EXPRESSION MODULE REFLECTION

Savanna Benson

1. Implementation of Feedback:
I was able to fix the issues found in the project plan. The majority of the
constructive criticism I received was about my artist’s statement. One reviewer said that
my artist’s statement should focus more on how my plan will change and adapt as I
continue teaching. I talked a lot about how technology can influence my actions in the
classroom, expanding not only on the ever-changing nature of my educational
philosophy, but it also expanded on the technological aspect of the project. I was sure to
mention both the positive and the negative aspects of technology. For the positives, I
focused on things like virtual field trips and easily accessible examples of well-formed
experiments, whereas for the negative aspects I focused on distractions cell phones and
laptops can bring into a classroom, particularly during notetaking. I expanded on these
aspects after a peer reviewer asked me to elaborate on what I meant by “technology
can be both a hinderance and a tool in the classroom.”
Had I more time with this project, I would have fixed some technical issues in my
video. At one point, viewers can hear my dogs barking in the background while I explain
my teaching philosophy. Had I the time, I would have eliminated this background noise
using Audacity recording tools. However, by the time I finished my video, it was already
Sunday night, and I didn’t have enough time to research how to eliminate loud
background noises without eliminating my audio.
2. Learning Reflection
I have never done a project like this in the past, so it was very helpful to get
some feedback on what I could have done better in the original draft. I think it was very
helpful to receive feedback particularly about the artist’s statement, since I have never
had to write anything like it for a class. I never thought about how artists sometimes
have to explain their works to others in order to get the full message behind it. Having
never written one before, I found it very difficult to put my multimedia’s message into
words. I wanted to reiterate what the video had said verbatim, and at times I did.
However, my peer reviewers helped me fix the problems I had with the artist’s
statement and reword anything I had already said in the video.
Having said that, it was also very encouraging to receive positive feedback
throughout the peer review process. I was so focused on what was going wrong
throughout the process of making, recording, and editing the video that it was very nice
to hear someone enjoyed my video and project plan. I spent a good amount of time on
 the video itself, and I was terrified that it was going to be unwatchable. Hearing other
people say kind things about the video made it all the easier to finish.

3. Alternative Uses / Future Directions:

This type of animation style could easily be used to make videos for future
classes. The drawing aspect of this animation style is useful for explaining complicated
Biology content. Specifically, many kids struggle with things like mitosis / meiosis and
punnet squares. They are very visual concepts, so having this extra component students
could watch outside class is very useful. I ended up buying a video editing software
because it is something I will likely be using throughout my time at Mary Lou Fulton and
beyond. I plan on creating more videos like this for projects and future students.
This could also be a great icebreaker for inside the classroom. Introducing
yourself to the class can be awkward, and some kids don’t like the spotlight on them.
Having them draw out their lives rather than talking about it in front of the class can
help to build the strong educational community I highlighted so prominently in my video
and in my project plan.