Newsletter Design Project Reflection

The newsletter design project made me realize it is a “science”. Its success relies on many factors often not recognized by a novice. These factors range from the obvious such as the audience which was highlighted by Lamb to the little known fact of the amount of white space. All elements come together creating an intriguing newsletter meant to inform, entertain, and educate.

The most compelling piece of information learned from this project was the amount of white space necessary in a document. Yearwood demonstrated this concept extensively and showed numerous examples on how to achieve the correct amount in a publication. One of his key points was that white space allowed the reader’s eye to travel through the publication directing the reader to the most important information. My publications created before hand had minimal amounts of white space. This new learned information can be applied to all printed documents and will change the way I format everything I create.

The newsletter design project was easily completed by following the rubric and applying information learned from the assigned readings. Lamb’s article on newsletter evaluation was especially helpful with her question/answer format to critiquing one’s own newsletter to ensure a quality product. Collaboration with colleagues is very beneficial and can improve one’s work because more than one set of eyes is always a plus when it comes to proof-reading and critiquing.

Life long learning has always been a part of my life. I am a curious person that is constantly looking for a simpler method of completing tasks. I enjoy learning from others and as a teacher I have on multiple occasions “begged, borrowed, and stole” the techniques I use in my classroom! My current topic of interest is how to get computers in my science classroom through grant or donation.

Lamb, A. (2005). Planning Newsletters. Retrieved from http://educscapes.com/session/publishing/planning.htm.

Lamb, A. (2005). Evaluating Newsletters. Retrieved from http://educscapes.com/session/publishing/evaluating.htm.

Yearwood, J. (2009, July). Basic Elements of Page Design.

Scratch | Project | christmas tree

Scratch Project christmas tree

Examining the Design of Early Manuscripts – The Book of Kells

The design is undeniably magnificent. The detailing is extraordinary in itself. It is hard to imagine the time it took to create a manuscript of this caliber in the ninth century.

The four principles of design are located throughout this ancient manuscript. Contrast is the first to be shown with bold lettering combined with artistic detailing and color. Repetition is used by use of patterns, colors, and words. Alignment is faultless with all lists perfectly aligned. Proximity is demonstrated by symbols being located close to the words they represent.

The amount of detailing, symbols, and colors used tells us the importance of this manuscript. Historians may never know the amount of time it took to create this manuscript but they know this book was very important to those that designed it.

EDLD 5363 PSA Project Thoughts

I loved working with my team members, Kristie and Raquel. I thought we blended very well together. We all pitched in on the project and it seemed whenever something needed to be done, someone in our group got the job done. It was like we were puzzle pieces that fit together perfectly.

Pre-production ran very smoothly. We got our concept done with an outline and script in two days. Production is where I ran into some system non-compatibility issues with my team member’s software and it was very frustrating. I was a little anxious about everything coming together but it did and I shouldn’t have worried. Post-production proved to be a little stressed but we all are working off of very busy and complicated schedules so we were down to the wire.

My only regret about the public service announcement is the lack of live video footage. I believe if this class would have been during the summer we would have had time to collaborate such a project. Our school and extra-curricular activity schedules during this class have been crazy and that does not include our normal day to day chores!

Long distance collaboration will definitely take a while to get use to but I can’t say I dislike it entirely! Time will tell.

Windows Movie Maker still the King of Free Video Editing Software

Windows Movie Maker is still the top choice for free video editing software programs using a pc when compared to other free programs including the shareware program Wax. Windows Movie Maker, with it’s easy user interface and click-n-drag editing, make it effortless for the beginning to intermediate video editor. Whereas Wax, a much more complicated and non-friendly program, would be better suited for the advanced user.

Wax, in addition to it’s more complicated layout and usability, is viewed as problematic and outdated. Several of the online reviews at CNET’s download site for the program stated, “Bad green screen technology, can be difficult to use and plain annoying, unstable sometimes, and needs an update.” These complaints combined with the complexity of the program make it a bad choice for users searching for reliable, user-friendly video editing software.

Windows Movie Maker is simply a walk in the park for any experience level Windows user. It’s customary pull-down menus will not require extensive learning or memorization of keystrokes based on my personal use of the software. In addition to the ease of use, it has many exceptional built-in features including the powerful Automovie.

