The Communication Technology project I have been working on over the past few weeks has been a thoroughly challenging although enjoyable experience. I feel that after a considerable amount of hard work through each of the processes involved, I have made a valuable and significant improvement on my skills and understanding of communication technology.
The task set was to create a website and short DVD, both displaying our personal loves and hates of technology. For the website we were required to use an adobe software called Dreamweaver which is a program designed to assist in creating websites by providing a basic structure to map your website design onto. When making the DVD I used a program called Final Cut to edit the video clips we had recorded. Although there were introductory workshops provided for each of these programs I feel I did struggle at times. I feel I would have probably coped better if I had been given the chance to familiarize myself with each program at a time rather than being introduced to both at once. As both the programs were new to me and the pace was fairly rapid I did find it quite difficult to get my head around them, but after spending time experimenting with each program by myself I began to become more competent.
Most of the problems I encountered were with Dreamweaver which is a particularly intricate program. After designing my website layout on paper I found that transferring it onto Dreamweaver was more difficult than I had imagined. The first problem I came up against was the home screen design. My plan was to use a photograph of my own bedroom, containing a number of different technological devices. The idea was to create the page so that different objects would light up after the mouse scrolled over them, indicating something was there. By clicking on the objects the plan was that they would take the user to a different page explaining that particular object. In order to achieve this it was essential to follow a complicated and specific procedure. Firstly it was necessary to slice the picture up into different layers. Each layer had to be saved twice, changing the colour of the object on the second time so it would appear to be high-lighted. Then in theory by linking both together, the desired affect would be accomplished. The process was very time consuming and I found it hard to grasp. On a positive note, I feel I have gained valuable experience through this task. If I had the chance to do it again I believe I would be more competent with the procedure and therefore more confident to work independently. Also by being more familiar with the program I would be able to work much more time effectively, allowing me to spend more time gathering information from a wider range of resources.
The other task we were given was to make a video of our thoughts on technology and also a narrative. This was a group task involving myself and two other students on my course. Firstly we planned a short video clip about the improvement technology can have on your life. To create a video there are certain rules and techniques which need to be followed. Also it was quite time consuming because each action sequence needed to be shot a number of times from a variety of different angles. I was really pleased with the final outcome because it portrays exactly what we wanted it to. I also made a short video by myself with my digital camera showing the technology in my room. This was my first time using video as a media and I feel I have come away with a deeper understanding of the fundamental elements of creating a video clip as well as finding a media that I thoroughly enjoyed working with. I found this project really interesting and I am looking forward to expanding my knowledge on it.
On completion of this project I can look back and see there are things I would have changed if I had the opportunity to do it again. I found that experimentation with the programs was a way of developing my personal understanding and therefore improving the outcome of my projects. I feel that if I had had the opportunity to spend more time working with Dreamweaver in particular I would have been able to develop my skills using it.
Altogether I have enjoyed learning how to use all the technologies and the different processes required to achieve the desired outcome. I have also realised that that technology can be very difficult to understand. I had decided beforehand to have all five of my technologies as loves because they all help make my life a little easier, however after doing this project I have realised there are technologies which I could happily live without.
Monday, 18 February 2008
Friday, 15 February 2008
Narrative
This video was created by Scott Smith, Claire Mcloughlin and Chinobi Okereafor. We were in groups of three and was giving a task. We decided to make a short video about technology. We basically wanted to create a narrative which that technology is a good thing. I really like the final outcome of this video and I liked working with both Claire and Scott. I had never made a video before this so there was a lot of rules that we had to follow. This gave me an idea of how hard it is to make a video work.
Sound System
My sound system is very important because it enables me to play music from my Ipod. It also connects to my plasma so that I can use it when watching a dvd. I think that I could live without this piece of technology if I had to. It's really easy to become addicted to technology but doing this project has made me more aware of what I have and I therefore appreciate them more.
Saturday, 9 February 2008
My Plasma TV
My plasma television is central to all the other technologies found in my room. I use my television to play my games console and watch my dvds. I particularly like my plasma because it is flat screen and therefore does not take up much room. It is easy to take that for granted but my television at home takes up half of my room.
My Ps3 Games Console
I particularly like this piece of technology because it helps me deal with the stresses of everyday life. It is something that I like doing by myself and with my friends. It is a very good distraction. Some might argue that I stops our social enhancement but I disagree. The games console has advance dramatically since it was firsts introduced in 1971. The best feature that I love about my Ps3 is the fact that there are no wires on the control pad. I think that wires are really messy and should be eradicated from all technology.
Monday, 4 February 2008
Ipod
My Ipod is one of my most valued piece of technology. I love music and with my Ipod, I am able to use it everywhere. I haven't alway had an Ipod which is why I love it so much. I remember when I used to carry a walkman which played tapes. I could only manage to get one album on it. Now I am able to upload 1500 songs on Itunes. I haven't had any major problems with my Ipod so I think it's a reliable piece of technology.
My mobile phone is a piece of technology that I love. It helps me keep in touch with my family and friends at just a touch of a button. This is very useful because I don't live at home anymore and the only way of communicating is through my phone. I can also take picture and listen to music whenever I want. There also some other useful features that are not evercised so much such as the internet and navigational system. The first ever telephone was invented by a man called Graham Bell and we have come a long way from then. It is questionable whether the mobile phone is actually harming the human body but this is overlooked because of it's usefulness.
Communication Technology
I decided to use my room as the theme for this project. I picked my room because it is filled with technology that we are all used to taking for granted. There were five main instruments which are crucial to my evryday life and these are; My tv, My Games Console, My Speakers/Sub, My Ipod and my Mobile Phone. I have become quite dependent on these gadgets and they all somehow make my life a little easier.
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