EDLD 5366 Reflection

This class has been very interesting to me on many levels. I have never had to look objectively at articles or advertisement layouts before, only being an observer, but this class has given me newfound respect and I objectivity look for things such as contrast, alignment, repetition, and placement. One of the things that I have never given much thought to was the placement of items in movie posters. It is interesting for me to see the great thought that the designers put into placement of the times on the advertisement to represent items in a movie.

In week two we discussed personal branding, and one of the areas that I thought I was doing pretty well in, a business card, there was a suggestion in the reading that made me rethink the design aspect of my card, adding a picture on the card. One simple line “The card should contain a picture” (Schawbel, 2009), made me seriously rethink my current business card, as well as business cards that I have received over the years from business contacts. A photo on the card can personalize the card, as well as help the recipient remember who you are. This can help set you above the crowd, especially in a time when a company can have dealings with vendors and businesses from around the globe.

In week three we had to create an animation, but the real revelation for me was the discussion of how we, as a people, learn. More specifically how short term memory objects can so easily be lost and how to create those short term memories into long term memories. I knew that using audio as well as video and other stimuli would help to increase the likelihood that the information would be transferred to long term memory, but I never really understood why. The reading also stated how too much information at the same time can overload the short term memory, and to only focus on the core items that we need to teach, verses adding “fluff” around the edges. This is something that I can use when helping to create workshops for the teachers, since there can be a tendency to add extra items that in the past I have been deemed as extras to enhance a presentation. Blooms digital taxonomy was another new concept for me, but the breakdown of the levels of understanding combined with digital techniques was really eye opening. Having this knowledge going forward can help me create workshops that will allow the teachers not flow up the chart of understanding so that they will be on a higher level, publishing work, by the end of the class.

Week four was mostly about getting the newsletter done, which was gratifying in its own way, but one of the things that stuck out that week was in the discussion thread where Jason Greer stated that he used Halo to teach and excite the kids about history and historic battles. His innovation in using a non-educational tool and molding that into something that was exciting and educational was amazing to me. This is something that I have already discussed with the technology director and we are looking into how we could do something like this at our district.

Moving forward from this class I will be able to take the knowledge that I have gained, especially how to create effective long term learning, and integrate that into workshops that will help teachers understand the mechanics, and implementation of these mechanics into the classrooms. Before all of this, I will have to craft my teaching skill to effectively integrate those tools into the workshops, which is something that will only get better with time and practice.

Churches, A. (2007, April). Bloom's digital taxonomy. Retrieved from http://www.techlearning.com/article/8670

Schawbel, D. (2009). Personal Branding 101: How to Discover and Create Your Brand. In Mashable/Business. Retrieved December 4, 2010, from http://mashable.com/2009/02/05/personal-branding-101/

Understanding Multimedia Learning: Integrating Multimedia in the K12 Classroom. (2008, September). Retrieved from http://www.brainpop.com/new_common_images/files/76/76426_BrainPOP_White_Paper-20090426.pdf

EDLD 5366 Animation

Book Of Kells Design Review

First off I have to admit that I have always been fascinated with ancient text and their artwork, especially the Book of Kells, so this was definitely an easy pick to examine. The page that I chose to examine is Plate XII. The Evangelical Symbols, this is a great example of all four elements of design that we have been studying this week. The first impression that I get from the works, and what I would consider art, is the symmetry and the artwork that was put into the pages. First there is the contrast between the intricately intertwined knots and pictures and the blank spaces on the page, next there is the repetitive designs and symbolism, such as the knots, flowers, and shapes. Next is the alignment of the pictures, the one that I am analyzing has four definite boxes located in the four corners of the page, each with a circle inside that box. Proximity of these designs is very important, with the “important” part of the pictures being located inside and immediately surrounding the circles, that are inside the squares, that are in the four corners of the picture. Although the actual artist of the manuscripts is unknown, it is safe to say that this was a work of love and dedication, not only to their religion, but to art itself.

