1) I decided to do my post on Padlet, since the concept interested me. It's very simple to use and has an interesting format. The "pad" I created is also on a topic that greatly interests me, and if any people add to this list I'll definitely be interested. Here's a link to the project. As of now, everything on it are my own posts: http://padlet.com/hannahcromwell3/y9svizktb4ae
2) If any other people contribute to the pad I created, I'd definitely find more interest in the site, especially if those posts led me to some good vintage books. I might also make use of Padlet for future school projects that require collaboration between more than two people--it could really be of use.
3) Probably my favorite discovery today was Diigo. I think I'm going to try using that a little more when I get home; I've got a lot of bookmarks on my computer because I follow a lot of internet artists, and this could really help me better organize them.
4) I don't have any suggestions for the tutorial in the instructions--all the programs are simple enough, and I had no trouble with them.
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Topic 9
I only missed one question on my TRAILS test:
9. When you are assessing a website's objectivity, which of the following would you not examine?
My wrong answer was advertising on the websites. The actual, correct answer was the currency of hyperlinks on the website.
I believe I missed this question because I misread it. I think when I originally took the test I thought it was asking for a site's currency, which was not the case. Looking back on it now, the correct answer is obvious; while approved advertising on a site could demonstrate bias, whether or not the hyperlinks are still active has little/nothing to do with it.
9. When you are assessing a website's objectivity, which of the following would you not examine?
My wrong answer was advertising on the websites. The actual, correct answer was the currency of hyperlinks on the website.
I believe I missed this question because I misread it. I think when I originally took the test I thought it was asking for a site's currency, which was not the case. Looking back on it now, the correct answer is obvious; while approved advertising on a site could demonstrate bias, whether or not the hyperlinks are still active has little/nothing to do with it.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Topic 7
I could definitely see myself using Google Drive for school projects in the future. It's a very effective tool, both for making presentations or helping to share documents with collaborating students on a school project.
Here's a timeline from my book I made using Google Drive:
It's crude and skips over a lot of details, but gets the main points across.
One of the cooler tools I found was in the Drawing, Charting and Mapping Tools section of the online database WebTools4u2Use. It's called Art.com and lets you "paint" an image on a fake canvas and save it to your "gallery." You can send photos to other people by email. One of the more interesting features is how you can see an instant replay of your masterpiece, brushstroke by brushstroke. You can also see artwork by other people. It's a pretty simple tool, and I can't really see myself using it for anything outside of all means to getting rid of boredom. As far as I can tell, there's also no way of attaching the images you make to sites like this blog, or simply copying it with a mouse click/drag, which is really aggravating.
Since Glogster refused to work with me and any project I made inevitably shut me out or wouldn't save any changes to the document I made, I went and made a picture with Google Drive instead.
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Topic 4
1)What is "fair use?"
The Copyright Act gives copyright holders the exclusive right to reproduce works for a limited time period. Fair use is a limitation on this right. Fair use allows people other than the copyright owner to copy part or, in some circumstances, all of a copyrighted work, even where the copyright holder has not given permission or objects.
2) How does fair use fit with copyright law?
Copyright law embodies a bargain. It gives copyright holders a set of exclusive rights for a limited time period as an incentive to create works that ultimately enrich society as a whole. In exchange for this limited monopoly, creators enrich society by, hopefully, contributing to the growth of science, education and the arts.
A Creative Commons License is a kind of online tool that gives everyone--from individual creators to large companies and institutions--a "simple, standardized way to grant copyright permissions to their creative work." This is an important thing for any potential writer/artist to know about.
Two images I might use in my book trailer:
Picture of a timber wolf/German Shepard mix. There's one of these in my book. This was one of the clearer, more candid-looking photos I found, so I decided to use this one.
Brodersen, Bonnie. Wolf / German Shepherd Puppies - Price: 500.00 for Sale in Denison, Illinois. Digital image. bestpetsonline 2014. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.
One of the crucial clues the characters find that kickstarts the novel's plot are a pair of old military dog tags. A girl also finds them, and the picture shows and girl's hand.
Liftarn. Dog Tags. Digital image. Wikipedia 18 Dec. 2005. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.
A large portion of the book takes place on Loggerhead Island, off the coast of Maine, which hosts a scientific research institution and a colony of monkeys.
Kevin Oke / All Canada Photo / Universal Images Group
Rights Managed / For Education Use Only
The Copyright Act gives copyright holders the exclusive right to reproduce works for a limited time period. Fair use is a limitation on this right. Fair use allows people other than the copyright owner to copy part or, in some circumstances, all of a copyrighted work, even where the copyright holder has not given permission or objects.
2) How does fair use fit with copyright law?
Copyright law embodies a bargain. It gives copyright holders a set of exclusive rights for a limited time period as an incentive to create works that ultimately enrich society as a whole. In exchange for this limited monopoly, creators enrich society by, hopefully, contributing to the growth of science, education and the arts.
