This week's blog is imbued with frustration due to my lack of progress on my upcoming assignment for my ED 429 class. I have been given the task of creating an interactive Power Point presentation that serves as a tutorial on how to use the wonderful computer program Garage Band. My main frustrations echo problems most educators have had with the encroaching technology that has become part of our educational mandate: the learning curve is too difficult. My experiences with computer technology have been fair, and I have held my own (see my 350 plus page HSGQE website I designed by myself), but I feel I may have a learning disability when it comes to understanding certain programs. I do fine when I have an expert available, but I seem to get tangled up in dead ends when I'm left on my own. This is exactly what is occurring this weekend. I have put in over seven hours, which may not sound like much, but working as a teacher, with its deluge of lesson plans, papers to grade, and misc. housekeeping chores, along with two other UAF classes I'm taking and my family obligations, even seven minutes seems precious: thus the rant.
My specific problem with the Power Point presentation is that I haven't learned to easily navigate Garage Band, so it's difficult for me to write a tutorial on a program I don't fully understand. Match that with my incompetence at Power Point, and I am experiencing serious angst over this assignment. I could throw something together, but it seems disingenuous to create a tutorial that will never be used. I like everything I do in all my UAF classes to have some relevance to the children I teach on a daily basis, but time is of the essence and I'm losing my joy with this fun software. Worse yet, I feel that I'm not learning anything, and that is always troublesome.
What I'm trying to accomplish with this assignment is to create an accessible tutorial on Power Point for my English 9 students so they can record their Poetry Out Loud (POL) on to Garage Band without too much one-on-one assistance from me (in order to help expedite the assignment). I am hoping they can also layer music as a background in order to create a cool presentation to their peers, and have fun manipulating this interesting computer program. The only problem I have is trying to figure out the program and any bottlenecks that pop up.
Well, I reckon I've complained enough and it's time to get back to work. I apologize for using this space to complain, but perhaps in a week or two I can look back at this lamentation on wasted time and realize it was time well spent. Or not.
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3 comments:
Hang in there....
I understand about being frustrated with the new technology. I went through the same thing with the graphic tablet. But try just taking a deep breath and having fun with it instead of focusing on what you can't do with it. Play... I know that just takes more time, but you might find the enjoyment in it again and come back to the project refreshed and more confident.
Good Luck
I can understand your frustration. This project involves not one but two learning curves--one for PowerPoint (although that is largely covered in ED 237, a prerequisite for this course) and one for the peripheral that you chose to work with. That's why the assignment asks you to create a simple lesson on some aspect of your peripheral, not an extensive tutorial covering all of its features. I agree with Tori's comments--it's probably best approached by playing (literally) with the peripheral first to get a feel for what it can do, and then base your PowerPoint lesson on some aspect of that. When I am trying out a new technology, I generally try to force myself to create a project using it. I know it will take me longer than if I had done it with familiar materials, but to me that's part of the learning curve. If the technology is useful (or if I can imagine a potential use for it) then I'll keep creating projects with it. Over time, it should become easier and easier.
I think we have all had those moments. Just remember..when you are feeling tempted to throw the laptop against the wall... DONT DO IT! close the laptop and come back to it later! I actually really admire you for trying such a difficult piece of technology. I took one look at the Garage Band and I realized I was nowhere ready to try to figure that nonsense out. So kudos to you. I also think that you dedication to work on it for seven hours really shows how dedicated you are to your students and learning. They are lucky to have a guy that cares so much!
Sam :)
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