My wiki can be found here.
Do you plan on using your classroom blog/wiki in your future classroom? If so, what types of modifications do you envision? Please explain.
I definitely plan on using this wiki in my future classroom. At first I was only planning on having a website, but a wiki is much better because it is more collaborative and students can more actively take part (through discussions, posting their work, giving me feedback, etc.) Some modifications will have to be made. I'm not sure yet if I should have one giant wiki for all of my classes, or separate wikis for each class (or at least each course I'm teaching). It would be more work this way, but it would make each wiki more unique and less cluttered. I may also have to modify some of my content (such as the links or reading list) based off of students' interests.
Do you plan on having your students create their own blogs/wikis in your future classroom? If so, please explain.
The students will use my own class wiki to post most of their assignments, but I also may have them make their own personal history reflection blog. This would not be where they would post assignments or essays, but it would be a place for them to reflect on how the course is going at various points during the year.
Discussion of how your view of instructional technology has or has not changed over the semester:
I started out the semester not knowing much about instructional technology, especially since it was not a part of my high school experience. Now I not only know much more about it, but I am convinced that it is very important to include. As I say in my podcast, it enlivens the classroom experience and is a way to reach out to technologically-oriented students and get them interested in Social Studies. Technology can not only complement but enhance traditional teaching, as long as the technology is appropriate for the content and skills being taught.
Discuss the quality and appropriateness of what you have learned and created this semester.
I have learned a great deal over the course of the semester, and I have created quality work. Although I feel that I can continue to improve, particularly on my podcast and video making skills, this will come with time. Given that I started out as a total beginner, I feel that I have made good progress. Many of the projects we've worked on this semester I will use in my future classroom, particularly the wiki and website.
Evaluation of your comfort moving forward with technology:
I feel very comfortable moving forward because I have all of the necessary skills that I can build on with practice. I also have the tools needed to continue to improve (such as the screenshots, for example). While there are certain technologies I am more comfortable with than others, I have a foundation in place now for further growth.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Video Editing Reflection
What would you do differently if you could do it all over again? Are these changes based on feedback that you may have received from friends, peers, family members, etc?
If I could do it over again, I would have done more of a skit rather than just a filmed discussion. Although I feel that our video conveys a lot of content, it is not perhaps the most interesting way the info could have been conveyed. I saw some other videos that used more humor and specific situations than ours did. We felt that our subject matter was very serious, and so the format should also be serious.
What is your reaction to the video recording/editing process? Please discuss any positive and negative reactions.
The video recording process was much more challenging than I thought it would be, particularly because I had trouble holding myself together at times (as you'll see on the video's blooper reel!) We also took so many takes that it was difficult to find the best ones and collect them all together into one coherent video. However, from a technical standpoint the editing process was very user-friendly (much moreso than Garageband). The setup was clear and easy to understand, and I liked the variety of all of the sound effects and music effects. I did have some trouble with the video effects, because I only wanted it to apply to a single slide and instead it would apply to an entire segment of slides. These are issues that I think I could work out with more experience using iMovie, though.
Do you think it would be possible to have students in your current/future classroom create a movie? Do you (will you) have the resources, time, and skills necessary to include such a project in your classroom? Please explain.
I think that with programs like iMovie it is much easier for students to create videos than it once was. I don't think I will have all of my students create videos, but I might leave it open as a potential way of presenting their research material to the class. That way, students who feel comfortable using the program and acting can demonstrate their skills. For myself, I will definitely have the skills necessary to include a video in my classroom--the main issues would be time and resources. I might use iMovie to put together a collection of online videos, music, or pictures. It would be similar to PowerPoint, just more advanced and with more multimedia.
Did you learn anything new from the video editing/recording process? Please explain.
I learned a lot from this process, since I had never filmed anything before or used iMovie. Most of all, I learned that it does take a lot of time and effort to make a movie, even a short one. I have greater appreciation for filmmakers now! I also learned just how many elements go into making a film--voiceovers, video/sound/music effects, transitions, text, and timing (as they say, timing is everything).
If I could do it over again, I would have done more of a skit rather than just a filmed discussion. Although I feel that our video conveys a lot of content, it is not perhaps the most interesting way the info could have been conveyed. I saw some other videos that used more humor and specific situations than ours did. We felt that our subject matter was very serious, and so the format should also be serious.
What is your reaction to the video recording/editing process? Please discuss any positive and negative reactions.
The video recording process was much more challenging than I thought it would be, particularly because I had trouble holding myself together at times (as you'll see on the video's blooper reel!) We also took so many takes that it was difficult to find the best ones and collect them all together into one coherent video. However, from a technical standpoint the editing process was very user-friendly (much moreso than Garageband). The setup was clear and easy to understand, and I liked the variety of all of the sound effects and music effects. I did have some trouble with the video effects, because I only wanted it to apply to a single slide and instead it would apply to an entire segment of slides. These are issues that I think I could work out with more experience using iMovie, though.
Do you think it would be possible to have students in your current/future classroom create a movie? Do you (will you) have the resources, time, and skills necessary to include such a project in your classroom? Please explain.
