WEEK 3 ASSIGNMENT: DIGITAL IMAGES

APPLICATION:

This weeks assignment focused on digital images which directly tied into week one's assignment. This week I was able to implement several of the principles I read about to develop a lesson utilizing digital images. I was able to manipulate digital images, create an info-graphic and a gif. All of the images I used to complete my assignments had a CC Creative Commons License therefore I was able to utilize/manipulate them for the purposes of my lessons. The most challenging of the three assignments was the gif. In my opinion, I needed more that 5 seconds to complete an effective gif. Also, because of the way that I am utilizing the Blog to create and post my assignments, I am learning how to use simple HTML codes.

REFLECTION

Digital images are extremely important in any learning environment especially for visual learners. Digital images enrich learning experiences for learners and allow educators to introduce a variety of assignments involving technology. As an educator I appreciate the variety of assignments that digital images offer. Digital images can be utilized in all subjects and to any age learners.

ASSIGNMENT

Navigating the College Enrollment Process:

Objective: Students will be able to create a digital portfolio by utilizing www.weebly.com. This digital portfolio will assist adult learners in navigating their college enrollment and setting educational goals.

Review the info-graphic "Navigating the College Enrollment Process.After you have completed your review create a portfolio or notebook of your enrollment goals.

1. In your portfolio or notebook include the programs of study you are interested in. Try to narrow down your list to 2 programs of study (i.e. Business, Nursing, Dental Hygiene, Automotive etc.).

2. Search the internet for colleges that offer your program of study. Include tuition cost, the program plan for your program of study, and enrollment dates/deadlines.

3. Write a one page essay on why you have chosen this particular area/program of study and what you plan to do once you graduate with your degree, diploma, or certificate.

Adult Education Collage

What Does Learning Mean to You? Gif

make animated gifs like this at MakeaGif

The Road Taken

Purpose/Context:

This video presentation "The Road Taken" outlines the different life situations Adult Learners find themselves in. Whether you have completed high school or a General Education Diploma (GED) it is possible for you to enroll in a college program regardless of your situation, age, or color. I chose the video "The Road Taken" because it is designed for potential adult students who are contemplating enrolling, returning, or to continue their education. The video specifically outlines the stories of various individuals and the personal struggles they had to overcome to find their educational niche. What I found most powerful about the video is that "The Road Taken" realistically reveals the multiple paths in life that people take to get where they are. As you watch this video ask yourself "What is your path?"

Video Evaluation:

"The Road Taken" is a very professionally produced video. The creators of the video are Shannon Brown and Geoffrey Leighton who have produced several other videos. The presentation runs a total of 8 minutes and 16 seconds and is worth every moment. The video is very organized, easy to follow, and presented in a manner to keep the audience engaged and entertained. In my opinion, I believe that this video will enhance the intent of this blog/lesson and capture my intended audience which includes adult learners between the ages of 16 and above. The only thing that I would change to enhance the video would be to include some male students and their experiences with education. I realize that the video was created for a particular organization and college campus which focused predominantly on the women of the organizations. Overall, "The Road Taken" is an excellent video production that supports the goals of Adult Education.

Reference:

Brown, S., & Leighton, G. (Director). Leoghton, G. (Producer). (2010). The Road TAken [Online video]. Durham: Leighton Images. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/zc-9TscaXH4

Uploaded on Feb 1, 2010 Women of the Frances Perkins and Ada Comstock program at Mount Holyoke and Smith College share their experiences as non-traditional students. The video focuses on the challenges they faced and the courage they needed to return to school. Category Film & Animation License Standard YouTube License

How To Apply for FAFSA?

EDL 642 Week 4 Lesson: Create a brief Instructional Video

Instructional Use of Video:

The instructional video I choose to create is How to Apply for FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)? The video is designed for adult education students whose ages range from 16 and above, who are preparing to enroll in a college program. The topic of FAFSA is extremely relevant to my work as an Educational Program Specialist, Sr. I know first-hand how difficult this process is for many adults who are non-traditional students and first-generation students in their families. Completing a FAFSA application is also a major part of the college enrollment process which is a part of my job. In my opinion, this video will provide students a pre-training experience before they actually begin to create an FSA ID and complete a FAFSA application. The potential college student will gain knowledge of the FAFSA process, terms, and requirements.

