Theo's Web based Multimedia course blog

MMP Update #2 As I continue to build the website where students will access a library of content to help them as they indulge in activities geared towards equipping them with 21st century skills, I have added content on the webtools component that I feel is important to them. The tools added with active hyperlinks are Vocaroo for audio recording, Online photo editor for still photos, ProShow for video editing, Animoto that helps them turn photos and video clips into slideshows with ease and Flipgrid for creating online discussions.  These among many tools will kick start the journey of liberating the future by creating a tech savvy generation. This part also have a section for upcoming events where people who visit the site can keep up to date with the events as they unfold I have also added some videos and articles on the blog section. Some articles have hyperlinks that connect to external pages and this is one way students can share information easily by i...

TOOL KIT Toolkit is one place where every educator should drop the tools that simplify his work. Its one stop center that one would run to in case he/she is to excute any assignments that require the tools. I have started on the journey of creating my toolkit which can be accessed through padlet on the link:  Toolkit for educators Please follow the link to enjoy the journey with me

Ongoing development of  MMP project: Developing 21st Century Skills among Learners I have started in earnest of the MMP project of developing a generation of global citizens who have a full command of the 21st century skills. I am working on the website and most of the photos I am using are from my archives for the work I have been part prior to this course. This is the home page of the would be website where students will be sharing on different activities that are geared towards equipping them with 21st century skills. In the above caption is one of my students on camera during a school event. As a media team we use students to shoot videos and take good photos during school events I have used my photo on this page for the school head message and as the website takes shape hopefully I can get the real picture and message from the Headmistress This is the contact page and I like the way Wix team embedded google maps in their website. All you need is a v...

Copyright and Fair Use I once participated in a Conference on eLearning Africa in 2015 hosted by Ethiopia where I presented a paper titled" Role of Students as a Media Tech support: A case study of Gayaza High School, Uganda".  After going through this work on copyright and fair use, I remembered vividly a question asked by one of the participants whether the media created by Gayaza high school students was freely accessed by the public or it was restricted. At that time, I had no clue on what "creative commons" was since I was new in the game of educational technology and little did I know that two years from that conference I will be in a class gaining more and more knowledge on the topic.    I must admit that the issues of copyrights laws and fair use are complicated  especially when it comes to educational use. Many teachers find themselves hiding behind the notion that just a citation of the authors work is enough and they forget that these laws are there to...

Hello everyone, Below are links to my MDMC posting on the three web 2.0 tools I can use to edit audio, still images and videos. For audio I used Vocaroo which an online based audio recording tool that enables you to share your audio in different file format using different media forum. Take a look at this link:  Audio media For still images, I used free online photo editor and its also web based but easy to use and navigate. Use the link to get to know more:  Still photo editor Video editing can be tricky at times when its not well done . I used Proshow web; which is an online video editing tool that has an option of upgrading to a paid premium that gives you more tools. however there is a basic tool that is free. Use the link to know more:  online Video editing tool

6o seconds multimodal video The video was short at Busch campus near Buell graduate apartment. I must say using a phone to make video while moving is not simple. It requires a stand in order to have a stable video or even a good camera that can zoom in and out instead of walking Please use the link below to view the video:  Multimodal video

Developing 21st Century Students Story board The photo below  is a story board for my MMP. I used my RU I.D to come with the six rectangular boxes that will act as my layout.  Creating a generation of tech savvy kids is every teachers to take if they decide. At the end of storyboard description, there is a link to my 60 seconds video.              The 1st box is about the instructor giving an overview of the project and exposing to the learners the different tools at their disposal for successful project. The Space is well balanced and the focal point is the instructor delivering the required knowledge.          The 2nd box is about the students working on their stations to edit the footage provided to sharpen their editing skills. There is a sense of similarity in the photo and more of positive space than white space           The 3rd box is about stepping out of the...

