Skyping and Final Video Submission

I must admit that using Skype to talk with someone I had never met made me nervous.  I had never used the technology before, and the person I was meeting was new to me.  However, I must also admit that it proved to be a great experience.  In fact, it was an experience that I hope to repeat in the future, and one that I hope to replicate in my classroom.

After talking with Joseph and getting feedback from Dr. Powell, I edited my video a little to break up the monotony of me talking the entire video.  I found a video on YouTube in which a young boy talks about his experiences playing online games.  I am including the link below so anyone can watch the entire video.  I chose a short clip that fit into my video, but the original is much longer.  I also chose some images from one of the games I mentioned in the narrative and inserted them into the video.  The video below is the finished product and I hope it is better and stronger than it was originally.

Resources http://youtu.be/kgEoG04IcOc

Module 6, Finished Video Introduction

I hope you enjoy my very first creation using video technology. I will post the references soon.

Module 5, From Static to Dynamic Technologies

When reflecting on my current position along the static-dynamic continuum, it would be safe to say that I fall in the very middle.  To run an effective traditional classroom that is focused on student achievement, teachers need to use resources that challenge students across a wide variety of mediums.  In my classroom I still use traditional textbooks coupled with paper and pencil assignments to assess achievement, but also use the interactive whiteboard and games with simulation to present and assess content knowledge.  Because I teach first grade students, my ability to give them opportunities to communicate and collaborate dynamically is limited.  However, I am able to use peer-to-peer collaboration as a means to work in groups and communicate with other students.

As a student in a distance education course, I also see myself in the middle of the continuum.  Again, to create a strong resource base one needs to have data and information from multiple sources.  Sometimes this means using traditional static resources.  Although static, textbooks and other sources of information will always be around and valuable.  However, I have seen myself progress towards more dynamic in terms of my research and my information production.  This class has definitely challenged me in that regard as it has required me to use technology that I have little experience using.

As I progress in my teaching career, I hope to stay in the middle of the continuum, but I hope to expand my use of dynamic technologies.  I will always believe that both forms of technology are needed in the traditional classroom, as well as the distance education classroom.

Resources

Fahy, P. J. (2010). Characteristics of interactive online learning media. In T. Anderson (Ed.), The theory and practice of online learning (pp. 167-200).Edmonton, AB: AU Press.

Moller, L. (2008). Static and dynamic technological tools.