Erin’s Educational Technology Journey

It’s our final week in ETEC 565 and I’d like to make a post to the community. I am guilty of being a “blog lurker”, so for all of the lurkers, thanks for visiting my blog! I would also like to thank all of the people who commented on my blog and those who helped me in various forums.

When I enrolled in ETEC 565 I was very scared! I am a tech novice/beginner, and the course seemed daunting.  I contacted David Roy three times with concerns about my abilities prior to enrollment. He assured me that the course was designed for all levels and he was right! I now feel more confident in my technology skills thanks to the supportive ETEC learning community I belong to. I am impressed by my classmates’ blogs and their LMS sites and I’ve learned a great deal by visiting them. So, once more, thank you! It has been an excellent course and I’m glad I shared the experience with all of you. Erin

Please visit my LMS page (https://blogs.ubc.ca/gillespieetec/lms/) to read my final reflection about creating a MOODLE LMS. Erin

I found PowerISO, NeroVision4, Windows DVD Maker and InterVideo WinDVD for Vaio. Feeling overwhelmed, I went with NeroVision4, simply because it looked straightforward: simple icons, simple features, drop and drag and it promises to make a DVD out of my photos. Seems simple enough for me! As I mouse over icons, text pops up to inform me exactly what each icon does. This is very helpful. For example, I moused over a photo frame, and Nero informed me to “drag and drop pictures here from above or from Explorer”.

I selected an entire photo file from a recent trip to China. Nero had no problem uploading all of the images from Explorer to the DVD project. Over thirty photos were uploaded in a matter of seconds. I then played with the “effects” menu and accidently embossed all of the shots. Usually, I would get frustrated at myself, but I found the “back” arrow, which is nice, big and blue, and fixed everything in a short time.

Narration was a little bit difficult. I could not figure out how to narrate each photo, so instead I did one narration for the entire move. Thankfully, my “movie” is only five minutes long, so it wasn’t that bad! However, the narration loops, so I get to hear myself talk a little bit too much! I wanted to add a soundtrack, but I couldn’t figure out how to upload a music file from iTunes to Nero…I’m not sure if you can. I saved the movie then exported it as a file. I’m not sure exactly what that meant, but I thought I should try both avenues to learn more about the process.

How intensive was this process? It was not too intensive to play with the effects or to upload the photos. I found the narration to be time intensive, simply because I could not upload music easily. In addition I could not add text to my images. I wanted to add comments and record the exact location of each photo. I also tried to edit my narration, but it was difficult to do so. It was easier to simply re-record myself. All in all, I spent about two hours creating a five minute production that is, honestly, an amateur effort. I will “play” with Nero more and try out my other DVD authoring tools to gain a better understanding of how to use the tools. I’m definitely happy I tried Nero. My past experiences with DVD authoring have not led to successful burned DVDs.

Reflective blog question

Think about an example of how multimedia have been used effectively to enhance your learning. Feel free to reflect on your MET experiences, or any other.

     Multimedia has greatly enhanced my learning experience. Reflecting on my undergraduate degrees (1998 and 2003), I can say very little multimedia was used: video, MS Power Point presentations and e-mail between classmates. In the University of British Columbia’s MET program I have been exposed to a much wider range of multimedia. It is obvious that this is to be expected considering the focus of MET (educational technology) and the expertise of my instructors. However, I also feel more multimedia learning opportunities should have been provided to me during my 2003 B.Ed program. Although I have not researched the issues, my best guess is the faculty were not comfortable with different multimedia formats, the technology has become cheaper and easier to use since 2003 and the university itself was generally not engaged in a cultural shift toward educational technology practices. The following reflection will focus on my experience learning with multimedia in the MET program.

In MET I have been exposed to a wide variety of multimedia: synchronous and asynchronous video streaming, learning management systems and software (Wimba, Moodle, Chat/Voice), text in websites and e-mail, audio applications (streamed MP3’s, VoiceTool), visuals (Flash animations, CMaps), collaborative applications (wikis, blogs, shared websites) and integration of these formats.

