Summary and Reflection

In many online classes you have to be organized and willing to communicate with your classmates and your instructor; this class was no different. Being an effective communicator not only helped in this class but also is very beneficial in the working world; throughout your entire career you will have to be able to communicate well in a variety of situations. Working in groups for two projects put our communication skills to the test. Not only did we have to correspond with each other we also had to work together as a team to make sure that the assignments were done completely and turned in on time. Working in a group in an online class seems like an unusual request but because of technology we were able to reach out to one another and communicate back and forth on what needed to be done. We mainly used email as our main source of communication but could have used the discussion boards, blogs, live chats or texting. Working with a group can be difficult but because we utilized our time well and communicated clearly there was no confusion and we did well in our assignments. Much like in the “real world” of our careers we will use these skills everyday.
Besides expanding my organizational, communication and team building skills LTEC 3440 has forced me to become more in tune with the social networking sites that so many people and companies use today. Before this class I had never Tweeted or Blogged, two new adventures for me on the web. Using these web applications weekly gave me an insight on how valuable they can be and the many ways they can be used for communicating with friends, family, schoolmates or even employers and clients. Both Blogs and Twitter use the web 2.0 version of the Internet. Web 2.0 is something else that I didn’t know about until this class. Web 2.0 basically has changed the way we use the Internet making it interactive and constantly changing instead of just static information. Web 2.0 lets you control information without having to be a code writer or computer programmer. Other social networking programs such as Facebook and YouTube are available thanks to Web 2.0. Websites like Wikipedia and other information sharing sites allow you to update, change, and post information with just a few clicks. This type of technology changes the way we get information and they way we learn.
LTEC 3440 also introduced me to many new software applications that I had no idea existed. During the course of this class I learned about and used three new applications for presentations, Prezi, Xtranormal, and iMindMap. Say goodbye to PowerPoint! These applications gave me a whole new outlook on presentations. Creating exciting presentations is a good way to relay information without boring your audience. I had a lot of fun making a short movie using Xtranormal. I was amazed by the fact that I could chose a character to look the I wanted it to and then manipulate it’s motions, facial expressions, tempo of speech and angle of the camera all while my character was saying a script that I had written. Once I figured out how to make the application work, which didn’t take long, I made a short movie in a matter of 30 minutes, amazing! One of our other assignments required us to make a mind map, something else that I had not done before. Using the software iMindMap I created a pretty cool mind map full of ideas for a presentation. Using this application proved to be fun, quick and extremely useful. Now I know how to organize my thoughts and make great presentations instead of just scribbling down notes. I didn’t realize how limiting plain, traditional note taking could be; it is a vertical process whereas mind mapping allows your thoughts to flow more freely and randomly. As you are developing “branches” you might remember or want to expand on another thought. Mind Mapping allows to you move around in your notes and ideas. I really enjoyed learning these applications, and I’m glad they were introduced to me.
All of the applications and technology that was introduced to me in LTEC 3440 has made me think of learning and teaching in a new way. Rethinking how we get information across to students or even clients has allowed me to be more creative. Learning that information sharing doesn’t have to be boring black and white text opens the door to so many possibilities. Understanding that not everyone has the same learning style is important. Knowing how to reach all types of learners is even more important. LTEC 3440 has introduced me to new teaching techniques that use current technology. Tools like cell phones can be used for giving pop quizzes, pod cast can be used for students to listen to lectures on their iPods, Blogs can be used to turn in assignments and to share ideas, Twitter can be used for getting class updates. Each one of these tools presents a way of reaching a student or client that reading a textbook or email doesn’t offer. As a ‘designer’ I now have so many more options.
Intro to Instructional Technology (LTEC 3440) has been a rewarding class experience. I am glad that I took LTEC 3440; I know that I will undoubtedly use something from every assignment that we completed.

