Blog Assignment 13b

Have the linked courses been beneficial to you and if so how? If not, why not?
For the first semester of my study in UH, the link courses that I have is really a benefit to me. I can have two courses at one night, which means I don't have to spend much time on traffic.
However, the popular culture discussion of this class was really frustrated and devastated. I think this class will not work well if the student comes from other country, just like me.

Have the digital photo/storytelling assignments been worthwhile in helping you learn the technology skills presented?
All the assignments are steps of final project. They were also very helpful for me to get more knowledge about emerging technology. I used Adobe premiere and Ulead video studio for educational use of video before, but I have no much idea about how to deal with still images effectively, like microsoft photo story does.

Do you think that the linked course pairing helped you connect technical skills to content area knowledge? If so, how and if not, what do you think did not work?
It helped to connect skills and content because I have to read much information about the theme before I embark my digital story. Technology changes fast and content is the soul of digital production. Using emerging technology and abundant content information are all important in this work.

Would you be interested in taking other linked courses if they were offered and would you recommend this pair of linked courses to other students?
I will be interested in taking other linked course, but I wish the other part of the class can be broader. 

Is there anything else you can suggest that you feel would improve the digital photography/storytelling half of the linked course pair?
Microsoft Photostory is a good software for teachers to use, but I think Adobe Premiere Elements is more flexible for different level learners. You can have all the functions in MS Photostory, but you can get more if you want to try. That will be more challenging and more space to create for students to produce the project. Despite the time is not sufficient and it's not a FREE software to learn, but I still think Adobe Premiere Elements will be better to learn in graduate level.

One option under consideration is to have a linked pair of courses where the content area course would be offered as a traditional 3 hour per week face-to-face course and the digital photo/storytelling course would be offered online, or mostly online. Please discuss your reaction to this idea and provide any questions or comments you have on this topic.
I think it's not a good idea to offer digital part online, especially for a novice learner. The thinking process of instructor and learner are totally different, particularly in learning computer software. Learner will fall behind in face-to-face class, not to mention a online course. I would suggest provide most of the class online, but face-to-face discussion and working are indispensable.  

Do you have any other comments that you would like to add?Have the digital photo/storytelling assignments been worthwhile in helping you learn the popular culture content? 
I learned a lot in this class and I think it's a good start for me to success in UH.