Welcome to OUR TWISTED HERO: A Web-Based Interactive Program. This is a
collaborative venture between the Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF), the East-West
Center's Consortium for Teaching Asia and the Pacific in the Schools (CTAPS), and
Guide.Net, Inc. Its purpose is to expand the use of award-winning films in teaching
cultural and visual literacy. By harnessing the interactive power of the Internet, this
program provides students with a new learning environment for examining a film's form and
content.
The film selected for this web-based program is Our Twisted Hero, a Korean
production that won HIFF's Best Feature Award in 1992. In it, fifth-grade students
struggle over authority, tyranny, and equality – a metaphor for Korea's real-life
history of political turmoil. Our Twisted Hero is one of several award-winning
films that schools are invited to view at the Hawaii International Film Festival every
year, free-of-charge. There is also a Film Study
Guide (in PDF format)
for Our Twisted Hero that provides valuable background information for the
interactive exercises. The Film Study Guide, film screenings, and web-based program can be
used in any combination that best integrates into a class curriculum. The rich tapestry of
Our Twisted Hero lends itself to many disciplines.
A Teacher's Guide (in Microsoft Word format)
provides detailed explanations for this web-based program. There are three sections, each
of which engages students in a different type of interaction:
- Section One: The Twisted Challenge (Interaction with the Computer)
This section helps students to develop an understanding of film-making techniques.
In a computerized "Beat-the-Clock" type of game, students must identify
different techniques demonstrated in short clips from Our Twisted Hero. NOTE: You
need a cable modem, ADSL modem or T1 connection to download the film clips. Your browser
must be able to display .avi video files.
- Section Two: Research the Home of Our Twisted Hero--Korea
( Interaction with the Computer and the World Wide Web)
How can the Internet be integrated into the learning process as an educational tool
rather than a tempting distraction? In section two, students are guided through
"surfing the web" for information related to Korea. The teacher assigns them
specific topics to suit the class curriculum.
- Section Three: What Do You Think? (Interaction with the Computer, the
World Wide Web, and Other Students)
In the final exercise, students use the website to interact with other students and
ideas. "What do you think?" asks students to write their opinions on four
sets of guided questions about leadership and influence. Their responses are added to a
database of all other student answers that becomes the basis for classroom discussions.
