5363+Reflection

According to ISTE's Standard III, technology leaders should "facilitate technology-enhanced experiences that address content standards and student technology standards" ( Williamson, J. & Redish, T., 2009). This class was enjoyable because we got to work on video editing and production. I made a personal slide show with voiceovers. Before I completed any work, I had to brush up on my iMovie skills. I hadn't used the program in several months. It took a while to adjust timing for pictures and voice-overs, but it was fun making a movie about something personal. I chose to tell a story about how I met my wife. I enjoyed looking at all of our old photos and remembering when they were taken. We also got into groups and worked on a PSA. After completing the PSA, I learned many things. I not only learned about our topic, "Friends Don't let Friends Text and Drive", but also about creating a PSA. You not only have film a PSA, but you have to make sure audio matches up with shot. A story board must be created during the planning process, and permission must be obtained to use certain pieces of media. Open source images and software were critical to the completion of the assignment. Creating a video production is easier than ever before with all of the tools available online. However, obtaining permission and creating these projects must be done legally. Credit must also be given during these production. It is vital to plan the project, execute the plan, and then edit the project to ensure quality and credibility.

I think that video editing is an excellent activity for students. Students must come up with an idea or concept for the video, and then they must plan how the video will come together. The process includes writing, planning, scripting, looking at budget constraints, time constraints, etc. Shooting a quality video takes quite a bit of time and a HUGE amount of planning. This planning process demands higher level thinking which is always a plus in education. As students realize how difficult it can be to create a quality presentation, they also see that it is quite fun and fulfilling. A valuable lesson is learned when hard work and perseverance pays off with by having fun. It is also fulfilling to see hard work turn into a great finished product the students can proud of now and in the future.

Shooting videos also provides an enormous amount of variety. Students can shoot movies, newscasts, PSAs, and all sorts of other products. Problem solving and planning again come to the forefront of the mind. The end product is visual and by creating the actual product, it also becomes a tactile activity. According to Needleman, students have to think at higher levels and engage in the project which increase their media literacy and improve test scores (Needleman, 2008). I have pointed out in previous reflections that my campus has a "Shared Vision" ( Harris, S., Edmonson, S., & Combs, J., 2010). In the vision, my campus will use technology to increase student interest and improve standardized test scores. It is good to know that we are using research and published materials to guide our growth as a school.

Reflection

Harris, S., Edmonson, S., & Combs, J. (2010). Examining What We Do To Improve Our Schools. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education, Inc.

Needleman, M. (2008). Creating Lifelong Learners. Retrieved May 3, 2011 from, []

Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). //ISTE’s technology facilitation and leadership standards: What every K-12 leader should know and be able to do//. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.