KeithPierce


 * 1)  Internship Project
 * 2)  Final Presentation
 * 3)  Final Reflection Paper
 * 4)  Annotated Bibliography
 * 5)  Timesheets

__**Reflection for September 13, 2010**__
Reflection #1 (Internship EDET 650)

When I began the task of what I will term the "discovery process" in this internship, I found that I was giving a lot of thought to the technologies that I had experienced in this curriculum. I have to admit that I am fascinated with technology and all of its potential for education. This gives me an excitement about what is possible and what may happen in the near future. Even with all of the new tools that I have learned about and their contribution to the educational process, I found myself returning to ideas that have promoted and changed education for many years - video. I've always been interested in video and its ability to transcend time and space. It remains a powerful tool in education. This is mainly why I began my discussions with my mentor (Dr. Tom Smyth) about using this tool to promote the Educational Technology degree for the school of Education. We decided it would be best to use video as a promotional tool to motivate others to explore this degree and show its promise for various types of career paths.

In my experience with video, one of the most powerful tools for persuasion is the personal testimony. Its why you see famous people and celebrities from numerous fields endorsing a huge range of products on television - it works. With that in mind, Dr. Smyth and I decided it would help the curriculum to personalize the different areas of study and give potential students a crafted overview. We both thought that using instructors from the curriculum would be best in communicating its value and educational worth. I discussed the possibility of using interviews as a means of extracting the best and most candid statements from the instructors in this process. This usually obtains the most practical and the best ideas about a subject and in this case get the instructors to convey their personal attitudes on the importance of this degree. I wanted to go a step further in this project by adding several recent graduates of the program. I think this would give an added benefit to viewers in that they would hear actual cases where students have directly benefited from this degree. I think this is powerful and beneficial for every aspect of the curriculum.

Finally, I have done a search for promotions of this type and have found so many that even I couldn't believe it unless I had actually seen them. This method of promotion is prominent and effective. In my conversations with colleagues at other schools, the common thread is that when this technique is used positive results are achieved. My biggest challenge I think will be to visually communicate some of the wonderful concepts, ideas and practical designs for instruction that are contained in this degree. Personally, I think it will be interesting and fun to tackle this assignment. I believe that the development of this venture will help me focus attention on the many positive attributes and qualities to potential students in the Master's Degree of Educational Techonology.

__**Reflection for September 27, 2010**__

The first task in my internship was to determine a format for interviewing the instructors that would elicit the maximum

amount of information for editing. A typical line of questioning in this type is one that asks open-ended questions which allows the person being interviewed to give opinions and personal viewpoints about the subject. This allows the mixing of statements during the editing process to provide continuity of thought and content as well as to achieve the utmost number of subject elements. A truly substantive content can be created with this method especially when we remember the brevity of each vignette. With that in mind, I decided that this was the best course to pursue in getting the statements and information desired for the project.

The first question I am asking is what was the motivation for you to create the degree in Educational Technology? This question goes to the heart of what the creators of the degree envisioned in what the degree would do and what types of students would be interested. It also touches on why this degree would be important in education and other areas of training. This will help the viewers gain a sense of the original purpose of the degree. Next, I'll be asking how the degree has been successful. This question should get some quantitative answers about the number of graduates and the penetration into non-education areas. Hopefully, this question will supply some anecdotal information about those who have been served by this degree. The next question I formulated concerns any surprise issues or situations that have arisen from the degree offerings. This question will serve to demonstrate how something within the program created any unintended consequences that ultimately became a positive aspect within the curriculum. The next question is important for the direction of the degree. I will be asking about the future of the program and what possible changes are seen to further enhance and strengthen the courses that are taught. This I think will be of great interest to prospective students as they weigh the advantages and weaknesses in the curriculum as they decide on enrollment.

I will also be asking of any personal knowledge of program graduates who have attained success due to this degree. Even short stories of favorable outcomes should reinforce positive attitudes towards this program. The last area I will ask questions about will be concerning the management and presentation of the coursework. Since all courses are now online, it should be addressed as a positive technique for advancing the program.

The last area I worked on in this section was the creation of elements that will be presented as visual components of how the course is conducted. I am by no means finished with this section and am continuing to visualize and produce elements that best represent visually how the courses are actually administered and organized. This should give prospects an accurate view of what they will encounter if they enroll.

**__Midterm Report__**

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__ Reflection for October 25th __

