ILP#2

ILP#2

Lynda Tutorial

The 30-minute tutorial I watched was about 2D animation using a software called Harmony, but technically the same animation is do-able on a similar software. I love to draw and create little characters, but I have never really understood how animation works so I decided that I should go ahead a watch a tutorial on how to animate. I watched this tutorial mainly to get a grasp on what 2D animating requires of its animators and to have a better understanding of animation in general. I did not have the Harmony software, so I was unable to follow along, but I learned a great deal just by listening and observing. This tutorial made me really want to 2D animate and was so informative that I feel like if I had the software, I’d be able to easily pick up on operating it. I honestly think that maybe I will consider purchasing the Harmony software and watching some more of these guy’s tutorials.

Lynda.com tutorial log

Creating 2D Animation in Harmony

Rolling and Flipping Frame rates

         Learned the basics of 2D animation frame rates and when to draw on which frame.

       Notes: traditionally, animators worked on 24 frames per second

                For a standing pose, work with 6 frames in a 24fps and 7-8 frames in a 30fps

   Only use ones if a character is walking on a movie background or if that character    doing something really fast.

In japan, much animation is drawn on 3’s ( a 10 frame per second rate)

Drawing the extremes and testing poses

                Learned how to operate Harmony software when creating and smoothing out a 2D drawing. The character’s arm was roughly sketched, then thicker lines were drawn in to tighten up the drawing and give it an overall, crisp appearance.

Making charts for timing, spacing, and arcs

                Used harmony software to begin adding frames. The character transitioned pose was sketched on frames 1,13, and 25 while the actual transitions took place in-between these frames. After having the main actions of the character, you should then begin to make a model of the frames spacing. In-between 1 and 13 use the 7^th frame as the mid transition to the transitioned pose, and do the same(find the middle) between frames  13 and 25. Then continue to do this between all intervals so that each transition makes sense and is proportionate to the characters body. Sketch an arc that connects the character’s wrist to each arm movement in each frame so that a smooth flow is visible.

Using the Clone layer for breakdowns

                What you will do now that you have constructed an arc is return to the previous frames, and sketch in the transitional movements of the character. To sketch an anatomically correct figure, you have to use a clone of the original 1,13, and 25 frame sketches. Basically, you use harmony to apply the original sketch to each frame with a very faint brush stroke, kind of like when you put a dark image under a piece of printer paper and there are faint lines to sketch over.

Cleaning up lines and color

                The hard part was maneuvering through the frames on harmony and tediously sketching each position. But, those sketches are only rough drafts so now you go through all of the frames individually and add ticker cleaner lines and insert the colors. The best way to make sure that the colors remain the same is to write down the corresponding number each color has, and the later just type in that number in the color box.

Final Blog Post

       In the future, I hope to be a middle school English teacher.I have always loved literature, whether it be silly stories or dramatic prose, literature has always captured my interest. Though, even as an English teacher, I will still have to be able to organize and calculate my students progress through grading. Just recently, I have discovered how to use Excel. In the past, I knew that excel existed but it seemed foreign and difficult to use so, I usually tended to avoid it. Now, after finally conquering Excel, I seem to have a good grasp on how to use and apply Excel in the future. As a middle school teacher, I could use surveys to figure out what type of genres my classes are interested in. This would be a great way to keep the students engaged because they would have gotten a choice in what literature we would discuss in class. Surveys could also be used to evaluate students opinions concerning class discussions and previously read stories and poems.
     
After reviewing some of my classmates blogs, I found it reassuring that not everyone was super "techy." When I say "techy" I mean people who are technologically advanced, people who create amazing things using the internet and software that make you scratch your head in wonderment. I am not one of those brilliant "Techies", I am just an average Joe hoping to learn a little bit more about the worlds technology. When I read some of the other blogs, I had noticed that others felt just as unsure and uncomfortable when confronting technology as I did.
       One other thing I found very interesting about other peoples blogs were the Independent Learning Projects other classmates choose to do. I was very nervous when I uploaded my first ILP and I wasn't sure if I had followed the instructions correctly. So, being human, I went and snooped around on other peoples blogs for a bit and realized that everybody had created their own, unique ILP. It was pretty cool how each individual interpreted a set of instructions and used those instructions to create/complete an ILP of their own choice using which ever piece of technology they wanted.  
 