  Echo color The concept of Color echo is one aspect that all designers need to learn in order to  make good use of the image colors.  I found this activity good though challenging but its important  to always strive to have the best out  of the tools at your disposal.   I chose apples to reflect on the echo color exercise  The first picked a reflection on the apples for background which to me didn't look like it was white and the text used the red apple color In  the second, I used a lighter color of the apples to create a background And finally the last image used a lighter color picked from the leaf as one approaches the stem. The text used the green leaf color

Boarder variation Boarder variation can at times be used to improve the visual communication of a design. As stated in Kraus "there are times when an edge treatment of some kind can be used to enforce or change the context or mood of an image"(p.196). The photo below is a fountain at Princeton University and I have explored different boarders to bring out different dimensions of the image. Photo taken at Princeton University This link takes you to the third activity   Echo color activity  

Design Basic Index: Cropping Exercise  Cropping is one skill that all designers ought to have in order to improve on their presentations. As said in design basic index by Kraus; "its up to the person to decide where and how the image will be placed in relation to its compositional elements"(p.189). At the end of the cropping activity, there is a link to boarder variation to blog #5. The final activity of echo color has a link at the end of second activity of boarder variation. Above is a photo that shows college students on campus and my interest was get rid of the back ground building in order to show students relaxing on compound.   In the photo above is the place of Fine Arts in the Marina district of San Francisco, california.  My interest was to have a focus on the entrance and I cropped the rest. This brought a clearer view of the pillars and the entrance shape. I wanted to also bring closer the texture and color of the des...

Multimedia Montage Project Proposal: Developing 21st Century Students Background/Rationale:   I have been teaching high school for 8 years now and each day, week, month and year that passes by I see the need amongst my students for 21st   century skills that would help them survive in this world global citizens. The technology has evolved, we need to evolve to; and much as I have been doing some work in line with this development even though my knowledge was shallow as far as technology is concerned, undertaking this course is opening my horizons the more. In this project I will be looking at how I can build more on these skills through involving students in activities that help them develop the 21st   century skills like team work, problem solving, collaboration, critical thinking, Information Communication & Technology (ICT) and communication. Students will work in groups of 10 and will be guided every step on the way. They will use different mul...

Mini Art School: Elements and Principles of design I am a big fan of well taken photographs that capture any viewers attention. From the many on the Library of Congress website: www.loc.gov/rr/print , I chose the following photos for this class activity.    1. Art in Golden Gate Park in front of the de Young Museum, San Francisco, California       Its interesting how artists capture views attention through there pieces. In this piece I liked how the Artist made use of the elements of Space, Shape, Size/Scale, Value and the principles of focal point and Unity. The space occupied by the piece is enough for the viewer and size is proportionate. Any viewer who sees this piece focuses his attention to it and its entirely in unity  meaning that every thing on it look together. No wondering of eyes. 2. Carnaval, San Francisco, California      This piece by all standards qualify for all the elements and principle...

Design Basic Index: Typography: Word Portraits Exercise   This exercise helps any designer and viewer appreciate the beauty of different fonts and the message they portray. As stated in Design Basics Index by Krause, "every category has its place in the designers arsenal"(p. 236). So basically its down to the designer to chose which font will deliver the message and to which audience because this important.  Different audiences would require different fonts.   Below are screen shots for some of the words with different fonts. The second activity is from White space is not your enemy by Rebecca Hagen and Kim Golombisky. I chose activity #2 where I got different photos from the link www.loc.gov/rr/print and this work can be accessed through this link:  Mini Art School: Elements and Principles of design

Ten rules The ten rules that were followed or not followed in the flyer below include: 1 .Placement and divisions Where as the word ZERO CARBON HOMES stands out compared to the rest of the message, the viewer some how loses attention because the other descriptions are so compacted. The placement doesn't provide potent visual vocabulary.  2. Image The images used are small though relevant to the advert; and where as they depict the problem at hand, they do not draw the viewers attention. Its said that a picture is worth a thousand words, I would think that the designer would use more bigger pictures to draw the attention of the viewer receiving the message 3. Flow There was no clear visual flow of the elements. There was no obvious direction of elements with the layout. Apart from the big heading the images were not so big to catch the viewers attention.  4. Audience  The message was for the right audience and as such that rule was not vi...