Final Video Submission and Skype Experience

Who knew that Skyping could be as much fun and informative as it was during my first experience.  I was a little apprehensive at first, but once Joseph arrived and we began talking, it was as if we were old friends.  Margaret, Joseph, and I spend roughly 40 minutes discussing our video, the class overall, and solving all of the world's problems.  At the end of the discussion I had a better idea of who Joseph was and that his interest in instructional technology stems from the corporate aspect, whereas, Margaret and I are looking at instructional technology from a K-12 education perspective.

Using the advice I gained from my conversation with Joseph and using the initial rubric from Dr. Timothy Powell, I made a few changes to my first video.  I was able to find a short clip that discussed the definition of critical thinking and researched how to embed that clip into my video.  I am attaching the link to the entire video as I only used the section that I needed.  I will admit that I am still very new to video making.  For the knowledge that I entered this project with, I am very pleased with the finished product and hope that this stems more creative projects in the future, especially for my students in 8th grade Georgia History. Links and Resources Critical Thinking by Gary Meegan, http://youtu.be/ZLyUHbexz04

Video Posting (Module 6)

Please enjoy the following video presentation.  This is the first video project that I have designed and developed.  In terms of the topic, I chose to introduce a key note speaker covering critical thinking in the distance education setting.

Static-Dynamic Continuum (Module 5)

As technology has progressed, so have the ways that instructors can design online curriculum.  Last week I provided examples of ways that instructors can use content, collaboration, and communication to design effective and engaging online experiences.  The graphic organizer takes that information a step further and divides activities into static and dynamic.  Static opportunities create a "one-way" approach to gaining information, while dynamic opportunities create a "highway" of information between multiple sources and people. Moeller (2008) suggests that a higher level of creativity and understanding is needed to use dynamic technologies as opposed to static technologies.  This may also suggest that higher order thinking skills would be needed as well.

As for my location on this continuum, I would say that I am somewhere in the middle, but a little closer to the static end.  As I have progressed through one graduate level course in an online setting and now navigating through my second, I tend to use more static technologies.  Up to this point, most of my assignments and learning opportunities have only required me to use static technologies.  I have an in-depth knowledge of all of the technologies listed on the graphic organizer, but have only needed just a few.  By the time I finish this graduate program I would like to have used all of the activities mentioned above in some way as a means to complete an assignment or activity.

I must also admit that both types of technology is needed to create the optimal learning opportunities.  Earlier in the course we discussed the use of hybrid classroom that employ both traditional methods and distance education methods.  This is also case where mixing the two forms of technology can create the optimal learning environment where assignments are differentiated and require multiple skill sets to accomplish.

Resources
Anderson, T. (Ed.). (2008). The theory and practice of online learning (2nd ed.). Edmonton, AB: Athabasca University Press.

Moller, L. (2008). Static and dynamic technological tools. [Unpublished Paper].