My last web conference of my Master's Degree was thankfully uneventful. I attended the Saturday morning conference on November 5. I had so much difficulty balancing my schedule during this last course and was not able to attend most of the conferences. For this conference I had to send my daughter to her soccer game with friends while my husband and son went to another. The baby stayed with me. I could not use my webcam with the 21 month old baby running around trying to help me type. I was extremely relieved that no additional criteria to the assignments were added during the conference. All the pieces to the comprehensive examination are as posted on Epic. The course embedded assignments, standards reflections, web conference reflections, and Internship field based reflections and summaries are as expected.
I must admit I was a little taken aback by the number of people who plan to turn their work in late. I did not realize that was ever an option. During my entire program I never asked to turn in any assignment late, let alone the final examination for the entire program. I have juggled three children and their schedules, working full time, organizing retreats at my church, and coordinating committees at my church while getting a Master's Degree. I can only assume I am a really good time manager. As the saying goes, I have not walked in their shoes so I must not judge. I am glad to say that I am a better leader at my campus due to the knowledge and experience I have obtained during my time earning my Master's with Lamar.
Thank you to the Educational Technology department at Lamar University for your patience in working with me. You have enhanced my versatility as an educational leader.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Reflections Standard VIII
Standard VIII
states “Educational technology facilitators will contribute to the shared vision
of campus integration of technology and foster an environment and culture
conducive to the realization of the vision” (Williamson & Redish, 2009, pg.
190). To meet this standard, I researched one to one laptop initiatives for my
campus, lead teams in
planning appropriate technology implementation after collaborating on the
results of the 2009-2010 STaR Chart Results, and actively engage in meetings with district Campus Instructional Technologists and
district administration.
Under Technology Facilitation
Standard TF VIII.A “ Identify and apply educational and technology related
research, the psychology of learning, and instructional design principles in
guiding the use of computers and technology in education” (Williamson &
Redish, 2009, pg. 190). My school had a desire to begin a one laptop for each
student otherwise known as a one to one environment. I decided for this initiative ot be
successful, I needed to research one-to-one initiatives that
worked. I created a One to One Ning for
my teachers and principal. I utilized this online are to help post the research
I was able to find that benefited our goals as we went to a one to one laptop
environment in our third and fourth grade classrooms. The link is http://hpisd21.ning.com/group/powerupvision2015
but is closed to people outside of our district and is invitation only. We
utilized sites such as Educational Origami http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/,
NETS*S and NETS*T http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students.aspx, Blooms Taxonomy http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/Bloom%27s+Digital+Taxonomy,
50+ Toosl for Web Based Collaboration http://www.popwuping.com/culture/software/50-tools-for-web-based-collaboration.php,
and many other beneficial sites. I also created a Diigo list so teachers could
easily find the websites that were informative (http://www.diigo.com/list/leanneknight/one-to-one). I started a book study with the teachers that
had research to help us delve into one to one and create a positive culture at
our school during this new endeavor. The book we chose was: 1-1 Learning: Laptop Programs That Work by
Pamela Livingston.
Another aspect of Technology
Facilitation Standard VII is “Lead in the development and evaluation of
district technology planning and implementation” (Williamson
& Redish, 2009, pg. 190). I worked with teams on planning
appropriate technology implementation after collaborating on the results of the
2009-2010 STaR Chart Results. Once a year campuses are required to conduct the
Texas Campus STaR Chart. Previous ot the
campus conducting their evaluation, I met with each team to discuss how the
evaluation helps us in planning and the importance of taking the evaluation
truthfully. At the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year, I met with teams to
discuss areas that the STaR Chart has shown as areas of weakness. This year I brought the 2009-2010 STaR Chart
results to organize our discussion with teams.
One area we found that needed ot be addressed was un Key Area II:
Educator Preparation and Development under number 6: Professional Development
for Online Learning. As a campus we discussed ways to help our school become
higher than the score of 2 (Developing Tech). We decided that we would utilize
our district Ning and Moodle for Professional Development.
At our campus anything below a 3 would be an
area of great concern. Our campus completed their chart on May 10, 2011. The
results for our campus were rather positive. In
Key area 1: Teaching and instruction and Key area II: Educator
Preparation and Development my campus classified as Advanced Tech. In Key area
III: Leadership, Administration, and Instructional Support and Key area IV:
Infrastructure for Technology we ranked the classification of Target Tech. Our teachers need to feel reasonably secure
in the infrastructure otherwise it will not be utilized. “It is essential for
leaders in education and government to agree that statewide educational
networks are a vital part of the state’s future” (Mathews, 2004, pg. 7).