I continue on my quest to produce these promotional videos for Master's of Educational Technology website. My next big hurdle is one of a technical nature for the video programs. I am trying to reach the larger possible audience and create the most popular types of streaming video. The videos also need to encompass the largest group possible of potential students. I have been testing variety of types that will hopefully target a large segment of students who use an assortment of media in their internet experience. I am personally a Mac user who prefers using Quicktime as a delivery mode, but this only covers about 60 percent of typical internet users. Flash video supports several parts of Mpeg 4 video (H.264, Mpeg4 Chapter 10) which is also used in Windows 9 and Quicktime 6. This would probable support close to 95 percent of the installed base of computer users worldwide. I have looked at other device consideration as well such as smartphones and iPads. These will take some specialized "tweaking" of the files and transcoding into an acceptable codec for download. The ways of downloading the files to a user's computer are important since the they will looking for something familiar and easy. Since I have multiple types of videos for downloading, I will be looking for a way to create an easy to understand interface with icons that will direct the user to their favorite way of viewing web videos. Watching them on a computer will be standard and expected but I am also wanting to offer a way to download them programs to the latest devices such as smartphones and iPads. These will present a challenge because of all the various types of phones and associated codecs for download and playback. Ipads take Quicktime which will be relatively easy to transcode but will be difficult to create an easy way to download. I also have to be aware of the resolution sizes that I will make available. The larger the resolution, the longer the download times and the potential "choking" of streaming which makes for a poor viewing experience. A definite concern I have is the hosting of these videos on the USCA website. The entire website is Windows oriented in its file structure. With Microsoft as the principal engine, it is sometimes an issue when playing Quicktime movies or any specialty codecs. This could be negative for some users since there will those on Macs and still others on Unix operating systems. Evolution in the media players on the internet have produced some remarkable liaisons that would not have been possible just a few years ago. One such product is called. . . . wait for it. . . JW Longtail. What a name! Why? Who knows. Anyway, this product can incorporate several of the popular types of media and play them all with near native resolution video and audio. It supports skinning and user player controls. This product could potentially allow me the avenue to support all the aforementioned ways of download and display in an all-in-one method of delivery. I am still exploring this possibility and will test it very soon for capability.

__Reflection for November 8th __

My journey continues in finding the perfect way to communicate the message about this degree program to the largest possible audience with the greatest impact. I have continued exploring different methods of streaming that allow the widest spectrum of devices and one that illustrates the quality of the program. I am continuing to investigate the JW Longtail solution which can allow superior visual quality in streaming while emulating the "Flash" video codec which has a huge market share in browser plug-ins and all types of computers. I consulted with several users of this particular codec and got their opinions on its strengths and weaknesses. Several of them use this scheme to stream live church services on internet with some interesting results. Any producer who makes video programs always wants the highest possible quality in the final presentation of their product. Sometimes this is easily done and other times it is quite difficult. Do potential audiences even notice subtle differences in video quality and does this make any difference in their decision making for a product? I think it does. In fact, I know it does. The simple fact that Madison avenue advertisers spend billions to make the products they advertise look fantastic, chic, cool and something you shouldn't live without is ample evidence that making a product look great will help sell it. So, with that said, I decided to spend some time looking at images that impressed me about a product. The first place I looked was for me very obvious. I started with the Apple Inc. website to look at how they market some of their products. I must admit they do a first class job of marketing and telling their customers how much time is spent producing a product they will enjoy. They do a great job in describing function, convenience and compatibility of their products and making you feel the item was produced specifically for you. They do a good job of personalizing their merchandise. What I learned by observation was that I need to do a good job of customizing this degree program so that it appeals to the individual needs and desires of students. Instead of just using the current crop of "buzzwords" about education and academics, I need to look at the needs of individuals and connect with them based on results they desire for their careers. I don't think that personally I am that different from many potential students so I must at least start with myself in the discovery of these ultimate communication goals. I know when I started the program I felt that I wanted to enhance my skills and knowledge of technological solutions to teaching and learning. This remains my stated goal in the program and I feel that the program has fulfilled this intention very well. As I begin my first practice run in the interviews, I am anxious to create some very strong visuals along with a secure audio message that will give a potent and convincing message about the degree program.

__Reflection for November 22nd __

My streaming quest continues by recording the first messages about this degree program from two of the professors who originally spearheaded the formation of the degree. I have learned a lot about the degree just listening to the thoughts and orchestration of the initial program from those who imagined what this could become. Its fascinating to hear how the program began with quite humble beginnings and has blossomed into asynchronous online courses. I am now in the editing phase of audio files where I must listen to each recording several times and glean statements that will be the most powerful for potential students. Making them seem like a long cohesive thought will be the real challenge since I must keep reference material about the program as an outline for final exposition. I decided to record the professors' interviews in high definition video and after the fact, I'm glad I did. High definition will give me more screen area to work with and the final rendering will pull the file down to a manageable size anyway. This will potentially allow me to place two areas of communication side by side in the window because its a 16 x 9 ratio which emulates feature film. Width won't matter since we're dealing with web video which isn't ruled by the same parameters of a television. I am tinkering with a frame to wrap around the video to give it a very polished professional look and feel. This takes some time in Photoshop to create something that will stand out from the background yet allow room for the movie controls. It took me a fair amount of time to determine which direction I wanted the professors to look when being filmed. This was important to me since looking directly at the camera communicates a more specific communication to an individual and looking slightly away communicates a more thoughtful appearance and appeals to a extensive audience. The professors decided to give a slightly casual look to their interviews by not wearing a tie. This can offer a very open impression telling the viewer that the instructors in the program are similar to most who might enroll in the program.

The next step beyond recording is to begin the process of transcribing the interview so that I can look visually at the statements made by each and see where transitions can be made that will not be noticed by viewers. I am also continuing to view some advertising that has impressed me visually. I hope to incorporate some of the transitions into these videos to make them appear seamless and also very reflective. This won't be easy but if I get enough ideas I feel I can include several of them into the final edited versions. So, where do I go from here? I will be making a rough cut edit in the next week to show to the professors for approval. I will also begin the process of creating an audio mix of their edited interview along with music I will select and edit for the final mix-down. Stay tuned.