Course+Reflections

The description of this class stated we would survey the principles of video and multimedia design, production, and reflective evaluation, and that we would create an edited video distributed to a web page or multimedia presentation. I expected we would be making a video of some sort and would then post that video to a website which is exactly what happened. I was not expecting this to be a group project, but in the end, I enjoyed working with a group to create a public service announcement. We also created a video from pictures to tell about a personal topic. At the time I made the video, I was mad at the media for making a big deal about the anniversary of hurricane Katrina, and I knew nothing would be said about the anniversary of hurricane Ike and the many people still missing from that horrific event. I think it was therapeutic to be able to make a video about my experiences and share it with my classmates and others via YouTube.
 * Course Reflections: **
 * What outcomes had you envisioned for this course? Did you achieve those outcomes? Did the actual course outcomes align with those that you envisioned? **

Even though I am the instructional technology coordinator for my district, many times I am asked to create media for disbursement in the community ro within the school district. Every year, I am asked to create the opening video for convocation to start the year off acknowledging the accomplishments of the previous school year. Often, I am asked to create videos about the school to present at the community chamber meetings, school board meetings, and other district occasions. As the school instructional technology leader, I conduct many teacher trainings on how to create and publish videos for the classroom. Often, teachers consult me in their class projects involving video and I will visit their classrooms for demonstrations. I also create instructional training videos or how-to videos about topics teachers or administrators are struggling with. This allows the teacher to watch the process as many times as he/she needs to in order to grasp the concept. Video and multimedia technology are a part of my everyday, and will continue to be.
 * 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? **

I didn’t feel as if I learned anything new from this class besides the information I learned while researching a topic for my group’s public service announcement. I have made many videos with music and narration in the past using a variety of different programs including Photostory 3, MovieMaker II, iMovie, Camtasia, Animoto.com, Audacity, GarageBand, and Adobe Premier Pro. Depending on the project I am working on depends on what program I use. Lately, I have become a fan of Animoto.com for really quick videos. This web 2.0 tool has limitations when it come to adding audio, but for a single track, the transitions and final product are very impressive for a free program. If I am working on a personal video, I usually use iMovie. If I need to use the maximum features available to create a video, I will use Adobe Premier Pro. I completely understand there were many people in our class that had never made a video or even knew about the different programs available to them, and I knew I could probably help those that would struggle with the projects.
 * What outcomes did you not achieve? What prevented you from achieving them? **

I was able to complete all of my assignments, but with some frustration. It is my understanding the wrong course or an older version of the course was uploaded to the course ware system and could not be changed. Therefore, many of the assignments and directions were miss leading. In this instance, I believe the professor should have emailed or had the instructional coaches email an explanation to all the participants explaining what had happened with an updated list of the syllabus and the assignments. Yes, the updated syllabus was sent to us, but I didn’t realize until after I completed the wrong assignment in week two that the actual assignments were not correct. I am convinced the instructional coaches were also confused. Then in week three, the assignment seemed to change during the web conference. No where is it listed that there should be more than one narrator for the public service announcement, but by the end of the web conference, this was a requirement. Yes, I was able to complete all of my assignments, but I believe I could have done a better job had I known what was expected of me instead of trying to guess or continually ask for clarification.
 * Were you successful in completing the course assignments? If not, what prevented or discouraged you? **

I learned nothing about video and multimedia technology, however what I did learned, is how not teach a class and how not to treat my students or teachers.This class is the not the first time I have learned what not to do while teaching. I mentioned most of it in the previous paragraph, so I won’t visit it again. What I didn’t mention is my email to the professor asking for clarification and the response I received stating my confusion was all my fault, but no mention of the wrong course being loaded. I also didn’t mention the tone she used in a web conference toward another student who asked a question. If a student or teacher asks me a question, no matter how many times I have answered the question, I still answer the question. I don’t get mad or exacerbated and respond with look it up. I realize this is a class of adults and we should be responsible to read the syllabus, read our emails, and do what is required, but I do believe we deserve to be treated with respect as professionals.
 * What did you learn from this course: about yourself, your technology and leadership skills, and your attitudes? **