Group Website Redesign

Group 1 - Here is the website link for the redesign project.

https://classes.lt.unt.edu/Summer_2010/LTEC_3260_020/jjn0016/hrd1100/index.html

Week 9 - Part 2 Group Assignment

This week was pretty similar to last week. There was a lot of confusion last week and this week as to what needed to be turned in. Because of this we pretty much finished most of the assignment last week. Here are the Preliminary Questions along with the flow chart.

PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS QUESTIONS
1. What is causing the frustrations Georgina and her students are facing?
Georgian seems to think that all of her instructions are clear and that the students aren’t “getting” it. However, after reading the emails from her students there seems to be a lot of miscommunication and unclear instructions for the assignments and due dates.

2. Develop a flowchart of Georgina's site as it currently exists. Develop another flowchart with your recommendations of how to solve the current problems.






3. What other improvements would you recommend for the existing pages in order to decrease student frustration?
There needs to be a course syllabus page or link to it on each page that has all of the assignments for the week and an exact due date for each assignment.

4. As design experts, how would you work with Georgina to fix these problems?
I would have a consultation with her to find out what her expectations are for the students and to have her give me detailed information for assignments and due dates to include on the class website. Simply showing her the flow charts above might help her to see the gaps in communication between her, the website, and the students.

5. What options are available for salvaging this course at this point? Which course of action do you recommend?
She will have to spend a lot of time for this but I think it needs to be done; I would have her make a list of the remaining assignments with specific instructions. If there are discussion posts then she needs to make sure that is included in the assignment list. She will need to touch base with each student to make sure that there are no misunderstandings and that they are all aware of what is expected. If they ask questions her replies should be straight forward no answering questions with questions.

Week 8 - Group 1

Wow, this week flew by… our group really worked hard trying to understand what was needed of this week’s assignment and figuring out what we wanted to accomplish for this case study. Emails were flying back and forth; I’m surprised my in box didn’t blow up;)!
One of the challenges that we faced is just trying to communicate via email. We all have super busy schedules and getting a time when we could all be on line was tough but we made it work. I enjoy working with this group and appreciate their determination in making this project come together.

Good job group 1!

Fun with Presentations

I had no idea that there were so many fun and creative ways to create presentations! Who needs PowerPoint anymore!!??!

I chose to use the movie making software found at www.xtranormal.com. It was super easy to use and fun too. I really enjoyed making this animated presentation. Here is a link to preview my movie. http://www.xtranormal.com/makemovies/edit_movie/80c83276-9803-11df-94e8-003048d6740d/thn/

USER NAME: LTEC3440
PASSWORD:123456
Just press play. On the left you can see how I created the movie by inserting different camera angles, animations and emotions. PLEASE DO NOT EDIT OR REMOVE ANY CONTENT.

I am also giving you a link for viewing a PowerPoint presentation of some of my photography. I created an animated gif file and inserted it as a movie file. Please stay on the front page for a few seconds to see the animated effect.

https://classes.lt.unt.edu/Maymester_2010/LTEC_3220_020/jmb0242/jenniferthomas_assign4.ppt

I hope this counts toward credit for an original move…

Podcasts

After listening to two podcasts I found that I would rather read the material instead of listening to it with no visuals. I thought the opposite would be true but as I listened I found myself getting distracted. I didn’t seem to be able to focus on what was being said. I think that because I am a visual learner I need to either see the material on paper on see the person giving the talk.

If podcasts were the only way of getting information for a class exam I would have to really try hard to focus. I would have to take lots of notes and probably listen to it more than once. A good thing about podcast is that you can replay, rewind, or pause a section that you need hear again.

Podcasts open up a while new realm of learning and way of getting information that should be considered for today’s classroom. As an online student I think that podcasts will be more common for distant education programs.

Richard St. John: Secrets of success in 8 words, 3 minutes

I found this video in the side links form Sir Ken Robinson’s video. I clicked on it to see what it was about and loved it. It is short, sweet and to the point. I feel like if you were to apply these principals in the classroom, work or in any situation in life you would be successful. I really enjoyed it and hope you do too!

