PSA: Why Recycle?

EDLD 5363 Web Conference (2)

I attended the web conference on Saturday December 3, 2011 at 10:00 am. I wanted to attend this conference because I didn’t understand how to complete the shot-list for week 3 assignment. After, Dr. Abernathy explained the shot-list I was able to complete it and send it to my group members. One of my peers also stated that every time the camera changes position; it was considered a different shot. Dr. Abernathy explained the importance of everyone working together to complete this assignment and said that each group should have a Google document that showed their collaboration. She also stressed that we should shared this document with our instructional associates. She made it clear that our PSA should only be 60 seconds and the credits should be at least 10 seconds long. At the end of the web conference Dr. Abernathy told us that she would add two more conferences on December 5 and December 6. She then asked, if we had any more questions and then gave out her email and phone number again.

EDLD 5363 Week 3 Reflections

In week 3, I believe the assignment was less stressful because we were all familiar with creating videos and using different editing software programs. I have never been asked to accomplish any task like this before, and was very excited when I read week three's overview. The course, Multimedia and Video Technology, has given me the opportunity to accomplish tasks I have never done before. From the past three weeks, I have learned so much about technology. In week 1 I created a personal digital story, in week 2 I created a tutorial about an editing software program, and in week 3 I learned the steps on how to film a PSA. I have also learned how to incorporate technology into my lessons. For example, I now know that my students can create, fun and exciting, videos to go along with the concepts they are learning. My group was able to work together and come up with an excellect PSA topic “Why Recycle”. I was very happy that we were able to collaborate as a group to complete our pre-production plans to our PSA assignment. I can’t wait until our PSA is finished. I know it will be awesome!

EDLD 5363 Web Conference Reflection

I would have to say that this course, Multimedia and Video Technology, has been very challenging this past week. I had to accomplish tasks I have never done in the past. Technology is great but, I have had some problems concerning the web conferences.

Web conferences are not as beneficial to me as it is for some. Every time that I log into one, I can never understand the speaker because my audio is going in and out. It may be my internet service provider, but this is the best I can get because of the area I live in. I am so grateful to have supportive and caring people around me. Dr. Abernathy, Dawn, and my peers are always there to answer my questions to the best of their abilities. They truly want to see you succeed in life.

I have also enjoyed working with my partners over the past couple of weeks. They are very helpful because they are more technology savvy than I am. If I have any questions they are always quick to respond to my emails. 

EDLD 5363 Week 2 Reflections

Before this class I have never used any software to edit videos. So I was very excited and nervous about this week’s assignment. This week’s assignment was to research and evaluate a free editing software application that we have never used in the past. I search and came across “Muvee Reveal”. I instantly liked this software because it was already installed on my windows 7 computer. After playing on it and reviewing some tutorials I thought this software was very easy and simple. I also thought that it would be very easy to incorporate into my lessons because it was very child-friendly and awesome for beginners. This was great because in our readings for this week Garrison states, “Media production engages and excites; it leads to unexpected discoveries, increased self-awareness and esteem, sharpened critical thinking, analytical skills, group work skills, and ability to communicate ideas” (Garrison 1999, para. 1). By viewing my podcast kids of all ages will now be able to create fun and exciting videos. I would recommend all teachers to use this software in their classrooms.

Reference
Garrison, A. (1999), Video basics and production projects for the classroom. Center for Media Literacy. Retrieved November 26, 2011, from http://www.medialit.org/reading_room/article3.html

Tutorial of Muvee Reveal

Personal Digital Story

Reflections: Personal Digital Story

I’m currently enrolled in EDLD 5363 Multimedia Video Technology. All I can say is WOW week 1 is finally over. Week one's assignment was very exciting and fun, but it required a lot of time and work! I was up for the challenge and completed the assignment to the best of my ability. I really enjoyed this assignment because I had the chance to learn new things about myself and my partners. My personal digital story was about how I achieved so much in life from my family’s support and motivation. I believe this course may be one of my favorite courses in graduate school!

