Eng W390 Group Project Reviews

It's clear that we've all been working hard on our group projects for English W390. Here's what I observed from the two other projects:

One group (we'll call them Group M) has a ton of content which they clearly spent a lot of time researching and a great site map, but their graphics and sounds could use some improvement. The other group (Group G) has great graphics and sound, but their project doesn't have as much content. Both groups seem to be aiming for the same audience, students and both have hit their mark.

Group M has a ton of audience choice and one can freely browse their presentation. As a note of criticism, I think the presentation is a bit visually overwhelming though. Group G has less choice, as the presentation is more of a commercial than anything else. Group G's presentation has a more professionally produced feel, though.

I think our presentation falls somewhere in between the other two. It has less choice than Group M's but more than Group G's. It definitely falls in between in regards to graphics and "fanciness", too. Ours has a more streamlined feel, but lacks sound except for the video. We are aiming for the same target audience, too and I think we hit the mark, as well. That is an aspect where we all succeeded perfectly.

Of course, I'm biased, but I think our project is the best. The slide share presentation below doesn't really showcase the interactivity, but it definitely shows off the attractiveness of our project.

The feedback we received was positive,for the most part, save one review that seemed to think it was lacking. Frankly, I disagree. The reviewers in general seemed to notice the lack of sound, with the exception of the video so I guess that stands out as a negative. I don't intend to change it though, because I think music isn't necessary and chimes when the slides change are silly in most cases. The feedback from the professor was the most helpful and we implemented those changes for the final draft.

W390 Team Project Uploaded to Slideshare

University writing center slide show

View more presentations from Kristen Nicoson.

W390 Final Project: 1st Draft FINISHED!

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Our final project is going well so far. After some early communication issues, we have managed to plan and execute a good project. My teammates were great about getting the video and photographs we needed and I'm putting them together in PowerPoint. The material is really good and my video editing skills have been effective. I found a handy video editor called VideoPad Video Editor that had a free 14-day trial and I used it to edit the video, taking out some things and adding text over the top so it had an FAQ feel. I didn't have these skills before, for the most part, so I'm very pleased. I'm falling short a bit because I can't seem to get my video to embed the way I would like. Hopefully we can figure it out before the final draft is due. In the meantime the video must be clicked to be accessed. I did remember, after going away from the project and coming back to it later, how to make links in the first slide to other slides. That made it more interactive. The user can now choose what to explore first. I hope this will make the presentation more enjoyable for the audience.

As far as my understanding of the course material goes, I'm getting an idea that this has more to do with web design and development than I originally thought. This should be useful as I pursue my career as a media specialist.
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Eng W390 Week 13: Cool?

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Considering your SL avatar, your blog, your wiki entries and the work you’ve done with your group project, do there seem to be aspects of your personality that are emerging as constants within your digital communications? Explain. Are you incorporating new elements into this emerging voice? If so, what?

Try to analyze this emerging voice to determine what aspects of it you might want to take forward with you and what aspects may still need to be cultivated for future digital interactions.

My SL avatar, blog, wiki entries and group chats for our project are all a reflection of my personality to some degree or another. I suppose the chats and my blog are the most descriptive in that regard. I'm pretty friendly and that usually comes through in most all of my internet communications. I'm hoping to develop more of a coolness that is a little less eager and I think that was evident in my Second Life avatar. It may also be evident in my forum posts. As of yet, I don't think I can be described as cool, though, so I'll have to keep working on it.
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Eng W390 Week 12: Being Heard

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Do you feel that your voice is being adequately represented in your group project? In what ways? Are there ways in which you feel your voice is being overlooked or is missing? Explain. How do you feel you might best assert that voice, or do you think your “voice” is incompatible with your group project? Explain.

I think that my voice is being well represented in the group project. I just hope I'm not being too loud with it if my teammates would like to do something different. Being assertive has never been a problem for me when it comes to working with a group. As for compatibility, I feel like the individual group voices sound good together. So far, sound pretty harmonious. I think the real test of our harmony will come when we are finished with the information gathering phase and we start crafting our product.
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Eng W390 Week 11: Gamer? A Bit

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I have played many different games in my lifetime. I have enjoyed gaming in one form or another for as long as I can remember. I think Candy Land was my first game and since then I've played countless other board games,card games, console games, pencil and dice role playing games and pc games.

Of the choices described in our assigned chapter of the book this week, I think I prefer the types of games that allow for a lot of control over the main character from how they dress to where they go and what they do. The example of Grand Theft Auto, which is not at all my cup of tea in terms of genre, really has many of the characteristics I enjoy as a player. It's pretty cool when a story adapts to "real-life" things such as how the PC is treated by NPCs based on his/her appearance. Also, character creation is really fun. In fact, that was the best part of my Second Life experience early this semester and it's the part of the game that I love the most when playing role playing games of any sort. I even love to make Miis on the Wii.

