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.

M&M Project

 
1. What functions did your spreadsheet perform?
My spreadsheet averaged and added several sets of data.
 
2. What skills did you use/learn in this project?
I learned how to use functions and formulas. I got familiar with the formula bar. I also learned how to save time by copying functions to other boxes without having to repeat certain steps several times.
 
3. Describe how you might use these skills and apply them to a real-world situation.
I will use these skills for an eBay spreadsheet that will calculate the final value fee of my sale (9%), subtract that from the total, and subtract the shipping from the total. The result will be my profit from my eBay sale.