Automovie is a video enthusiast’s dream come true. Once loaded, a video can be converted into a spectacular video in a matter of seconds. It takes the loaded video content, examines it for natural breaks, cuts your video to match your music clip, and produces an amazing video ready for publication to your favorite video sharing website within minutes.

Windows Movie Maker is hands-down the best choice for the beginning to intermediate video editing software user. It’s ease of use coupled with it’s amazing features make it King!

Desktop-Video-Guide. (n.d.). Top 5 free video editing software programs. Retrieved on September 5, 2010, from http://www.desktop-video-guide.com/top-5-free-video-editing-software-review.html.

DebugMode Wax 2.0e. Retrieved on September 5, 2010, from http://download.cnet.com/DebugMode-Wax/3000-13631_4-10413349.html.

Creating a Digital Story

This week in my EDLD 5363 Multimedia and Video Technology graduate class at Lamar University I had to create a two minute digital story. This was a challenging assignment but very rewarding at the same time. I was very proud to share a part of my life through this class. I grew up up on a cattle ranch in Central Texas and I am very proud of that heritage and it was exciting to share a glimpse of that life. I think it inspired me to tell more stories about growing up on a cattle ranch. I especially would like to share stories about my father who was a great inspiration for me. I also aspire to use this technology in my teaching field, science. There are so many interesting stories I enjoy sharing with my students and this is now a tool I can use to really liven up those stories!

Action Planning Template

Goal: Determine what format of textbook better serves the needs of our K-12 21st century learners, traditional hardcopy, electronic - store and retrieve, electronic - on-line/interactive, or a combination of the three.

Action Research Topic

This week I had to select an action research topic for my graduate research class at Lamar University. I am in the Educational Technology Leadership degree program so I wanted to select a topic in the area of educational technology. This area is so broad with so many possible topic choices. These ideas range from how can a school fund more technology in a classroom to what is the value of social networking in education. I have tentatively selected the following action research topic: Which format of electronic textbook better serves the needs of our K-12, 21st century learners, store and retrieve or on-line/interactive? I believe this topic to be of great value to our campus and district as well as to other districts wanting answers to this particular question. I look forward to beginning my first action research project.

How educational leaders might use blogs?

Blogs would be a very beneficial tool to educational leaders by providing a forum for educational leaders to collaborate on projects. A project could be as simple as collaborating on a meeting agenda to as complicated as working on an educational action research project. The blog would allow all participants to make comments and allow the originator to make changes as necessary.

What is action research and how might I use it?

Action research is the process by which an educational leader studies one’s own practice by asking a question, exploring existing research relating to that question, interpreting the findings, applying what was learned, reflecting on the change, and starting the process all over again. “Elliot (1988) describes action research as a continual set of spirals consisting of reflection and action.” Action research is a very influential tool for “learning and reform” and is intended to bring about some form of change. Action research unlike traditional research is conducted and used by the one that actually conducts the research which results in that research actually being implemented.

Educational leaders can use action research in many ways but I see myself using it in three ways; district-wide meetings, campus leadership teams, and professional learning communities. Some districts are replacing their traditional, non-productive meetings with action research by allowing their administration to cooperatively work on current district problems through action research instead of traditional methods. Secondly, leaders are forming leadership teams on their campuses to tackle campus problems through action research. Lastly, professional learning communities are formed by combining several campuses or districts into one collaboration to study their schools through action research with one’s peers.

Dana, N.F. (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Web Conferencing

Web conferencing is a powerful educational tool. It can bring together students from across the country or across the globe in one virtual classroom. This virtual classroom is a haven to exchange ideas and help one another learn in many formats. It takes the “distance” out of distance learning.

Web conferencing can be a very formal or informal event. Facilitators can lead in a more formal lecture-style fashion with questions at the conclusion of the lecture or attendees can exchange questions and answers with one another and the facilitator in a more informal discussion format. This form of communication’s range of possibilities is endless.

Web conferencing gives distance learning a more personal touch than would be normally allowed. It makes education more intimate and allows the student to connect with the instructor and other students which would traditionally be missing in a conventional distance education setting.

As with all technology, the only barrier to this tool is the possibility of technical difficulties. One must bear in mind, “stuff” happens, and you will get through the challenges and eventually it will run smoothly. The more familiar one gets with the operation of a new system the better it will work.

