^th Street). Stop by to watch or participate!  You can RSVP to the Facebook invitation or just show up at the park.  The public can also follow the development of The Seasons Project on VIA Dance’s blog.

photo by Evan Namerow

I want to design the experience of a citizen being arrested and held in jail.

I will update as ideas and research flows.

The Internet offers most likely hundred of possibilities in teaching a foreign language. When I imagine myself as a teacher, exploring all these different methods… that’s what I call forward-looking education!! But then I wake up and realize that it is not that easily realized, my dreams are restricted by missing equipment, heterogeneous computer skills of my students, the curriculum… and probably a lack of time as well!

But in this post I keep on dreaming: all of my students (and me of course ) have excellent computer skills, every student has a laptop in the classroom and the curriculum, well, we probably HAVE to stick to that, but it will be no problem . And we have lots of time!

My dream project is a web page which is created by two classes, the one being a German the other one being an English class. The pupils of the two classes should be around the same age and, of course, the German class should learn English as a foreign language whereas the English students learns German.

The project of sharing a web page is not restricted to one year. It starts in the year when both classes learn the other language. The major aim of this web page is to raise the interest in the second language, to make SLA more authentic. The two classes build up a friendship which is supposed to become closer with every year of their school days.

First of all, every student has a “pen pal” who is a student from the other class (Yes, in my dreams, the classes have the same size ). This concept realizes every student a contact he can turn to in terms of questions via chat, talk to via a camera and a headset etc. The ideal case would be that they get along so well that they actually become friends and share and increase their knowledge.

All of the students are able to post information on the web page.

To study according to the curriculum they could for example work on cultural studies. Very suitable are topics like London (Berlin), holidays and customs, sights, or music. The possibilites are numerous: German students may post a virtual sight-seeing tour they created in a group work. Students could post German/Englisch songs they like and talk about the lyrics with their pen pals. They could post information on German/English customs, how they celebrate holidays at home. Creative work such as poems or short stories on different topics may be suitable as well. The curriculum offers a lot of topics which could easily be integrated in the web page, there is e.g. “bullying”, “single-parent families”, or “drugs and crime” to which the students will probably have a lot to talk about.

Other main ideas of the web page are the election of a “book of the week” or “film of the month”, regular online dates and the preparation and review of an actual meeting of the two learner groups in the framework of an exchange.

What I like most of this idea is the fact that it makes language “more real”. When I was a student I was never fully aware that behind the language I study at school are millions of people actually talking this language, there is  literature, movies, music, art…  it is a another world and the language is the key to it! A lot of students tend to say that sth is not worth learning since “I’ll never use it anyway!” English or French teachers should never hear anything like that because with languages this statement is simply not true and, in addition, dangerously ignorant. To keep the interests, to show that a language is something “real”, not only existing in books, this is what I hope to get across with this project. Another thing I really liked as well is that every student has the possibility to practise the foreign language with a native speaker. I chose one pen pal for each student since I thought it might be easier to keep a good contact with only one person.

This project is huge… it would be a great effort to keep contact for such a long time! And it is probably very time consuming and diffficult to realize entirely! However, parts of it are definitely realizable:  two classes could share a blog as a project! A teacher could also build up an e-mail contact with the class they are going to have an exchange with! My dream of two learning groups accompanying each other over the period of second language acquisition will probably remain what it is: a dream! However, I really hope that I can realize parts of it in my futur job, e.g. in projects! With the help of them my future students will hopefully notice the world “behind” the English language!

The task for this week has been to think about our own dream project concerning New Media in English classes.

When I started to make up my mind about it, I realized quite soon that it is really difficult to find something which is creative, new and interesting.

But after a while, an idea of a project flashed into my mind and became my dream project. In the following, I want to present it briefly:

Firstly, I would like to describe some general guidelines about my dream project.

In general, German schools offer exchanges between German classes and foreign classes (schools) at the time of 9^th grade, for example exchanges between France and Germany or Great Britain and Germany etc. I would like to put my dream project into practice with 9^th graders, because my dream project will mainly be based on an exchange between a German class and an English (British) class.

I would like to create a virtual newspaper with my students.

In order to do that, my class will have to use a blog, such as wordpress, which we got to know in our New Media course. Additionally, our British exchange class will also make up a virtual newspaper by making use of a blog. Every student, regardless if German or British should write one short article every week. They might also include images or short videos. The German students ought to write their articles in English, whereas the British students pen it in German. Consequently, one “newspaper” will be published per week. The topics of these articles may be the following:

What have I learnt throughout the week? What has been most striking to me?

Presentation of research project, which the student had to do in class.

Apart from that, students can also include “usual” newspaper characteristics, such as a weather chart, cartoons, a horoscope or the stock exchange. As homework during the weekend, students will have to comment on two articles of their class mates. The following week they will also write articles, but this time they will assess critically two articles from the exchange class. In other words, students will be asked to comment fortnightly on two articles of the other group. The first part of the in-class unit will be about gathering current knowledge of the students concerning the other countries. As to do this, traditional methods of teaching and new ones will be combined.

