Before Thanksgiving, I turned in my final portfolio for the Instructional Technology Master’s program at Virginia Tech. Once I receive word on how I did, I will share the portfolio here.
Turning in my portfolio was the last thing I needed to do to complete my degree. If it’s accepted, I’ll have a master’s degree. I am happy to be finished, and I feel the portfolio was a great way to show what I’d learned. I do wish that my program had worked in opportunities to build the portfolio throughout the coursework rather than just at the end, but in the end, I think I did learn from the program, particularly during the last three semesters when I took Multimedia Authoring, Project and Report, and Portfolio Evaluation. I had a truly great learning experience in Multimedia Authoring. I learned how to use Flash and built a little grammar game. My instructor for that course was the best instructor I had in the program. Project and Report was great because I was able to create my own project, and I learned a great deal about manipulating digital audio and video and the Fair Use doctrine of copyright law. Assembling the portfolio allowed me to reflect on my learning. I have already begun using some of what I’ve learned at my school as a member of the Technology Committee.
On an unrelated note, I have been meaning to share a former student’s new blog with you for some time. Jake was an absolute pleasure to teach, and I enjoy seeing what he’s up to as he makes his way in college and the world. I was really pleased that Jake not only felt comfortable sharing the blog with me, but also with my sharing it with you. Jake’s an amazing photographer, and I’m very proud of him. Hope you enjoy it!
Many congratulations! Hope you are able to share it here soon. 🙂
Thanks, Rajni!
Congratulations and best of luck on submitting your portfolio! I hope you continue to find what you've learned and experienced at school to be beneficial in the classroom.
Also, thank you for mentioning my blog. I appreciate your interest in keeping up with how everything has been since the good ol' Weber days.
I look forward to seeing your portfolio!
I love hearing about how my students are doing. I actually did learn quite a lot that will benefit my students and Weber (and already has, in some ways).
Mazel Tov!!!!!
Ha, ha! Thanks. I have worked at a Jewish school so long that I say that instead of congratulations unless I think about it first, no matter who I'm talking to.
Congratulations, Dana! I look forward to seeing your portfolio. I've long wanted to learn how to create with flash. Thank you for sharing Jake's journal. What a voice he has; the images are just gorgeous. I think one of the joys of teaching is see "our kids" grow up, develop their passions and engage in the world. Mazel Tov!
Jake is a pretty amazing person.
Flash was hard to learn, and I am by no means an expert, but I did create a goofy little grammar game. My other two options for Multimedia Authoring were PowerPoint and HTML, and I chose to use Flash because it would mean learning something new. I already know PowerPoint and HTML really well. However, I must say that some of the other projects I saw involved much cooler ideas than I had for mine. I still think too much like an English teacher and not enough like an instructional technologist! I did rectify this thinking for my Project and Report and did something more tech based. Flash is pretty strange—I had an older version and spend a lot of time Googling how to do things, only to be frustrated by tutorials that discussed newer versions of Flash. Anyway, I'll share soon. I just received word today that my portfolio will be reviewed by the 14th.
Dana,
I wanted to let you know I appreciate your blog. I have begun the new adventure of blogging as an English teacher, and I have often used your blog for my classroom and for inspiration. Thank you. If you have any thoughts or could take a moment to view my blog and give advice I would greatly appreciate it!
Thanks Carrie! I will check it out.