As this semester concludes, I am left reflecting on my work this semester, what I have learned, and what I still have to work on.
On my work...
I am very pleased with the way my project turned out. There have been some bumps in the road (especially my site not loading on Showcase night) and challenges to overcome, but at the end of the day, I am leaving this course with a finished product that is good enough to share. And, in fact, has already been shared! I am thrilled that I created an artifact that is useful to the teachers at my school and has put me on the right track to reaching my goal of becoming an LSTC. It was a lot of work; there were moments when I thought the project would never be complete.
On what I have learned...
Of course, I have learned some new tools. I have learned to be patient with technology, and I have learned that EITS can be your best friend (or your worst enemy). I have learned that sometimes, computers really do have a mind of their own. I have learned that friends and colleagues can be your greatest asset, and networking is key in life. I have learned (and reinforced) exactly what I want from my future career endeavors, and by listening to Ann Cravens speak, I have learned more of what I need to do to get there.
On what I still need to work on...
Dreamweaver. My LSTC told me 2 weeks ago that the #1 tool I need to learn is Dreamweaver. I took the (somewhat) easy way out this semester by using Muse, but apparently I'll need to get back to the basics before I leave the program.
All-in-all, this has been a very productive semester. Truthfully, the Studio has frustrated me a bit. Often, I felt lost and as if I had no real guidance, but looking back, I see that this was all to allow me the freedom to learn what will be useful to me. Next go-around, I do hope for a bit more structure (as I am a very structured personality who thrives with goals, deadlines, and assignments) while also still allowing the flexibility for self-guided learning. I know that is a difficult balance to achieve, but between Dr. Rieber and Dr. Kopcha, I am confident it will be a success! Thank you for a very interesting semester, and I am looking forward to next fall for another Studio experience!
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Monday, December 5, 2011
Journal 8
Oh my goodness.. I completely forgot about my journal posting for last week! In my defense, my house flooded (3/4 of the flooring destroyed), so I've been working on getting that fixed. PLUS, I got engaged last weekend, so I've been a mess starting to get things planned.
As far as my project goes, I feel very confident. I have already shared the tutorials with the staff at my school, and it has been very well-received! My LSTC actually posted a link to the tutorials on the county's LSTC message board, and my TST shared the link with another school that she works with. Teachers at my school have expressed how helpful the videos are, and one teacher very excitedly came up to me to tell me that she FINALLY learned how to create a table! I'd say that's a success.
To determine the successfulness of the project, though, I really need to send a follow-up survey to the staff, similar to the survey I sent at the beginning of the project to assess the needs of the school.
I did, however, find out this week that OnMyCalendar is changing pieces of their interface shortly, so I will have to re-do some of my videos to make them continue to be relevant. I guess that's a fact of life in instructional design; just as you feel confident in your training, something is bound to change that impacts your instruction. That just means I need to stay up-to-date and continue learning on a daily basis.
On the Dress Rehearsal day, I really enjoyed the time we spent having the 2nd timers look at our projects and give feedback. I had some great feedback and some even better suggestions, so it was quite the enjoyable experience! I felt even more confident after that experience that I had actually created something useful.
All in all, the past few weeks have been very successful in terms of my project! I'm looking forward to showing off my finished project tomorrow!!
As far as my project goes, I feel very confident. I have already shared the tutorials with the staff at my school, and it has been very well-received! My LSTC actually posted a link to the tutorials on the county's LSTC message board, and my TST shared the link with another school that she works with. Teachers at my school have expressed how helpful the videos are, and one teacher very excitedly came up to me to tell me that she FINALLY learned how to create a table! I'd say that's a success.
To determine the successfulness of the project, though, I really need to send a follow-up survey to the staff, similar to the survey I sent at the beginning of the project to assess the needs of the school.
I did, however, find out this week that OnMyCalendar is changing pieces of their interface shortly, so I will have to re-do some of my videos to make them continue to be relevant. I guess that's a fact of life in instructional design; just as you feel confident in your training, something is bound to change that impacts your instruction. That just means I need to stay up-to-date and continue learning on a daily basis.
On the Dress Rehearsal day, I really enjoyed the time we spent having the 2nd timers look at our projects and give feedback. I had some great feedback and some even better suggestions, so it was quite the enjoyable experience! I felt even more confident after that experience that I had actually created something useful.
