Weekly Report and Reflection Post #10

     I can only sum up this portion of my digital adventure to three words..."WHAT A BLAST!”  I had such a great time browsing around this online presentation tool called Animoto and making my promotional slide show video on Copyrights.  Again, I spent probably too much time on it, but its just one of those systems like Wordle that you simply want to explore.  This remixing presentation system is relatively straight foreword and I really didn't have any difficulties other than trying to figure out where to put my citations for the images I used.  Eventually after digging around on the Internet I realized that I could in fact make a PowerPoint slide of them and download it as a JPEG file so it would be compatible with the downloading system on Animoto.  I actually was not bothered by this challenge… because it is in fact part of my learning process in this digital adventure!  Finally with a push of a couple of buttons my video on Copyrights was produced!  The more we explore, I am finding it easier and easier to grasp the concepts of new digital tools.  Additionally, the more we discover, the more I am realizing how beneficial all these tools could be in my future.  However, what I have also learned in detail in this session is that it is my digital responsibility of a digital citizen to be aware and follow the copyright laws of the digital world.

    Now the question arises, where could I add this to my PLE Chart and will I...? I will certainly add this presentation tool to my PLE.  I believe I will add it to the communication and education subtitle.  However, it could also be used as a collaboration tool, because a group of people could collaboratively put all their knowledge of a topic on one slide show as well.  Additionally, it is a great communication tool because it gives us an opportunity to communicate to others on any subject of interest we desire too!   Whether it may be on our favourite music, clothes, a great trip you went on…the list could go on and on. 

    

    Truthfully, I am so glad I enrolled in the course; the things I have learned are indeed priceless.  These digital tools are not just for my current education; they will be for a lifetime of learning whether in my education, career, or social life endeavours.  I am also learning that even though a digital tool may not seem so appealing to me at first, I still need to press on and give it a good effort before saying "no" to it.  I was reading one of our classmate’s blog and Salha said that she really likes Prezi (Aziz, 2015).  So when I have a little more time after exams are done I am still going to look at this system again and make sure I’m not missing out on anything!

Reschke, A. © (2015)

     Lastly, I would like to share an article with you all from my RSS Feed.  It was posted on The Digital Trends website I have subscribed too and is called Digital Songwriting organizations take to the Senate for better pay from streaming.  I felt that this article fit right in with what we have been researching this whole week on copyrights!   Hope you enjoy the read.

Take care everyone,

Alex

Aziz, S. (2015, March 25). Weekly Report & Reflection Post #10. Retrieved from http://themamadiariesbysalha.blogspot.ca

Palermo, C. (2015, March 27). Digital Songwriting organizations take to the Senate for better pay from streaming. Online [Digital Trends] from Retrieved from http://www.digitaltrends.com/music/songwriters-streaming-services-court-battle/

                            

  

Weekly Report and Reflection Post #9

I have learned so much through this online digital course.  Some of the information I have acquired will be a vital part of my future career.  I am always thinking and practicing ways I can become a better digital citizen.  I have recently have had the pleasure of teaching others about the new tools and benefits that are available to us as students.  I will share a quick story of one example where sharing responsibly helped my fellow classmates and I complete a presentation efficiently and on time!  Sometimes I find it really hard to partake in face-to-face meetings for group projects.  Many of us have different work and class schedules, which adds to the mix and problem of finding agreeable times to meet.  Last week we had the experience of only working through an online platform using the tools Google Docs and TodaysMeet.  I often find myself becoming stressed if other members are not as proactive in getting the assignment done or leaving it to the last minute.  So I decided to share the Google Docs system with two other classmates of mine.  Neither one had used this system before, however were willing to give this collaboration tool a try.  The results were incredible!   Not only did this assignment get completed on time, the students learned a great time saving system and recognized the benefits almost immediately.  One of them stated, “Now we don’t even have to get together again…we can just chat online and prepare everything”.  It really made me realize that not only am I learning, educating, and benefiting personally from the free tools in our digital world; I am actively educating and teaching others as well!  

Now lets talk a little more about VoiceThread and PollDaddy!  As I mentioned in my blog on VoiceThread I really enjoyed using this digital tool.  It was neat hearing my voice over a recorded video; I find we sound so different than we think we do.   Initially I thought I would not really have a use for VoiceThread in my education.  However, I have been thinking more about this digital tool and starting to wonder if I answered that question to quickly the other day.  This digital platform is kind of like a seminar room, where we discuss the weekly readings and talk about what we have learned.  I decided to research this collaboration tool just a bit more and found this interesting article on VoiceThread titled Engaging Learners with VoiceThread (Wilson, 2012). Brad Wilson is a teacher and talks about how hard it was to get his students engaged in the schoolwork (Wilson, 2012).  The article actually opened my eyes up to the numerous ways this system could be utilized.  It is a great read if you have the time, especially for those you who are becoming teachers! 

The second tool we explored this week was PollDaddy.  I definitely will be adding this tool to my PLE!  I think this surveying instrument can be used for many different purposes such as finding out what your students favourite subject is, what are your staff members most challenging moments at work, or even what stresses them the most... the options on surveys are endless!  This system can be used between a teacher and students, an employer with employees, or even students with other students.  I have always liked online surveys because I find them much less intimidating compared to surveys in written form.  I believe people are more honest with an online survey platform because it removes the face-to-face aspect.  I will insert this tool into the research section of my PLE chart because that is what I would do with PollDaddy... research about peoples opinions, thoughts, or even knowledge!

WPBeginner ©(2012)

Lastly, I would like to share an interesting article that was fed into my Feedly Reader.  This article is from the website Fortune and is about digital security.  It is titled Most companies believe they'll be hacked in 2015, poll shows.  I thought it would be appropriate because we are talking about surveys this week!  

Until next week,

Alex  

 Hackett, R. (2015, March 20). Most companies believe they’ll be hacked in 2015, poll shows. Retrieved March 22, 2015, from http://fortune.com/2015/03/20/corporate-hacking/
Wilson, B. (2012, June 28). Brad Wilson - Engaging Learners with VoiceThread. Retrieved March 22, 2015, from http://www.scribd.com/doc/98580896/Brad-Wilson-Engaging-Learners-with-VoiceThread

WPBeginner (2012, December 1). Polldaddy. [Online Image]. Retrieved March 22, 2015, from http://cdn4.wpbeginner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/polldaddy.png