Thing 6 Reflection
Thing 3 – Reusable Image Banks – I used Pixabay
Thing 4 – Communicating Visually – I used Quik
Thing 5 – Video Presentations – I used Powtoon
All new tools I’d not used before.
I signed up for Rudai23 with the intention of gaining new
skills and updating existing ones, and to engage on a path of continued learning.
I’m a regular user of social media and have fully embraced new
apps and tools for communication in recent years, such as Pinterest and
Instagram, and can see many individuals and companies now using these
to promote business and services. However the tasks required for the Rudai
Things involved tools and apps which I had little or no prior knowledge of, and
I have to say I am so glad to have been pointed toward them.
Pixabay for example is an absolute gem. I was one of the
many using Google as my first port of call for an image – and whilst knowing
that images must be credited when used – Pixabay makes finding free images a
breeze! I’ll certainly utilise this a lot, especially since the site is easy to
navigate and the images are great quality.
I set up a Flickr account too – this site I was previously
aware of, but had never actually used myself. I’m yet to add my own photos, but
I have downloaded the app to my phone for on the go use. I’m looking forward to
this.
Thing 4 called for some video editing. This initially scared
me slightly since I’ve little experience of this. I have uploaded videos to
apps and streamed myself live, but never actually thought about editing. Quik
makes this so simple. The choice of themes and music are easy to navigate and
select. I opted to create a video out of some stills I had taken the day before
of my dog on the beach. The theme I chose lent itself well to the fun subject,
and uploading the video directly from the app to my social media was simple.
Thing 5 built on these creative skills further. I have had
prior knowledge of creating presentations with Powerpoint and Camtasia – but I
have to say I really dislike hearing my own voice back – so am not really
inclined to record voiceovers! So I created a simple and silent video using the
graphics and animations. It was quite effective, but I admit that it would have
been enhanced by voiceover.
I feel as if I approached Things 3 to 5 with a somewhat
cautious attitude. The content I usually post online is usually a lot simpler,
and doesn’t reflect upon my knowledge of anything in particular – I like to
think that my photos of my dog taken on my iPhone will not be judged in
technique by experts in photography for example. So in my contributions for
Rudai23 I perhaps felt a little inhibited in terms of unleashing my creativity
since I am less familiar with writing for blogging, and with the tools for
Thing 4 and 5. Where there’s judgement involved I am definitely more cautious.
As I was tentative I didn’t explore the tools and exploit
their full potential, but this is clearly then a confidence issue. With
practice I’ll improve in ability and self-belief. I am incredibly happy to have
been introduced to the tools – Pixabay in partiucular is a superb tool – the
site is easily navigated and a joy to browse, and the images are cool and
relevant. Quik will also be staying on my phone for playing with further.
Use of the new tools and the chance to reflect upon my use of
them also caused me to think hard about the use of image and accreditation.
Working in education I have a good understanding of copyright laws and
regularly speak to library users about what they may reproduce, and how they
use it. For my own work and social media I have always used my own photos and
drawings, and although I am no artist I generally feel happy with what I
produce. Thing 3 showed me how I can also share my work as well as using those
of other people. Direction to sites such as Pixabay has opened my eyes to new
possibilities.
Considering all that I have done so far, it is clear that
involvement and practice provides a better understanding of new areas compared
to reading or hearing the information. Engaging in a task and uploading it for
others to comment upon is in itself an education. It allows for a certain level
of vulnerability in allowing other’s to judge, and yet it is an exciting
opportunity for feedback and constructive criticism. Confidence in ability is
clearly an issue I have discovered in the Rudai process, and one which I aim to
work upon through further engagement, looking for areas to push myself.
Moving forward I am excited for new opportunities – I know I
need to bite the bullet and immerse myself in order to unleash ability.
Excellent work Rachel. I'm issuing your badge today :)
ReplyDeleteStephanie
Hi Rachel,
ReplyDeleteIt's not too late to try your hand at some of the other badges. You don't have to do them in order :)
Stephanie