Student Created Animated Christmas Card

This Card was animated using Powerpoint, all on one slide.

Enjoy and Have a Very Merry Christmas!



The Broad and Inclusive Road

I like the Broad and Inclusive Road better because it still follows the strait and narrow road; concerned with the concentration of core constructs, and also recognizes additional innovations for improved methods of sharing information.   Instead of expertise being localized to the IDT field only, additional fields of expertise would be taken into consideration, which can lead to better research initiatives and new technologies that should be shared amongst all fields of education.

Nanotechnology

What is Nanotechnology?

I read  an article the other day in eschool news, the October 2010 edition.  It was titled, New Software turns paper into inexpensive digital tablet.  It is about a digital “Smart Pen”, produced by Livescribe.  It tells about using the pen for taking notes in class and publishing  them online using a technique called Pencasting.    It went on to tell about the newest, Echo “Smart Pen” that has digital storage capacity and enables the pen to stream all notes taken live to a computer, creating an inexpensive digital tablet.  For now, the pen has to be attached to the computer by a USB cord, but in the near future, that will not be necessary because of nanotechnology and its ability to manipulate individual molecules or atoms.

My first thought was how great that would be for my Illustration class.  As students illustrate a photograph, their illustration would be digitally saved on the computer or delivered live through the pencasting program.  This could enable new artists and authors to be able to inexpensively self publish their works.  Because the artistry is captured in real time, designers can not only show their work but demonstrate the technique used to create it, as well.  Pen and paper, as we know it today, would no longer exist.

Okay, Now You Have My Attention

Rich Media… 

I use rich media with every lesson I introduce.  My struggle is which one to use for my example for this assignment.  The first one I use is Mrs. Burleigh’s Introduction Powerpoint.  It is animated and interactive.  The students have to go in and change slides by editing my text ”About Me” to make it their own.  They also have to create a class rules slide and define Professionalism.  I put the Powerpoint on a class flash drive and each student signs one out along with headphones and watches it at their computer station.  They then save as with their name on the file and turn it in on the  flash drive.

When we begin the Careers section, I introduce them to an e-Portfolio.  I show two student samples from the year before.  One sample is very large with all the awards and samples that can possibly go into one.  The other is smaller but is content rich in selection of artifacts.  I do this so that students can see that bigger and flashier is not always better.  They come away with the notion that this is a very professional file that, when created correctly, can define who they are as a person.  The e-Portfolios are animated and interactive.  They are created using Powerpoint and have interactive hyperlinks to go from slide to slide.   

Toward the end of the Career series, I show a student’s career documentary that was created the year before using either Movie Maker or Photo Story 3, (Now I will also teach and allow the use of Jing).  I pass out a rubric and as they watch the documentary, they grade it based on the criteria I am looking for in the rubric.  This not only gives them a good idea of what to include in their own documentary but excites them to create one that is better than what they saw.

For the Holidays, we create e-Cards and email them to teachers, family and friends.  I start that lesson by showing my sample card and a student’s sample card.  I plan it so the student sample is always better than mine.   I make them aware of that by showing how the animation is in time with the music and how the pictures and music match the mood of what they are watching.

For the second semester, I introduce them to their final project; a multimedia presentation on their year at Axtell.  They can create it using whatever software we learned during the year.  I introduce it early so they can start collecting pictures, video clips, music etc.  We discuss copyright laws and music piracy and begin learning Audacity so they can create their own music score and voiceovers. I always show my Year at Axtell from the year before which pictures all my students engaged in different learning events.  Mine is not correct and is full of flaws.  We discuss what is wrong with it and what they can do to make their's better.  This makes the lesson relevant to them. 

