Month: November 2010

Weblogs

For my latest E-Learning Toolkit exploration I decided to discuss the creation of my computer audio blog http://www.computeraudioguy.com. Now I have to admit that I had already started this blog about a year ago but I don’t think that should stop me from reflecting on the process as I regularly update my blog with the latest info on the world of computers and music making.

For creating my blog I decided to use WordPress. I am not sure why I chose WordPress other than to say that someone recommended it to me so I decided to give it a try. Other than a few annoying features, I find WordPress to be an easy tool to use to create a decent looking website perfect for blogging. Since I have little experience using HTML code (none to be exact :), WordPress was a good choice for me as it uses more of a WYSIWYG graphical user interface. I have had some experience using Dreamweaver in the past but I found WordPress to be a little easier to use and therefore more enjoyable.

In my opinion, what makes WordPress such a great tool is in its ease of use. Combined with signing up for webspace (in my case Go Daddy), I was able to have a basic website up and running in less than a couple of hours. Adding text, pictures, and videos from Youtube was a breeze which I believe is important in any blogging type software. Another advantage of using WordPress is that you can sign up for your own domain name instead of using a domain name provided for you. Furthermore, I also liked how easy it was to create a customized look to my WordPress page due to the access of numerous themes provided. Themes for WordPress are easy to implement and also highly customizable. Just one click of the themes button under the appearance tab and you can choose to download a number of different themes for a great look and easy customization. The other WordPress feature that I found to be incredibly advantageous was the ability to use plugins for further customization. For example, if you want your WordPress to display stats about your blog you can use a plugin to take care of this. You can also use a plugin to display the most recent comments in the sidebar of your site. Check out the numerous plugins available by clicking on the plugin tab.

For me, the most challenging aspect of using WordPress was the amount of choice of features I had at my disposal. From choosing from the hundreds of themes to adding plugins, you could find yourself working on your blog for days without getting any content uploaded. Another challenge I found with working with WordPress was with formatting. Even with this very blog, I have faced some challenges in getting the header to look a certain way and changing the font size of my buttons at the top of my page. This has led to some real frustration on my part as I have yet to find a solution. Hopefully I will be able to solve these little problems soon.

As far as surprises are concerned, I guess the biggest surprise for me was that WordPress was so easy to use. Maybe it was because my only foray into website building before WordPress was using Dreamweaver or my overall excitement getting to create my own blog. Nevertheless, even with a few WordPress criticisms, it has been a joy to use in creating a polished looking weblog. Now if only I could keep my blog up-to-date.

Collaborating with my peers on the wiki activity this week was an enjoyable experience. I found many aspects of using the wiki to be both advantageous to traditional methods of communication and challenging. In the paragraphs below I will discuss my thoughts and experiences with this week’s activity.

I found many advantages to using wikis for group work. Primarily, I liked how anyone could edit and revise the body of work that was being created. This is quite different in comparison to the static nature of the discussion forums on WebCT/Vista. In addition, working with the wiki was especially easy to use which makes it a great learning tool for students who have had little exposure to, or are reluctant to using technological tools. I also liked that the information that was being created on the wiki was near instantaneous. This function makes wikis a great tool for instant collaboration. In a recent group activity for another MET course, we used a wiki for group collaboration. Due to the nature of online courses, many of the students were located all over the world. Using a wiki provided our group with an easy to use, convenient space in which to contribute to the same document.

Although I think that wikis are an exceptional learning tool that educators have at their disposal, they are not without their challenges. Some of those challenges are access to equipment (computers and bandwidth), affording the time to create and implement the wiki, and monitoring students’ activity. As well, the type of communication that wikis provide may not be ideal for some students’ learning style. For example, some students may be visual learners and therefore should be provided with an opportunity to use strategies which reflect that. Perhaps a modification to the use of the wiki could provide for that? For my own learning style, I find wikis to be somewhat overwhelming and cluttered if contributors are not given specific directions on where to place information. It could as simple as using a different colour of font to differentiate the contributors.