         

Week 1:Web Conference

I attended the web conference on November 15, 2011. I was really excited to meet my new professor and learn about the new assignment in week 1, the digital story. Dr. Abernathy was very nice and answered all of our questions to the best of her ability. On the web conference we discussed the importance of partners and how we will need them for the upcoming assignments. She discussed week one's assignment and stated that we must find a partner in our section to work with. She also said that we should document our collaborations using Google documents. She then stated that in weeks 3-5, we would work in groups to create a public service announcement. Towards the end of the conference, she asked if we had any other questions she could answer and she then gave her email address and phone number to everyone. Dr. Abernathy was very helpful and said that if we had any problems with this week’s assignment that we should call or email her immediately.

Final Reflection EDLD 5301

I have learned so much from the readings in this course. When I entered this course I did not have a clue what the term “Action Research” meant. I now know that it is the systematic process of a principal to take action for change based on what he/she has learned from the results of his/her questions (Dana, 2009). It is basically the thinking process in which a principal undergoes to solve a situation or problem (Harris, Edmonson, Combs 2010). I have also learned that when principals conduct action research plans “they are engaged in the process of creating a better school” (Dana, 2009). Meaning that the principal can tell and decide what is best for the improvement of the school. This is very important to a principal and school, because when the research comes from within the school, versus outside sources, everyone will take a sense of pride and push forward for a change.

From these course assignments and activities, I have gained the knowledge and motivation from my peers to begin my own action research such as, “How does utilizing the promethean board enhance learning in a classroom”? I have been researching and have read, “As educators, we must let go of the traditional teaching and adapt to this new world of technology (Young, 2010). I agree with this quote and from my action research results I hope that I can get all teachers on one accord, by implementing technology in their lessons. At first I was a little nervous because I did not know if this action research plan was going to work. My peers, IA, and site mentor began to reassure me that this was a great action research plan. They began to motivate me and I am now excited and ready to put my action research in place. I have started talking to teachers and they are also ready for a change not only at Fairview Elementary, but also in the district.

I have also learned a lot from the lectures that were presented in this class. The one that stood out the most to me was Dr. Timothy Chargois, who stated that all educators must be data driven. He stated that teachers must conduct local action research in their classrooms. I agree with him because we must know what is going on with our students. I also learned that teachers nowadays must have a concept of research so that we can conduct action research projects that could impact students’ success. I also agree with him with this statement because I do not think we should have to wait for someone else to hand us data on our students.

From this course I also learned the importance of reflection. Reflection is an important skill in leadership because it allows people to learn from their experiences, and administrative skills are acquired through combination of theory and practice (Martin, Wright, Danzig, Flanary, &Fred  2005, p.105). I believe that I have grown tremendously from this research course. I was very skeptical about this course at first, but towards the end I begin to love it. I have a new profound interest in action research. I also had a very understanding and caring professor and IA. They always answered my questions to the best of their ability. They always had positive and uplifting things to say and I really appreciated that. I am so glad that I enrolled in this Master’s Program.

Dana, F. N. (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin.    

Harris, S., Edmonson, S., and Combs, J. (2010). Examining what we do to improve our schools: 8 steps to improve our schools. Larchmont, New York: Eye on Education Press.

Young, S. B. (2010). Teaching with the tools kids really use. Thousand Oaks,California: Corwin.

Action Research Plan

SCHOOL VISION:  To provide all educators with research that proves students learn better when using technology during instruction.

GOAL:  To get all educators to realize that using the promethean board for instruction will enhance students learning.

Outcomes	Activities	Resources/ Research Tools Needed	Responsibility To Address Activities	Time Line	Benchmarks/ Assessment	Revisions to SIP/PIP based on monitoring and assessments
-Provide research stating that children learn better when using technology during instruction -To get all educators on one accord to see the benefits of using the promethean board -Prove that teachers need to get away from traditional teaching in a classroom	-Teach one section utilizing the promethean board -Teach the other section without utilizing the promethean board -Administer test at the end of each week -Conduct a survey asking students “Did they like the delivery of instruction and why”?	-Input from principal, administrator intern, curriculum director, and teachers -Results from pre/post test -Surveys from students	-Principal -Teacher -Researcher (Jasmine Goodly)	- Action Research Project will be in place by May 2012 at the end of the school year	-Review post-tests and compare the scores of the two sections -Surveys will also be reviewed to observe which delivery of instruction the students like the best	-Weekly monitoring -As Needed

Week 2: Reflection

From this week’s assignments, video clippings, and readings, I have learned a lot! A statement that stood out for was from Dr.Chargois. He stated, "teachers must be able to conduct local action research in their classrooms”. I agree with him because, as educators, we must know what is going on with our students. I also learned that teachers nowadays must have a concept of research so that we can conduct action research projects that could impact students’ success. From this week’s reading I have also learned about the nine areas of major wonderings of many school leaders. I have changed my perspective on principles, because I have now realized how many decisions they have to make each day. This master’s program amazes me every day and I am thrilled to be a part of it!