My Year at Axtell Attached:

Song: The Time of My Life by David Cook, 2008

A College Course with Poor Reusability

I chose the Associate Degree, Multimedia course that I had at Navarro College in 2005.  The software we used to learn multimedia was Adobe Creative Suite and  Macromedia Director.  At the time, the cost for Director was close to $1800.00 but for students it was $588.00. I know because I bought it.   The other software we used in the class was the first Adobe Creative Suite, which included Dreamweaver,  Flash, Illustrator, and Photoshop.  I also bought that suite for over $500.00.  I am very glad that I did because I have been able to upgrade over the years and now teach these subjects at high school.  Can I reuse the lessons that I learned in 2005?  NO.   Why???

First off, Macromedia has been bought out by Adobe and the Director Program, although available to buy has been incorporated with the Adobe Flash tools and is now unrecognizable.  

To make the course more useable, the instructor should have incorporated Flash into the lessons as it was already included in the Adobe Creative Suite and would have been more affordable for the student and more practical for contents sake.  Adobe Flash is more compatible with the Adobe Creative suite as it is an extension of Dreamweaver and requires Vector images that can be created using Illustrator or restructured using Photoshop. 

To answer the questions below in relation to reusability of the course content:

Can I find it? 

No, Macromedia Director no longer exists for reusability purposes.

May I use it? 

No, Adobe carries the rights to the program so it must be upgraded.

Will it work? 

Probably with new training…but why use it when Flash can do it better and is more compatible with the other Industry Standard Software.

                Can I use it in a way that works for me? 

No. And I wonder why Director was taught instead of Flash.  It would have made creating lessons today much easier for me, as I could have reused some of the skills lessons and techniques associated with that program.

Five Examples of Distributed Learning

·         Locate 5 examples of Distributed Learning:

1.       Academic Distributed Learning:

a.       This can include the brick and mortar building that have online classes but no onsite classrooms. An example would be Strayer University online classes available in Texas.

2.       Hybrid Classes:

a.       Hybrids offer both online and onsite classes.  An example would be TAMU Metroplex Center.

3.       Virtual Classes:

a.       These campuses have complete degree programs offered in an online environment.  An example would be Cappella University.

4.       Distributed Learning based at physical locations:

a.       This can include correspondence courses or online learning through a carrier such as TAMU’s education program available through classrooms located at Navarro College in Corsicana.

5.       Skills-Based Training:

a.       This training can be delivered in a manner of ways and in many different environments. With metadata, what is developed for use in one area of learning can be reused to develop content for a totally different area of learning.  One example could be the Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM).

Performance Technology

Domains	Competencies	Performance Statements
Design	Be able to select appropriate projects and lessons. Be able to break things down into steps and use a systematic approach. Be able to communicate instructions written, verbally, visually, and through multimedia channels.	Instruction is designed to: Improve the effectiveness and efficiency of organizations and the resources within them. (280)
Development	Use technology to enhance the student’s training. Know how to give continual positive encouragement and feedback on each step accomplished.	The development of results rests with the value in how you do the work and through the work itself.
Utilization	Apply theoretical research to the task at hand. Instruct others on the guidelines, laws and ethics surrounding the creation of the project. Flexability: Promote retention of the material learned by reteaching the process a different way when necessary.	To have the ability to use partnerships and collaborate with experts as required.
Management	Plan and monitor the project throughout each process step. Know how to create teams and groups to enhance learning. Know how to apply technical skills to best serve the student. Manage the environment to promote trust and self promotion among students.	To be systematic in all aspects of the learning process and assess the needs of the business community to produce the performance skills they need.
Evaluation	Promote transfer and sharing of all knowledge learned. Be capable of designing rubrics that focus on performance techniques. Be able to evaluate the effectiveness of your instruction.	To insure that performance is conducted throughout the process and includes all partners and stakeholders that have an interest in the project.

Performance Technology Instructor

Why have I chosen these competencies?

I have chosen these competencies based on what I think would be the performance needs of the business community.  For an instructor to create the skills needed to supply today’s workforce, technology must be used and taught so that the performance level is not compromised at the workplace.