Multimedia

Today is the last school day we can put in grades for the previous six weeks.

If theres anything you need to do, TODAY is the END of your time to do so.

If you haven't already (should have last class), show me your notebook. It's a grade, an easy one if you do it, and a zero if you don't.

First thing for this six weeks

Make your blog safe. As I've been viewing over your blogs, some of them have some things to address. We'll need to go over some internet safety guidelines. So, the first thing is remove any personal information that may not be safe to include your blog. If you had your poster uploaded, I've taken a screenshot of it, and you may now remove it from your blog. In addition, make sure you don't have your full name anywhere, your picture, where you live, the name of your school, etc.

I'll be checking them tomorrow after school... So that's when it's due. The first day of the new six weeks!

What's Next in Multimedia?

Start learning Illustrator. Illustrator is a powerful professional-level program created by Adobe. You can do amazing things with it, however, it is rather complicated. Being the first professional level software we are using this year, you'll notice it's a lot more sophisticated and complicated than iPhoto or Rome. Most people will need to go through quite a few learner videos and tutorials to get the hang of it.

Why Illustrator? We'll discuss what its advantages are over other software soon, but not quite yet.

At the end of class, reflect on what you learned/tried in illustrator today.

So, open up Adobe Illustrator and start learning!

Adobe TV's Learn Illustrator CS4

Lynda.com

- Getting Started

- Essential Training

- One-on-One Fundamentals

- One-on-One Mastery

- Coloring Artwork

- Beyond the Basics

Some videos on Lynda.com are free, and some require membership. You can still learn a lot from the free videos alone. Some tutorial sets have more available to non-members than others.

Don't like videos?

Check out the 30 Days Illustrator Training Course

These links may also come in handy in the future when your trying to get something to work that just isn't. Don't forget they're here. 

Robotics

Grades are finalized at the end of this week. Check the gradebook and make sure that I've seen everything you've completed. Any missing work not turned in before the end of this six weeks will forever be a zero. These will fail some of you if you choose to make no change.

THIS is the END of your time to fix it.

If you haven't already (should have last class), show me your notebook. It's a grade, an easy one if you do it, and a zero if you don't. 




1) First thing for this six weeks
Make your blog safe. As I've been viewing over your blogs, some of them have some things that need to be fixed. So, the first thing is to remove any personal information that may not be safe to include your blog. In addition, make sure you don't have your full name anywhere, your picture, where you live, the name of your school, etc. This will be for a grade, so make sure you are keeping yourself safe when online!


2) Lightbot

How many of the 'RECURSION', 'CONDITIONALS', 

and 'EXPERT' levels can you complete on Light-Bot 2.0?

We're starting to work with the LEGO robots, and as we get more advanced so will the programming. Some of the things programs your create will have conditionals in them. Of course, we'll work our way up to them, but getting a bit of a preview isn't a bad idea.


On your blog, reflect on your Light-Bot experience. (things to think about: how is it related to robots, how might light-bot be relative to the course, how might playing light-bot benefit you, did you find anything challenging, etc - a reflection is at least a paragraph, NOT just a lonely single sentence)


There's a somewhat more complicated worksheet based on light-bot 2.0 (its bright yellow).


3) Measuring

We will be measuring fairly often in robotics. There is a worksheet to assess your current proficiency with measuring. If you need some assistance, let me know.

4) Lego Robot

Once you have the first three steps complete, let me know and I'll talk with you about our first project with the Lego Robot.

Yearbook

Grades are finalized at the end of this week. Check the gradebook and make sure that I've seen everything you've completed. Any missing work not turned in before the end of this six weeks will forever be a zero. These will fail some of you if you choose to make no change.

Your time to fix it will END soon.

If you haven't already (should have last class), show me your notebook. It's a grade, an easy one if you do it, and a zero if you don't. 




First thing for this six weeks
Make your blog safe. As I've been viewing over your blogs, some of them have some things to address. So, the first thing is remove any personal information that may not be safe to include your blog. In addition, make sure you don't have your full name anywhere, your picture, where you live, the name of your school, etc.
...
What's Next
reminder: next ooc photo assignment due next friday.


