Week 1-Comment on Amanda's blog

Amanda's original post on http://experiencinglearning.blogspot.com/

Watching the Wimba archive, I immediately noticed the sound was muffled and a little hard to hear.

Screenshot of Wk 1 Wimba with Professor Bustillos.

Even with my headset I was still unable to clearly hear Professor Bustillos. I was actually surprised by this especially because of the mic that was used during Wimba, which looked like a professional radio station mic. Aside from the sound, Wimba did clear up what month 11 is going to look like and was given a run down about what is expected from us within the course.

This course is a little different in the way it is set up and gives us a chance to kind of fine tune our CBR website by adding some of those finishing touches.  Also we were made aware that if we are unable to complete items or projects on time we will not be able to move on to month 12, which is completely understandable. So deadlines must be paid some considerable attention to so that we do not end up in this category.

Another point made in Wimba is how Spring break will be incorporated into the course. From my understanding Week 2 course material will not be due until the 15^th of April besides the week 2 discussion posts we should get in by the 6^th.  What I like about Spring break showing up in the middle of this course is that it will allot this time so that we can get some things caught up and finish up corrections for CBR submission as well as the Leadership project and abstract that will be due shortly after that. So it is actually coming at a perfect time.

Screenshot of Wk 1 Wimba,  providing CBR guidelines.

In addition to the previous activities mentioned we also need to make corrections given to us by Dr. Bedard so that are CBR website is ready for final submission. These corrections must be done prior to April 16^th or else it will affect our standing with moving forward to month 12.

Week one Wimba was pretty informative and covered a lot of questions about some of the fundamental dates and activities we will be encountering throughout the month.

Amanda,
I had a similar take-away from the Wimba archive.  I had a hard time hearing too, but I was at school and didn't have my headphones, so I thought maybe it was just me.  I haven't found the speakers on our Macs to be all that loud.  I was thinking for a fancy-pants microphone, it wasn't all that loud.  Maybe that's an adjustment that could be made for next time?  It's really exciting to kind of be wrapping things up this month, but I must admit I'm feeling pressure and anxiety.  I've never had a problem with deadlines, but just the idea that there really is no room for extensions adds some extra pressure, which is probably a good thing.  I don't know about you, but I'm ready for some spring break! :)

Copyright Free Images

http://www.copyright-free-images.com/

This site has royalty-free, public domain images for personal or professional use.  There are many photos organized by category and sub-category.  The site does say that it would be appreciated to please consider linking back and giving credit, although it does not say it's required.

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

This site has many, many photos and images free for use in almost any setting.  In the Terms section of the site, it does say that if you're using free images you need to publish the name of the creator adjacent to where the photo is used.  This is not required for purchased images.  This site seems to only allow downloads for Windows users.  Sad news for us Mac folks.

http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/

This site has free, public domain photos for both commercial and personal use.  The site does caution that if you are using images for commercial use, some require a model or property release.  This is the first site I've seen in my search that has the option to upload your own photos.

Week 1 Wimba

This week, the 2nd-5th graders at my school are testing, so the schedule is very different.  I'm left with a lot more free time in my day than usual.  I was supposed to test one-on-one with a student, but he was absent, so I spent this morning watching last night's Wimba. 

The week 1 Wimba session is always interesting.  By the time we have Wimba, I've usually had a chance to go through the introductory course materials in FSO, so I'm a little familiar with how the course is laid out.  I usually have mixed feelings about that first week.  It's always nice to get clarification about things, but it's very typical to leave with the exploded head feeling.

I'm left with a few questions.  Whoa!  Is this for real?  Having our leadership project published in a journal is a big deal, but a bit more passive than a conference.  It seems like you just submit your stuff, and maybe it gets published.  If we submit our project to a conference and it gets accepted, are we actually required to go to the conference and present our project?  How do we go about narrowing down and deciding where we want to submit?

My project definitely falls into the "less successful than I was hoping for" category.  My initial thoughts are to further develop what we did last month in Dr. Reo's class and look into going the "What would my Phase 3 look like?" route.

Even as we're approaching the end, I think it's important to remember like we discussed in a Wimba way back when is that the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.

Week 1 Reading Entry

One video mentioned that copyright isn’t about use, but about permission, which I think is really important to remember.  It doesn’t so much matter how you used something or what your intentions were, but do you have permission to use it? 

I found the Disney clips video, A Fair(y) Use Tale, very interesting.  In talking about fair use, a video mentioned using just a small part, which this video obviously complies with.  This really makes me think about teachers.  I know many teachers show clips and videos all the time.  It makes me wonder: is what a lot of us do on a regular basis actually illegal?

I think there are 2 sides to look at copyright, well maybe 3.  Some people just want movies and music for free.  Some people have fairly good intentions and want to use copyrighted items, maybe for educational purposes and want to see what they can get away with, and hope they don’t get caught.  Another side of that are documentary filmmakers who want to prove a point or preserve history.  To me, this seems like more of an unselfish point of view.

I really like the idea of creative commons.  It’s a way for artists to put their work on the Internet for people to use under the conditions they set.  I thought the video was very nice.  It was nice to see an explanation of creative commons.  We’ve used Flickr Creative Commons in previous classes in this program, but I was never completely clear what it was, exactly.

Youtube video: A Fair(y) Use Tale by Eric Faden/Media Education Foundation, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJn_jC4FNDo

Youtube video: Eyes on the Fair Use of The Prize directed and produced by Jacob Caggiano, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0r0pM1hJGU8

Blip.TV video: A Shared Culture produced by CreativeCommons.org, retrieved from http://blip.tv/file/1192356/

Week 1 Leadership post: Role model

Photo Credit

I think there are a lot of different qualities that make a good leader.  I think they have to have good morals and values, as well as be a responsible individual.  A leader must make tough decisions.  They have to do what’s best for the group, which might not always be a popular decision with everyone.  I believe a leader must lead by example, which earns respect.

In my opinion, the worship minister at the church we used to go to in Ohio is a great leader and someone that I look up to.  He has a strong character, with good, firm morals and values.  He is strong in what he believes, and makes me want to be the best person I can be.  He and his wife are great parents and have an amazing family. 

Another great leader is my current principal.  I haven’t been at this school very long, but I have found him to be enthusiastic and pleasant when interacting with people.  It is very important to him to make sure the students have good manners, as he teaches the students to say, “it’s my pleasure” instead of just “you’re welcome”.  He is very kind, encourages camaraderie amongst the staff, and even provides refreshments at staff meetings.