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.