Due to a schedule change we are jumping right into CEdO540 and we will be taking 535 in September. 540 is all about Statistics. I have never actually had a formal statistics class before, so much of this subject will be new to me. I have had enough science and other classes though so I think I will be able to keep up fairly well.
I have used statistics many times in my job, including calculating the reliability of computer systems, figuring out the capacity of a system and projecting it into the future so we know when we will have to upgrade, and of course figuring out budgets. However I will need to spend some time learning all of the formal terms around it, such as mean, median, mode, and of course standard deviation. My biggest problem is just keeping all of the "m" words straight. Hopefully I won't confuse them. I think this will be a good course however. As they said in the video, statistics can help describe any part of your job or life. You just need to figure out what you want to measure, and how best to collect that data, whether it is grades, class performance, research, or anything else. This class will help to do those things.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
Week 5 - Putting it all together
This week we had to bring together all of the ideas about storytelling and publishing that we have encountered during the previous 5 weeks. We had several assignments that summarized the learning so far, including creating a multimedia rubric, creating a Pecha Kucha, and evaluating several other multimedia sites.
The rubric was not too difficult, as we had already been given several different ideas on how to compose an effective multimedia presentation. This was really just a chance to collect those ideas and decide how we would measure them in a real class assignment. The biggest challenge was figuring out how to make an assignment that connects to the students personal environment. This has been a theme in several classes. The best technology assignment is no good if it is not applicable to the student's world. The best assignments will allow them to express something that is personally relevant.
The multimedia evaluation was also fairly straight forward, and again the most important part was connecting it to the student's environment.
My biggest struggle this week was the Pecha Kucha. Although I think I have a pretty good idea for a subject, I can not seem to get the results that I really want. I have compared the Pecha Kucha to Haiku before, and I think it applies in this case as well. It is not hard to collect 20 slides, and then to speak about them for 20 seconds. But to have that presentation convey a really meaningful thought you need to work and re-work the presentation. I feel like if I kept revising this for a few weeks it might be closer to what I envisioned. Just like Haiku the simple format takes lots of practice to really find the best meaning.
The rubric was not too difficult, as we had already been given several different ideas on how to compose an effective multimedia presentation. This was really just a chance to collect those ideas and decide how we would measure them in a real class assignment. The biggest challenge was figuring out how to make an assignment that connects to the students personal environment. This has been a theme in several classes. The best technology assignment is no good if it is not applicable to the student's world. The best assignments will allow them to express something that is personally relevant.
The multimedia evaluation was also fairly straight forward, and again the most important part was connecting it to the student's environment.
My biggest struggle this week was the Pecha Kucha. Although I think I have a pretty good idea for a subject, I can not seem to get the results that I really want. I have compared the Pecha Kucha to Haiku before, and I think it applies in this case as well. It is not hard to collect 20 slides, and then to speak about them for 20 seconds. But to have that presentation convey a really meaningful thought you need to work and re-work the presentation. I feel like if I kept revising this for a few weeks it might be closer to what I envisioned. Just like Haiku the simple format takes lots of practice to really find the best meaning.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
CEdO 530 Week 4 - Prezi and the free flow of information
One of the big themes from this class is that PowerPoint has locked us into only one way of delivering information. Endless slides with bullet point after bullet point and more words than the audience could ever absorb. Studies have shown that people retain less when they are told the information and shown the same information at the same time. By just using PowerPoint as a way to download information to your audience, you are actually making it more likely that they will miss your overall point.
The best way to think of a presentation is that you are telling a story. I spoke last week about the need to set your story board and control the timing of the presentation. This week we actually started creating the story boards for our Pecha Kucha assignments. This is an interesting task because of the very limited nature of the Pecha Kucha format. It reminds me of having to write a Haiku when I was back in school. However just like the Haiku once you start investigating the possibilities you can come up with some very creative ideas in the limited space. The storyboard is a necessity because it allows you to refine you ideas and make sure they are building to a point.
Our other assignment this week was to create a Prezi. This assignment had multiple levels of creativity. First of all you had to select you 6 best pictures from the 28 or more that you had taken in the last few days. Then you had to use them to create a presentation that demonstrates what you think makes a good picture. Here too I started with a pile of pictures, and then used Prezi to create the story board, grouping similar images and using them to build to a point. Once I got the hang of the tool, it was actually very easy to do, and I can see that this would be a good tool for students to develop and deliver reports. My Prezi is below:
The best way to think of a presentation is that you are telling a story. I spoke last week about the need to set your story board and control the timing of the presentation. This week we actually started creating the story boards for our Pecha Kucha assignments. This is an interesting task because of the very limited nature of the Pecha Kucha format. It reminds me of having to write a Haiku when I was back in school. However just like the Haiku once you start investigating the possibilities you can come up with some very creative ideas in the limited space. The storyboard is a necessity because it allows you to refine you ideas and make sure they are building to a point.
Our other assignment this week was to create a Prezi. This assignment had multiple levels of creativity. First of all you had to select you 6 best pictures from the 28 or more that you had taken in the last few days. Then you had to use them to create a presentation that demonstrates what you think makes a good picture. Here too I started with a pile of pictures, and then used Prezi to create the story board, grouping similar images and using them to build to a point. Once I got the hang of the tool, it was actually very easy to do, and I can see that this would be a good tool for students to develop and deliver reports. My Prezi is below:
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