Firstly, students will be asked to collect some first impressions on the other country. In this step, students will first write their own thoughts down (single work, some minutes) and secondly collect and discuss their findings in a group of 5 to 6 students (group work). The results of that discussion will be presented on a poster, which has to be prepared by each group. Afterwards, each group will present their poster to the rest of the class.

Another aspect would be that my students and I will talk and discuss about the themes we will prepare before the exchange actually takes place. They may add topics and we will examine which of these will be prepared in class as teacher oriented lessons, which will be organised in Power Point presentation by a student or which will be arranged in group work presentations in class (with short internet research and posters as helping hand).

This first preparation of the exchange will result in the creation of a “real newspaper”, which should include photos of the class, some general facts of everyone, their expectations, hopes and wishes for the actual exchange and some first ideas about what they will deal with during the following lessons. This “real” newspaper will be printed and also send to the exchange partner. That means that the German class will receive the newspaper of the British class and vice versa. They may also comment on articles in this newspaper.

If students have to prepare presentations, they will have the chance to use the Internet and particularly the tool of skype. They have to communicate with one student of the other class in order to get the information they need. It will be like a “business meeting” where they have to exchange thoughts. Apart from that, students will also be allowed to talk about other topics, but that time frame will be shorter. (This last aspect is only included in order to give students the possibility to be in a natural talking situation where they feel comfortable.)

During the actual exchange and right after it, students of both classes will write articles again. But this time, they will evaluate the current events. In other words, they will deal with positive and negative aspects of the exchange. Again, photos of themselves, the landscape or of the sightseeing plus extra material can be added. These articles will be collected in a second “real” newspaper, which will be printed twice (one for each class). After the actual exchange, students and teacher will evaluate the whole experience and students will then write their final statements in the blog. The topics for these articles might be:

What did I learn? What has been new/ old to me? Which aspects have been striking and why? Would I like to return or even live there? And if yes, why?

In the last part of this project, students will create a third little newspaper with their final statements, thoughts etc. This newspaper will also be printed and send to the respective group in order to frame the whole exchange. That means that every class can see the development of the other one and additionally they have a nice souvenir. Furthermore, language skills will be improved throughout the whole writing process, regardless if it is online in the blog or “offline” in the “newspaper”.

Last but not least, students might prepare a power point presentation on their reception of the whole exchange (including lessons) and show it in school; for example on a parent-teacher conference or on school festivities.

I would like to show the different aims of my dream project and some other steps in greater details later on in my term paper.

- Harry Potter c’est de la merde.
- N’importe quoi pour te faire remarquer toi !
- Non même pas, juste, voilà c’est naze ton truc de fangirl à la con. L’histoire est en carton mais encore c’est pas le pire.
- Allons bon…
- Le pire c’est l’univers qui tient pas debout. T’as la biatch qui nous sort un « waaai mais tu vois en fait les sorciers c’est un monde dans notre monde, Harry ça pourrait être toi tu vois ». Sauf que rien du tout, mon cul !
- Faut arrêter la mauvaise foi un moment.
- Tiens ça tombe bien que t’en parles. La mauvaise foi genre les sorciers occupent un espace physique avec leur château et tout mais personne est au courant à l’heure d’internet, des conspirations et des satellites ? Quand un mec fait une randonnée dans la campagne anglaise ils font quoi ils le lobotomisent au coup par coup où il le gars il se téléporte de l’autre côté ? A moins que ce soit un pocket universe, le genre qui est dans une autre dimension. Remarque ça expliquerait la voie 9,75 (oui je dis 9,75 je vous emmerde) et le chemin de traverse.
- …
- Ouais voilà t’en sais rien, parce que l’univers est en carton.

- Autre exemple !
- Taaaain…
- Prends la géopolitique. Genre les gouvernements connaissent l’existence des magiciens, de Voldemort et personne ne bouge le plus petit doigt côté MI 5 ? Au minimum les factions sorciers/humains devraient être en guerre froide. L’autre aussi là, le père de Ron expert en humains qui n’y connait que dalle. Pour un effet comique, ça va. Mais pour la crédibilité, au secours ! T’as aussi des persos qui passent leurs vacances dans le monde réel et les teens à aucun moment ils ont un téléphone portable ?
- T’abuses on s’en fout de tout ça.
- Toi tu t’en fous ! Mais moi j’ai besoin de savoir comment la magie marche. Genre c’est une entité physique au même sens que l’électricité ou la lumière ? Ou bien la magie est invoquée à la force de l’esprit à partir d’un autre plan d’existence ? Non parce que ça compte.
- C’est de la magie, c’est comme ça, ça s’explique pas.