Personalizing what a character looks like, what they are named, how they behave and even things as complex as back story not only enrich the gaming experience itself, but can be considered part of play, not just the part of the set-up.

Reading this chapter reminded me of all the fun I've had gaming. I wish I had more time for it. Instead I have homework, like this blog post.

Considering a Move

Ooh there are so many factors to consider before I renew my passport and call my realtor. I think I'd like Hogwarts the best, somewhere right in the heart of Hogsmead. It's a modern day city with a quaint old-timey feeling and it has access to Scotland and England from the train station. I could be having tea with the queen if I took the overnight to King's Cross station.

Still, I can't resist the medieval metropolitan charm of King's Landing in Westeros. Now that Cersei isn't running around loose and the rest of the Lannister clan is far flung (or dead), it's probably not too dangerous. The key to King's Landing is location, though. Just like any metropolis, it has its share of theives, ruffians and pickpockets. As long as I can afford something in the fashionable side of town, it should be quite lovely.

Middle Earth has lost some of it's charm since the elves left. So sad, but it might be nice to pay a visit to Hobbiton. If I find something in Hogsmeade, I don't have to book passage on a ship to get there. That's something to consider. They do brew a tasty beer, those Hobbits and don't even get me started on the cheese...

W390 Week 10: The Gathering

Last weekend I traveled to a strange land deep in the bowels of Indianapolis. Much like the fabled City of Ember, it was a place where the sun and wind could not reach; where the light and the air were powered by electricity. This was the Gathering Place and the Gatherers, while they could be described as homo-sapiens, were not exactly human. Self-described Mages, a stranger might see them rather as cultists in some strange church, but be that as it may, the Gatherers see it as the temple of epic adventure and intense competition.

The temple does not exist in one place. It cannot be constrained by the limitations of space and time. It exists in many places across the globe, calling the Gatherers with promises of fame and riches. Some are called to the temple to arbitrate the battles, to assure that the Gatherers adhere to the strict rules of combat. I am called to facilitate these epic match-ups, adding Gatherers to the lists like knights in a tournament and recording their successes or, more often, failures in the tome of history of the combatants. These combats do not require swords or horses in the traditional sense. They require playing cards. That's right...collectible playing cards. The only armor the mage needs, aside of a fresh coat of deodorant and a clean pair of undies, are protective plastic sleeves for a deck of cards painstakingly built from hundreds of little "booster packs" at a costs ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars. This is Magic: The Gathering Grand Prix Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium.

After the lists are populated, the warriors are matched and the game begins. The mental mettle of each competitor is tested. They must concentrate, watching their cards, praying for the right combinations, all the while waiting for their opponent to slip up. Each match is a battle of wits that also requires the blessing of luck. As the cards are laid, the breath quickens, the expletives or little cheers of triumph sometimes slip out, in a mutter, but the game is quiet and quick with the occasional cries of, "Judge!" when a dispute about the rules arises. As the winners and losers are determined, the losers nurse their wounds at the dealers table buying more cards with the hope of faring better at the next Gathering or they swallow their pride with nachos and Mt. Dew from the snack bar.

The winners make their way to the final match-up with cash and glory on the line. They are mentally tired, hungry and sometimes they really have to go to the bathroom. None of these ailments can be allowed to overcome their concentration if they hope to win. Indeed, the intensity of the final match, after a field of 1,200 has been reduced to just two, often provides enough adrenaline to drown out most physical needs. For in the end, there can be only one and that One, the champion gets a trophy and a bag of gold (actually a big cardboard check)and the glory of being the best... if only until the next tournament. Sadly, Magic is a fickle mistress and next weekend, somewhere in the world she will crown a new champion after the sacrifice of many.

At the end of the tournament, I leave the temple, relieved that it's over but glad to have been a part of the carnage. I sleep well that night, but it's not long before I'm looking for the Gathering Place again, hoping to be a part of it. It's hard to resist the call

W390 Week 9: Communication Breakdown

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My team is experiencing Communcation Breakdown and unfortunately it's not just a Led Zepplin tune.

The communication on Team 1 is problematic. One of my teammates and I have exchanged messages, including the whole team on the mailing list, and so far we're a no go for accomplishing anything. When the team was formed by the instructor, the prevailing meet up time amongst us as far as our availability is concerned was listed as Thursday afternoon. My one communicative teammate suggested meeting up before that for a preliminary chat session and I suggested Tuesday. I never heard back about that day from her and no one else responded. Like I said last week, one member doesn't appear to be in the class at all. So that leaves three of us and so far only two of us are talking. I got a message today confirming our afternoon meetup, but maybe we crossed paths because I was alone in our Team 1 chat room and the main chat room during our time. I went in the chat room and waited a bit. Then I left my desk for a while and came back to find no messages or evidence that anyone had shown up. I kept an eye out on the chat rooms for a while but never found anyone. Maybe my one partner got busy and forgot. It happens. As a matter of fact, I forgot a phone appointment with my advisor this morning. We're all human so occasional forgetfulness is a fact of life. My concern is that the messaging is not working because we're not making timely enough responses. I think the chat will work great if we can all show up at the same time. I don't expect to be able to arrange any other form of meetup if we can't schedule them through email messages. I don't see my classmates in person because this is a web class.

