Week 9: Prezi Reflection

I uploaded by screen cast onto Prezi because I had trouble getting it to upload directly on to Blogger.

Link to Prezi:

http://prezi.com/rlawlbstukwy/edit/#0_24309637

Week 7: Photoshop reflection

I also uploaded the video on Prezi

http://prezi.com/glyu8hpkisng/edit/#0_24309637

Final Reflection on the Course

     This class offered a lot of first time experiences with various programs for me. It was a new experience doing blogs, Audacity, Photoshop, Prezi, Screencast, and strip generators. Growing up I was taught how to use Microsoft programs like word, excel, and Powerpoint, but that was 10 years ago. This class helped me realize the advances in the multimedia world and how the visuals I see around me were generated using the programs I was able to dabble with through this class. I can honestly say I learned something new that I would want to utilize later in my life each time I was introduced to a new program in this class. I make use of the simple applications on iphone that I am introduced to by friends and colleagues and I am glad this class gave me a chance to use some of the popular and useful multimedia resources on the computer.

     Working with Prezi was probably one of my favorite things I did for this class. Prezi helped make even the simplest set of slides and presentation material engaging because of its free form and fluidity. It really helped me break away from traditional and almost boring mindset when working on a presentation using Microsoft Excel. Of course I realize the importance of both applications and their proper usage, but if I was asked to present something again, I will most likely work with Prezi.

     Another thing I really enjoyed doing throughout the course was working with the strip generator. I was always enthused by cartoons and the strip generator gave me an easy way to make my own. Although the fonts and images were limited I still feel it serves well the purpose of creating a simple cartoon for various purposes. Some of the applications we used like Photoshop and Audacity often proved too complicated for me. I still do not feel like I'm past the learning stage in Photoshop. It was a good feeling to work with the strip generator and create strips of comics that I was proud about.

     This course taught me a lot. I didn't really know what to expect when I enrolled in this course, but I would highly recommend it to any of my colleagues. This class opened my eyes to the new forms of writing and visual representations. I felt outdated sometimes to find out quite a few of my classmates were familiar with the programs we were using. Ultimately I feel like this class has broadened my understanding of multimedia writing and challenged me to be creative and engaging when constructing any piece of multimedia writing.

     Only thing I would change about this class is maybe swap the Audacity (podcast) project for making a resume with Prezi. I completely agree with the idea of having different forms of professional resume.








   

Week 6: A Day Without a Networked Media

     After a day without my phone or my computer I realized two things. I realized how dependent people have become on forms of media and the effects of that on regular human interactions...

     I thing I struggled with the most without forms of media was gaining information on topics I am usually up to date on. I use my iphone to read the news on the daily and keep up on my sports teams and players. Although it wasn't quite an inconvenience, I definitely was itching to read some random news or transfer rumors about soccer. However, not having a phone on me for a day was very helpful in eliminating distractions. An iphone makes it so easy and tempting for my mind to leave where I am and focus on other things. Without it I was able to be more attentive in class and be more productive while studying. I'm not a very active texter and I don't use other forms of social media so that aspect wasn't affected too much.. at least for just one day.

     It is so common to see people with their heads down staring at their phones or with earphones on while walking, biking, or even eating with each other. I noticed how much digital media affects regular human interactions. While eating lunch with some friends I noticed how most of the conversations or attractions originated from somebody mentioning something he or she is looking at on the phone. Various things like Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, or other news encompassed a lot of what was being talked about. It almost made me wonder what life was like without internet or a phone. As interesting and informative viral news may be, it made me think about how the time could be used to get to know one another on a personal level. Or just sit there and take in each other's presence. Maybe awkward silence only came about from our dependence on constant entertainment from our sources of media..

Week 5: Photoshop images

The theme of my Photoshop project was sound.

I wanted to put an emphasis on our beautiful surroundings and the sounds coming from them.

It is very easy to visualize or think about the sounds associated with anything we see daily in our lives.

To be honest I don't remember exactly what I used in Photoshop for my project.

I looked up Youtube videos on how to use Photoshop to get the results I wanted on my pictures.

In each of the photos I tried to put a focus on a single element and blur out the rest in a subtle way.

The goal of it was to help the viewer discover the things inside the picture that produce a sound we are very used to and often take for granted.

Week 4: Design and Writing

       What I learned about design and writing is that when given an opportunity to do so, it is beneficial to utilize multimedia resources to integrate design into your writing. McCloud portrayed himself as a comical character to convey his message. By doing so he was able to keep the audience focused on his ideas about writing, design, and the consequent effects of them. 

