Class Reflection

I must say I'm terribly saddened now that I know our technology and teaching course has ended. I found it to be one of the most useful classes I have ever taken. It was both exciting and informative. I particularly enjoyed how we were able to blog throughout the course of the class. It has certainly helped with reflecting on where we've been and also wondering where I will go. So I'll do something simple and outline the good, the bad, and the miscellaneous. (Sorry, but there was no ugly :) )

The good:
I loved how this class exposed us to a wide variety of tools and technology. While I may not use every single website or resource covered, I can certainly attest to the usefulness of all of them. I like how Professor Hale wasn't trying to make things apply to every discipline, but instead showed us how we could use them in our classrooms. One of my favorite tools was prezi. I really liked how the website was easy to use but still looked impressive. It was also very fun to play around with. I also enjoyed podcasting and working with the flip cameras. Creating our own film was a fun project. And of course, I really enjoyed our final exam. Turning it into a competitive scavenger hunt was very clever!

The bad:
This is going to sound cheesy, but I wish this class wasn't so short! I also wish we could have spent more time working with other programs that weren't covered in class. (I can't think of many right now, but I know they are out there!)

The miscellaneous:
I really wish we had this course for the entire program. I feel like it would benefit everyone. Technology moves at such a fast pace, that some of the tools we used this summer, may become replaced with superior alternatives in the future. Personally, I'm very tech savy and I love to keep up with technology, but I know this can be rather difficult for other students.

Overall, I have nothing but amazing things to say about this class. I will continue to utilize this blog in the future especially during my student teaching. During my student teaching, I'd like to address the challenges of lacking a high tech classroom, and how low tech can be just as useful for students.

~Chelsie

Video Editing Project and Reflection

Here is my video project. Together as a class we created short videos that addressed different aspects of digital citizenship. My group decided to look at fraudulent websites online, and how to be responsible when doing research on the internet. I hope you enjoy it!


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?

I wish I had more time to play around with the different settings in imovie. Unfortunately, I found that with the intensive course load in my other classes, I had limited time to create a sufficient product. Some specific changes I would make would be to add in smoother transitions, a title page, and background sounds and effects. After watching my classmates' videos I think I would go back and add voice over as well.

• What is your reaction to the video recording/editing process? Please discuss any positive and negative reactions.

I think video editing is very time consuming. I spent at least three hours editing my video if not more and even then I feel like I could have spent much more time creating a really great video. I think this in itself is a huge setback. I'm a big fan of creative projects such as videos and video editing, however they have their drawbacks as mentioned above. On the positive side, I really enjoyed having a creative outlet, and getting to know imovie. I know there's a lot I have to learn in the program, but I think I have enough experience now to create a quality film project.

• 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 it is possible. However, in my student teaching, this will not be an option, as we don't have the access to the technology to do so. In the future I would love to encourage my students to be creative with video editing. Many school libraries have flip cameras that students can check out, and imovie may be available as well. There are also many free movie editors such as Windows Movie Maker. I also feel I am competent enough to direct my students with proper instruction. However, I would certainly refresh my memory before teaching the lesson.

• Did you learn anything new from the video editing/recording process? Please explain.

Video editing requires a lot of planning! I often found myself looking for film that I didn't have and it was really frustrating. I can now understand why directors do so much planning (storyboards etc) before actually filming a movie. I also have a newfound respect for filmmakers, they really work hard to make good films for everyone to enjoy.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post them below. Thanks guys!