Have the linked courses been beneficial to you and if so how? If not, why not?
I liked the linked courses model because it was very convenient with meeting times and connected content area. I also liked how some of the work and technology assignments cool be connected are done for both classes. In the future maybe we could possibly blend some of the assignments better and discuss clearly the requirements for final projects. In the future it would also be great to have the option to take the linked course or take another related course. I thought that would be a great suggestion because you have different technology levels and there maybe students who want to focus more on the popular culture and the social education components. There are many schools.school district and professional development opportunities that have already trained and introduced educators to advance technology such as Digital Stories, Movie Maker , Media Converter, etc. I just think it would be nice to have that choice to participate in the linked course model or choose another course.
Have the digital photo/storytelling assignments been worthwhile in helping you learn the technology skills presented?
I have worked with Digital Stories for the past three summers with a TAH grant with the University of Houston and Houston ISD, but it was great to put all that knowledge to work again. I did receive some great resources that I could use to possibly enhance the technology projects that I create in the future.
Have the digital photo/storytelling assignments been worthwhile in helping you learn the popular culture content?
I have used Digital Stories for years to teach my students about broad concepts and thems in social studies. I now see myself inserting more popular culture and particularly the software and resources that can enhance technology projects.
Do you think that the linked course pairing helped you connect technical skills to content area knowledge? If so, how and if not, what do you think did not work?
I already had a great working knowledge on how to link content with technolgy from previous grants and professional development. Once again, my greatest gain was the wealth of software, websites and enhancing resources that were given throughout the class. I think that the quality, resolution, and sound of my future Digital Stories will be much better due to this course.
Would you be interested in taking other linked courses if they were offered and would you recommend this pair of linked courses to other students?
I think this would be a great course for students who do not have the opportunity to participate in professional development or have a ficus in technology at their campus or district. Students who have limited technology at their campus or limited tech. skills would also benefit great from this model. I would definitely extend/recommend this pair of courses to the above-mentioned educator.
Is there anything else you can suggest that you feel would improve the digital photography/storytelling half of the linked course pair?
I think it would be great to make it optional and if students have that background knowledge they could take an elective or another social education course that interests them. I am a firm believer in providing choice as I often do in my own class to create optimum results and interaction.
One option under consideration is to have a linked pair of courses where the content area course would be offered as a traditional 3 hour per week face-to-face course and the digital photo/storytelling course would be offered online, or mostly online. Please discuss your reaction to this idea and provide any questions or comments you have on this topic.Do you have any other comments that you would like to add?
I think that would be a great idea because the class could work very well via online. It would also be very convenient for working professionals and others who have hectic schedules. I also think another good option would be provide "choice" for your students because you will have a wide array of knowledge levels as it relates to technology.