I think that with programs like iMovie it is much easier for students to create videos than it once was. I don't think I will have all of my students create videos, but I might leave it open as a potential way of presenting their research material to the class. That way, students who feel comfortable using the program and acting can demonstrate their skills. For myself, I will definitely have the skills necessary to include a video in my classroom--the main issues would be time and resources. I might use iMovie to put together a collection of online videos, music, or pictures. It would be similar to PowerPoint, just more advanced and with more multimedia.
Did you learn anything new from the video editing/recording process? Please explain.
I learned a lot from this process, since I had never filmed anything before or used iMovie. Most of all, I learned that it does take a lot of time and effort to make a movie, even a short one. I have greater appreciation for filmmakers now! I also learned just how many elements go into making a film--voiceovers, video/sound/music effects, transitions, text, and timing (as they say, timing is everything).
Final Reading Reflection
I thought that Richardson’s “10 Big Shifts in Education” were very interesting, and they corresponded well to the recent big shifts in computer technology as well. The way we locate and process information has changed dramatically in the last twenty years, in large part due to the Internet. Schools may be slower to catch on and catch up with these new possibilities, but Richardson succinctly lists the transformations that are slowly taking place.
I particularly agreed with Shift #1: Open Content. I remember that even when I was in high school we did not fully utilize web content. For example, my AP US History class had a website, but all that was on the website were homework assignments, chapter outlines from the textbook, and practice tests from the AP Board. There were no links to other websites. This seemed to me to be a missed opportunity because there are so many interesting websites online for students to engage more deeply with the material than they ever could with a textbook (which, given the lack of space, must necessarily be only a cursory overview of the content). I agree with Richardson that given the updated information on the web, many textbooks are rendered “passé” (p. 127).
I also like Shift #2: Many, Many Teachers and 24/7 Learning, although this might be difficult in practice. Blogs, for instance, can connect us to experts in our fields as well as exciting people who live history (for example, historical reenactors, museum curators, public historians and archivists). However, it might take a great deal of time and effort to personally get to know these people and bring them in touch with the classroom. It is doable, but it might be harder to accomplish than Richardson anticipates.
For my classroom, I would like to incorporate aspects of the Read/Write web, such as having students post work they are most proud of online on my wiki or their own personal blogs. I also will try to incorporate “portfolio” work so that they focus is on the process, not the final grade. One shift that I will probably find challenging as a Social Studies teacher is #8: Writing is No Longer Limited to Text. While I understand and appreciate that multimedia (podcasts, videos, art, photography) should be included in the classroom, so much of the discipline of history (and political science/government, geography, economics etc.) is written and spoken. I almost feel that students are already well practiced in multimedia; what they often lack is the ability to effectively put their ideas into academic or professional writing. In college, writing research papers becomes very important, and I do not think this will change anytime soon. Therefore, I want to prepare my students for the university or careers by teaching them how to do research and write good essays.
However, I can use the Internet and computer technology to help me do this, and I can use the web to publish student work and direct them to other experts and excellent resources. As Richardson says, their studies will be “meant for the world, literally” (p. 132).
I particularly agreed with Shift #1: Open Content. I remember that even when I was in high school we did not fully utilize web content. For example, my AP US History class had a website, but all that was on the website were homework assignments, chapter outlines from the textbook, and practice tests from the AP Board. There were no links to other websites. This seemed to me to be a missed opportunity because there are so many interesting websites online for students to engage more deeply with the material than they ever could with a textbook (which, given the lack of space, must necessarily be only a cursory overview of the content). I agree with Richardson that given the updated information on the web, many textbooks are rendered “passé” (p. 127).
I also like Shift #2: Many, Many Teachers and 24/7 Learning, although this might be difficult in practice. Blogs, for instance, can connect us to experts in our fields as well as exciting people who live history (for example, historical reenactors, museum curators, public historians and archivists). However, it might take a great deal of time and effort to personally get to know these people and bring them in touch with the classroom. It is doable, but it might be harder to accomplish than Richardson anticipates.
For my classroom, I would like to incorporate aspects of the Read/Write web, such as having students post work they are most proud of online on my wiki or their own personal blogs. I also will try to incorporate “portfolio” work so that they focus is on the process, not the final grade. One shift that I will probably find challenging as a Social Studies teacher is #8: Writing is No Longer Limited to Text. While I understand and appreciate that multimedia (podcasts, videos, art, photography) should be included in the classroom, so much of the discipline of history (and political science/government, geography, economics etc.) is written and spoken. I almost feel that students are already well practiced in multimedia; what they often lack is the ability to effectively put their ideas into academic or professional writing. In college, writing research papers becomes very important, and I do not think this will change anytime soon. Therefore, I want to prepare my students for the university or careers by teaching them how to do research and write good essays.
However, I can use the Internet and computer technology to help me do this, and I can use the web to publish student work and direct them to other experts and excellent resources. As Richardson says, their studies will be “meant for the world, literally” (p. 132).
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