Three Videos

The three videos in this week’s lesson brought up some really great points about technology and education. All three videos had different topics but they can all be related to each other by asking, how are students being taught and how is technology helping or hurting education.
The first video by Sir Ken Robinson, “Do schools kill creativity?” was brilliant! I loved his funny anecdotes. I agree with him about the school systems stifling the creativity of kids. The education systems do focus on the 3 R’s rather than paying the proper amount of attention to the arts, something I find quite scary; we can’t all be engineers. Mr. Robinson also mentioned how kids who fidget and move are considered distractions and dolled out medication when in fact it may just mean that they need to move! It is extremely important that teachers understand that not everyone can fit into the same learning mold and figuring out how to teach all students is key to having better success in the classroom. I believe there is something to be said about rules and structure, they are what gives us guidance but I think there needs to be a balance that allows for creativity.
The second video, “A Vision of Students Today” was interesting. I think this video is very creative and it points out some really relevant problems that students face – textbooks, standardized testing, boring lectures etc. However, students need to realize that what they get out of the class is based on what they put in. If they are surfing the web or chatting on facebook during the class then how will they know if they are learning things that will relate to everyday situations; they aren’t listening! I get really frustrated with people who are unsatisfied with their situations but don’t look at their actions. Yes, technology can be a great way to enhance education. Technology can make things more interesting, faster, and easier but it shouldn’t get in the way of learning. One of the biggest problems that I see with technology is that it creates a false expectation of immediate gratification and customization in real life. Not every job you have will cater to your wants, not every government form or health care form you have to fill out will be sent to you via a chat room with pop ups pointing you in the right direction. People, not just student need to realize that real life isn’t Burger King, you can’t always get it your way, right away!
The third video, “Web 2.0 … The Machine is Us/ing Us”, was very eye opening. Web 2.0 has changed the way we use the Internet. It has made the Internet a tool that you can interact with not just look at. The idea that the machine, our computers, are learning and using us to teach others about us is a crazy and real concept. I think it is amazing at all the things that are available with just a click but I also think it is incredibly scary. One of the points mentioned in the video is that we need to rethink identity. With all of the linking that Internet can do from site to site, tagging images, publishing profiles, etc. I think people need to be aware of all the information that they are putting out for the world. In a few clicks you can find out a plethora of information on someone – date of birth, high school information, hobbies, addresses, phone numbers, maiden names, information on their parents, the list can go on and on. All of these things can be used for identity theft, fraud, scams and just plan creepy people who get off on looking into others peoples lives. The web is a terrific thing but can be pretty scary if you think about it.
A common theme that I found in all three videos is that everything needs to be balanced and used in moderation. There needs to be a balance of what is being taught in the classroom, art and mathematics should be seen as equals; technology can be a useful tool for making learning less boring and faster but it shouldn’t interfere with the actual learning process, and the Internet with it’s ever changing interface is developing into a powerful tool that is changing the way we communicate and live.

Favorite Video

This is the video that I liked the most ~



I really feel like this guy understands the need for creativity and how in many cases as children we are forced to put aside our dreams to follow the rules of the system.The education systems do focus on the 3 R’s rather than paying the proper amount of attention to the arts. Frankly I stink at math but excel more in the creative field, luckily my mother did too and I wasn’t stopped from doodling on my homework and now have a career in graphic design go figure :)!

Mind Mapping -

I tend to be more of a visual learner and can memorize things once I’ve seen them so I really liked this exercise. I do scribble down notes throughout the day but more of a conglomerate of lists, my version of mind maps, but without the fancy colors and images. They are nothing compared to the images of mind maps on the Internet, next to a few of those mine look a little pathetic. I did spruce mine up a little for this exercise ;). Below are two of favorite examples:



from: indyish.com/how-art-creates-mind-and-reality/



from: techknowtools.wordpress.com/.../mind-map-it-out/

I did a mind map on Photography, one of my hobbies. Below is my pen and ink version. Since this was really my first mind map, I had to do it 4 times! I kept messing up or not leaving enough room for some of my branches.


