The Learning Outcomes fulfilled

I feel like I have learned and grown tremendously this semester through Shakespeare. I have gathered in knowledge about Shakespeare of course, but also about other things as well. Here is how!


1. Gain Shakespeare Literacy 
I have added many new plays to those that I have already read of Shakespeare's works. I would be comfortable discussing a good number of plays including The Tempest, Henry V, The Merchant of Venice, Hamlet, Richard II, King Lear, Love's Labor's Lost, A Midsummer Night's Dream. Besides these I have a basic knowledge of the rang of plays that Shakespeare wrote and many of his common themes. (Quotes, Richard II and King Lear, Richard II and Hamlet)
I am very familiar with Midsummer, the play that I used in dept for the final project. (Themes and Meanings, A Fairytale) 
As Shakespeare did write plays meant for the stage I learned more and more about the many performances that people have done.
 I was very easy for me to see many references to Shakespeare in pop culture. I have also seen his legacy in our English language. (Dr. Who, Children's Book, Psych, Shakespearean words)

2. Analyze Shakespeare Critically 
I have become definitively more comfortable with Shakespeare's text and how to analyse it through the themes and language. (Henry V, Marchant, Hamlet, Richard II, Chorus, Family Theme, Christian Theme, Stock characters)
I have compared different plays to each other and found similarities and differences in Shakespeare. (Richard II and King Lear)
I have also been able to watch and analyse some performances of Shakespeare, to where I have been able to get something out of it, and really apply (or relate) the themes and concepts to my life. (Hamlet, Puck, Love's Labors, Macbeth)

3. Engage Shakespeare Creatively
Of course the final collaborative project is the most obvious display of my creativity with Shakespeare. (Writing Shakespeare, Video, The Brainstorm, Early Ideas)
I kind of had this thing for music, too bad I wasn't able to really write any of my own. (Music - Tempest, and Macbeth)

4. Share Shakespeare Meaningfully
I have practiced this readily through my blog. I have also found myself sharing my experiences with the people around me naturally because it really excited me. I shared what I was learning and also what I was creating with Shakespeare. (Dating, Sharing Shakespeare Characters)
I was also able to connect with others on the web who were all about Shakespeare too. (Another blog)


5. Gain Digital Literacy
Again the most obvious example of this is this very blog. I never blogged before this class, but I have really enjoyed it. I have plans to continue in this with other interests, so keep a look out for the next really cool blog!!
This class also gave me more opportunity to practice research skills (consuming), but also new skills on how to use technology to create projects and also how to share them (producing). (Video, Youtube)
Of course, toward the end of the semester there was a shift form individual to collaborative work. This increased the need for technology. I worked on the class wiki a lot.


Overall this was an amazing experience. I have been telling everyone I know to take this class. I learned so much, but still had so much fun. I really appreciated the freedom that I had with my learning. It was because of this that I really saw how much I could really do. I can still see so many ideas I had that I could return to and so many other things that I can improve further. 
I have to admit, I'm glad the semester is over, but I'm sad this class is ending along with it. I will keep reading Shakespeare and keep sharing my thoughts!