As a teacher, I've found that I love learning just as much as I love teaching. I have found many avenues for learning within the education field: NCTE,TCTELA, and helping to start a regional affiliate ---Concho Valley Teachers of English. Additionally, I believe in service-learning, which is a project-based approach to solving issues. 3 years ago, I became a grandmother, which, in turn, gave me so much more to learn. This blog intends to capitalize on that learning that I do in my life.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
5363 Final Course Reflection
PSA Reflection: Week 5 of Multimedia and Video Technology
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.