We're going to start some projects this six weeks. Soon, you'll be getting a page to start working on.
But first, we need to start communicating with groups, people, and places- both for coverage and sales. So, we're going to design a business card. 


First, look into graphic design. It is, essentially, the way that we design visual graphic publications. Whether ads, spreads, business cards, whatever. Look into it more on About.com or from Tuscaloosa City Schools. On your blog, list the elements of graphic design and tell me about the individually.


On Your Blog- Some business cards are really cool, and some are really boring. Look into business cards, see what you think works and looks good. Post some examples on your blog. Next, come up with a few sketches of designs for business cards that could work well with our theme. Post your sketches on your blog too.

Multimedia

Grades are finalized at the end of this week. Check the gradebook and make sure you're not missing anything. Any missing work not turned in before the end of this six weeks will forever be a zero. These will fail some of you if you choose to make no change.

THIS is your time to fix it.

If you haven't already (should have last class), show me your notebook. It's a grade, an easy one if you do it, and a zero if you don't.

First thing for this six weeks
Make your blog safe. As I've been viewing over your blogs, some of them have some things to address. We'll need to go over some internet safety guidelines. So, the first thing is remove any personal information that may not be safe to include your blog. If you had your poster uploaded, I've taken a screenshot of it, and you may now remove it from your blog. In addition, make sure you don't have your full name anywhere, your picture, where you live, the name of your school, etc.

I'll be checking them tomorrow after school... So that's when it's due. The first day of the new six weeks!

What's Next in Multimedia?
Start learning Illustrator. Illustrator is a powerful professional-level program created by Adobe. You can do amazing things with it, however, it is rather complicated. Being the first professional level software we are using this year, you'll notice it's a lot more sophisticated and complicated than iPhoto or Rome. Most people will need to go through quite a few learner videos and tutorials to get the hang of it.

Why Illustrator? We'll discuss what its advantages are over other software soon, but not quite yet.

At the end of class, reflect on what you learned/tried in illustrator today.
So, open up Adobe Illustrator and start learning!
Adobe TV's Learn Illustrator CS4

Lynda.com
- Getting Started
- Essential Training
- One-on-One Fundamentals
- One-on-One Mastery
- Coloring Artwork
- Beyond the Basics
Some videos on Lynda.com are free, and some require membership. You can still learn a lot from the free videos alone. Some tutorial sets have more available to non-members than others.

Don't like videos?
Check out the 30 Days Illustrator Training Course

These links may also come in handy in the future when your trying to get something to work that just isn't. Don't forget they're here.

Robotics

Grades are finalized at the end of this week. Check the gradebook and make sure that I've seen everything you've completed. Any missing work not turned in before the end of this six weeks will forever be a zero. These will fail some of you if you choose to make no change.

THIS is your time to fix it.

If you haven't already, show me your notebook. It's a grade, an easy one if you do it, and a zero if you don't. 


0) Notebook Check
If you haven't yet, setup your notebook today. Put your technical drawings in there and update your table of contents.

When it's complete, bring it to me for grading.

1) Lego NXT
Start learning a bit about what we'll be working with.
The website Ortop.org has some useful resources, including an NXT Introduction video which goes over some of the components we'll be using to build robots.

Watch the NXT Introduction video and answer the following questions on your blog:

1. Fill in the Blank
The heart of the NXT System is the NXT brick. Its a full 16bit microprocessor. You can plug sensors in along the _________ and motors in along the ___________.

2. Open-Ended
What are the four sensors it discusses and what do they measure?

3. Short Answer
How does the NXT Brick know how many rotations the motor has made?

4. Short Answer: Step-by-Step
How would I make the robot run the program I wrote?

5. Short Answer: Step-by-Step
How do I turn off the NXT brick?

2) Lightbot

Complete at least the 'BASICS' on Light-Bot 2.0
(once the game loads, click where the red arrow is pointing to begin)

On your blog, reflect on your Light-Bot experience. (things to think about: how is it related to robots, how might light-bot be relative to the course, how might playing light-bot benefit you, did you find anything challenging, etc)

Afterwards, you will have a worksheet to complete that builds on your experience gained in Lightbot. Its due next class period. So don't worry too much if you're a bit behind, or if you end up playing with Lightbot longer than you intended.

