Final Task

The end is near, and it’s your time to shine, and show me what you have learned.
You have a range of choices:

Photoshop: Create a range of “sprites” for a game , a website with a range of features ready to export to Dreamweaver, an amazing image for web or print.
Photoshop Tutorials

Illustrator: Magazine/Typography/T-shirt print design etc
Illustrator Tutorials

Flash: Animation/Simple game eg: Asteroids, Catch the Apple etc.
Creating Flash Games

Each of the following aspects will need to be reflected on in your digital portfolio (blog)

Plan: Create an outline of what you intend to create (be mindful of time restrictions)

Develop and refine ideas: Draw and design characters, sprites, ideas, using paper and digital techniques

Produce: Use the appropriate Adobe software to create your product

Evaluate: Use the assessment rubric to evaluate your product, discuss how well it meets your initial planning ideas.

Submit your product and self evaluation in an appropriate format to your teacher, and upload.

You can keep it very simple and get a stronger handle on the tools, or if you want to explore and stretch and challenge yourself that is fine.

Moving on from the basics.

By now you should have a handle on how Flash works. Particularly using the timeline, motion tweens and importing instances and elements to your library. You should also have developed some knowledge of adding audio as well as images.

Try to create a simple animation which shows a graphic or photo you have created in Photoshop or Illustrator, which moves across the screen or into the distance. Use the Shape Tween to change your instance. Use the timeline and different layers. Reflect on what you have learned so far before heading on to the next series of adventures.

To embed what we have covered so far I want you to watch the following videos… and it does involve playing a game… well you do have to play a game to learn how to make a good one. Go to the following link and look at the Essentials column, then create a character animation in the last column.

https://helpx.adobe.com/flash/tutorials.html

Once you have done this you will need to carefully read through the following instructions which will allow you to make a jigsaw game.

Read through the entire document first. Record any unfamiliar terms in your glossary. Try to follow the instructions. Remember when using code you need to be very accurate!!!

Jigsaw Game

Reflect at the end of each session on how you think you went… what were your successes… what were your stumbling blocks.

Getting started with Flash

Today will be all hands on, headphones on and away we go! The goal for the end of today and tomorrow is that you understand the work space, and some of the key terms for using and creating with Flash.

You will need to watch to following video, while you have Flash open. I will be listing a number of terms which you will need to provide an explanation for. If I have forgotten any, or if there are any terms you don’t understand add to the list. These should be recorded in your Glossary page of your blog/digital portfolio.

Beginning with Flash

If you have difficulty getting on to the video, which is quite large, try doing some of these exercises first. ALTERNATIVE

Flash Glossary

By the end of next today you should have created a short animation using paths and lines to write your name. A sample of how to do this can be found HERE (open and save into your own folder) – Let me know if you have problems with this ASAP, so I can try a different way of sharing.

Try to create the short animation with walking sequence by the end of next week. I will open the computer room early on Monday sessions.

Let me know how you go. Make sure to reflect on your progress, add screen captures etc. in your blog/digital portfolio.

Flash

What do you already know about Flash?
I have loved using Flash to create different animated pieces and games, since it was owned by Macromedia up until the early 2000s.
There is much debate as to whether it will continue to thrive with the improvement of HTML5 and it’s ability to create rich multimedia environments, as well as the fact that Apple is not supporting the Flash player in its iOs environment.
Is it still worth learning? I think so, mainly because it is easy to use and understand, easy to create fantastic objects…. well when I say easy…. there may be a steep learning curve.
Reply to this post letting me know what it is you would like to explore while learning Flash techniques.

Year 9 Multimedia – App Design

Design Process for web and app design

•Students complete Socrative Form – Link on Daymap, save a copy to their home folder
• Discuss how paper is a time and cost effective way to test ideas
User Interface Design
Interface Design
User Design
User Interface Design

•View videos and discuss User Interface Design, and what makes a good web or app design, reflect on this in blog.

Flowcharts

Flow Charts
Using-outlines-and-flow-charts
Flowcharts and planning
• Discuss planning for good design, watch videos and discuss, Flow charts, planning and paper prototyping.
Paper Prototyping:

Paper prototyping
Paper prototyping your game

Select one of these school based “app design problems to be solved”.

  • • Year 7 orientation
    • Student new to the college
    • Year 9 orientation 
  • Timetable

• Discuss other potential problems which could be solved with an app.
•Working individually, or in pairs students are to develop a written plan for the requirements of their app.
•Create a workflow plan of how the app will flow/work.
•Students will use the generic app template to create a working paper version of their app.
•They will test their apps on fellow classmates, documenting feedback. (Have written feedback check sheets)

Final presentation will be a digital presentation of your app

Image Theft… how can you stay safe?

Clipped Coupons With Scissors 1Creative Commons License Chris Potter via Compfight

Image Theft is a serious issue. Once you create something, music, a document, a photo or an artwork, it is automatically protected by copyright. Read the article Image Theft.

Creative Commons

Watch the video below and answer the following questions

In your blog answer the following questions, and reflect on what you have learned today.

– Find out what copyright means, and write it in your own words, so you understand it.

– Is the information about image and file theft new to you?

– Have you used U-Torrent or another download app to “steal” music, movies etc (it’s ok I won’t tell) Why?

– Find an image of your favourite actor or singer using the Google image search tools which you are permitted to modify and use: SEARCH TOOLS > USAGE RIGHTS > Labeled for non commercial use with modification

Save this image to your folder on the network, and then upload to your Google Drive.

– Complete this little quiz and reflect how you did in your blog. Did you understand the words?

Use a “safe image” in your blog post. The easiest and quickest way to do this is by using a plugin called “Compfight”. To activate this go to your blog dashboard and on the left sidebar click on “Plugins” it is right under Appearance. Scroll through the plugins and select/activate Compfight.

Next time you want to add an image you simply click on Compfight at the top of the blogpost box (next to add media) and put in your key word, eg: what is the topic of your blog post? and you are given a range of images to choose from, with the attribution already attached to the image! Too easy.

Getting Started with Photoshop

Here are a couple of videos to help you to get your head around some of the skills you will be developing in the Photoshop unit.
View each video

Once you have developed an understanding of selections, layers, images sizes and combining images choose a photo of yourself, and put it into a totally different, and interesting scenario.
You will post this to your blog, and reflect on the skills you have learned.
What skills did you already know?
What have ou learned?
were you happy with the final result? Why/Why not.

These videos are just a starting point, I will be taking you through skills training as you go.