I had never used mind-mapping software. I chose to try out iMindMap. It is really awesome and super easy to use. It does all the work for you; a few moves with the mouse and enter in your ideas and you are done. It was much easier to do a mind map using this software than on pen and paper. You don’t have to worry about planning what your map will look like because you can quickly change your branches. There are a lot of in-depth features that I didn’t use but if I do another one of these on the future I’ll add pictures and stuff. Below is my digital version:


I can see many benefits to using mind mapping for instructional design. One is that you can make a branch for each type of learning style and then expand off of each one with benefits, disadvantages and ways to implement that style into the class room. Another benefit is that it will help the instructor to come up with creative ways to adjust their lesson plan to fit the needs of the class. Mind mapping is also a great tool for visual learners, teachers can use mind maps for teaching the lesson, and it is more fun than looking at a board with list of information. Creating a mind map while teaching a lesson is a good way to get the class to participate and to learn from one another.

Designing for Learners

Instructional Design is a way of formatting the learning modules to enhance learning possibilities. It focuses on the needs of the learner and helps to maximize the learning process. I think it is extremely important to understand that not everyone learns in the same way. Some students are very visual learners and others get more out of a lecture. Some like working in groups and others do better working alone. I tend to be keener on doing projects alone. I’ve realized this over the years and struggle when group projects are assigned. I tend to want to take charge because I don’t like depending on others. This week’s assignment worked out really well. There was good communication on the discussion board and emails back and forth. There was a little lag in the communication but I was pushing the group to work ahead so that was to be expected a little. Again, my desire to take charge… Overall I think it went pretty smooth.
If instructors are aware of the different learning styles and how students work in each area they will be able to get better results. Learning is a process that is different for everyone and you can’t make someone learn but you can make the process easier.

Tweeting and Blogging

I am extremely new to the blogging and Twitter world. Before this class I didn’t have accounts with either one. I haven’t decided what I think about them just yet. I text a lot on my Blackberry and haven’t figured out why I would tweet instead. I’m a pretty private person and I really don’t want others knowing my thoughts, relationship status or where I’m going on vacation. Following celebrities or other public figures on Twitter - It is almost like spying on people that don’t know you, it’s a little weird to me. I do see the usefulness of the blogs. I enjoy it when friends of mine who have kids update their blogs with new pictures of their families; it helps to feel connected miles apart. Although they both seem to be wildly popular I think for the most part it is a huge time waster - HA maybe I have made up my mind ;)!

Blogging and Tweeting can both be used to accomplish Blooms taxonomy objectives. Both are extremely geared towards the Affective Domain. Listening (or I guess in this case reading) to what others are saying and participating in conversations helps to develop strengths in this area. Both Tweeting and Blogging are also high in the Psychomotor Domain. They require learning technical skills to participate in these forums.

Online Learning Myths

I know that sometimes when I mention that I am an online student to co-workers or peers they are a little snarky. I can see it in their eyes; they are thinking that because it is an online program that it must not be hard or that it isn’t “real” college. I get frustrated having to explain that it is just as challenging and sometimes even harder.
When I started taking online courses four semesters ago I had no idea what to expect. I knew that it would be different from the traditional classroom setting but I didn’t know how. There was a small part of me that thought the classes would be easier but I quickly found out that they weren’t. Online classes require the same amount of work but you have to be so much more disciplined. Since I work full time and I am a full time student there are many days that I just don’t have the energy to come home after working 9 hours and sit down to homework for another 3 (and that is a on a good day – I am taking three classes right now). Online courses are great in that they give you flexibility for those unbearable days but at the same time it is harder because you don’t have a class to report to for accountability. Another thing that is harder is that in an online class you have to create your own structure. Other than due dates there is no set time to do your assignments or to correspond with classmates; you can do it when it is convenient for you.
I love taking classes online; it suites my busy life and I am able to get my degree from the comfort of my home.