Sept 26th

Continue Working on Previous Assignments from previous class.

Multimedia

If your still finishing stuff from previous classes, then your starting to get left behind :/

Catch up, catch up!

Poster Project- Due Sept 27th (next Tuesday!!)

Check my district webpage for more information. In the section for multimedia documents, there is a link called 'Poster Project'.

Remember, the poster should be 11x17, and the resolution should be at 300!

If you using photoshop or illustrator this is really easy to set. But in Rome, it isn't.

How would you set rome to 11x17 @ 300 res?

Well... if you click 'setup' in the overhead menu, you can change the size of your canvas. Here you can change it to 11x17. Awesome! Well... almost. There doesn't seem to be anywhere to change the resolution, or at least I couldn't find a way (if you can prove me wrong, I'd be happy to know how!).

So... instead, under setup, you need to switch the units to pixels. Great! Now we have to figure out how many pixels wide and tall 11x17 @ 300 res would be. Whats 11x17 @ 300 res mean anyways?

Okiedokie, so resolution is how many pixels (tiny little dots) are within an area. So, since we were talking about inches (11x17 to be exact), 300 resolution would be 300 pixels per inch. The more pixels per square inch, the more clear the image will be. With the way screens look, you don't need as many pixels for things to look nice and crisp, we often use a resolution of 72 (per inch, standard not metric system). When printed out though, an image at only 72 resolution will look blurry (link if you want to learn more about that). You need pretty high numbers to have a nice looking print, and 300 (per inch) is the industry standard, although with new technologies that's starting to change.

So, anyways, how many pixels does your image need to be? Well... 11x17 with 300 dots per inch, that means we take 11 and 17 and multiply them both by 300. 11(300) = 3300 and 17(300) = 5100. So, it should be 3300 pixels wide, and 5100 pixels tall. That's a lot of pixels... 

And if all that just totally confused you, let me know and I'll help you. Keep in mind, you can only use royalty free and public domain imagery.

Robotics

As you can see, I'm not here today. Whenever I'm not here, what you get accomplished for the day (judged by what you post on your blog) will count as a quiz grade. Keep your sub happy. Their feedback will also be used to evaluate how effectively you were using your time for your quiz grade. In addition, if they have any trouble with you, it'll be a detention no questions asked. Keep them happy; good feedback will make me happier which will make you happier too :)


I'll be checking the blogs this afternoon to put in grades.

If you need help with something, ask the person nearest you, NOT the person on the other side of the room. Even if you're having difficulty, do the best you can and get accomplished what you can and put it on your blog. If it's not on your blog, you wont get credit for it. Use command-shift-3 if you need to to post screenshots, upload work to google docs and share it with me if your having trouble, you guys are smart and can find a way if you need to.

1) Save Fred
Use another team's directions. Try to complete 'Save Fred' using their directions. As you go, take notes regarding their directions. Note when a step is well explained and clear, note when a step isn't. Attach an extra sheet of scratch paper (on the printer) to their directions. Include your names on it so I know who tried their directions. Provide feedback to the other team. Don't just focus on the steps that were difficult, but give them credit where they did well too. Positive feedback is just as important as negative. Turn this in at the same time you complete the second activity of the day.


2) Technical Drawing
There are another two sheets for you to complete on technical drawing. Complete them and turn them in with your Save Fred documents.


3) Isaac Asimov
Learn a bit about Issac Asimov. On your blog, tell me a bit about who Isaac Asimov is. Why would he be significant for Robotics? What are the laws of robotics? 


4) Independent Report/Project
Spend some time looking into what you want to present to the class for your independent project/report. Once you've figured it out, on your blog post: the date you signed up (on the white board by the television), what you plan to present on, and a sentence or two about it. This is for approval, if we have any that aren't ok, I don't want you to waste a bunch of time preparing it, just for it to be scrapped on the day of.

Yearbook

As you can see, I'm not here today. Whenever I'm not here, what you get accomplished for the day (judged by what you post on your blog) will count as a quiz grade. Keep your sub happy. Their feedback will also be used to evaluate how effectively you were using your time for your quiz grade. In addition, if they have any trouble with you, it'll be a detention no questions asked. Keep them happy; good feedback will make me happier which will make you happier too :)


I'll be checking the blogs again this afternoon to put in grades. Many of you are missing things. Anything that is missing this afternoon will be put in as a zero. Check skyward and previous entries on my blog to make sure you have everything you need to. Get as much as you can done today.

