Exam & Your Final Portfolio

Ciao, studenti!

And so, the end is here at last!  It's time for your final submissions for grading.

Here's what I'm looking for:

• 8 PLN Summaries
• Your Final Portfolio Presentation
• Course Review Write Up

You have extra credit opportunities with:

• Times Change Essay
• Cubist Photography Assignment
• Any Extra Work You've Done/Multimedia Assets You've Made

For your Final Portfolio, I will be looking for the following:

• 3 Strongest Quote Slides (from PRESI Project Two)
• 20 of Your Strongest Photos Broken Down As:
• 4 from Architecture
• 4 from People and Culture
• 4 from Pattern and Color
• 4 from Horizons
• 4 from Macros
• These all should come from your work in PHOTO Project One - The Great Beginning
• AUDIO Coming Soon
• VIDEO Stop Mo Intro
• VIDEO Mashup
• VIDEO Commercial
• Any extra credit work (like additional photos, videos, cubist imagery should be included at the end of the slideshow)

Altogether, that's 27 pieces of work from various assignments completed over the semester.

You can submit your Final Portfolio in two ways.

• As either a complete VIDEO file, i.e. a movie with all the work playing in sequence
• Or as a PRESENTATION, i.e. a Powerpoint

If you opt for a VIDEO, put it all together in iMovie as one long movie.  Upload that movie to Google Docs and share the link with me.

If you opt for a PRESENTATION, you're to build and share all of it with me (editing privileges to bencapozzi@mac.com) in a Google Docs Presentation.

Style is nice, and will help your score but not hurt it.  I'm more concerned about the work, so don't lose a lot of sleep about the template and fonts you use, etc.  But DO please make sure that you have proper headlines for each section to indicate what I'm looking at, i.e. "PATTERN & COLOR" followed by the four photos, etc.  If you're building a PRESENTATION, put no more than 2 photos to a single slide.

Keep in mind that some of these were group assignments, so make sure you know who your teammates are/were and you can get a copy of the file you need to embed in your presentations.  Be aggressive about tracking those items down; it is YOUR responsibility.

Some of the files and formats will be TOO BIG to embed in your Google Docs Presentations.  Therefore, I will definitely accept links to files located outside of your presentation.

To receive full credit, I am looking for your shared presentation by MONDAY, DECEMBER 13th at 5PM.  Anything submitted after that stands a poor chance of being looked at and graded.

Buon fortuna!

~MrC

VIDEO Commercials Project Revised - Due 12/8

All,

The Commercial Project is NOT due tonight, as some of you have feared.  You do need an idea before you leave tonight, but the final projects are due the last day of class, Wednesday 12/8.  I've made other changes to the project to reflect the short time we have left.  Check it out by following the link in the Course Documents list at right.

~MrC

EXTRA CREDIT - Cubist Photography

All,

If you're concerned that you may need more work for your final portfolio, additional practice, or another challenge, you've got all three in this bonus assignment I'm offering for extra credit.  It's a Cubist Photography challenge that is not technically too difficult, but will require soem thought.  Because it's for extra credit, attention to detail (i.e. read instructions), I'll only give full credit if it's done as specified.  If you have any questions, just ask.

~MrC

Changes to Final PLN Summaries

Ciao, Studenti!

I want to update you on some changes I've made to the final PLN Summaries due.  There is now just ONE due with a due date of this Saturday, December 4th.  I've changed the schedule at right to reflect this change.  Furthermore, it's not an audio podcast, but rather a traditional written PLN Summary using Google Docs just like all the previous ones you've submitted over the semester.  Since I'd planned for everyone to submit 8 over the semester, and this change brings us to just 7, I'm giving each of you full credit on an 8th summary you won't actually be writing.

That being said, many of you are missing many PLN summaries.  These are easy ways to show your involvement in the class, in multimedia trends and news, and if you know you haven't submitted some of these, it is not too late to turn them in for partial credit.  I submit to you that even partial credit is better than NO credit.

~MrC

End of Semester Update

Students,

I wanted to update you briefly on the end of the semester activities for the class.

• The commercial projects are changed.  You are not required to make them in collaboration with a classmate.  Getting together has proven especially difficult for some of you, so this is no longer required.  If you've started working with peers and it's going well, rock on.  If not, you may continue with your own resources.  Either way, you are ultimately responsible for producing the final commercial.
  
