Week 5 EDLD 5363 Multimedia and Video Technology

Throughout the last three weeks, I have wondered if we could ever complete the assignments in a timely manner. I think the most difficult part of the process has been deciding how we were going to communicate and provide feedback on different parts of the video PSA task. We decided on a wiki site dedicated to documenting the collaborative process of the group. I think the pre-production aspects were the most difficult to decide on, i.e. shots needed and script development for the PSA. Production became easier because we each had set tasks to follow; Brian and Quentin worked on the recording of the script, the acting and getting the necessary shots for the PSA. My job was to edit the audio and video into the final product. I think  we could have had more video shots to pick and choose from with more lead and post time; this would definately have helped with the editing process of the PSA. I did think the concept of going all black and white made for a more dramatic and interesting final product for our PSA. I also liked the change of background music from the beginning choice to our final selection.  We were fortunate to find the song that we used for the background, as this song has yet to be published. I think since the concept of the PSA was drug and alcohol addition, finding a song with lyrics about drug and alcohol addiction only lead to an overall stronger PSA statement. Since the song is unpublished, this did lead to some interesting copyright decisions and research to make sure we folowed correct copyright notation. Finally, it was very difficult to collaborate and interact with two other people who are busy with thier own jobs and lives. I personally would have rather completed the task by myself due to time management requirements of my job. However, each person participated in a professional and timely manner making for a successful group collaboration on this PSA.

Web Conference Confirmation Reflection

This week I attended the 8/31/10 6 p.m. web conference for EDLD Multimedia and Viddeo Technology. As I reviewed this week's assignment, I was in a very confused state because I printed up the week two rubric and directions 8/28/10 and began working on the video portion of the assignment, but then recieved a new updated rubric and direction sheet 8/30/10 for the week which changed the video to a podcast assignment. Needless to say, I was confused as to what direction I needed to take. Dr. Abernathy was patient as she answered specific questions about the assignment, sometimes numorous times to panicky students. I did getthe clarity concerning specific parts of the assignments, and realized it was not a impossible task this week. However, I do feel at this level of coursework, the assignment and expectation should be accurate at the start of the course, particularly as many, if not all of the students, such as myself, hold a full time job and at times need to complete assignments early in the week based on work demands and expectations. I still am very confused and concerned that my discussion posts are not what the instructor wants as we ran out of time during the web conference session. I hope to continue attending each weeks' web conference because it allows me to interact and question the instructor on elements of the assignments. I wish it could be easier to discuss problems one on one with the instructors. I realize that are course coordinators must be overwhelm with question trying to intepret the instructor and students thoughts.

EDLD 5363 Multimedia Week 2 Video Editing Software Evaluation

As part of my week 2 assignment for EDLD 5363 Multimedia, we were asked to research and evaluate video editing software for the purpose of media production. I selected Pinnacle Studio 12 and Microsoft Movie Maker to evaluate to compare video editing software programs. Thru the course of my reading and participating in the weekly video conferences, I was directed to the following Wikipedia site which offers a very thorough comparison of video editing software:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_video_editing_software

I chose Pinnacle Studio because I've been using different versions of their software for my personal use for about 10 years now. Typically, the software ranges in cost from $75 to $125, depending on which software package you choose. The difference in cost is the additional add-ons, such as DVD authoring and such. Pinnacle is a great video editing tool which allows beginning to professional consumers to create professional looking videos. Pinnacle is extremely versatile because it includes hundreds of different transition effects as well as quality functions such as Chroma Key, which enables you to add someone into a video scene. I particularly use the pan and zone tool as I edit digital pictures into my projects. I think one of the most valuable aspects of Pinnacle Studio is that you can upgrade to almost professional grade editing features if you so desire. This program will allow you purchase various add- on packages that you may want as you expand your abilities. Finally, this program has one of the most useful features I have found - the ablitity to render your final product in 12 different formats, such as real player or dvx.   I also like that in each format I can pick and choose the amount of audio and video compression I need to produce my project in high definition or just to run on my computer. This program will allow for 1280/720p mpeg4 audio compression so you can take advantage of the quality audio and video images of the new high defintion cameras on the market.

In contrast, Movie Maker is one of the most basic video editing programs that comes pre-installed on most new computers. One of my colleagues uses Movie Maker and taught this as a district inservice I attended. Movie Maker allows you to create, edit, and share home movies and has simple drag and drop features that make it friendly to beginning users. Movies can be rendered and shared via the Internet and stored on a CD. The downside of the program is that it does require capture software (downloaded free from Microsoft or other third party vendors) to get the video from your camera into your computer. Movie Maker is a Microsoft program, so it should continue to be supported in the  future, meaning you should not need to worry about having to learn a new program. All in all, it is really designed to get your feet wet in the area of video editing. I feel that most users will outpace the program's ability fairly quickly if they are even somewhat interested in video editing. Movie Maker will default to produce your video and audio files in a 640/480 format in 16 bit stereo. While this format is not bad for replay on your computer or standard definition TV playback, it does not allow for the quality endproduct the new high definition video cameras are designed to provide.
My experience with video editing has enabled me to use these tools in my work with students. I am a swimming and diving coach and use these tools to shoot and produce videos for All-American diving applications, video's for college coaches to review, and sometimes to edit and insert videos into my swimming blog as a motivator or reminder of good technique. http://www.hphsswimming.blogspot.com/
I also use my editing skills to edit and create unique learning segments to be placed in my power points to highlight an objective. Using video editing allows me to interact with my students and make them want, in turn, to utilize thier creative skills to design a unique project for their classes.

In Andrew Garrison's article "Video Basics and Production Projects for the Classroom," he states: "Media production offers a means for students to talk to whomever they think is an important audience." With the explosion of  YouTube videos, I think there are alot of students that want to express themselves. My ablitity and experience with editing will allow me to continue to be a mentor to these students to help foster creativity in the classroom and beyond.