EDLD5363Reflections

 Reflections for EDLD 5363  1. What outcomes had you envisioned for this course? Did you achieve those outcomes? Did the actual course outcomes align with those that you envisioned? At the end of the course, I expected to be comfortable with using video editing software and learn some techniques for shooting quality film. I am now very familiar with Photo Story 3 and iMovie, and I cannot wait to use these software options to create a digital gift for my parents’ upcoming anniversary. I believe that I can take any existing video clips and digital pictures and create something memorable and exciting as well as teach my students to do the same. I also learned many tips and tricks for using Audacity, which will be very useful in classroom projects, and I can identify different types of video shots and their purpose. Finally, my group and I became very proficient at using Web 2.0 tools to collaborate on our project: we used my wiki, Gmail, Google docs, and Windows Live Messenger to communicate effectively together.

2. To the extent that you achieved the outcomes, are they still relevant to the work that you do in your school? Why or why not? As a high school English teacher, the skills I gained in this course are essential and valuable. Last winter, when I first started taking classes at Lamar, I assigned a project to my students that involved using video and digital pictures. I purposely gave the students very few guidelines because a) I wanted them to have the freedom to take ownership of their creation, and b) I did not know enough about video to tell them what they needed to know. The projects turned out great; I am still shocked at the amount of time and effort they voluntarily spent outside of class creating their masterpieces. However, after learning picture and video editing skills in this class, I can easily see many applications for the classroom. I can still allow my students the freedom they need to create something amazing, but the guidelines I can pass on will encourage an even more polished and professional product. Eventually when I become an educational technology leader, I will be able to pass on these same techniques to teachers and help them feel as comfortable as their students who want to use technology in the classroom.

3. What outcomes did you not achieve? What prevented you from achieving them? The main outcome for this class that I did not achieve was the ability to use a video camera effectively; this outcome was not stated in the syllabus, but I feel it was implied since someone in each group had to use a video camera to create clips for the PSA. I do not own a video camera, but if I did, I would want to practice shooting video for different purposes including tight, wide, and establishing shots. In addition, I know that I need to focus on my skills of using lighting, zoom features, and camera angles because those qualities of video can make the difference between a boring, amateurish film and a more polished, interesting look.

4. Were you successful in completing the course assignments? If not, what prevented or discouraged you? Yes, I was successful in completing the course assignments, but I experienced a few setbacks along the way. In week 1, it took me 1-2 days of “thinking” time before I decided on the story that I wanted to tell. After I started getting frustrated with my inability to make a decision about a story topic, I began using some of the creative brainstorming techniques that I use in my English classes to help my students begin writing. I also thought about something personal that makes me happy in my life, and that is when I settled on the topic of my Chihuahua. In week 2, the idea for the Poker Face video came to me more easily, but learning how to capture the video clips provided a few hours of frustrating unproductivity. I spent a lot of time searching the Creative Commons websites listed in the assignment page, but I could not convert the few videos that I found to file formats that would work with iMovie. Thankfully, I finally discovered that I could borrow clips from YouTube if I gave credit to the author, and I had a lot of fun creating my project after that.

5. What did you learn from this course: about yourself, your technology and leadership skills, and your attitudes? Several times during this course, my group members asked me for help, and I was able to apply my leadership and technology skills to assist others. For example, in week 2, I researched various types of files used by Pinnacle, Windows Moviemaker, and iMovie, so I could teach Rachel and Diane how to convert YouTube videos to .flv and .mp4 file types using a free format converter online. Also I thought of the idea of using Windows Live Messenger to chat as a group during online meetings. Diane had never used a chat before, so I taught her how to invite other people to the conversation and save a transcript of the conversation. During weeks 3-5 as we were completing our PSA project, I took on the leadership role of video director. I created the shot list based on Kimberly’s script and narration, and I helped to keep the group on track as I offered suggestions and continuously critiqued our work. Our group worked cooperatively and collaboratively together, and I believe my positive leadership skills contributed to our success.

This is my fifth course I have completed for graduate school, and at the beginning of each course, I look over the syllabus and the upcoming assignments that will be due each week. I always feel a sense of being overwhelmed, but I have learned to take a deep breath and realize that if I focus on the assignments one at a time, then I will be able to experience success. After completing each course, I feel confident that I have learned something significant that I can apply right now in my classroom as well as in the future as an educational technology leader.