Learning Objective:

After watching the instructional video, “How to Apply for FAFSA?” students will be able to:

1.Create a FSA ID using the following website http://fafsa.ed.gov

2.Explore college campuses by completing a college program search to determine which college campuses they are interested in enrolling.

3.Compile the required documents/documentation; and complete/submit their FAFSA application to the U.S. Department of Education.

Once the adult education students have completed this assignment they will feel a sense of accomplishment and creativity because they have completed one of the goals needed to assist them with enrolled in college. As a tangible item for the students, I would suggest that they begin to add items such as their FSA ID (user name and password), and their FAFSA Confirmation sheet to their digital portfolio that they created in the prior week’s lesson. The student would continue to build that portfolio or resources and artifacts.

Some factors that could influence the success or failure of my instructional video lesson are access to technology, student’s level of expertise or the lack of experience, and time. I know from working with the students I have encountered in the past that some students need more time and assistance when it comes to the use of technology.

The readings from the first week of class align themselves with this week’s assignment because it focused on the principles for multimedia instruction and our assignment this week was to create an instructional video. As a future instructor and curriculum developer I had to consider the multiple principles for multimedia instruction in the development of my video. I also had to consider the age group of the students my lesson was created for, and the learning methodology I was going to utilize. Throughout the video lesson several principles can be seen such as Temporal Congruity, Spatial Congruity, the Embodiment Principle, and the Pre-Training Principle. The main principle that I focused on was the Pre-Training Principle. Since this was a short lesson I did not go into more detail that I would have liked for fear of using too much time.

Reflection:

In reflection of this weeks assignment, I really enjoyed the creativity involved in developing my own instructional video and evaluating the work of someone else. The feeling of accomplishment I felt by completing this video was amazing! I actually thought that it was so much more complex and time consuming to create instructional videos. As a result, I believe that I will continue to use this tool as a part of my methodology and content delivery.

Obviously, my thinking and outlook of multimedia instruction has evolved. I no longer view multimedia instruction as a fad or a difficult task for instructors. I do realize that the time involved in using and creating multimedia instruction is in the planning process. Your objectives, and intent of the multimedia tool must meet the needs of the student, be relevant to the lesson (what you are teaching), and keep the student engaged. I would recommend choosing a design principle before you begin to develop your multimedia instruction method.

Any tension that presented themselves in developing my instructional video involved how to present the topic and material in my instructional video. I choose to create a pre-training video because my lesson involved many more complex details that would ultimately have to be done once the student/adult learner actually performed the task. The video does introduce the adult learner to the concepts, websites, FSA ID, and other major tasks or parts of completing the FAFSA application. Overall, I believe that everyone will enjoy the video, understand the purpose, and feel more enlightened about the FAFSA application.

Week 5 EDL 642 Assignment: Augmented Learning Assignment QR Codes

Use in the Classroom:

In reference to this weeks assignment, I plan to use this artifact to assist my current clients and future students make the best decision about which college to attend. As part of the services that our program offers we conduct what is called a college program search. During this college program search the client/student is given two assessments (a needs assessment, and an Educational Plan of Action). These two client assessments are designed to determine what outcomes the clients wants in reference to their educational goals, how soon they want to accomplish their goals, and what type of college program they are looking for. Other things that are taken into consideration are career choices, location of the program, and types of financial aid available.

Once the information is compiled, the client is normally taken on a college campus tour. In lieu of taking a college campus tour a virtual college campus tour would be an excellent option. This artifact can be designed for any college campus and gives the client/student options when they are not available to physically tour a campus or in some instances our grant program does not have the funding to take a college campus tour.

