I learned how to create websites (the free way). The idea of creating a website was intimidating, but I now feel comfortable with applications such as Dreamweaver and InDesign to create a strong website. I also learned how to feel comfortable with Audacity, and making podcast. Someday I might record stories for my children on podcast as well! I learned how to feel comfortable making brochures.
With the ideas of C.R.A.P, I know how to properly and format a page to look professional and clean. I am now very comfortable with Photoshop, and will feel comfortable using it for future work opportunities relating to technology. I also learned about strange laws in different states, which was a fun activity. With comfort with Adobe products such as InDesign, Photoshop, and Dreamweaver, I learned the basic management of how to create a strong technological. I have a new comfort with technology, thanks to this Communication 350 course!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
A day without Technology. . Can ya do it?
I woke up this morning determined to have a day without technology. However, as it is so naturally to do, I sprung out of my bed in the morning and looked through my texts that I had received during the night. Already broke the challenge! I then tried to go the rest of the day without technology.
I did not text today as I was focused when I was at my internship, so was not able to be more distracted. That helped me get through the goal of cutting down technology. However, at my internship I did have to email. They did not take my excuse that I was doing a challenge to not use technology as a reason to stop getting business down with businesses of Bellingham.
I did not skype today! I actually thought about it, and then shut my mind up! I figure there is plenty that I can do besides skype, and I am sure my friends in France (the only reason why I use skype) were not on anyways. So I proudly and easily did not use skype.
As today consisted of me sleeping in (till 11!) then interning for five hours, it was an easy day to avoid using technology. I left my ipod at home accidentally, which worked out for me not jamming to music throughout the day. What did I use to replace technology?
I slept. And I met with business leaders, having a busy day. Today was a good day to not use technology, as I do not think I could last through a normal busy school day on Tuesday or Thursday without using the internet or checking in with a friend via phone. Additionally I had a friend come over for a little happy hour of cookies and wine with me, which was just as (if not more) fulfilling then using technology.
I can't believe I almost went through a whole day without using technology (except this post, etc.). I do not feel any more or less connected with others, as I was busy today. I am sure tomorrow will be filled with text messages catching up with my friends that I did not type to today.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Sixth Sense
In the video of Pattie Maes and Pranav Mistry demo of their "sixth sense", it is believed that the Six Sense technology will "help us to stay human" by the creator, I find it the opposite. Although there are positives to the Six Sense technology, I see it as making us turn into walking computers. I feel that if we rely on a system to recognize objects, etc., we will become less reliant on our own observation. While the photo function and such seemed cool with the Six Sense technology, the idea of using this all of the time is a bit daunting to me. It scares me as it can increase the amount of laziness that the American people have. I hope this is not what my future will be like! I believe we are tuning out the physical beauty of the world and computerizing it with this technology. While I believe we are moving closer to living digitally, I do not see it in a positive manner.
Whe listening to Pranav Mistry talk about the thrills of the Six Sense made it understandable to see how he created the technology of Six Sense. His idea behind why he wanted to create the Sixth Sense technology was to bring the physical world into the digital world. I feel as though he was successful with his goal of making the physical world a digital one, yet I do not understand why he wanted to create a more digital world. I feel as though there is a place for digital world and a place for enjoying the physical, natural world. They do not always need to combine! I hope that the technology of Six Sense does not become how our world works in the near future.
Whe listening to Pranav Mistry talk about the thrills of the Six Sense made it understandable to see how he created the technology of Six Sense. His idea behind why he wanted to create the Sixth Sense technology was to bring the physical world into the digital world. I feel as though he was successful with his goal of making the physical world a digital one, yet I do not understand why he wanted to create a more digital world. I feel as though there is a place for digital world and a place for enjoying the physical, natural world. They do not always need to combine! I hope that the technology of Six Sense does not become how our world works in the near future.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Week Six Blog
Online website building seems to be a lot easier when you have a starter website to start from. I have tried using wix and weebly, and they have seemed to make the creation of a website a lot more simple with possible layouts already created by the websites.
With weebly, we tried making our website a few weeks ago. It seemed a bit confusing and not like a website that makes it easier to create your own page. The creation of things, such as fonts and pictures on the website were difficult to move around on weebly. We felt like we were stuck in a box (of where we could place pictures, etc.) on weebly, and ran away as fast as possible from that site.
With wix, we have had more flexibility. The layouts were fun and applicable to our topic, and adding pictures of our own was pretty easy to figure out. There was nothing too difficult about editing our wix website, and I feel like this is a site base that I woudl return to if I want to make another personal website. This link gives the basics of how to make a wix website correctly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzTWG1fJgbI .
