PSA Reflection

Multimedia and video technology was a new experience for me. It was never something that I thought I would enjoy or be good at so I never took the time to explore all it has to offer and how it could change the way we teach 21st century learners. I learned how “to extend the amount and type of information available” (Shank, n.d.) to a given audience. I learned about all the ins and outs of producing a short, informational video and became aware of the importance of filming several shots from different angles (Desktop-Video-Guide, n.d., Change Your Perspective, para. 1). Keeping these things in mind as filming and researching occur, can lead a production team to producing a video that will engage the audience. Producing a public service announcement (PSA) as a group, allowed me to become familiar with the process of production and the amount of time it takes to create a successful video.

Creating the PSA as a group, forced me to meet new people and helped me learn how to mediate disputes from a leadership perspective. We quickly determined what our PSA would cover and the direction we wanted to go. Over the course of three weeks, personal lives and inclement weather forced us to change directions and adapt what we originally thought we could do to what we could actually do in the allotted amount of time. I quickly learned that I was working with several different personality types. From this, I learned that I believe good leadership lends itself to providing direction, having patience and trusting each participant to fulfill his/her given role. In addition, I found that good leaders also need to have the ability to intervene in a professional manner when a participant strays from the group or loses sight of the purpose of group collaboration and the tools used to collaborate. It can be frustrating when not all group members are actively participating in the collaboration process. Sometimes just a quick e-mail can bring them back to the group and help them refocus on the task at hand. When creating something that could be performed in numerous ways, it is beneficial to have a team to work with. I believe our group PSA is better than what I could have produced alone simply because of our differing views and abilities.

Through the collaborative process for creating a PSA, I discovered the importance of being able to envision how a tool can be used to meet the needs and purposes of the project in order to realize a tool’s potential (Williamson & Redish, 2009, p. 103). It becomes more important when working in a group. If one person cannot envision how to effectively use a tool to our benefit, it can lead to unnecessary work and loss of valuable time. In the future, I believe it will be beneficial to discuss the importance of how technology tools can work to our benefit and make sure those implementing the tools fully understand their potential. I often find that I can envision how technology will work to our benefit, but I find myself forgetting that not everyone can and taking the time to ensure everyone involved has an understanding of the purpose of a task can make all the difference.


Desktop-Video-Guide. (n.d.). Guidelines for shooting quality video. Retrieved on December 6, 2011, from http://www.desktop-video-guide.com/shoot-video.html

Shank, P. (n.d). The value of multimedia in learning. Think Tank. Retrieved November 12, 2011, from http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/thinktank/valuemedia/

Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). Technology Facilitation and Leadership Standards: What every K-12 leader should know and be able to do. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.