Week 15 - The Final Blog

~This is the end~

Here it is, ladies and gentlemen.  Summertime is upon us.  This is the droid you have been looking for.  We've covered a lot this semester, and my multimedia knowledge and skills have grown more than I had expected to.... But first, a look at my final draft of my story!

What do we take with us?

Obviously, it would be nearly impossible to recount everything we have learned, when you also have it at your fingertips.  I will tell you the most remarkable things that I have learned:

• First and most importantly, I have finally cracked and got into cloud computing.  I was skeptical about my information floating around in space somewhere, but it is just soooo much easier!  I think I will be sticking with Google+ for a while.
• TED talks.  These are just incredible learning tools, and should be utilized by all professors.  With that being said, the various speakers sharing their experience has been a great takeaway.
• Prezi has been a great addition to my repertoire, thanks to this course.  After becoming comfortable with it here, I was able to use it in three other courses.
• Keeping it simple has been a bullet point all semester long.  Remember, we do not want to overload our audience.  Instead, feed them the information out of necessity.  
• My last point, CREATIVITY.  This course has brought out a creative side of me that I have not tapped yet, and only have begun to scratch the surface.  I hope that in the future, I can take these lessons that I have learned and apply them in my career field when necessary.  I hope the rest of you can too!

Good luck everyone!

Week 14

Second Drafts

This week we published the second drafts to our final projects.  It looks like we are all coming along well!  Summer is almost here!

I took the advice of some of my classmates, and I believe I have an enjoyable video for everyone!  See for your self:

I can wait to see everyone's final videos!

Week 13-Rough Drafts and More WeVideo

Week 13: Rough Draft

Besides 7 elements of storytelling, there was not much as far as learning material this week.  I began working on my rough draft, and received a little bit of feedback from my peers on how my video may be a little bit more presentable.  For instance, I have developed a dramatic question that is present in my currently un-released draft #2.  

I have also turned it down a notch with the transitions as to not distract the viewer from the storyline.  

I am interested in seeing the feedback I will get on my next draft!

Week 12: Digital Stories

Digital Storytelling:  Our Final Task

This week, began diving in to our final task of the semester: creating a digital story to share with our classmates.  A digital story will differ from our presentations of the past.  The trick will be to engage the audience from the get go, and not just feed endless amounts of information.  In the 7 elements of digital storytelling, we learn to keep the viewer in mind, and use our editing software to our advantage. 

WeVideo will be the mandated medium in which our final stories will rest on. It so far seems as if the interface will be simple, and quite easy to produce a story.  I will be relying on the youtube audio library to enhance my story.

Week 11 - Infographics

How about some more visual literacy?

This week we covered what is becoming a very popular method of message relaying in social media, the infographic. 

Though mine was simply created on Google Slides and looks quite amateur hour, there are some very advanced infographics out there.  Here is a link to a great infographic done by the New York Rangers organization.  That should be a great example of putting more than just numbers out there.

This week, we were introduced to Hans Rosling in two videos that can be found here and here.  This guy is a data genius. A data freak, even.  He explains complicated data that does not require a doctorate to decipher, a key way of ensuring everyone can be educated.

Rosling's BBC video on the growth of lifespans and income visualization is incredible, and a peek at the second link is worth it.

Garr Reynolds is back once again this week to remind us to KEEP IT SIMPLE!!!!  Data visualization should not be complicated.

We read several articles on infographics, and how they are a great way to convey a message.  Edudemic shows us 10 great tools for making infographics.  Give it a peek!

Making a Google Forms survey was surprisingly easy!  Very self explanatory.  I wondered all semester how Elizabeth was making these assessment forms and checklists!

Week 10 - Prezi

We are almost there!

About four more weeks of class and we are done!  I will be graduating!  It's not like I'm counting the days or anything...

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Prezi of the United States....

This week we got in to Prezi, a great presentation tool.  That is, if you have a lot of patience.  It took me some getting used to all of the motion in the templates, but I was able to pull together a Prezi file which can be seen in my previous blog.  

I chose the topic for my press because becoming a police officer has been a long journey for me that still is not over.  But right now, my odds look really good!

I could not find the bad boys theme, but the background reggae should do!

Prezi seemed pretty easy to navigate as far as adding material, but I was not a fan of the motion, and sometimes my mouse would drag the presentation points around the screen.  Not very effective in that aspect.

I took Garr's advice and kept it simple, and let the images do the speaking.  Quick and to the point.

Let's keep going, were almost there!