All in all, the past few weeks have been very successful in terms of my project! I'm looking forward to showing off my finished project tomorrow!!
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Journal #7
For this week, there isn't too much to say about my project. I am trucking along with making the final modifications and design changes to make a solid first draft for the Dress Rehearsal on Tuesday.
I have, however, been thinking a lot about the Concept discussion from the Krause book that we discussed last week. When it comes to concept, it seems that you must have a very cohesive look and feel to your site that matches the intended purpose of the site. I think I have done a good job of this; I have made sure that the information is well-organized and labeled to make the site more user-friendly. I want the people who visit my site to be able to focus on the content of the site instead of focusing on how to find the information they need.
I have also been considering my role as an instructional designer a bit more since my last post. As I am creating this website, I have been realizing that I am taking on the role of instructional designer. I started by essentially doing a Needs Assessment by surveying the staff at my school to see what their needs are in video tutorials. I have also talked with many other teachers and gotten a feel for the needs at our school. I have also conferenced with my school's LSTC about what needs she sees at our school as far as OnMyCalendar is concerned. All of this research has helped tremendously when actually creating the video tutorials, as I had more of an overall vision of what the tutorials needed to accomplish.
Now, I am just in the nit-picking phase of the project where I change my mind about design, colors, and layout more times than not, and I continue to second-guess all aspects of the project. Guess I'll just have to be patient until the Dress Rehearsal to get more feedback, and then onto the Implementation phase of sending the link out to the staff for use! I'm excited to see how it all plays out as I move forward.
I have, however, been thinking a lot about the Concept discussion from the Krause book that we discussed last week. When it comes to concept, it seems that you must have a very cohesive look and feel to your site that matches the intended purpose of the site. I think I have done a good job of this; I have made sure that the information is well-organized and labeled to make the site more user-friendly. I want the people who visit my site to be able to focus on the content of the site instead of focusing on how to find the information they need.
I have also been considering my role as an instructional designer a bit more since my last post. As I am creating this website, I have been realizing that I am taking on the role of instructional designer. I started by essentially doing a Needs Assessment by surveying the staff at my school to see what their needs are in video tutorials. I have also talked with many other teachers and gotten a feel for the needs at our school. I have also conferenced with my school's LSTC about what needs she sees at our school as far as OnMyCalendar is concerned. All of this research has helped tremendously when actually creating the video tutorials, as I had more of an overall vision of what the tutorials needed to accomplish.
Now, I am just in the nit-picking phase of the project where I change my mind about design, colors, and layout more times than not, and I continue to second-guess all aspects of the project. Guess I'll just have to be patient until the Dress Rehearsal to get more feedback, and then onto the Implementation phase of sending the link out to the staff for use! I'm excited to see how it all plays out as I move forward.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Journal #6
This week, I read the Rowland article Designing and Instructional Design. It brought about many great points, and a few resonated in my mind.
First, Rowland says, "Designing requires a balance of reason and intuition, an impetus to act, and an ability to reflect on actions taken." After reading this statement, I immediately thought of my own teaching. As a new teacher (this is my second year, but my first year in 1st grade), the "instructional design" process I go through on an everyday basis in creating my lesson plans very much resembles this definition. Of course, I must take into consideration reason- or what it seems like the children will need to understand the concept. However, I have to use my own intuition and what I know of my students in creating my plans. Also, while teaching and carrying out the plans, I must be able to quickly make decisions involving my reason and intuition to alter the lesson as I see fit based on the reactions of my students. I must also be willing to act and react rather quickly to the situation at hand. And finally, I must take time during my lesson (albeit very quickly) to reflect on the students' comprehension, and I must also take time after the lesson is over to consider whether it was effective and how I need to act moving forward. So while I do not consider myself an instructional designer on a daily basis, I very much fit the criteria in creating learning experiences for my students.
I also loved the comparison of designing to the art of composing and to the sciences. A designer must define their purpose and keep that purpose and the goals in mind while creating, just as a composer must consider the rationale for his/her piece. And yet, design is also a science in the analysis of data and goals. Good instructional design, then, is a combination of science and art.
From what I have learned in my own experiences as a classroom teacher and through the Instructional Design class I am currently taking, I have learned that there is a lot more to instructional design than simply creating lessons. They are so many factors at play that must be considered, starting with the problem. What, exactly, is the goal of the instruction? What is the problem you are trying to solve? Those very questions can take the most time to determine, as so many factors are at play when working with human beings. Instructional design is a complex process that really is an art as much as it is a science.
