New Text Tech augments our Learning Spaces, Assign. 4
I’ve had a couple of very busy weeks. I just celebrated the wedding of my son and new daughter-in-law last weekend. Studying balanced with family time has been quite a challenge! However, here we are on the home stretch…congrats to all who have persevered and learned so much this term!
For my final media project I have compiled a few of my reflections regarding ETEC 540 and my thoughts around how changing text technologies are changing the way that learners interact and hold educational discourse in new spaces. In an article I recently read for ETEC 531, by Murphy and Potts (2003) regarding Technology and Culture, I saw a quote from Stephen Hill’s book “The Tragedy of Technology” that has made me wonder about tech determinism in relations to my project. It reads “The direction of change is a product of the particular alignment between the technological possibilities and the society and culture that exists.” (1989:33) So, I have been thinking, have educational learning spaces changed as a result of evolving text technologies? Or is it the reverse, have text technologies evolved to meet the needs of the new social learning spaces that we now have? Perhaps it is both. At any rate, I think that we truly live in a transformative time, in which we can take advantage of all sorts of new media and new text technologies to empower our learning. Here is the link for my Animoto video: How Evolving Text Technologies are Changing Our Learning Conversation Spaces. I hope you enjoy watching it.
I have utilized a variety of production tools to create this video. Haiku Deck was extremely useful for sourcing Creative Commons photo images. Haiku Deck allows you to export your files as both PDF and as a PowerPoint project. I used PPT to export individual images, which I was able to put into my Animoto video project. Timing is always an issue, but Animoto has a few timing features which allow minor adjustments to the visuals. However, music selection is limited and if you slow the visuals down too much then your visuals are simply cut out to match the music length. I like the Animoto effect and think that watching motion enhanced video is more interesting than simply watching a PPT type of presentation. If you are going to produce a video, I think motion should be a part of it rather than just using still images. Anyway, good luck to all of my classmates who are working on the project this week!
~Sandra
Hi Sandra,
What an interesting topic! I really liked the effect of the video, it looked like I was reading it on a Mission Impossible style snazzy touch screen. I think you captured the shift of educational change where we are trying to move away from a teacher standing at the front of the room. The question in your introduction about society creating the technology we need or technology changing society is very thought provoking.
Catherine
Hi Sandra,
The question you pose is quite an interesting one (not sure I have an answer for it). Your video was a great blend of technological with historic and created quite the visual impact for me….an evolution of sorts. Not sure if you intended that, well done!!! My only feedback, as a slow reader, I had to pause the video to read the longer quotes. I think you mentioned that Animoto has some issues with timing and I’m sure that is predetermined by the platform. Anyway, great multimedia presentation.
-Ronaye