Prezi

My Prezi:

Presenting Week 9

"We proudly present to you..."

This week we got a little deeper into presenting.  Garr Reynolds gave us two articles with tips on being a better presenter, and producing better presentations overall.  Here is a peek at my presentation video, and the slideshow follows shortly after:

Julian Treasure gave us a TED talk on becoming a better presenter, and even gave us some tips on warming up the old vocal chords!
TED Talk

If you want to record a presentation, you can check out three pretty easy methods here.  I chose to use Movenote, which was really easy to use, and I was able to add it to my google apps!

I have never been much of a public speaker, but I hope you do enjoy my video.

Collaborators!

A collaboration of the minds...

Creativity and Photos

Getting a little bit more creative. 

This week launched with a great TED Talk from Sir Ken Robinson about how the modern education system is not allowing for the development of creativity in our children.  The arts should be looked at in a more supportive manner, rather than just an elective course.  

We took a peek at the 7 tenets of creative thinking which are enablers into creative thinking:

1. You are creative.
2. Creative thinking is work.
3. You must go through the motions.
4. Your brain is not a computer.
5. There is no right answer.
6. There is no such thing as failure.
7. You don't see things as they are, you see them as you are.

My personal favorite is number 7.  Attitude is everything!

We dove into the Boston Globe, and looked at a whole bunch of beautiful photo galleries. My personal favorite was a series of great skiing shots!

Josh Wanner explained the importance of musical choice in creating a video.  The music should match the emotion that the creator is trying to get across, not contradict it!

Since Google is connected to YouTube, creating a slideshow was super easy!  With the built in slideshow creator on YouTube, I was able to upload photos to my Google Drive and have them in YouTube instantly!  It's not much, but I was pleased with my creation:

A slideshow can tell a great story, as I have seen from all of my classmates.  As you can see, I chose more of a "pump-up" style of music for a hockey game.  Bach would not be appropriate for a rivalry game!

A Great Day for Victory!

A Madison Square Garden kind of day, a New York night.

Creation and Hosting

The host who can boast the most roast?

This week we took a look into hosting photo albums, audio samples, and creating a YouTube channel.  I found it relatively easy to create an album on Google+.  I have been saying it all week, but Google+ is becoming an 'all-inclusive' hub of personal multimedia. 

1. Upload photos to Google Drive.
2. Select Photos.
3. Share!

I was able to share my YouTube Channel this week.  Though I have not had time lately, I will be putting up a few more personal videos.  And speaking of videos, I am getting more and more savvy with GoPro Studio software.  I have discovered that frame-by-frame the speed can be adjusted, creating buttery smooth slo-mo shots.  

AUDIO!!

I am amazed that Archive.org Audio has an entire Grateful Dead section!  There is anything you could want on that website.  YouTube's free audio is good as well, but you are pretty limited in your choices, as YouTube is heavy on copyright infringement. 

Free Music Archive has a lot of music from acts that I have never heard before, but is still in it's beta stage. 

TwistedWave is a in-broswer audio recording website, and can be linked to your own Google Drive, so your mp3 recordings can be shared with friends. 

Sight and sound are beginning to take new meaning since we've started this class!

Cloud Spotting

Gazing Skyward

The cloud.  For the uninitiated, you may be thinking of a collection of moisture cruising around in our lower atmosphere.  What do you see in the above picture?  I see a large animal on it's back.  What I certainly do not see is an intangible storage drive that can be accessed on multiple devices across the entire globe.  

Who Runs the Cloud?

There are several companies that maintain cloud services. Microsoft runs the OneDrive.  Google of course has the Google Drive.  Dropbox is another popular option.  With so many to choose from, we have been presented with a bit of a comparison that can help the pickiest of users decide which is best for them.  If you are new to the age, such as myself, perhaps a simpler choice will help.  Steve Dotto will walk you through two popular options: 

Searching For an Answer

After reviewing the options, I have decided to move forward with Google Drive.  It is simple, and there is another great feature:  Google documents.  Instead of using an "office program" who shall remain anonymous, Google documents offers what I believe to be the best thing since dot-matrix printers:  the research tool.  A simple tool that is accessed from the tools menu, the research tool will allow you to enhance your document without ever changing tabs on your browser.  Writing about kittens?  Why not throw in a quote from a Siamese aficionado!  A list of quotes will appear, and you can have your favorite inserted into your document, already cited in the style of your choice (between MLA and APA)!  When my kitty narrative has saved, I can share it with groups, or individuals in my contacts.  And since it is cloud based, I can pull it up on my phone!

