EDLD 5363 - Week 5

I have come to the end of another course. Week 5 is over and what an experience. For the past three weeks I have been working with five other classmates on a public service announcement. This group project was unlike any other group project that I have been a part of. First of all, I have never met any of the members of the team face to face. We are from all over Texas and each teach different subjects and grade levels. I did not know their personalities or work habits. We where forced to communicate in ways that were new to most of us. We used Google docs for live collaboration, emails, and some even used Skype. Overall, the experience was a one of the best learning experiences that I have had.

Week 5 was the post-production of our PSA project. The video clips were put in a meaningful order with seamless transitions between the scenes. Music and voice over were added to complete the project. All of this in one short week. It is harder and more detailed than you might think. It was exciting watching and waiting for the final project to be completed. We didn't always agree on everything, but everyone was

Our completed PSA, Could You?, is posted on the post just previous to this one and on my website, Carol's Class Site.

EDLD 5363 - PSA

The following video is the Public Service Announcement that my group produced during weeks 3, 4 and 5 of EDLD 5363. The PSA, Could You?, is intended to educate teenagers of the dangers of drinking and driving.

Could You? by Rosana Barbosa, Carol Evans, Jennifer Harper, Afroze Jahan, Alfonso Ramirez, Patti Wolf is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.

EDLD 5363 - Week 5 Web Conference

I attended the Web Conference that Dr. Abernathy conducted on Monday, December 12. During the web conference, Dr. Abernathy was able to answer questions that many of my co-horts had. Some of the questions that were asked were things that I had not even thought of asking. All the information was very useful in finishing up the week's assignment.

I enjoy the attending the web conferences and try to attend every time that I can. I don't always have a question, but attending the conferences give me that sense of belonging to the class. On-line classes are great for busy people like myself, but you often loose that personal touch that you often get when you attend a face-to-face class. Dr. Abernathy has done a great job in making me feel welcome and giving me the feeling that she truly cares for her students. 

EDLD 5363 - Week 4

Week 4 is now over and our group is well on its way to having our first PSA completed. Our group has been working very well together despite the varying schedules we all have. We have a basketball coach on our team and a couple of our team members have had choir practices for upcoming Christmas programs in addition to their teaching duties. We have communicated via email and through Google Docs. Our finished product will be posted on my webpage (https://sites.google.com/site/carolsclasssite/) very soon. I feel that I have gotten to know my teammates and cannot wait until graduation to meet them in person.

EDLD 5363 - Week 3

Our group has started our PSA which is over teenage drinking and driving. This one really hits home since there have been six teenagers that have lost their lives in alcohol related accidents in the past two months just in my county.

Working in groups long distant has been a challenge. However, it has forced each one of us to communicate via ways that we have not experienced before. We have been collaborating with google docs almost every night sharing ideas and just getting to know one another as well as using email. We have also learned how to share our files using dropbox, which is absolutely fabulous if you have not tried it.

On a personal note, I am learning more about copyrights than I ever thought I would know. I've taken School Law and I've looked into this issue before. But, this week I have really researched it in depth. It is more complicated than what I ever imagined. We are so ignorant of the copyright use of music. I found a wonderful article that explains using music for educational use.  Copyright issues when using music was written by Barry S. Britt, a creative and executive producer of music for film and video. Mr. Britt has been educating teachers since 1996 on digital copyright awareness since 1996. This article was very enlightening to me. I think it will be to you also. All educators, at least in my district, need to read this article. I will be sharing it with my teachers in an upcoming staff development meeting.

Now, on to week 4 and the development of our PSA. Check back next week for an update on our progress.

EDLD 5363 - Week 2 Web Conferences

I attended two web conferences this week. The first web conference was on Tuesday, November 22 at 6:00 p.m. Dr. Abernathy answered our questions over the assignment due on Sunday, November 27. After the conference, I felt better about creating my podcast. I had been worried that I needed to add video to it, but Dr. Abernathy said that video was optional. I do know now how to add video and will be using it in future projects. The second web conference that  I attended was on Sunday, November 27 at 8:00 p.m. I did not have any particular question for this web conference. I must wanted to attend for the moral support that they give me. These web conferences have affored me the opportunity to see and hear from my classmates. Sometimes, online classes make me feel isolated and these web conferences are a reminder that I am not alone in my journey. Dr. Abernathy lost connection midway through the conference. I stayed until I lost connection around 8:45.

EDLD 5363 - Week 2

I created my first podcast this week. It was interesting to say the least. Once I figured out how to do everything, it really was not that difficult. I was just nervous. I do not like hearing my own voice. I might have enough confidence now to attempt creating some tutorial video podcasts for school.

I also attempted to learn Adobe Premiere Elements. I only used the trial version since it was free. Premiere Elements cost at least $80 so I am still undecided if I will invest in it. The cost being the only issue here. I use a mac at home and a pc at school so this software package will be great for me since there is a version for both platforms and you can save your files using the extensions for Windows Media (.wmv) or iMovie (.mov).

It has been a pleasure working with Patti Wolf these past two weeks. Now we will join at least two others for the remainder of the class. I am looking forward to creating a PSA over the next three weeks with my cohorts.