Well, that was a bummer of a post. I'm sorry I don't have something more positive to say. I have a massively busy weekend ahead of me starting tomorrow so I won't be able to get together with my group. On the upside, the reason I'll be so busy is because I'll be working at a Magic the Gathering Grand Prix. I work a few events each year and love every minute of it. Often I get to travel around the country and see new places while I'm working these fun events. This time, the event is here in Indy. Wherever it is located, I love seeing my friends from all over the country.

W390 Week 8: Project Groups

Our groups have been assigned for our multi-media project in English W390. It looks like my teammates are good with PowerPoint, which rocks because I don’t know enough about it to do much more than some basic slides, maybe with some animations. I embedded a video in a slide presentation for a project last semester, but my skills are lacking. The reason PowerPoint experience is important for this project is not because we are creating PP presentations, but because we are using it as a tool to create other multi-media type stuff. It’s a useful tool for that, apparently.
According to the group assignments, my group has 3 other people, but honestly, I can’t find evidence of one of the members even being in the class. She’s not on the roster and I can’t find any forum posts by her, either. I guess that means I am part of a group of three. My strengths, which include some web admin experience and the fact that I’m a quick study combined with the skills of my team mates which include some experience with digital media in addition to their PowerPoint experience, should help to make our project go pretty smoothly.

I have an idea for spicing up some of the English Department websites that list major requirements. I like my idea, but I’m totally game for something else if one of the girls in my group has a fun idea. I hope we have so many great ideas that our biggest problem will be deciding which one to do.

English W390 Week 7 Post

Late last week we submitted our Second Life Analysis essays to the OnCourse forums for peer editing. Sadly, I only received one peer edit. This may be because I waited until Saturday to post my draft. It might also have been that people started to read it, found it boring and moved on, with the exception of one very kind soul. She was very complimentary of my work, and my cool avatar, which made me smile. She also gave me some helpful feedback about the conclusion of my essay and how I might improve it with information from my overly long introduction. I knew the conclusion needed work when I submitted the first draft and her advice was just the ticket. When I did my peer reviews, I suppose the question I would have added to the PR form was in regards to grammar and sentence structure. I think that’s a good thing to mention in any peer review, but since it wasn’t on the form, I didn’t want to sound nitpicky. I would love to have feedback on grammar because sometimes my sentences don’t sound to other people the way I hear them in my head. Yikes, it sounds like I hear voices. I promise, I’m not schizophrenic; my spirit guide told me so…but I digress.

After reading through some of my classmates’ papers, I gained some insight into their personalities as well as finding the assignment to be more rich and involving than I expected it to be when I read the criteria for Project 1 in the beginning of the semester. Also, after some of the other essays, I was reassured that I had written the right kind. That was a load off of my mind.

W390 Week 6: Multimedia Experience

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I’m going to leave the following prompt in the blog post this week so civilians reading this blog know the reason for my blog topic this week:

“What media do you have experience writing for or working with (video, audio, digital pictures, etc.) (if you don't have experience with any of these, think about things you have experienced that could translate)? How might writing for other media be similar? How will it differ? How might you make your strengths work for you? How might you work around your obstacles?”

I work as a children’s librarian. Really, I’m not officially a librarian, yet, but a mere clerk. I work in an elementary school and spend much of my time reading to children and teaching things like how to research, or how to choose a “just right book”.

My job also affords me some other interesting opportunities. For instance, when the Media Specialist (that’s the modern day term for a school librarian) is out, I produce and direct the morning announcement broadcast and sometimes also, the bi-weekly news report anchored by 5th grade students and reported by students from each grade level. The Media Center (A library with more than just print material, for instance computers and video sources, too.) has a full video production studio complete with mixing boards and stage lighting. The production experience is great for the kids and has been great for me, too.

In addition to video production, I edit a newsletter that is distributed in print and on the web. I use Microsoft Word to produce it and then upload it as a .pdf to the school’s website. This can be a bit tricky sometimes because saving things in Adobe’s format occasionally alters the formatting in a way that makes it difficult to read. I’ve learned some tricks to minimize these mistakes through trial and error. The same goes for Word. Frankly, sometimes it’s a real bear to work with. I suppose I should learn to use Front Page or some publishing type of software. I’ll put that on my endless list of to do’s.