Without a strong infrastructure, our teachers will not use the technology which
engages our students. Our leaders need to also take into consideration
the areas they are spending their funding. “Too often school districts invest
in technologies because of their high-tech, 21at century appeal without fully
considering their impact on student learning and long-term total cost of
ownership” (Moore, 2006). We need to find a viable solution to funding and
proper disbursement of funding.
Also,
under Technology Facilitation VIII, it states “Engage
in supervised field-based experiences with accomplished technology facilitators
and/or directors” (Williamson
& Redish, 2009, pg. 191). I dynamically
engaged in meetings with district CITs (campus instructional technologists),
Robert Harris (District Administrator of Instructional Technology), and Ron
Smith (District Administrator of Technical Services). On September 9, 2011, our group of CIT’s met
at the Highland Park High School library conference room. Our first order of
business was to discuss the new district Responsible Use Agreement that was to
replace the Acceptable Use form. As the new Responsible Agreement form gets
issued to campuses, teachers must sign the agreement and turn in to their
respective CITs on their campus. All forms are due by the end of September to
the Technology administration offices. We discussed how our district Webmaster
and administrator of Skyward was changing jobs and leaving our district. We
will have a new person taking over Web-mastering and another person taking over
Skyward, online registration, etc. We began discussing the ramifications of the
school boards reluctance to allow children under fifth grade to be without a
district email address. We discussed how so many innovative web tools require
an email address to create an account. One way to work through the problem is
for the teacher to create a Google account then use the “google+1” email
address as a “ghost” account. The
elementary CIT’s edited the district protocols for elementary teachers to
reflect the board decision on students not having district email addresses.
References
Mathews,
J.B. (2004, April). Why statewide
educational networks are important to state and educational leaders. Southern Regional Educational Board. Retrieved
on April 18, 2011,
Moore,
R. J., (2006, August). The five best accelerators in school. School
Administrator, 63.7, p.8. from
http://www.sreb.org/programs/EdTech/pubs/PDF/04T02-Statewide_Ed_Tech_Net_Important.pdf
Williamson,
J. & Redish, T. (2009). ISTE’s
technology facilitation and leadership standards: What every K-12 leader should
know and be able to do. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in
Education.
Reflections Standard TFVII
Standard VII states “Educational technology
facilitators promote the development and implementation of technology
infrastructure, procedures, policies, pans, and budgets or PK-12 schools”
(Williamson & Redish, 2009, pg. 165). To meet this standard, I have maintained
campus technology inventory, participating member of the campus Technology Gift
Committee, and trained teachers on global education opportunities.
Under
Technology Facillitation VII.A, it states, “use the school technology
facilities and resources to implement classroom instruction” (Williamson & Redish, 2009, pg. 165). Since
2009, I have maintained my campus’ technology inventory spreadsheet. Whenever a
new piece of equipment arrives on my campus I assign the hardware a district
number, and put all appropriate information into the spreadsheet including
warranty. I often meet with the PTA to discuss the inventory so it is important
that the inventory be perfect otherwise funding would decrease. It is important
to have an accurate inventory so my campus is aware of out of date technology
that requires renewal/replacing.
I
use the inventory regularly throughout my week. Whenever a piece of equipment
needs a technician, the information from the inventory becomes invaluable. I am the only person on the campus that
maintains the inventor and I receive a small district stipend since it is such
a laborious process.
Under
Technology Facilitator Guideline VII.B, it states, “Follow procedures and
guidelines used in planning and purchasing technology resources” (Williamson
& Redish, 2009, pg. 166). I meet regularly with the campus principal and
PTA technology representative to review necessary purchasing for specific times
of year. Since my campus does not receive state funds, we utilize funds parents
raise during yearly carnivals, auctions, and other fundraising ventures. I work
cooperatively with the parent gift committee and the principal to discuss the
needs the campus. Before the official “Gift” committee meeting, I meet at least
once with the PTA technology chair representative to go over the items that are
up for renewal, software purchases, hardware purchases, and allocating money to
our projector and printer funds. After meeting with PTA rep, we then meet with
campus principal to review items on the agenda. We then will meet with the
Technology Committee which is a subcommittee from PTA. Agenda and items for
Gift Committee is approved by voting members of the committee. After
preliminary meetings are held and approved, all subcommittees meet for a Gift
committee meeting and each area is addressed, voted, discussed, and approved or
tabled for later. Rutherford and Billig (1995) suggest that continuous
parent/family participation and community involvement depend on active support
by leaders. Teachers and other school personnel are key players in family
involvement and that families are connected to the services provided by the
school or the community.