Week 1 Part 3: An analysis of how educational leaders might use blogs!

I believe that blogs are great tools for educational leaders. You can use blogging to communicate with school stakeholders because you can get everyone involved, from teachers, parents, and students. This is a way that everyone can work together and collaborate. The educational value of blogs and blogging are essential to the 21^st century learner. One way that educational leaders could use blogging in the class is to let students interact with other students globally. Blogging is a great and easy way to communicate with school stakeholders.

Week 1 Part 3: What is action research and how will I use it?

Action research is the systematic process of a principal to take action for change based on what he/she has learned from the results of his/her questions (Dana, 2010). It is basically the thinking process in which a principal undergoes to solve a situation or problem (Harris, Edmonson, and Combs 2010). In the past, “outsiders” would generate or tell the practitioner what is best for their school, they would not include the voices or opinions of the people who worked in the school every day and knew what was best for the school. In present time, practitioners are more involved with the research findings to improve their schools. Action research “focuses on the concerns of practitioners (not outsider researchers) and engages practitioners in the design, data collection and interpretation of data, around their questions” (Dana, 2010, p.5). I believe that this is a better way to make a difference or changes at schools, when the decisions and research comes from within the school and not from “outsiders”.

As a new teacher, I would use action research to investigate the importance of utilizing technology in the classroom. I would like to investigate this topic because we have an abundant amount of technology in our district, but most teachers don’t know how to use the technology. Most of the classrooms are equipped with smart boards, desktop computers, mini dells, and Activotes. The problem occurs when teachers try to use the technology, but they don’t know how to use it or know ways to incorporate it in their lessons. This topic is very close to me because I am a young and new teacher who would like to implement more technology in my lessons, but no one trained me for instructional strategies or showed me how to work the equipment. I believe that teachers need more technology professional development that provides these specific needs.

                                                           References

Dana, N. F. (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin.

Harris, S., Edmonson, S., and Combs, J. (2010). Examining what we do to improve our schools: 8 steps to improve our schools. Larchmont, New York: Eye on Education Press.

Week 5 Part 3: Course Reflections

As a new teacher, finding ways to integrate technology in the curriculum was tough, and this is the reason why I enrolled in this Master’s program. The outcomes that I envisioned for this course were to complete all assignments, learn about web tools, and learn new ways to implement technology in the curriculum. I was able to complete all assignments on time. In addition, I have grown tremendously from this course, because when I started I didn’t have an idea what web tools were and how to implement them into the curriculum. At the end of this course, I now know what web tools are and how to implement them into my lessons. This course did a great job introducing and explaining many different kinds of web tools. I am excited about my new profound knowledge and experience with web tools, and I cannot wait to share my new ideas with other teachers.

Being a fourth grade teacher, every web tool that was presented in this course was relevant. Most of the web tools that were presented in this course I had never used or heard about before. The wikis, blogs, RSS feeds, animoto, and Wordle were all new to me. I also learned the difference between a blog and a wiki. Since I started this course, I have talked to my principal about setting up a blog for my fourth grade students on my blackboard site. She and I are very excited about implementing this idea in my lessons. Every week I will ask a critical-thinking question in relation to the topic that we are covering that week and they will have until Friday to answer the question. I will have it set up so that I will be able to accept or decline the answers. This will be a learning experience not only for my students, but for me as well.

Even though I completed all of my assignments, I still need to work on my writing and references. I believe that with time and practice my writing and ability to cite references correctly will get better. I haven’t written a research paper in while, so I need to learn how to cite in APA style again. I also had trouble following the different documents in Epic. For example, the course overview in the announcement section, the course overview that was posted in assignments, and the to-do-list all had different information. This course was very overwhelming because it was a lot of work and research, so I struggled to find out what exactly I had to complete for each week’s assignment. Epic could be a great system, but they must find a way to present information without it being scattered throughout the system. This was my first course, so by next course I hope maneuvering and finding information will become easier.

