Week 12- The end....Or The beginning!

Week 12 already? …..
This last week has flown by faster than others, and sadly it marks the end of digital media. This class has been a joy to be a part of and I have learnt many new aspects to digital media. When I first started in the earlier weeks of school, I thought this class was going to be a bunch of internet creations and systems I wouldn’t understand. After going through the past twelve weeks, it has actually ended up being quite the opposite. In the lab portion of the class I really enjoyed the hands on portion write after our mini lecture/ explanation of our assignments. This allowed me to be able to try out whatever we learnt while it was fresh on my mind and get help if needed. I found the first hour of our class to be very helpful as well. By recapping the lesson from last week and then learning about the assignments and/or what we would be using. I was able follow along in steps, which I believe is key to working with Digital Media.
Bright and early lectures every Tuesday at 9 proved to be a very worthwhile class. What made lecture so interesting to me was the combination of colorful slides, examples, and Lori. The different colour schemes used in slides help to bring them to life. Watching examples in class, on clips, posters etc. also worked as a refreshment tool that helped me to connect the concept and how it was used. Lastly, having Lori as a professor was a bonus. She was able to talk to us and capture my attention. Her moving around the room kept me engaged and her general passion for these topics showed.
Learning about digital media has helped me learn about the programs as well as myself. In week one and two, I wasn't completely sure which path I wanted to go down. Digital Media has helped me with ideas and paths to where I may head in this industry. The assignments we worked on played a major role in the journey to what I may do after RTA. I was able to explore my own creativity and find what I was passionate to work on.
Throughout the years and day to day life I always seemed to know what I liked in media and my own work. The thing I never asked myself was why. I would say “ok this looks good with that and this should go there” but never have a reason. In digital media I was able to learn about CRAP principles, typography, web 2.0, target audiences and how they all work together. With lessons like these I have been able to feel more capable of designing my own work and contribute help to others. This knowledge acts as a tool under my belt that boosts my confidence in this area and open doors to what I know I can do.
Looking at everything I have learnt in these labs and lectures I can’t help but mention my favorite assignment and the skills I learnt from it. Animation was a joy to me because of the different elements I was able to use. Motion tweens, buttons, animated videos, and pictures were some of the main tools I used. When designing this interactive assignment, it was also a chance to go back and use things we have already learnt like CRAP principles and Typography. Learning how to use Adobe Flash was the biggest skill I gained this semester. Not only am I able to do the assignments we had for class but I can use what I’ve learned to make opening credits, short clips, and anything else my mind can think up. Adobe flash is a tool that you give you what you put into it. If you have a good idea and spend time working on it, it is easy to come out with a great ending project. With all of these great assignments, fun classmates, and Professor, Digital media or BDC 101 sec 32 has been an amazing experience and start to the RTA program.

Week 11- Web Control?

In lab this week we covered Dreamweaver, HTML, and CSS. During this class some of us worked in groups to combine our ideas. I did the same and joined with Lama and Keenan. In this class I was able to learn about how to make a web page, and what a cascading style sheet can do. Although it may sound simple, don't be fooled these two together open endless possibilities on a web site. We started with HTML and learnt about headings, titles, links, photos, and paragraphs. We were able to put our basic information in and add our own flare to it. This then was able to be seen on a web page on our browser. Shortly after creating our page, we noticed how lacking it was in colour. In order to fix that, we used Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). With this program we were able to select different fonts, titles, colours and sizes and apply them to our page. With this basic outline we were able to create a page for all animal haters to join together and read why my group hated the animals we selected on our site. We used a sneaky killing cat, an owl that watches you to death, and flickering moldy moth's. Overall this was a great lesson on what you can do one the web, and how to do it. Below are some photos, do you see the filth!

Week 10- Web 2.0 (Five characteristics)

Dynamic Content
An example of dynamic content is flicker. This is a site that bring together to different medias like photos and maps and makes them one, an example of Mashups. Dynamic content also includes RSS feeds, and helpful site that are viewable on multiple platforms.

User Contribution
The example I choose to use for this characteristic is Yahoo answers. This page can be accessed by yahoo account holders and is a portal to any questions you have. There are conversations about rating books, movies, places to eat or were to by the best cough medicine. To make sure you are getting the correct answers or review other members to the page give the responses a ranking, and the best answer is highlighted so you can find the right answer quickly. This relates to user contribution because it is a bunch of people commenting on what they have read, experienced, and found and share it with others.

Social Media
The example I choose to use for this characteristic is Netlog. Netlog is a site much like myspace or Facebook. You can create an account and fill it with personal information. From there you are free to check out other profiles of your friends and the other thousand users. It is a good way to find friends or connect with new ones. Membership is free and gets recommended to all your friends when you sign up. You can add music, events, blogs, and any links you want on the page. It is a social network that works for many who feel that one social network is just not enough or even for those who just want something different.

Online Applications
The example I choose to use for this characteristic is Scotia Bank online applications. This online tool has been coming out more and more over the years. Online banking is a tool many use to access their accounts, pay bills, and check their balances. This site allows you to cruse between Personal Banking, Investment Services, Brokerage Services, Personal Credit, and Insurance. All these services use to be something you could only do at the teller. This is a perfect example to how technology has been able to further our everyday tasks. A down side to this online application can be a slow computer, not having one at all or maybe experiencing a crash. This would cause the benefits of online banking to no longer be benefits.
Harnessing collective intelligence
This characteristic is using people’s common thoughts and putting it to use in sites, for songs, photos etc. It includes Tagging which is also known as Folksmonies that are created by viewers. They visit the site and create tags which help expand the amount of ways to access their site.