Also, under Technology Facilitation
VII.C, it states, “Participate in professional development opportunities
related to management of school facilities, technology resources, and
purchases” (Williamson & Redish,
2009, pg. 166). With the help of Edna Phythian, our district Global
Educator on Special Assignment, I am able to work efficiently with my teachers
on global opportunities. Specifically in September 2010, I worked with the
Kindergarten team on working with China. We created videos of specific seasonal
customs. Our kindergartners created
simple classroom graphs of their favorite foods for lunch. We had items such as
pizza, spaghetti, and chicken nuggets. We then decided that with kindergartners
we need to take an opportunity to share our information first with local, in
district schools. This was to help the students understand that we are first
sharing locally then sharing globally. We did not want to overwhelm each class
so we did the sharing with groups of three classes. One kindergarten class from
our school met with a class at Armstrong and another class at Hyer. After students practiced their presentation
we met via WebEx and shared. Then I would go to another class, set up the Webex
conference, and we would share with another group. Finally, after all the local
sharing occurred, I recorded, using a camcorder, one group from each class
presenting their graphs. I then posted the videos to my school blog so we could
share with our partners from China. We could not meet with them live since
their time zone is so different than ours. Posting videos was a logical way to
work through the time differences. During these lessons, I worked with the
teachers on how to use the WebEx system, recording using the video camera, and
uploading videos to a blog. These lessons helped the teachers to continue the
project without having to rely on someone else.
Not only does distance education
help students who cannot physically participate in a traditional school
environment, it allows teachers in a conventional school to supplement and work
with the “tech savvy” students. I have seen Moodle appropriately integrated
with first graders and older students. “The importance of knowledge about
effective virtual schooling cannot be overstated” (Cavanaugh, Gillian, Kromrey,
Hess, & Blomeyer, 2004, pg. 22). Our teachers need training on the proper
utilization of online educational environments so our students can benefit from
these tools.
References
Cavanaugh,
C., Gillian, K., Kromrey, J., Hess, M., Blomeyer, R. (2004). The effects of
distance education on k-12 student outcomes: A meta-analysis. North Central Educational Regional
Laboratory. Retrieved on April 25, 2011, from http://www.ncrel.org/tech/distance/k12distance.pdf
Rutherford,
B., & Billig, S. H. (1995). Eight lessons of parent, family, and community
involvement in the middle grades. Phi
Delta Kappan, 77I(1), 64-66, 68.
Williamson,
J. & Redish, T. (2009). ISTE’s
technology facilitation and leadership standards: What every K-12 leader should
know and be able to do. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in
Education.
Reflections on EDLD 5335
EDLD 5335 Curriculum Management was
a course that builds an understanding of curriculum models; curriculum
frameworks, including those articulated at the state level; alignment of
instructions to standards; and assessment of learning outcomes. In the course
we reviewed district-level curriculum and policies.
As a technology specialist, I am a
firm believer that instruction drives technology. In this course I investigated
curriculum. I work at a school that has very high expectations for their
students. We do not just want our children to pass tests but to truly succeed
on assessments. Curriculum should be driven by data. During week 1 assignment
1, I reviewed AIES data from 2010. I realized that our students do very well on
the TAKS test. In almost all areas and populations, more than 99% of students
passed with at least 75% of students being commended in all areas. The only
part that showed an area of need was in writing. 77% were commended in 2010
whereas 92% were commended in 2009. The Campus Improvement Plan indicates that
by 2011, 90% of students will score commended on the TAKS.
With that data in hand, I decided
to work with fourth grade teachers in increasing writing fluency with the use
of online forums. I ensured that the professional development session I created
worked through the areas indicated in the APA Learner Centered Psychological Principals
(1997, pg. 5). The teachers will use a “hands on” approach to learning forums.
During their training they will utilize the forum themselves whiles brainstorming
ideas to utilize forums with their students.
Using data to help drive
instruction is important in the classroom as well as during professional
development. We must use these data based decision making skills to
successfully implement curriculum objectives.
Collaboration is a wonderful way to
find solutions as problems occur. Collaborating takes the power away from one
person and allows new ideas to be considered. When we work only by ourselves,
we sometimes get lost in our own ideas and need others to show us different
ways. I find if I don’t collaborate then my training becomes redundant. When
working with different personalities, results can only be different.