       Is there any one technology-related skill that I am dying to learn next?NO, because there are so many skills to choose from that I have yet to learn. I suppose that if I had to single out a specific skill, I would really like to learn how to use Photoshop.I have this piece of technology called a Wacom, basically,it is a drawing pad you hook up to a computer and it takes what you draw on the pad and transfers it to the computer so that you can edit it and what not. The only downside to this is that you cannot really edit your drawings if you are unable to operate Photoshop or any programs like it. Having such a huge love for drawing and creating makes it difficult to showcase your work in a society so dependent on technology. I want to learn how to use programs like photo shop so that I can manipulate my art in a different media.There is no way that learning this new skill would stop me from drawing on actual paper all together, but it would definitely help me to catch up with the changing times and possible get my artwork out there for the world to see.

Blog Post #9

       The "Flipped Classroom" is a form of  an instructional delivery system used to educate students in a not-so typical classroom set up. A flipped classroom allows the teacher to be helpful guide rather than the person teaching you new material. Instead of going to class and being taught a new subject, students actually go home and listen to recordings of video lectures assigned to them as homework. Then, the next school day the entire class comes together to actively discuss the lecture with their teacher acting  as a leader instead of a teacher. As leader of the class, the teacher is there to answer any questions or clarify any misunderstandings as well as make sure the discussion stays on track and thoughtful. Here is a link to some educational videos you can watch to learn more about the "Flipped Classroom."https://www.edutopia.org/blogs/tag/flipped-classroom

       In the podcast "Open Content Open Source",The term "open" means exactly what you would think it means- accessible. For something to be "accessible" means for it to be easily opened for anyone and everyone. If something is open content it is copyrighted but in a manner that allows its license to be free and permissible to use.The podcast spoke of 4 different R words - reuse, revise, remix,and redistribute, but the podcast left out one other R word and that is retain. Retain has to do with the controlling of content, specifically how it is transferred, stored, and created. Now before one can implicate these "R" words, they have to make sure that the content has an open license. An open license is what qualifies various content to be considered open or of free use. But even if content has an open license, you still must be cautious of its requirements and restrictions. Learn more about "Open Source" content at the website: https://www.opencontent.org/definition/ 

       While working on both of the power point assignments, I acquired some handy new skills. One of the skills I am most impressed with is my ability to hyperlink slides to other slides throughout a power point slide show. Before this class, I had no idea that you could even link slides to each other let alone navigate the slide show by clicking linked buttons! I also learned how to cover up certain words through the use of animations. While in public school I had always wondered how teachers were able to reveal each answer at a single time, and now I finally understand just how they did it! Even though I really enjoyed working with buttons in power point, I was very frustrated that the buttons image within the icon could not be changed colors. I tinkered with the format and features for quite sometime before giving in and allowing my buttons to remain a single shade of color. Maybe there is some way to manipulate the color of the inner image, and if someone knows how please tell me cause I had no luck. Next time I create something in power point, I will dive straight into it with confidence instead of feeling like I did not understand what exactly I was doing - next time I will not hold back.

Blog Post #8

     
     

       Lets say that I am a middle school English teacher and I create a power point describing figurative language. First I need to begin by recalling the short story that we read as a class the other day, this will help them by remembering the story and some specific details that will be beneficial during the lesson. After bringing up the story, the best thing to do will be to introduce figurative language and what its uses are. I will need to explain what figurative language is and describe how it works in different instances. I will then need to explain the different types of figurative language such as metaphor, simile, hyperbole, personification, and symbolism. Once I have thoroughly described the different type of figurative language, I will put some examples up on the board and work through them with my class. Now that they have learned the material, I will transition to  a slide that has examples of the different types of figurative language, but does not provide any answers to which they might be. Then I will call on students to answer and  explain what example fits with the correct figurative language. After receiving all correct answers, I will show the class why each example differentiates from each other and we will organize each examples qualities that set it apart from other examples. As a class we will evaluate whether or not we organized the example correctly and critique how each fits with its corresponding figurative language. After the lesson, students will form groups and read a selected passage from the previously read short story. In their groups they will try to find as many examples of figurative language in the passage as they can. After a while of searching, we will come back together as a class and discuss what each group found.  