My podcast and my review of Adobe Premiere Elements can be found on my website. https://sites.google.com/site/carolsclasssite/home/personal-digital-story/edld-5363---week-2-podcast

EDLD 5363 - Week 1

Since I have access to both a PC and Mac, I decided to use iMovie for this week's project. I created a personal digital story that was inspired by my mother who passed away three years ago from Alzheimer's disease. I have used Photo Story and Movie Maker so the learning curve was not as bad as I imagined it would be. I have uploaded my digital to my website if you would like to view it. https://sites.google.com/site/carolsclasssite/home/personal-digital-story/edld-5363---week-1 This assignment was very rewarding and emotional to complete. The end product will be something that I keep and cherish forever.

Week 1 Web Conference for EDLD 5363 Multimedia and Video Technology

I attended the web conference with Dr. Abernathy on November 13, 2011 at 6:00 pm. The conference was very informative. Students were able to get answers to their questions and even speak with one of the IAs of the course. Dr. Abernathy was able to explain what was required for the assignment and ideas of how to collaborate with our classmates during the assignments. I feel much better after hearing her explain everything to us. This week we are to create a personal digital story using Microsoft’s Photo Story 3 or Apple’s iMovie. Check back later for the link to view my story. Now I am off to write my story.  

EDLD 5301 - Week 5

EDLD 5301 Research was a very informative class for me to take this session. I learned how to conduct a new form of research called action research. 

This week I learned about five quality indicators that will help me assess my action research project as I go. Assessing along the way will allow me to grow as a researcher and a leader. “Everyone has to start somewhere, and if you take the time to assess the quality of your research, you will grow as a researcher with each cycle of the inquiry process” (Dana, 2009, p. 178).

As I conclude this course, I will be beginning my action research journey; the journey to find how the staff members of Orangefield Elementary can use the existing technology to bridge the mathematics achievement gap between the economic groups. Let the journey begin!

Reference

Dana, N. F. (2009). Leading With Passion and Knowledge. Thousand Oaks, California, USA: Corwin.

EDLD 5301 - Week 4

This week I met with Dr. Haynes, my site mentor and principal, to discuss my Action Research plan. A few changes were made based on this meeting and based on comments from some of my classmates. The revised plan is posted below.

I also learned about four strategies for sustaining improvement in the schools. I have used a couple of these strategies before. They just called by a different name. Force Field Analysis is very similar to listing the pros and cons of a situation. The Nominal Group Technique is similar to the brainstorming technique that I was taught years earlier. The Delphi method is very intriguing especially if your group is having problems finding the time to meet or if distance is a problem. All communication is done electronically. The CARE model was the most challenging of them all. I can see where this model could incorporate the other strategies as well. These other strategies could be used to identify the four components of the method.

Week 4 is now history and on to Week 5. Starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel! J

Updated Action Research Plan

SCHOOL VISION: The vision of Orangefield Elementary School is to motivate and enable all students to accomplish their highest educational goals while building self-efficacy.

GOAL:  The goal of this action research is to use existing technology to bridge the achievement gap in mathematics between the economic groups in the third and fourth grades.

OUTCOMES	ACTIVITES	RESOURCES/ RESEARCH TOOLS NEEDED	RESPONSIBILITY TO ADDRESS ACTIVITIES	TIME LINE	BENCHMARKS/ ASSESSMENT	Revision to SIP/PIP based on monitoring and assessments
Identify the technology that is available at OES	Inventory of technology on campus	Excel Spreadsheet	Carol Evans & Jennifer Pickard	October 2011 To December 2011	Completed Inventory List
Determine the number of economic disadvantage students are enrolled in OES	Gather information from front office	PEIM information	Carol Evans	November 1, 2011	Have a number or percentage	Changed TAKS to PEIMS and Change time line from 09/11 – 10/11 to 11/1/11
Identify what the type of access students have to technology after school hours	Survey Parents and Students	SurveyMonkey.com, Excel Spreadsheet	Carol Evans  & Improvement Committee	January 2012 To March 2012	Completed Excel Spreadsheet	Identified survey tool to use
Collect test data from previous years	Analyze TAP and TAKS data	TAP and TAKS data for 2009, 2010, and 2011, and Excel Spreadsheet	Carol Evans & Improvement Committee	September 2011 To November 2011	Completed Excel Spreadsheet	Replaced TPRI with TAP
Identify Technologies used by neighboring district in the area of math	Interview teacher from BCIS	Audacity software, note taking skills	Carol Evans	October 2011	Completed Interview	Changed “resources” to “technology” Modified time line from 4/12 -5/12 to 10/11
Identify the technology that math teachers are using in their classroom	Survey math teachers	SurveyMonkey.com, Excel Spreadsheet	Carol Evans & Improvement Committee	April 2012 To May 2012	Completed Excel Spreadsheet	Identified survey tool to use
Identify students that have a sense of belonging to OE community	Survey all students	SurveyMonkey.com, Excel Spreadsheet	Carol Evans & Improvement Committee	January 2012 To March 2012	Completed Excel Spreadsheet	Identified survey tool to use
Collect data from new STAAR test	Analyze STAAR data	STAAR data for 2012 and Excel Spreadsheet	Carol Evans & Improvement Committee	May 2012 To July 2012	Completed Excel Spreadsheet
Recommendations for change	Cumulate and analyze data	All data previously collected	Carol Evans & Improvement Committee	July 2012 To September 2012	Completed project	New Addition