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Wax, in addition to it’s more complicated layout and usability, is viewed as problematic and outdated.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.