My Life - Final Project

3.
A) Identify the different music in your project.
I only used one song in my entire project. The song I chose is a modern day song written by a modern day band.
B) Tell us what songs you used and...
I only used one song in my entire project: "Fallin' Apart" by The All American Rejects.
C) Why you chose the different pieces.
I used this song because it had an obvious beat and rhythm to it. This way, I could time my slides so that they went along with the music.

4.Describe how you went about finding your information, pictures, and songs:
I mainly used search engines and website suggestions from my classmates.
A) What kinds of search terms/phrases did you use? (Give some examples.)
I used the search term "1995" frequently. I used it because that is the year I was born and most of my information had to come from that time period. Some other search terms I used are the following: "academy award winners," "billboard top hits," and "average prices."
B) What search engine(s) do you use most often? 
I used Google and only Google.
C) Did you find any unreliable websites or sources?
Yes, when searching average prices, search results came up with websites that had conflicting information. I do not know which ones were unreliable but just went with the one that had the best looking web page.

5. What different kinds of technology did you use to compile your project? [Web tools, Mac tools, etc...]
I used Google Docs to keep track of my web sources. I used iMovie to put the project stills and video together into a finished project. I used Microsoft Word to put gathered information into a single spot. I used Garage Band to make my chosen song longer by making it repeat a couple times.

6. What are you good at...what went well for you in this project?
I was good at putting everything together and making my music go along with the movie.

7. With what did you struggle on this project...what was difficult for you? 
I struggled with finding information. Deciding on which color scheme I should use was difficult as well.

8.
A) Did you decide to use still slides?  
Yes, I decided to use still slides.
B) Why or why not? [If not, how did you convey your information?] 
I did because still slides are easy to read, and they present information in an effective manner. I thought that it was a better choice compared to narration because narration freaks people out sometimes.
C) Did you use a consistent theme throughout your movie? 
Yes, my theme was to use black and/or white in every single slide.
D) Why or why not? 
A theme keeps everything together. It gives your project an overall mood. If you don't have a theme the viewer will feel like they're lost.
 
9. Describe how you used video in your project. 
I used video to show my best talent, which is Halo: Reach. I showed actual game play to give the viewer a good idea of what Halo: Reach is. Also, I made the game play video longer than it needed to be so that I could play the credits with the video in the background.

10. For what other classes, situations, uses could this type of project be adapted?

I could use this type of project to create a Halo: Reach tutorial. I would let the viewer in on a tip using still slides, and then I would show them what I actually mean using actual game play video. I could also use this for speech. In the video, I would have me speaking to the camera, and then I could show pictures here and there and maybe a few still slides. 

11. How did your project use the transformative property of borrowed images, music, and information to comply with the Copyright Law of 1976? [...not just that you cited the information - citing is not enough...tell me how you transformed what you've taken into something new, etc., How did you transform the music, information, images, etc.?
I used the transformative property of borrowed media and information to create an educational informative video about my life for personal purposes. I am not going to make a profit off of this so there is no commercial gain. Also, I cited every website as to give them credit. All I did was I took the media/information off of the website, that they let anyone view freely, and put it into something that has only sentimental value.

12. Would you do another project like this on your own? Why? Why not?
No, I would not. I wouldn't because it is a waste of time compared to when I could be playing Halo: Reach.

A) Identify your chosen musical genre & B) say why you chose it.

My chosen musical genre is the British Invasion. I chose it because I like the Beatles and someone else already chose Pop which is my favorite genre.

Describe how you went about finding your songs and information. 

I found my songs basically by searching for them in my sister's and brother's iTunes libraries. I found my information through simple Google searches and Wikipedia.

What different kinds of technology did you use to compile your project? [Web tools, Mac tools, etc...]
I used Garage Band to compile all 7 songs into one seamless track. I used NoodleTools to create my works cited. I used Zamzar to download a youtube video to use in my computer. Also, I used my Xbox 360 and Halo: Reach to take breaks and give myself an opportunity to relax and brainstorm. Finally, I used iMovie to put everything together into a final product.

What are you good at...what went well for you in this project?

I am good at navigating through files and solving unexpected and sudden problems. What went well for me in this project is that I didn't have to rely too much on anyone for help, and I could continue working at a steady pace. I didn't stay at any roadblocks for too long.

