Week 9: Let's Make a Video!

Let's Make A Video!

You can record with only a Chromebook..!

I think, I’m in luck...I have a Chromebook!

Also, there were three options mentioned for Chromebook users ...Oh, it just keep’s getting better!
Option one: Google Hangouts on Air

And…

Option two: Movenote

...
Option three: Screencastify

Google Hangouts on Air

Google Hangouts on Air is located in your Google Drive; on the lefthand side, which includes five options to choose from..(technically six, I guess..). The tab that resembles three “dots” is where you will find Google Hangouts on Air (ninth option down).

Now, once you are in Google Hangouts, everything will be recorded (and uploaded to your famous Youtube account)!

Okay, let’s move onto Movenote! I’ve never used Movenote, nor heard of it before this week..so here we go! Movenote works, as explained in TechRepublic, almost as if you are casting a live feed of yourself, with your research beside your live cast to back you up! I like this presentation format better because the presentation isn’t necessarily focused on me..The video feed offers information side by side to my recorded face (which is a unique format and very useful now and for future presentations)!

Another recording option that allows for the computer to capture what’s on the desktop screen is known as screencastify. This is a unique way to essentially “screenshot” what you’re seeing in front of you, while continuing to record your video!

These are very useful tools that were explored this week ...and will come in handy in the future..I'm sure!

Now, making a video was the difficult part! I am awful with presentations..and we shall leave it at that! .I tried out each of the three options explored this week, and my final option that I found the easiest to use was Movenote! So, here is my video below..!

Week 12: Google Forms, Sheets & Maps

Let's learn about Google: Forms - Sheets - Maps

I knew Google was a great resource, but I hadn’t realized the extent of the wonderful resources it offers us Google Users! There are many useful tools in Google Drive, such as Google sheets, maps, and forms (Located in My Drive, under “New”).  I hadn’t fully realized until this week that we have been using Google forms all semester! I created many different Google Spreadsheets/forms before creating my finale Week 9 project. I chose a topic of grocery shopping in Vermont! I figured that would offer me a bunch of different locations which would support the mapping aspect of the project (Can be viewed below).

It took re-watching videos over and over again and for myself to create the first response of my survey, but I finally figured out how to create a form! It was a bit confusing, as I am still getting used to Google Plus, but I figured out that you can add new questions by clicking either duplicate question (which requires more work) or by clicking the “+” button on the upper righthand corner of your creative title. Under “adding new question”, you are also able to upload photos and videos to your survey! You can also create a spreadsheet after receiving responses on your survey! You do this by clicking on the responses, and viewing the green, cross-like box on the righthand side. You can create a new spreadsheet with a new title of your responses, which then allows you to upload into a map, or create a fusion table!

Basically, after you create your spreadsheet, you are able to separately create a map, and import that information from your spreadsheet. How easy does that sound? It’s actually pretty simple! Creating a fusion table requires a bit more work...but not much! Basically, you are taking two tables and fusing them together! How difficult can that be? Not difficult at all, by any means, trust me! Here are the few steps to remember when creating a fusion table:

1. upload two tables
2. merge tables; visualize the merged table on a map
3. style and share the map

Having the option to create spreadsheets on Google is impressive, but being able to combine those spreadsheets and then offer the opportunity to relay that data in a map is mind blowing…. But more in the aspect of how incredible technology (internet) is!

Another fascinating example of how incredible the internet is.. understanding how to import data into sheets without copying and pasting that data. The video revealed that if you take the first box of sheets and write “=IMPORTHTML (“ link “, “table”, 1), and your data will suddenly appear in the format of a chart! How awesome is that?

Here is my example:

=IMPORTHTML (“http://childdevelopmentinfo.com/child-development/normaldevelopment/”, “Table”, 1)

Multimedia Apps & Tools Slideshow

Why do we live for Creativity?

Sir Ken Robinson's Ted Talk

I gathered a few thoughts from Sir Ken’s TedTalk..

Why are we destroying creativity? Why are we destroying young, inexperienced minds? We all have a lot to gain from one another, while we are all are creative in our own unique way! I feel as I grew up, I would feel more and more embarrassed about putting my work “out there”. Simply asking questions, answering questions or even completing group assignments, I would feel as if my work wasn’t creative “enough”. Why is that? Why is it, that students feel less than their work? Feeling as though completing an assignment wrong, would be shameful. That’s how we learn...we give and we take and we learn by making mistakes. We may not always take that route, but that’s how we understand the concept of “learning”.

