Sunday, September 26, 2010

5363 Final Course Reflection


I recall my excitement prior to taking this course.  Because my teaching assignment is not centered on technology, I felt that I would learn many things regarding Multimedia and Video Technology that would enhance my 8th grade ELA classroom.  I expected to learn how to create and utilize many technology tools which I could, in turn, begin to use immediately with my students.  While I did learn how to change file formats, the knowledge came from another student in the course.  Through the course, I feel I have a better grasp of filming video.  Unfortunately, these are really the only two outcomes I feel I truly achieved as a result of taking this course.  I already knew how to use Photo Story 3, Movie Maker, and Audacity.  I teach Audacity often to create podcasts that are uploaded to our classroom website.  I really was expecting a more in-depth exploration of Multimedia and Video Technology throughout this course.

Learning how to change file formats has been incredibly relevant to the work my students and I are doing right now.  We are involved in a service learning project that came out of a visit by a young couple, Matt and Lauren Mbanga, from Zimbabwe who are taking a sabbatical from their work in a rural area of Zimbabwe.  First, my students wrote letters to the teens who live in this rural area.  Then, we read the book, In Our Village, which is written by a group of teenagers in rural Tanzania.  My students have used Flip Videos to create our own version of In Our Village to send with the Mbangas.  I used the knowledge I gained regarding changing file formats to change the video to AVI, so the students could download the videos into Movie Maker.  While taking the videos of our town, I used the knowledge regarding how to film video.  This was definitely relevant to this type of project.

Because the majority of this class was devoted to creating a PSA with a team, I felt as if there were a number of missed opportunities to really learn how to use multimedia and video technology.  It seemed as if our time was devoted more to trying to piece together this PSA and find ways to communicate with our busy schedules and not the actual utilization of the tools associated with this class.  I would have appreciated more time to create a better Photo Story, maybe the second week to revise and edit after the instructional associate’s comments.  I would have appreciate more time to use Movie Maker and create a video that really addressed an issue that would be more relevant to what I do in the classroom, rather than work together a piecemeal production with a team.  My team was beyond wonderful.  I could not have asked for a better one; however, to truly learn the material, I needed more time on my own.  I felt that the breadth of this learning might have been there, but the depth was not there in this course.

I was successful in completing the course assignments with the exception of the web conferences.  I was able to attend one web conference.  Two other times, I tried, but I was not successful.  The first one I tried to get into, I used the URL given to us for the week.  Finally, after waiting for 30 minutes, I gave up.  Later, I found out that someone was in the conference, but several of us could not enter.  I never found out why.  The second web conference I tried to get into, I was successful.  The third one I attempted to enter fifteen minutes early and found out that the conference had been rescheduled for an hour earlier.  Therefore, what prevented me from feeling successful was simply a lack of communication.  In an environment of distance learning, it would seem that communication would be of the utmost importance.

What I have learned within this course about myself is that I am definitely a leader.  I worked hard to pull our group together and to encourage communication.  Regarding my technology skills, I discovered that, while I have a long way to go to consider myself an expert, I do know many things about technology that can help my students and fellow colleagues.  More and more, teachers at my campus and the other two campuses are coming to me with questions that I am, increasingly, being able to answer within a reasonable amount of time.  It is exciting and empowering to feel that I have knowledge and skills to offer my school.  What I have learned about my attitudes is that, although I am quite a Pollyanna in many ways, I am beginning to accept things for what they are.  I am realizing that, oftentimes, we have to circumvent what is offered in front of us and see the possibilities in our colleagues and our students and not necessarily the powers that be.



PSA Reflection: Week 5 of Multimedia and Video Technology


The last month has been an interesting one, to say the least.  While it is imperative that we, as educators, learn collaboration skills, the demands of creating a PSA as a team of four was an exercise in patience, tenacity, and understanding, more than actually learning how to use multimedia and video technology.
Our team was truly the model of a team.  All four members contributed equally to the work and the project.  We utilized our strengths and assigned roles relevant to those strengths.  While this definitely got the job accomplished, I do not feel as if my understanding of the content grew to the extent I expected it to grow.  Nevertheless, I do know that several of the things I learned, I am already using in my 8th grade ELA classroom. 
For example, my students are in the midst of creating a video of their town to send to a school of teenagers in rural Zimbabwe.  My knowledge of file conversion and shooting effective video has definitely enhanced the students’ work and understanding.
Reflection back on this project, I know I have gained knowledge.  I am, however, disappointed that I have not learned more.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

The Trials and Tribulations of Web Conferencing

Honestly, with only a couple of exceptions, web conferencing during my short time (since February 2010) in the Lamar Academic Partnerships has proven quite troublesome and frustrating. Although I realize that dealing with technology requires flexibility, some of the experiences I have had have gone past what I would deem acceptable.

For example, the web conference I could attend this week was Saturday at 11:00 am. Although I had already viewed the links for the previous web conferences held earlier in the week, I wanted to do the right thing and attend one in real-time. I signed into the Adobe Connect Pro meeting at 10:45 and received the message that the administrator would let me in shortly. I waited and waited. At about 10:55, I posted on our Facebook page to see if anyone else was having the same problem. Sure enough, there was one other person attempting to get into the meeting with the same outcome. I emailed my instructional associate and Dr. Abernathy. Finally, after waiting ten more minutes, I determined that the meeting had been canceled.

Later, that afternoon, I received an email from Dr. Abernathy saying that she, in fact, had been in the meeting with another student, but no one else asked for admittance.

This has not been the first time that I have had difficulty with the web conferences through Lamar. It is difficult and frustrating when I try to carve out this time in my schedule and the meeting does not work out.

When I have successfully logged in during the other classes, I have received pertinent information that I would not know had I not been in the conference. Even if I do not personally have a question, it helps to hear others questions and comments.

All in all, I think web conferencing is the way to go. When I worked at the ESCXV in San Angelo, web conferencing was such a great thing when it came about as it saved money and time. My board for which I am vice-president of membership and affiliates just recently started web conferencing. Again, the money and time saved is worth what may be lost when meeting face-to-face.

Nevertheless, with web conferencing, communication prior to the meetings is key. If the link does not work, the attendee is left not knowing how to join. Also, there needs to be an understanding of the learning curve that many of us have when entering a web conference. Maybe a mock conference could help those who have not participated before.

Web conferencing certainly has its place in the present and the future. We need to work together to communicate clearly how this will help us all.

Take 2! Or 3 or 4: Comparing Movie Maker 2 and Wax

I really wanted to like Wax, the free video-editing software that I chose for my recent class at Lamar University. After downloading it, I found that the initial look of it was deceptively easy. Nevertheless, after doing my usual "check it out without looking at a manual" procedure, I decided it may be something for which I needed to look for a YouTube video for a bit of instruction.


 

After watching three experts sail through their tutorials on Wax, I thought I was ready---after all, none of them were any older than my 12-year old son! Wrong again! I finally downloaded a movie of my son running during our annual Shannon Harber Relays, an event with a long history in Eldorado. About all I could do successfully is make the video so bizarre looking that it would have been mistaken for an awful B-movie on the SciFi channel.

So back to Movie Maker 2 I go. I am happy with the results I get in Movie Maker 2. It is easy to manipulate video, pictures, and audio. The special effects are such that they make sense, rather than create havoc as I did in Wax. Movie Maker 2 may be simple, but, unless you are a digital native, in my opinion, it IS the best free video-editing software you can enjoy.