Living in the 21st century has
created many different ways to collaborate. We no longer only have the option
of meeting face to face. I have used Wikispaces and Moodle forums to
collaborate with colleagues in a written environment. Personally, I have
utilized Tok Box, Skype, Adobe Connect, and Webex to work “face to face.” I
recently collaborated with a teacher in India to train her on Moodle where I
shared my desktop so she could understand the Moodle software easier. This
helped us to share ideas concerning our lesson on how life in India is similar
and different to the way of life of children in the US. Collaboration is
limited only to our imaginations.
My philosophy of curriculum is
based on a learner centered approach. We must differentiate our instruction to
benefit every child. Using data based decision making helps create an atmosphere
where the teacher understands the areas that the students need more focus. It
is important to use many different types of assessments. TAKS cannot be the
only deciding factor. Teachers must use quantitative and qualitative
assessments to make qualified data decisions. Teachers need to use the district
assessments in a manner that helps make decisions.
We must use data based decisions to
help create a successful curriculum. I have known teachers who have a
curriculum but must deliver the same lessons on the same day for years. As an
educational leader, I will work with all teachers but specifically those
teachers who need alter their own philosophy to incorporate the importance of
data based decision making into their classrooms to ensure curriculum is being
delivered successfully. According to Poston (1992), the underlying assumptions
of curriculum management auditing focus on alignment of curriculum, assessment,
planning, and resource allocation.
During this course I learned many
new concepts but specifically about the Texas Education Agency (TEA) Learning
System. This system establishes the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)
which guides our curriculum. The TEA and TEKS are at the state level and guides
us at the district and campus levels.
Following the state level, we have our school boards which dictate the
curriculum expectation and terms by which the Superintendent and district
leaders create the district curriculum. The district curriculum will specify
the instructional implementation that should occur throughout the entire
district.
As a technology specialist on a
campus, I help the district create curriculum decisions in the area of
technology. I also work with my campus principal creating campus level
decisions. On a daily basis I work one-on-one with teachers to help support
them with the changes that occur in the curriculum and assist them in the use
of technology within the curriculum. I must ensure I help teachers accurately
utilize the campus improvement plan (CIP) to ensure student success. I also
must ensure that the technology aspect of the CIP accurately depicts the needs
of the campus and current trends. According to Pierce & Kalkman (2003), a
major goal of learner-centered principles is to help educators become more
reflective and self regulated. My job as a technology specialist is to also
assist educators to be independent.
It is important that the district
is aware that the campus leader is dedicated to the success of their campus. As
Dr. Arterbury stated in the Week 5 lecture, “The key is for the principal to
develop credibility with the central office administration as a person
committed to student learning and one who manages a goal-driven budget. A
campus leader develops this credibility by demonstrating the ability to make
sound decisions about personnel needs and to work with central office to
channel funds toward data-evidenced need.”
I have also recently become a
member of the steering committee for the regional Texas Computer Education
Association (TCEA) and my mentor is the president-elect of TCEA. Working so
closely with state and local level committees helps ensure that I am actively
involved in the decision making for the state.
Learner-Centered Principles Work
Group of the American Psychological Association's Board of Educational Affairs.
(1997). Learner-centered psychological principles: A framework for school
reform and redesign. American Psychological Association, Retrieved
from http://www.apa.org/ed/governance/bea/learner-centered.pdf
Pierce, J. W., & Kalkman, D. L.
(2003). Applying learner-centered principals in teacher education. Theory into
Practice, 42(2), 127-132.
Poston, W. K., Jr. (1992). Curriculum
auditing: Effects upon school improvement in international schools. Education, 113(2), 195-198.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Reflections EDLD 5363
EDLD
5363 was an overview on principles of multimedia planning, design, production,
editing, and evaluation. We created
digital stories. In the area of video we planned, designed, produced, edited,
and evaluated.
Creating
the PSA was a new experience for me. I luckily knew how to share large files
over the internet which was a practical skill for this assignment since I had
to share the video files with the editor on our team. When the assignment was
first released, I was worried about working with a group of people I did not
know. I found a group and met them all via email to begin. When our group
reached 6 people, we realized we had to split. One group was geared to working
with older students and adults. My group was geared to working with younger
children. All six of us decide to meet via web conference on Toxbox. After the
initial hour on the conference our group deiced to meet separately to discuss
our PSA particulars. After the video conference we were able to collaborate
functionally over a wiki I created for the large group. We also utilized email
for direct conversations that required quick responses.
