PSA Post Production

In the pre-production phase of our project, we considered various topics for our PSA. We finally decided on hurricane preparedness for San Jacinto College because we all felt that this project would benefit the most people. We decided to show a newscast scene at the beginning and end of the PSA, and have shots of pertinent websites and information in the middle. Our storyboard informs the faculty and staff of San Jacinto College what to do in case of a hurricane.
Our biggest editing challenge was keeping our time under one minute. We had to cut quite a bit of hurricane footage as well as shorten our opening and closing scenes. I think we could improve our PSA by adding animation graphics and additional live footage. This would be more visually appealing and more entertaining for the viewer. All of our acquired hurricane footage is used under the creative commons license.
Our team used email, a group wiki page, and Skype to collaborate on this project. Each team member contributed equally to the project, and we were all involved and interested in all facets of the production. We experienced very little disagreement, and we utilized each other s unique abilities to make our project the best it could be.

video conference 9/17/2010

Today's video conference was rather frustrating. It took quite a while to enter the conference, the sound went in and out, and the same questions were being asked repeatedly. I did find out that I need to add a link to our team wiki on my discussion board. I also learned that I supposed to blog about the conference. Participating in a video conference is interesting, and I believe they will become more commonplace in the future. I think the conferences would be more beneficial if the number of participants was reduced. Perhaps conferences could be held by last name(in alphabetical order)A-H on one day, I-O on another day, and P-Z on yet another day. I do think that video conferencing is beneficial, but I don’t think that it should be utilized until we have an application that is powerful enough to handle the load. Perhaps a class wiki might be more advantageous. Questions could be posted by students, and answered by the coaches and/or professors.

Video Editing software reflection

I tested three video editing programs- Windows Moviemaker, Videospin, and Video Thang. I identified windows Moviemaker because it was already installed on my PC, and it is widely known and used. I identified Videospin and Video Thang by doing a Google search for free open source video editing tools. All three programs are very easy to use. Since I have little or no experience with video editing, and I teach younger kids, I wanted to test simple editors for beginners. I found Moviemaker to be very user friendly. I was able to import video and audio easily with the drag and drop feature. Moviemaker has over sixty video transitions that easily added. It also has several video special effects that were fun to experiment with. I used a special effect to make my movie appear old. My film was easily uploaded to a standard .wmv file for play on my computer. Moviemaker will only publish to a .wmv file. I was disappointed to find out that Moviemaker only has one audio track. That means that I was unable to have multiple audio streams at the same time.
This software is great because it is already on most PCs, it is easy to use, and it has nice features. It is definitely not for professionals or advanced users because the features just aren’t there. I know that Moviemaker will be the primary editor that I use in my job because of its ease of use. It is perfect for students’ projects and assignments.
I also tested Videospin by Pinnacle. This program is highly recommended by online reviewers, and it is comparable to Moviemaker. It has the same dread and drop features as Moviemaker, and I could easily import my video. Videospin has over 70 video transitions, and an entire menu of audio effects ranging from crickets to car crashes. Although I was unable to add special effects using the fee version of the software, I was able to have fun with the audio because it features two audio tracks- one for audio effects, and one for music. This is in addition to the audio that is coupled with the video. Another great thing about Videospin is that movies can be published in eleven different formats including .wmv, and videos can be published directly to the web.
I think that I would use this program if I needed to create a school publication that required allot of audio support. Otherwise, I will use Moviemaker.
The last editor that I tested is Vide Thang. This very basic editor is designed for people that want to post simple movies to the web. It is extremely easy to use. It has the same drag and drop feature as the other tow programs, and I was importing video was very easy. The audio features are very basic. It has a single audio track; however, it does allow you import music from your computer easily. This program only has three video transitions, and it does not have any audio or video special effects. Video Thang will publish as an .mpeg file or it can be published directly to the web.
The strengths of this editor are clearly in its simplicity. I was able to create my movie faster than the other two programs. Its weaknesses, however, caused my end product to lack the sophistication of the other two.
I think that this editor could be useful for simple projects that require little editing. When my students want to create video quickly and then share it online, this editor is hard to beat.

Coping with peer pressure- my personal digital story reflection

Creating this story brought back memories for me both good and bad. Every time I watch it, it evokes emotions in me that I haven’t felt in a long time. The process of creating the story was smooth and efficient once I had my idea and storyboard created. Microsoft Photostory is an easy to use and powerful tool. I like that it takes you through each step one by one, and lets you preview your work as you go along. The music maker feature is also a plus because I did not have to worry about copyright issues. The main thing that I took away from this activity is that digital story telling is a powerful learning tool. I can’t wait to use it with my students, and see the types of stories they create.

UDL lesson reflection

While creating this lesson, I found that the UDL format requires more detail than a regular lesson plan. These details provide the groundwork for a lesson that allows students to express themselves on many levels, and in a way that suits their individual learning style. I think that the UDL format will replace traditional formats when technology is consistantly available, and teachers are comfortable using it.

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A look at Infrastructure

Today's students expect to learn using a variety of media, and have access to vast amounts of data. For this reason, districts must have twenty-four-seven broadband access to the Internet. This access must be safe, secure, reliable, and flexible. It will allow teachers and students access to tools so they can retrieve online materials, do collaborative work, and share resources. The Twenty-first century classroom must be a connected classroom. Computers must not only be connected to the Internet, they have to be connected to a powerful Wide Area Network so that all district resources are available quickly at all schools. These classrooms will be equipped to provide students with personalized instruction tailored to fit their individual needs(Texas Education Agency,2006).

A key component of infrastructure is access to the Internet. The United States has a four to one ratio of students per Internet connection(Education Week,2005). The state of Texas has a three-point-four to one ratio(TEA,2006), and Keller Independent School District has a seven to one ratio(Keller ISD Plan for Technology,2008). All have made significant improvements over the last 10 years. In the United States, there has been a 133% increase in the number of students per Internet connection(National Center for Education Statistics,2003). Texas has had similar success with a 130% increase(Texas Education Agency,2006). The Keller Independent School District had 14 students per Internet connection in 1998. They have experienced a 100% increase in this category(Keller ISD Technology Plan,2008).

Trends at all levels of education are positive. If this trend continues, we should reach our goal of 1 computing device with Internet access per student in the United States. Additionally, we will see a increasingly collaborative effort to connect all computers in schools, libraries, hospitals, businesses, homes, and colleges(Texas Education Agency,2006).

I believe that national, state. and local agencies, along with their respective legislative bodies, should offer across the board tax incentives to companies that are willing to provide low cost products and training for educational infrastructure. Most businesses are more than willing to help out local schools from time to time. With incentives, they will be motivated to supply our communities with cutting edge technology and ideas for improvement. I also recommend that decision makers at all levels take a closer look at open source software. These programs are often just as useful and effective as licensed products at a fraction of the cost. Additionally, agencies at all levels should pursue infrastructure technology that is interoperable. Applications that can perform multiple tasks are much more cost effective than applications that perform a single operation.