letter to chair / matrix / artifacts / additional projects / interesting links
|
Technology
in Education Conference |
|
Workshops at TIE 2000 & 2001---- (see artifact) I discovered the annual Technology in Education (TIE) Conference in Colorado when I entered the ILT program. It was surprising that I had never heard or read about it before, and decided to attend my first TIE conference the summer of 2000. For TIE 2000, I prepared two workshop proposals with my colleague Stevan Kalmon. We had previously team-taught professional development classes for the Boulder Valley School District, and TIE seemed like a logical next step. Our proposals were accepted and we set about designing the classes: Strategies of WebImaging and Visualize Web Site Design. The following year, TIE 2001, I taught a WebImaging class again, this time on my own and with different versions of the software. Hours of planning went into each of the workshops; activity structure and sequence, handouts, and resources were created and compiled. Analysis Presenting at a conference is always challenging because one does not necessarily know what skill or experience levels workshop participants will bring with them when they walk into the class. Even if one designates a target such as beginner, intermediate or advanced, there are unpredictable factors. To address this challenge, I create an agenda that is clear, yet allows for a degree of spontaneous response based on the needs of a given group. I have also found it efficacious to devise learning tasks that are basic and have the potential to be more deeply investigated by those participants with quick skill. Each workshop addressed specific goals related to the Internet and Web authoring. I have expertise in digital imaging and Internet publication and enjoy teaching these areas. Increasingly educators have been drawn to the Internet, both as a resource and as a presentation venue. If they choose to build their own pages and sites, they need to be familiar with the tools and the rules. I have seen far too many school sites that are horribly designed … or rather: not designed at all. Educators deserve to learn what it takes to create a Web presence that reflects themselves and their schools in a professional manner. Their sites should make them, the administration, the kids, and the parents proud. Rationale Strategies of WebImaging in 2000 and WebImaging with Adobe Photoshop & ImageReady in 2001 were hands-on digital imaging workshops. Both intended to instruct about image file types, which ones to use and why for the Web. Participants learned how to create text graphics, graphical buttons, simple animations, image maps (in 2000), and simple rollover navigation bars (in 2001). I am a do-it-yourselfer and an artist, so I think it’s important that individuals who wish to create web pages or sites have the basic knowledge of how to create visually interesting graphical components. Visualize Web Site Design was less hands-on in terms of working with imaging software. We structured this workshop to familiarize participants with design terminology and principles, to teach them how to see the design. Activities included group analysis and evaluation of sample sites, discussion regarding design rules and terms, and individual analysis and evaluation of the participants’ district, school, or classroom sites. Results The planning of these workshops resulted in a variety of artifacts. We generated handouts for each class, and used a Web site I built to demonstrate load time and image quality of various Web friendly file types. I determined that the site would provide the perfect authentic example of what needed to be shown. For the summer 2001 workshop, I recreated the handouts to reflect activity and software version changes. At TIE 2000 I took on the added responsibility of substitute teaching an Adobe Photoshop class that would otherwise have been canceled, the original instructor did not show up at the conference. I enjoyed this opportunity to assist the TIE organizers and conference attendees. Serendipitously, I had Introduction to Photoshop class handouts on disk with me, and was able to tailor them for a condensed version of the class. Participants in the WebImaging conference session had encouraged me to teach the Photoshop class, and I took that as a compliment. Ultimately each conference has provided me with valuable experience preparing, teaching, and learning. Evidence of Value Overall, I felt that the workshops were successful. The WebImaging workshops in particular were well attended, participants stayed to the end, and I received very positive feedback with regard to the activities of the sessions. Visualize Web Site Design had less success, however we ended up with a small group of about twelve out of thirty-something. I believe a variety of factors contributed to the loss of participants. This workshop was offered after lunch, whereas the WebImaging workshops were both morning sessions. I know from my own experience that the morning is a better time when most students have higher levels of energy. Also, Visualize was not hands-on enough for a slower time of day, it was more about thinking, analysis, and evaluation. That may have made the content drier and driven some people away. For those that remained throughout, however, their perceived value of the workshop was evident. I received email from a few of the participants months after the class, asking me to take a look at what they had done to their own sites in light of what they learned at our workshop. Although I would have preferred a larger success rate, having a meaningful and positive impact on even a few people makes the process of teaching worthwhile to me. Reflection As with any teaching experience, I reflect on successes and shortcomings and plan for improvement in the future. There's always room for modification and development. If I were to do WebImaging with Adobe Photoshop and ImageReady (TIE 2001) over again, I would create more explicit and detailed steps in the handout for the rollover navigation bar activity. The handout I originally created did not include certain details that I demonstrated and spoke about. I realize having them written down would have been more helpful for some of the participants. I assumed that the students would take notes as I demonstrated. Another glitch to the class was a lack of collaborative planning on my part. I had the assistance of two cohort colleagues, and did not have a meeting with them prior to the workshop. Silly me! They were of great assistance, but were more familiar with Macromedia Fireworks than Adobe ImageReady. As my students say, "My bad." I should have approached it differently. Visualize Web Site Design contains worthwhile content, but is perhaps better suited to the morning. It should include working in a Web editor program to apply design learning to the participants own page, or pages. Ideally this workshop should happen over a longer period of time. It is very challenging to teach such complex topics in a three-hour time frame. My preference is to teach workshops that last for a number of 3-4 hour sessions over a period of days, like staff development classes I have been offering for the past three years. ILT Responsibility Areas #1 Continued improvement of professional practice that requires critical inquiry, professional development, and reflective practice.
#2 Designs instruction or human performance strategy to meet the needs of learners.
#3 Uses a variety of media to deliver instruction to students and to engage students in learning.
|
