Why are we not using Web 2.0 tools in my school?

I had the opportunity to discuss about web 2.0 tools with some of my colleagues and I was sadly disappointed hearing them say not knowing about them. At some point they thought it was email and after I mentioned how the communication and collaboration among the members could be developed they said" no". They have not use it and wasn't in their short future plans. I did try two different groups of teachers from different grade level and I've got a similar answer. They heard the term wiki and blog but never used it to develop or collaborate least to communicate and shared ideas.  One of them remember a training related to collaboration site called "My Big Campus" but never access the site after the training.  When I touched the subject on Social Networks a couple mentioned "Facebook" but not as a sharing and learning tool but as a social media to stay in touch with friends and family. I even asked if they have used such applications with their students in the classroom and the answer was the same, "no". They don't know about web 2.0 tools, the benefits that could bring to their students achievements and the lack of interest is alarming.

My conclusion on this subject is simple. Since there is not a required need to use and implement technologies to communicate and collaborate our school staff doesn't take advantage of the different web 2.0 tools available on the web.  The steps to get there are taking place. During the next year every teacher need to have a web site to share school information, classroom assignments, activities and resources to the parents and students. This could be the starting point for a technology revolution, the integration and use of web 2.0 tools within our district that bring our educators together, to share and learn from each other while improving their technology expertise.

I had the opportunity to attend several of the web conference during the courses and I found a place where my colleagues had similar doubts and issues while doing the assignments. Our moderators were always there with words of encouragement and motivation that somehow alleviate the burden by giving us the extra push needed to complete our work successfully. It was a place to look for resources and ideas and see what other students perspectives were on the topics. I got answers to my questions and most of the time got information that I was not considering. This was the missing portion of the regular face to face classes which not only allowed me to meet my Professors but some of my colleagues during the course of the masters degree.

The activities related to the classes were always focusing on theory and practice. I found this necessary and useful to understand and practice the skill of the subject. This complete some of my expectations on technology that I wanted to  learn when I thought about this degree format. Certainly I've got more knowledge, tools and experiences that I could apply in my classroom. A bonus was all the leadership skills that let me understand how complex are the processes of running a school during these days and the constant pressure Principals faced during the day to day operation. 

Web Conference 4/16/2012

I was not able to fully complete the week 1 assignments and I came to this web conference to get some clarifications. There were several colleagues with questions and concerns about assignments, LCE test, and general graduations. I can't think about that yet. I'm still overwhelmed about the work load to get my students ready for the STAAR Science test and my pending assignments to complete.  Dr. Abernathy was very helpful and patience providing support and feedback on the many inquiries from the chat line. The new week 2 have fours assignments that gave us a better perspective of what to complete even though some of my week 1 work would not be used completely I feel this new document organize the activities. 

On another matter, Dawn my, LU Instructional Associate, has been answering my email inquires promptly and her support is highly appreciate. From this week assignment I will be spending most my time completing my "Action research project" and the "Reflections on TF I-II". Thanks Dr. Abernathy, your words tonight gave me hope to male it to the end.

Web Conference 4/9/2012

This week conference was stressful. Three classes have been integrated in one and this is causing a bit of confusion on the assignments. I downloaded my first assignment to move ahead but later that day the assignment already change. That was my second file. There were a few changes but nothing major. After the conference Dr. Abernathy told us to download the latest version since she updated the assignments that afternoon. This was my third file and got me even more confused about this week 1 expectations. To make it even more confusing EPIC didn't match completely and that gave be a little more stress.  Dr. Abernathy told us about the changes and the reason this course was been updated so many times and why the major report now was the "Action Research Project". 

I was not the only one feeling the burden of the final class and I think if I stay focus and work every day as I have been doing for the past classes I'll be able to complete on time. My checklist about my wiki and templates to complete by week 5 keeps worrying  me. I have a few "course embedded reflections" pending and this only accumulates to the tasks for the course. I'll keep my motivation high and keep working every day to complete my ETL Master.

EDLD 5363 Web Conference Week 5

This week web conference gave me some important pointers to remind me how complex is the process to create a movie.

Collaboration is not always easy even when the team members are together, imagine now the same project but having everyone on remote locations.  That was one of our challenges this week. As a team, working and coordinating our skills and schedules to complete our PSA. Another situation faced was the exchange of files that normally isn't a problem but since our project require audio and video the size of them were significant. Our team use several methods. We tried Google Docs, Drop Box and finally the traditional method, email. I would say that this week goal was achieved. It is true we have several obstacles but at the end we were successful.

As Dr. Abernathy mentioned, part of our learning was the use of the web 2.o tools to collaborate, the selection of different software platforms to share and create a projects but the most important of them was the embedded one, the process.  We learned the process, the steps, actions to take with the idea of sharing that knowledge with our students while they develop their own products. At the same time we used several web 2.0 tools that for one reason or other made our work simpler, at that is one of our objectives too. Keep ourselves looking for new innovative ideas to implement in the classroom as facilitators for our students to learn.