The Big Picture: “Fostering A Community”

I would describe the description under the title to be a wonderful act of kindness. The stories shared of the Treehouse Community is beyond inspirational! The sixteen photos share beautiful stories of heartfelt moments, determination, patience, and love for others. I would love to open my home to fostering, but opening a house, better yet a community to many foster families would be a dream come true!

http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/bigpicture/2015/12/20/fostering-community/0b8g1S2szPboBquoddQDYK/story.html?p1=BP_MainPhoto

I decided to look into “Fostering A Community” because the title caught my attention. The title could have meant many things, but it meant something important to me. Something I could sort of relate to.. Fostering children, aiding in the placement process, as well as childhood development. Fostering children is a wonderful thing! More importantly, I see it as helping children who need it. Helping children find their creativity, and simply..find themselves. My parents fostered many children growing up, but the final two children fostered, are my now adopted brothers!

Pixler

Being creative isn’t as difficult as it sounds. Take two side by side photos of the same picture.. Do you see a difference? Tell me...there’s a difference in size, resolution..but thinking creatively how would you create that difference.. It takes exploration, time, and motivation to learn.

Just like creating videos.. It doesn’t sound easy, but if you brainstorm a few ideas, you will eventually have a very creative project! You have to think creatively in order to create a video.. So what comes to your mind when creating a video? ..Remember, be optimistic, original, You are UNIQUE through your own work! Here’s my video that I created this week. I explored nature in my video, as my daughter loves being outside with me, playing in the leaves, running around, back and forth, and being around birds! A unique aspect of my daughter is that she LOVES birds, and calls her grandmother (my mother-in-law) “Dee-Dee”..as my mother-in-law first introduced my daughter to birds! As I said earlier, being creative is about what catches your interest, therefore, make sure to always focus on you! 

https://youtu.be/ZGgne3-1V1s

Audio and Video Blogging

Audio & Video Exploration

This week, we explored audio usage, as well as video use. We did not have to create a video, but we did experiment with SoundTrap {in making a sound clip of ourselves}. I said a verse from a poem I wrote a few years ago titled "Am I Good?". Here is a link to my Soundtrap: https://www.soundtrap.com/playlink/4188d597-a3ce-4806-b11d-c823b0cbbd9f/

We also went on to explore Youtube and privacy settings. I discovered that I can share an external link (which I had assumed anyways). I also learned that the annoying ads that are constantly on YouTube videos can be turned OFF! Yes, that's right, they can be turned off! All you have to do is go to your account settings and under overview, you click features at the bottom and are then guided to a bunch of options that allows you to make your channel work as efficiently as you want it to! 

Youtube!

Youtube is the main browsing site promoting videos sharing. Everyone uses Youtube! I haven’t updated my account in years, yet I use it quite frequently! I may be on youtube often, but it’s usually for school purposes. It’s nice to browse around Youtube again and re-familiarize myself with the improved site. After some searching around, I finally figured out how to locate my dashboard!

Youtube Audio Gallery

I have never even heard of this download frenzy! Through youtube, you have access to “audio gallery” where you can download various music and sound effects for project use! How neat!?

Don’t forget the music by Josh Wanner

Music definitely makes a difference in how situations are portrayed. As in “Don’t forget the Music”, there was a huge difference between the country themed music, horror film music, and the goofy humorous music. Individuals look for humor, emotion and reaction with music. Music helps to tell the story, which is why you, don’t forget the music!

Black Planet Records

I have never heard of a DIY label and FMA curator, but I like their motto “The same thinking people should work together and music should have no boundaries”!

Audio Archive

This was my first time visiting the site “Audio Archive”, but it was quite interesting! It was nice to see how actively used this site is, over four billion views! I also like how they had a forum board..not many community posting, but it is nice to provide forum postings. I figured out how to navigate the site and eventually began listening to live music! I listened to a few songs by “String Cheese Incident”, and they were pretty good! I like how I was able to upload my own tunes, if I had any!  I found that listening to music on audio archive live was quite similar to using my phone to download and listen to music on Itunes!

Where Else Can I Use My Google Account With..?

• Youtube
• Channel
• Soundtrap
• Creating & sharing a sound track!

• Wevideo
• Creating videos! 
• Simple set up and super easy to navigate! 
• The colors don’t make the site overwhelming!

Cloud Computing

Cloud Computing & Software Storage 

Cloud Services? Do you use them?