  ALSO, the due date for the commercials is moved to the final day of class, 12/8.
  
  
• The Museum Project has also proved especially hard to coordinate this semester.  I will provide more details on this in class, but you will likely be turning in only a plan of action or outline.
  
  
• We will use our allotted exam time, TBA, to present your final portfolios.  So while next Wednesday the 8th is our last class, we WILL meet again during exam week to present your portfolios.

We'll discuss more in class.  Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

~MrC

Times Change

New technologies make older ones (aka, formerly new technologies) irrelevant.  See below.

Imagine if you were working with old media and designing content on Linotype machines with lead letters instead of MacPro towers and software.


"Linotype: The Film" Teaser from Linotype: The Film on Vimeo.

Now, seriously, imagine that.  In a short essay, 300-500 words, talk about a specific technology that's changed in your lifetime.  It should be one that impacts you directly.  Talk about how it's changed things for you.  Digital publishing made your favorite magazine stop putting out a print edition?  You can no longer find a good music CD store because everything's online now?  You never knew you'd be a DJ/Movie maker, but your computer makes it so easy to explore, you think you may have a career in it?

From pocket cameras to streaming TV online, we live in a world awash in gadgets and rapidly evolving technologies.  This class has involved you working with some of it which you likely have not worked with before, and more and more of this stuff you see outside the classroom and in the hands of semi-professional and even amateurs.  Write about it.  Submit your essay as a Google Doc titled "ART 130 Fall 2010 - Times Change Essay - bcapozzi."  (Substituting your name for mine.)  I'd like these by 5Pm this Friday, 11/12.

~MrC

Local Job Openings

Students,

Just passing along a note about several Job Listings at EBI in Danville, VA.  They're an upholstered furniture and mattress maker.  Admittedly not Multimedia jobs, but I wanted to share.

Find the job descriptions on the page below:

http://www.svhed.org/index.php/workforce-assessment-a-advancement

Or contact Dr. Nettie Simon-Owens, SVHEC Director of Workforce Assessment & Advancement, at nettiesimon-owens@svhed.org or 434-572-5477.

~MrC

Class Tonight 10/27

Ciao, Studenti!

Tonight, we're going to go over planning for the SoBo Museum project introduced last Saturday, before beginning our first Audio Project.  It's gonna be good!

~MrC

Class Tonight, 10/20

Ciao, studenti!

A couple things for tonight's class:

1) Your assignment for tonight –your first VIDEO assignment– is posted at right at the bottom of the Course Documents Online list. You'll be using digital cameras, Apple iMovie, and classmates to create short stop-motion videos.

2) Notice that I've changed the due date for your first podcast PLN from this Saturday, 10/23 to the following Saturday, 10/30.  We will go over podcasting during next Wednesday's class, 10/27.

3) Remember the class will meet this Saturday, 10/23 at the South Boston Museum.

We will not be going over your slideshows in critique tonight, nor will we plan the client project.  We'll save the critique for next week, and the planning of the client project for Saturday morning, when we actually meet with the client at the SoBo Museum at 1540 Wilborn Ave (directions embedded in the map below).

~MrC


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This Week - 10/20 and 10/23

Ciao, studenti!

A quick note about class this week.

Wednesday night I have some in class activities for you including a photography exercise AND sharing your slideshows. We're also going to plan a group activity for a client involving audio and video. It will be very important that you be available this Saturday between 10 and 12. I know Saturdays are usually reserved for lab time, but this Saturday you really need to be available. More details in class.

~MrC

iPhone Subway Band

Thought this was cool, courtesy Mr Cherry who put it on my radar.



Which do you think has more impact:  the technology that allows them to use their pocket phones to play and record their performance, or the technology that enables them to broadcast it to millions for free?

Regardless, remember: You are them.

~MrC

In-Class Tonight

Ciao, Studenti!

Tonight will be a working session as you put together slideshows for your several photo assignments.  I'll be here with you as we assemble.  You'll need to create a slideshow for each of the 10 themes/sections, plus title slides in Photoshop, which we'll go over in class.

When all your slideshows are finished, you'll place them in a drop.io drop to share with me.  I'll review and share mid-term grades with you by 5PM Friday.

Next week, we'll begin work on audio and video, while photography will be a constant companion the remainder of the semester.

~mrc

Next Up in Class!

