Hello blog -
I wanted to take a minute to recap my experiences with the Digital Story assignment. I had never worked with a "movie maker" type of program, so this was all new to me. As far as I can tell, the process can be broken down into a few distinct parts: 1) write a script 2) gather photos 3) post photos 4) record script 5) add music 6) save as .wmv (or w/e extension is most useful).
I chose to do my story on my Study Abroad in Sikkim, India. Although it's not necessarily the most interesting/educational topic for the masses, I had loads of photos from my trip and I felt like if I chose less colorful photos it would fail to take advantage of the medium of digital video. Might as well capitalize on being able to display images that can convey as much as any script, right?
Anyways, at first I thought this project might be a bit much for the Elementary School level, as I wasn't familiar with the program we'd be using (Digital Story Maker). After completing it however, I think as long as the task was broken up over a long enough time-frame, and perhaps used in a small group setting for additional support/creativity, I think it would be a great classroom activity. Connections to any of the content areas (Math being the most difficult to relate) are possible, and the students can either be provided with photos, or (should the school or teacher have access to a digital camera) they could take their own. The main obstacle for this project is (as discussed in class) the recording phase. Students would have to find a suitably quiet time/place to record their scripts (I recorded mine in an empty computer lab and could still barely hear it with the volume set to max).
In any event, the students would surely enjoy the project, and the combination of ease of use and adaptation to various standards of learning make it something I will likely try in the classroom as soon as I'm able to.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Week 10 - Virtual Schooling
Hello Blog -
Here are some of my thoughts on virtual schooling.
Definition of virtual schooling (from our wiki): "Any time a teacher or student uses Internet technologies to deliver/receive instruction over a distance."
Virtual schooling is an interesting topic to me. I've had conversations with friends and family about how much money Universities are spending on new "brick and mortar" buildings. It seems strange to invest so heavily into physical places to meet for instruction when technologies are making those same places obsolete (see: libraries going digital). On one hand, I believe that there can be no substitute for face to face learning (social interaction is still important). However, if one professor can publish/broadcast their lectures to a large audience (via the internet), will the demand for large numbers of professors decline? It seems like the leading expert in a given field will corner the market for virtual schooling simply because there is no size limit for virtual classrooms. Assessing/grading would certainly be an issue for a class of 1,000 (or something ridiculous), but that's one of the few cons I can think of (especially when compared with the millions of dollars that could be saved if schools stopped breaking ground on new expansion projects). The idea of making the very best instruction available to all is an intriguing one to me.
To recap:
Pros for virtual schooling = unlimited class size, very best instruction potentially available to large audiences, distance/physical barriers hardly an issue (Global classrooms? You know how they have those earpieces for the UN speeches? I bet theres some software program that can do something similar), time hardly an issue (can access instruction at 3am in your pajamas)
Cons for virtual schooling = infrastructure required (high-speed internet?), probable subscription fees (could be just as expensive as current "brick/mortar" system), lack of social interaction (probably the biggest con), grading/assessment could be daunting for large classrooms
I probably missed a few things there, and I'm really providing a lot of uneducated guesses, but it's interesting to imagine both the possibilities and potential impact that virtual schooling brings to the table. IIRC, Wikipedia has a link to Wikiversity - an inspiring example of what virtual schooling could become.
Here are some of my thoughts on virtual schooling.
Definition of virtual schooling (from our wiki): "Any time a teacher or student uses Internet technologies to deliver/receive instruction over a distance."
Virtual schooling is an interesting topic to me. I've had conversations with friends and family about how much money Universities are spending on new "brick and mortar" buildings. It seems strange to invest so heavily into physical places to meet for instruction when technologies are making those same places obsolete (see: libraries going digital). On one hand, I believe that there can be no substitute for face to face learning (social interaction is still important). However, if one professor can publish/broadcast their lectures to a large audience (via the internet), will the demand for large numbers of professors decline? It seems like the leading expert in a given field will corner the market for virtual schooling simply because there is no size limit for virtual classrooms. Assessing/grading would certainly be an issue for a class of 1,000 (or something ridiculous), but that's one of the few cons I can think of (especially when compared with the millions of dollars that could be saved if schools stopped breaking ground on new expansion projects). The idea of making the very best instruction available to all is an intriguing one to me.
To recap:
Pros for virtual schooling = unlimited class size, very best instruction potentially available to large audiences, distance/physical barriers hardly an issue (Global classrooms? You know how they have those earpieces for the UN speeches? I bet theres some software program that can do something similar), time hardly an issue (can access instruction at 3am in your pajamas)
Cons for virtual schooling = infrastructure required (high-speed internet?), probable subscription fees (could be just as expensive as current "brick/mortar" system), lack of social interaction (probably the biggest con), grading/assessment could be daunting for large classrooms
I probably missed a few things there, and I'm really providing a lot of uneducated guesses, but it's interesting to imagine both the possibilities and potential impact that virtual schooling brings to the table. IIRC, Wikipedia has a link to Wikiversity - an inspiring example of what virtual schooling could become.
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