Final+Assessment

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?

When I saw this course on my degree plan, I was very excited. It was one of the highlights that made me so interested in this program. I hoped to learn more ways to implement video in my classroom as an effective learning tool. I thought I would learn to capture things in the world and bring them into the classroom for my students. Most importantly, I would get some much needed practice with using a camera. Right from week 1, the readings engaged me in the world of video and multimedia and made me become aware of the intricacies of creating quality videos. The information in the __Digital Storytelling Cookbook__ by Joe Lambert(2007) helped me appreciate that video and audio should be included only if it adds to the learning. All the bells and whistles we tend to add just because we know how can distract from the content if we are not careful.

Lambert, J. (2007, February). Digital storytelling cookbook, 1-30. Story Center. Retrieved April 4, 2009, from http://www.storycenter.org/cookbook.pdf.

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?

During this course I had to use or learn many important skills. While I already knew how to work a video camera, I had never used our school's HD camera. There was quite a jump between using my digital camera which had video capabilities and using the HD camera. First of all, there was many more buttons which for me meant more opportunity mess up. Once I was used to the many function though, I then had to learn how to upload the clips to my computer. There was a huge difference between my camera and this one in this area. It took many more steps: copying, analyzing, converting and compressing. When the videos were finally on my computer, I found out how much larger the files were also. Transmitting then became a big problem. I tried email, file transfer in yahoo IM, file share hq, email again, uploading to photobucket, uploading to the discussion board and finally managed to send it during conversion with zamzar.com. Through all this I learned that newer and more expensive doesn't always mean better. For my purposes, I will stick to my digital camera. I can make all the videos I need to show what I need to show. I am also more comfortable with letting my kids using my personal digital camera. To the point of the question, I definitely learned how to choose the appropriate tools for my tasks and the appropriate software for editing.

3. What outcomes did you not achieve? What prevented you from achieving them?

Though I did have more practice time and read the articles, I didn't improve my camera operating skills all that much. I did try to film from waist high (Peters, 2006) and even was careful to lock my elbows so my hands would be steady. Still, my footage was shaky at times. I think I may have been nervous. I also felt pressured to get the footage right because I knew I wouldn't have the opportunity to reshoot it. This is because the students didn't turn in their permission slips until the day before TAKS testing. If I had more time, I would have done it over with my digital camera. I know this would have made the clips come out much better.

Peters, M. (2006, April 18). Shoot to edit: A guide to using your camcorder. Digital Director. Retrieved April 6, 2009, from: http://www.videoforums.co.uk/reviews/features/shoo-to-edit-a-guide-to-using%20your%20camcorder-a184.html.

4. Were you successful in completing the course assignments? If not, what prevented or discouraged you? I was unable to attend any of the web conferences due to my summer school schedule and tutoring. I know I missed out on a valuable experience there. Hopefully I will get another chance with future courses. My team did try to use yahoo to have a web conference, but we couldn't seem to get the connections right. At any rate, I bought my web cam and have it ready for the next opportunity. I have also take note of the tips and tricks that my coach Daphne Dean posted.

5. What did you learn from this course: about yourself, your technology and leadership skills, and your attitudes?

One really great thing I learned is that video is a great assessment tool. You don't realize how great your students are until you take a step back. When I went home and reviewed clips of my students at work I was able to see so much more of the successes and difficulties. I learned more about their personalities as well. I noticed one child sneaking some of the manipulatives into her desk rather than sharing them with her team. Further, video is a great self-assessment tool. I was able to see areas where I can improve as a teacher. I noticed that I overlooked that one student had her hand raised in an obscure part of the class room for quite sometime before she gave up. I never noticed at the time, but I quickly saw it in the video. I am sure that my students would be able to assess their learning as well if I provided them with a video of themselves. I really think I will video my lessons more often. I think if more teachers would share videos we could learn so much from each other. I might suggest this as one of the inquiry groups for our school's professional development. I know it would take a lot of trust between us before we would be willing to open up our classrooms to each other in that way. I also know that it would help us to improve our professional practices.