Picnik Review

Picnik is an online photo editing site.  It comes in two accounts, Free and Premium.

Free

·         No cost, more features if you create a account

·         Upload 1 photo at a time (no account)

·         Upload 5 photos (registered user)

Premium

·         Costs

o   1 Month

§  $4.95

o   6 Months

§  $19.95

o   1 Year

§  $24.95

Interface is easy to use.  Tabs act as menu bar with more controls under each tab.

Pros and Cons

o   Limited effects (more with Premium)

o   Standard photo editing functions similar to Microsoft Paint

o   Crop

o   Rotate

o   Encludes some cool features like:

o   Auto-fix

o   Red-eye

o   Blemish-fix

o   Unlimited redos and undos

o   Keeps photos stored online

Picnik will take you some time to learn as its interface is not like Photoshop.  I would not considerate a Photoshop replacement as there are other programs that are similar for free (Paint.net is my favorite, GIMP is also similar).  It does however offer some cool photo editing features for free and some general effects that will keep students interested.

Google Docs Review

Google Docs in a cloud computing service similar to Microsoft Office.  Below are the positives and negatives that I found with this service.

Positives

·         Similar interface like Office so users of office should have no trouble using it.

·         Free for education

·         Access from any computer with an online connection

·         Easily to collaborate on documents with others

·         Good for simple documents

Negatives

·         Not good of professional looking documents.

·         Users of Office my find the lack of features frustrating

·         Importing and exporting is not perfect between Office

·         Security issues if others can get into your account

D/B 13

What from chapter 31 made you say (or think) "that's so neat!" Why?

The application of Artificial Intelligence.

To have a program or system that can learn about a user and plan out specific learning tailored to that learner is just amazing. To have every student learning how they like to learn in a classroom is very challenging for a teacher, however, using AI in an instructional system can design curriculum specifically to all the learners and teaches it to them in a way they learn best.

What was your favorite activity of the semester and why?

I really liked the mapping and website activities.

The mapping activity was especially neat because it was something new for me to learn. I also can see the benefits to using this with Google Earth.

The website activity helped me to develop a better WebQuest activity. I like the idea of having my students create a website instead of a PowerPoint. For one creating a website is something that may be new to a lot of students. It is a skill that they can use in the future. The amount of information that I wanted is best represented in a website.

D/B 12

For your reading reflection, describe two tangible take-away that you think you could apply in your work. In other words, what are two ways you believe you can apply ideas in this chapter to improve your teaching/instructional design work?

                         

With relation to the section of the chapter that deals with visuals I have learned a little more.  Visuals along with text have a greater impact on learning verses learning with just text (Riser & Dempsey, 2002).  In a lot of my classes I use pictures and images to support what we are learning.  I noticed that when I talk about a Gambrel style roof, it helps to have a visual aid that represents that style of roof.  What I didn’t know is that this can also take away from learning.  By showing irrelevant visuals (too complex, do not support text) learning can actually be depressed (Riser & Dempsey, 2002).  I am going to be more careful in the visuals I pick to support the text and learning.

I was surprised to find that drawings that show movement are just as effective as video (Riser & Dempsey, 2002).  I know now that if I cannot find a video to demonstrate or show something that I can create drawings that show the movement in a series of drawings can convey the same meaning.  I also learned that it is not the surface features of a visual that determines its effectiveness, rather the functional features that determines its effectiveness.  This really does seem true to me because there are several times I have used the internet to find some how to information.  I found videos as well as pictures with text effective in communicating what was to be learned.

Google Sites

My site is a take on a WebQuest that I do in my Engineering I class.  I have students pick a college or university and then pick an undergraduate major related to engineering.  Students then are grouped together and create a PowerPoint presentation for a group of high school seniors to persuade them to come to their school. You can find information on the WebQuest HERE.  However, I thought of having students create websites instead.  I would still included a presentation aspect and have them present the material to the class using their website, but have students also pick which website they thought was the best. 

I created a very simplified website that I started for a small example.  I did the title page and the the About Mechanical Engineering page.  You can view the site HERE. 

D/B 11

While reading Chapter 27, reflect on what you perceive to be your own areas of strength and what competencies you feel you need to work hardest to develop given your professional goals. State and describe at least three competencies you’d like to develop and why. I do understand that most of you are school teachers, not ID&T professionals, but certainly there is plenty overlap between these different types of roles.
 
I would have to say that their are more then three.  After reading the chapter I feel that a lot of what an Instructional Designer learns is from on the job training.  I think we are learning a lot about ID but really learn how to apply it while doing it and learning from others that have been there.  I think it is great to have competencies so that there is a common understanding of what an Instructional designer does and what they should be able to do.  I do find it however interesting that they can not decided on what an Instructional Designer should be able to do but can not decide on a common name for the field and certification process.  I do like how they divide the field up into different specialties.  It was even interesting to read that some Instructional designers focuses on one specific technology.  I don't know if anyone else feels like me but I was a little overwhelmed at all the competencies and ethics laid out in the chapter.  It did however open my eyes up to what is expected of an Instructional Designer and the different areas that one can specialize in.   

D/B 10

For your reading reflection, since you have now read for the past few weeks about instructional design/technology in three different contexts (business, P -12 & higher ed), identify 2 or 3 significant themes or differences you have noticed across these contexts and describe them. Is there a particular area or way that you believe your current professional working environment could learn from the other contexts described in these chapters?

One theme I noticed in all three was obvious, working on improving and developing education. All work with stockholders involved in the training and education to produce efficient training and educational tools.  However, the way Instructional designers work in each is very different. Instructional designers in business seem to have a more defined structure and focus primarily on improving employees productivity.  P-12 Instructional Designers have a more ambiguous job related to school wide change and the process can take many years to complete.  Out of the three I feel that Instructional Designers in high education have the biggest workload and range for specialization. It was very interesting to read about the process of becoming a full professor and the job duties of each level.  It seems like a very challenging and at times rewarding experience.  It allows individuals to focus more on what interests them and further their learning and share it with others.