My Multimedia Presentation: "Utilizing Videos in the Classroom"

Below is my video for my multimedia presentation in my doctorate class at Walden University. The video entails an introduction into the possibilities in using various forms of video in the classroom as well as teaching students to personally use these tools as well. The video was made using the program "Sony Vegas 7.0" and all credit is given to the appropriate sources referenced. Feel free to leave comments or feedback as I value all opinions to allow me to enhance and better any future videos!

"Utilizing Videos in the Classroom"

By: Heather Abbott

Effectiveness of Synchronous Channels

"Eroding the Effectiveness of Synchronous Channels"

Quote from: http://blog.assembla.com/assemblablog/tabid/12618/bid/3126/Warning-Synchronous-communication-tools-can-slow-you-down.aspx

"The most effective communication is synchronous communication (meeting and talking) between people who work in the same office. This works better than any of the asynchronous channels. However, if you aren't in that situation, then synchronous communication quickly loses its effectiveness for software teams. Let's consider the issues that erode the effectiveness of synchronous channels:

* Frequency. More frequent communication is better. It's hard to bring people together for a call or meeting, and it doesn't happen very often.

* Time commitment. Team members lose valuable working time when they sit in meetings. It takes less time to go through a stack of messages with equivalent information. You may or may not consider it a good thing, but modern workers have learned to process messages quickly.

* Sharing. If you share information with your entire team, people can adapt and contribute more easily. A phone call or two-way synchronous communication is not shared.

* Precision. More precise communication is better. Written tickets need to be precise. Mockups and prototypes that are actually committed and reviewed are precise and accurate descriptions of a system. Synchronous conversations are often not precise." (Singleton, 2007).

My Reflection:

Singleton (2007) brings up some interesting points in the loss of effectiveness when dealing with synchronous tools in education. He discusses the issues of bringing people together to communicate at specific given times and that most often this does not happen which can lead to a lapse in understanding and depiction of reciprocal ideas. He also looks at the advantages of meeting with everyone all at once rather than one or two people at a time. Within that lapse of time, information may change, comprehension may decline and memory of specific items to discuss may be lost. When everyone comes together to bounce ideas off one another or look at a problem with all minds working at once, the chances of a problem being solved are greater and can be done in less time. Also, without the real-time initial conversation, details may also be lost which may offer possible crucial information on the topic given.

References:

Singleton, A. (2007, December 27). Warning: Synchronous communication tools

can slow you down. Message posted to

http://blog.assembla.com/assemblablog/tabid/12618/bid/3126/Warning-Synchronous-communication-tools-can-slow-you-down.aspx

"Podcasting in the Classroom"

The use of podcasts in the classroom has dramatically evolved over the past five years and today more and more classrooms are being turned into creative and artistic environments engaging students to explore new possibilities and to think outside the box. As educators, we are constantly trying to come up with new and innovative ways to reach each student and motivate them to want to become more independent in their own academic journey. However, many students lack the confidence to try new things and creatively portray their own personal opinions on higher level topics.

Utilizing technological tools such as podcasts allows the students to reverse their roles in the classroom and actively debate their thoughts with their other peers and bounce ideas back and forth to see a topic from a different perspective. Podcasts are sometimes seen as "radio stations in the classroom" and this aspect uniquely sets apart the traditional teacher-directed classroom from a more discussion oriented one. In the sidebar of my blog, I have posted a sample podcast created projects created by 3rd grade students who were reading the book "Tuck Everlasting" aloud in class. I also study this novel with my students in 6th grade but on a more independent level. I utilized the project podcast that I have shown you to depict to my students the possibilities of what even younger students are capable of creating when they are determined and motivated to do so.

I then provide them with 3 possible project choices to create as they are independently finishing the novel and use this sample as a model for them to follow when we work on them in our computer lab at school. The possibilities are endless and there are so many great sites available that serve as references and indexes full of reading and novel related podcasts. One of these indexes can be found at: http://bklnkids.podomatic.com/entry/2006-03-22T12_41_23-08_00. It is such a great resource for educators and the lists of varying podcasts are growing by the day.

Discussion of PLE's

Excerpt From:

"Growing, Changing, Learning, Creating"

http://growchangelearn.blogspot.com/2007/06/ples-are-power-tools.html

"In this context, PLE's are power tools. They empower the powerless to break out of their boxes. PLE's invites self-directed learning. PLE's become a source of discrepancy and deviation from the "party line". It becomes possible to think for oneself and disagree with the groupthink. Learning from a PLE makes it possible to see patterns of abuse, exploitation and neglect in the workplace. PLE's undermine the imposed, top-down, command & control kind of power. PLE's put distributed and democratized power in the hands of the individual. It counteracts the conformity pressures without confrontations or insurrections. PLE's are politically radical and perfectly natural. "

I really like how Cammy Bean (2007) began this section of her post with "PLE's are power tools." It stuck out to me right away when I read it! It made me want to know why this individual felt so strongly about the utilization of personal learning environments today. It does seem evident that these types of tools provide the student/user with a new sense of personal directed learning without the immense need for a concrete instructor guiding them along the way. These environments do seem to go against the social norms and structure that many were so used to. It's independent nature is depicted as a means of using your own thoughts and learning modes to complete tasks successfully and without the outside distractions that accompany many of the standard workplace classes today. The worker is given the power to determine their own rules at a pace that allows them to be more successful. This may not always happen when being taught in a group like setting where individual "outside of the box" type of thoughts are often discouraged. Overall, even though there are always going to be advantages and disadvantages to any new development, for some, it may be the key to reduce the anxiety of trying to keep up with others that may not encompass the same perspective as themselves.

By: Heather Abbott