Reflect on the following:
I have done application/software training off and on for over 15 years. I’ve done workshops for PowerPoint, Excel, Access, Word, Outlook, ExamSoft, Blackboard, Photoshop, etc. Sometimes the training/workshops can go very smoothly and sometimes not so much. I remember my worst experience, it was a workshop for MS Access. My first mistake was agreeing to teach Access since it is not an easy software to understand or to teach, and my second mistake was offering it as a hands-on training for a large group. I quickly became aware that things were not going to go so well when I realized some users were not comfortable with the computer and didn’t know the difference between a right-click, a double-click, or a triple-click. Needless to say, it was a disaster. This awful experience taught me two things: one, I learned to say no when asked about providing training for a difficult software and two, I learned to never, ever teach a hands-on training to a large group.
Besides providing training and workshops for software applications, I have also created training material for the school I work for, using Word, PowerPoint, and Adobe Acrobat. Hands down my favorite media tool to use when creating learning content is SnagIt. With SnagIt, I can easily grab a screenshot of a menu or a window or application and insert into a document. SnagIt is so easy to use as it only requires a couple of steps.
I also find SnagIt to be the most useful when communicating with the faculty and students. I can easily share a quick screenshot of the area in question and most of the time, this screenshot can quickly get across what I’m trying to communicate. The screengrabs can be a lot better at explaining something then step-by-step written instructions. At the beginning of every semester, I like to remind the faculty to buy and install SnagIt as it will make it a lot easier for them to communicate with their students.
On a personal note, I have learned a lot from watching YouTube videos and Lynda training videos. Through YouTube videos, I have learned how to do illustrations of my pets and of my family members. Although I was completely unfamiliar with Adobe Illustrator and had never taken a class, the step-by-step videos provided me with enough information for me to become good enough to produce my own illustrations. With Lynda.com, I learned to restore family old photographs. Although this is a very tedious and time-consuming process, the results are great and I save a lot of money by doing this myself.
- What do you think you already know about the use of media for learning and teaching?
- Discuss some examples of instances in which you have used media to teach or learn personally and how effective you found it to be.
I have done application/software training off and on for over 15 years. I’ve done workshops for PowerPoint, Excel, Access, Word, Outlook, ExamSoft, Blackboard, Photoshop, etc. Sometimes the training/workshops can go very smoothly and sometimes not so much. I remember my worst experience, it was a workshop for MS Access. My first mistake was agreeing to teach Access since it is not an easy software to understand or to teach, and my second mistake was offering it as a hands-on training for a large group. I quickly became aware that things were not going to go so well when I realized some users were not comfortable with the computer and didn’t know the difference between a right-click, a double-click, or a triple-click. Needless to say, it was a disaster. This awful experience taught me two things: one, I learned to say no when asked about providing training for a difficult software and two, I learned to never, ever teach a hands-on training to a large group.
Besides providing training and workshops for software applications, I have also created training material for the school I work for, using Word, PowerPoint, and Adobe Acrobat. Hands down my favorite media tool to use when creating learning content is SnagIt. With SnagIt, I can easily grab a screenshot of a menu or a window or application and insert into a document. SnagIt is so easy to use as it only requires a couple of steps.
I also find SnagIt to be the most useful when communicating with the faculty and students. I can easily share a quick screenshot of the area in question and most of the time, this screenshot can quickly get across what I’m trying to communicate. The screengrabs can be a lot better at explaining something then step-by-step written instructions. At the beginning of every semester, I like to remind the faculty to buy and install SnagIt as it will make it a lot easier for them to communicate with their students.
On a personal note, I have learned a lot from watching YouTube videos and Lynda training videos. Through YouTube videos, I have learned how to do illustrations of my pets and of my family members. Although I was completely unfamiliar with Adobe Illustrator and had never taken a class, the step-by-step videos provided me with enough information for me to become good enough to produce my own illustrations. With Lynda.com, I learned to restore family old photographs. Although this is a very tedious and time-consuming process, the results are great and I save a lot of money by doing this myself.
Here is my illustration of my beautiful cat Nicolas.
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