An interview with Dr Mike Prevou
Okay I know what you are thinking….17:47 minute video! What was I thinking? Well, I was thinking I have this rare opportunity to interview a man who has accomplished so much in the field of education and knowledge management that 5 minutes just won’t do him or the subject justice. So, I violated the five-minute limit on the video project and just went for it! I apologize for the length but I hope you hang in there, watch the entire video and get as much out of it as I enjoyed creating it.
I won't give you too much background on Dr Prevou because I cover it in the introduction of the video but a few highlights of Dr Prevou's career includes:
- Retired US Army LTC
- PhD in Education from the University of Kansas
- Owner and Co-Founder of Strategic Knowledge Solutions, Inc.
- Lead agent for the development of the Army Knowledge Management program
- Author, Speaker, and Presenter
- Avid cyclist and suba diver
The questions I asked Dr Prevou were…
1. Since you began teaching, can you highlight a few changes
you have seen with the integration of technology into curriculum?
2. Do you believe technology integration has enhanced
learning? If so, how?
3. Have you seen technology used for the wrong purpose or
outcome? Why do you think this occurs?
4. What technology have you used in your classroom and why
did you choose that technology?
5. Given your vast experience with using technology for
teaching, where do you see technology in education going in the future?
Lessons Learned:
Since this was the first time I took on a project of this magnitude, I did some things well and I made a few mistakes.
Things I would do again:
1. Lay out a plan for the interview -- what, when, how, with whom.
2. Write the questions out and send them to the interviewee ahead of time.
3. Schedule the actual interview at least a week before the assignment is due to allow for plenty of time to edit the final product.
4. Before posting, send the video to the interviewee to insure he/she agrees with the final product.
Things I would do differently:
1. Try to stay within the time requirement. I went way over the time but had difficulty editing the video down without losing the essence of the topic and the flow of the questions.
2. When interviewing don't number your questions in the actual video. If you number them you restrict yourself to how you can edit the video.
3. Make sure the positioning of the chairs, lighting and sound is good.
4. Continue learning how to use the iMovie editing features so the final video is a more professional product.
Final thoughts...
This was an assignment that posed some great challenges for me but in the end, I learned a lot about the process of how to make a video, the value of using videos to enhance the learning experience, and I enjoyed talking to an accomplished professional in the field of adult education to get his perspective on integrating technology into curriculum.
Hi Eileen. I am writing this as a courtesy, and it is not intended to insult you or your work. You did a good job with your interview. However, Dr. K. instructed us to keep the podcasts under five minutes as a consideration for all classmates. Can you imagine having to watch and comment on podcasts that are nearly 20 minutes each? We would be at our computers for hours! I don't think that was the intention of this final assignment. People like me are already spending two to ten hours a day working on these assignments. Overshooting the assignment limit by twelve minutes is superfluous time I could have spent trying to figure out some application or software program. Again, your interview was fantastic. I do think you could have edited it to be shorter. It was great working with you in this course. Good luck in your future endeavors.
ReplyDeleteTonya,
DeleteThank you for your comments and no insult taken. The length of the video was my number one lesson learned from this project. After I realized how much video I had, I tried to edit it but since many of the questions went on for as much as 5 minutes each, the more I edited the less professional and choppy it appeared so the final product would have been disjointed. I knew when I got to that point I was in at a crossroads of what to do, keep it long or submit a shorter project that did not flow and looked awful. I had a feeling that not many people were going to watch all 17 minutes that is why I posted the questions and lessons learned in the blog. Thanks for the feedback and even though I did not stay within the guidelines of the project, I did learn a lot from my mistakes.
Hi Eileen,
ReplyDeleteFirst, I commend you for doing a thorough job of conducting your interview and presenting your lessons learned. I understand your issues with editing. Which is why I told my interviewee we had to keep it under 5 minutes and we both watched the clock. I have to admit, when I read it was over 17 minutes, I said "OMG, I don't have time for that!" I still haven't found the courage to watch your video (sorry anything over 5 minutes is a bit much), but I have read through your lessons learned. I found giving the interviewee the questions ahead of time (and time restraint) and asking her to cover the issues expedited the process. I only had to ask her one or two questions to ensure that the issues we were tasked with covering were dealt with.
Blessings,
Sonora
Eileen, wow, what a slick presentation. Also liked how you published the exact questions you asked Dr Prevou. You went very in depth. Editing is a hard but necessary skill at times. However, the comprehensiveness of this interview is a great demonstration of the challenges and examples of benefits of technology.
ReplyDelete