QR Codes and Lillian Hellman

"Old paint on a canvas sometimes becomes transparent.  When that happens it is possible, in some pictures, to see the original lines: a tree will show through a woman's dress, a child makes way for a dog, a large boat is no longer on an open sea. That is called pentimento because the painter "repented", changed his mind.  Perhaps it would be as well to say that the old conception, replaced by a later choice, is a way of seeing and then seeing again." -Lillian Hellman

Personal Painting by Nicole E. Muchowicz

What in green acre are QR Codes?

I've seen them. You've seen them. I think in this country, we have all seen them. The little ubiquitous images that appear in bus station terminals and on advertisements. And in some classrooms... QR Code stands for Quick Response Code and it works like a barcode but with technology as its agent. You may find these square bar codes anywhere, but it seems that you need a smart phone or a downloaded app in order to access the information the QR Code holds.  Once you do access the very quick response from the code, a whole new world may open up, whether augmented or mental. QR Codes can be linked to literature, maps, visual presentations, videos, and websites; they can all be accessed immediately with a quick scan. 

QR Codes and Literature Lesson Plan on "The Children's Hour" by Lillian Hellman

I thought that I would be able to incorporate QR Codes into my English classroom. The idea of a multi-layered and interactive text appeals to my comparative sensibilities, as far as literature is concerned.  After finding the aforementioned Lillian Hellman quote, I knew that I would incorporate QR codes into a lesson designed after one of my favorite plays written by Lillian Hellman, entitled, "The Children's Hour".  The QR Codes will contain many different texts and materials with the central theme of "The Children's Hour".This lesson would be placed at the end of the unit on the play, after the full-text has been discussed in its own context.  In previous lesson plans, where technology was integrated I had used technology as an anticipatory set or a contextual framework for a future or current text in the classroom. This time, I wanted to integrate the technology toward the end of the unit so that it promoted critical thinking about the text the students have studied and already established a dialogue with. Once a dialogue is established with a text, context and content are mastered, and a student is ready to make tangential connections to other texts with a common theme or context, they will be ready to use comparative literature techniques to propel their critical thinking about the piece as it is relative to other texts of various mediums. 

Following the full reading of the play, I would ask my students if they knew what a QR Code was? Has anyone used or made one before? Why are they relevant?  Then, I would demonstrate how to scan a QR code.  After the demonstration, I would instruct the students to go around the room with their phones or appropriate devices and scan the QR Codes.  Each code will have a comparative text pertinent to the play, "The Children's Hour" by Lillian Hellman.  The students may use the entire period to explore the QR Codes, as some are videos, and some just need moments of contemplation.  As an assessment of the text and the tools used, I would ask my students to write a synthesized essay on the play, "The Children's Hour" and the comparative texts provided from the QR Codes. Students may choose the three most appealing QR Codes for their synthesis. 

Ms. Muchowicz's QR Codes for "The Children's Hour

QR CODE I: "The Children's Hour" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

QR CODE II: Quotation from Lillian Hellman

                          QR CODE III: Scene from the film "The Children's Hour" Directed by William Wyle

QR CODE IV: Gate Theatre, Dublin
Cavendish Row
(Where one of the first productions was performed)

QR CODE V: Timeline Theatre's Dramaturgy and "The Children's Hour"
http://www.timelinetheatre.com/childrens_hour/CH_StudyGuide.pdf

QR CODE VI: Shirley MacLaine on "Celluloid Closet"
 discussing "The Children's Hour"

QR CODE VII: Human Rights Campaign

Experience

I have scanned QR codes but had never made one until today. QR stuff was an easy website. Simple QR Code generation is free. Upgraded services do come at a price. I was pleased with how easy the website "QR Stuff" made it to create codes.  My only upset was that the free QR Code generator did not link images.  There were some images I would have included within my lesson and QR Codes, such as the picture of some of the set design interpretations from the plays or perhaps a picture of Lillian Hellman, herself.  I did have a question however:  how one would cite the information linked to the QR Code.  Is citation necessary since the code leads to a direct resource? I would love to use QR Codes for future lesson plans or even as links within a syllabus. I am happy I have another tool on my teaching belt. 

Resorces:

-Hellman, Lillian. "The Children's Hour". 1934
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BySaTyRBvOI
-Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth, "The Children's Hour"
-http://www.gatetheatre.ie/
-http://www.timelinetheatre.com/childrens_hour/CH_StudyGuide.pdf
-http://www.hrc.org/