With what did you struggle on this project...what was difficult for you?
I struggled with finding the right music because I am not big on music. I had trouble with recognizing all the bands except for the Beatles.

Did you decide to use still slides? Why or why not?  [If not, how did you convey your information? 
I used still slides. I used them because they are easier to read.

For what other classes, situations, uses could this type of project be adapted? 

I could use this for Spanish class. When we have vocab, I could use garage band to record me saying the words and then put it into iMovie which would have explanations, pictures, and transitions in between.

How did your project use the transformative property of borrowed images, music, and information to comply with the Copyright Law of 1976? [...not just that you cited the information, etc., but how did you transform the music, information, images, etc.] 

I used it because I used it for educational purposes only. I didn't gain any money or do it for any commercial interests.

Would you do another project like this on your own? Why? Why not?

No I would not. I don't like music that much, and I would rather play Halo: Reach.

PND Culture iMovie

Post your movie to your blog. Number and answer the following questions:

Identify your team's topic. 

Our team's topic is lunch.

Describe your role on the team. 
I was the co-filmer, and I was one of the video editors. I helped significantly with the storyboard. I spoke frequently in the movie

What did you learn from being a part of this team? 
I learned how to be a useful part of a group. I learned that communication is the key to success.


What went well for you as a team?

What went well for our team was that we all got along with each other and we all contributed equally to the group effort. We all had our own strengths that we could share with one another.

What did not go well for you as a team?

We sometimes would forget the camera; therefore, we would not be able to film that day. Also, sometimes we got distracted by other people and their projects.

Describe the process from storyboarding through the movie creation. Did ideas/concepts/focus change from one kind of technology to the other? If so, how? 

Our movie pretty much followed our storyboard. We did make some changes, although most of them were minor. Ideas/concepts/focus did not really change from one kind of technology to the other. Our storyboard pretty much followed our movie and vice versa.

What new tools and techniques did you learn by doing this project? 

I learned how to use iMovie. I also learned how to effectively film video. I learned that you are supposed to shake the camera as little as possible.

For what other classes, situations, uses could this type of project be adapted? 

I could use this type of project for speech class. I could make videos of me speaking. I could then watch myself and see what I would need to work on. I could also use this type of project to make Halo: Reach montages. In Halo: Reach, you always get cool and awesome kills that are worth showing the world on YouTube. With this type of skill at hand, I can now make really cool montages.

How did you use the transformative property of borrowed images, music, and information to comply with the Copyright Law of 1976?   
We used that property for all of our borrowed media. We used it for educational purposes only, and we cited our sources. Therfore, we used the transformative property of borrowed media for perfectly legitimate legal educational purposes only.


Would you do another project like this on your own? Why? Why not?

No, I wouldn't. I would rather play Halo: Reach. Halo: Reach is the newest first person shooter created by Bungie. Halo: Reach gives players the ability to choose from several different weapons layouts at the start of each game. Also, you can customize your character's armor by using the in game credits that you earn. But if Halo did not exist, then yes I would do another project like this on my own. Video editing is not only fun, but it is a skill and art.

Garageband

1. What tools and techniques did you use to create your podcast?

I used the tool Zamzar.com. Zamzar.com is an online tool that is used to convert youtube videos into mp3's. I used Zamzar.com to acquire some fitting music to put into my Podcast (credit given through citation). I also used Google images to get the visuals that were required for this project (credit given through citation). As for techniques, I made my podcast. Then, I would listen to it over and over again, fine tuning it and making small changes after each time of listening to it.

 2. How could you use a project like this in other classes?

I could use a project like this for Spanish class, like when we have conversations in Spanish that we have to record. I could also use a project like this for speech. I could listen to myself speak and edit it to make myself sound better which would consequentially get me better grades.

 3. In the "real world," how could podcast projects be used (In what careers/businesses, etc.)?

Podcasts can be used for businesses or corporations that want to send out a message to listeners, followers, or enthusiasts of their work or product. One example is Bungie. Bungie is a video game design company that created the Halo series: Halo CE, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo ODST, and Halo: Reach. Bungie frequently releases podcasts that you can listen to in order to acquire information on how the new games they are developing are coming along. You could go to Bungie.net right now and listen to a podcast off of their website. Well, actually you can't because Peoria Notre Dame blocked Bungie.net due to it being related to "Game Playing."

