Embedded Files
by Carla Cáceres
PENZU
Penzu is an online journaling tool that focuses on privacy and ease of use. It is designed to be a digital alternative to the traditional paper journal, and it offers a variety of features to help users record their thoughts, emotions, and experiences.
Penzu can be used for a variety of purposes. Like recording daily emotions and activities in a reflective journal.
One of the key features of Penzu is its focus on privacy. Unlike paper journals, which can be read by anyone who finds them, Penzu keeps your journals safe with double password protection and military-grade encryption
Penzu is also designed for accessibility. With Penzu mobile apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices, you can take your journals wherever you go. Additionally, Penzu syncs your notes to the Penzu cloud, making them accessible from almost any device in the world.
Users can personalise their journals with custom covers, backgrounds, and fonts. The platform also offers a smart journal search feature, allowing you to quickly and easily search through your journals, entries, and tags.
The app is free to download but requires a free Penzu account to start writing.
How do I use it?
To use Penzu, you need to follow these steps:
1. The first step to using Penzu is to create an account. Visit the Penzu website and click on the "Get Started" or "Sign Up" button.
2. After creating your account, you'll have the option to choose an avatar and set up reminders.
3. Once your account is set up, you can start creating journal entries. To do this, click on "New Entry", enter a title for your entry, and start writing in the text box. Penzu will automatically save your work every few minutes.
4. If you want to add images to your journal entry, click on the "Insert Photo" button, then select the image you want to upload from your computer. Once the image is uploaded, you can add it to your journal entry.
5. To share your journal entries, click on the "Share" button, then choose whether you want to share via email or a public link. If you choose to share via a public link, click on "Get Link" to generate a link that you can share.
6. You can also format your entries by clicking on the "Format" button, which will display a variety of formatting tools. If you want to add comments to your journal entries, click on the "Comments" button.
According to Delaney (2016) "often students with SEN have problems remenbering things. (...) They have difficulties remembering dates of new vocabulary. AT can help and, once students become familiar with the different applications available, they can use them to support memory in all areas of their life". One example of this, are students with ADHD. They could grately benefit from digital journaling. These sites often provide tools for organising entries by date, topic, or category. This can help students with ADHD maintain a structured and organised record of their thoughts and experiences. Students can access their digital journals from various devices, allowing for flexibility in when and where they choose to write. This accessibility accommodates the dynamic nature of ADHD and supports spontaneous or on-the-go journaling. Penzu support the inclusion of multimedia elements, such as images, audio recordings, and hyperlinks. This allows students to express themselves in various ways beyond traditional text, which can be particularly beneficial for those with ADHD who may prefer different modes of expression. Penzu also has visually appealing interfaces that can make the journaling experience more engaging. Customisation options for fonts, colors, and themes can cater to individual preferences and capture the interest of students with ADHD. Some digital journaling platforms allow users to set goals and track progress over time. This feature can be motivating for students with ADHD, providing a sense of accomplishment as they achieve and reflect on their goals.
During this lesson, students will be introduced to digital journaling by role-playing a famous fashion designer of their choice.
Topic: The fashion industry: Influential designers
Level: Adults. Upper Intermediate
Time alloted per lesson: 80 minutes
Grammar focus: The present simple
Recycled language: Fashion. Designers.
Objectives:
Learn about influential fashion icons and their impact.
Be able to tell the story of the fashion designer in the first person.
Warmer:
Class discussion:
How do you think fashion designers, in general, have shaped the course of fashion history?
Can you identify any eras or periods where certain designers had a particularly profound influence?
Can you think of instances where designers have redefined or challenged traditional fashion norms?
To what extent do influential designers shape the preferences and buying behaviors of consumers?
How has the relationship between designers and consumers evolved in recent years?
How do fashion designers contribute to and draw inspiration from popular culture?
Web:
Activity 1:
Now choose one designer, the one that caught your attention the most, and note down their notable contributions to the fashion industry. Explore key collections, signature designs, their early life, career milestones, ,significant contributions to fashion, and take notice of whatever it's said about their personal lives
Coco Chanel:
How Coco Chanel changed the course of women’s fashion
Christian Dior
How Christian Dior Revolutionized Fashion In Only 10 Years
Yves Saint Laurent
Gianni Versace
Gianni Versace | Success story of the pioneer of Versace
Gianni Versace, 50, the Designer Who Infused Fashion With Life and Art
Ralph Lauren
How Ralph Lauren Shaped American Style
American Dream: Ralph Lauren Celebrates 50 Years
Alexander McQueen
Alexander McQueen, the hooligan of fashion
How Alexander McQueen disrupted fashion
Activity 2:
Organise the information, and do further research if necessary, using a diagram or mind map. You can use a tool like this one: https://miro.com/diagramming/
Then consider both their professional and their personal life. What does a famous designer do every day? What does his or her routine include? and what about work? what role does it play in their personal life?
What next:
Activity 1:
The teacher will ask students to imagine that they are the chosen fashion designer for the day.
Students will have to to write between 3 and 4 short journal entries on Penzu, as if they are the designer, describing their current projects, inspirations, and daily activities and routines. The teacher will check the lenght (between 200 and 300 words) and the correct use of the target tense and vocabulary.
They should change the layout and colours, add pictures and do whatever else they deem necessary to fit the aesthetic of the designer.
Activity 2:
Students will pair up or form small groups to share their journal entries.
Each student takes turns presenting their designer persona to their peers, describing their design philosophy, current projects, and daily routine.
The teacher will encourage questions and discussions among the students to promote interaction.
As this is an inclusive lesson that is using AT to include students with SEN, it goes, according to Bloom's Digital Taxonomy (2016), from lower-order activities to higher-order thinking skills activities. At first, students are encouraged to remember everything they've talked and read about their favourite designers. Then they are asked to organise the information in a diagram as part of an understanding phase. Afterwards, they analyse the data, recognising the grammar structures and vocabulary they need to use. And, lastly, they are asked to create or "put the elements together to make a funtional whole". As these students are adults, they are part of the millenial generation which is the one that has incorporated technology in their way of learning. At the same time, the use of technology will encourage students with SEN not only to put their ideas together but also to share the results of their work which is something that will enrich the learning experience for everyone involved.
According to Redecker (2017), it is important to ensure students have media literacy before we incorporate tasks that ask them to "articulate information needs, to find information and resources, and interpret information". All students should also be encouraged to create activities like the last one, where they use technology to share with others and build a community responsably. And last, but not least, the teacher should "take measures to ensure the learner's physical, psychological and social well being while using technologies". This should be a reality for every learner in the classroom, but teachers should do their best to adapt their activities with the needs of their students with SEN in mind. Sometimes, doing something that seems little (like introducing students to online journaling) can make an incredibly positive impact on someone's life.
Sources:
Redecker, C. (2017) JRC SCIENCE FOR POLICY REPORT. European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators. DigCompEdu. In: https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/digcompedu_en
Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy Verbs For 21st Century Students (2016) https://www.teachthought.com/critical-thinking/blooms-digital-taxonomy-verbs-21st-century-students/
Wedlock, M.S (2017) The Technology Driven Student: How to Apply Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy to the Digital Generations http://jespnet.com/journals/Vol_4_No_1_March_2017/4.pdf
Sneed (2016) Integrating Technology with Bloom’s Taxonomy https://teachonline.asu.edu/2016/05/integrating-technology-blooms-taxonomy/
Delaney, M. (2016) Special Educational Needs. Chapter 6: Assistive Technology. Oxford: OUP
Penzu. (n. d.) https://penzu.com/journals
miro. (m. d.) https://miro.com/diagramming/
Page updated
Report abuse