5363+-+Multimedia+and+Video+Technology+-+Course+Reflection

These five responses encompass my course reflection for Lamar University's EDLD 5363: Multimedia and Video Technology:

1. What outcomes had you envisioned for this course? Did you achieve those outcomes? Did the actual course outcomes align with those that you envisioned? The outcomes that I had envisioned for this course included producing and editing multimedia and video projects and learning how these types of projects impact teaching and learning in the classroom. This course definitely achieved these outcomes and so much more. I had not expected the course content to cover digital story-telling and the stages of film production to this depth. I certainly had not expected to be performing these tasks first-hand using appropriate hardware and software technologies. These additional tasks were instrumental in understanding the underlying focus of this course. I believe that I achieved these outcomes and that many of the resultant outcomes aligned with those I had envisioned.

This course also supplied the students with best practices directly related to these projects. Many online articles and resources provided supplementary tips, guidelines, and tutorials to audio and video undertakings which added to the new learning, which has been abundant. Tips such as identifying locations, not boring the audience with long video clips, being mindful of lighting, checking the sound, varying angles and perspectives, and learning from the movies (Desktop-Video-Guide, n.d.) have assisted our project group with the public service announcement (PSA) assignment and will aid me in future video projects.

The How-To articles on Audacity were also very enlightening. I have always thought of Audacity as a poor man’s solution for sound editing. My point of view was that since it was free, it had to be a mediocre product. Week #4’s articles opened my eyes to many of the features I never knew about. These include splitting and submixing, recording two sound sources on separate tracks for true stereo sound, and reverb. The best feature is that “Audacity acts like a non-destructive editor, providing multiple levels on undo” (Audacity, n.d.).

Overall, the path of my future learning has been permanently altered due to this course and its resources. Prior to the course, I certainly had not guessed that the course would require me to work in a collaborative group to produce a 1-minute PSA. Our group project was a huge amount of work, but I benefitted from the cooperative learning within my group. We utilized blogs, wikis, collaborative documents (Google Docs), video conferencing (TokBox.com), and many other technology tools and resources. These resources truly do make collaboration easier, especially when distance/geography is a factor. All in all, this has been a wonderful and relevant course in my Masters of Education track.

Desktop-Video-Guide. (n.d.) Guidelines for shooting quality video. Retrieved on April 22, 2009, from http://www.desktop-video-guide.com/shoot-video.html

Audacity. (n.d.) Introduction. 1(2). Retrieved April 21, 2009, from http://audacity.sourceforge.net/manual-1.2/intro.html

2. To the extent that you achieved the outcomes, are they still relevant to the work that you do in your school? Why or why not? Based on the course outcomes that I feel I have achieved over the past five weeks, the outcomes are extremely relevant to the work I perform in my school district. I work at the district level in the Technology Department. First, the inherent value of digital story-telling and video production to teachers is that they have a digital outlet for students to utilize and demonstrate learning. So many of today’s students need technology avenues to increase their interest and engagement, and they will be highly successful because we, as educators, provided it to them. “Well-designed multimedia helps learners build more accurate and effective mental models than they do from text alone. Meaningful connections between text and graphics potentially allow for deeper understanding and better mental models than from either alone. Multimedia can extend and augment learning” (Shank, n.d.).

Second, the film project modeled many collaborative techniques for communication, planning, designing, and evaluating our products. These collaborative and cooperative outcomes were amazing. My Instructional Technology Director often speaks about the high school film class that he teaches. He preaches teamwork within his film crews. Teamwork is the underlying, yet vital skill that we should be teaching our students today. Without this skill, so many resources are lost; resources that are necessary in this cooperative and competitive age. The outcomes of this course are already being utilized by my department and our Technology Facilitators at the campuses.

Shank, P. (n.d.). The value of multimedia in learning. Think Tank. Retrieved May 5, 2009, from http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/thinktank/valuemedia/

3. What outcomes did you not achieve? What prevented you from achieving them? One expected course outcome that was not sufficiently covered was an investigation into how to promote multimedia and video technology integration to campus- and district-level administration. Certainly, there is an abundant amount of research that ties multimedia to accelerated learning, active participation, and longer memory retention; however, convincing campus principals of that fact can be difficult.