Well with Microsoft office 365 and Google App, it allows for individuals to have massive amount of storage space available online. These are forms of software or applications. These software's allow for individuals to use them for storage purposes. Individuals have access when online and offline, as well as from all devices that access to apps/ internet. There are provided features that allow individuals to work with other individuals while their work is shared/saved together. I also learned that with Google doc, it is extremely easy to navigate the search tools for when citing in writing, or for future research. Personally, I prefer to use Google drive because in my opinion, is easier to work with. It took some time to get used to, but now that I am constantly using it, I prefer not to use Microsoft office 365 (not that it’s difficult to use). I have two means of storage if I needed more, but I typically use Google App, as I am easily able to explore and understand the tools. Whereas, with Microsoft Office 365, I am new to the software, so I am just getting used to it. I recently worked with PowerPoint on Microsoft Office, which wasn’t too difficult, but I found it extremely difficult when working with fonts and themes, so I ended up converting and sharing it with my Google software. This would have been much more difficult to do if it weren’t for the wonders of the cloud!

Storage Usage

Way back when, “back in the day”, files/pictures/videos/etc. were stored onto a hardware, hard drive, CD disk..and even today, some individuals still use that file save form to store their files. Since then, technology has changed drastically. Now that technology has developed, individuals no longer need to make the extra effort to save files to some sort of “disk”. Technology has developed beyond files being saved on a “disk”, that they can now be saved within the technology itself: through a computing network, known as the Cloud. The cloud, also referred to as computing cloud or hard drive in the sky is a network of saving and sharing individual files. The cloud is available on demand, as a unique form of saving files and sharing them on the internet. It also requires less power and storage usage for different activities used through the cloud. It is very easy for data to get lost or privacy settings to be overlooked, as well as storage files to be taken. It’s important to read privacy regulations/laws before storing individual work in it. 

An example of what using the cloud is like: if I am viewing a video online, through Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon; that form of video sharing is not saved to my technological device, rather it is a file saved through the cloud, that is shared the world to use. There are also many files that are saved or “backed up” in the “cloud”, such as emails, notes, music, and all sorts of media that individuals can save, such as myself. The cloud is considered a safe network of file sharing and storage usage, but again, is a “fluffy blue cloud in the sky”, so beware of the power of the cloud!

Google Scholar:

• has always been confusing to me...but something extremely interesting I learned in the video provided this week was how to easily understand and be provided with quick citations from sources. I also discovered that besides searching for articles and journals, you can also search for legal opinions! I know, it may sound silly to get excited about what I can search on Google Scholar, but it’s better to have a wide variety of options when doing research! Individuals can also filter their searches, and choose many preferences in advance search, which I also discovered is in the toolbar..
• Search literacy allows you to access all sorts of content, but does have set restrictions
• know the basic terms before using the internet {web site, browser, URL, plug in, and Query}
• I don't think many people understand how to browse the internet, but this video highlights many great aspects and tools on how to

CCV Multimedia App & Tools

Visual Concepts

Did you know there are various blogger sites that allow you to create your own blog for FREE?

The main one being GOOGLE, WordPress, Kidblog, Weebly, through various social media sites, etc. Most of these sites allow for individuals to use as a free-trial, or for free, while there are also sites that require a fee to pay for extra necessities following the free trial.

I love the idea of publishing my ideas into a blogger site!

Through the various blogger sites, I can publish my ideas on whatever I find interesting! I have a difficult time processing my thoughts on publishing blogs, but I’m making progress with the new tools explored each week. Having a Facebook page and constantly updating my thoughts is another form of blogging, so in a way, I have been involved in blogging for quite some time!

Exploring key components to a successful web design

Five key components: Colors, Content focus, White space, Typography, Social prominence.

The two key colors : Black and white. Black signifies elegance, while white signifies cleanliness. When beginning my blog site, I liked the idea of using different color fonts, background themes, etc., but after reading common mistakes; I probably shouldn’t be using extravagant colors! Content has to focus on the value of the blog. What concepts are we exploring? Staying on task is key! White spaces: You don’t want clutter! Typography= FONT! Social prominence: Allow for readers to view content easily! 

Mobile Devices

I can use my mobile device or tablet! This allows me to constantly update when need be! I can download and use blogger on all of my mobile devices! I can also use security features that allow others to explore my profile, public or private.

Reflection

This week covered many topics regarding the visual content viewed on a blogger site. I find myself taking notes from each article explored these past few weeks, but then having a difficult time processing it into a blog post. This week, we mainly focused on blog design. There were many techniques explored, that I will most certainly benefit from, as well as tips on how to keep readers visually attentive. These tips ranged from adding the right amount of media {photos, videos, etc.}, to customizing and incorporating an individual theme!