https://feedly.com/i/welcome

         Feedly is a website that is similar to google reader, it allows one to share their works or findings to social medias, organizes the web, and helps one to discover. Like Diigo you can create groups and share you bookmarks and web collections with colleagues. Feedly offers discussion boards so that you can keep up with all the new trends and latest technology, it also collects key words you search for and connects you to articles, blogs, Youtube channels, and websites that your looking for. Feedly is also connected to other popular and helpful sites like Evernote, One Note, Trello, and Slack. This is a perfect website for staying in touch with all the latest and greatest technology that will keep teachers constantly innovating the class room.

Website

Click here to go to my website: http://techforteacherseme2040.weebly.com/

Blog Post #7

        A student submersed in a class surrounded by peers  would easily  feel out of place if the teacher were to make a huge deal about their disability, they might even feel out of place if their teacher pretended the disability didn't exist, using technologies in the class room is a good start when trying to make a disabled student feel supported. Adaptive technologies have made supporting learners with disabilities possible through the use of various applications, software, and hardware.The podcasts mentions students that suffer from dyslexia and how, through use of speech recognition software and spell checking, have become more comfortable learning in the class room. It also touches on how teachers can design better learning materials that will accommodate students with learning disabilities . In high school the was a girl who was in some of my classes that had to have special copies of assignments  printed out for her in super big font so that she would be able to read it. Also she was allowed to use her computer so that she could increase the font size and clarity herself when we were given written assignments.I believe that when I become a teacher it will be quite difficult trying to accommodate such a wide diversity of students. You can never predict what type of disabilities you will have to find and design to support an oncoming class of students. Supporting disabled learners is just a part of being a teacher.    

       While working with Weebly I became frustrated many times. I had never created a website before Weebly, so I was not sure what to expect.Apart from all my frustrations, I can definitely say that I gained some new skills, particularly in the area of formatting. Formatting the text in my website was absolutely awful, apparently when you build a website they do not give you the option of resizing text boxes. I spent 2 hours, I kid you not, 2 hours trying to figure out how to put different texts beside each other until l  figured out that there was not an option to do so, only to create columns, So,overall, I learned how to format columns in  Weebly as well as figure out a bunch of other fancy formatting quirks. Even though I solved my problem with the texts, it would be just great if Weebly could give the option to resize text boxes. Next time I create a website, I do not think l  will use Weebly. I did not like how "basic" and "fixed" all of their layouts and features were. I learned that in the future I will find a website builder that is right for me and you can bet that I will make sure it has re sizable text boxes.    

       As we learned about Diigo in the classroom, I at first didn't think it would be of any help to me. Then one day, I was in my apartment writing a paper for another class and I wished I had some way to find decent websites without having to look through a million of them on google. The it hit me! There was such a website and it as Diigo! Who knew a website where someone could share bookmarked websites could be so useful? Ultimately I have learned that sharing bookmarked sources with others can actually be helpful in daily life. Diigo is so easy because other people post their bookmarked sources and they highlight and annotate the most important bits of information and features of that website. This will com in handy when I eventually become a teacher. It will make life easier when trying to hunt down lesson plans that have been suggested by teachers with more experience. It will also be a great way to get to know other colleagues by constantly sharing teaching ideas with one another.  

Independent Learning Project #1

I created a NewHive account where you are able to create multimedia interactive posters, you can view my full poster at http://newhive.com/mkhsvp19/reading! I decided to pretend that I was a 7th grade literature teacher who created a online poster to get my students excited about their upcoming book reports. The poster includes a YouTube video that explains how and why we read,two hyperlinks to additional websites, and a place to type any comments the students might have. I typed out a list of main writing genres that I thought would be useful for my students when they try to find  books that will interest them. Having a good understanding of each genre will allow them to distinguish certain themes in their book reports. I also included a speech bubble reminding the students about the due dates of each book report and my email address so they could contact me with any questions they might have(I made a fake email address for this poster).