Blog #3 - Video Reflection

If I could start the group video project over, there are a few things that I would do differently.  The first was somewhat uncontrollable given the class layout. The groups were split by subject area that we plan to teach. We had a group of future science teachers and future math teachers. We decided to do a math video, simply because we had a great idea for one, and the majority of the group is math-focused. However, being a possible future science teacher, I would focus the new video on that subject area, so that it would be something that could be used down the line in a classroom setting. So i would choose some topic such as an experiment or a video on how to do scientific notation in a fun way.  Another change would have been to find a music track that was long enough to not have to repeat. It was hard to make it flow with a repeat in the music. However, this was another variable that, given the circumstances, we could not help.

Some ideas for another video, this time focused on science, could include a science experiment making ice cream, how to make a model volcano, or how to create a device which would protect an egg from a fall. Research needed for these videos would consist primarily of instructions of how to do these things in order to be complete and concise, and anything that is necessary to ensure that we do not violate any copyright laws. Resources would include supplies for the specific experiments, video filming and editing technology, and a quiet, clean environment in which to film.

Perhaps in the future, if I do myself in front of a science classroom, I could put these ideas to use and develop a video in order to create a more technologically diverse atmosphere in the classroom so that the students would be able to retain interest and investment in the class.

Copyright, Fair Use, and Creative Commons

Copyright, Fair Use, and Creative Commons are all terms which refer to the rights people have regarding their personal creative work. Copyright is the exclusive legal right the originator of some creative work has in the production of duplicates, and to determine whether or not to allow others to use it as well.  Fair Use is essentially the fact that people have the right to quote short excerpts of a person's original words in certain specific circumstances, such as in a news report or article. Creative Commons is an organization which encourages legally sharing creative works in the spirit of collaboration and promotion.

These concepts are important for us as we go about the development of our video projects because they shape the way we can go about gathering information and media for the video. We must be careful that we do not infringe on others' rights with regards to their creative work. We must ensure that we are legally obtaining music, logos, and ideas for the project. Steps that we took included careful discretion with images and care taken in the search for websites to gather music from.

Group Collaboration in the Classroom (Blog #1 - 1/16/2012)

In class on Tuesday we watched a video and read an article considering the ideas of collaboration and idea generation. I found their claims interesting and very valid. I have found in my educational past that the better ideas and higher quality projects have been a result of group collaboration. Bringing together several students with different talents and different ideas has proved very helpful, granted the group can work together with harmony and make the best of each member's talents. It coincides with the idea of synergy, which I learned about in a class last fall. The concept essentially is explained by the equation 1+1=3. The premise is that when two or more people collaborate to complete some task, then result is greater and more effective than the total if the same amount of individuals did the same task independently.  This is likely in part due to the concept of idea collaboration which Steven Johnson considered in his video, Where Good Ideas Come From (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=NugRZGDbPFU).  He argues that a vital step in the development of good ideas is collaboration and bouncing smaller ideas off one another to combine and build them up.

It will be important in my future classroom to facilitate this type of group collaboration, not only to help students see the benefits and potential of it, but to help them to develop the interpersonal skills involved with teamwork in their future career fields. One way to help students see the benefits of collaboration is to ask thought questions in class, and have students independently attempt to answer the question. Then I will have them gather into small groups and discuss the question, and eventually share their ideas with the class. This will illustrate the evolution of "the idea" from individual, simple ideas, to the more complex, developed, thorough thoughts that arise from group discussion.  Other simple ideas would include combinations of group and individual projects and quizzes.