I have used and helped colleagues use all different types of web conferencing software. This year my district is using WebEx. I used Adobe Connect a few times but am not proficient in its usage. As I entered the web conference on August 28 at 11:00 AM I tried to follow the assignment posted saying we needed to go to the left and adjust our sound. I ended up going to the left and accidentally telling Dr. Abernathy to lower her voice. I quickly realized that was a way to talk to the leader of the discussion. One of the first questions was what Cohort we belong. I haven’t the slightest idea what Cohort I belong, so I felt a little panicked that I did not have all the information needed for the conference. After the conference begun the sound was echoing but I could handle such problems. I tried to follow the spoken conversation and the written conversation.
About 10 minutes into the conference Dr. Abernathy’s voice could no longer be heard. So, we continued the discussion via text chat. After 10 or more minutes Dr. Abernathy realized her headset had been set for mute. So, we could continue hearing what Dr. Abernathy was saying. Most of the conference was in helping one person who was having difficulty downloading Photo Story to her computer. Some of the information covered though was Dr. Abernathy explaining that the assignment this week was to create a movie about ourselves. It was realized then that the IA’s and Dr. Abernathy were not aligned. Dr. Abernathy stated she would need to get with her IA’s so her expectations were realized. It is a little disconcerting to know that the instructor is giving us one set of instructions; yet, the people grading us are not privy to that information.
I am glad I have been apart of many web conferences or I might not have seen the benefit if this had been my first. It just felt a little disjointed, but I am sure I just joined a conference that was a little “off.”
I am updating this post at 11:19 AM on Saturday, September 4, 2010:
I thought I would give the web conference a try again on September 4 at 11. I entered the Lamar Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro Meeting site and requested entry. I started this process at 10:52. By 11:05 I thought maybe it was my computer so I tried my other laptop. I requested entry at 11:10. I waited by two computers for my request to enter to be accepted. At 11:14 the message on the screen changes and says "The host has ended this meeting. Thank you for attending." I figured I needed to reenter the meeting. I closed out of all the web sites, accessed my Lamar email that had the link for the site and triple checked that I had the correct date and time. After attempting for the fifth time to enter at 11:16, I have to stick to my previous statement on the web conference experience.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Photo Story reflection
Why is creating a video about yourself so difficult? When I began this assignment I contacted my coach and she suggested I do a video on my partner. I thought that would be a challenge but sometimes you can truly learn about your team memebers when you have to do something a little out of the box. But, during a web conference with Dr. Abernathy, she specifically said we had to do the video about ourselves.
I created five different versions of my story. I did not want to make a video too personal or too professional. What a delima. So, I decided to go with a little of both. Since I am an individual who is completely different in my professional life than I am for my personal life, I let that begin my focus and then stear the video towards my professional life.
Creating the video in Photo Story was the easy part since I have been working with this software for more than five years. I was glad it was something in which I was familiar since this was the first week back at my school with the children and back at school with Lamar.
Even though I was familiar with the software, I kept redoing my story. I kept to the storyboard and the script even though both got updated several times, also,
All in all, it was a great experience to create a story about myself. It was an experience I would not have taken time to do without this course. Having read the Storytelling Cookbook and watched several videos from teh storytelling web site, I was able to gear my video in a way that made feel proud.
I created five different versions of my story. I did not want to make a video too personal or too professional. What a delima. So, I decided to go with a little of both. Since I am an individual who is completely different in my professional life than I am for my personal life, I let that begin my focus and then stear the video towards my professional life.
Creating the video in Photo Story was the easy part since I have been working with this software for more than five years. I was glad it was something in which I was familiar since this was the first week back at my school with the children and back at school with Lamar.
Even though I was familiar with the software, I kept redoing my story. I kept to the storyboard and the script even though both got updated several times, also,
All in all, it was a great experience to create a story about myself. It was an experience I would not have taken time to do without this course. Having read the Storytelling Cookbook and watched several videos from teh storytelling web site, I was able to gear my video in a way that made feel proud.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Texas Long Range Plan for Technology
The Texas Long Range Plan’s vision is for students to achieve SBEC’s Technology Application Standards by the time they complete eighth grade. The state wants teachers to also have the skills of what is expected of an eighth grade student. Professional Development for teachers is an integral part of the vision. A district cannot expect teachers to know how to use technology with their students if they do not know how to use the technology. Usage of technology is just one aspect of the vision. Educators are expected to create a rich and rigorous environment for their students. The state uses the STaR Chart to help gauge the growth of schools and districts throughout the state. Our district is doing well with their growth and acceptance of a fantastic technology integration experience for the students. From elementary through secondary, our schools have shown a rigorous environment.
Throughout the state schools are looking for ways to utilize online learning. Blogging, forums, and other online learning environment such as Moodle, are great ways to utilize the internet for a greater purpose. Teachers can join these communities during times that are convenient from them. Educators do not have much spare time to go to training, so these online learning environments allow them to work on a project without all of the teachers being present at the same time. As our schools begin utilizing online learning environments for professional development, they will then be more likely to use the same environments with their students.
Throughout the state schools are looking for ways to utilize online learning. Blogging, forums, and other online learning environment such as Moodle, are great ways to utilize the internet for a greater purpose. Teachers can join these communities during times that are convenient from them. Educators do not have much spare time to go to training, so these online learning environments allow them to work on a project without all of the teachers being present at the same time. As our schools begin utilizing online learning environments for professional development, they will then be more likely to use the same environments with their students.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
The halls of our school are talking.
As I work with many different teachers I see so many of them using a wide variety of technological tools. Many of the third grade classrooms are using Twitter as a useful communication tool. My favorite use of Twitter with these students was when I saw one class where a child had a week as the scribe. The students in the classroom take turns and get to "Tweet" the classroom events throughout the week. What a great use! Students will benefit from the use of Twitter and gain summary skills with the added benefit of great enjoyment. In many other classrooms, teachers are blogging with their students. Isn't this a great way to get students excited about writing? I see fourth grade classrooms utilizing Moodle which has forums, choice-surveys, chats, and so many more features to utilize with writing and other subjects. The Librarian is Skyping with video to a UP family who is touring the world. The librarian is then reading stories to correlate with the areas the family is visiting.
These wonderful examples of how global our school has become is amazing. The dedication of the teachers at UP is amazing and the students will benefit from these wonderful staff members.
These wonderful examples of how global our school has become is amazing. The dedication of the teachers at UP is amazing and the students will benefit from these wonderful staff members.
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