PE6_Practical Experience_Flash

I was able to import my video into Flash, but it was HD and much too large for the stage window. I found "Free Transform" the same tool used in PhotoShop and Illustrator to resize image components and layers. This worked like a charm and after a few tries, the publishing we worked out too. Unfortunately, Blogger does not accept .swf. My iWeb site would not accept it or imbed it either, so in order to show it on the blog I simply recorded my screen using ScreenFlow and posted that.

For this practical experience, I didn't use any of the tools (animation and tweening) that make Flash famous, but that will take some time to get a handle on. I did learn a few things, though and will keep working on Flash.

PE5_Practical Experience_Flash

I have watched several Lynda.com tutorials on adding and animating text.  I think I could get it to work with a little more time, but I am going to have to cut my losses and import video created in iMovie, with titles and try to get that to work in Flash.  I have figured out how to import the video and apply "skins" with various forms of interactive controls.  I will continue to work with flash leading up to month 6.  I would like to be reasonably proficient heading into that class.  When I figure it out, I think I can bring the video and audio in separately so that I can fade the video in and out at will in order to use animation in my titling while not losing the running audio dialogue.

For this practical I selected a color that I would use on my class website, copper, for the skin and controls.  You can view the video right in the timeline using FLV Playback (a new feature in Flash).

I am going to figure out how to publish this before calling it a night.

Persusive Message Video, David Burch

Please view my ETC Final Video below:

PE4_PracticalExperience_Flash CS5

I have decided to use Adobe Flash for this PE.  I have used Flash very rarely for several years.  I have never built an entire web site with it, but I have used flash templates to build sites.  As a creative director, I have used Flash experts (technicians) to incorporate banner advertising on my customer's websites as well as using Flash video embedded in sites.  In one of the web design classes I took, we were asked to use some basic Flash animation to learn the simplest Flash functions, but I haven't done any hard core work and haven't touched in a couple of years.

At some point, I hope to incorporate Flash into my Graphic Communications program at work and find a way to teach flash and my curriculum at the same time.

PE3_PracticalExperience_GarageBand

The video below is just a simple test of the podcast function inherent to GarageBand;

Ha!  There's 30 seconds you'll never get back!  The last 30 seconds of your life belong to me.  I feel so empowered…and mean.

PE2 - Practical Experience 2 - Garage Band

Ha!  You are now being blogged by Captain Practicality!  Ya' gotta love the internet!  Inspired by Michael George's post, I went looking for Midi files of songs that had deep personal meaning to me…I had also just watched the little help video about creating ringtones…Could anyone possibly assume that the A-Team theme song from 1983 would exist.  I have to admit, my mouth was hanging open for a second.

There were actually several versions of the A-Team Theme Song as well as a Midi version (which sounded pretty weird before I messed with it).  I had played with my iPhone and ringtones before.  I used the memo recording app on my iPhone to record a song that makes me smile every time I hear it, the CBS Sunday Morning theme song, brought that into iTunes and made it a ringtone ( I think - its been a while).  Now I know how to create one from scratch (and share it with friends).  I would post the A-Team ringtone, but I'm sure that would violate something.

Therefore, so as NOT to deny you your own A-Team ringtone…I provided the link to the page where I found it above.

Not quite on par with air-conditioning or refrigeration, but pretty darn practical.

PE1 - Practical Experience 1 - Garage Band

Thank you, Full Sail!  I am finally learning to play the guitar!   I chose Guitar Band as my Practical Experience for this week because a I realized that I was growing too dependent on my "I'm not good at the music part of production…" excuse.   Peter Binskin (another member of Cyber Group) has been my go-to-guy for music (when we are working on a group project) and figure it is time to stop taking him for granted.

I mentioned in another post that one of my concerns was that I was not taking responsibility for the music portion of my video production by using canned tracks from RoyaltyFree music or some other purchasing site for generic music.  If I want to take control of my creative work, I should include the music.  This, however is the secondary reason for my attempt.  I want the chicks to dig me.  Yes.  You heard me right…and yes, I've been married for 21 years, I'm 41 yrs old and have 5 teenagers.  Nonetheless.  I want to be the guy by the fire on the camping trip that is playing the guitar.  I really want to be that guy.

I won't fit in too many guitar lessons on this bunch of posts, but I'm gonna stick with it.  After watching the tutorials incorporated into GarageBand, and discovering just how cool the software simulates everything that you would need for a basement (or Garage) band set up - stuff like Stomp Boxes - I think I'm ready to move on to some Lynda.com vids.  I'll let you know how it turns out.  Wayne's World - watch out.