Fair Use and Copyright Week 2

WOW, is all I have to say about fair use and copyright. Pretty much if you didn’t write it, photograph it, draw it, sing it, think it or design it then you better make sure to cite it. However, there is a small and limited window of hope that falls under the Fair Use doctrine of the United States Copyright Act (1976) stating that the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include:
1. the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
2. the nature of the copyrighted work;
3. the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
4. the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.
If your usage falls within these guidelines you should be safe. Making sure that you cite your work properly is equally important. There are tons of sources that can help to figure out how, what and when to cite sources. My favorite is http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/

There have been hundreds of lawsuits that have gone to court over these issues. The one that I found to be pretty interesting was the case against Google Books in 2005. In this case The Authors Guild, Pearson PLC's Penguin unit, McGraw-Hill Cos., John Wiley & Sons Inc. and CBS Corp.'s Simon & Schuster filed a $125 million lawsuit against Google for the scanning of 12 million books that they claimed infringed on their copyright (Sterling, 2008). On one hand I completely see the reason why they were upset and started the lawsuit but on the other hand I think it was a bit extreme. Many of these publications had been out of the spotlight for years and most people wouldn’t have ever known they existed had Google not allowed searches within these books. It was a catch 22; because of Google the plaintiffs could have gained notoriety by getting their work out in the public eye again but at the same time the users of the search were not obligated to purchase the book or materials (although given the opportunity) thus taking away revenue from the authors. Google ultimately settled the lawsuit and was able to continue scanning books for public searches.

References

Copyright Act of 1976 § 107, 17 U.S.C.

Sterling, G. (2008). Google Settles Book Search Copyright Lawsuit For $125 Million, Paves Way For Novel Services. Retrieved from http://searchengineland.com/google-settles-copyright-litigation-for-125-million-paves-way-for-novel-services-15282

My typical day online…it is pretty boring! I started at 10 am this morning and started on all my assignments. First I looked through my list of assignments and assessed which ones were going to take the longest to do and which ones were due the soonest. I decided to get the ones that I could do quickly out of the way and save a large chunk of time to work on the more in depth items. I spent most of my day working on the assignments for LTEC 4070. I had to do bit of reading of online articles as well as textbook. Started writing on the 2pg paper for Module 1 in that class. Then I began to answer discussion questions and reply to fellow classmates. Around 2pm I started on my LTEC 3440 assignments and took all 3 of the test/surveys. I blogged about my test findings and reported my strategies in the online forum. I’m still not sure about the whole “tweeting” thing. It is foreign to me, but will finish my day tweeting my HI and LO. I broke for dinner, church and a grocery run around 6pm and I am now blogging about my day. It is time to get ready for bed, as I have to get up at 5am and head to work. I’ll start my online course work again tomorrow around 6pm.

It’s Sunday evening and I’ve been doing homework all weekend! There are always a ton of items to be checked off the to-do list during the first week of class. I am taking three classes right now and I also work full time and I try to be a good wife ;)

I finally finished the 3 test that we had to take to find out our learning and personality styles. For the most part I think they were pretty accurate. I am a Sensing learner, I prefer Watching and Feeling, and I am an ESFJ. Basically I like to learn by knowing the facts, I like problem solving, I am patient and practical, I can memorize things that I see easily, I am a nurturer “mothering”, enthusiastic host of parties and events, wear my heart on my sleeve, I work hard and play with zest! All in all I think I sound great on paper ;)! I’ve taken test like this in the past and always seem to be in agreement with my results; they seem pretty accurate, I find it pretty fascinating how a survey can pinpoint my personality.

Hope everyone has a great week.

Hello!

Hello Fellow LTEC 3440 Classmates!

I'm very excited about this class and learning more about technology. I used to consider myself pretty tech savy considering I've been in the computer graphics industry for over 12 years but I must admit that "tweeting" and "blogging" are both new to me and I feel like a baby learning to walk. ;)

I know it will be a great class - good luck to everyone... happy blogging!