I put the podcast project off until last for two reasons: I don't like the sound of my own voice, and I wanted to use it as an audio introduction to my web page, so I finished the page first. Using Audacity to do a voice recording was much easier than when I used the program to edit the song for my video.
It took a few recordings for the introduction to actually sound decent, without stumbling over a word or sounding too monotone. But in the end I think it was a creative way to introduce my web page.
I enjoyed this course, and even though it was only five weeks, I think that I have gained a good understanding and overview of the topics we covered and can build upon these skills in my upcoming classes.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Web Design Project
I think it was a great idea to create a web page showcasing all of the projects we did this semester. It's a good way to not only get comfortable with web design methods but to have a resource that can be used both academically and professionally.
I've made a couple of websites for class projects in the past, but always used a template in Microsoft Publisher. I also have some experience in Dreamweaver, but it's been years since I used it. Working in SeaMonkey was straightforward and I had a pretty easy time creating my page.
For me this was a great way to practice design techniques. I wanted to experiment with html a little bit, but I didn't feel there was enough time this semester to really get into it. I'm taking web design next semester and I hope to take what I've learned here and expand on it. In the end, I want to have a larger online portfolio that includes the projects from this semester along with other work I have done.
I've made a couple of websites for class projects in the past, but always used a template in Microsoft Publisher. I also have some experience in Dreamweaver, but it's been years since I used it. Working in SeaMonkey was straightforward and I had a pretty easy time creating my page.
For me this was a great way to practice design techniques. I wanted to experiment with html a little bit, but I didn't feel there was enough time this semester to really get into it. I'm taking web design next semester and I hope to take what I've learned here and expand on it. In the end, I want to have a larger online portfolio that includes the projects from this semester along with other work I have done.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Presentation Project
I've spent more time on this project than all of the others combined, and I'm still not completely finished with it. I decided to use PowerPoint to create a video consisting of a series of still images set to music. The task has proved to be more difficult than I anticipated.
One of the first issues I've had to address for this project is that of copyright. Because the song I'm using, Everlast's What It's Like, is protected by copyright, one of the first things I tried to do was obtain permission to use the song as the background music for my video. However, after many Internet searches, telephone calls, and emails, I still have not been able to acquire this.
I decided to take an easier approach for the photographs I used and purchased the rights to them. I initially looked at several websites that contain royalty-free photographs, but didn't really find what I wanted. The photos that I ended up using for the video were primarily obtained from xxx and cost about a dollar each. The benefit to this is that the photos are high quality, easy to manipulate, and fitting for the subject matter of the video.
The song used for the video deals with several social issues including homelessness, abortion, and drug related violence. The underlying theme for both the song and my video is to 'put yourself into someone else's shoes' in order to understand the situation without passing some type of detached judgement.
At this time, the video is only complete for the first verse, which deals with homelessness. The images correspond to the words in the song and portray different aspects of the issue. During the instrumental part of the song that follows, I plan to include positive images related to the issue such as volunteer opportunities, soup kitchens, and Habitat for Humanity. I also plan on following this same format for the next two verses dealing with abortion and drug issues. I don't want to only show the problems related to the issues, but also positive ways people are addressing them in order to counteract many prevalent stereotypes.
The actual construction of the video was somewhat of a trial and error process. Since I have only used the first verse of the song for the purposes of the class project, I edited the song to the correct length using Audacity and converted it to an MP3 which was inserted into PowerPoint. Inserting the images was pretty straightforward, however, getting the timing right for the slide transitions took some playing around with and is still not perfect.
I think the portion of the video I have completed is pretty clean and has been turned in, but I am committed to the project now and plan on completing it over the summer in order to include it my portfolio.
One of the first issues I've had to address for this project is that of copyright. Because the song I'm using, Everlast's What It's Like, is protected by copyright, one of the first things I tried to do was obtain permission to use the song as the background music for my video. However, after many Internet searches, telephone calls, and emails, I still have not been able to acquire this.
