Ryan MacGregor's Portfolio

Welcome to my e-portfolio; this page has been subdivided into three sections that contain samples of original works I have created and refined throughout the duration of EDDL 5131. I hope you find something useful, and I welcome your comments at the end of the post.

Here are is the Gallery Directory:

Creating and Editing Video

Creating an Educational Infographic

Creating an Interactive Graphic

Creating and Editing Video

I enjoyed composing and shooting the storyline in this little project, and I combined stills, time-lapse video, editing in sounds, transitions, and even a little cinematic trick (well, sort of a poor cousin of the ‘pushthrough’) in making this. Probably did more than I needed, but hey, I was having fun.
I think one thing that would make a huge difference is a quality microphone and stand, and a bounce card and stand. This would ‘fix’ some of the small audio inconsistencies, and the bounce card would even out the light on subjects in frame.
I think for my students, I would be happy to have them stick with the pre-packaged video and audio treatments, as it would allow more focus on content, and less on production. That said, I think it is important to model ‘what could be’, to a certain degree, so as to inspire as well as inform.

Downloadable file link for Beers Around

Downloadable Transcript of Beers Around in .doc format

Downloadable Transcript of Beers Around in .pdf format

Download Screencast Transcription with Citations

Click here for the Creating and Editing Video Screencast Download link

References

Beer Overflowing Image, Creative Commons, https://image.freepik.com/free-photo/glass-beer-alcohol-drink-with-overflowing-foam_8087-3090.jpg

MacLeod, K., “Meanwhile In Bavaria”. Creative Commons, https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1500057#google_vignette

Perlick Bar and Beverage, “The Four Elements of an Effective Beer System”. Used with attribution, https://blog.perlick.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/The-Advantages-of-Glycol-Cooled-Beer-Lines.jpg

Creating an Educational Infographic

Click here to see a larger version of the image.

Click the picture for a larger version of the image.

This infographic was created in easel.ly, and used a template that was…inflexible to work with. I used much of the feedback from my peers to re-evaluate the graphic, moving some pieces that interfered with the reading, re-phrasing certain text to make more sense, and positioning and enlarging font size for readability. I upgraded my graphic by making my own silhouette, which adds to the interest factor of the overall poster by fully embracing the basketball theme. When initially generating my first infographic, I used the Dunlap and Lowenthal (2016) schema that I applied to create user engagement, consisting of the situational qualities of immediacy, malleability, compellingness, resonance, and coherence. In tailoring the hook to the target audience, a sense of immediacy is created as most of the learners receiving this are in that 9 to 12-year age range. By “asking learners questions that encourage reflection” (Dunlap & Lowenthal, p. 47) or by giving statements that are immediately relatable, the viewers start interacting on first glance. This malleability relates viewers to the information, as in “I have that”, “I had that”, or “I will have that”.

Click here for a transcription of the Infographic Screen Recording

Click here for a link to the original post

Click here for the download link for Creating an Educational Infographic Screencast

Creating an Educational Infographic

The original graphic and its derivative photos and videos are sourced through Creative Commons licensing (WikiCommons). The changes made to this particular graphic were based on feedback received from my peers through my blog. I tried to use a diverse array of supplementary resources in order to appeal to the dynamic structure, and to create user engagement through employing situational qualities as cited in Dunlap and Lowenthal (2016). Transcripts were provided for all videos for accessibility for differently abled or hearing challenged users; in some video, the audio could be an issue that it may distract or interfere with other media (Mayer, 2014).

Click here for a transcription of the Interactive Graphic Screen Recording

Click here for a link to the original post on Creating an Interactive Graphic

Click here for the download link for Creating an Interactive Graphic Screencast

Please leave any comments or feedback below

For this assignment, students will be able to identify the key components of a different skeletal system based on prior knowledge, compare them to the human skeleton, and make an inference about functionality.

Click on the learning points (the yellow “+”) on the picture to learn gain more information on the skeletal parts. As you read, be aware that you will need to answer the following questions: “Compare and contrast the skeletal system of a human, which we have been examining for the last six weeks, and the skeleton of the ostrich. How does the ostrich’s skeleton differ from a human’s? Why do you think that is? Can you find two more dissimilarities that should be included on the image?”

One of the courses I teach in grade 4 and 5 science is the human digestive system. I can see using short video portions to meet learning outcomes by detailing the function of each system component separately, and then doing a culminating activity ‘in person’. I, too, am not certain whether “lasting learning gains were attained” (Shelton, Warren, & Archambault, 2016, p. 472), and so tying all the components together in a classroom setting would allow me to assess the quality of student learning from the interactive video component.

