Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Week Six Reflection
I have discovered in the past few weeks a new appreciation for just how technical podcasting can become. For example, I have a sony digital camcorder and tons of video I would like to podcast for my classes. However, because our district blocks certain functions of media player, most every application I have tried to use to make videos has HATED these files. After three weeks, I finally figured out that by blocking these aspects of media player, it also blocks other programs from retrieving the codecs to read the files automatically. I have learned a lot about codecs that I never really wanted to know. The moral has become, as long as I use my own personal pc its all good – but try it on a pc with tight security and you’ll beat your head against the wall.
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6 comments:
There is a line in Star Wars (the first one, now episode IV) where princess Leah says to Darth Vader (Daddy) "the tighter you grip the more star systems will slip through your fingers."
Makes on wonder if we are spinning our wheels with security when we should be trying to find more ways to allow access. We grant driving priveleges and take them away where warranted, why not treat internet access the same way. Student who demonstrate the inability to to follow the rules of the road, travel recklessly on the internet highway, and endanger themselves and others would suffer the consequences. Most schools have policies against punishing an entire class for the transgressions of the one or the few. Why is technology the only exception?"
Knowing how technologies can engage learners doesn't mean we all have to become techies. I would have chosen a different field if that was my interest. I lived through your experience vicariously, and it was just as unpleasant. My searching for podcasts and mathematics produced only a few, and honestly only two I could ever use. I have been disappointed in the current quality and content.
I have a cat on my desk as well, but she is forced to balance on top of a stack of who knows what all is in it.
Anyway...what always struck me as strange in the classroom was that the security stuff always seemed to block me from doing educational things but never seemed to prevent my students from doing random things. I guess they had more time than me to figure out work-arounds. I will never forget complaining to my AP class about not being able to do a lab with my general physics class that they had enjoyed the year before because I couldn't get past the computers. One of my students asked if I could "not see him" for ten minutes. I told him I could as long as nothing happened which resulted in anyone else asking if I had seen him. Ten minutes later, I could use the video set ups I wanted properly again. And no one, ever asked.
I guess mine was one of those star systems that slipped through simply because the increased rules were too tight.
It has taken me five weeks, but and trying every program any of you suggested and in the end I found one that works by going back to the horses mouth. I have a SONY camcorder, and it took their software to get it to work on either of my pcs with no issues. At least its cheap, only $70, when my free trial runs out.
We have a technology director at our school - that I believe really does not like technology!
As I have mentioned I am writing a grant for a smart board. He met with me on Friday to discuss another seed program that I brought to his attention.
He said that many times these smartboards are a waste because teachers don't use them anyway and he was not going to assist in anyway with my grant!
Hello technology director!
Don't worry I have talked with the curriculum director who is planning in on allocating money and time to the program.
You are right about how school districts block certain sites. I had to beg and fight to get the blogging sites off of the flitering software of our server and other key words.
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