Searches on Google have now been infinitely expanded in my eyes.  Changing your syntax and exploring options on the engine can vastly improve your results:

Takeaways:

• Get out there, and get on the cloud
• Try Google Docs before using that "other guy"
• Enhance your searches with sharper language
• Be a scholar!

Visual Literacy and Depth

Going Deeper

This week, we find ourselves posed with the task of creating a deeper visual message.  I found a photo of myself in Babil Province, Iraq, when we were tasked with training an Iraqi army commando group.  With everything that has developed recently, I think back now and realize that half of the men we were training probably did not care at the time.  I bet they wish they took it a little more serious. 

Reflecting on literacy. 

I have learned this week to try and make this blog more presentable to the viewer by:

• Continuing to use standard fonts; nothing flashy
• Stick to white on black, it is more eye pleasing
• Never use centered text, it is difficult to read
• Use bullets when making multiple points!

There is something special in being able to send a deep message to someone, even if it is from a non-monetized blog.  

Digital Literacies

Sending a message through image.

Now that we see a play on the Ned Stark meme and feel every bit of that -20 wind chill, please realize that we have communicated in digital literacy.  Or I at least attempted to.  The latest trend of communication in this fashion was highlighted by Doug Belshaw in this gem of a TEDx Talk:

Will be become tech-illiterate?

As Belshaw explained the progression of everyday technology, he highlights those who are being left behind.  As we get older, and technology becomes newer, our newest generations become far more advanced with technology, as it is in their hands since birth.  I recall Christmas two years ago, when my then 3-year-old nephew received a "toy" tablet. Mind you, this is a working tablet, that allows children to play games, while at the same time learning basic arithmetic and alphabet related activities.  Shortly there after, he is picking up his mother's iPhone and calling his grandmother.  He was three!  

How far will it go?

This laptop I am typing this on will be a brick in five years, stripped of it's internal gold plating and copper, laying in a dump somewhere, taking 3.4 million years to decompose.  What will human beings consider the "latest technology" three generations from now, when we are all gone?  Pop up holograms, when all you have to do is think about finding directions to the hover board store?

Fair Use and Copyright

What's ours is theirs?

The Stanford Fair Use and Copyright Center has shown us this week that there is no solid definition to the term "Fair Use".  It has become apparent that years of litigation has tried to define the term for us, but there is still some greyscale left to cover.  

What does Fair Use mean to us?

Fair Use allows portions of copyrighted material to be used for educational purposes, such as criticism or commenting upon.  In fact, Fair Use of copyrighted material will be instrumental in our creative processes for multimedia publications.  Without Fair Use, there be no parody, no ability to criticize literary works, and certainly no viral videos.  Having the right to Fair Use is the catalyst for our upcoming creativity.

Copyright and wrong.

Anything tangible can be copyrighted.  That being said, copyrights are extended to just about everything except human thought and ideas.  With the scope of Fair Use being pretty limited, it would be wrong of me to use an entire work of another without permission.  Going against a copyright could bring into play accusations of plagiarism.  I have always wondered what would constitute going against a copyright, and know I know.  Use only portions of a work for a transformative purpose, and make sure to give credit!

photo from www.flicker.com, licensed for Fair Use

Journalism and Multimedia Applications

Feeding the News to Everyone, Every Where

Kevin Moser

These days, the media goal is to send their message to people across the globe.  The world is not a place of newspapers, switchboards, and the Pony Express.  Journalists from the New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, etc.., have the ability to reach out and satisfy a customer in Karachi, let alone the daily subscriber in Gloucester, or the 57 year reader on Staten Island.  The tools available for media outlets today are simply incredible.  Breaking news leaves an iPad in the hands of  a Times reporter standing on 33rd street, bounces off of a few satellites, and lands on your smartphone 1,031 miles away in Des Moines in less than two seconds.  Think Marconi ever thought that to be possible?

A long time ago, in a galaxy...right around the corner?

Think of the advancements in the last thirty years.  Cell phones at best were half the size of a cinder block.  Car phones took up half of a Mercedes Benz trunk.  Journalists had to scramble to keep up with a story.  Now, Twitter reporting has become faster than the news media itself.  I myself was reading updates on Twitter and learning what was going on in Ferguson, MO, during the riots faster than the events could unfold on television.  Do I think journalists, pseudo-reporters, and iReporters have the ability to utilize multimedia in order to feed us the happenings?  Absolutely.

Photo courtesy of earthobservatory.nasa.gov