Another site creator example is moonfruit.com. This site seems to be more at my scale, as it is created for a person who does not have technological knowledge. This is known to be a simple creator of websites, and is based out of the UK. I believe you should use a british accent while creating a website made from moonfruit.
This video explains the idea of moonfruit. http://youtu.be/S4BcfjzHpe4
I feel that communication via technology is necessary in our current technological world that we are living in today. It is fun to add fun picture to give it a personal touch.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Our Constantly Changing Social Media
According to Malcolm Gladwell, the world is in a constant midst of a revolution. Social media, according to Gladwell, encourages the growth of the revolution to make positive changes in our environment. An example of that is the people of Iran using Twitter to stand up and fight for both freedom and democracy (Small Change, Gladwell). I am in agreement with Gladwell when believing that the activism that is taken place because of social media is a good thing for the future of the world. However, while social media and activism is a positive thing, I also see social media as being intimidating to the communication habits of the people in the world.
The speed that the internet and social media has grown is outstanding. As Eric Qualman said, "We don't have a choice whether we DO social media, the question is how well we DO it" (The social Media Revolution, youtube). I agree with Qualman, as the world is growing and changing and social media is a way that we can keep the people tied together. However, how well each individual uses social media to get across their ideas or goals can be overwhelming. The fact that IPads are gaining in popularity, almost more than books is a scary thing to me. I believe in classics, and I do not look forward to having a machine be able to store all this information on me. While I understand that the growth of social media is unstoppable, I am scared that by the time that I have children it will take over their lives. I always dream to live on the water, and give my kids the outdoors to play in rather than video games. We will see how much social media and technology grows in the next few years, but frankly I am scared. The constant checking of social media networks is something that is addicting, yet I believe unhealthy.
The speed that the internet and social media has grown is outstanding. As Eric Qualman said, "We don't have a choice whether we DO social media, the question is how well we DO it" (The social Media Revolution, youtube). I agree with Qualman, as the world is growing and changing and social media is a way that we can keep the people tied together. However, how well each individual uses social media to get across their ideas or goals can be overwhelming. The fact that IPads are gaining in popularity, almost more than books is a scary thing to me. I believe in classics, and I do not look forward to having a machine be able to store all this information on me. While I understand that the growth of social media is unstoppable, I am scared that by the time that I have children it will take over their lives. I always dream to live on the water, and give my kids the outdoors to play in rather than video games. We will see how much social media and technology grows in the next few years, but frankly I am scared. The constant checking of social media networks is something that is addicting, yet I believe unhealthy.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Podcasting/Audacity
When looking at the history of Podcasting for my portfolio, it all really began in the 1990's. Since then, the internet as well as Podcasting has evolved and grown ridiculously fast. Podcasts make it easy to broadcast yourself easily throughout the world at no cost. What more could we ask for? There are many types of podcasting. Video PodCasting, Enhanced Podcasting and Podcasting Novels. YouTube, Slideshows on the web and a series of autobooks that have not been printed are three examples of the three kinds of podcasting. Many now consider listening to Podcasting as an alternative to TV and radio. Podcasting has the ability to create online communities, as well as a advertising for businesses. Podcasting seems to be the way of the future!
Audacity is used for sound for Podcasts, etc., even stories to your children! The basics of Audacity consists of the basic signs for PLAY, RECORD, STOP, etc. Recording the sounds that you want can be controlled by those signs will record the music. In class we learned about turning down the volume of sound so that a voice could be heard easily. Audacity is easily understood and a great way to record what is necessary.
While Audacity does not export .mp3 files directly, it uses LAME instead. This is an .mp3 exporting library that is available seperately from Audacity. To save an Audacity file as an MP3, you must go to FILE, then EXPORT AS MP3. However, it is important to have downloaded the LAME library earlier. When exporting as an MP3, you have to use the LAME LIB to export it properly. Exporting as an .mp3 is important for podcasts, etc.
Works Cited
Bertucci, Brian. "What Is Podcasting?" About Podcasting. The New York Times, 2012. Web. 24 Jan. 2012. http://podcasting.about.com/od/basics101/a/whatis.htm.
Indiana University. "Podcasting; The Basics (Audacity)." IT Training and Education. 2008. Web. 24 Jan. 2012.
Mazzoni, Dominic. "Audacity Manual Contents." Audacity: Free Audio Editor and Recorder. Web. 24 Jan. 2012. http://audacity.sourceforge.net/manual-1.2/index.html.
Van Orden, Jason. "The History of Podcasting." How to Podcast. 2005-2008. Web. 22 Jan. 2012. http://www.how-to-podcast-tutorial.com/history-of-podcasting.htm.
Audacity is used for sound for Podcasts, etc., even stories to your children! The basics of Audacity consists of the basic signs for PLAY, RECORD, STOP, etc. Recording the sounds that you want can be controlled by those signs will record the music. In class we learned about turning down the volume of sound so that a voice could be heard easily. Audacity is easily understood and a great way to record what is necessary.
