Multimedia and Video Technology Week 5 Reflection

As I look back on my experience during weeks 3-5, I have to say I was blessed.  I had the opportunity to work with (2) professional ladies who were enthusiastic about the challenge that lay before us.  During the pre-production phase, many ideas were tossed around but the topic of child obesity seemed to strike a nerve in all of us.  We all agreed, unanimously, that this was the way to go.  We created a Google doc page to begin brainstorming on the way we wanted to attack this topic.  This part could’ve possibly been difficult but we decided pretty quickly on the direction we wanted to go and the message we wanted to relay.  During the production phase, choosing the roles was easy.  I think we took on roles that fit our niche’.  Other assignments, we would do together.  As each member completed a task or had a question on a topic, we would add it to the Google doc, or contact the other partners by email.  The production phase went smoothly because we had more than enough information.  We had to cut out much of our information because of the PSA time length.  We had more than enough video footage from different angles, related images, and research articles.  The post production phase also went smoothly.  We thought we were going to have an issue with the video file extension, but that was solved quickly.  It was simply a process of dragging the file to another location and changing the file extension.  There were a couple of questions about citation but the one of the web conferences addressed the issue.  Overall the whole project went smoothly; I would only hope that I could relay this information that smoothly to my students.

With this being my first time creating a PSA and doing a project like this, this went really well.  Each member had many things going on in their personal life that could have a created a negative experience for all involved, but we all manage to be professional and make this a great learning experience.  The only thing that could’ve made this a better experience is if we had physically worked together on the project.  Our interaction was positive and supportive.  Members were willing to do what it would take to make this a success.

Multimedia and Video Technology 12-4-11 Web Conference

In this week’s web conference there was a lot of important information discussed that would be important for Weeks 4 & 5.  Dr.Abernathy wanted to make sure she addressed some of the issues that needed clarification.  As far as week 3 is concerned, each team member needed to submit the assignment document.  Because of the collaboration among group members, the documents should look similar.  Week 4 will be used for production purposes.  Also during week 4, the students will not receive a grade.  Dr. Abernathy forgot to mention previously, that it would be wise to get more video footage of each shot.  If possible, try to get a couple of extra minutes to accommodate the audio.  Also she spoke about the e-portfolio and its purpose.  The e-portfolio should be viewed as a documentation of your work and it can be displayed as a wiki, blog, or any other web 2.0 tools.  A couple of questions came up about the audio portion of the PSA and documentation.  Many students do not use different sounds from other places because of the correct copyright citations that are required. 

When looking at the overall big picture of this particular class, Dr. Abernathy stressed that we should explore.  Don’t be afraid to try different programs.  The information gained from this class can be used as a blueprint for activities that can be used with our students.  As a leader, you want to be able to share your knowledge with co-workers.  The more we stress the importance of technology integration, the better chance we have in creating an environment that fosters student success.  As we move ahead it will be difficult to keep students engaged if we don’t utilize all of the new technologies.

Week 2 Reflection: Creating a Podcast for a Video Editing Software

In week 2 we had to learn the basics using a video editing software suite.  We had the option of using different types of software as long as the file extensions were usable.  I chose Windows Movie Maker 2.6.  I have never worked in this program and didn’t realize that I had an earlier version of Windows Movie Maker on my computer.  I went to YouTube to view a tutorial on how to use the program and what features the program offered.  Once I found my video and began to experiment with the features, I figured out some of the basic operations.  I really had fun working with this software.  It was very user friendly.  The part I had the most difficulty working with was how to save the video so that it could be uploaded to YouTube.   I haven’t given up on Windows Movie Maker yet.  My group partners have had success with their projects using the same program, so I know it’s just a minor issue, hopefully.  Overall this week has been slightly stressful trying to complete this assignment but I like having the freedom to create.  The podcast portion of this week assignment was very simple.  For some reason I thought it would be much more difficult to complete.  We used two programs to complete the assignment.  The only problem I can see with students doing a podcast will be finding a place quiet enough to record.  Both types of projects would be very beneficial to students because the finished product would be relevant and authentic.

Multimedia and Video Technology Web Conference Reflection Week 1

This web conference was very helpful.  Initially, I was unsure of what the final product was supposed to be or look like.  At the same time I was eager to get started on the project because I want to try this with my students this year.  My students will collaborate with different classes from around the world and create a digital story.  So the timing of this class was perfect.  It was good to hear Dr. Abernathy discuss the topic of working in teams.  Teachers need to know how to do this if we expect our kids to do it.  There will be many different elements to make the project successful as we work from week to week.  So as an educator, I need to have experience doing this because my students will come across the same issues.  During the conference we touched on the expectations of the program.  One of the program goals is to prepare teachers to be ISTE technology facilitators.  In turn we can push for every K-12 course to be fully integrated with technology. The belief is that all faculty needs to be able to use technology.  As a facilitator it would be a plus to share any products your kids create with administrators to let them know of the endless possibilities.  It helps the administrator buy in to the idea of full technology integration.  It was good to see that the professors have all had many years of K-12 experience.  So they understand the dynamics of what I do.  It was also good to know that the technology Masters program is transferable in 26 other states.

The conference discussed the progression of the project through each week.  In week 1 we can use (1) partner to help and assist with the creation of the digital story.  It would probably be a good idea to add more people as we get into weeks 3-5.  As of now, I have one partner and I think she will be an excellent person to work with.  Based on our initial conversations, I think this will be a great experience for me.