Studenti,

Watch this video on making a slideshow in iPhoto:

http://www.apple.com/ilife/tutorials/#iphoto-slideshow

Next, get together with your teammates to select your best images and arrange them into a slide show.  You'll be doing this on ONE person's computer, not all of them.  Select music from the pre-installed ones (no custom at this point).  You'll share the finished slideshow with the class by putting it on a flash drive for me to put up on the big screen.

Then, we're going to check out this article from the Nikonians real quick before critique.  Yayyy!!!

~mrc

WinMo7Pho(z)!!

Studenti,

The new Windows Phone 7 commercials are starting to come out!  What do you think?



"Less stop and stare.  More glance and go."  Is this the new "I'm a Mac.  And I'm a PC?"



This one's pretty funny, I think.  The ending's a little flat, but I can definitely relate.  Can you?  How would you redesign phones?  What are you using now?  Why?

~mrc

Today, We Are All Pizzarazzi...

Studenti,


Next week we begin working with Photography, and outside of grades and personal edification, what could be more motivational than $500 cold, hard cash?


Check out this vid:





So, I've decided that we should try to win this thing with students in the BA&D program.  That means YOU.


Starting Wednesday, we'll be doing hands on activities with cameras and lenses during (and outside of) class, and why not get started with a pizza party?  If you'd like to have dinner with the class, bring $3-$5 in singles and we'll pool our resources at the beginning of class, order our pizzas, begin the lecture, and start shooting when the pizzas arrive.  I'm also down if anyone wants to try for a Saturday lunch pizza shoot after the lab closes down, and a pizza party to screen a Photography Documentary and other videos I have.  We'll discuss in class Wednesday


This isn't the only exercise we'll begin Wednesday, either, so if you're not down for the pizza party, don't think that's all there'll be to class.


In fact, here's your reading:


Composition 101

1. TWIP Tips for Beginners
2. NatGeo on Composition
3. DPS on the Rule of Thirds
4. DPS on 10 Questions to Ask When Taking a Photo
5. Nikonians on 5 Easy Composition Tricks

Technical Beginnings

1. DPS on Learning Exposure
2. DPS Introduction to Aperture
3. DPS Introduction to ISO
4. DPS Introduction to Shutter Speed
5. Aperture and Shutter Priority Modes
6. DPS on Controlling Aperture and Shutter Speed on P&S

Camera Work

1. DPS on Digital Camera Modes
2. NatGeo on Camera Symbols

Helpful Guides for Your Projects

1. DPS Macro Tips
2. NatGeo Tips for Shooting Macros
3. NatGeo on Action Photo Tips
4. NatGeo on Storytelling
5. DPS Interview with Self-Portraitist and 365er Anna Gay
6. PhotoNet Exhaustive Look at Architectural Photography
7. DPS Urban Landscape Tips
8. DPS on Great Group Photos
9. DPS on Shooting Pets (with cameras, not guns)
10. DPS on Landscapes
11. Scott Bourne on B&W Photography
12. PhotoArgus on Painting with Light

If this all seems daunting, you're over-thinking it and under-estimating yourself.  I want to make sure you have the basics down, that you're not afraid to experiment, and that you get in the habit (at least for this semester) of taking photos regularly.  We're going to have fun.  You're going to learn a lot.  And you're going to take a lot of photos.  Remember, as Henri Cartier-Bresson said, "Your first 10,000 photos are your worst."

I do NOT expect you to read all of this before class Wednesday (9/29), but I do expect you to go through this in the weeks ahead, and I wouldn't be surprised if an online quiz (announced) showed up on a Saturday morning (or two).


Happing snapping!

~mrc

Class Cancelled Wednesday, 9/22

Class,

I am still not well, so I will not be in class tonight.  I will post your next assignment and reading in the Course Documents Online section at right soon.

I hear many anecdotal complaints from students that extra time to complete the assignment due tonight would be appreciated.  Therefore, ALL 18 of your images are now due by 5PM on Friday, 9/24.

Please make good use of the time in class tonight.  Remember, I am always available by text, email, and phone.

I'm sorry I'm sick; we WILL have class next Wednesday and be sure to check the blog for homework assignments.  We are moving into photography ASAP!

~mrc

Great Source for Additional Images

Students,

A great, free resource came into my email inbox this morning in the form of National Geographic magazine's Photo of the Month for September.  It's one of a series of images in a broad range of subjects available in 1600 x 1200 pixel images to download as desktop wallpapers.  That's more than enough pixels for great images in slides, and you might want to look around for inspiration and material for your project due tomorrow.