Sullivan, E. (n.d.). In The Book Of Kells. Retrieved November 20, 2010, from http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/bok/bok16.htm

EDLD 5363 Week 5 Reflection

This has been a very interesting and fulfilling project and overall class for me. At the beginning of the class I had only used iMovie to import a movie and post it to YouTube. Now I have created a PSA with voiceovers, music, transitions, video, and still pictures with my group and it turned out pretty darn good if I do say so myself.

All in all the project went pretty smooth, we did have some difficulty when scheduling our meetings, but we always found time at least once a week to meet and discuss the project. Preproduction basically laid the foundation for the project. During this process we assigned roles for each of us and created an initial script as well as ideas for shooting. After that Caroline made changes to our document to reflect where she would shoot the videos that were discussed. During production our entire group sent me what they had gathered, video, music, and voiceovers so that I could start editing the clip. During the post production we focused mainly on issues with the PSA video, first off the video was clocking in at around 85 seconds, so we had to cut some of the clips down, there were some voiceovers that had to be redone, and there were a couple of shots that had to be reshot.

As far as how our group could improve our service announcement, I really cannot think of anything else that we could have done in the allotted time. Of course if we had more time we could have adjusted some of the clips a little more, or done a few more things, but I feel that all in all our PSA turned out really nice and I am proud of it and what our team accomplished.

All of our copyright information is listed in the PSA document as well as at the end of the video.

Our team worked really well together. As I stated before there were some scheduling conflicts, but we all worked around them and created a successful project and PSA. Everyone in the team worked together and was respectful of each other’s ideas and input, everyone seemed “interested” and wanted to create a good project and not just something to get by with. I would be excited to work with any of my team members on future projects.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLyNP73pogY

EDLD 5363 Week 2 Reflection

For this assignment I reviewed Windows Movie Maker and Apple’s iMovie. I chose to work with Apple’s iMovie for several different reasons. First, due to the fact that I use a Mac at work and my MacBook Pro at home and in the past have used their software for other projects, so I am more familiar with iMovie that I am with Movie Maker. Second, I like the interface and ease of use that is integrated into iMovie over Windows Movie Maker. Adding audio, cutting, and editing clips is very easy and intuitive in iMovie. For these clips I will use .mov file extensions, the default video extension that it exports to. iMovie also offers the ability to directly upload content to iTunes and YouTube without having to first export the video. While this option was not what sold me on the software, it is a nice addition that new users or people that are not technologically proficient could find very useful.

As far as learning, I have never really been one to create and post content online, so this is helping bring me out of my shell and forcing me to use the editing software in ways that I have not done before. This will give me more confidence to use iMovie or other video editing software in the future for work and other projects. One area where I see this can have a direct impact on my current position is that I can create short podcast for the teachers outlining task that they can do on their computers. While creating the podcast might take a little time up front, it can save time in the long run by empowering the end user.

EDLD 5363 Week 1 Reflection

This week has been interesting and stressful at the same time. There has been a lot going on at work and starting the first week off and having to find a partner and work on a group project that is due by the end of the week has been challenging. That being said, the part of the project that I thought would be the hardest, creating the video clip, turned out to be the easiest and quickest thing that I did for the project. Although I work in IT I don't really mess with video or photo editing software much and have only used iMovie once to import and post my step-sons wedding on YouTube. I actually enjoyed finding pictures, adding audio clips, and narrating the presentation. I am really glad that I was "forced" to use this software and now can't wait for the other projects that we have, well I guess I don't have to wait long because this is Sunday.

Action Research Class Reflection

This class has been a great way for me to rethink how research is done and how to create an effective research project. In the past I have done many research projects, primarily for classes and school projects, but none of them have been an action research project, not that I even knew what that was until this class. In past projects I have used research papers to simply restate items that have already been made. After taking this class I realize my mistakes and how to create a more affective, and original papers. I have, in the past, had a tendency to simply “rehash” material and realize now that that is a lazy and pretty ineffective way to create an original research paper. I do not believe that action research is the only way to create a research paper, but I do believe for the career path that I am pursuing at the moment, that most of my research projects will, or at least should be, action research based.

