mySF Project blog

The thirty-third podcast discusses three recent SF DVDs and some possible uses in the younger secondary classroom. The DVDs are Astro Boy, Planet 51 and Monsters vs Aliens.

This podcast is included as a script through the mySF Project Scripts index page

This podcast relates to the mySF Project, created in 2005 and still growing.

The mySF Project is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License. Enjoy!

mySF Project podcast, number 33
Direct download: http ://media.libsyn.com/media/pataphysics/mysf_033_2010_07_07.mp3
length=”37107547″ type=”audio/mpeg”

The thirtieth podcast reviews and recommends The Science Fiction Handbook and suggests lesson plans, discussions, research topics and essay ideas based on this fine text, for students looking at Wells’ influential novellas.

This podcast relates to the mySF Project, created in 2005 and still growing.

This podcast is included as a script through the mySF Project Scripts section at mySF Podcast podcast script 30.

Podcast 30 looks in some detail at The Science Fiction Handbook by Booker and Thomas as a valuable resource for teachers of secondary Science Fiction, then suggests some ideas for using their powerful articles with Wells’ novellas The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds.

The purpose of the podcast is to join other educators to collaborate on the construction of great SF teaching resources. The podcast is 24M in size, in mp3 format, running for twenty-four minutes.

The mySF Project is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

mySF Project podcast, number 30
Direct download = mysf_030_2010_02_13.mp3
length = “26889908″
type=”audio/mpeg”

The twenty-ninth podcast looks at the Young Adults novel Taronga by Victor Kelleher, as taught to Year 8, English students looking at the sub-genre of Post-Apocalyptic fiction within Science Fiction.

This podcast relates to the mySF Project, created in 2005 and still growing.

This podcast is included as a script through the mySF Project Scripts section of the mySF Project.

Podcast 29 discusses the use of Taronga for Year 8 English students, covering the use of symbols and analogies in the text.Taronga also presents motifs and backdrops well-known within the Post-Apocalyptic sub-genre and is useful for eliciting both creative and analytical responses from students to this memorable and visual text. Finally, the short novel provides a popular model for analysing other texts within the sub-genre.

The full script for this podcast including a resource list of references can be found at http://www.pataphysics.net.au/mysf_project/mysf_scripts/mysf_script_podcast29.htm. Additional materials for the focus class on Post-Apocalyptic fiction as well as the special school project to create this project can be found at http://www.pataphysics.net.au/mysf_project/mysf_scripts/taronga/mysf_script_taronga.htm

The purpose of the podcast is to join other educators to collaborate on the construction of great SF teaching resources. The podcast is 19.5M in size, in mp3 format, running for twenty minutes.

The mySF Project is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

mySF Project podcast, number 29
Direct download:
mysf_029_2010_01_11.mp3
Length=”20371187″ type=”audio/mpeg”

The twenty-seventh podcast discussing some innovative and intriguing technological tricks and tools for teachers of secondary Science Fiction.

This podcast relates to the mySF Project, created in 2005 and still growing.

This podcast is not included as a script but there are links to Thea van Os’ suggestions and solutions, found through the mySF Project Scripts section of the mySF Project.

Podcast 27 talks with Thea van Os, a past English teacher and SF buff and currently a coordinator of learning technologies, about the sort of learning technologies that are well suited to teachers of secondary Science Fiction.

The purpose of the podcast is to join other educators to collaborate on the construction of great SF teaching resources. The podcast is 10.2M in size, in mp3 format, running for twenty-four minutes.

The mySF Project is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

mySF Project podcast, number 27
Direct download: mysf_027_2009_06_27.mp3
length=”10710457″ type=”audio/mpeg”

The twenty-sixth podcast for teachers of secondary students studying Science Fiction, discussing Speculative Fiction with teacher and rising author, Conor Bendl.

This podcast relates to the mySF Project, created in 2005 and still growing.

This podcast is not included as a script but there are links to Conor Bendl’s fictions published in anthologies by the Canberra Science Fiction Guild found through the mySF Project Scripts section of the mySF Project.

Podcast 26 talks with Conor Bendl about aspects of the Speculative Fiction unit he teaches to upper secondary students as well as his own fiction and his upcoming debut SF novel.

The purpose of the podcast is to join other educators to collaborate on the construction of great SF teaching resources. The podcast is 10M in size, in mp3 format, running for twenty-eight minutes.

The mySF Project is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

mySF Project podcast, number 26
Direct download: mysf_026_2009_06_26.mp3
length=”10565426″ type=”audio/mpeg” /

The twenty-fifth podcast for teachers of secondary students studying Science Fiction, discussing the recent Australian National University (ANU) course ‘Speculative Fictions’ with its author and chief lecturer.

This podcast relates to the mySF Project, created in 2005.

This podcast is not included as a script but there is a sample essay, by kind permission of Jane, one of the students in Rich Pascal’s Speculative Fictions course. This essay received a fine grade and relates to critical views of two texts, Angela Carter’s Nights at the Circus and William Gibson’s Neuromancer found through the mySF Project Scripts section of the mySF Project.

