Multimedia+&+Video+Technology+Course+Reflection

Multimedia and Video Technology was one of the classes that I saw on my course outline that really caught my eye as it is something that I presently teach at the school where I work. One of my goals coming into this class was to see or rather glean more information that I could use in the classes that I teach. Well this class didn't disappoint as I experienced how to plan a group project effectively and efficiently. The group partners that I was able to work with were excellent and everyone completed the task that was delegated to them to the best of their ability. Now working on a group project over a long distance with persons whom I have never seen face to face was a brand new experience for me. But with the use of IMs and emails we were able to collaborate on a regular basis. The public service announcement that we came up with was one that we felt was really needed for the environment that we all worked in. Our aim was to highlight the importance of parents providing that quality time for their children before any sort of crisis arose. One of the issues that I face as an educator is how to make instruction fun but at the same time providing the learning factor that is needed. Ken Ellis points out in a reading that we had during the first week of this class that the generation that we are now facing is constantly around electronic media which is consistently providing them with some form of animation. So to have them sit and write or to stare at a dry erase board is putting them at a disadvantage. If there is one thing that I took away from this class is that having students engaged in a multimedia project serves to help them learn, be creative, be engaged and express themselves in ways that they couldn't ordinarily. An interview that Martin Scorsese gave spoke of how films captured his attention in ways books could not and what he learned from films had more of an impact than books. Applying what I learned in this class to my teaching and looking on some of the assignments that I've given in class it was interesting to see how true the words of Ken Ellis were. The students seemed to put all their energies into projects that incorporated more than just the use of PowerPoint or photos. When allowed to uses other multimedia tools not only did they stick to the basics but they seemed more willing to try to find out information about things that they wanted to try but didn't have the knowledge about. After completing this class there is now way I can revert back to the way I was. The knowledge and skills that I have acquired has helped me to be not only better but more aware of the options available to me.

Cruickshank, D. (2006). Martin Scorsese: Teaching Visual Literacy. Retrieved on August 23, 2010 from http://www.edutopia.org/martin-scorsese-teaching-visual-literacy

Ellis, K. (2005). Students Evolve from Consumers to Critics and Creators. Retrieved on August 23,2010 from http://www.edutopia.org/print/1321

Edutopia Staff. (2002). Multimedia Serves Youths' Desire to Express Themselves. Retrieved on August 23,2010 from http://www.edutopia.org/print/980