I
also, learned about Creative Commons licenses. I had been at several
conferences that discussed them but had never truly delved into their usage
until this course. I now have a better understanding of its concept. On the PSA
we decided that since it had video of my daughter who is eight, we wanted to
limit others from editing the video for her safety. We chose a license that
stated, "Chatting with Kids About Being Online by Leanne Knight, Patty Odom,
and Stacey Thompson is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License." I posted our
final PSA at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp6iNORQiMQ.
The
topics covered in EDLD5363 were extremely relevant to the skills required in my
job. As a campus technologist, I use a variety of technology on a daily basis.
In elementary school multimedia is a large portion of how I effectively assist
teachers and students. I work regularly with video editing software both Adobe
Premiere Elements and Movie Make found at http://knightl.blogspot.com/2010/09/movie-maker-vs-adobe-premier-elements.html.
I also help students and teachers in grades first through third create videos
using Photo Story. I am actively engaged in helping teachers podcast
using Audacity and posting the files to a site with an RSS feed. EDLD 5363 was
a review of what I do on a daily basis. It was nice to re-examine all of the
features of the different software I use regularly. I appreciated learning more
in depth features of Audacity. While learning about video editing software I
compared the free trial of Adobe Premiere Elements to Microsoft Movie Maker. I
admit I wanted to learn some of the newer products for multimedia instead of
the tools schools have been utilizing for the last ten years.
Marco
Toress stated "Her passion and her interest to talk about something that
really bothered her and to have it reach every corner of the world was an
experience that she'll never forget" (Edutopia, 2002). I have experienced
many professional development workshops where Marco Torres and his former
students presented to teachers. He is truly inspirational. The students took
ownership of their videos. Often Marco Torres would give an assignment where
the students had to interview a hero in their neighborhood. The students began
recognizing the treasures in their own "barrio" they never would have
recognized without Marco's assignment. Torres also has his students explain at
conferences how to get the best possible quality without having to purchase
high end technology. Whatever the age of a student or their economic background,
we need to give them opportunities to express themselves in a safe atmosphere.
Just like Marco Torres. Students need to have a voice and it is our
responsibility as educators to help them. Multimedia is the perfect outlet for
the generation we teach. With the simple use of inexpensive Flip cameras,
students can create endlessly. It is our own imaginations as educators,
sometimes, that actually put the limits on what our students can create.
We
need to remember we should be using twenty-first century skills with our
students. Not only have we been in the twenty-first century for ten years but
our younger students have known nothing else. As educators with a concentration
in technology, we need to go beyond just learning these skills. We need to be
utilizing as many up to the minute tools that have been released and have shown
to be robust. We should never take a step back in technology or we have lost
our audience. Many of the tools utilized in EDLD 5363 are tools that are
becoming outdated with the utilization of web 2.0 tools. Photostory is a great
tool but there are many newer ones being released that have better functions
and will keep our students interested. We should be given an opportunity to
learn about the newer tools since our teachers come to us as a guiding resource
of knowledge in innovative technology.
Our
team was extremely successful in completing the assignments. I do admit though
that we were successful by pure determination on our parts. We would complete
most of the PSA, then find out another component of the assignment which was
not detailed in the online CourseWhere, emails from the IA, or rubric. Luckily,
at least one of the team members was present in at least one web conference
each week. Otherwise, we would have missed the new requirements that were added
weekly. For example, on the PSA rubric and the assignment it never discusses
the number of narrators. During a web conference. Dr. Abernathy said there
should be at least two narrators. So our team had to edit our final PSA per her
new requirement. Nowhere on the rubric does it discuss giving Creative Commons
licensing but during a web conference, Dr.Abernathy was adamant the
participants of the course add a license to their PSA. So, we had to edit our
PSA yet again.
Garrison
wrote, "Whatever you do not know about the equipment can probably be
figured out by your students." Students are fearless and want to help us
solve our digital problems. When we give up our control, our students are there
to assist. Alan November, reputable digital leader in education, often comments
that we should take our students with us to technology professional development
so they can then get everything going in our classrooms. Every class I have
worked with, all the way down to Kindergarten, has someone who is so excited to
be able to help the teacher. Plus, knowing that I will have someone with me if
problems occur is very powerful and allows me to be more adventurous with the
activities planned.
Students
from the 21st century appreciate multimedia. “For this digital
generation, electronic media is increasingly seductive, influential, and
pervasive, yet most schools treat the written word as the only means of
communication worthy of study” (Ellis, 2005, para. 3).