While Audacity does not export .mp3 files directly, it uses LAME instead. This is an .mp3 exporting library that is available seperately from Audacity. To save an Audacity file as an MP3, you must go to FILE, then EXPORT AS MP3. However, it is important to have downloaded the LAME library earlier. When exporting as an MP3, you have to use the LAME LIB to export it properly. Exporting as an .mp3 is important for podcasts, etc.
Works Cited
Bertucci, Brian. "What Is Podcasting?" About Podcasting. The New York Times, 2012. Web. 24 Jan. 2012. http://podcasting.about.com/od/basics101/a/whatis.htm.
Indiana University. "Podcasting; The Basics (Audacity)." IT Training and Education. 2008. Web. 24 Jan. 2012.
Mazzoni, Dominic. "Audacity Manual Contents." Audacity: Free Audio Editor and Recorder. Web. 24 Jan. 2012. http://audacity.sourceforge.net/manual-1.2/index.html.
Van Orden, Jason. "The History of Podcasting." How to Podcast. 2005-2008. Web. 22 Jan. 2012. http://www.how-to-podcast-tutorial.com/history-of-podcasting.htm.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Basic Layout and Design (What C.R.A.P!)
The basic layout and design of a website should consist of C.R.A.P. Contrast, repetition, alignment and proximity creates a strong structure for each website that one creates, and makes it easier for each visitor of the website to understand and enjoy the website. Articles that support the idea of C.R.A.P are below.
In my first article researching basic website design, author Mike Rundle describes how he took a computer technology class back in his college days. He breaks up each of the essential elements of C.R.A.P, and describes his ideas of website design and how they must focus on C.R.A.P to be successful.
http://thinkvitamin.com/design/how-crap-is-your-site-design/
My second article is written by a graphic designer, Jacob Cass. He displays the idea of using C.R.A.P on your website in simple terms, and uses information from The Non Designers Type Book by Robin Williams. This was an easy website and article to understand and follow. Some good C.R.A.P.
http://www.dailyblogtips.com/crapthe-four-principles-of-sound-design/
This third article is focused more specifically on contrast and it's importance in website development. It can be nice to have a website dedicated to each letter in C.R.A.P as it gives more detailed examples and such of what one should and shouldn't do in website development.
http://www.gomediazine.com/design-articles/technique-theory/rule-three-contrast-contrast-contrast/
Learn, and feed each visitor of your sign a strong level of C.R.A.P!
In my first article researching basic website design, author Mike Rundle describes how he took a computer technology class back in his college days. He breaks up each of the essential elements of C.R.A.P, and describes his ideas of website design and how they must focus on C.R.A.P to be successful.
http://thinkvitamin.com/design/how-crap-is-your-site-design/
My second article is written by a graphic designer, Jacob Cass. He displays the idea of using C.R.A.P on your website in simple terms, and uses information from The Non Designers Type Book by Robin Williams. This was an easy website and article to understand and follow. Some good C.R.A.P.
http://www.dailyblogtips.com/crapthe-four-principles-of-sound-design/
This third article is focused more specifically on contrast and it's importance in website development. It can be nice to have a website dedicated to each letter in C.R.A.P as it gives more detailed examples and such of what one should and shouldn't do in website development.
http://www.gomediazine.com/design-articles/technique-theory/rule-three-contrast-contrast-contrast/
Learn, and feed each visitor of your sign a strong level of C.R.A.P!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Photoshop!
In class we have begun working on Photoshop, specifically to start working on our personal websites. In class we learned the basics of how to set pictures in Photoshop, add text (and move it around too!). The time spent on text consisted of learning about using different fonts, sizes and colors. and how to warp them! We learned a lot about the tools on the Photoshop bar, for example how to drag an object around the screen. We then simply copied and pasted our Photoshop designs into Dreamweaver, then onto the internet! Look out websites, here we come!
This video aids in how to fix photographs that are put on Photoshop that seem blurry to the audience.
http://youtu.be/SpWDihBHRqM
The video below helps learn about Photoshop, and introduces the tools that can be used in Photoshop.
<iframe title="AdobeTV Video Player" width="480" height="296" src="http://tv.adobe.com/embed/113/1504/" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen scrolling="no"></iframe>
Works Cited:
http://www.free-photoshop-video-tutorials.com/
http://tv.adobe.com/watch/learn-photoshop-cs4/introducing-photoshop-cs4/
This video aids in how to fix photographs that are put on Photoshop that seem blurry to the audience.
http://youtu.be/SpWDihBHRqM
The video below helps learn about Photoshop, and introduces the tools that can be used in Photoshop.