If you need help with something, ask the person nearest you, NOT the person on the other side of the room. Even if you're having difficulty, do the best you can and get accomplished what you can and put it on your blog. If it's not on your blog, you wont get credit for it. Use command-shift-3 if you need to to post screenshots, upload work to google docs and share it with me if your having trouble, you guys are smart and can find a way if you need to.

1) Photoshop Activity
Use this tutorial. Post your results on your blog.
This is the last 'learning' tutorial we will use. 
Even if things don't go as smoothly as you'd like, post your best effort on your blog.
Showing something is always better than showing nothing.
Future tutorials will be directly related to projects to be used for class. 

2) Photography Concepts
You've been using the photography concepts for a while now. Next class you will have a quiz over them. Can you define/explain them to me in your own words?

-Fill the Frame
-Repetition
-Symmetry
-Rule of Thirds
-Balance
-Leading Lines
-Depth of Field
-Unusual Angle
-Depth
-Framing

You will also be required to decide which pictures display which concepts. Can you match the ten photos below with which concepts best apply? (Try to choose the most dominant feature of the photo, each concept should match up to one photo). [photos from Boston Globe's Big Picture and The Atlantic's In Focus 2]




3) Developing the Theme
Now that we have a theme, we need to start developing it. Look over this article on incorporating the theme into yearbooks- Moving your Yearbook Beyond the Cover.

Think about how we could make this year's yearbook reflect the theme. On your blog, discuss your ideas on how we might implement the theme for three (3) different choices of the following:
1- endpages
2- table of contents
3- student life
4- student photos
5- club pages
6- event pages
7- other (specify)

You are welcome to use illustrations or images to help explain your idea (an image alone won't suffice, you MUST have at least a few sentences to explain the idea). 


4) QR Codes
In addition to just about everything else, QR codes are now being used in Yearbooks. With our theme, I think they are very appropriate for our book. Have any ideas how we might use them in our book?

Multimedia Today

As you can see, I'm not here today. Whenever I'm not here, what you get accomplished for the day (judged by what you post on your blog) will count as a quiz grade. Keep your sub happy. Their feedback will be taken into account regarding how well you utilized your class time. In addition, if they have any trouble with you, it'll be a detention no questions asked. Keep them happy, good feedback will make me happier which will make you happier too :)

I'll be checking the blogs this afternoon to be in grades. I hadn't done it yet, because many of you are missing things. Anything that is missing this afternoon will be put in as a zero. Check skyward and previous entries on my blog to make sure you have everything you need to.

If you need help with something, ask the person nearest you, NOT the person on the other side of the room. Even if you're having difficulty, do the best you can and get accomplished what you can and put it on your blog. If it's not on your blog, you wont get credit for it. Use command-shift-3 if you need to to post screenshots, upload work to google docs and share it with me if your having trouble, you guys are smart and can find a way if you need to.


1- Input/Output Devices

Possible helpful resources on input/output.
- Basic flash animation to help young children understand Input/Output

- Lesson on Input and Output for kids

- Description of Input and Output devices

You are, of course, welcome to use other sources as well.

On your Blog:
First - Using the illustration below, label each item (1-11) and whether it in input or output. Click the image to enlarge it.

Second - In your own words, explain to me the difference between input, output, and input/output devices.

2- Icon Project

Try to complete this today. Once you have your icons complete, you'll need to post a massive post on your blog. What goes in it?

First
Rough sketches/plans of your icons.

Second
Completed icons created in Rome. (You can't upload the .anh file, make sure you export it as a jpg or use the screen capture technique)

Third
Evaluation- Short Answer Questions (short paragraph response to each question)
As long as your answer is reasonable and well supported, you receive credit for it. Unsupported answers do not receive any credit. These questions are applicable to all, answering nothing to any of them is deciding you'd like to get that question wrong.

What challenges did you encounter when creating your product?

How did you cope with these challenges?

What went particularly well in creating your product?

