EDLD+5363+Course+Reflections

__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?__ I don't really know what outcomes I had envisioned for this course. I knew I would be learning about multimedia but I didn't really think I would be comparing video editing software. I don't know if I learned anything new as I have been making videos, podcasts, and photostories for awhile. There were a couple areas that I know I am weak in; copyright and obtaining permissions and the use of audio editing software.

There was a disconnect on some of the assignements which affected the outcomes. We were to review and compare video editing software programs and do an audio tutorial on one of the programs. That seems to me to be the wrong format for a tutorial. Video by it’s very nature is mostly visual, yet we were going to do a tutorial that was audio only? That exercise seemed like a waste of time to me as I described in words what they would be seeing on a computer screen.

__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?__ Currently I am teaching 6th grade at an elementary school as part of a pilot program. As a result of this masters program and classes like this I want to implement web 2.0 and multimedia technology into my program. This year my students will be making multimedia projects at the end of units of study. They will use many of the same technologies and programs that we used in this course.

Thankfully, our school computer lab has Macs as I have a renewed appreciation for the simplicity and power of iMovie. I will also have them use powerpoint to make projects. After this course I have a mch better understanding of Audacity and how robust a program it is. I have used it before but had only scratched the surface. reading the tutorials this last week showed me how much more it was capable of than I was familiar with.

__3. What outcomes did you not achieve? What prevented you from achieving them?__ One of outcomes I did not achieve had to do with copyrights and permissions. I did not do that part of the PSA, which is fine with me. So far all the video I have done has been video I have shot so I haven’t needed permissions etc. I have made some podcasts I hope to post eventually and will use Creative Commons for my permissions etc.

Another outcome I am not sure I achieved had to do with testing video editng software. I used iMove and another program called media edit that I could never really get to work properly. The low end market for video editing seems almost dumb with the free and excellent iMovie. If I would have known at the beginning that I could have used any software, I would have liked to try one of the Apple or Adobe offerings. Using media edit was a waste of time.

__4. Were you successful in completing the course assignments? If not, what prevented or discouraged you?__ Well frankly the biggest challenge in completing the assignments was how the assignments kept changing. I would download the documents and read the courseware only to find that it had all been changed at the web conference. Some of the wording on the assignments was confusing as well. One of them was to use and review open source video editing software. It was very hard to find open source editing software for the Mac. I found a couple that were very difficult to install. One of them required me to register as a developer with Apple computer in order to obtain X11 for the software to work. Even after all that I could never get the software to load or to work. Then when I watched the course video for that week the professor was talking about using Adobe Final Cut and other programs. So apparently it didn't have to be open-source at all. That was very frustrating.

Doing the PSA was actually pretty fun, but it was challenging collaborating solely through web 2.0. It ended up being a very crowded wiki and a flurry of emails. Thankfully one of gals in our group had a great idea for the PSA that she was passionate about. That made it easier to choose a topic and to plan what we were going to do. We sort of got bogged down when it came time to actually begin production nobody was committing to their part. Finally someone had to "be the boss of us" and hand out the assignments and deadlines. __5. What did you learn from this course: about yourself, your technology and leadership skills, and your attitudes?__ I guess one of the things I learned about myself is that I have a low tolerance for disorganization. As a working professional with a family, my time is very valuable. I found myself very frustrated at the “moving target” nature of many of the assignments in this course. I feel like I have already written about them too much, but these reflective questions keep bringing them up again! I fully understand wanting to improve a program, but why not make changes at the beginning of the next class, rather than in the middle of the current one.

I learned that the technology I currently possess, mostly my Apple computers, are more than adequate for the level of video production that I do. Actually in the case of Audacity, I realized I did not need to buy another program for audio processing and editing. I was actually looking into buying a program such as Sound Studio before I realized Audacity had all the power I needed.

My leadership skills were okay as I was the one who got the wiki going right away so we would have a forum to plan. But midway through between work and the confusing assignments I pretty much stepped out of that role. Luckily, another team member picked up the baton and kept us on track. 