ETEC 524: Reflection #6

The purpose of my podcast was to briefly introduce the Twitter based program, HootSuite. I use HootSuite at work to monitor the University's brand, provide customer service support and monitor student activity on Twitter. Currently, I host workshops throughout the year for staff within the division to get them set up on HootSuite. However, I am leaning towards making podcasts for staff to review if they need a refresher after the workshop. Especially using some of the more advance features the platform offers.

I also get requests for speaking on campus about digital identity and branding through social media and other web 2.0. A series of similar podcasts could benefit the students and provide a reference point for how employers may find them online and how it can impact their future.

I used Quicktime's "record screen" feature. Quicktime also has a feature to directly upload videos to YouTube. I did not do any editing on this specific podcast however I usually do and use iMovie for that. Thanks to the stock software on my Mac it is pretty simple and cheap, FREE! Yes, I plan to create more educational podcasts in the future.

You can view my channel on YouTube or even the channel I advise but is mostly student produced.

ETEC 524: Reflection #5

My initial reaction to the MAPping activity is a couple of things... 1) There are not a lot of "experts" in Victorian era robotics and 2) Wouldn't it be cool if Perdue's mascot was a robot named "Boilerplate"? I wouldn't trust the Victorian Robots page as the only source on the subject. The site is the most popular on the subject and uses references in combination with historical photos, however it is a personal page. Additionally, I was unable to find the owner information and when checked using Google there are a lack of sites who reference the site.

I am pretty confident with the information I've used as sources in the past. Most sources have been from peer-reviewed journals, professional publications and textbooks. If a site like Wikipedia has been used then I look for the originating source and trace it back for credibility. As a journalism major, fact checking was always a priority in undergraduate school. What I found out later is it isn't a skill that grows old in four years.

I would be more concerned about the implications for our new teachers if they are not taught these skills in high school and college. What exactly will our students be learning? The results of not learning credibility and validation processes could compromise our knowledge base and the quality of writing content that is available. As self-publishing become more and more prominent this is a legitimate concern whether the content is found online or bound in a book. Censoring information is not the answer! We must equip students and adults which the ability to be resourceful, deduce logic and perform comprehensive logic.

I love online organization sites! I have found that each one has it's own purpose. Delicious definitely appeals more to the nerdy side of me where I keep a lot of bookmarks and stacks on professional topics, design, typography and tutorials. Google Reader is more of a compilation of hobbies. Topics I want to read but don't necessarily need to refer to again. In short a lot of baking and sports happen in Google Reader. Pinterest is my new LOVE. This appeals to the visual side of me where pictures are very important! This particular service is also dominated by women. It consumes the cooking, crafty and girly side of me.

I would not use Google Reader to organize a large amount of articles or webpages due to the difficulty to do so. Reader is more appropriate as a custom news feed or magazine. Delicious is great for being specific with tags, stacks, etc. Imagine cataloging 600 magazines and being able to break it down by who was on the cover, name of the magazine, genre of the magazine, etc. Pinterest is very visual and lets you create custom virtual "boards" so it is up to the user how specific one's board is. Common boards are "things I'd like to eat/cook", quotes, photos, etc. For example, I have a board of movie posters for movies I want to see.

http://delicious.com/meghannmm
http://pinterest.com/meghannmm

ETEC 524: Reflection #4

In the article, Electronic Portfolios as Digital Stories of Deep Learning, I most closely identified with the fact that assessment for learning should take account of the importance of (and foster) learner motivation. I have been a student my whole life and I can count on one hand when learner motivation might have been considered or was specifically sought to accomplish learning outcomes or objectives. I recall pulling together performance binders in AP courses to use for course evaluations in high school. However, I do not recall any results stemming from the review of the course portfolios. At most 3 or 4 of the assessment for learning (AFL) principles were part of the portfolio process.

Creating an ePortfolio for the Educational Technology program will help develop my learning on various levels. The first level is a basic understanding of accomplishment and the tangible items developed throughout the program. The articles of learning and reflections for each course exemplify AFL principle on developing a self-assessment. As a graduate student I feel this is essential to my growth as a potential Ph.D. student and new professional. On another level the ePortfolio will allow for me to receive constructive feedback on how to improve as I transition into the professional workforce. More importantly, as a learner the ePortfolio is giving me something to walk away with and display to potential employers. The ePortfolio could serve, in whole or part, as a job seeking resume and portfolio in order to obtain a position in the field. Potential employers can view examples of my instructional design, my theory and philosophies in the field and understand the programs effect on me as a student and new professional.

View the beginnings of my ePortfolio here.

ETEC 524: Reflection #3

I created a Wiki to the Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Marketing and Media practicum/internship program. The Wiki is located here: www.meghannmm.pbworks.com


I decided to create this wiki to help facilitate progress, organization and communication. The course is set up to where the students have a lot of autonomy after the initial week of class where the projects and schedule are decided upon. I have created pages outlining my expectations of the student, a place for their schedule, a place for them to log their activity/tasks, resources, a place to post their completed work and a place to discuss their projects with other students in the program. Once I add some more details this will become a VERY practical resource for me and I believe that it will assist the students in staying on track during the semester since we don't see each other every day.


Some advantages of the wiki are that everyone can contribute! There is a centralized location for information to cut down on emails and keep everyone on the same page. Disadvantages could be unsolicited contributors or lack of contribution due to poor integration or lack of direction. I have been apart of wiki communities that never seem to flourish and others that are very active and self-sustaining. I despise the term "digital natives". However, as we enter an era of almost exclusive digital communication. With this in mind, Wikis have the ability to bring people together over a distance. As the idea of collaboration no longer means sitting in the same room, town, state, etc. wikis will serve a greater purpose in teamwork and community. The engagement can come from planning, reporting, discussion and other communications. Since wikis are not only text based but can be used with Voicethread chains or YouTube videos as well.


The eLearning tools wiki has some great tools listed. A few I would like to look into are:


DoInk- an animation tool for novices to create videos
YawnBuster- to host interactive presentations with built in polls, games and group exercises. May be a great work tool.
ClockingIT- a free project management tool!!! So excited to look into this. I always wonder where my day goes. ;)