So how does this relate to my project and my work in the Studio? As I am creating my video tutorials, I am having to take into consideration the needs of the staff, the background knowledge they are coming in with, and the foresight of what problems they may encounter. This is quite difficult to do, but I started on the right foot by giving the staff a survey of their needs. This gave me the data necessary to begin examining what tutorials were necessary, and I was also able to determine the comfort level of my audience with this topic. Therefore, in creating my Studio project, I am really taking on the difficulties of Instructional Design.
Rowland, G. (1993). Designing and instructional design. Educational Technology Research and Development, 41, 79-91.
First, Rowland says, "Designing requires a balance of reason and intuition, an impetus to act, and an ability to reflect on actions taken." After reading this statement, I immediately thought of my own teaching. As a new teacher (this is my second year, but my first year in 1st grade), the "instructional design" process I go through on an everyday basis in creating my lesson plans very much resembles this definition. Of course, I must take into consideration reason- or what it seems like the children will need to understand the concept. However, I have to use my own intuition and what I know of my students in creating my plans. Also, while teaching and carrying out the plans, I must be able to quickly make decisions involving my reason and intuition to alter the lesson as I see fit based on the reactions of my students. I must also be willing to act and react rather quickly to the situation at hand. And finally, I must take time during my lesson (albeit very quickly) to reflect on the students' comprehension, and I must also take time after the lesson is over to consider whether it was effective and how I need to act moving forward. So while I do not consider myself an instructional designer on a daily basis, I very much fit the criteria in creating learning experiences for my students.
I also loved the comparison of designing to the art of composing and to the sciences. A designer must define their purpose and keep that purpose and the goals in mind while creating, just as a composer must consider the rationale for his/her piece. And yet, design is also a science in the analysis of data and goals. Good instructional design, then, is a combination of science and art.
From what I have learned in my own experiences as a classroom teacher and through the Instructional Design class I am currently taking, I have learned that there is a lot more to instructional design than simply creating lessons. They are so many factors at play that must be considered, starting with the problem. What, exactly, is the goal of the instruction? What is the problem you are trying to solve? Those very questions can take the most time to determine, as so many factors are at play when working with human beings. Instructional design is a complex process that really is an art as much as it is a science.
So how does this relate to my project and my work in the Studio? As I am creating my video tutorials, I am having to take into consideration the needs of the staff, the background knowledge they are coming in with, and the foresight of what problems they may encounter. This is quite difficult to do, but I started on the right foot by giving the staff a survey of their needs. This gave me the data necessary to begin examining what tutorials were necessary, and I was also able to determine the comfort level of my audience with this topic. Therefore, in creating my Studio project, I am really taking on the difficulties of Instructional Design.
Rowland, G. (1993). Designing and instructional design. Educational Technology Research and Development, 41, 79-91.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Journal #5
This week, I read the article "Integrating Web 2.0 Across the Curriculum," and it was a very interesting read. Web 2.0 tools are something I'm very interested in, so to see this list of new tools I hadn't heard of and hear how they can be used across the curriculum was fascinating.
What I have found is that students are attracted to anything computer-based from the beginning. Even something simple or repetitive has new life for students when it is on the computer. It is my belief that this is because the students I am teaching now are a part of the Digital Natives population. Technology has been so integrated into their lives that they quite literally know no other way... except at school. This generation doesn't know of a time when a cell phone was a commodity or when not everyone had a computer in their home. And yet, for their entire schooling career, these students have been taught that school is not a place for this technology. Keep your cell phone at home and don't waste your time with a computer. So when students are given the opportunity to work with technology, they are immediately engaged.
I have a Web 2.0 tool that I would love to add to the list, and it covers many different content areas. The site is Epals (www.epals.com), and it is a site that encourages teachers from around the world to connect on various projects. Last year, my 4th grade students became pen pals with a 4th grade class in Connecticut, and I have never seen my students so excited about writing. The teacher and I collaborated on a project called "The Way We Are" (one of the featured projects on the site) that encouraged the students to discover ways that they were alike and different. Over 12 weeks of writings, my students found new "friends" and made some fun discoveries (my students just couldn't believe that some people have to go to school in June!). And, best of all, I saw their writing improve tremendously. My students with ADHD who couldn't focus on writing for the life of them in the classroom were writing 3-5 paragraphs to their pen pals! It was magnificent! And all with the help of a free Web 2.0 tool.