BP11_Comment on Michael George's Post

Blog Post:

Please follow this link to my comments on Michael George's blog.

http://proudrooster.blogspot.com/2010/10/pe1-garage-band-and-midi-files-part-1.html

BP10_Comment on Levonda Vickery's Post

Please follow this link to my comments on Levonda Vickery's blog.

http://levonda.blogspot.com/2010/10/bp9moodle.html#comment-form

BP9_Moodle

Moodle was recommended by one of my Critical Friends. He uses is to conduct "class" environments for his students to attend from home outside of normal school hours. He finds that his students are more attentive and ultimately progress faster when a portion of their learning is done away from other students. His after hours classes consist of student posting and video/audio presentation. The students can only respond with chat, but Dan is presenting in audio mostly.


He will be helping me to start my own Moodle classroom to incorporate additional learning that will benefit my students (above and beyond the required classroom work). On the off-chance that my school does not already have a Moodle administrator, I will use the Wimba platform that our District does have set up.


I intend for the use of Moodle in my program and my ARP to create an inclusive atmosphere that will generate buy-in for the attitudes that I am trying to instill. Our classes will look at the Graphic Communications industry, hiring practices, free-lance sites, pay-scales, job-requirements and actual hiring companies. I'll dispense advice based on my industry experience and we will get feedback from students, who are already working free-lance, about their experiences.


The main challenges to this approach will be to create an atmosphere, by using Moodle's security settings, that is safe for my students to use and creating a learning environment that is productive. I expect to have to use extra-credit or regular credit promises to get the initial participants. Many teachers use attendance at local productions (plays and musicals) or the after school viewing of special movies or the participation in various additional training/tutoring sessions as additional credit to be applied to a student's grade. I will use the same strategy.

BP8_SimpleDiagramsAd

Please view this ad. If you do not see a play window, please click the link above.

BP7_ColleagueComment_Jevaughn

Here is a link to my comment on Jevaughn Smith's post.


Here are a couple of images from one of my father's books (published through iPhoto/Mac) :

BP6_ColleagueComment_AshleePArk

Follow this link to my comments on Ashlee's blog.

BP5_Web2.0 Tool_DiigoEducator

Diigo Education

I discovered Diigo Educator accounts through the link (100 Web 2.0 tools) provided by our instructor, but it is easily found (as an upgrade) through your existing Diigo account.  You can create a new account (which I am in the process of doing - waiting on approval) that utilizes your Teacher work email.  The idea behind Diigo Education is to teach your students to use links and notations found by their classmates to enhance their own learning.  As the Teacher/Facilitator, you can create student/class accounts without requiring emails from the students and enjoy strict security settings to protect both the students and your job.  By setting up a separate account with your work (Teacher) email, you can keep your personal Diigo account separate from the account you are using to facilitate your student's Diigo.

I plan to use the student Diigo environment to teach them to find and share research results when we are looking into the history and background of the Graphic Communications industries.  We will also use it to find and share tools that can be downloaded to plug-in to the software that we use to create our work (mostly Adobe Creative Suite).  These filters and plug-ins have to be installed individually by account or computer, so having group access to a stream of links with descriptions is like having a searchable database of tools that proved helpful to someone else working on a similar task.  We are also creating some class and individual portfolio web locations and Diigo Education will give us the opportunity to link to these portfolios and share comments and critique.

These class accounts can be set up to be exclusive, or private, by class or program and can be set NOT to populate to web-wide search engines or even within Diigo.  This setting, along with the lack of personal information needed to add student accounts, makes this tool a very county and school district friendly Web 2.0 application.

BP4_Web2.0_Tools

Before I refer to the tool that I am going to share, I want to point to another tool I discovered for PC users.  If you edit your own HTML (not in iWeb), please check out Pop Feed Back (http://www.popfeedback.com/).  This is a very easy to use, quick survey tool that you can add to your websites and blogs.  One or two question feedback gathering bubbles will pop-up on top of your site(s) to grab a little information from your site's users (if they want to help) to help you improve the site or your class or communications efforts. etc.  I am unable to use it (and show it to you) because I use iWeb almost exclusively.  I attempted to install this on my iWeb sites but I am unable to get it placed exactly where it needs to go (even with third party software called iWeb Enhancer) due to the lack of a code view in iWeb.  If you do edit your own code, give it a shot.


I was able to use an application called SimpleDiagrams (http://www.simplediagrams.com).  The free version of this tool has a dozen applications, both in my classroom and in my research.  I am including a quick sketch below that was made to convey some of the communications tools that I will be using to help my Critical Friends understand my goal.  Beyond the research and collaboration applications, since this version is free and works well with Mac computers, I can load it on to the computers that my students use.  When the application is available to all of my students I can use it to teach them how to map out ideas and team projects.  I can use it on the fly to show how certain business, production and work-flow processes work.


The tools inherent to this program are simple and fun looking.  If I have the full version on my teacher computer ($19) I can save starter files that the students can complete to show understanding of a concept or work together to solve a problem. 
As I am moving closer and closer to operating a paperless environment, this online collaboration is key to that goal.  Please see the sample below:

BP2_iGoogleScreenShots

iGoogle Home Page

iGoogle FSO Page

iGoogle ARP Page

iGoogle ETC Page

BP_Diigo