A Creative Commons License is a kind of online tool that gives everyone--from individual creators to large companies and institutions--a "simple, standardized way to grant copyright permissions to their creative work." This is an important thing for any potential writer/artist to know about.
Two images I might use in my book trailer:
Picture of a timber wolf/German Shepard mix. There's one of these in my book. This was one of the clearer, more candid-looking photos I found, so I decided to use this one.
Brodersen, Bonnie. Wolf / German Shepherd Puppies - Price: 500.00 for Sale in Denison, Illinois. Digital image. bestpetsonline 2014. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.
One of the crucial clues the characters find that kickstarts the novel's plot are a pair of old military dog tags. A girl also finds them, and the picture shows and girl's hand.
Liftarn. Dog Tags. Digital image. Wikipedia 18 Dec. 2005. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.
A large portion of the book takes place on Loggerhead Island, off the coast of Maine, which hosts a scientific research institution and a colony of monkeys.
Kevin Oke / All Canada Photo / Universal Images Group
Rights Managed / For Education Use Only
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Topic 8
The site I decided to use was Goodreads. I discovered this site a few years ago and have been visiting it periodically ever since. Every few days I sign in and wade through all the new books for anything I might be interested in reading. It's particularly useful for researching books by the same author or for the excellent suggestions it offers in the "Readers Also Enjoyed" category in the top right of the screen when viewing a book's page. I've discovered many excellent books I don't think I would have found otherwise through this way. Since I've been using this site for some time, I really had no difficulty with it. I suppose the hardest thing about it is sifting through its extensive database for a specific book or genre. I chose this site over the other two because I'm familiar with it and know its layout pretty well. I definitely use this site for fun all the time and it would be a good resource for school when researching nonfiction texts or maybe viable reading material for an English class.
Here's a widget of my personal Goodreads bookshelf:
Here's a widget of my personal Goodreads bookshelf:
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Topic 6
For this week's assignment, I made a short film titled "Invasion Nation" using a site called dVolver. This site lets you create simple animated movies using a set of premade characters and backgrounds you select on the site. There's a pretty wide variety to choose from, and it doesn't take very long. You can see my video here, a thrilling epic about a city plagued by giant birds and ineffective aliens: http://www.dvolver.com/live/movies-1026475 I chose this site because I enjoy traditional animation, and it looked like one of the more fun ones. It was very easy to use, taking me less than five minutes to make my whole video. I could see myself using this site to help add some spice to a PowerPoint presentation for school or just for zany fun. The only tips I have are to think ahead when it comes to choosing characters and backgrounds and to have fun!
Friday, October 24, 2014
Topic 5
The first site I used was called ImageChef (http://www.imagechef.com/). It lets you customize signs and pictures with your own text, and is fun enough--but the choice of pictures is very limited for those who don't already have photos on their computer or a camera to take new ones.
The second site I used was called BigHugeLabs (http://bighugelabs.com/) and allows you to alter images into formats like magazine covers, movie posters, jigsaw puzzles, and more. I went for the pop art format with an old photo of mine.
Besides this one assignment, I don't think I'll ever use these sites again. I have some proficiency with the photo programs on my computer, which I can use in case I need to for school, and don't think I'd do this just for fun. However, they could be of great use to someone who either doesn't have access to or doesn't know how to work with the more traditional photo editing programs like PhotoShop.
The second site I used was called BigHugeLabs (http://bighugelabs.com/) and allows you to alter images into formats like magazine covers, movie posters, jigsaw puzzles, and more. I went for the pop art format with an old photo of mine.
Besides this one assignment, I don't think I'll ever use these sites again. I have some proficiency with the photo programs on my computer, which I can use in case I need to for school, and don't think I'd do this just for fun. However, they could be of great use to someone who either doesn't have access to or doesn't know how to work with the more traditional photo editing programs like PhotoShop.
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Topic 3
1) Blogging can help me in a school environment by letting me share my work with others and allowing me to see their thoughts, opinions, and own personal questions in return. I can keep in touch with the school community virtually anywhere so long as I have access to a computer, and can ask or give help through posts and comments, respectively.
2) The book I'm reading for my book trailer is called Virals and is written Kathy Reichs, better known for her Bones series featuring Temperance Brennan (yes, it's the basis of the TV show). Two characters in this book are the protagonist Tory Brennan and her pet wolf-dog Cooper. A bit of a tomboy, Tory is described in the book as having flaming red hair, emerald eyes and pale skin. Something of a tomboy, she's determined, intelligent, headstrong and sometimes reckless. She has some lingering issues over the death of her mother a year previous to the events in the book; she was killed by a drunk driver in Massachusetts. Cooper is Tory's pet wolf-dog, the pup of a German shepard and a wolf. He's described as looking more wolf-like, but with distinct dog characteristics. He's extremely loyal and protective of Tory. I would definitely be friends with animal-lower Tory the science geek and her awesome pet wolf-dog if they were to come to Poway High.