I feel I have had a more effective learning experience because of the variety of formats. An excellent example is an activity in ETEC 565 at the beginning of the course. I was part of a group that had to assess different learning management systems. We decided to meet online using a Vista discussion forum, then we used a chat function and google documents (collaborative editing) at the meeting to work on our assignment. As we discussed issues in chat we drafted, edited and finalized our paper. We were scattered around the globe and we had different professional backgrounds, but the ability to learn and create with multimedia brought us together and truly enabled our collaborative efforts.

Generally speaking, I am a visual learner. I can process information more quickly, and I like to watch a skill step-by-step and master it in stages. An excellent example of learning with visual multimedia in MET is the use of archived lessons with chat and video streaming capabilities. Living in a different time zone and not working in a school seriously limits my ability to participate in a supportive educational technology (ed-tech) environment. However, the MET community is supportive, approachable and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Despite this, occasionally I am unable to meet during live, online activities.

Multimedia has enabled synchronous lessons and community participation to become asynchronous. Lessons include video, so I can see exactly what the presenter is discussing. Without MET’s multimedia culture, I would have to rely on text based websites, blogs or forums outside of the program. I would feel dislocated from my community and somewhat lost academically. With asynchronous visual multimedia I can access archived lessons and e-mail participants (or post in a forum) for clarification and further support. Actually, I could request a meeting online using Wimba or outside of Vista with Skype if further visual support was needed.

Reflecting on my MET experience (8 classes) with multimedia, I tend to agree with Siemens’ (2003) analysis of the benefits and drawbacks of certain applications. Siemens (2003) argues text is portable but overused. I have had one heavily text-based course in MET and I consider it the least engaging. I do not remember many of the modules and I have to return to my files to review key articles and arguments. Reflecting on this experience, I feel text on a website or in a textbook has value, but should be integrated with other multimedia forms.

Audio is considered key for auditory learners and beneficial for all due to its speed (Siemens, 2003). I would add to this the benefit of portability. In MET I have downloaded several MP3 files and listened to them more than once while doing day-to-day tasks. Siemens (2003) feels learners may tune out, and I have. Again, I listen to them more than once due to their portability.

Visual and video learning in MET, for me, is the highlight. I have watched Prezi presentations (visual presentation software), archived video-based lessons, studied CMaps (mind maps) and enjoyed a variety of digital stories through iMovies, Windows Movie Maker, Roxio Photo Show, MS Power Point and other slide show applications. A picture is worth a thousand words as I am a visual learner. Without this form of learning, I know I would not have explored concepts as deeply due to inattention or boredom. Visual presentations are engaging and are often followed up in forum discussions. I can re-watch the material, process the theory or message and engage in thoughtful discussions with my peers. If the same material was presented in text, I would likely read it twice yet not process the material as deeply. The level of learning engagement would be low. Siemens (2003) feels visual and video formats benefit visual learners and are personal but they are also expensive and can be difficult to download (quality issues). I feel visuals and videos do not have to be expensive, but at the institutional level this may not be the case. Student productions (which I learn a great deal from) are often created using open source (OS) applications with minimal cost. Since I have taken the MET program, I have encouraged my teaching colleagues to include more video and visual in their lessons through the use of OS applications!

Finally, I strongly feel collaborative and integrated media formats have positively enhanced my learning experience during the MET program. In ETEC 510 I was introduced to and participated in my first wiki. From that experience, I taught my colleagues about wikis and started a program at my former school. In ETEC 531 and 565 I was introduced to blogging. Although I am a visual learner, I enjoy visiting the blogs of other students and I’m thrilled when people comment on my blog. This form of feedback is spread across blog comments, Vista forums and instant messaging outside of Vista, and I feel it’s an excellent example of integration. My previous example about integrating Vista forums with a chat function and a google document for synchronous editing is another example of how collaboration (and integration) enhance the learning process. I am not learning alone. My learning is scaffolded, occurs in a supportive environment and is on-going. Without collaboration and integration, I would not have such rich learning opportunities. Siemens (2003) feels collaboration is hard to manage but integration of formats can improve management issues and minimize the drawbacks of other formats. I completely agree with Siemens (2003) on the benefits of integration. Personally, collaboration has been enhanced in my MET experiences by the integration of several multimedia formats.