The National Parks wallpapers are located here, but from there you can backtrack from there to all sorts of additional categories like Urban, Daily Life, Animals, Landscape, and even abstract ideas like Motion and Pattern.  HIGHLY recommended for great quality images for building presentations (so long as sources are cited).

~mrc

Agenda for Tonight's Night's Class

All,

Here's our agenda for the evening:

1. Recording volunteer for Thursday 9/23
2. Seating chart and saving files
3. Photoshop finish-up
4. Importing images from a scanner
5. Importing photos
6. Flickr
7. Homework

See you soon!

~mrc

You're Overdue for Some Innovation

Reposted from Gizmodo.  Thought you folks might be inspired/depressed/motivated by this.  ~mrc

From Gizmodo

This Beautiful Tokyo Flash Watch Was Designed by a 14-Year-Old

Kids. If they're not making a million bucks before they're 16, they're building web design companies or showing us adults up some other way. Like designing really cool Tokyo Flash watches at the age of 14.

It's one of the most basic creations submitted to Tokyo Flash's competition, and YOU can decide whether it gets made. There are 26 days left remaining to vote on its future—so if you like what you see, please do grant the Canadian Tynan Mayhew a thumb's up. [Tokyo Flash via Technabob]

A Note on Late Assignments

In general, I will always accept late assignments.  Not without penalty of course, but you can always turn in work.  Even if it's been so long and you get a failing grade for the assignment, do it anyway.  The learning is in the doing.

In specific, a HANDFUL of you turned in your PLN summaries that were due Saturday by 1PM.  To those who have yet to do so, you may still turn in your summaries for credit, albeit with points deducted for lateness.  HOWEVER, I will treat them as if they were not turned in late if you include 3 extra articles in your summary.

Act now because this offer may not last!

~mrc

Let's not let this thing go chronic!

Photoshop Basics Slideshow from Class

Class,

As promised, below I've embedded the Photoshop Basics slideshow I presented last week.  Lots of good information in there for your review.

~mrc

Academy of Art University Open House 9/25 in DC

Students,

Those of you considering careers in art and design and are looking for additional coursework or to study elsewhere may be interested in Academy of Art University's open house in Washington DC at the end of the month.  Saturday the 25th from 10-5 (all day, basically) representatives will be on hand at the Westin City Center at 1400 M Street, NW to review portfolios and answer questions about financial aid and their accredited degree programs (Animation, Game Design, Graphic Design, Education, Fashion, et al).  More info at: www.academyart.edu.

If you can get away, DC's always a great town to visit with lots of free art, and Rich Salcido's solo show Beautiful Failures will be up at the awesome Art Whino gallery.

~mrc

HOMEWORK due Saturday!

You guys only partially dodged a bullet Wednesday night!

I will post additional reading for next week as we wrap up Photoshop 101, but in the meantime, don't forget your 2nd PLN summaries are due tomorrow, Saturday 9/11 by 1PM!  That deadline was posted the first week of class, so I won't be well-disposed to late assignments.

~mrc

HOMEWORK Finally!

Class,

Not sure why your homework assignment didn't auto-post after I tweaked it, but I don't want to inundate you with reading now with just a day left before class (thanks to those students who alerted me that homework had not posted yet!).  Therefore, please just come to class having read the article linked to below, a guest post on Scott Kelby's blog from Ryan Booth.  It's long, but oh so good.

http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2010/archives/11890

Also, come to class thinking about things you want to accomplish this semester in Multimedia.  I will introduce your self-directed projects Wednesday.

~mrc

HOMEWORK Coming Soon

I want to make some changes based on how we ended last night.  Will post this afternoon.

~mrc

Marty!!

Man, these take me back!  And they may be real someday soon.  Looks like a homemade hack proof of concept for those self-lacing Nikes from Back to the Future!

~mrc

REVIEW: First PLN Summaries

Students,

While a few of you have yet to hand in your first PLN summaries, I want to post some notes on them in general based on the ones that have come in.  In general, I am really impressed with you and what excites you, and I think what this class will be able to accomplish over the course of the semester will be awesome.  Based on your comments, some of you are already transforming the way you access information and find opportunities, which is awesome.  However, moving forward, here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Spelling counts.  So does grammar.  Please accept this in the spirit it is intended.  Some of the written responses I received were not up to academic standards, let along professional ones.  Ultimately, if I do my job correctly it will help each of you land a job and a satisfying career.  I will not take off points for spelling and grammar errors (yet!) but please be mindful of your writing when you submit something for review.  Proofread before you send.  Watch for suggestions from the word processor on typos.  Perhaps even share with a colleague.
   