Administrative inquire or “The process of a principal engaging is systematic, intentional study of his/her own administrative practice and taking action for change based on what he/she learns as a result of the inquiry.” (Dana, p.2, 2009) is a great example of one of the things that I have been able to bring from this class. This reflective way of creating research project and research in general made me look at research projects in a different light. As I stated, I have only really done research projects for classes and not for personal gain or insight, so the idea of using a research project for our own personal journey and gain is a new way for me to look at future projects. No longer will I look at topics and think, “How can I translate this project into a successful classroom project”, but “How can I professionally and personally benefit from this project as well as others around me.” This turnaround of thinking about research is something that I feel will have an effect on me professionally and personally for a long time to come.

Another area that I found very interesting and have not thought about before that was brought up in our class and the Dana text was how we could share the information from our action research projects. Since I work in IT I try to take pride in being abreast in technology, but in some ways I feel very “old school”, especially in presenting research work. I am not really sure why this is, I read and use blogs and digital media almost exclusively, and become annoyed if I cannot get digital copies of items, but it never occurred to me to post findings of my personal research projects online for others to use, question, build off of, or critique. This kind of collaborative work is the way of the future, it allows individuals and groups from around the world to work, collaborate, and brainstorm, it is time that I join in the collaboration.

The final item that I took from this class is the different though processes involved in gathering information and influencing groups with an action research project such as the Force Field Analysis, Delphi Method, and Nominal Group Technique (Harris, 2010). Each are areas in which I feel I can use in the future to either gain approval, Force Field, or determine areas that need to be researched or addressed, Delphi or Nominal Group. While I have not needed any of these techniques professionally in the past I feel that I will be in many situations in the future that I will be able to utilize these techniques.

I was not sure what to think of a class that was simply focused on research, but I have been pleasantly surprised, having learned a great deal from the class that I will be able to use for not only the remainder of by professional career, but beyond.

Dana, N. F. (2009). Leading With Passion And Knowledge The Principal As Action Researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Harris, S., Edmonson, S., & Combs, J. (2010). Examining What We Do To Improve Our Schools. Larchmont, NY: Eye On Education.

Revised Action Research Plan

Action Research Plan

Action Research Reflection Week 2

It has been a good and informative week this week in my class. I have been able to delve deeper into the process of action research and understand what is needed in an effective action research project and what will be required of myself. One of the things that I have pulled away from this week’s readings and videos, is to ensure that the topic to be researched is first feasible and second interesting and relevant. I have, in the past, started projects that have too broad a scope, and had to whittle them down to a more reasonable size. This week reminded me of that, which will give me a push to create a project that is smaller in scope. Creating a research project that is interesting and relevant is also going to be essential for the success of this project. Due to my position in IT there are areas that would not really benefit my career, such as researching lunchroom practices, while others, IT support staff to student teacher ratio, can directly affect my career. This is important when creating an action research project so that interest can be held throughout the duration of the project.

Blog use as an educational administrator

Blogs can be great tools for educational leaders in that they can post their thoughts and reflect and expand on those thoughts over time. In addition to reflection, the blogs can be used for collaboration with other educational leaders who can comment and expand on the post on the blog.

Action Research Reflection

This week I have been reading about action research, something that I have never actually heard of before. I feel that action research can be a great help to me as a professional. Before this week I thought that research was simply combining information that I had found from reading, watched, or listened to, but I have been introduced to a whole different type of research, action research. Action research deals more with inner reflection and building off of either your own experiences or other individuals experiences instead of relying on “professionals” who are not actually working in the field.

Although I am not a principal, and really have no desire to be one, action research could be a wonderful tool to use in my current position as a network administrator, or future positions that I could hold, such as a technology director. This week has made me think about how I learn new things in the technology field now, reading journals and online articles, and feel that there are better ways to expand my understanding and knowledge, such as participating in collaborative groups with other IT individuals. While I sometimes feel isolated being in a small town and being the only IT person for the district, online tools, such as blogs and wiki’s can give me the tools to perform action research without having to physically be in the same place as other individuals. This week has really made me thirsty and excited for collaboration with others, something that I have not been excited about for quite some time.