Week 2 Web Conference

I read the Week 2 Web Conference from November 23^rd, 2011.  These web conferences so far have been so much more laid back than the others I have attended in the past.  This may sound strange, because we are all usually sitting around at home, with the TV in the background, but never were we asked to introduce ourselves and where we work, thereby giving it a much more personal, homey feeling than the ones in the past.  It seems we are all having issues with this week’s assignment.  Some of us are having issues with Audacity/LAME, others with finding a place to post, and still others with the directions.  Those issues seemed to be cleared up during this session.  According to Dr. Abernathy, the directions were to do just an audio recording (accompanying video optional) and find a palce to post.  Some students were having issues with finding where to download LAME (myself included), but one of the students explained that LAME comes with Audacity, and when it is time to save it and export it as an .mp3 file, to go through our library and find the LAME software, open it, and then hit save, and it will successfully encode the audio file as an .mp3.  What luck! The second major discussion point was whether we were to do a 2 minute or one minute presentation, as the assignment paper said both.  However, we determined to just keep it under two minutes and hope for the best.  Deeper in the assignment paper, on page 5, it says 2 minutes or less, so we went with that.  It made me feel better that I had done the assignment properly.

I thought it was really funny that during the course of the evening, some of the students were discussing Black Friday deals, and one even sent a link for a video recorder on sale on Friday the 25^th!  Students were also sharing their Thanksgiving plans, and I believe one or two were either leaving that night for a friend or relative’s home, or were already there.  This really gave the conference a very informal feeling, very personable, something I noticed the last few courses web conferences lacked.  We really are all just working towards a common goal (a degree) while trying to lead normal lives.  I guess we took it for granted that none of us really did/do anything else!  This conference reinforced the importance of a distance learning degree: that we can still learn new things and connect with our classmates and live very normal lives not consumed by school work.  This week’s web conference really cleared up some major points of confusion for me, and I look forward to Week 3.

Editing Software reflections

As I looked through the free software editing programs listed in one of this week’s readings. I actually tried to download wave, but I really wouldn’t recommend it. My machine is about 3 years old, but it didn’t do well. Not only that, it came with something called “IncrediMail.” I hurriedly uninstalled it, but much to my surprise, wave didn’t download at all. That wasn’t good. I have decided to go with Windows Movie Maker I recommend it for three major reasons: it’s acceptable to TeacherTube, YouTube, and just about anywhere we have to post. Secondly, it’s really easy to edit, save and post. Since we’ve only got two minutes to do this podcast, it’s critical to get something easy to explain as well as use. Finally, it is already installed on most, if not all, computers purchased today. 

 

Additionally, students today do not have a long attention span, even with technology, and if something’s not easy, they’ll get disinterested and move on. Wave looked easy, but the other three besides the one I chose were not so simple. One of them even said “this is very detailed and complicated.” (desktop-video-guide.com)  Why use it for students if it’s complicated and we need it for a project? I mean, maybe with very technologically advanced or G/T students, but not with the typical, on the level student.

Windows Movie Maker is by far the best of the five free video editors, both for us as students and for our students. I'm a complete novice with editing software. This is something that is somehat similar to the project we undertook in Week 1 of Digital Graphics, and I got through that just fine. In some ways, Movie Maker and software just like it is very similar to Photoshop, in that users take already created works and edit them to fit whatever purpose they want or need. Many students know how to use photoshop, so I think they'll pick this up pretty quickly as well. I also think this is perfect for students because of three simple words: "drag and drop." 

 

Also, since most, if not all, new computers come equipped with Movie Maker, this means the students will have access to it without any additional cost to the school or school district.  With this free, open source software available to the students, there's no reason we as teachers shouldn't use it in the k-12 classroom.  As we have learned throughout the degree, technology excites students, makes learning and working fun, and prepares them to be successful digital citizens.  If we really want to introduce them to advanced technology tools such as editing and creating their own products, it should be with something free and easy.

 

We want students to be able to be able to access new material, and it should be easy.  If as teachers, we lead them to access new material, it needs to be easy, and close to something they've learned with before. (Garrison)   If we can relate it to something they've learned before or elarned with before, the students will be able to pick up the new information fairly quickly, which will excite and engage them even more than learning technology itself.

 

Desktop-video-guide (n.d.) Top 5 free video editing software programs.  Retrieved November 20, 2011 from http://www.desktop-video-guide.com/top-5-free-video-editing-software-review.html

 

Garrison, A. (1999 Winter) Video basics and production projects for the classroom. Center for Media Literacy. Retrieved November 20th, 2011 from http://www.medialit.org/reading-room/video-basics-and-production-projects-classroom

Reflections, Week 1 Discussions

Week 1's web conference was a chance to get reacquainted with Dr. Abernathy, and we found out some interesting facts about her, such as the fact she lived in South Carolina for a few years.  This was a particularly tough web conference to follow because of technical difficulties, causing several students to become disconnected, and even Dr. Abernathy faded in and out!  Even with education technologists, technology can make our lives frustrating.

Some of the members of the group have gotten their ETA's switched, and we were finally told why: date of payment.  We also got down to more important business, such as the directions for the week.  I was not the only one apparently that had trouble with the assignment or downloading some of the readings.  Dr. Abernathy told us that she had created a virtual story at a class in 2007, and she let us look at it to get some ideas.  Additionally, she clarified the partner situation for us for weeks 3-5, that we could stay in our groups from Teaching with Technology, but all group members had to be in the same ET section.  This means I'll be able to stay with at least 3 members of my group, which helps in terms of knowing what each member is capable of, and being able to make plans now for the assignments later.  I'm really happy to be out of the principal courses, and especially happy to be back with Dr. Abernathy.  It seems like the courses go alot easier under her direction.