<iframe title="AdobeTV Video Player" width="480" height="296" src="http://tv.adobe.com/embed/113/1504/" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen scrolling="no"></iframe>
Works Cited:
http://www.free-photoshop-video-tutorials.com/
http://tv.adobe.com/watch/learn-photoshop-cs4/introducing-photoshop-cs4/
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Top 10 Commandments of Website Design
DO!
Web design has both do's and don'ts to make each website successful. The do's can create a postiive space that causes an influx of interest and cash as well perhaps. Below are a list of do's for website design, as Bloomsberg Business Weekly and I agree on.
1. Flash is cool, but don't overFlash! Animation and fun technological things associated with Flash are fun, as long as they are not used excessively. It is good to keep the website classy to some level, and an excessive amount of flash can seem to be just noise.
2. Don't hide irritants! We all hate pop'ups. Even if they pay the bills, find a nicer way to keep the site up rather than having unnecessary ads flash on the viewers screen.
3. Do not clutter the information and pictures Structure of a website is one of the most importants steps to make a strong website. It is the ground that the website is built on. Don't have it clutter, keep it clear and concise.
4. Don't give your site name or company an excessively strange name! Althought sites with strange names are popular (we all can think of some!), it is obvious that they will soon become outdated. Find a name that will consistently work throughout the ages.
5. Do not use glassy reflections with photos It is seen as a bit cliche to put a glassy reflection underneath photos of products. Cliche and outdated is what we are avoiding!
6. Typography again and again Plain text is coming back in. Companies such as craigslist realize that having simpler plain text is easier for the audience to read. Bring it back to simple!
7. Create a strong experience for audience It doesn't matter just what the site looks like. Websites need to draw audience in with what htey do. Socially networking is an example of how websites have used that to gain popularity.
8.Be Social! Websites like myspace and facebook are all over the place. It is even going into the professional world with linkedin. Keeping people social through technology is a way to keep us together in this new techynolgocailly changing world. Keep it social to keep an audience!
9. Embrace proven technology sites such as wikipedia and facebook that we all visit daily have become apart of the technological world. By using some of their elements in a websites design, it will make it stronger.
10.Content is the king of all things embrace it! Making a site beautiful doesn't make up for bad content. Make it intersting. Draw the audience in.
http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/jun2008/id20080623_750025_page_2.htm
Web design has both do's and don'ts to make each website successful. The do's can create a postiive space that causes an influx of interest and cash as well perhaps. Below are a list of do's for website design, as Bloomsberg Business Weekly and I agree on.
1. Flash is cool, but don't overFlash! Animation and fun technological things associated with Flash are fun, as long as they are not used excessively. It is good to keep the website classy to some level, and an excessive amount of flash can seem to be just noise.
2. Don't hide irritants! We all hate pop'ups. Even if they pay the bills, find a nicer way to keep the site up rather than having unnecessary ads flash on the viewers screen.
3. Do not clutter the information and pictures Structure of a website is one of the most importants steps to make a strong website. It is the ground that the website is built on. Don't have it clutter, keep it clear and concise.
4. Don't give your site name or company an excessively strange name! Althought sites with strange names are popular (we all can think of some!), it is obvious that they will soon become outdated. Find a name that will consistently work throughout the ages.
5. Do not use glassy reflections with photos It is seen as a bit cliche to put a glassy reflection underneath photos of products. Cliche and outdated is what we are avoiding!
6. Typography again and again Plain text is coming back in. Companies such as craigslist realize that having simpler plain text is easier for the audience to read. Bring it back to simple!
7. Create a strong experience for audience It doesn't matter just what the site looks like. Websites need to draw audience in with what htey do. Socially networking is an example of how websites have used that to gain popularity.
8.Be Social! Websites like myspace and facebook are all over the place. It is even going into the professional world with linkedin. Keeping people social through technology is a way to keep us together in this new techynolgocailly changing world. Keep it social to keep an audience!
9. Embrace proven technology sites such as wikipedia and facebook that we all visit daily have become apart of the technological world. By using some of their elements in a websites design, it will make it stronger.
10.Content is the king of all things embrace it! Making a site beautiful doesn't make up for bad content. Make it intersting. Draw the audience in.
http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/jun2008/id20080623_750025_page_2.htm
The Basics
My name is Mora Shaw. I am a senior at Western Washington University, graduating on St. Patrick's Day of this year. I am beginning the countdown in my head. However, I need to take a few communication courses to get my credits for graduation! I am currently taking Communication 350, which is a course based on communicating through technology. The specific assignment that I am working on now is creating a blog that is made of entries updating with new information about particular topics associated with the course. This blog will be made of both my information and information that I retrieve from other websites. Enjoy the magic my words share!
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