Reflections+-+Web+Conferences+-+EDLD5363

__Reflection 1: Web Conference__ I attended a web conference during the first week of the course and reviewed the recordings of the other first week conferences. I have had so many commitments during this (Thanksgiving) week that I am finding it difficult to attend at the scheduled times, and there have been no recordings posted! I'm beginning to panic!

I find the web conferences, even the recordings, extremely helpful. At the very least, I take comfort in having some connection to my professors and classmates. At a greater level, the conferences provide valuable information about upcoming assignments and answers any questions we have. Many of us appear to be novice videographers and it is helpful to ask questions and exchange tips. The discussion blog helps with this, too, but the web conferences draw from a larger group. I am especially thankful and impressed by everyone's willingness to share their contact information and offer help where they can.

__Reflection 2: Web Conference__ It has been difficult at times to attend web conferences. The schedule changed weekly and the weekly overviews provided the new schedule; however, there were times when we did not receive the overview until halfway through the week. I was looking forward to attending the conference planned for this evening, but, for whatever reason, the conference did not take place. I have some questions about the final assignments that I would have liked to ask.

The conferences were very informative and gave us the opportunity to receive clarification on the expectations of the course. My classmates were helpful and quite willing to share needed information. One evening, Dr. Abernathy invited the TK20 coordinator to join us. There have been many questions regarding the TK20 program and it was beneficial to have the opportunity to ask questions directly to someone "in the know".

__Reflection on PSA Project__ This project was interesting to me in many ways; in just as many ways, it was frustrating. Audio and video production are two aspects of instructional technology that I have been avoiding. In reality, it seemed much more complicated than it really is. I thoroughly enjoyed my work in Audacity and Windows Movie Maker. The difficult part of this project was the work as a group. The collaborative aspect did not turn out as well as I have experienced in the past with other similar projects. A couple of the group members seemed content to let the others take the lead in every step. Then there was the addition of a group member toward the end of the fourth week. I am not privy to the circumstances of this late addition, but I do believe, had this member joined us earlier, he/she would have contributed significantly to the project. I believe we created a ‘decent’ product, given the time constraints and the unequal division of tasks. I look forward to taking on more audio/video projects at work!

__Final Reflection__ It will be a challenge to write this reflection objectively and professionally. I have two issues with the way this class proceeded. First, when taking a course that is delivered completely online, it is critical that communication be careful and timely. In this case, it was neither. Web conference times were frequently changed, but the weekly overviews announcing those changes were late arriving. Emails to the IA were answered perfunctorily, if at all. I may well receive a poor grade simply because the submission of final assignments (TK20 only, or TK20 //and// EPIC?) was unclear. Emails requesting clarity were unanswered and the web conference scheduled for Thursday evening did not take place, as far as I can determine.

Secondly, one of the reasons many teachers are hesitant to engage students in group activities is that a lot of time can be spent dealing with inequities in the way the work is completed, as opposed to focusing on creating a quality product. The same could be said of the group of which I was a member. We should have all been learning together, but it was difficult to get everyone to communicate regularly. Some group members seemed unsure of themselves, so the onus of making decisions was born by just two of us. In truth, I am a perfectionist and I feel that with more time and more cooperation, our product could have been much more effective.

That said, the material was of great interest to me. Videography, as a means to creating school announcements, for example, or digital stories, is a terrific way to engage students and create meaningful products. I have long been interested in the process, but hesitant to try it out. In the course of this class, I had the opportunity to learn Photo Story 3 alongside a group of junior high Resource students. We truly taught each other and learned together, so the project was meaningful for all of us. I spent two days working with the teacher responsible for producing the live daily announcements. It was eye-opening to see how he coached and guided the students in all aspects of video production. It was never flawless, but //together// they produced an interesting program. I look forward to helping teachers and students use these tools for learning!