If you were to redo the project from the very beginning, what would you do different?

What is something you can take from this project that can aid you after its completion?

Forth
Bibliography- Use proper MLA Format
Citations to include: Anything that helped you with this project
These may include Adobe Rome Tutorials used to help you learn the software, websites to give you a better idea of what an icon is, websites to help provide you with inspiration for an Icon, and/or resources (check my previous blog posts) I provided that you looked at.
Forget how to cite? Use EasyBib, NoodleTools, or the Owl Purdue Website. 
It should look something like this example, except obviously these sources have nothing to do with our project. 


3- Poster Project- Due Sept 27th (next Tuesday!!)
Check my district webpage for more information. In the section for multimedia documents, there is a link called 'Poster Project'.

Robotics

Save Fred
Complete the Save Fred activity with a partner. You will need to write specific instructions as you complete the activity. These instructions will be followed and assessed next class by another group.

Yearbook

1- Current Assignments
If you haven't turned this in yet, you need to. Some of you have turned in part, but still need to type up the names and quotes that go with the photos you took. This also needs to be done. When one OoC Photography assignment ends, the next begins. The next OoC Photography Assignment is due Oct. 8th.

Some of you have already setup your journals, some of you still haven't. We'll try doing a journal check again the first class day of next week. Be ready for it, it will be graded. Not having it by this point will be a zero.

A few of you are missing a few things on your blog, specifically the most recent Photo Analysis (previous class) and the Photography Compositions Scavenger Hunt from a few classes ago.

2- Getting to Know Your Peers
Now that our class has stabilized, class mates need to better know their peers. You will need to speak with every one of your classmates for a couple minutes today.

At the top of your page, I want you to write a question with four answer choices. Think of this as a survey question you might poll the student body. It should be related to this year's theme. Go around the room and have each of your fellow students take your poll. You must write each of your classmates first and last name and answer choice. Write legibly and make sure you get the spelling of their name right.

3- Continue working on Photoshop

Learning Photoshop with Tutorial9

Getting Started in Photoshop - Photoshop's Toolbox  - Understanding Layers

Selection Tools - Retouch & Healing Tools

Try to complete on of these two tutorials:

- Beautiful Glowing Flowers

- Create your own Social Icon Sticker

They are designed for beginners, but I know there will likely be points where you need help. 

Let me know, and I will help you.

Post your results on your blog.

Other Photoshop Resources

 Check out and use the Lynda.com Video Tutorials (see all photoshop results on Lynda.com), Atomic Learning (use your regular school login), the official adobe website, and adobe tv. There are also plenty of other resources out theres, such as Design Review's learn photoshop in 24 hours, About.com's Photoshop Basics, and Photoshop Essentials just to name a few.

Other Concepts & Terminology in Photoshop

Multimedia

1- Input/Output Devices

Card Sort

2- Icon Project

Continue working with Rome / on your Icon Project.

3- Poster Project
Check my district webpage for more information.

Possible Helpful Resources:

About Computer Icons

Design Icon: The Mac Icon

A Brief History of Icons

Modern Icon Design

Effective Icon Design (a second link on the same topic)

Robotics

1- Programming Activity
Through simple commands, guide your instructor in making a sandwich.

2- Technical Sketching #2
Moving on from straight lines to simple illustrations

3- Completing your Jitterbugs
Try to complete your jitterbugs today.

Yearbook

1- Photo Evaluation

Choose which five (5) photos below you think have the best compositions. Explain why (and what compositional techniques they used) on your blog for each photo you selected. Collection of images from 9/11 from Boston Globe's Big Picture and The Atlantic's In Focus. 


I recognize this may be an emotional topic for some people. If you need an alternate selection of pictures, you may choose the Atlantic's Animals in the News or Boston Globe's Krishna Janmashtami (one or the other, not a pick and mix).

2- Photoshop

Continue working with photoshop.

Whether a beginner or a pro, there's always more you can learn. Everyone should be working in Photoshop.

Learning Photoshop with Tutorial9

Getting Started in Photoshop - Photoshop's Toolbox  - Understanding Layers

Selection Tools - Retouch & Healing Tools

If you feel you're ready, try making something!