It is my belief that, if we want to truly educate our students in a way that will be beneficial to them as adults and in the workforce, we need to make use of these Web 2.0 tools and other technologies. Let's face it- there are new technological advances every day, and while we can't even dream of preparing our students for what will be out there when they join the work force, the least we can do is keep them up-to-date.
While this really has nothing to do with my project for the course, it has everything to do with my career aspirations and the reasons why I entered this program. I hope to someday soon be an LSTC (Local School Technology Coordinator) so I can encourage teachers to use tools like these in their classrooms. Teachers need to be introduced to these tools, taught how to use them, and create meaningful ways of incorporating them into their classrooms to keep their students engaged and also keep them informed of the ever-changing world of technology that surrounds them.
Oliver, K. (2010). Integrating Web 2.0 across the curriculum. TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning, 54(2), 50-60.
What I have found is that students are attracted to anything computer-based from the beginning. Even something simple or repetitive has new life for students when it is on the computer. It is my belief that this is because the students I am teaching now are a part of the Digital Natives population. Technology has been so integrated into their lives that they quite literally know no other way... except at school. This generation doesn't know of a time when a cell phone was a commodity or when not everyone had a computer in their home. And yet, for their entire schooling career, these students have been taught that school is not a place for this technology. Keep your cell phone at home and don't waste your time with a computer. So when students are given the opportunity to work with technology, they are immediately engaged.
I have a Web 2.0 tool that I would love to add to the list, and it covers many different content areas. The site is Epals (www.epals.com), and it is a site that encourages teachers from around the world to connect on various projects. Last year, my 4th grade students became pen pals with a 4th grade class in Connecticut, and I have never seen my students so excited about writing. The teacher and I collaborated on a project called "The Way We Are" (one of the featured projects on the site) that encouraged the students to discover ways that they were alike and different. Over 12 weeks of writings, my students found new "friends" and made some fun discoveries (my students just couldn't believe that some people have to go to school in June!). And, best of all, I saw their writing improve tremendously. My students with ADHD who couldn't focus on writing for the life of them in the classroom were writing 3-5 paragraphs to their pen pals! It was magnificent! And all with the help of a free Web 2.0 tool.
It is my belief that, if we want to truly educate our students in a way that will be beneficial to them as adults and in the workforce, we need to make use of these Web 2.0 tools and other technologies. Let's face it- there are new technological advances every day, and while we can't even dream of preparing our students for what will be out there when they join the work force, the least we can do is keep them up-to-date.
While this really has nothing to do with my project for the course, it has everything to do with my career aspirations and the reasons why I entered this program. I hope to someday soon be an LSTC (Local School Technology Coordinator) so I can encourage teachers to use tools like these in their classrooms. Teachers need to be introduced to these tools, taught how to use them, and create meaningful ways of incorporating them into their classrooms to keep their students engaged and also keep them informed of the ever-changing world of technology that surrounds them.
Oliver, K. (2010). Integrating Web 2.0 across the curriculum. TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning, 54(2), 50-60.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Journal 4
I don't have too incredibly much to talk about in my journal for this week. My project is coming along nicely; I am currently focusing my attention on creating the website that will house the project, and also exploring different elements that will be critical in my project's success. For example, I have been looking at Youtube vs. Vimeo for video hosting so I can simply embed a link to my tutorials into the website instead of housing the video tutorials in the site. (So far, the only difference I can really tell is that Vimeo seems more professional...)
While working on the website that will house the project, I have had to take into consideration many of the points presented in the Krause text. Quite frankly, graphic design does not come naturally to me whatsoever. In fact, while reading the Krause text, I have been amazed at the number of times I thought an image looked pretty good only to notice the red circle with the line through it indicate that this was not good graphic design. Oops! So I am struggling with the design of my website. Even though I am reading the text, somehow my eye just does not see design the way "good" graphic designers seem to. I'm one for simplicity, straight lines, etc. I even had a conversation with a classmate this week in which I asked why Comic Sans tends to be the laughing stock of all the fonts, only for my classmate to be shocked that I actually tend to like Comic Sans. (I'm an elementary school teacher... it looks like my handwriting!) All of this to say that it's a huge struggle for me to take into consideration the hundreds of little details Krause presents. However, I did find one point that I agree with and can say I have been utilizing for quite a while: NO CLIP ART! I am not a fan of clip art. The images are too contrived, feel too cluttered, and just don't appeal to me.
