Week 3 - Screencasts

Lots to learn and lots to do. Tonight in class we went over lots of material.

We discussed two particular software programs to use as part of our Moodle project: Screencast-o-matic and Thinglink. You can click on the link below to see the Thinglink creation I made for another class that I may incorporate into my 13 section Moodle project on the Gayatri Mantra.

A link to my Thinglink creation: https://www.thinglink.com/scene/576629942901538816

Throughout the Educational Technology Masters program my efforts have been to develop a consistent look and feel to my projects with the ultimate goal of creating an exceptional portfolio.
I look to use creations from one class in other projects, as appropriate, as one way of reaching that goal. And though I'm a bird lover, I am on board with the the metaphor, "killing two birds with one stone". Keeping it simple.

As the first step in creating content for our Moodle project we are to create a five minute or so personal introduction to post as part of our introduction of the course.

We can use Screencast-O-matic to capture a PowerPt. or Prezi presentation and Catherine demonstrated for the class on how to create a presentation using Prezi. I've used Prezi in the past and once I got the hang of it, I liked it more than PowerPt. due to its visual appeal.

For my final project in Communication 498: Designing Social Media I used Prezi with another student, Peter, to design a FaceBook and Twitter rubric for use by Community Central; a CCSU community collaboration, Our presentation was well received not only for the useful data but also for its visual appeal; it earned us an A.

We also discussed how what we create for our Moodle project may or may not be appropriate for the WebEx classes we will each be responsible for presenting later in the semester.

Week 2 - Getting Started

Hello and welcome back to my blog for EDT 532 - Instructional Design and Technology.

Well, wow and whew.  Tonight's class was insightful, instructional, and jam packed with ideas and great information on how to create and design my first Moodle Learning Platform project. Yes!

This past week I posted my blog URL and idea for my Moodle Course. I decided to bring forward the Gayatri Mantra. The Gayatri Mantra is considered to be the Mother of all mantras and offers us illumination and enlightenment in this lifetime. Te long form of the Gayatri Mantra is designed to be either chanted in its entirety for an affect on all of the chakras (energy centers) or it can be worked with line by line to focus on one chakra at a time. So...that would easily be 10 sections.

When discussing our project topics in small break out groups the idea of using Vocaroo or Audacity or even Screencast-o-matic as an evaluation tool for my Moodle was suggested. These suggestions really got my wheels turning. I began to think that what I wanted to accomplish could be easier than I originally thought.

Yes, I could incorporate the different tools that we would be taught throughout the semester as requested but I could keep the overall theme simple by focusing on an audio delivery of my material and an audio delivery of the evaluation by the students. I like to keep it simple. And I like to give Mind a sense of structure, which I find a theme and a consistent format can provide.

Week 1 - Introduction

Hello and welcome to my blog for Educational Technology 532 - Distance Learning and Networking.

My name Paula Carol Broderick and I am a graduate student at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) in New Britain CT. I have degrees in Human Services/Family Violence Intervention and Communication/Public Relations and Promotions. I am also a Reiki Master & Teacher and look forward to continuing my work in the field of non-violence through today's and tomorrow's technologies.

I'm very excited about the learning opportunities that EDT 532 offers, especially the opportunity of creating a curriculum of 10+ modules to be delivered via the Moodle Learning Platform. I have numerous ideas on what topic to focus on and so far the biggest challenge has been to pick just one.
My desire is to produce a series of instruction on mantra but I need to figure out how to evaluate the effectiveness of the teachings since the focus is primarily an audio one.

Our homework includes watching numerous Moodle tutorials to help me better understand what a Moodle can and can't do functionally and how to utilize its construction capabilities.

As design and aesthetics are always where my attention goes first, I want to be sure I understand functionally so I can create a project that is visually pleasing, yet effective and easy to use.