All in all, web conferencing can be a wonderful instrument to use in education, especially distance education. Educators need to use this tool to create wonderful centers of learning with a more personal touch.

LMS STaR Chart Summary

LMS's overall STaR Chart scores dropped slightly. All key areas were classified as developing technology for the 2008-2009 school year. Key areas should improve with last year's implementation of three technology integrated components.

LMS STaR Chart Summary

View more presentations from Tammy Alford.

National Educational Technology Plan (NETP): Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology

The National Educational Technology Plan (NETP): Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology draft was released March 5th of this year. The plan is calling for action in educating America’s youth in technology so we can prosper and grow as a nation. The current administration is focused on achieving two goals through this plan. One is to increase the number of two and four-year degree college graduates to sixty percent of the American population. The second goal is to help everyone regardless of socio-economic standing to achieve a college education and lucrative career. These are considerable goals but can be achieved with everyone’s combined effort.

The NETP has developed five goals to achieve the goals set by the administration. These include goals in learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure, and productivity. Learning should not only be “engaging and empowering” but it should ready students to compete in a global economy not only ethically but also with wisdom and imagination. Assessment should be used to gage achievement and to calculate what really matters. Teachers should be connected and professionally developed to motivate successful learning. Learners and teachers should have 24/7 infrastructure in place to retrieve the information they need. Technology should be developed more advanced and reasonable requiring less investment of time and personnel.

We live in a global marketplace with the most advanced technologies available at our fingertips. There is no reason for America to be in the economic distress we are currently witnessing. We have access to the best educational institutions in the world yet we have just a mere thirty-nine percent of our population receiving this education. Through the achievement of the NETP goals, we should once again see America as the leading nation.

Progress Report on the Long-Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020

The Progress Report on the Long-Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020, was released in December of 2008 by the Texas Education Agency. Overall the plan is realizing improvements in all mandated areas. The largest advancements were seen in leadership, administration, and instructional support and infrastructure for technology.

Leadership, administration, and instructional support jumped seven percent in the advanced and target technology progress levels with infrastructure for technology moving up six percent in the same levels. The area of leadership, administration, and instructional support is just shy of having half of Texas campuses falling in the advanced and target technology levels with four percent of those in target technology. A vast sixty-four percent of the state’s schools are in the upper technology progress levels for infrastructure in technology with seven percent in the highest target technology level. These two areas are very critical in seeing improvements in the two weakest achieving areas.

The two poorest performing areas are educator preparation and development and teaching and learning. Teaching and learning has twenty-five percent of the schools falling in the advanced and target technology progress levels. Although, teaching and learning did see a five percent improvement in the highest progress levels, there still remains much room for achievement. Educator and preparation and development only saw a three percent improvement with a total of twenty-one percent of the schools falling into the advanced and target technology progress levels. These areas are not where they need to be for Texas to meet its Long Range Plan goals. Increases were seen so progress is being made but not at the level we need to meet those goals.

The Texas Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020, Educator Preparation and Development Plan

The Texas Long Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020, Educator Preparation and Development Plan wants educators emerging from their respective college programs prepared for today’s 21st century learners and how to educate them using up-to-date technology. Professional development for these educators will need to keep them on the leading edge of technology through the use of mentoring, co-learning, distance and online educational programs.

Educator Preparation and Development is currently the lowest performing area of the Texas Long Range Plan according to the Texas STaR Chart, 2008-2009. Seventy-five percent of the Texas schools reporting fell into the early or developing technology category of the report. Although this is a seven percent improvement over the first report year, 2006-2007, there are still great strides required in this area to meet the goals of the plan.

Texas has the enterprising goal that by 2020 students will be prepared to meet the challenges of the 21st century and its technology. The state can achieve this by implementing school programs focusing on learner-centered projects using technology, vertically aligned technology curriculum, 24/7 student access to online resources, all educators meeting state education standards in technology, administrators focusing on the integration of technology, and schools using a minimum of thirty percent of their professional development budget on technology training.

Schools are slowly but surely going to come close to meeting or exceeding this plan’s goal by the year 2020. The first steps in many schools are to build up the necessary infrastructure and get leadership, administrative, and instructional support so the other areas such as educator preparation and development can grow. These two areas are currently with the majority being in the advanced tech area and slowly rising which is a sure sign of progress and future success.