To conclude my reflection, I feel my experience learning with multimedia has been intimidating at times but extremely rewarding. Learning new formats can be daunting, but I have improved my ability to select multimedia applications based on Bates & Pooles’ (2003) SECTIONS framework. I have taken the skills gained in MET and used them immediately in my teaching or passed them along to colleagues. I can definitely see the benefits and difficulties for integrating multimedia into an institution that is not prepared for the ed-tech culture but I strongly feel such integration is worth the struggle. I would not teach a class without multimedia because I believe its inclusion provides learning opportunities for students who would otherwise not benefit from the lesson. Isn’t that what it’s all about?

References

Bates, A.W., & Poole, G. (2003). Effective teaching with technology in higher education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

Siemens, G. (2003). Evaluating Media Characteristics: Using multimedia to achieve learning outcomes. Elearnspace. Accessed Online 19, July, 2009, from http://www.elarnspace.org/Articles/mediacharacteristics.htm

Please visit my Digital Story page  to read my reflection on activities related to selecting and implementing digital story tools in a level four international elementary school setting. I used Roxio Photo Show and Tikatok applications.

The 565 Toolkit referenced research by Kock (2001), Shirani, Tafti & Affisco (1999) who found synchronous communication tools actually improve the quantity of ideas. This was interesting to me as I’m a fan of associated learning and constructive learning. If there are more ideas out there, more associations can be made and thus more ideas can be constructed from those: A continuous cycle is what I’m imagining.

Also, Tu (2000a, 2000b, 2001) and Wegerif  (1998) were cited in the 565 Toolkit to support the claim that students’ knowledge is enhanced by on-line communication tools. I read Wegerif’s paper, now 11 years old but still relevant, and came away with the importance of creating a supportive learning community. You can link to Wegerif’s paper here: http://www.aln.org/publications/jaln/v2n1/pdf/v2n1_wegerif.pdf

The paper expresses that educational designers must consider the social dimension as important as the learning dimension when creating an online learning environment. I am now concerned about being able to design such a well-balanced environment! Although Wegerif’s research focused on professional adults and mine focuses on elementary children, I feel the paper relates to my professional background. At the very least, it certainly relates to my MET experiences. Nothing is as depressing and unmotivating as posting in a forum and not getting any responses!

Currently I use several synchronous communication tools for my MET program, not for classroom teaching. I hope next year I will be able to use some of these tools with my own class! As a MET student I have used:

Skype to collaborate with MET peers on a group project. We used the chat function and the video calling function. I found this to be very effective. You can conference call with up to 4 people (plus yourself) which is perfect for a group of five. Also, Skype has a synchronous chat function. I have used this and found it to be good, but I still prefer to use  Microsoft Instant Messenger. See my notes below.

Wimba’s Chat tool for WebCT/Vista: I have found this tool to be great in class, but if you want to check differenct areas within the course, you are often “chat kicked”, meaning as soon as you leave chat, you are often registered as “XX has left the room”. Actually, you have not left, but Wimba is fooled into thinking you have left. Several times in Wimba live chat, I’ve had to shut down my UBC tabs, re-enter my CWL , re-enter the course, and re-enter the chat again. I’ve found it easier to make sure I have a hard copy of essential information or open windows on my desktop during classroom chats.  

Instant Messaging: Yahoo, Google and Microsoft Instant Messenger. Usually I stick to MSIM simply because most of my contacts are already on it. I can send links, files and photos to contacts and easily receive the same from them. I can open several tabs and even be in discussion in Wimba and use MSIM to converse privately with members from the same class. I can chat with several people at once, or I can have private conversations running with many at the same time. I have never been accidentally removed from a MSIM conversation as in my Wimba experience.

I have had a digital camera for over 7 years, and my latest camera can take nice 30-second mini-movies with sound in addition to snapshots. However, I’m still not “on top” of the video editing software because I purchased my camera in Japan. All of the installation software is in Japanese, and shows up on my computer as a series of blips and code. Needless to say, I’ve been a fan of Windows Media Center and Windows Photo Gallery simply because I could understand it!

In this toolkit activity, I was asked to explore Picasa, so I downloaded Picasa 3 and instantly understood how to import pictures from Windows to Picasa! It was so simple. I was not excited about Picasa because I’ve been using Windows for so long, but I noticed one thing right awa: It’s easy!