There may also be concern by some educators regarding students staying on task and as well, violating copyright. I have found that many students have a difficult time staying on task when working on computers due to the large amount of online distractions. As well, many younger students that I work with have zero regard for copyright law and plagiarism. Giving the students guidelines before starting may prove to be beneficial.

Another challenge to using wikis is knowing when it is appropriate and beneficial to the students’ learning. Other methods of communication, especially in a classroom setting, may be more suitable and therefore should receive preference over using a wiki. Knowing the best instructional methods to support your students’ needs is vital in providing a proper education.

Perhaps the most challenging aspect of using a wiki is trying to overcome the reluctance to edit other people’s information. For me personally, I didn`t feel comfortable with revising work that other people had taken the time to write. I didn’t mind adding to someone’s thoughts but revising was another story. Some students may also experience the same feeling when working with wikis. In addition some students may get upset that others had changed their ideas. I believe the challenge for any educator in this situation is defining a clear outline before proceeding with working with wikis.

Referring back to the SECTIONS framework provided me with a basis in which to critique the use of wikis in an educational setting. I believe that it is fair to say that wikis can provide educators with a different form of collaborative communication in both the classroom and beyond. However, there are some challenges and wikis may not be suitable for all situations. In the future, I can see myself using wikis with my students as they provide an excellent collaborative and communicative platform. Being cognizant of the challenges of using wikis and understanding their best pedagogical uses can provide students with an exceptional platform for collaborative learning.

Bates, A. W. and Poole, G. (2003) Effective Teaching with Technology in Higher Education: Foundations for Success. New York: Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated.

For my latest E-learning toolkit experience I decided I would try my hand at working with the free audio editor Audacity. As a digital audio enthusiast I will admit that I have used Audacity in the past for basic audio editing needs. I have also recommended Audacity to a number of my clients for its ease of use, excellent features and most importantly, its great price (free of course). It’s been a few years since I last used Audacity so this exercise will be a good refresher.

I started this exercise by downloading the latest version of Audacity and installing it to my PC. As well, I downloaded LAME MP3 encoder in case I needed to create any MP3’s. Next, I reacquainted myself with Audacity by exploring some of the menus and features. It is truly incredible that such a small free program can contain so many audio tools that many professionals require. Now that I had the software installed and ready to go, it was time to record my voice. I took the advice listed under “Getting Ready” on the ETEC 565 Vista page and created a “Do not disturb” sign to post on my door, made sure that the bedroom of my condo had all of the windows and doors shut, and I turned my cell phone off. In addition, I wrote a brief script on a piece of paper that could be easily followed. I launched Audacity, positioned myself somewhat close to my laptop, hit record and tested the built in microphone on my PC laptop to see if it was working. All was good. Audacity recorded a mono file with perfect levels. It was now time for the main recording. With script in my hand, I hit record again and began reading. After about one minute I pressed stop. In front of me was a perfect recording of my voice that required very little expertise and experience. Although a professional microphone would have created a better sounding recording, I was quite happy with quality I was able to get. I also decided to mess around with some of the built in effects that Audacity has to offer. For my final step I saved my Audacity project and as well exported my audio as both an MP3 and a WAV file.

In all, the process of recording myself using Audacity was super easy. There was basically no setup and the results were very pleasing. I was surprised the fidelity was so good since I was using the built in microphone on my laptop. Of course there is nothing we can do about my voice. I would caution, however, that those that are new to Audacity may run into problems with their microphone not working on first try. If this happens, I recommend they check their input settings in both Audacity and in the Windows Control Panel (For Mac look in system utilities). As well, they must make sure that they select the right input as some will want to use the line input instead of the built in microphone.

For me, the challenge was not so much in using Audacity but more to do with creating a quality recording. It can be incredibly difficult and frustrating having to record in environments that are not meant for the recording of audio. Making sure your environment is set up appropriately for recording is most important in creating a great sounding recording.

Using Audacity was a lot of fun and easy to use. In the future I may just start using it more often to compliment my more sophisticated audio tools. Audacity seems like the perfect tool for capturing some guitar ideas before I lose them for forever.