So in summary: my project is coming along slowly but surely, I am a horrible graphic designer, and yes, I like Comic Sans. (Sounds like the introduction for an AA meeting!)
While working on the website that will house the project, I have had to take into consideration many of the points presented in the Krause text. Quite frankly, graphic design does not come naturally to me whatsoever. In fact, while reading the Krause text, I have been amazed at the number of times I thought an image looked pretty good only to notice the red circle with the line through it indicate that this was not good graphic design. Oops! So I am struggling with the design of my website. Even though I am reading the text, somehow my eye just does not see design the way "good" graphic designers seem to. I'm one for simplicity, straight lines, etc. I even had a conversation with a classmate this week in which I asked why Comic Sans tends to be the laughing stock of all the fonts, only for my classmate to be shocked that I actually tend to like Comic Sans. (I'm an elementary school teacher... it looks like my handwriting!) All of this to say that it's a huge struggle for me to take into consideration the hundreds of little details Krause presents. However, I did find one point that I agree with and can say I have been utilizing for quite a while: NO CLIP ART! I am not a fan of clip art. The images are too contrived, feel too cluttered, and just don't appeal to me.
So in summary: my project is coming along slowly but surely, I am a horrible graphic designer, and yes, I like Comic Sans. (Sounds like the introduction for an AA meeting!)
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Journal #3
I was struck by this week's readings from Hong, Clinton, and Reiber's "Desinging Creative Interactions." It reminded me of phrases we use in the K-12 arena like "teachable moments" and the project-based learning approach. Teachable moments refers to more spontaneous learning; that is, when a conversation or discussion lends itself to researching and learning new information that may not have been the teacher's original intention, it is considered to be a teachable moment. In my rather short teaching career, these teachable moments have been some of my favorite. The students are the most engaged and involved when it is something they really are curious about, not when it is a contrived, controlled learning environment. The same is true about project-based learning. This learning framework provides some freedom in students' learning. All students can be working on the same type of project, but they can take the project in a direction that most interests them. The Hong, Clinton, and Reiber article very much discusses this same idea in their discussion of the degree of interactions- from "reactive"where the user has very limited control of the learning environment, to "proactive" interactions that put the learner in control of their own learning.
When I think about my project in relation to these ideas, I very much want my project to be more of a "proactive" interaction between the user and the content. I'd love for it to be considered more of a teachable moment kind of instruction, rather than such a purposeful, contrived learning experience. Because I have decided to do video tutorials for teachers on how to create and update their teacher websites, I think it fits into these ideals. The videos will simply be the training for certain features of the program. As teachers encounter problems or have questions about how to do something on their site, they can refer to the videos and then work on their website as they wish. While it is not a part of this project (but is something I'm sure I'll use when I do my Internship either in the Spring or next Fall), I will couple these tutorials with one-on-one assistance. As teachers watch the videos and try their hand at some of the features presented, I will be available to come answer any questions and provide further assistance if needed. I know some members of my grade level have already asked me to present some information at our informal grade-level planning next week, so this will be a good jump start into that kind of learning.
I think this user-based control very much lends itself to more of a "proactive" interaction where teachers can control their own learning, and hopefully I will be able to expand this project into professional development opportunities that contain more of the project-based learning. In conclusion, it is my belief that true learning occurs when the learner is in-tune with the learning process, and when all learning is meaningful. In contrived learning experiences, this is often not the case, and thus, while the learner may "know" the information for a short period of time, they will soon after do what one of my undergrad professors called the "data dump," where information is quickly forgotten.
Hong, Y., Clinton, G., & Rieber, L.P. (2010)
When I think about my project in relation to these ideas, I very much want my project to be more of a "proactive" interaction between the user and the content. I'd love for it to be considered more of a teachable moment kind of instruction, rather than such a purposeful, contrived learning experience. Because I have decided to do video tutorials for teachers on how to create and update their teacher websites, I think it fits into these ideals. The videos will simply be the training for certain features of the program. As teachers encounter problems or have questions about how to do something on their site, they can refer to the videos and then work on their website as they wish. While it is not a part of this project (but is something I'm sure I'll use when I do my Internship either in the Spring or next Fall), I will couple these tutorials with one-on-one assistance. As teachers watch the videos and try their hand at some of the features presented, I will be available to come answer any questions and provide further assistance if needed. I know some members of my grade level have already asked me to present some information at our informal grade-level planning next week, so this will be a good jump start into that kind of learning.
