Reflection on Social Media Creation
by Heather Wik ~ July 16th, 2011. Filed under: Tech Reflections.I have to say, I started out rather scared approaching this activity, but very quickly got totally excited and loved creating my story! There are so many different tools available, and in the end, I chose Animoto.
When selecting my Web 2.0 tool, I thought about Bates’ and Poole’s (2003) SECTIONS model. I loved that the online tools was accessible and didn’t need to be downloaded (one more thing for my students to NOT think about!). It was incredibly easy to use, and the cost was free for a short production, or very reasonable if you wanted to purchase a one-year license to create longer productions. Very few prerequisite skills were needed to use Animoto, and issues of copyright were avoided because free access audio options were provided within the program. It was easy to add text, organize images, and create the flow I wanted. It’s a program I can see myself using over and over again!
For my story, I wanted to create an introduction piece for my online courses. I wanted to make something that would show students more about me, and the things I cherish. My hope is that by giving students a glimpse into my life outside of work, I am able to establish and build deeper relationships with students faster. By putting a bit of “me” out there, I hope to create more trust, and by doing so, enable students to be more confident sharing with me and with the community of learners we are building. Using Animoto, I was able to share images of my life in a way that expressed the things I value most…..my family, our traditions, my music, etc. The music I chose really fit well with the feeling I was attempting to convey.
I can see myself using Animoto at an instructor level, and as a tool for my students to use. In one of my courses, students create a presentation to reflect the cultural diversity present in our class, and this would be a great tool for them. I think students would find it very meaningful and motivating. I really liked that I was able to “show” my students something, with limited words (but carefully chosen ones. The images, text, and music worked together really effectively, and I’m looking forward to trying something totally different with it next time. So much fun!
For those who missed my earlier post with my digital story, you can click on the link below to view it.