I decided to take an easier approach for the photographs I used and purchased the rights to them. I initially looked at several websites that contain royalty-free photographs, but didn't really find what I wanted. The photos that I ended up using for the video were primarily obtained from xxx and cost about a dollar each. The benefit to this is that the photos are high quality, easy to manipulate, and fitting for the subject matter of the video.
The song used for the video deals with several social issues including homelessness, abortion, and drug related violence. The underlying theme for both the song and my video is to 'put yourself into someone else's shoes' in order to understand the situation without passing some type of detached judgement.
At this time, the video is only complete for the first verse, which deals with homelessness. The images correspond to the words in the song and portray different aspects of the issue. During the instrumental part of the song that follows, I plan to include positive images related to the issue such as volunteer opportunities, soup kitchens, and Habitat for Humanity. I also plan on following this same format for the next two verses dealing with abortion and drug issues. I don't want to only show the problems related to the issues, but also positive ways people are addressing them in order to counteract many prevalent stereotypes.
The actual construction of the video was somewhat of a trial and error process. Since I have only used the first verse of the song for the purposes of the class project, I edited the song to the correct length using Audacity and converted it to an MP3 which was inserted into PowerPoint. Inserting the images was pretty straightforward, however, getting the timing right for the slide transitions took some playing around with and is still not perfect.
I think the portion of the video I have completed is pretty clean and has been turned in, but I am committed to the project now and plan on completing it over the summer in order to include it my portfolio.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Publishing Project
This was the third project assigned in this course, but the first I completed. I decided to create an informational brochure because it allowed me to be creative, improve my skills working in MS Publisher, and focus on a topic of continued interest to me: the Freedom of Information Act.
The audience for this publication is people seeking information about how to make a FOIA request. Acquiring the content for the brochure was no problem since I have done plenty of research on FOIA in the past. I included a brief overview of the topic and the basic policy information related to it. However, the main focus is information, facts, tips, and resources needed for making a successful request.
Designing the brochure was pretty easy with Publisher. I started off by using one of the templates, but I found myself changing a lot of it as I was working to fit the content I wanted to include. It was very beneficial, however, as far as the layout is concerned. I probably would have gone crazy trying to decide what went where in the tri-fold brochure!
Overall, I am pretty satisfied with the final product. It look a little bit of playing around with the format in order to achieve the result I wanted, but now I will be a lot more comfortable with the process for future projects.
The audience for this publication is people seeking information about how to make a FOIA request. Acquiring the content for the brochure was no problem since I have done plenty of research on FOIA in the past. I included a brief overview of the topic and the basic policy information related to it. However, the main focus is information, facts, tips, and resources needed for making a successful request.
Designing the brochure was pretty easy with Publisher. I started off by using one of the templates, but I found myself changing a lot of it as I was working to fit the content I wanted to include. It was very beneficial, however, as far as the layout is concerned. I probably would have gone crazy trying to decide what went where in the tri-fold brochure!
Overall, I am pretty satisfied with the final product. It look a little bit of playing around with the format in order to achieve the result I wanted, but now I will be a lot more comfortable with the process for future projects.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Welcome
Hi, welcome to my blog for Preparing Instructional Media at the University of South Florida. The goal of this course is to study and create different forms of media related to presentations, communications, publishing, audiovisuals, and web design. Throughout the semester, I will be posting my thoughts and reflections about these projects.
This blog also serves as my Communications Project. The process seems pretty straightforward so far. I've had one minor mishap: I tried to insert an image into my Presentation Project post and ended up with empty placeholders showing on the screen. I looked at the html code to try to find the problem, but it was easier to just copy the posts and redo the blog. Luckily there weren't many posts yet. Other than that, the process has worked out pretty well.
This blog also serves as my Communications Project. The process seems pretty straightforward so far. I've had one minor mishap: I tried to insert an image into my Presentation Project post and ended up with empty placeholders showing on the screen. I looked at the html code to try to find the problem, but it was easier to just copy the posts and redo the blog. Luckily there weren't many posts yet. Other than that, the process has worked out pretty well.
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