 4. In this project, what did you get good at doing?

I got good at speaking into a microphone. I figured out you couldn't be to far from the microphone, yet you couldn't be too close to the microphone. I also got good at aligning pictures and sound effects along with related words of my podcast. Furthermore, I figured out how to get good sounds and appropriate themes to enhance the listening experience.

5. What was the most difficult part of the assignment?

The most difficult part was getting a total of five different sounds into the podcast without making it sound really bad. I got two or three in no problem. But, the requirement was five, so I would have to end the previous sound on a somewhat quiet part before starting the next one or it would sound very abrupt.

 6. Would you do a project like this on your own?

No, I would not do a project like this on my own. I don't like speaking and having other people listen. I also don't like having all the music and jingles and stuff. But, if I had to do something for a school project, I would do this if it were the best option.

1. Post a screenshot of your storyboard. [2 pts]

2. State the TOPIC your team chose and TELL WHY you, as a group, decided to explore it. [3 pts] Our team chose the topic lunch. We decided to choose lunch because everyone eats lunch every day. Also, lunch has certain procedures and traditions here at Notre Dame that freshmen need to be aware of.

3. What different images did you include in your storyboard & why did you chose them. [3 pts.] We included images of food, people, and online clip arts. We used images of food because that is what lunch is all about: food. We included pictures of people to show where our quotes were coming from. We included clip art images to help convey simple ideas and to give the reader something to look at.

4. What tools of collaboration helped you succeed as a team?  [2 pts.]
We used the tools of communication. We listened to each other well, and we used emails to send each other important information. We also used Google documents which greatly helped with our success. We all were able to edit the same PowerPoint at the same time.

5. Describe HOW storyboarding helped you develop the idea for your movie.  [10 pts.]
Storyboarding helped develop the idea for our movie by putting our vague ideas on paper and by making them more of a reality. We were able to plan out what we were going to do and how we were going to do it. It got us organized and made sure that we all had the same general idea. Also, our storyboard enabled us to easily show the class what we were going to do, and it allowed the class to give us constructive criticism.

iPhoto LaHood Project

1. Which search terms did you use to find images (for the letters of your name and the images that describe you) and why?
I used the search term "letter (insert letter)" to find the letters for my name. That is all I used, as the rest of my pictures were on my HDD or were taken by me.
 
2. What skills did you use/learn in this project?
I learned some basic photo shopping skills, such as removing blemishes. I used some of my awesome picture taking skills as well to take three pictures.
 
3. Describe how you might use these skills and apply them to a real-world situation.
I will be able to take awesome pictures of myself and other things with a digital camera. Whenever I am about to post a picture of myself on facebook, I can now remove all facial blemishes and alter it in ways that will make myself look prettier.
 
4. This was a more creative project than our first 2. Did you prefer it or the more cut and dry assignments in Word and Excel? Yes, this project was somewhat more enjoyable than our previous projects. But, I am not sure it is as useful in real world applications. But yes, I did prefer this project over our other two.

Charity Letter Mail Merge

1. List the name of your business and its charity.
My business is eBay, and the charity is the American Red Cross Association.
 

2. What skills did you use/learn in this project?
I learned, basically, how to pull stuff from excel from office. I figured out how to mass produce letters that were addressed to individual people. I learned how it pays to be efficient.
 
3. What was the easiest part of this project? What was the most difficult part of this project?
The easiest part was constructing the excel document, and the collection of addresses. The most difficult part was using the mail merge manager, and then putting the documents on Google documents in order to share with Mrs. Rodolfi.
 
4. Describe how you might use these skills and apply them to a real-world situation other than writing a charity letter. 
I could these skills in real life when I am sending out invitations to my family and friends when I have a graduation party. I could also use it if I was the secretary of a business and needed to constantly send out letters to the same people every day. It would then save me a lot of time.
 
5. Did you learn something new during this project that you did not know before?  If so, what? [Your response to this question can be related to the information, skills, or process of the project.]
I not only learned that excel is useful for address books, but I learned how it can be for your advantage to use it, because then you always have the option to incorporate it into Word. I learned how your addresses can be better kept and used.