Course+Reflections-EDLD+5363

When I saw that the title for the course was Multimedia and Video Technology, I knew that I would be expected to learn a lot of new things. I expected the course to focus a lot on video technology because it was listed in the titled, but I also thought multimedia would be a big focus. Since I have previous experience with video technology, I was not really worried about my ability to learn about it. I was, however, worried about the multimedia portion of the class. I somewhat expected to learn about how to use various types of media in websites, video, and programs such as powerpoint. I think that this is where the class did not really meet my expectations. I did learn about multimedia in the realm of video technology. That may have been what this course was designed to do. In that case, I have learned what the course intended but when I signed up for the class I had something else in mind. What I understood was that we would learn about multimedia in a variety of uses and video technology as two seperate concepts. Instead the class focused more on these two things together. As far as learning video technology, I expected to learn how to use video editing software, effective tools for video shooting and editing, as well as the educational implications of the ability to incorporate video technology into the classroom. I do believe that these outcomes were met by the course. I definitely feel that I can take a topic of information and create a visual story that can be an effective educational tool as well as helping my students to learn to use the same software and information to convey stories of their own. I am very excited about the information I have received from the course and hope to use it effectively.

I feel that I have achieved the outcomes of the course successfully. I know that when the course started, I was very uneasy about many of the assignments and readings we were assigned. As the class progressed, I found myself understanding the vocabulary and descriptions given in readings to a much greater degree. I think the challenge will come in trying to use the information I have learned in this course in my profession as a mathematics teacher. I don't think that the difficulty will be in knowing how to create a video and use multimedia but rather, it will be in knowing how to use it effectively. The course was very good at teaching us how to use the software and what we need to create effective stories that are personal. I think that when I look at it from an educational standpoint and have to convey an educational standards based message, I will run into difficulty. I do believe that the course is relevant to the work I am doing in the classroom today. I know so many of my students learn better when they have visual stimulation to aid in the process. I think, because of the way students learn today, that understanding and using multimedia effectively will only increase the teacher's ability to reach more students effectively.

The one thing that still seems difficult to me is coming up with the topic or idea for a story. While this was addressed in the projects we did in the course, I do have to say that with the PSA, there was a team effort that went into deciding all factors. On the digital story, it took me most of the week to come up with an idea or story to tell. When I think about creating video for use in my classroom, I struggle with "What will I do?". We had alot of reading and many suggestions from "The Digital Cookbook" but, even though I used all of the tips given, I still struggled with coming up with a solution. I think that this is a problem that I will have as I use video technology. I think it is more a product of myself rather than anything I could learn from the course. I have not been a good storyteller. I,myself, am a visual person and so I have a difficult time thinking abstractly before having the visuals. This is something I definitely hope to get better at as I use video technology.

I was successful in completing the assignments, however, I found this course much more difficult to manage. It was good to have a group to work with on the PSA because I don't know that I would have successfully completed it in the time we had. I did find it difficult, although necessary, to complete the readings each week. The information was defintely essential to what we are doing though. I think I did get somewhat discouraged near the end of each week because there was so much to accomplish that I wasn't sure if I had accomplished everything to the best of my ability. I realize now that I need to manage my time better and that the one assignment that I felt the most successful at this was the PSA. This shows me that I need accountability to help me stay motivated and on track. I have made good connections with those students I worked with this course and hope to keep contact with the for this reason.

I learned alot from this course. I obviously learned about how to create, edit, and post videos. I think that this is a great and useful skill that I wouldn't have learned had it not been for this course. I know that I like technology and am not usually afraid to do new things when related to technology, however, video is one medium that I have just not tried. I think this course helped me feel more confident as a leader and as a potential technology leader in my school. I had people at work think that the videos I created were good as well as asking how to do one for themselves. I also think I have a better attitude about the use of video technology in my classroom. I am becoming better at understanding ways that I can effectively enhance my instruction to better suit the needs of my students. I think that this will make me a better and more confident teacher. I also learned that when something is difficult for me, I can become unmotivated and procrastinate. These are two traits that I defintely need to be aware of as I continue through the program so that I learn to keep my head above water and can be successful in my courses.