   Had I been an employer, some of the typos and grammar I saw would have thrown up warning flags about a potential employee's professionalism.
   
2. Title your files,  Many of you shared with me untitled documents.  I realize that our Google Docs demo was rushed, and I am not deducting points for this first go 'round, but you should always title a file you're working with.
   
3. Speaking of working with files and sharing, the way I wanted to receive these involved you going to the top right of your Google Doc and under the share drop down menu, selecting share settings and adding me by my email address (bencapozzi@mac.com) as I have done in the screen shots below.
   
   

   

   As you see indicated in the top right of your Google Docs window.

   
   
   

   

   Except here where I've added "tina," you'd add bencapozzi@mac.com...

   
   
   

   

   ...So that I can leave comments on the side in orange as pictured here.

4. Summarize 5 (FIVE) articles.  As described in the Bi-Weekly Summary Guidelines here.
   
5. If you are unsure, contact me.  I've given you a phone number, email, AND text number to reach me at.  A few of you made excellent use of those services to contact me over the week when things weren't going as planned.  Those who remained silent, I assumed were AOK.  But we know that's accurate, since I'm still missing more than a few assignments.
   
6. Spell "Summary" and its plural form, "Summaries" correctly.
   
7. If you're still not getting the hang of this, that's fine.  You'll have 3 more chances to do this over the next 6 weeks, and then this will take on a different form as audio mp3s, which will bring with them their own challenges.  But that's for later.

Okay, 'nuff said!  (Unless you have questions, in which case contact me.)

~mrc

You're Better Than That!

Nice bit of inspiration from (an old movie, to you kids) Rocky!  The designer, Kargov, has some neat stuff on his site here.  Check it out for more work.

My guess is this was done using Motion, but maybe not.  If you're interested in this sort of text-based animation, let me know and you may be able to build your project around it.

~mrc

AWESOMER CONTEST!

Win an Entire Photo Book Library http://bit.ly/cBu94c

Check this out!  It's even easier to enter than the previous.  All you have to do is tweet to be eligible for some great free photography books; you don't even have to take any pictures! (Yet!)

~mrc

CONTEST!

The American: Undercover Photography Contest http://bit.ly/9BM4Nw

The entry deadline is THIS WEEK, but this looks like an AWESOME contest for photographers.

~mrc

HOMEWORK DUE Wednesday 8/25

Students,

Before Wednesday's first class, please do the following:

• Read - Lifehacker AU General Passwords Guide http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2009/05/how-to-choose-and-remember-secure-passwords/

• Read - Gina Trapani "Remember Great Passwords" http://lifehacker.com/184773/geek-to-live--choose-and-remember-great-passwords

• Read - Forbes article on DIY U and PLNs http://www.forbes.com/2010/08/01/diy-self-directed-learning-opinions-best-colleges-10-kamenetz.html?boxes=Homepagelighttop

• Send a "Hello World" email to me at ben capozzi at mac dot com.

• The email's SUBJECT should be "ART 130 Fall 2010: Hello World."
• In the email BODY, please introduce yourself with your name; where you're from; your educational/career goals; and a little detail about why you're taking this class.

Please observe that these directions are specific.  Please pay attention to detail.

In class Wednesday night, we'll cover the course outline, introductions, and setting up the various accounts and services you'll need to get started in this class.

I look forward to seeing you all Wednesday night!

~mrc

WELCOME!

 http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/tech_support_cheat_sheet.png

Students,

By semester's end, this cartoon will seem funnier, and you will be one of the people "Not Computer People" go to for help with computer problems.

You will also know SO much more than the average person about working with photography, audio, video, and web-based tools you will be looked at as a "guru" among your friends.

You will know how to create and maintain an online presence.

You will have a portfolio of digital work to share.

You will have the basic digital literacy skills needed to reinvigorate an old career or business, start a new one, or build an empire.

Welcome to Digital Multimedia.

~mister c

Keep Yer Shirts On!

This course is in development and the blog will be ready in August.  How else would one spend his summer?

~mrc