Posts Tagged Technology in the Classroom
Technology at the forefront of Life Long Learning
Digital Media Academy News + Events | March 22nd, 2009 by Lara
Janet Armstrong is a high school teacher at Adrian Wilcox High School in Santa Clara, California. She recently attended CUE (Computer Using Educators), where she learned of DMA. Seeing the importance of technology in today’s world and the importance of keeping up with and teaching the latest technology to her students, she is going to take a DMA course this summer to advance her skills. The following is her views on technology in the classroom:
Schools have seen the need to educate students to make appropriate, efficient, and productive use of available technologies. At the same time they are compelled to reduce the digital divide that exists between higher and lower socioeconomic groups of students, giving them all access to the same tools. Consequently, as the tools advance, educators must be at the forefront of life long learning.
Life long learning is a phrase that has been buzzing around academia for the last decade. It’s a mindset educators must have to stay connected to the ever-evolving technology that seems to grow exponentially each year. Teachers and administrators MUST stay abreast these advances or they will quickly find themselves fossils.
Skills once reserved only for high school students are more appropriate today for middle school students. This has created the opportunity to expose high school students to cutting edge technologies that are fun, interesting and highly engaging. At Wilcox High School in Santa Clara we are opening two new digital media courses that will employ the use of Adobe CS4 products to teach web design, digital image editing, digital storytelling, and publication design. To be a proficient teacher I must become a proficient user of these tools. This summer Digital Media Academy at Stanford will prepare me to be such a teacher. The Introduction to Web Design with Adobe CS4 – Dreamweaver, Flash & Photoshop course will enhance my current skills as I learn the latest version of these programs to design lessons and activities for my students.
Life today is complex and diverse. As never before, communication involves the constant use of visuals, sound, and action. The digital age is here and education has the responsibility to prepare our children to use the tools today and into the future. Thankfully, the Digital Media Academy is available to assist with this process.
Janet Armstrong
Adrian Wilcox High School
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A technology teacher's reflection …
Digital Media Academy News + Events | March 19th, 2009 by Margaret Lim
Karen Sparks is an elementary school teacher at Horizon Prep in Rancho Santa Fe, CA (in North County San Diego). She recently attended a DMA workshop at the CUE Conference in Palm Springs and will be taking a DMA course in the summer to further her skills and her passion for using technology in the classroom. The following is her reflection of her experience in a hands-on class in video editing, taught by Tom Wolsky:
My reason for taking the Final Cut Pro class was to increase my knowledge of the Final Cut Pro software. DMA has a wonderful reputation, and I have wanted to attend a workshop at the CUE conference. I currently teach K-5th grades and teach the iLife suite including iMovie. My goal for my students is to make sure that I am preparing my students for Middle School and High School by learning programs such as Final Cut Pro and Photoshop.
I really enjoyed the Final Cut Pro workshop given by Tom Wolsky at the conference. The room was packed with other educators and the group easily digested the lesson. The pace was appropriate and the group enjoyed making the movie including the Sea World footage. We learned how to select the footage for our project and to import music and titles. Tom reviewed the keyboard short cuts for the most frequently used commands and showed us how much easier it is to learn the keyboard commands than trying to find each command in the menu bar. Tom was very patient with the questions form the class and was able to explain himself very concisely. Final Cut Pro offers so much flexibility and creative room to really express oneself. Final Cut Pro allows for so much control over the media and offers so much potential for one’s project.
The staff from Digital Media Academy was very helpful and knowledgeable. DMA has many interesting courses this summer including weeklong sessions on a cruise in Mexico or the Caribbean. How cool would it be to take classes while on a cruise? I am thinking about taking the cruise to the Caribbean this summer and visiting some wonderful places while being able to learn Final Cut Pro.
In this economy it is so important to continue to improve your skills and taking classes through DMA is a step in the right direction.
Karen Sparks
Horizon Prep
