RSS in Education

Our assignment for week 5 was to produce a tutorial about RSS and how you might use RSS in a learning environment.  Coming from a corporate environment I focused on how my team might be able to incorporate RSS as part of our learning programs and resources.

Developing the tutorial was a challenge as learning how to use Camtasia was not intuitive, so I’m thankful for the helpful tutorials TechSmith offers.  I also wanted to use some of the editing features a bit too much and had to tone it down so that whoever viewed my tutorial didn’t feel sick. 

This was a fun project, and one that challenged me to write out a script rather than doing things on the fly as I normally do when I conduct online training or develop eLearning.  I have a new appreciation for video editors, as working with Camtasia showed me how much is actually involved in producing even a short video.

I enjoyed this week’s assignment and hope to be able to use Camtasia again for other projects. 

Elements of Educational Technology

Elements of Educational Technology

The assignment this week was to read the definition of Educational Technology by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT).  Within this definition the AECT also outlined thirteen key elements that support this definition, of which we had to select three we felt were most important to this subject.  I found selecting just three elements challenging as all elements are important, so I decided to focus on those elements I believe are most important in a corporate setting, and specifically the corporate setting in which I work.  In my corporate world the elements of Use, Appropriate and Resources are of greatest importance at the moment.

Reading this paper confirmed to me that Educational Technology is a complex subject and it is always evolving.  Just when you think you have it defined another innovation will come along that redefines this subject.  I found it interesting to note this paper was drafted in 2004, and I wondered how the impact of social media will change the definition of Educational Technology in 2014 and beyond.

Welcome!

G'day, my name is Andrea Adera and this is my learning log for the Masters in Educational Technology degree at Boise State University.  The purpose of this log will be to share ideas, artifacts and record my experience as I progress through this program.  I look forward to learning new skills, discovering new ways to apply technology to education, and most of all getting to know my fellow classmates.

Originally from Australia, I'm now living in sunny south Texas and working for a global consulting firm as a Senior Learning and Development Specialist.  When I'm not working I like to cook and entertain friends.

I'm looking forward to reflecting on this log as I near the end of my degree to see all of the amazing things I have learned as part of this program.  I'm excited about the journey this degree will take me on and hope you will join me on the path every now and then.

Cheers