EDLD+5363+Multimedia+and+Video+Technology

=My Digital Story = media type="file" key="I Wanna Be.wmv" width="300" height="300"

= I Vote Movie Maker podcast = = ﻿ media type="file" key="Arnold EDLD 5363 podcast.mp3" width="240" height="20"=

Podbean podcast

=[|Don't Text and Drive]﻿ = Our PSA...

=Course Reflection =

There are two different outcomes that I had envisioned for this course. These outcomes, or expectations, are linked to different points in time related to the beginning of this course. I formed my first expectation before ever enrolling in the course. Using the other courses as a frame of reference, I expected that we would create some sort of video. After I learned that we would, in fact, create a video but would do so as part of a team, I expected to dislike the process. I was wrong about the group experience. My group collaborated well together. We created a great Public Service Announcement. The outcomes that I envisioned for this course did not fully align with what I actually received from this class. I did create a video even though I did not do it alone. I found a great group of collaborators to work with that have become my friends as well as professional resources for the future. One of the things that I like most about this program is the fact that I have been able to quickly apply the things that I have learned. For example, in one of the classes that I completed early in the year, we talked about the fact that I can and should have my students create some of the material that I use in class. With this in mind I assigned my students the task of creating a short video to demonstrate one of the concepts from our class. The results were great but I remember listening to the students talk about how difficult it was to create a good video because they were trying to record it in one take. Thanks to this class and my experience with editing, the next time that I make this assignment I will show them some of the video editing software that we used. This will result in even better videos, I am sure of it. As mentioned before, I thought that I would be required to create a video for this class. Of course, I thought that I would be doing all this work on my own. I was not excited about the prospect of having to create my video as a group project. In the end I was pleased with my group’s video and believe that I learned a great deal from the exercise. However, part of me wishes that we would have done this project on an individual basis. I feel as though I did not get the full benefit of the movie making experience. I worked with another member of my group to shoot the video but then we turned the raw footage over to the group members doing the editing. We all commented on the different versions until we were happy with the finished product. I just think that given three weeks to do the work we could have all completed a video of our own. I successfully completed all the assignments for this class. There were a couple of items that I needed clarified but this was resolved in the web conferences. The biggest issue that I faced was the online courseware content not matching the syllabus. This meant that I had to wait for the updated assignment to be delivered through email. One of the things that I like about this program is that it allows me to work at my own pace through the week. Waiting for emails hinders that flexibility. The weekly discussion postings were most affected by this issue. It seems that everyone was so confused about what to post that they were posting twice as much to be sure to cover the requirement. I like when people post the links to their work though. It gives us the opportunity to see the work that our classmates are producing. This makes you feel better about the direction you are taking because you get to see if someone else is going in the same direction. After completing nine courses I am still excited every time I find a tool or technique that I can immediately use in my classroom. Before taking this class I would have said that “movie making” was too difficult and time consuming to be of any real use in my classes. Now I can’t wait to use this technology with my students. I should not ever make the assumption that I can’t adapt a technology for classroom use. After all, I teach in the computer field. This is the one thing that I continue to learn about myself. I don’t seem to think outside the box as much as I think I do. A great example of this is the use of groups. I have never really embraced this idea in my classrooms because I believed that group projects are typically done by one or two people in the group while the others just sit back. This class marks the second time I was in a group as part of this program and it proved to be a great collaboration. I am rethinking my attitude about groups and will likely use them very soon in my classes.