Month: August 2009

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Module 5

Looking back, Moving Forward

1. Looking back, how does what you expected to learn during ETEC 565 compare to what you actually have learned, in terms of technical competencies?

I didn’t think that I would be exposed, as a graduate student to the volume of applications that I witnessed within this course. I understood that there would be a lot of applications that I would be evaluating in terms of the benefits to support student learning. I just was amazed at how many applications I discovered as being very useful towards motivating students to learn. I have always been successful in being able to grasp the technical aspects of any digital solution that I deemed necessary for my professional growth as an educator. I rather enjoyed learning about how the various digital tools could be infused within an education program. However, I was very happy to finally have a matrix that I could apply to the evaluation of a tool. The SECTIONS model was very instrumental in having me begin to critically analyze whether a digital tool would be useful to implement within a learning environment. This model has given me additional insights to decide the effectiveness of digital media. As well, I typically would evaluate the functionality of various media tools using a Windows and Mac based computer. I found that some of my implementation decisions were based on whether a specific tool would work on a specific platform.

2. Moving forward, how do you think what you learned in ETEC 565 will impact your educational practice, be it as an instructional designer, instructor, or administrator?

I really enjoyed investigating the functionality of the Moodle platform, and found that creating my LMS became an exercise in how to pedagogically develop a course that would stimulate, motivate and enlighten learner minds. I found that I was mentally filtering my media tools using the SECTIONS model when crafting the LMS course. As an educator, I plan to develop additional courses using Moodle that span several subject areas. Eventually, I would love to see students assist me in developing a Moodle course. This platform is extremely adaptable, benefiting the many learning styles that students bring to the learning environment.

Categories
Module 5

Dafna

1. Based on the resources available, how might Dafna organize this activity?

I would have students working in groups of two. Essentially one student would video record the other performing their music video. Then, students would reverse roles. I would also create a schedule where students would be able to sign out the camera equipment for a specified amount of time. This scheduling would permit all 4 groups to have access to the equipment on an equitable basis. Since students will need lots of camera recording time, it is wise that this activity is iterative in nature. With limited equipment, being also used by other departments, Dafna’s group will need to be afforded additional time throughout the year for refinement and completion of the project. With 4 computers available, groups of two students could also schedule when they need the machines, again equitable distribution of resources is the goal for all 8 students.

To support students as they self-direct their own learning with respect to completing the project, Dafna could create a presentation by using for example, Empressr to teach students about Camera basics, shooting video, editing video and post-production tips and tricks. Having students proceed through these learning activities at their own pace will support their individual learning plans. Another way to have students use the limited equipment equitably would be to have 4 students work on the Empressr activities, while the other 4 students work through the camera basics, and shooting video portion of the project. If 4 students finished shooting their raw video, while the other 4 finished the Empressr activities, then those 4 students could start camera basics, and video shooting while the other 4 begin the editing process. This plan would require Dafna to create a schedule so students could organize their time efficiently with respect to using the equipment.

2. How might she disseminate the music videos, once created?

Dafna could export the edited video through iDVD and burn a digital copy of each music video. She could export the edited video to any number of mp3 players that also play video. I once used an application (the name escapes me right now) that removed the soundtrack from a movie, I then converted the file into an mp3 for playback. Dafna could also do this for audio track playback only. Users would have an audio and video copy of each music video. Dafna could also host all the videos on a web site where users could view all music videos in one central web space. She could also embed all the videos within an application like Word Press, where other students could then comment on each other’s work.

Categories
Module 5

Kwikwetlem Project

A) What might be three (3) important questions Raj could ask himself when deciding which multimedia to include?

1. Will providing students with specific multimedia artifacts (audio, visual, text) within their educational program improve student learning? How will this be measured?

2. What are the expectations that Raj will communicate to his students about the quantity and quality of the work that he expects from them.

3. Will developing the self-directed, online learning module on the Kwikwetlem First Nation web-site, overwhelm the site with Raj’s media artifacts to the point where the technology doesn’t permit students to engage with the material in a timely manner. Students may then find the learning process uninspiring because of the inadequate technical infrastructure.

B) Do you think Raj can deliver this in a month? Explain your answer.

I don’t think that Raj can complete his site in the one-month (40 hours of build time) time frame that he spoke of. I think that with his classroom obligations, his marking schedule, and his intention to work on the site on weekends, may prove to be too ambitious of a time-line for him. Personally, I think he will not have the endurance to accomplish this activity with all the other things that he is doing as a teacher. I also think he may want to revise his one hour a day lesson schedule for his project. I think this schedule may be to piece meal in nature. He needs to allocate more overall time for a project of this eloquence. He may want to also consider integrating other curricular areas within his project, such as Language Arts, Social Studies and Fine Arts learning outcomes.

4. Suggest how Raj could approach developing his website?

I think that Raj should look at all the possible multimedia that he will be using to populate his web-site, and evaluate whether or not it will best support student learning with respect to his goals for his project. As Siemens (2003) stated, “not all media is created equal”. Raj needs to accomplish the media evaluating task prior to building his site. Raj should then decide if his site will be used to display another media application such as Prezi, Animoto or Tikatok. Or will his site be the traditional web-page format. I feel a traditional web format may be too boring for students. They would be more energized and motivated to actively engage with the material if they were introduced to this content through an exciting format such as Animoto. After Raj has decided the format for his online module, he needs to begin looking at which media will best support his various learning outcomes for students. He needs to group all relevant media around individual learning outcomes for optimal learning. After this, he needs to build his module by enhancing the content through the use of the relevant media. He needs to be able to provide students with links from outcome to outcome through this media story-telling approach. Students need to be able to collaborate and share their ideas and opinions with their peers. Students need to be able to offer and receive feedback from their teacher and peers somewhere embedded on the site. It is only through this hands on approach by students, working collaboratively to actively engage with the media provided, will their learning improve on the topic that Raj has set up for them.

5. Offer an alternative to the website, one that will use some of Multimedia already collected.

Raj could utilize the Prezi application to develop a time line rich with pictures and other media. He could then have students create their own Prezi presentation with the outcome of transforming their knowledge on the topic. Or, students could work in collaborative learning groups to populate Raj’s Prezi. Students again, would be transforming their knowledge by enhancing the initial Prezi by adding their own learning content to it.

Siemens, G. (2003). Evaluating Media Characteristics: Using multimedia to achieve learning outcomes. Elearnspace. http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/mediacharacteristics.htm (accessed July 25, 2009).

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