lesmccrea2014 – Writing and Digital Media Class Blogs

the third year's a charm 2015-02-17 14:53:54

lesmccrea2014 — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 19:53:54 +0000

http://cdn.knightlab.com/libs/timeline/latest/embed/index.html?source=0As4wPjtq7-6sdGtwcG14WmdRZHF0d0NYcVJJc0ZjdHc&font=Bevan-PotanoSans&maptype=toner&lang=en&height=650

Putting together the pieces

lesmccrea2014 — Mon, 01 Dec 2014 15:34:32 +0000

After changing my project idea a few times, I am pretty happy with the way the final product should turn out. Within ThingLink the project is looking pretty good, and I’m excited for how the class reacts when I present it. I’m trying to narrow down the links I share within the design so that I can present them in a more orderly fashion without taking too much time.

I showed my design to a few more random people over Thanksgiving Break, and I got great responses overall. Most of the work I have left to do is work with the links and place them in the correct spots. I figured out the ThingLink software so that I can zoom in and out of the design (since it’s very very long). Hopefully I get to the end without too many more obstacles!

Friday Work

lesmccrea2014 — Fri, 21 Nov 2014 20:37:22 +0000

Today, I inserted my graphic into ThingLink, and began working to insert actual interactive content into the piece. I’m having a little bit of a hard time, because the graphic is so large and the interactive software will only zoom into the middle of it, but I’m sure I can still get it to work.

Most of the links I am finding are really interesting, but I am looking for some that give information quickly and efficiently. This info must really add on to the overall meaning of the graphic as well. I’m including some video content as well, which has been curated from YouTube.

Revision Plan

lesmccrea2014 — Wed, 19 Nov 2014 23:02:52 +0000

Strengths: My design is definitely a strength, so I should make sure to keep most of the visual aspects. The only issue with design is that some parts may be a little bit too crowded, so I might try to work on spacing.

Rhetorically: I think I need to work on making my story go a little bit more in-depth, so that readers realize that it is a re-mix of Peter Pan, not just a play on words. This goes for all of the text.

My project is not online yet, but it will be soon. I want to add interactivity through new multimodal elements. This will be done through ThingLink, and I will add videos and other sites to add new dimension.

I think for the most part I have all of the still visuals and text in place, I just need to work on the interactivity, which can definitely be done within the time frame of the next due date.

Moving Along

lesmccrea2014 — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 18:33:48 +0000

Today I made a lot of progress on my project. I made a common decision to start by using InDesign to create an info-graphic about the material I am focusing on. It’s looking pretty good! I cannot use InDesign over Thanksgiving break because I do not have it on my computer, and I have already used a trial of it for a previous class, but I plan on getting most of the work done before break so that I can move on to the next part over break – which is working with ThingLink, a website, to make my graphic interactive. I can do that from home as long as my InDesign work is done. I used Innovation Space for a few hours today to work on it.

I’m not sure which parts I will make interactive yet, but I think that will add another dimension.

I will definitely use the interactivity to cite some of my sources at the bottom of the graphic, so that viewers can click right over to more information.

Brick Wall

lesmccrea2014 — Fri, 14 Nov 2014 15:48:16 +0000

So, I’ve run into some issues with my original plan. I downloaded Flash and started watching some of the tutorials, but the actual software started affecting my computer. It’s slowing everything down, and shuts down once I start trying to complete any actions.

I’m really upset because I’ve wanted to learn Flash for a while and I really wanted to challenge myself, but this might not be the time to do it. I would totally still go for it if I could spend time in innovation space, but I want to be able to work on it over break and my computer is obviously not happy about that.

That being said, I think I will try to go in a new direction. I had an idea to create several gifs and present them in list form, similar to Buzzfeed, but that’s so far from my original idea. I also am considering making an infographic, because I’m really interested in design and I think it would be fun. The problem with that is that I need InDesign to do that. I’m thinking maybe I could use iMovie (which is on my computer) to present some clips and other facets to describe the point I want to get across. That way, I can still have a video as my final product, and maybe I can still play with the way the facts are presented. Still thinking.

Whatever I decide to do, I will definitely have some sort of a draft by Wednesday!

Thinking about Peter Pan

lesmccrea2014 — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 15:56:59 +0000

Since last week, I did some research and added in facts that I want to include.

I tried to relate certain facts to certain characters and/or expressions, but it’s been harder than I thought because most of the pictures I have found to use are of Peter Pan with a huge grin on his face. I’m thinking this could go for a sarcastic turn because of that.

Here is the link to a ver very rough draft: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzyjU2oG_2pzU0Nyem1kanI1bWs/view?usp=sharing

I’m hoping to work with Flash this week, I’m just waiting to get the free trial because I don’t want the month to run our before the project is due.

Creating a Storyboard

lesmccrea2014 — Fri, 07 Nov 2014 15:57:02 +0000

I couldn’t get any of the websites to work without paying, so I decided to use Powerpoint to present my information in a storyboard format.

Today, I just added photos to the storyboard. I want to be sure to include and introduce all of the main characters from the movie in the storyboard in a creative way. Over the weekend, I plan on adding more information that is structural and includes specific factpoints. I’ll also start to look at Flash to help me decide how to structure it.

Creating a Storyboard

lesmccrea2014 — Fri, 07 Nov 2014 15:57:02 +0000

I couldn’t get any of the websites to work without paying, so I decided to use Powerpoint to present my information in a storyboard format.

Timeline

lesmccrea2014 — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 15:52:53 +0000

Informal timeline for my project:

S, 11/9: Research data points to match with Peter Pan plot points and create a storyboard
M, 11/10: Mock-up, Storyboard, and/or Outline due.
W, 11/12: Begin playing with Flash to see how accessible of a tool it will really be, watch tutorials
M, 11/17: Presentation Sign-up., Continue working with flash/InDesign and finding visuals to incorporate
T, 11/18: Draft of work set up in Flash
W, 11/19: Rough Cut for Peer Feedback; Project 3 Revision Plan.
F, 11/21: Selfie showing yourself at work – most work needs
Thanksgiving Break: Do the bulk of work in Flash, use this time to perfect it
W, F, M, W, 12/3–12/10: In-class Presentations.
W, 12/10: Finalize any mishaps that might have occurred in the Presentation
W, 12/10: Project Due by 11:55 PM.

So far, I’ve started finding research data about the job market and college graduates in order to narrow down which facts I want to include. It’s been an interesting and informative search so far! I just need to look more in-depth at the plot and try to match parts with facts to make it interesting. Something I have not started yet that I think could be difficult is finding the visuals to use in the video. What I’m picturing is something like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx2o2huVm2o but with peter pan visuals and different information. I just want it to be that style, but a little bit shorter.