Another outcome that seemed lacking and that we will need to research and employ is professional development for teachers to become comfortable with products such as Microsoft’s PhotoStory and MovieMaker. “Joe Fatheree and Craig Lindvahl, two teachers who have made seven films between them and who teach filmmaking workshops to educators, say that even when teachers are comfortable with the technology, they don't often feel confident about teaching the art of storytelling” (New, 2005). Classroom teachers tend to not utilize a technology tool with their students if they lack the necessary skills to use it themselves. Again convincing campus principals to allow their teachers to have the essential time to learn these software packages is not always easy. Technology strategies that positively impact student learning and best practices for teacher professional development is fantastic, but that is not always sufficient to persuade upper management that it is time for change.

Regarding enhancements, I think our video could be improved by an increase in allotted time. I believe we could have done a better job with location identification if the PSA had a 2-minute parameter. While I understand making the point quickly and succinctly, parts of our final production feel rushed. When it comes to improving our project experience, I must say that we had an experienced crew that brought many skill sets to the table. The only changes that I can brainstorm are unrealistic. I wish that all members of our team could have met in person and been able to take a week’s vacation from our jobs to focus on this project.

New, J. (2005). How to use digital storytelling in your classroom. Edutopia. Retrieved April 4, 2009, from http://www.edutopia.org/use-digital-storytelling-classroom

4. Were you successful in completing the course assignments? If not, what prevented or discouraged you? I believe that I was very successful in completing the course assignments. I have received a perfect score (i.e. 100) on most of the homework and activities. In all honesty, I suppose that I would not have been this successful without two aspects of this course: the well-chosen articles and the team members that I was grouped with for the PSA project. The articles have been spot-on when it came to supporting the assignments for the corresponding week. As an example, the Center for Educational and Training Technology (CETT) article from Week #3 included many helpful tips that we used while shooting the film. “There are several reasons to create storyboards. Storyboards make it easier to plan how and what to edit for the final project. Always remember, it is easier to change the storyboard than to edit the videotape” (Center for Educational and Training Technology, 2006). This is so true and kept our filming focused on the necessary shots. Additionally, “Videography Tips” had many helpful lists including the “Seven Deadly Camcorder Sins” (Videomaker, n.d.). The other key to my success was as equally important as the resources. My team members brought such a wide variety of skills to the table, we couldn’t help but be successful. From graphics design to previous camera operation to sheer project planning and management skills, our group overflowed with ability, talent, and competence.

Our group even modeled proper copyright. We utilized various graphics from [|www.shutterstock.com] and a camera sound effect from [|freesound.org]. Even though both websites offer copyright-free content, our team felt we should model proper copyright technique and document these assets’ origins.

The only component that discouraged my in any way was my lack of software skills when it came to some of the higher-end video editing software. Adobe Premiere has such as steep learning curve and I definitely struggled with it. I ended up doing some of the editing in Adobe Premiere Elements and Microsoft’s MovieMaker. I simply ran out of time to put myself through a rigorous tutorial to learn Adobe Premiere.

Center for Educational and Training Technology. (2006). Success is in the planning. Retrieved on April 9, 2009, from http://www.create.cett.msstate. edu/create/howto/Storyboard_Handout.pdf

Videomaker. (n.d.). Videography tips. Retrieved April 20, 2009, from http://www.videomaker.com/learn/tips-to-get-started/

5. What did you learn from this course: about yourself, your technology and leadership skills, and your attitudes? Through this course, I have learned many things; although, none of them is more pertinent than what I have learned about myself. First, I learned that while I have fairly astute technical skills, some technology is just not user-friendly. Time and effort are needed to overcome these types of challenges. Second, my leadership skills are respectable, but most of the time, being a team member is far more imperative. I learned a long time ago that servant leadership is much more gratifying. Finally, my attitude toward collaborative techniques is enhanced with every course I complete. When I was in school, the environment was very competitive and every person was out for him/herself. As a result, I never truly saw the benefit of shared projects when I was in high school and college. Partnering for expanded learning did not become clear to me until I was employed. Goal achievement is more effective and efficient when you reach the objective jointly. Multiple perspectives and friendly critiques help drive and align a team’s purpose toward an organization’s mission. This collective alignment and courses such as this one will assist me to hone and focus my ability to not only lead, but to also be a more effective team player. I hope to continue a long career of formulating and enacting strategies and best practices for implementing technology solutions in classrooms and schools. In addition, this graduate program has and will support my endeavor to become a more effective technology leader.

Our group video production project allowed us to collaboratively learn about the phases of creating a film. Planning, designing, producing, editing, and evaluating are the major stages. Communication and the use of technology were also intertwined in the process. As a result, I think we all have a greater understanding of how multimedia and video projects can impact teaching and learning.