Week 4- Renee Romero

~Collecting, Organizing, and Citing Sources: Zotero~

Week 4

What technologies (and these can be old, new, or emerging) might be most appropriate for your final project?

I have had the question of which technologies to use floating around in my mind as my final project is an online tutorial.

I believe the most appropriate technologies to create the tutorial(s) will be:

1. Videoscribe
2. Camtasia

Does your final project align with any of the trends represented in the Horizon Report you reviewed?

My final project aligns closely with the long-range trend to continue progress in technology, standards, and infrastructure. The report defines this trend as the growing use of “...providing remotely accessed online resources” to students (14).  While the report gives an example of a digital collection, research help is also a precious service that libraries provide to students. My final project is part of a larger goal to make such services available to students in a way that is accessible, practical, and also able to be individualized to an extent. This can also connect to the collaboration between organizations spoken of in the report, with the opportunity for my final project to live in online repositories and platforms such as youtube. The project also connects  increasing accessibility, as online materials are often more accessible than face-to-face workshops.

How does your choice of technology enhance or improve instruction, or motivate learners?

Videoscribe (http://www.videoscribe.co/) is animation software that allows a user to make animation videos. Animation in general enhances instruction by making the tutorials more interesting, and capturing the attention of the learner. Videoscribe will be especially useful to illustrate some of the more theoretical concepts, such a research being a conversation; through animation, I can more clearly convey the metaphor (ex., using visuals of a conversation during that section, etc.). Videoscribe is also unique because the canvas was designed to function as a “whiteboard,” which allows for me to “write” out learning goals in the video for students to focus on completing.

Camtasia is screen-capture software that will allow me to demonstrate how to use Zotero, in the second tutorial. This will enhance instruction by showing learners exactly where certain functions and features are on the software, rather than only an auditory explanation. This will also motivate learners by lessening confusion and helping them feel empowered to excel in their task.