EDLD+5363&+5365+Embedded+Assignments+and+Reflection


 * EDLD 5363 Multimedia Video Technology**

EDLD 5363 was not only a very fun class to participate in, but a very informative class as it incorporated many different themes and covered several different ISTE standards. The course was centered around a final group project where we created a one minute psa that we posted on TeacherTube and YouTube. Before this though each student created their own one minute video of their choosing created by taking video clips from the internet and editing them. This was my first experience using Windows Movie Maker as well as converter software, while this assignment was not without challenges, it taught me alot about video editing, copyrights, and creativity. The work that I did creating both my own psa video and the group psa video covered TF/TL- I.A&B (Williamson and Reddish p.25).

The challenges that I faced while making the video were in the end learning experiences that could end up helping me in the future. I had the chance to learn about many different software packages and features that I may use in the future or that I may help someone else use. Software like Adobe, Pinnacle, or Roxio (Desktop-Video-Guide.com) are just some of the current video editing packages available now. I also learned to let creativity to come naturally, it can't be forced, I try to handle all of the technical aspects (conversion, editing, sound, copyrights, etc) first and worry about creativity later, once the pressure is off.

The final assessment for EDLD 5363, the group psa brought together many of the different ISTE standards and skills that are necessary to be successful as a technology leader. In order to complete the group psa, we had to incorporate effective long distance communication, deal with ethical issues regarding technology use, obeying all copyright laws, and using technology to create a professional and creative product.

The reason that we were so successful with our psa was because our group had such clear and effective communication, we used our team wiki site to brain storm ideas and share resources (links, quotes, etc.), we used Google Chat so we could come together from across Texas to make group decisions, and we emailed each other regularly with progress updates and encouragement. Everyone within in the group found a role that fit them and their personality, and filled that role well. It is this kind of communication and teamwork that I would like to see more often on my own campus.

As a group we decided to address cyberbullying in our psa, our psa focused on providing parent with warning signs and resources. Our work on the psa covered standards TF/TL- VI.A.I and TF/TL-VI.D.I (Williamson and Reddish, p. 136,137). Our group communication gave us practice using standards TF/TL-V.C and TF/TL-V.D (Williamson and Reddish p.112,113).

Web Policy Document-@http://docs.google.com/View?id=dggtpmb5_25bqzbhhh Web Site Timeline-http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=p8KpUC6PHFCcBKrrzjVcoRA&output=html
 * EDLD 5365 Web Mastering**

EDLD 5365 focused more on administration and team leading than any other course in the program, while there were assignments that focused on web page production, the main focus of the course was team leading. It could be said that this course was truly an administrative, budgeting, leadership course that simply used web management as a backdrop.

I recall a lot of nervous questioning on the discussion board during the first weeks of the course as many people believed that they were going to be creating their own web pages or dealing directly with one of the many companies that create and manage websites. I know that I shared a lot of these same fears as the course started because I know that I don't currently have the skills to build a webpage. The skills needed to build the type of webpage that a school district would require are probably still very specialized.

Throughout the course we were guided through how to lead an administrative team in developing a district web policy, implementing the new web policy, creating a new district website (content and creation procedures), and maintaining the district website. Each week addressed another part of the process, whether it was creating timelines or writing out plans, procedures, and policies. These activities helped me to master TF/TL-VII.A.1 and VII.A.3 (Williamson and Reddish p.165)

Although I did get to do some work with web creation through my work with NewSchoolSpaces.Net and from the book by Shirley Kaiser, that was not where I learned the most from this course. What I took away from this course was how exacting and specific you have to be in writing your plans, timelines, policies, etc. everything must be stated clearly, just because something should seem like common sense, doesn't mean it doesn't have to be stated explicitly. This is something that doesn't just apply to web policy planning, in any leadership role your communication has to be crysal clear at all times to avoid confusion, loopholes, etc.

The work that I did with the web policy didn't just focus on the technology aspect or the team leading aspect, budgetary concerns were also addressed. It goes without saying that the money involved with running a school district is a sum that I can not easily comprehend and the technology budget is a large part of that figure. What the discussions about the budget centered around were that the creation of the website was not the only expense, upkeep must be budgeted for as well. It was also noted that creating and maintaining the site were only one part of the technology budget, if the website creation and maintenance go over budget, the rest of the technology budget will suffer.

Standard VII- Policies, Planning, and Budgeting was the standard at the core of EDLD 5365 Web Mastering. In EDLD 5365 I was charged with the task of creating timelines, plans, and policies for the creation, implementation, and maintenance of a new district website that was both reliable and interactive for parents. The first step was to creative a new district web policy that accounted for new Web 2.0 tools, the second step was to create a web development team of teachers and school personnel to assist me in creating the new website. Once the team was assembled and the new policy written, the third step was to create the timelines for what was to be accomplished and by who. Although this activity was all done theoretically, the lessons learned from it were real. First was the amount of time and energy that go into just one aspect of maintaining the district’s technology plan. Even though the requirement for the number of team members for this assignment was small, managing a group of people is always difficult, this is the second thing that I took away from this assignment. As the team leader I had to decide which team member would take on certain responsibilities, this is one of the aspects that I feel most translates to the real world and shows how hard being a leader, administrator, or manager can be. EDLD 5365 did not spend much time directly addressing budget issues, but it quickly became apparent what a big concern the budget is. Not only must the design and creation of the new distict website be budgeted for, but maintenance and upgrades as well, what makes this excepcionally challenging is that you must budget for more than just one year, and any mistakes can have very long term effects. Any mistakes made not only effect the website budget, but the rest of the district’s technology budget.   TF/TL Standard VIII Leadership and Vision has been addressed either directly or indirectly in every course thus far in the program. I will focus this reflection on three main courses where the role of an effective technology leader is clear.  My first experience with Standard VIII came in EDLD 5333 when I used the PEIMS data to identify the needs of my campus and then prepared a technology based staff development and plan of action to address the needs of the students, (TL-VIII.D.2, Williamson and Reddish, p.190). As a part of the assignments for the class, in my role as the leader/facilitator, I was charged with not only deciding what must be done, but who must do it. This is one of the biggest challenges of leadership, putting the right people in the right place where they can be successful and aid the students the most.  In EDLD 5335 Curriculum Management, the Curriculum Audit was introduced, a curriculum audit is a way for school districts to have an independent third party evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the district. The audit is not limited to curriculum despite the name, it can cover finances, transportation, technology, etc. The use of a curriculum audit by a technology leader server many purposes, it can help track down items that are unaccounted for, financial (budget) errors, and identify deficiencies in the district technology plan. Specifically an audit can help the district technology leaders determine which programs are being under or over utilized, as well as any that should be eliminated. This is beneficial because it not only can free up more funds to purchase more beneficial programs, but it eases the strain on computers and networks by eliminating the unnecessary programs (TF/TL- VIII.C.1 &TF/TL-VIII.D.2, Williamson and Reddish, p.190)  EDLD 5344 School Law may not sound like a course on leadership, but one aspect of effective leadership is keeping your camus/district in compliance with local, state, and federal laws. Week 5 of EDLD 5344 focuses specifically on leadership, namely in regards to an equitable education for all students. While issues such as the digital divide have been discussed frequently throughout the course, issues such as assistive technology have not received as much attention.  In this age of heightened accountability, the special education population can not be ignored, the advances in technology are going to be key to giving these students the education they deserve. This is one thing that I have been happy to see on my campus, the special education staff has done a very good job of using assistive technology with their students. If possible I would like to spend more time with these teachers so that I can learn more about these programs and how they work
 * Standard VII Reflection- **
 * Standard VIII Reflection- **