Challenges to this undertaking would not be hung up on technology; because of our small school population, we are relatively device rich, and so have plenty of access during school time. This does not facilitate the learning outside of class, necessarily, but does make it practical within the building. Owing to the fact that we are a geographic fragmented district, the development of this media would fall on me. As such, the biggest limiter would be twofold; first, the mastery and facility that I may or may not have using the design software, and having the content available. Second, the amount of time I have available to dedicate to developing said media in conjunction with my full teaching load, my familial obligations, my community responsibilities, and my post-secondary academic commitments.

Reference

Shelton, C.C., Warren, A.E. & Archambault, L.M. Exploring the Use of Interactive Digital Storytelling Video: Promoting Student Engagement and Learning in a University Hybrid Course. TechTrends 60, 465–474 (2016). https://doi-org.ezproxy.tru.ca/10.1007/s11528-016-0082-z

Part I
One of the 6+1 traits of writing skills used in developing students’ creative compositions is sequencing. Sequencing helps develop a flow or storyline in writing, and is an extension of the primary concept of ‘beginning, middle, end’. This assignment is designed for an intermediate grade level of 4 or 5 Language Arts program, and can be accomplished using the school hardware (MacBook Airs with iMovie installed), or using a personal mobile or video recording device. Because the school has a OneDrive subscription, all student work can be uploaded to the Cloud and accessed either at home or at school. Student completed work can shared either through YouTube, or through the school’s online repository, BetterEducate.
Learning outcome:

Student will be able to create a simple progressive sequence of events to demonstrate an everyday routine. Suggestions include: Brushing teeth, baking cookies, operating a machine such as a motorcycle or sewing machine, making a sandwich, doing household chores.
Completion criteria include:
• A title
• Audio that is audible and clear
• Two different camera perspectives.
• A clearly defined purpose
• A script that accompanies the video project
• Credits
Assignments should be submitted by April 1st at the latest. If you have any questions or technical difficulties, please contact Mr. MacGregor as soon as possible. Note that school equipment is not available outside of school hours or to take home under any circumstances.
If you forget how to use iMovie, click here for a refresher.
We will hold a screening party and a critics’ panel in the week following submissions, and all individual videos will be shared back to our parents or family units.

Part II
This project is designed for intermediate students in grades 6 and 7, for French class, specifically focusing on two parts; first, using the available equipment to shoot and edit sequential, cohesive video, and second; using appropriate pronouns and vocabulary to communicate simple statements and facts in French. Most work should be accomplished using the school hardware (MacBook Airs with iMovie installed), or using a personal mobile or video recording device. For exceptions, please have a discussion with Mr. MacGregor before starting.
Because the school has a OneDrive subscription, all student work can be uploaded to the Cloud and accessed either at home or at school. Student completed work can shared either through YouTube, or through the school’s online repository, BetterEducate.

Learning outcome:

Student will create a simple autobiography that introduces themselves and their family. This should be followed by a chronological sequence of events to demonstrate their everyday routine. Suggestions include: Brushing teeth, baking cookies, operating a machine such as a motorcycle or sewing machine, making a sandwich, doing household chores, going to school. This should be reflective of a ‘day in the life’, and should feature around 8 – 10 vignettes or events that you accomplish as you move through your day.

Completion criteria include:
• A title and credits
• Edited, with appropriate transitions
• Audio that is audible and clear
• At least two or three different camera perspectives
• Logical events and event sequencing
• A script that accompanies the video project; this may be story-boarded
• Credits
• Appropriate use of, and pronunciation of, French verbs and vocabulary.

Assignments should be submitted by April 15th at the latest. If you have any questions or technical difficulties, please contact Mr. MacGregor as soon as possible. Remember to review your audio and video after each shot to make sure you are happy with the quality. Note that school equipment is not available outside of school hours or to take home under any circumstances.

Helpful Links
If you forget how to use iMovie, click here for a refresher.
If you forget how to conjugate certain verbs, or can’t remember something in French, try clicking here.
If you need background music, try some of the sites listed here.
Recording problems? Try checking out these tips.
And finally, some tips and tricks to improve your lighting.

We will hold a screening party and a critics’ panel in the week following submissions, and all individual videos will be shared back to our parents or family units during our on-line film festival on the 20th of April.

So for this one, I once again reminded that I talk a bit too quickly. I spent a good bit of time editing missing pieces that I ‘intended’ to say, or perhaps did, but just weren’t picked up. I also tried to adjust the timing a bit… I found some phrases were left dangling on the wrong screen, and there were a couple of pauses that were overly noticeable. This also reinforced to me, how little editing is actually done to closed captions for video by the video producers, which further shows how much consideration is actually occuring on behalf of differently abled viewers.