Try one of these two tutorials:

- Beautiful Glowing Flowers

- Create your own Social Icon Sticker

They are designed for beginners, but I know there will likely be points where you need help. 

Let me know, and I will help you.

Post your results on your blog.

Need more Photoshop Support??

 Check out and use the Lynda.com Video Tutorials (see all photoshop results on Lynda.com), Atomic Learning (use your regular school login), the official adobe website, and adobe tv. There are also plenty of other resources out theres, such as Design Review's learn photoshop in 24 hours, About.com's Photoshop Basics, and Photoshop Essentials just to name a few.

Other Concepts & Terminology in Photoshop

Multimedia

1- Input/Output Devices
Class Discussion.

2- Icon Project
Continue working with Rome / on your Icon Project.

Possible Helpful Resources:
About Computer Icons
Design Icon: The Mac Icon
A Brief History of Icons
Modern Icon Design
Effective Icon Design (a second link on the same topic)

Yearbook

With yesterday's votes... we have a winning theme. Apps will be this year's yearbook theme.


1- Yearbook Position Form
You are not locked into the positions you show interest in. They will be discussed with those interested to see whom will fill the role.


2- Post-it Notes
You need one post-it note. On it, write the five things that you feel are 'must-have' pages in the yearbook. Post it on the board with the collection of other sticky notes. Look over what other people felt were 'must-have' pages, then review your ladder from last class. Is there anything you left out our would want to change?


3- Learning Photoshop
Now that we have a theme, and now that we have the class roster's finally pretty ironed out, we should be able to actually start working on actual projects instead of just daily assignments. Your first task will be to design something that will aid you in your sales and probably your photography assignments as well. In order to do so, you will need to know a bit about Photoshop.


I know some of you are already pretty familiar with Photoshop. That's great. However, you still need to skim through the content, as often people only know the parts of Photoshop they use and not the whole of it. Sometimes they have a different way of looking at it, or a more detailed explanation that may reveal attributes or characteristics you weren't aware of.

Learning Photoshop with Tutorial9

Getting Started in Photoshop

Photoshop's Toolbox

Using Palettes in Photoshop

Understanding Layers

If you feel you're ready, try making something!

Try one of these two tutorials:

- Beautiful Glowing Flowers

- Create your own Social Icon Sticker

They are designed for beginners, but I know there will likely be points where you need help. 
Let me know, and I will help you.
Post your results on your blog.


Need more Photoshop Support??
 Check out and use the Lynda.com Video Tutorials (see all photoshop results on Lynda.com), Atomic Learning (use your regular school login), the official adobe website, and adobe tv. There are also plenty of other resources out theres, such as Design Review's learn photoshop in 24 hours, About.com's Photoshop Basics, and Photoshop Essentials just to name a few.

Other Concepts & Terminology in Photoshop

Multimedia

1- Computer Icon Project Specifics



2- Final Rome Tutorial

Try out a tutorial of your choosing: Adobe's Rome Tutorials
You can't choose to redo the first two tutorials you were given, it must be a different one from the list.

Once again, you are welcome to deviate from what the tutorial has you create. You can use different letters, colors, etc; just so long as I can clearly see you were able to use each tool in each step. Don't forgot to cite any photos or images you use (stock photography or public domain only).

While the tutorial is step-by-step; not everything is pictured. If you don't read the text that accompanies the steps, you will get stuck or confused. You'll need to export what you finish as a jpg, png, or gif to be able to upload it onto your blog. 

Robotics

1. Programming Activity
Using extremely simple and specific commands, guide another student (roleplaying as a robot) along a path of another student's design.

2. Continue Working on Jitterbugs

Yearbook

1- Final Vote on the Theme

^ Journal Theme ^

^ Facebook Theme ^

^comic theme^

^app theme^

Vote Here

2- Ladder
Come up with a possible ladder for the yearbook. In groups of three, create a listing of what goes on each page. Turn it in at the end of class.

3- Photo Scavenger Hunt
On your blog, use the internet to find and post photographs that fit the following compositional techniques:
-Fill the Frame
-Repetition
-Symmetry
-Rule of Thirds
-Balance
-Leading Lines
-Depth of Field
-Unusual Angle
-Depth
-Framing