EDLD+5363+Course+Reflection

1. What outcomes had you envisioned for this course? Did you achieve those outcomes? Did the actual course outcomes align with those that you envisioned?

I have created a number of video projects. I recognized this as an opportunity to learn more about video production and editing. The primary outcome, that I didn't expect was learning more about the formal process of making videos. The concept of a story was something that I already knew. I also understood how to edit video segments and to keep the audience involved with a variety of cuts and other content. I didn't fully understand the concept of how the different types of shots fit into the scene. Going from a wide shot to a narrow closely focused shot was new, although not surprising. The information about the general purpose of each shot was also new information. I appreciated the information on different video editing applications. The tutorials and help documents were also beneficial. The biggest thing was the experience of working with others to produce a video. It was a real experience to collaborate with others in different cities to produce one product.

2. To the extent that you achieved the outcomes, are they still relevant to the work that you do in your school? Why or why not?

Video and multimedia production is relevant to what I do. First, I train teachers and this is a good project for students to do. At it's most basic, it is a simple project for elementary students. They can create trailers, like movie commercials, for books and tell family stories using family pictures. Teachers can create videos to explain concepts or introduce students to an assignment. I use videos to share the idea of digital storytelling with teachers, but I also use them to communicate concepts and provide tutorials. This is a good skill because a visual can explain a lot more than text. If it is done well the video is more compelling and creates a greater impact than text. That is important in my job, which is mostly trying to persuade teachers to try new things with their classes.

3. What outcomes did you not achieve? What prevented you from achieving them?

I think we could have learned a good bit more from the group project. It was a very educational experience, and most of the learning was about group dynamics and collaborative skills rather than video production skills. We could have learned a bit more. Like most, I believe our group members were focused on the project more than the group dynamics. This led some to produce more on their own, rather than asking others to help. This led some members of our group to reflect that they could have learned more if the responsibilities had been shared. This is not in any way a criticism of our group, it was a part of our inexperience. As we work on more collaborative activities we will get better at it and get more from them..

4. Were you successful in completing the course assignments? If not, what prevented or discouraged you?

I felt successful in completing all of the assignments. There is always more to learn and in the second assignment I was able to work more with editing audio than I have previously. These projects were very good for those that are new to video production and allowed those who were experienced with video production to expand their knowledge.

5. What did you learn from this course: about yourself, your technology and leadership skills, and your attitudes?

In this course, I learned more about video production than I had previously known. In particular, I learned how a project can be broken into several assignments and how professional video productions divide the work to be more efficient and effective. I learned that there are times that we need to step up and lead. There are also times when we need to allow others to lead. The challenge with this is determining when to do each. I knew a lot about the technology used for these projects, but was able to explore some areas that I haven't explored before. I was able to explore audio editing within Windows Movie Maker more than I have and explore audio editing applications like Audacity. Most of my previous learning was from my own exploration, reading the tutorials in the weekly reading assignments was very helpful.