I think this user-based control very much lends itself to more of a "proactive" interaction where teachers can control their own learning, and hopefully I will be able to expand this project into professional development opportunities that contain more of the project-based learning. In conclusion, it is my belief that true learning occurs when the learner is in-tune with the learning process, and when all learning is meaningful. In contrived learning experiences, this is often not the case, and thus, while the learner may "know" the information for a short period of time, they will soon after do what one of my undergrad professors called the "data dump," where information is quickly forgotten.
Hong, Y., Clinton, G., & Rieber, L.P. (2010)
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Journal #2
Even though it's not required this week, while I have a moment, I thought I'd share my progress this week. First, I have firmly decided that I will move forward with my previous project idea: to create video tutorials for the OnMyCalendar site. I sent a survey to all the teachers in my school to gauge what types of tutorials would be most beneficial to them, and WOW! Some even said they need help logging in. This will be quite the challenge, but hopefully this will prove to be a useful project for the teachers at my school (and will look good in my portfolio when it comes time to interview for LSTC positions).
Also, I have found (and almost finished) my community service project. My boyfriend's father is a police officer for the city of Maumee in Ohio. Every year, he presents to a group of citizens about some aspect of the police force. This year, he is presenting on accident investigation. He originally called his son (my boyfriend) for help with video editing for the PowerPoint he needed to make for the presentation, and I jumped at the chance to help him! I am compiling his pictures, editing his videos, and putting it all together into a PowerPoint presentation. While I'd love to go a bit more advanced and put it into something like Prezi, I quickly realized that I had to tailor the project to my "client." He is not as technologically advanced as I consider myself to be, and I think Prezi might be too much of a jump for him. Great lesson to learn! Just as Moggridge (2007) mentioned in last week's reading, it's important to consider your people and even go deeper by shadowing them to get a better understanding of their needs. While I am not able to shadow my client, I am able to take my knowledge of his technology capabilities and use that in my creation of the project. Tonight, I finished phase 1 of the project, which included editing all of the videos and putting everything into a PowerPoint. I consider this my "prototype" of sorts. I'd like to make a prototype every day, as Moggridge (2007) suggests, but I'll have to settle for sending him the PowerPoint for him to make suggestions for modifications because of the distance. (See pictures of me working below.... one of all the CDs I had to go through, the other of the 2 computers I was going back-and-forth between!)
From this project, I really learned to consider the needs and capabilities of my client. I had to consider the technical abilities of my client, as well as what hardware/software/internet would be available to him. I got more practice with iMovie and video editing. Overall, it was a great project and learning experience, and it was beneficial to my client, as well!
I feel confident that I have a good start to the Studio class!
Moggridge, B. (2007). Designing interactions. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Also, I have found (and almost finished) my community service project. My boyfriend's father is a police officer for the city of Maumee in Ohio. Every year, he presents to a group of citizens about some aspect of the police force. This year, he is presenting on accident investigation. He originally called his son (my boyfriend) for help with video editing for the PowerPoint he needed to make for the presentation, and I jumped at the chance to help him! I am compiling his pictures, editing his videos, and putting it all together into a PowerPoint presentation. While I'd love to go a bit more advanced and put it into something like Prezi, I quickly realized that I had to tailor the project to my "client." He is not as technologically advanced as I consider myself to be, and I think Prezi might be too much of a jump for him. Great lesson to learn! Just as Moggridge (2007) mentioned in last week's reading, it's important to consider your people and even go deeper by shadowing them to get a better understanding of their needs. While I am not able to shadow my client, I am able to take my knowledge of his technology capabilities and use that in my creation of the project. Tonight, I finished phase 1 of the project, which included editing all of the videos and putting everything into a PowerPoint. I consider this my "prototype" of sorts. I'd like to make a prototype every day, as Moggridge (2007) suggests, but I'll have to settle for sending him the PowerPoint for him to make suggestions for modifications because of the distance. (See pictures of me working below.... one of all the CDs I had to go through, the other of the 2 computers I was going back-and-forth between!)