I followed the link to the YouTube video explaining how to crop and resize photos. I decided to make a photo collection as an anniversary gift for my husband. Ambitious, but Picasa made it seem easy. I quickly spent a few hours organizing photos, retouching, cropping, playing with colour tones, adding text and generally having a great time in Picasa. I’ve now edited 12 photos for my anniversary gift, and I’ve decided to move on from “collection” to “publication”. I invested in a lovely photo book months ago, but never thought I’d be able to fill it so quickly. Although Picasa is a great web 2.0 tool for digital photos, it also prints off beautiful photos if you have a quality printer and proper photo paper. What I thought would be a huge “crafty” task ended up being a great way to practice my educational technology skills for school. I’m now fairly adept at editing, re-touching, organizing and sharing photos in ways that seem to be light speed ahead of Windows applications.

How intensive was this activity? At first I thought it would be time consuming, and I thought I’d get frustrated with file sizes, file transfers from Windows and generally learning a new system. However, it was very intuitive and in under one hour I was well on my way, engrossed in a project with a purpose. I’d recommend this toolkit activity to anyone who is frustrated with their current level of digital photo management. The learning curve is not that steep and the results are well worth it! In fact, I was planning on taking photos on my memory stick to my local Kodak kiosk and having the part-time workers print off a collection  for me. To export to my blog, I had to first export the photo to a file on my computer, then I could upload it to my blog. If you use “Blogger”, Picasa has a photo uploader which works directly from the program.

With Picasa, I can personalize photos and make them truly memorable without having to invest too much: A little extra ink, some quailty photo-paper and some time! I used Picasa to edit tourists out of the left of the shot, to blur the focus and to change the tint to yellow to get an “antique” look.

A trip to Macau in Dec 2008

Wikis are considered a web 2.0 writing application that is based in social interaction and collaboration (Alexander, 2006). Wikis support collaboration as users can enter the wiki, edit content, create links, create pages and build off of the thoughts of others. In our Module 4 Unit 1 activity, we were asked to have a discussion based in the class wiki concerning “sightings” of social media in our classroom experience and to identify the strengths and challenges of engaging students with social media in an educational environment.

It was interesting and fun to use a web 2.0 social media tool to examine issues in social media. I felt it was a nice merge of theory-into-practice. However, I notices that wiki content was developed individually for sightings and that people, including myself, posted their name beside their wiki entry. I thought the exercise would involve editing content without a sense of ownership, but sightings were personal and I felt “rude” editing someone’s entry with my own thoughts. Due to this format, the wiki discussion was very similar to the Web CT/Vista threaded discussions in the forums. In this exercise, there was little difference between a traditional forum and a wiki.

In the second activity, we co-edited content and collectively identified five strengths and five weaknesses of  engaging students with web 2.0 social media in an educational environment. This activity worked very well in the wiki environment. I made two suggestions, did not include my name, and did not feel upset when they were edited by other collaborators. The ideas improved over the course of the week, and I feel satisfied with the overall process.

Generally, I feel the difficulty in this task was in encouraging collaboration in the wiki environment. Although the threaded discussion brought out great insights, it would have been more collaborative if we initially structured our content contributions outside of the “discussion” box. Perhaps our initial wiki posts should have been generalized, with headings like “cellphones in class”, then we could co-edit a paragraph on sightings concerning the issue. Also, in our class we “signed” our edits. Signing our names  is a great way to identify who is participating or who to respond to, but at the same time it takes away from the collaborative and collective spirit.  If I were to use a wiki in class, I would give students a general instruction of sign/don’t sign and provide them with a starting example. I teach lower-elementary, and I think a little guidance would go a long way.

I think the Module 4 Unit 1 activity was a great success because it forced us to participate in the web 2.0 social media environment and really work through the issues. We can read about the theory of wikis and social media, but this activity showed us how to use a wiki for an educational activity. Feel free to visit my toolkit reflection on wikis which I completed before this activity.

Please see my Assessment Tools page for my completed review on my MOODLE quiz development assignment.

Beneath the assignment posting is an additional posting about creating a quiz in MOODLE to provide formative feedback on a grade four dinosuar introductory lesson.

Please see my “Communication Tools” page for the assignment and for my reflection on the assignment. I posted my reflection above my assignment to frame my learning path. Enjoy!