I was able to turn in all my assignments, but I did run into a few problems. The first time I tried to submit an assignment on Epic was tragic. I uploaded my assignment from my jump drive and then hit the submit button. From there I received an error notice saying that my assignment was not submitted. I began to freak out because the assignment was due that day. Something told me to hit the refresh button and when I did the page reloaded and I receive the message that said assignment submitted. Now, every time I submit an assignment I must refresh the page to allow my assignment to be submitted. I was so grateful to have a wonderful Instructional Associate and group members. They were all very nice and answered my questions to the best of their abilities and I really appreciated it.  Overall, I believe that this course wouldn’t have been so overwhelming if the information wouldn’t have been scattered throughout the Epic system.

During these past five weeks, I have learned about different ways that I can implement technology in my lessons.  I also learned that I am not as “Tech Savvy” as I thought I was.  I have come to a turning point in my life where I just don’t want to be a good teacher but, a great teacher.  I realize in order to become that great teacher, I must teach my students the basic technological skills so that they can have an equal opportunity to succeed in this digital world. Some say implementing technology in younger grades is a waste of time but from this course I have learned that it is never too early to introduce basic technology skills to students.  I have also learned a lot about myself from this course. I learned that when I am put to a test I will always pass because I believe in myself. Plenty of nights I thought I wouldn’t be able to finish the assignments but in the end I pushed myself and I was able to complete all of the assignments. I can now say that I am a better and stronger person.  I always have considered myself a leader, but now I want to be the best leader and teacher.  I feel that this program will help me achieve these goals.

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National Educational Technology Plan

In the National Educational Technology plan, it states that technology is at the core virtually everywhere of our daily life and work and as educators must provide engaging lessons and powerful learning experiences. Technology-based learning is vital in improving student learning.  Both of these statements are so true because everywhere you look children are engaged in technology in their everyday lives, and we must find ways to engage children with technology in our classrooms so that they will be ready for their futures. Technology will also help us to execute collaborative teaching strategies to enhance student learning. Technology will not only help us to collaborate and work together, but it will also help children to globally interact with one another. The challenge educators will face is how to incorporate technology to create engaging and personalized lessons to mimic their daily lives and the reality of their future. This plan also states that teachers and students should engage in large and small group learning environments depending on the child’s needs and interest. I agree with this part of the plan because we as educators have to be able to know when to differentiate instruction depending on the skill you are teaching. So, I try to incorporate meaningful activities as much as I can in my classroom, because not all children have the same learning styles.  One goal that stood out to me was, “All learners will have engaging and empowering learning experiences both in and out of school that prepare them to be active, creative, knowledgeable, and ethical participants in our globally networked society”, which just summarized what I stated earlier. To meet this goal, they recommend each state to revise and implement standards and learning objectives using technology to reflect the21st century learners.  The plan also states that teachers and students will be given assessments and immediately feedback to help improve the student’s achievements. The plan goes on to say that all students and educators will have access to a comprehensive infrastructure for learning when and where they need it. This means that they will have the access to wireless connectivity both in and out of school. In conclusion, The National Educational Technology Plan is saying that we as educators need to incorporate technology and more meaningful activities in our classrooms so that we will receive more productive results from our students.

U.S. Department of Education. (2010). Transforming American Education Learning Powered By

    Technology. Retrieved from http://www.ed.gov/sites/default/files/netp2010.pdf.

District Technology Plan

The district plan I will summarize is Calcasieu Parish…

 Calcasieu parish is one of the pioneers in integrating technology in the state. They are currently in the process of addressing the four steps which are Strengthen Leadership, Improve Teacher Training, Support E-Learning and Virtual Schools, and Provide Improved Access and Technology Usage to integrate technology in the classroom. Instep one, leadership category, the plan states that all leaders must support and monitor effective use of instructional technology. In step two, improve teacher training, the plan states that teachers should attend professional development to ensure effective use of technology in the classroom. CPSS offers professional development either face to face or online learning. Step three, support E-Learning and virtual schools, the plan states that for five years the district has grown in online instruction.  CPSS has one full-time E-learning facilitator. They also provide after hours access to technology resources. The last step, Provide Improved Access and Technology Usage to integrate technology in the classroom, states that most of the campuses have access to high-speed, high capacity hardware, software, and broadband communications.

