Move Over Scorsese

This week in EDLD 5363 Multimedia and Video Technology we had to put together a digital story about ourselves. To help us with our project we read the Digital Storytelling Cookbook by Joe Lambert. The reading warns that we should not try to force a story but that we should just answer some questions. These questions were supposed to help me arrive at the topic for my story. As I read I had my doubts that this was going to happen but by the time I finished the article I knew what I wanted to do. I talked about how I achieved all my dreams and got everything I wanted even though the end result was nothing like I had imagined.

I loved doing the project. I was amazed at how easy the Microsoft software was to use. It was very easy to go back and edit what I had done, which allowed me to make corrections and additions. I used software like this years ago and expected my video to resemble the ones that I done before. I can't believe how professional it looks. I believe that the professional appearance of the video would give it credibility in the classroom. I also think that it would hold the attention of the students. The ease of use means that young students could use this software to create their own videos. I liked that the user has the ability to create music within the program so that copyright issues are taken care of. I can see myself making introductory videos for the classes that I teach and also creating recruitment videos for my program. I am glad that I was exposed to this technology and look forward to using it in my classroom.

As I Reflect...

This course gave me the insight that I needed to begin to apply all that I have learned thus far in this program. The one thing that has most affected my classroom has been our usage of Web 2.0 tools throughout this program. I know that these tools have kept me more engaged and I believe they will do the same for my students. I have tried to incorporate these tools into the classes that I teach as much as possible. I have also tried to share my experience with my fellow instructors. This class has given me an approach to convincing other instructors to integrate Web 2.0 tools into their classroom. I have talked about the things that I am doing in my classes with other instructors but they have not followed my lead. I always thought that it would take a great deal of work to create the supporting material to convince my co-workers of the benefits of Web 2.0 but, as a result of this class, I now know how to break up the work and to gather the evidence that I need.

It's Final

I met with my site supervisor to discuss my action research plan. Though this was the “official” meeting, I have been in constant contact with him throughout the evolution of my plan. Since we have talked numerous times I thought there would be no changes to my plan. However, we had a lengthy discussion about the plan and the expected outcomes. This discussion did lead to some proposed changes for me to consider. Overall the plan remains the same. The modifications are in the details.
Part of my plan is to host a meeting of all the Cisco Academy instructors on October 15, 2010. The agenda for the meeting is primarily focused on reviewing the results from the surveys that I will conduct and discussing some ways that Web 2.0 tools can be used. I had then planned on taking the feedback from that meeting and designing online training that I will offer later. The discussion with my site mentor turned to talking about the possible issues with introducing the online training without allowing the instructors a chance to ask face-to-face questions. We wondered if this plan might cause a drop in the participation rate once the training is released. As a result of this conversation, we decided that I will unveil an example of the training. This means that instructors will have the opportunity to ask questions or make comments on the training while we are all together. I will then make adjustments and release the final version of the training as planned.
We also discussed the possibility that there will be instructors that are already using Web 2.0 tools. How could I take advantage of their experience? We decided that we would ask these instructors to host an online training based on the tools they are using. This will give these instructors recognition for incorporating this engaging technology in their classroom as well as get more individuals involved in the project.

This is the Final Version of my Action Plan (maybe)...

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AlPp8GqoEvHrdFc0MnFMT0drOXZSeHZacUF6UTljWkE&hl=en#gid=0