From this project, I really learned to consider the needs and capabilities of my client. I had to consider the technical abilities of my client, as well as what hardware/software/internet would be available to him. I got more practice with iMovie and video editing. Overall, it was a great project and learning experience, and it was beneficial to my client, as well!
I feel confident that I have a good start to the Studio class!
Moggridge, B. (2007). Designing interactions. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Beginning Reflections (Journal 1)
The whole Studio approach is still a bit daunting; it's been a lot of information to take in, especially since I had to miss last night's class because of Curriculum Night at school. I got the notes from a classmate, and it all seems to make sense. I am still overwhelmed, though, at the thought of this semester. I'm not quite sure what tools I need, what Lynda package I should sign up for, etc.
I do, however, have a lead on a project. While I initially wanted to create something I could use in my classroom, I decided to do a project that may serve as an artifact in a job interview for an LSTC position. I talked with my LSTC, and now I'm considering making tutorials for teachers on how to set up their school website. Last year, we launched teacher websites on OnMyCalendar, but over the course of the past year, I've spent hours helping teachers fix various parts of their site or teaching them how to upload documents. The OnMyCalendar site has some design issues, in my opinion, and tends to only be user-friendly if you want to only add text. As Kapor (1996) mentions, programmers need more experience in design to make programs more user-friendly (so you won't want to throw your computer out the window!), and OnMyCalendar seems to be an example of this. Teachers struggle with uploading important documents (homework, newsletters, etc), adding pictures, creating links, and using the calendar. Because I have had this experience of being in the field doing the actual work of the teachers with the websites (and because I've spent time trying to help many of them), I see Moggridge's (2007) point that the people are the important part of design, and taking time to do "observations" can help in the design process. Because I have done these observations and been a part of the field, I should be able to anticipate the needs and concerns of the staff. This type of project will be beneficial to the staff at my school, and I think it would also look great on my resume or in my portfolio in the future. Now I need to decide what program to use, where to host the videos, what videos to make. . . . . .
In other exciting news, my LSTC has invited me to join her at Gwinnett County's Technology Expo in 2 weeks. She knows I'm interested in technology integration (and she's a graduate of our program!), so she invited me to tag along. It'll be a great experience, and I'm so thankful that I have an LSTC so willing to help me advance in this field.
I'm looking forward to a semester full of learning opportunities!
Sarah
Kapor, M. (1996). A software design manifesto. In Winograd, T. (Ed.), Bringing Design to Software (pp. 1-9). New York: Addison-Wesley.
Moggridge, B. (2007). Designing interactions. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
I do, however, have a lead on a project. While I initially wanted to create something I could use in my classroom, I decided to do a project that may serve as an artifact in a job interview for an LSTC position. I talked with my LSTC, and now I'm considering making tutorials for teachers on how to set up their school website. Last year, we launched teacher websites on OnMyCalendar, but over the course of the past year, I've spent hours helping teachers fix various parts of their site or teaching them how to upload documents. The OnMyCalendar site has some design issues, in my opinion, and tends to only be user-friendly if you want to only add text. As Kapor (1996) mentions, programmers need more experience in design to make programs more user-friendly (so you won't want to throw your computer out the window!), and OnMyCalendar seems to be an example of this. Teachers struggle with uploading important documents (homework, newsletters, etc), adding pictures, creating links, and using the calendar. Because I have had this experience of being in the field doing the actual work of the teachers with the websites (and because I've spent time trying to help many of them), I see Moggridge's (2007) point that the people are the important part of design, and taking time to do "observations" can help in the design process. Because I have done these observations and been a part of the field, I should be able to anticipate the needs and concerns of the staff. This type of project will be beneficial to the staff at my school, and I think it would also look great on my resume or in my portfolio in the future. Now I need to decide what program to use, where to host the videos, what videos to make. . . . . .
In other exciting news, my LSTC has invited me to join her at Gwinnett County's Technology Expo in 2 weeks. She knows I'm interested in technology integration (and she's a graduate of our program!), so she invited me to tag along. It'll be a great experience, and I'm so thankful that I have an LSTC so willing to help me advance in this field.
I'm looking forward to a semester full of learning opportunities!
Sarah
Kapor, M. (1996). A software design manifesto. In Winograd, T. (Ed.), Bringing Design to Software (pp. 1-9). New York: Addison-Wesley.
Moggridge, B. (2007). Designing interactions. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
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