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Reflection
As I near the end of this odyssey called TATC, I have spent many hours traveling back through my files and the class archives in search of "artifacts" to prove I've made the trip. Once again I traversed the paths that wind their way through the Land of Technology. These paths have unique names: Foundation Road, Information Acquisition Highway, Problem Solving Lane, and Communication Street. The interesting thing is, all of them pass through the destinations I visited. To fully explore the towns and cities of Desktop Publishing, Web Mastering, Digital Graphics/Animation, Video Technology, and the metropolis of Multimedia, it is necessary to follow the intricacies of each route. Otherwise, you miss some of the exciting attractions!
There have been times in my journey when I seemed a little lost. On occasion, I followed a few roads that were dead ends. After getting locked in a traffic jam on Frustration Freeway several times, I learned to take the slightly less traveled, but much more enjoyable, roadways which offered glimpses of beautiful scenery. You know the scene I mean--it's the beautiful view of the valley after you follow the narrow winding road up the steep mountainside. Many times I had to rely on my excellent guides, fellow travelers, and the road maps I was provided in order to arrive at my destinations on schedule. The trip was most certainly not a vacation, as I had to work every step of the way! However, I found a few new-fangled tools stashed in my luggage and gathered a few more during my travels. Now that I have read the instruction manuals and received on-site training, I understand how much work can be accomplished through their use.
Now that I am homeward bound, my head is spinning with thoughts of the sites I've seen and the work I've accomplished. My memory seems a little fuzzy on some of the details. I'll need to pull out the artifacts and travel pictures to remember the facts more clearly. After a short vacation, I will be ready to unpack the tools and put them to work again!
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Standards I-V: Foundations
The first five standards were considered prerequisite skills before I could embark on my journey. Through my work experience in TATC, I've gained much more confidence in my ability to use these standards consistently.
Standard I:
My knowledge of technology terms, concepts, and data input strategies grew throughout my travels, and now I feel I can more comfortably make "informed" decisions on current technologies and their applications. My TATC experience gave me a wealth of information to use when making technology decisions. Through assigned discussions I've learned about the different TA courses and their impact on society. I've compared and reviewed software and hardware for various classes, and I've learned more about web security and server issues.
Standard II:
TATC has given me many opportunities to refine my skills for this standard. I've practiced identifying task requirements, applying search strategies, and using current technologies to acquire, analyze, and evaluate an amazing variety of electronic information. Since this program is an online experience, a vast majority of the information I have acquired has been in the electronic format. My Internet searches to acquire information for my assignments have been frequent, and I'm happy to say I've become much more adept at this skill. Another important aspect of Standard II is evaluating electronic information. I've learned more about evaluating the validity of electronic information by cross-referencing and checking for site information such as currency, author's name, and point of view issues.
Standard III:
The third standard involves using task-appropriate tools to create and modify solutions to problems. Through my work and discussions with my TATC peers, my knowledge of the wide variety of task appropriate tools has increased at least ten fold! There is such a wide variety of technology available today, and I've learned that many different tools can be used with equal results to solve problems. It is important to get a good "fit" with the tool, the task, and the level of experience of the user. On the other hand, once you've trained with a new tool, you feel confident in applying it for the next job. Innovations in tools are frequent, so it is important not to stick with the old tools through laziness!
Standard IV:
Communication...there is that street again. The sign reads "Communication Street" and underneath "Two-Way Traffic." This standard reminds me to fully use the different formats available for communication and to consider the diversity of audiences when I teach. Communication is definitely a two-way street, and I have to remember to adjust my methods if I get stuck in a "One Way" pattern. Thankfully, technology provides many ways to address this issue. Lessons can involve multimedia to better reach both visual and auditory learners. I need to revisit this standard often in order to be an effective teacher.
Standard V:
Standard V describes my work. I must prove on a daily basis that I know how to plan, organize, deliver, and evaluate instruction for all students. Furthermore, the instruction has to incorporate technology and integrate the TEKS. My journey through this program gave me specific opportunities to develop lesson units as I traveled through Desktop Publishing and Digital Graphics. I now have these artifacts to use in my classroom home. My work bonus is the fact that I also have the lessons prepared by my classmates!
Standard VII Desktop Publishing:
Desktop Publishing was a destination that I thought would be sort of boring, but my guidebook added excitement. I highly recommend The Non-Designer's Design Book, by Robin Williams, as an excellent resource for work in creating DTP products. Desktop Publishing will never look the same to me again. I have a new eye for the exciting attractions it offers. In Desktop Publishing, I created a business card, newsletter, and complete lesson unit. I did stray from the path a little to visit Frustration Freeway, but my guide (Rachel Newman) directed me to consider a different software tool and I was back on track!
Standard VIII Digital Graphics and Animation:
I arrived at this destination both excited and anxious. I loved the attractions--everything featured color, glitz, and movement. To cut down on anxiety, I used simpler programs that I learned about through class discussions. I was able to animate text to include in my digital graphics lesson. I also explored and used Adobe Photoshop as a photo editing tool. I used Photoshop to create a digital bio and a lesson unit. The Digital Graphics lesson that I created allows students to picture themselves in their dream vehicle. (Through photo editing, of course!) I enjoyed using these tools, and I carried this knowledge on to my other destinations. While my skill with the tools increased dramatically, there is still much room for growth, so I will continue to train! During this course I lost contact with my guides and classmates due to Internet provider problems, and I took a wrong turn onto Frustration Freeway which led to a dead end. I had to wander in the woods for a while until I came to a clearing. Fortunately, Connie and Rachel continued to answer my calls for directions and eventually I found my way out!