I need to improve my knowledge on the adequate use of copyright material and how to reference the appropriate sources from the used content.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New 2012!

EDLD 5363 Reflection Week 5

Creating a movie requires a careful planning. The pre-production stage merely defines the initial content to  express based on the topic to cover. As the project develops into the production stage, the members share ideas and more details are incorporated. This could lead to major changes on the concept or different approaches to cover it. Is at this moment when the original shots are modified and adjust to meet the required criteria. Once the movie is completed, the team must define the final format based on the target audience.

I believe this P.S.A. (Cell Phone Use) could be greatly improved on the audio and video part. The factor that limits the movie is the time allocation. We even try to reduce the time but wasn't possible without affecting the content to be shared.

In this movie we used original recordings, video segments from internet and public pictures related to the content downloaded from the internet.

Our collaboration wasn't as smooth as we initially planned but we managed to get together to share ideas and concepts often. I would suggest for this type of project a daily meeting to discuss advances and keep members on task. In general, I found this project relevant to my knowledge and I will be able to use the subjects learned immediately with my students. There are a few areas that I need to review to improve my knowledge, as well as to try the different movie packages to identify one that fill my students needs.

EDLD 5363 Web Conference Week 2

This web conference in particular help me understand the assignment for the second week. I was confused since the instructions were not clear enough. Dr. Abernathy explained the objectives to achieved during this week and the following ones. She gave us the appropriate directions on the content and how to proceed. Our goal is to design a basic tutorial of a free video editing software. Using Audacity, or any other audio software we will record a Podcast. Dr. Abernathy suggested to review the You Tube tutorials from both programs to get a good understanding on how to use them. The exposure to both programs, and some practice experience will be key components that will help us complete the assignment. Our content script needs to be shared and reviewed before we attempt to record our Podcast. That part will be done in collaboration with our partner who will provide the appropriate insight before we get to attempt complete the final product. Once this content is reviewed and edit it will be ready to be recorded , published, and shared with everyone. The final product must be embedded in our wiki or blog.

Is good to notice how everyone on the conference is involved and engaged on the activity. I was not the only one with doubts and everyone shared their concerns about the assignment. I really like the experience of the conference that allow me to get to know my classmates as well as to acquired valuable resources that I will be using in this class or in future projects. 

Windows Live Movie Maker for Windows 7

Windows Live Movie Maker for Windows 7 is a pretty simple and easy to use program to edit videos. The design has many similar features as some of the Microsoft Office products like, Excel, Word, and Power Point. The friendly user interface let the user navigate through the different stages of edition with minor complications. At the top of the main window a series of tabs allows the user the access to menus and functions that can be applied on the content. Adding pictures, video, and music can be done from the main central window, or with the icons that represent the content to be used. Once the content is selected it goes into an area that let the user manipulate the content.  According to the content to manipulate several tools will be made available with special tabs that are activated in different colors. Having the different elements on the screen allows the user to work on a graphic story board while adjusting the time of display.  The program permit the enhancement of the content by adding animations and visual effects.  That was the moment I've noticed minor glitches on the software operation. By adding and changing different effects and transitions slowed down the processing capacity of the computer. Another neat feature is the insertion of  titles, captions and notes can be added as required into the movie. A convenient set of tools allows you to trim the content when necessary.  One of the features that I like the most are the options you have to publish online. There are direct icons to upload the content to You Tube, Face Book and Sky Drive, Windows Live Groups  and Flickr. The file extension is .wmv which can easily be converted to another format if necessary.

I have used in my classroom the previous versions of movie maker software and covered the basics with my students to begin a project. I'll be honest. Based on this week readings I must say that my knowledge was more practical than theoretical. My classes had developed some good projects based on trial and error. With the information and knowledge acquired I have a clear idea how to introduce and lead my group this year to develop quality pieces. The projects are defined based on the curriculum covered.  My students don't  "shot scenes" or capture "reference landmarks" in their movies since our movies normally use pictures or small video sequences. I would definitively recommend the "The various stages of creating a digital video" to let them know the basic steps to develop  their projects.  An obligated reading will be "Stanford copyright and fair use" since most of our content comes from the web, they should be responsible to use the material within the legal boundaries. Finally, I would cover and let them review the article "The Art of the edit", the content is a perfect example of the complexity that a director and editor need to overcome while creating a movies. There are some definitions and ideas that could be applied in our school projects in addition to all the different details to consider as part of video editing.  I visualize future school applications and with the practice I'll be able to guide my students and my personal projects to a successful completion.

Reference:

Desktop-Video-Guide. (n.d.). The various stages of creating a digital video. Retrieved on April 20, 2009, from http://www.desktop-video-guide.com/video-creation.html

Stanford University, Palo Alto, Library. (n.d.). Proposed educational guidelines on fair use. Retrieved on April 6, 2009, from http://fairuse.stanford.edu/Copyright _and_Fair_Use_Overview/chapter7/7-c.html#3

Lonnquist, J. (1994, November). The art of the edit. Videomaker. Retrieved on April 6, 2009, from http://www.videomaker.com/article/1691/