Podcast 25 asks the author of the ‘Speculative Fictions’ course at the ANU about this unusual course with a special attention given to the SF aspects of the course. The discussion covers texts, the relationships between the three genres covered by the course and its reception by tertiary students.

The purpose of the podcast is to join other educators to collaborate on the construction of great SF teaching resources. The podcast is 12M in size, in mp3 format, running for twenty-eight minutes.

The mySF Project is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

mySF Project podcast, number 25
Direct download: http://media.libsyn.com/media/pataphysics/mysf_025_2009_06_23.mp3
length=”12371427″ type=”audio/mpeg” /

The twenty-third podcast for teachers of secondary students studying Science Fiction, discussing the use of X Minus One dramas as ‘Ready to go’ podcasts.

This podcast relates to the mySF Project, created in 2005 and still growing!

The text of this podcast can be found in the mySF Project Scripts section of the mySF Project.

Podcast 23 discusses the use of the X Minus One series of radio dramas produced in the 1950s and now available as podcasts as ‘Good to go’ podcasts for students. Podcast original authors include Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Clifford Simak, Robert Bloch and others. The suitability of the adaptations of these stories as scaffolding for studies with their advantages and disadvantages is aimed at middle to upper secondary students and their teachers. The podcast includes brief ideas for assessment tasks with some use of evidence from sources to support these uses.

The purpose of the podcast is to join other educators to collaborate on the construction of great SF teaching resources. The podcast is 16M in size, in mp3 format, running for twenty-four minutes.

The mySF Project is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

mySF Project podcast, number 23
Direct download: mysf_023_2009_04_25.mp3
length=”16178450″ type=”audio/mpeg” /

mySF Project podcast, number 13: Nebula Awards Showcase 2006, Part 1

This podcast relates to the mySF Project, created in 2005 and still growing! This blog and podcast looks at the Nebula Awards Showcase 2006 text as a valuable, one-volume text for teaching modern SF. The stories from the anthology and their commentaries are discussed, in relation to the five themes of SF studied at the secondary level .

The text of this podcast can be found in the mySF Project Scripts section of the mySF Project.

The purpose of the podcast is to join other educators to collaborate on the construction of great SF teaching resources. The podcast is a whopping 27M in size, in mp3 format.

The mySF Project is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

mySF Project podcast, number 13
Direct download: mysf_013_2008_04_22

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The twelfth podcast for students studying in one of the five, thematic units within the mySF Project is offered here.

This podcast is the second part of the support notes as podcasts of the mySF Project, created in 2005 and still growing! This blog attaches part one of the overview of the ‘Ghost in the Shell’ theme area. This is a major theme in the study of SF at the secondary level and originally it was aimed at students in a largish high school in Canberra, Australia. If you want to read more about the mySF Project you can find an overview at the Microsoft Education website.

The podcast draws together comments on the use of SF in modern society focusing on the theme area of Ghost in the Shell, a look at artificial intelligence narratives in SF, within the mySF Project. Its purpose is to excite, interest and involve students in Years 9 and 10 with the SF content they will be studying for ten learning episodes, equating flexibly to ten weeks for face-to-face students. The podcast is around 4.7M in size, in mp3 format.

This second part of the introduction looks at some of the short stories covered including by Vonnegut, Simak and Asimov as well as short glances to comic robots like Marvin and then everyone’s favourite - Bender.

The mySF Project is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

The point of the podcast here is to share resources with other educators teaching SF to secondary students and to spark discussion, criticism and collaboration. Please use and respond, if you have time.

mySF Project podcast, number 12
Direct download: mysf_012_2008_02_24.mp3
length=”4055239″ type=”audio/mpeg” /

The eleventh podcast for students studying in one of the five, thematic units within the mySF Project is offered here.

This podcast is the first part of the support notes as podcasts of the mySF Project, created in 2005 and still growing! This blog attaches part one of the overview of the ‘Ghost in the Shell’ theme area. This is a major theme in the study of SF at the secondary level and originally it was aimed at students in a largish high school in Canberra, Australia. If you want to read more about the mySF Project you can find an overview at the Microsoft Education website.

The podcast draws together comments on the use of SF in modern society focusing on the theme area of Ghost in the Shell, a look at artificial intelligence narratives in SF, within the mySF Project. Its purpose is to excite, interest and involve students in Years 9 and 10 with the SF content they will be studying for ten learning episodes, equating flexibly to ten weeks for face-to-face students. The podcast is around 4.7M in size, in mp3 format.

This first part of the introduction glances at some SF critics and their interpretations of the great Metropolis, as well as introducing two, films for the first few learning episodes of the Ghost in the shell theme area, War Games and the wonderful 2001.

The mySF Project is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

The point of the podcast here is to share resources with other educators teaching SF to secondary students and to spark discussion, criticism and collaboration. Please use and respond, if you have time.

mySF Project podcast, number 11
Direct download: mysf_011_2008_02_24.mp3
length=”4631186″ type=”audio/mpeg” /