Standard IX Multimedia:
When I topped the hill and saw the sprawling metropolis of Multimedia, I had to stop and stare! I'd never seen such a place. Digital Graphics and Animation blended right in with audio, video, and slide shows to create some awesome experiences. Sound and action were everywhere and could be delivered via web authoring to sites all along the information superhighway we commonly call the Internet. I would probably have just wandered about looking, but my guide quickly reminded me of the schedule. This class moved at a fast and furious pace, and I had to run at all times. There was much to learn, and it was overwhelming at times, but with the help of my guides and fellow travelers, I made a lot of progress. I created a Multimedia photo album that was shared through a web page. The web page also included sound and a link to video. Plenty of glitz and glamour in the big city! I struggled at times, but I am bringing back tools that I will be able to use at home. I love the prospects of multimedia for enhancing lessons in any class, and I hope to use what I've learned in the Career Investigations course I will teach next year.
Standard X Video Technology and Extended Elective:
I had already marked this spot on the map with a big X, and I was pretty stressed when I arrived. I felt that this course was the one where I had the least knowledge, and I was right! However, the trip included short stops at every curve along the way; and when I rounded the last curve, I was able to breathe a sigh of relief. I learned lots of terminology that was totally foreign to me--words like pan/tilt, continuity, establishing shots, and white balance. I watched movies and shows with an eye newly trained in looking for examples of the terms, and my perspective has been changed forever. I participated in discussions that furthered my understanding of the terms and concepts. I studied my video camera to find out more about its features, and I practiced filming (a lot!) I learned how to capture the video to my computer via the firewire port, and I practiced video editing using VideoWave. Some of the most important tools I learned to use, though, dealt with the pre-production stages. I learned to create a storyboard and script to guide my filming. I learned to have a Project Management Plan to schedule all the various steps involved in creating a video, and believe me, there are many! I was warned over and over to include at least triple the amount of time that I thought the video would take to create, and I learned this lesson the hard way! I had been warned that video is memory intensive and hard on computers, but I didn't fully realize the ramifications until I crashed my hard drive. (This was my first time ever for crashing, but alas, not my last! The second came at the tail end of the video elective.) I certainly spent time on Frustration Freeway here, but again, my guide and fellow travelers pulled me back from the edge. Thanks again to everyone! Thanks to my buddy and mentor for the moral support! I am very proud of the projects I accomplished in this class, even though I see a lot of room for growth. I have the basic knowledge to use the technology, but my skill level still needs work. My observation experience came near the end of the video elective, and I was able to observe a video technology classroom at our high school. It was an awesome experience and showed me just how the things I was learning came into play in the classroom. I was blown away by the creativity shown in the student videos. It inspired me to work harder on mine!
Standard XI Web Authoring/Web Mastering:
The name varies, but the skills are the same. Web Authoring was a complex stop in my journey and came fairly early. I had never attempted to create any type of web page before this course. I had absolutely zero experience with web programs, and only a very vague idea of html. I knew it was a language for writing web page programs. I knew it had "tags" and used the <> keys to include commands, but that is about all. I stressed during this class and always felt that I was coming from behind, but I was able to complete the requirements and gain a working knowledge of creating simple web pages. I learned many things about the World Wide Web and evaluating web sites in this class in addition to the web page creations. I heard plenty of new terms including "bread crumbs" and other navigation terms. I also learned about cross-platform and browser issues that can cause my web pages to appear differently on different computers. (I had enough problems getting a web page to work on my own computer!) My growth in creating web pages did not stop with this course since presenting assignments via web pages was specified for many of our projects. It has been continually evolving throughout the entire journey, and I've come a long way. That being said, I still create very plain web sites for the most part, and I want to continue expanding my abilities in this area. I have been working with Adobe GoLive for creating web pages, and I know I have barely touched on the features available!
Final thoughts...
My journey through TATC has truly been an "odyssey". I found this definition in Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary: "a long wandering or voyage usually marked by many changes of fortune." I think that definition certainly fits the experiences I've described. The second definition was "an intellectual or spiritual wandering or quest." The quest for knowledge of technology and its applications was the journey I embarked on, and it was indeed marked by changes of fortune and detours onto Frustration Freeway, but I've grown so much and found many new friends! I am grateful for the experience, proud that I stayed the course, and I look forward to what the future may hold. When one journey ends it is usually time to plan the next trip, so I am contemplating what that may entail. As so many of my fellow travelers have noted, technology is not static. The tools and skills that I have developed through TATC will be put to use and shared, but who knows what new developments the future holds! By modeling and teaching effective and ethical use of technology, I will grow as a teacher. Next year, my teaching assignment will be Career Investigations, and I am excited about the possibilities for using and teaching technology concepts to my students. It will be a new leg of the journey, and I cannot see far enough down the road to know what lies beyond...but my experience this year has made me eager to explore the paths!
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