Again, had a lot of fun with this. Shot with my Google Pixel4a, because the quality of video was far superior to my MacBook Air. You may notice the white wire on the right hand side of the screen (my left) as I attempted to make a lavalier (lapel mic) using a set of earbuds going into my laptop. It worked okay, but there was some fabric scratching. I went through Audacity and took out all the noise I could find, both by using the Noise Reduction filter, and also by editing the sine waves, but there are one or two parts where you can still tell. I wanted to have the ambient noises present… the crack of the cap on the bottle, and the sound of the pour. Next time, I would paint the lavalier out to match my shirt, and clip it outside the material to prevent the scratching noises.

To control the light, I closed off curtains to the outside windows, but left them open on the sides to get an ambient fill that let no shadows. When the light was direct, it reflected off my shirt, and the desktop. The latter, I covered with a sheet, but I had to make sure I had no direct light. The actual Youtube does not look as good as the iMovie file, and next time I may equalize the lighting tones a bit more to bring the brightness down.

For audio, I split the audio track off the video and discarded it, then imported my edited track from Audacity. Syncing wasn’t too bad, and I think it’s close enough no one can tell. I brought in some oompa music (Creative Commons, https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1500057#google_vignette) to lighten the mood (of course, there is no WRONG way to enjoy a beer… Just poking fun at beer snobbery). I ended up splitting the music track a few times to vary the volume levels, and do a couple of swells. Turned out to be a pretty big file, so I uploaded it to Youtube and threw the link below.  Feel free to share your feedback! For those that care, that’s a clone I made of Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale, all Cascade hops with a lovely malt body.

For my screencast, I used Quicktime to show my students how to record on Zoom. As the district I wokr in has given everyone a Zoom account, it makes sense that they should know how to use it to enhance their learning. In this piece, I show the students (or whomever) how to record Zoom video and change the target directory so that they can find their recorded product. I probably could have made the quality a little better, but I was trying to keep it small as some of my students are on their parents’ mobile devices, and I didn’t want to drain their data plan.

The Final Cut

Again, lots of fun… I enjoyed composing and shooting the storyline in this little project, and I combined stills, time-lapse video, editing in sounds, transitions, and even a little cinematic trick (well, sort of a poor cousin of the ‘pushthrough’) in making this. Probably did more than I needed, but hey, I was having fun.
I think one thing that would make a huge difference is a quality microphone and stand, and a bounce card and stand. This would ‘fix’ some of the small audio inconsistencies, and the bounce card would even out the light on subjects in frame.
I think for my students, I would be happy to have them stick with the pre-packaged video and audio treatments, as it would allow more focus on content, and less on production. That said, I think it is important to model ‘what could be’, to a certain degree, so as to inspire as well as inform.

I find that many of my students in grade six come to me with very little confidence in their math, and this hampers their progress when we move on to newer or extended concepts. For example, I teach multi-digit multiplication, sometimes up to four digits by four digits. In order to do this, and to make it become a transferable skill, I show them a method of ordering the calculations that creates a repeatable and linear process that can be applied to any number of digits.

Khan-Style Tablet Capture

This concept, although straightforward, can seem new to the students, and mastery is not something that comes easily. Video could support this (and other) outcome by using either a Udacity-Style Tablet capture, or a Khan -Style Tablet Capture, which would show the mathematical progression graphically, using the dynamic drawing principle. However, I can see this being even more effective by incorporating a hybrid method along with a Talking Head, to incorporate the gaze guidance principle, as referenced in Mayer et al (2020), and to keep the continuity of teacher presence on screen. I am intrigued by the idea of the RE:call Live Lecture Capture, as it would allow student viewers to benefit from the conversations and general queries that occur naturally during student/teacher interactions. Of course, my capture would not be a full lecture hall, but rather something much more intimate, as if it were a conversation rather than a dissemination.

With that in mind, I recognize the importance of keeping these pieces short; when I was making news broadcasts, we were told to keep them at 90 seconds, the optimal time a person can maintain focus. “Lesson content should be carefully planned and segmented into more manageable sections… (‘Chunking’) can lead to better understanding and retention” (Guo et al., 2014, as cited in Woolfit, 2015, p. 24).

References

Mayer, R. E., Fiorella, L., & Stull, A. (2020). Five Ways to Increase the Effectiveness of Instructional Video. Educational Technology Research and Development, 68(3), 837–852.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11423-020-09749-6

Woolfit, Z. (2015). The effective use of video in higher education (Rep.), 10-38. Retrieved October 2, 2018, from https://www.inholland.nl/media/10230/the-effective-use-of-video-in-higher-education-woolfitt-october-2015.pdf