3) The setting of the book is an island off the coast of South Carolina. Called Loggerhead Island, it houses a remote research facility for the University of Charleston that studies animal life. Tory and her friends live in the nearby town of Charleston, a real place, in what we can assume is the present day. Modern technology like iPhones and apps and often mentioned, and the Vietnam War (said to have taken place "way back" in the sixties) is a key point in the story line. One very exciting scene in the book is towards the beginning, where Tory and her friends are breaking into part of the research facility and discover one of the scientists is conducting illegal experiments on rabies--with Cooper as the guinea pig! A very suspenseful few pages follow where they have to get the wolf-dog pup out of the facility and back to Charleston without setting off any alarms or being discovered by the security guards. They fail at the first--but you'll have to read the book if you want to figure out the latter!
2) The book I'm reading for my book trailer is called Virals and is written Kathy Reichs, better known for her Bones series featuring Temperance Brennan (yes, it's the basis of the TV show). Two characters in this book are the protagonist Tory Brennan and her pet wolf-dog Cooper. A bit of a tomboy, Tory is described in the book as having flaming red hair, emerald eyes and pale skin. Something of a tomboy, she's determined, intelligent, headstrong and sometimes reckless. She has some lingering issues over the death of her mother a year previous to the events in the book; she was killed by a drunk driver in Massachusetts. Cooper is Tory's pet wolf-dog, the pup of a German shepard and a wolf. He's described as looking more wolf-like, but with distinct dog characteristics. He's extremely loyal and protective of Tory. I would definitely be friends with animal-lower Tory the science geek and her awesome pet wolf-dog if they were to come to Poway High.
3) The setting of the book is an island off the coast of South Carolina. Called Loggerhead Island, it houses a remote research facility for the University of Charleston that studies animal life. Tory and her friends live in the nearby town of Charleston, a real place, in what we can assume is the present day. Modern technology like iPhones and apps and often mentioned, and the Vietnam War (said to have taken place "way back" in the sixties) is a key point in the story line. One very exciting scene in the book is towards the beginning, where Tory and her friends are breaking into part of the research facility and discover one of the scientists is conducting illegal experiments on rabies--with Cooper as the guinea pig! A very suspenseful few pages follow where they have to get the wolf-dog pup out of the facility and back to Charleston without setting off any alarms or being discovered by the security guards. They fail at the first--but you'll have to read the book if you want to figure out the latter!
Topic 2
Notice anything different? I just used my crazy tech skills to create and upload an avatar to my blog! I used a site called http://www.picassohead.com/, which lets you mash together different body parts and geometric shapes in the style of Picasso. It's a really cool site, and it gives you a lot of freedom with creating your picture; you can change a shape's size or color or where you want it in the picture. I decided to go for plain black and white, though, since I thought that looked better. I didn't want too much color to take away from the blog posts themselves. I'm really happy with the results, and I'd recommend PicassoHead to anyone looking to make a unique and interesting avatar themselves.
Monday, September 29, 2014
Topic 1
1) I think the hardest guideline for me to follow/remember will be to consider my audience. I've never run a blog before and don't really plan to continue this one after it is graded (although that might change), so I think I'll be writing more for myself than anyone else, and any readers of my blog may take offense to that. Also, I'm not sure how well I'll respond to criticism, positive or otherwise.
2a) Digital citizenship is when a person makes use of social networking sites or other forms of information-sharing online to engage in social/political/artistic/etc. conversations/projects.
2b) The responsibility of a digital citizen is to use the internet responsibly, to know whether what they're writing is right or wrong. They should exhibit intelligent, thought-out behavior online and make good choices when using technology overall.
Resources:
http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/
http://www.nisd.net/digitalcitizen/
3) Hannah Cromwell isn't a very unique name on a worldwide scale, so I got a lot of results on Google when I put in my name. Further attempts to find myself through the addition of keywords like "California," "High School," ect. resulted in some links concerning myself, mainly my Facebook page (which I never use) and my E-mail address. I really don't have all that much of a digital footprint, it seems, and I'm happy to keep it that way.
2a) Digital citizenship is when a person makes use of social networking sites or other forms of information-sharing online to engage in social/political/artistic/etc. conversations/projects.
2b) The responsibility of a digital citizen is to use the internet responsibly, to know whether what they're writing is right or wrong. They should exhibit intelligent, thought-out behavior online and make good choices when using technology overall.
Resources:
http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/
http://www.nisd.net/digitalcitizen/
3) Hannah Cromwell isn't a very unique name on a worldwide scale, so I got a lot of results on Google when I put in my name. Further attempts to find myself through the addition of keywords like "California," "High School," ect. resulted in some links concerning myself, mainly my Facebook page (which I never use) and my E-mail address. I really don't have all that much of a digital footprint, it seems, and I'm happy to keep it that way.
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