      I also realized the importance of fonts in writing. I reflected on all the writings I have done academically and made some late realizations about the uniform use of Times New Roman or other standard fonts in writing. Part of the professionalism that is achieved by the use of standard fonts is that everyone's work looks the same visually. The reader can't judge the papers before reading them. After dabbling with different modes of writing I realized minor details such as the font reveal your character. It is the first thing you are judged on. The visual aspect of writing in a way reveal your face and the content reveal your insides. Aesthetically pleasing work sets a favorable tone for the reader or the grader before even reading the text. So when given an opportunity to do so, it is important to utilize proper multimedia tools to design your work so that it may portray the message efficiently.

Week 2 blog. Response to Audacity

      Audacity was a fun program to work with. It was free and it allowed me to upload as many media files I needed for the podcast project. I enjoyed working with clips of songs that I chose for the project. It almost felt like remastering the tracks as the process involved trimming them, delaying some parts, fading in and out, and at the end blending in everything together. 

  The reflective piece was also enjoyable. It gave me a chance to think about what I have learned and also ponder future uses of Audacity for recording music. Unlike the scientific papers or lab reports that I usually have to write, the reflective piece gave me freedom to talk about what I wanted. Writing for science classes is so boring because there is a very rigid format to follow, but the reflective piece allowed me to focus on what I liked about the project and what went well. 

   

Week 3: Podcast Process

  After uploading and recording all the files for the podcast much of the time was spent revising, trimming, and normalizing the tracks. I found myself spending most of the time trimming audio tracks as well as copying and pasting them. 

  For the introduction I wanted to speak over a melody in the background. I think that is a pretty standard way to open a talk show because the music kind of sets the mood whether it be a sense of tranquility, intensity, or grief. Also I find that sometimes it could be boring just to hear someone talk as I admit that I don't think I was too entertaining myself in the podcast. 

  Music served another purpose of disposing the background noise. It was definitely a lot more pleasant to listen to musical tunes in the background vs. my computer's motor whirling and sounding like an airplane taking off. So in the end, I think text and sounds supplement one another and is an important part of multimedia writing.

                                       

Week 8 blog: Strip Generator

StripviewThumbs

     The strip generator is a source of multimedia writing that I find useful and interesting. It is user friendly and could be used to convey a short message or explain something briefly. I read a lot of comic books growing up so naturally I am drawn to this form of writing. Working with the strip generator for my Prezi gave me an opportunity to use comic strips as a relevant resource for a multimedia project.

     Since entering college I don't think I've read a single novel of my preference. Science textbooks suck the life out of me and the assigned readings from other classes are the only other words I seem to take in. What I like about the strip generator is that it gives the user a chance to express or teach in short comic strips. At this point in my life I realized I'm the type of person who work well under pressure and consequently I find myself leaving things off for as long as I can. Having said that, nothing is more discouraging to me than over 100 pages of reading sitting in front of me. Although I am not suggesting every reading should be in the form of comics, it is nice to just scan through a comic strip and get the main idea. Also, since comics include a lot fewer words than other forms of writing, essentially every word in the comic could be a key point for comprehension and analysis.

     The strip generator is a relevant form of multimedia writing that appealed to me for its practicality and visuals. It integrates words and pictures for a main idea quite like the Photoshop project. Although its colors are restricted to being black and white, it serves well the purpose of keeping the reader focused in the actual text and the source of the text. It may be challenging, but if done right I think the strip generator could be used to explain something very complex with much clarity and levity. I may be going off a tangent a bit here, but it's quite like politics. Although it is important, most of it is boring. But if a political issue is being discussed in a show like the Colbert Report or South Park, I instantly become engaged in it. For me it comes down to the fact that people are too easy to judge and speakers lose their appeal sooner or later, same goes for authors, but Comic characters are just mere characters one would find ludicrous to hate on or vehemently argue against. For that reason I believe more people should work on conveying their message through comics and comical characters. 

    Hi my name is Juno Kim


                   "sex appeal"

• I am a 4th year Chemistry student pursuing a minor in math.
• This is my first blog. 
• I like the simple things in life.
• My passion is music.
• I'm starting to realize happiness comes from helping others.

    I don't consider myself "good" at writing, but I realize its importance. I think good writing is the foundation for people to articulate themselves to the masses. I hope to take a lot from this class and it seems pretty chill to write blogs for homework.