Mid-terms Day 2 and 3

2nd Day Presentations

Matt Gerstman - Terminal Tips for Today
I thought Matt's presentation was impressive showing the capabilities of what someone can really do with technology today. I think I am pretty computer savvy but Matt was getting into some stuff way over my head. Even though some of his content was beyond me, my attention was still held. I think his 'Terminal Tips for Today' videos being short in length helped with that.
Score: 10

Aaron Binder - Digital Website
Aaron's stop motion video looked like he put a lot of effort into it. I wish the picture was a little clearer but some of that might just be blowing it up so large on the screen. I think Aaron should do a quick Google search on some dos and don'ts of website building. His red font was very hard on the eyes. For his final presentation relating to his website Aaron should ask himself these 2 questions. Do I want to make the best looking site I can? or. Do I want to learn as much as I can about website building? If he wants to make the best looking site, there are many free resources where you follow a more structured format and design template and it pumps out a decent looking site. If Aaron wants to learn the ins and outs of how to build a website, that is great, just know you might not hit a home run your first time up.
Score: 8

Diego Cabrera- Technology/Digital Culture
Very interesting video clips from the parts we saw. I wish the video would load better so we could see more of his work. I thought the music went well with the video collage. I am excited for his final because I want to see more of his work and not wait for it to load. He seems to pick interesting clips with a good sense of irony and humor in them.
Score: 9

Kevina Lee - YouTube as a Form of Communication
Same problems with getting the videos to run. I thought her presentation went along well with what we have been seeing in class and her website was interesting. I like how she tried something different in her website by using the laptop screen. I'm not sure how well it would work for a larger site due to its limitations, but I like her straying from the norm. Great b-day video, you friend should feel very humbled by the time and energy you spent on it.
Score: 8

Alberto - 3 Different Ideas
As seen from my presentation, I can relate to the computer problems. Alberto peeked my interest in Linux when he talked about implementing it int o his computer. His stick animations were just awesome. Even though they were so simple, you could tell that there was an attention to detail put into them that really set them off. The little subtle movements of the figures were spot on in most of the clips. I am very interested in seeing what comes about from the animations showing you about Linux. I will only be disappointed in Alberto's final if he takes the humor out of his clips and makes it more informational. Although I don't see that happening.
Score: 10

3rd Day Presentations

Wayne Dewhirst - Ambulatory Collage
As Wayne's presentation finished up, I thought to myself, ok what was that about now. I was paying attention the whole time, but I'm not sure where Wayne is going with his project. Maybe a little more enthusiasm in his presentation would help out, the monotone loses me after a few minutes. If Wayne's not excited about it, why should I be excited about it? I thought his ambulatory collage was very interesting and that held my attention. I think this is a style and topic Wayne should explore more. It kind of reminded my of Prodigy's (their title not mine) 'Smack My Bitch Up.'
Score: 7

Nate - Machinima
Very cool machinima, could tell some good time and effort went into that video. Video would not have been nearly as effective without the music. I thought Nate explained his process very well and threw out some names of some good resources online. I had vaguely heard about machinima awhile ago, but don't know much about it. When the video in class loads faster it would be cool to see a wider variety in different machinima videos made. I think about all the possibilities and am very interested in how individuals would go about this technique differently.
Score: 10

Tiva - Voice Programming Software
Tiva's presentation held my attention well even though the topic is something I don't know much about and don't plan to investigate further. He knowledge and enthusiasm for the topic made me more interested. It was very helpful to show the piece she is working on to be able to understand the culture better in Japan. I can't imagine listening to that music for an extended period of time. It's amazing how different cultures can be, although I am a sheltered northern boy.
Score:9

Nicola - Video Podcasting and Vlogs
In Nicola's presentation it is great to see areas of digital culture that are truly making a positive impact on individuals lives that we normally wouldn't think of. Whether technology is used as a tool to make kids more interested in learning or a way to help the deaf community improve communication, I like to see those things. The use of the inspiration program instead of PowerPoint seemed to be a pleasant change.
Score:10

Teresa - Website and Scripting in SL
Interested in seeing Teresa's final project with her programming work in SL. Her website seemed to have a lot of good information on it as well a good variety. I think the main image on the website should be scaled down for less scrolling on the page. I also think the image doesn't need to be on every page. When you click on links in the website it doesn't look to do anything because you still see the large image. It takes unnecessary work to realize the content is below the large image. If Teresa wants to keep that large image on every page she could turn down it's opacity and just use it as the background for her content. Enjoyed the drawings and looking at the content on the site after I found it though.
Score: 9

Chris Medlicott - Animated GIF / Website
It was interesting and helpful to hear how Chris found free resources to help him build a website. I am interested on seeing what the site will look like once it is up. I thought the animated gif left much to be desired. The quality looked to be lacking, and adding sound to it would be a big improvement also. If Chris was going for this look and feel, it needs to appear more intentional. I know though we are all learning here, so I am excited to see where Chris takes this after playing around with the technology and software longer. I think the idea of blogging his process of making his 1st website is a great idea. I feel like sometimes online tutorials can assume you know many things you don't and can talk way over our heads (this happens to me anyway). Chris being new to site building I think he will not make this mistake by talking over the audiences' head.
Score: 8

Erin Wilson - Blog: A Way With Words
I have always loved typography ever since I took a class in it my second year of college. So when Erin started to present and show her blog all about written text I perked up. I was very disappointed that the videos we not loading like all the other presentations. I took a look at her site after class and enjoyed the clips and pictures she put together on her blog. I would like Erin to maybe get more specific about her interests in typography whether it be certain fonts she enjoys and why or a layout style that she critiques good or bad.
Score: 8

David Rountree – Blog, YouTube and Music with Kids
I think it was great to see David's enthusiasm for working with the kids. I thought that the stories he told of the kids really coming out of their shells with the aid of him and music was just great to hear. David making a blog for the kids and parents to contribute and follow on seemed to be a perfect example of effective integration of technology. Especially to hear that most of the kids didn't go to the same schools, I thought to myself, I wish I had something like this growing up. I didn't really pick up on what David was doing for his final presentation but he didn't have much time to present.
Score: 9