The district and E-Rate provides funds to provide high-speed broadband connections to every classroom. The current ratio in the district student to internet computer is 3.5:1. Now, tech support is able to remotely control most of the computers in the district. The district plan also states that 50 percent of teachers use blackboard to support classroom instruction at home. There were thirteen schools in the district that reported that technology integration is at “Advanced Tech” or higher. At the end of the school year, teachers and students are given a survey to complete on the use of technological skills. The survey reveals that 26.1% of teachers are proficient in all the NETS Standards, 47.4% of the administrators are proficient in all the NETS Standards, 3.3% of 4th grade students are proficient in all the NETS Standards, and 15.10% of 8th graders are proficient in all the NETS Standards.

I believe that most teachers would like to integrate the curriculum, but they have a lack of support from other teachers and administrators. They are tired of trying new ways of incorporating technology in their lessons and failing. This is when the district should step up and provide the right professional development opportunities. After reading the district’s technology plan I do believe that they are on the right path for a brighter future in technology for our children. 

 Calcasieu Parish Technology Plan. (2007). Retrieved from    

            http://www.cpsb.org/system/policies/techplan.pdf.

Web Conference, Week 2

I attended the web conference on Tuesday August 30, 2011. I was really excited to finally meet some of my classmates, but when I logged on my excitement went away and frustration sat in. I realized that I couldn’t understand the professor. She was very nice and apologized about the situation and began to type everything for the ones that couldn’t understand her. On this web conference we discussed the admission plan and policy and we learned that if we had a 3.0 or higher we didn’t have to take the GRE exam. We also discussed week 1 and week 2 assignments, she told us that we needed to purchase TK20, and she also talked about our internship and told us that it was time to choose our site mentor. We also found out that after we are finished with this program we can take the principal certification and become a certified principal in the state of Texas. I also found out that I wasn’t the only person from Lake Charles! I thought this conference was overall a great learning experience.

Technology Assessment

The world is changing everyday and as educators, we need to get with the program! Technology is everywhere and we need to start teaching our children the value of using it because they will need technological skills in the future. So, I think that it is important and beneficial to assess an educator’s technology leadership knowledge and skills as well as assessing the knowledge and skill of student technology skill levels. If we don’t assess both how will we know if teachers are doing their jobs? There are several pros and cons to assessing an educator’s technology skill level, but I will only discus a few.

One pro of assessing educators on their technology skills is that they will be aware of their strengths and weaknesses. When teachers receive this information they will be able to work on the areas that they need to improve. For example, the first week of class we had to complete a lot of assessments and as a result of the assessments I found out that my weakness was using web 2.0 tools and one of my strengths was incorporating technology in my lessons. So, I now know that I need to work on using web 2.0 tools in my classroom. Another pro of assessing educators’ technology skills is that the district will be able to provide better professional development. The district will be able to pin-point the weaknesses of most of the educators and provide them with professional development on those topics. For example, if most educators need help using web 2.0 tools in their classrooms it would be wise for the district to plan a professional development on that topic.

I also feel that there are some cons in assessing educators’ technology skills. One con would be if educators don’t take the technology assessments seriously. For example, if teachers wouldn’t tell the truth on the assessments. This would be a problem because then the teachers wouldn’t be able to improve in the area of their weakness. Another con would be if principals would start using these assessments as a means of termination. I don’t think principals should use these assessments to terminate teachers because it should be used for evaluation purposes only. This could also cause teachers to not tell the truth on the assessments.

As stated before, I do believe that it is important and beneficial to assess an educator’s technology leadership knowledge and skills as well as assessing the knowledge and skill of student technology skill levels. It seems like every career now has implemented technology, so why not integrate technology in the curriculum. We need to introduce technology to our students early so that they will be able to compete with other students.

Welcome!!

Hello world, welcome to Jazzy's World on here you will have the inside scope on how I think!! I am very excited this is going to be my first blog ever!!! Well feel free to post anything on my wall!!