Application:

The QR Code artifact listed below, the virtual college campus tour of Georgia Perimeter College, was developed based on the Segmented Principle of Multimedia Technology. The Segmented Principle allows the client/student to view the campus in learner paced segments rather than a continuous unit. The student can also repeatedly view segments of the lesson. Through out the assignment there are various graphics, narration, and onscreen text that lend themselves to the Redundancy Principle. This principle is important because there in a considerable amount of information presented in this artifact.

Refection:

This weeks assignment was definitely challenging. As I have stated previously, I am definitely not a technologically savvy individual. However, I have worked in and around technology. I used to manage a LMS System for a human resources division at Georgia State University. During that time I used some HTML Code so I am familiar with using different types of technology.

Creating this artifact was not necessarily challenging on the development side but on the technical side. The task became difficult when determining how to post the artifact to my blog page. I literally attempted every way to post my document.

Finally, I found a simple solution and had to utilize HTML code to adjust the artifact and ultimately re-format my original document. Each week our assignments for EDL 642 manage to take me out of my comfort and enable me rely on my resourcefulness to seek assistance from subject matter experts in the field of higher education. As future instructors we must rely on our colleagues. It is a great idea to create a network of subject matter experts (smes) to whom we can rely on.

Week 6 EDL 642 Mind Map Assignment: What are my Educational Goals?

Educational goals are an important part of the planning process for college enrollment. This assignment is designed to garner support and input from potential adult education students. It is also designed to discover any past or present barriers to obtaining a college education and to determine what type of wrap around services the potential student will need to be successful in accomplishing their goals.

Assignment:

Students will use this assignment to develop their own educational goals. Each student will recreate this Mind Map and enter specific information unique to their educational goals and the path to complete their education.

Application:

This assignment "Setting Educational Goals" is a very important starting point in making the decision to continue your education. This assignment should in fact set the tone and direction of all steps to follow. Potential clients/adult student must create a plan with obtainable goals. These goals must be highly focused on what career or career's the client/student ultimately would like to see themselves working in. As an educator and recruiter any potential obstacles must be evaluated to ensure the client/potential student has alternatives or contingencies so that there are no setbacks.

From experience when life happens (problems, issues, etc.) occur most potential adult students put their educational goals on hold. If there are contingencies, alternatives, or alternatives they can have choices. In my opinion, setting goals makes future dreams and aspirations become a reality. This assignment gives real life step by step goal options to ultimately achieve enrollment. However, setting goals is the first step. After setting goals some action must be taken!

Reflection:

The Mind Mapping assignment was a great assignment! I have found a new way to present materials to my clients. Mind mapping is a way to present real life situations to encourage self evaluation. I work with a clientele that constantly needs encouragement, and instant gratification. This particular assignment addresses the time, barriers, and other issues to consider about college enrollment.

About Me....

Greetings to all:

I am Alesia Wakefield-Medley and a graduate of Central Michigan's Global Campus in Atlanta, Georgia. Last year in August I completed my Master of Arts Degree in Adult Education. Recently, I complete my certificate of College Teaching.

I currently work with a federally funded TRiO program called the Educational Opportunity Center (EOC). The EOC assists clients with obtaining their GED credentials, completing admission requirements to college, completing financial aid, test-prep, and searching for funding sources (scholarships and grants) for college. I am not a college instructor, however I have experience teaching in the secondary education setting. The subjects I taught were science and math. One day, I would like to be an adjunct professor at a community or technical college.

It is my belief that education is a life long venture and that we all learn something new each day of our lives. With each lesson learned, we must recognize that we are here to assist people along their journey in life and learning. This blog has been created to fulfill a requirement for EDL 642. It is dedicated to all the adult learners who need assistance navigating their career aspirations, post-secondary goals, basic education needs, and provide them with tools to assist. In addition to providing learning resources this blog will serve a dual purpose in integrating technology into the adult learners skill set.

Happy learning, and I hope this blog can give you inspiration to keep learning!

Best,

Alesia