While
working on the PSA, I learned how easy it is to work with a group where each
member is hundreds of miles apart. We never met in person only through
electronic means. I learned that I have an ease of use with cloud computing. I
have used online web 2.0 tools on a regular basis for my own use and I teach
teachers at my school their use. I discovered that if you have people who are
willing, they will collaborate online. I thought I could only work with a group
via face to face meetings and use online software as an alternative. Now I know
online software can be used as a primary form of collaborating and
reinforcement.
References:
Edutopia.
(2002). Multimedia serves youths' desire to express themselves. Retrieved on
April 19, 2009, from http://www.edutopia.org/print/980
Ellis,K. (2005). Students Evolve From Consumers to
Critics and Creators. Edutopia. Retrieved August 23, 2009 from
http://www.edutopia.org/print/1321.
Garrison, A. (1999, Winter). Video basics and
production projects for the classroom. Center for Media Literacy. Retrieved
April 6, 2009, from http://www.medialit.org/reading_room/article3.html
Friday, October 21, 2011
Reflections on EDLD 5366
I was involved with coursework for EDLD 5366 Digital
Graphics in October and November of 2009. This course began with a brief examination
of the history and development of graphic communication, and continued with scrutinizing
ways to employ desktop computing to create a variety of publications and
graphic designs in different formats and media. In this course I learned about
the history of graphic communication being writing and drawing. I also learned
and also how the current age is a continuation of 5000 years of human
development in communication through graphics. I honed my skills in evaluating
digital communication products.
While learning about design qualities we discussed the
basic four principals implicitly abbreviated as “CRAP” which are contrast, repetition,
alignment, and proximity (Yearwood, 2009, pg. 8). Contrast refers to difference
of size, shape, or color used in graphic elements. Repetition is not a positive
aspect in text but with design elements repetition is a positive element.
Alignment is a vital graphic component. Alignment is essential for the overall aesthetics
of a product. Proximity is important so that the audience is not forced to seek
important information within a final product. After learning about the four
essentials of design qualities we learned about the importance of creating
rubrics when assigning graphics for projects. Our final product for the course
was newsletter and we needed to organize a rubric for which we were to be graded
upon. It was difficult to create a rubric for a graphics class on a newsletter.
I wanted to create a rubric similar to the ones I utilize with my students that
focus on the content more than the aesthetics. While creating my rubric I could
not bring myself to making content less than fifty percent of my grade. I
decided to make the other fifty percent incumbent upon the graphics.
The newsletter was not a difficult assignment. I
create newsletters for my teachers regularly. For this assignment I created a
special personal logo. I ensured that all the design qualities we learned in
the course were utilized. I used the newsletter as one of the means of
communication that semester, also. I always appreciate when an assignment can
be used with my teachers or my students.
Another part of
EDLD 5366 was a lesson which helped build a basic understanding of animation.
Our assignment utilized the online virtual world of Second Life. We were allocated
to create our own avatar in Second Life. We had to utilize Linden scripting
language. Our assignment that week was to create a simple script describing how
we used the language to animate our avatar through the scripting portal. This
was probably one of the hardest parts of the whole class. In the Animation and Serious Gaming lecture,
Yearwood expressed"[Massive multi-player simulation] games will affect not
only the educational process by conditioning students towards expectations for
content delivery, but they will also affect serious areas such as global
politics” (2009, pg.4). Before this class, I had only used Second Life a couple
of times and had never tried scripting. Dr. Yearwood was savvy in giving us
this difficult assignment. I had to dig into the scripting world and find ways
to be successful in this assignment. It helped us gain the knowledge in
searching out scripting language and to understand the level of difficulty
involved in animation. We must consider the possibility of utilizing virtual
distance with animation tools for as a possibility for the future of education.
"Virtual distance is the perceived distance between two or more individuals,
groups or organizations, when their primary method of communication and
coordination is electronic" (Sobel-Lojewski, 2007, pg. 41). As educators,
we have an obligation to stay abreast of current trends to help engage our students.
References:
Sobel-Lojewski,
K. (2007). The collapsing corporation and the rise of virtual distance. In
Russell M. G. (Ed.), Building effective virtual teams: Tools, techniques,
best practices and gotcha's from creating and leading distributed teams (pp.
1-71). Palo Alto, California: Media X at Stanford University.
Yearwood, J. (2009, October). Animation and Serious Gaming: Lecture 4.4.
Lecture conducted from Lamar University, Beaumont, TX.
Yearwood, J. (2009, October). The Newsletter: Lecture 3.3. Lecture
conducted from Lamar University, Beaumont, TX.
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