- Ben voyons. Et la Terre est plate aussi.
- Aucun rapport.
- Pi bon après t’as le scénar’ qui part en couille. Des persos qui se développent pas psychologiquement, des méchants unidimensionnels. Tout le monde à la même personnalité pendant 7 ans ! Si Rowling avait lu un minimum de bouquins théoriques elle aurait buté Ron (perte de l’innocence d’Harry, hausse des enjeux dramatiques) et rendu Drago gentil (rédemption, conflit œdipien). Et je te parle même pas de l’absence de sexe ! Imagine t’as un sorcier qui a une copine moldu, ou inversement. Ou juste un sorcier qui a des potes humains. Le genre de dynamiques super intéressantes non exploitées !
- Sérieux tu me saoules…
- Le jour où tu admettras que ça tient pas debout, qu’en situant son univers dans notre réel Rowling à fait de la merde, j’arrêterais de te saouler. Moi j’aurais crevé pour voir un conflit politique sorcier/moldus, une fascination/répulsion à la X-Men, une rationalisation scientifique de la magie, de l’action et du sexe !
- Sauf que ça aurait plus du tout été Harry Potter. Ca aurait été un truc qui aurait carrément rien à voir.
- Oui, parce qu’Harry Potter, c’est de la merde.

Nous étions en 2005. Je venais d’avoir la base de mon Dream project numéro un. Je précise pour les deux trois andouilles potentielles qu’il faut prendre cette conversation quasi véridique avec un brin de second degrés et d’humour.

A suivre demain, avec la suite de ma rébellion scénaristique, des dessins et pleins d’autres trucs de ce goût là.

BONUS STAGE !!!

Omagad !!! Un teaser !!! Vivement demain !!!

Perdue au milieu du pacifique, une île qui officiellement n’existe pas héberge en son sein la plus grand école de commandos du monde. Cet établissement d’élite forme la crème des agents secrets, assassins, savants fous et troupes d’intervention. Sponsorisée à la fois par les gouvernements et les organisations terroristes, elle demeure totalement indépendante. Son seul ennemi, l’école japonaise d’entraînement accélérée de ninjas. Quatre jeunes adolescents vont suivre cette formation exigeante. Ils vont suer, apprendre, s’aimer et se détester durant les trois ans du cursus. Bienvenue à Commando High !

Tel est le pitch d’une série de strips humoristiques qui me tient à cœur depuis maintenant des années. Racontée sous la forme de quelques cases de BD à suivre, chaque fois avec une chute gagesque indépendante, l’histoire de Commando High reste un des mes trois dream projects. D’abord dessiné par mes soins, j’avais finalement opté pour un véritable dessinateur professionnel pour monter ce projet. Au fil de l’aventure les réactions de mes camarades et amis furent quasi unanimement positives. Même des gens d’habitude peu sensibles à mes travaux étaient derrière nous sur ce coup là. On avait bossé, on était fier.

Seulement le système est ainsi fait de sorte que le talent des auteurs et les qualités d’un projet ne rentrent que peu en ligne de compte dans la réussite éditoriale d’un projet. Format inhabituel (Des strips à suivre ? What the fuck ?), manque de moyens de diffusion (Payer des auteurs pour éditer sur le net avec publicité ? N’importe quoi !), la presse magazine trop frileuse (Super on adore, ah mais finalement non en fait…), autant d’écueils qu’on s’est mangé en plein dans la gueule. Des amis professionnels m’ont conseillé de revoir le format, faire quelque chose de plus classique. Ca aurait été foutre ma vision et le côté unique de Commando High aux chiottes. Mon camarade dessinateur à finalement quitté le projet parce qu’il doit bien manger, et mes rêves de grandeur sont restés sur mon disque dur, avec les autres.

Cette fois ci j’ai choisi de ne pas plier, de ne pas transiger et transformer mon projet juste pour le vendre, le prostituer. Pourtant dans certains cas ça ne me pose pas de problèmes, je l’ai déjà fait dans d’autres circonstances. Seulement parfois, même si la qualité ne permet pas a elle seule de signer, c’est peut être ce qui nous motive plus qu’autre chose. Pour cette raison Commando High va demeurer en sommeil. Un jour où j’aurais accumulé suffisamment de légitimité, je le sortirais suffisamment comme je l’avais souhaité. Et ce jour là je peux jurer qu’il y en a qui vont se mordre les doigts. Parce que si je ne suis pas sûr de grand-chose en ce qui concerne mes capacités et mes talents, je suis certain que celui là, il défonce.

Demain c’est la note cinquante. Pour marquer le coup je parlerais Fight Club, pas du film mais du concept de bastonnade. Bref ça sentira le muscle et le musc sur The Best Place. Sans parler du fait que ce sera une note double et qu’un nouvel onglet sera enfin mis en service.

BONUS STAGE !!!

Pour ne pas plomber la page j’ai préféré linker les deux planches recueil de strips. Cliquez sur le zouli logo que mon ami Paka avait fait pour l’occase. Vous tomberez sur une longue et complexe discussion concernant ce projet. En sachant les tenants et aboutissant ça devrait répondre à la plupart des questions que vous pourriez vous poser sur le pourquoi du comment.