I can’t believe we are at the end of this course and the entire program! I am excited beyond words about finishing the Master’s program! This course has helped me to put together some important components of my Capstone project. The last one I worked on was my poster. Since we received various templates the task became much easier; or so I thought. It was difficult to try to minimize all of my research into the reduced areas of the poster template. I was able to modify my executive summary to fit my poster, but I felt uneasy about it. I felt like I was not able to do a good job of adding all of the significant portions of my research. At this point I feel like as long as I was able to follow the guidelines to the best of my ability, I completed the task at hand! On to focusing on the last few tasks left and ready to be stress free; at least stress from school.
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As I revised and edited my capstone video, I felt much more as ease than the first time I set off to start my rough cut video. I think I had completed so much of the video the first couple of times I worked on it, that I did not have a whole lot to do for my final cut. I made a couple of the changes that were suggested by my cohort members. Some of these changes I already knew had to be made, such as changing some of the pictures and replacing them with others that had better resolution. I am glad I don’t feel as stressed about this procedure. I think my stress not only stemmed from producing the video, but also from the much faster pace of this summer schedule for classes, as well as the business of my own family life.
As I embarked on my next task, my executive summary, I did not feel the same stress. I felt like I already had all of the information I needed in my research paper. It was just a matter of rereading and paraphrasing my own writing. I felt much more in my comfort zone when it came to writing, as opposed to creating a video. I think the only hurdle I came across as I composed my executive summary was limiting myself when it came to sharing the data collected and giving my analysis of the results. The fact that we are given limits as to how many pages we must have, can be a bit stressful for some but I think it is a good thing because it provides us with boundaries, otherwise we could write endlessly, since we are all quite passionate about our research. Now on to my poster! I am feeling a bit anxious at times, but quite elated that the end is near! oAs I sat down to create my video I had my storyboard on another tab. I felt like I knew exactly what I wanted to include; I thought my storyboard was more on the detailed side and I had already test-timed my script, so it should be easy. Boy was I wrong! I had used Adobe Spark with a partner in another class so I figured it would be fairly easy, but I quickly realized I did not have the capabilities to resize pictures and modify text the way I wanted. I also realized that most, if not all, of the pictures I had selected were quite blurry. I tried to find other pictures that depicted the same meaning. That slowed me down quite a bit and I ended up not changing some images. As I put it all together, I couldn't help but feel uneasy about not having pictures and video of my own students to use. I think that would have added a touch that was more personal, but we were not given a heads up when we started the program (and school was still in session). I felt like I wanted to add more, but the time restriction helped me to stay focused and select only key points. Every time I open it again, I feel like I want to change something but decide not to because then I would have to also modify the voice over and I feel like I have them perfectly timed. Even though each slide can be worked on independently, when it comes to the voice over, there are some sentences that are split between two slides and have to be timed perfectly, otherwise it sounds a bit off pace. I am usually quite critical about my own work and always feel like I can improve in some way. I appreciate being able to receive feedback from others to improve my work. Can't wait for the feedback!
Thinking of this week’s task stressed me out quite a bit. At first, I struggled with the idea of making a video. I felt overwhelmed with the idea because it was something new for me and out of my comfort zone. To add another wrench, I had a hectic week!
As I thought of what I wanted to add, I struggled yet again with what were the most important components that I wanted to have as my key elements. I felt like 60-90 minutes are not enough time, but I do understand that this will help keep this task precise. I have too much to say and having a difficult time knowing what I want to remove or minimize. However, on a more positive note; I feel like choosing Adobe Spark is the best route for me. I have used Adobe Spark before in another course for a partner presentation and I feel like it has features I am looking for. I think it is great that I can complete a voice over for each individual slide so I don’t have to worry about re-recording everything again if I make a mistake. Adobe Spark also has the option of adding music; although I keep hearing that the music that it provides is a bit overpowering when it comes to doing voice-overs. We will see how it works out for me; that might be another little bump in the road ahead,, that I may have to modify. I’m a little nervous about the end product. I have to admit, I was quite nervous when I set out to do some research on logos because I had never made a logo before. As I was looking into some of the logo-making sites we were provided with I became excited, yet, soon after I became quite frustrated! Let me explain. As I began with paper and pencil in hand I saw the variety of sights and very quickly decided that I was going to go with logomakr.com because it seemed to be quite easy (or so I thought after watching their video demo). It also provided me with free access to many icons and other design components! As I perused the various icons and design components available, I began to sketch a couple of designs out on my piece of paper. I also thought of what I had read about and looked at other images that were connected with the key words in my Capstone project. I made two logos, using the same colors and words, which I already had in mind to use. I felt like the puzzle piece logo was more symbolic of my topic, Curriculum Implementation.
As I worked on looking for the components within logomakr.com, I became frustrated because there were certain things I wanted to try (like making the words curved) that I couldn’t figure out how to do. That is one of the main reasons why I did not go with my original logo. The paid version of the site may have allowed for the use of other components. The sight seemed to have glitches every now and then, not sure if it is like that all the time or if it was just a bad day. Overall, I am quite satisfied with my logo theme and my choice of color. However, I chose not to pay for the vector file until I finalize my logo; for now I have my logo saved as a png. Transliteracy was a vocabulary work that was new to me until last trimester, when we were introduced to it in one of our courses. Even though the actual term was new to me, the definition was not. I knew what it meant to be transliterate, even though I did not have a word for it. I believe that now, more than ever, I make it a conscious effort to deliver the content I teach in a variety of methods and with the use of different tools. I know that every student learns differently and at their own individual pace. If I attempt to teach to all the different learning styles of students in my class, I am more likely to reach a greater number of students. I think it is imperative for our students to be transliterate as they are acquiring 21st Century skills and moving towards an ever- changing future. I truly believe that incorporating transliteracy teaching methods will increase inclusion and student engagement because we will be touching on a variety of teaching methods and platforms from different perspectives. When students can follow the lesson, they tend to be more engaged. For example, I am a visual learner and I am more likely to learn more and at a faster pace if there are pictures or videos tied to the lesson, versus just direct printed delivery. I feel like I disengage from a lesson when it is too difficult and there are not additional avenues for me to try when attempting to make sense of what I am learning. I think if we allow students to feel included we will get a better response from them as well.
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