As for digital photography, I’m pretty hopeless. I can take pictures and upload them to places like Photobucket or Facebook. I can even manage slide shows in Powerpoint or other online slideshow makers. I’m a terrible photographer, though.

I have a little experience in audio, too, because of a previous class. I had to produce a podcast. I made it using iTunes and uploaded it to a free web service that allowed me to link it for distribution. Fortunately, I saved the instructions on how to do this because I honestly don’t remember exactly what I did. If I have to do it again, I’ll have to relearn some things.

I think my strengths in writing for multimedia aren’t going to be the production of content so much as the ability to manage the technological hurdles of various computer programs and gadgets like cameras and recording equipment. In my newsletter and video production jobs at school I’m more of an editor and director than a writer. The tasks assigned in this class offer some similar experiences in production, but they also offer up some new territory for me with content production. As I complete assignments , I will have the opportunity to create original content. I can only hope I am blessed with sufficient inspiration.

Facebook Log Stardate 021912: Rickroll'd

Kristen Nicoson
‎David Nicoson and I were both rickroll'd by Wil Wheaton.
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Francisco Iramain likes this.

Tiffany Clark I don't even know what that could mean, but it's easily the best status of the day :D
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Tiffany Clark WHEATTTONNN!!!
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Francisco Iramain ‎#epic
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Kristen Nicoson Wil Wheaton
You guys, seripusly: http://t.co/IUCLePsN
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Carol Clarkson http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickrolling And LOL

W390 Week 5 Post

When it comes to multimedia, this isn’t my first rodeo. I have an active life on Facebook, Ravelry ( a knitting and crochet website), Pinterest, and a message board about poker. Occasionally, I tweet on Twitter, too, but not often. I have trouble keeping my posts under 40 characters. I suppose I should work on that.

I’ve worked with wikis and blogs for other classes and on top of all of that, I administrate the website at the elementary school where I work and sometimes help to produce our morning announcement broadcasts on closed circuit television. Oh, and I guess I shouldn’t leave out the school newsletter. I edit that too, occasionally producing content of my own for it.

My weak link in this jumbled up multimedia chain is blogging. I feel like I need to find something more interesting to offer to the outside world. On a message board, I generally respond to topics or questions that interest me. Sometimes I have a moment of inspiration and come up with inquiries of my own, but often my online conversations are hatched by someone else. This forced blogging my actually help me exercise my idea muscles. We’ll see. As for strengths, it’s been nice to not have to learn about the nuts and bolts of the technology we are working with. To show off my chops, I might try to do a little video for this blog. There are some fun websites that allow you to make a photo collage video to music. Maybe I’ll give that another go to spice this thing up.

Game of Thrones Valentine: LOVE IT!

The Khaleesi Rocks.

Source: facebook.com via T on Pinterest

W390 Week 5

When writing interactive material for the internet, Garrand, author of Writing for Multimedia and the Web emphasizes that it is important not to be too restrictive with the user’s possible interactions within the media you’ve created. He says, “The stumbling block…is not limiting interactivity and maintaining control over the multimedia experience…but failing to give users adequate control over the flow of information or story material” (Chapter 1 ¶ 23). I suppose we all have a vision of how our work might be received or used and we don’t want to allow the user to ruin it with seemingly arbitrary choices. But that is not the way that work in interactive media should be viewed. While David Riordan makes a good point in Garrand’s book by saying, “Infinite choice equals a database. Just because you can make a choice doesn’t mean it’s an interesting one” , I think the problem for most creators is brainstorming all of the things a user might want to do, and crafting choices that satisfy the user while forwarding the progress of the story or flow of information in a meaningful way (Garrand Chapter 1 ¶ 22).

In my experiences as a website user, I’ve often found the problem of not enough choice to be pervasive. In many consumer websites, when I’m trying to find contact or pricing information or make changes to my account settings, I find a series of virtual hoops to jump through before I can finally get to where I need to be. It’s like automated phone messages where we hope to just jam down the zero button and get a real human on the line instead of punching in our account number followed by the pound sign and trying to say “account representative” in an accent that the cyborg operator can understand. “Please listen to all the options, as our menu has changed.” NOOOOOO! Ajkffajlfajlfdfdfdjlfjlfjfjlafd!!!!!! But I digress.

I think the key to giving choices is to really think about the end user and focus more on that than the aims of the programs or even the client. What do they want to do? What else? How can we make the flow of information smooth and satisfying like a good cup of coffee? Blending good user interface with necessary content is very tricky and needs to be approached thoughtfully if we want people to read and use what we’ve created.

Work Cited

Garrand, Timothy Paul. Writing for Multimedia and the Web: A Practical Guide to Content Development for Interactive Media. Amsterdam: Elsevier Focal, 2006. Kindle eBook file.

How Cute is This???

When you mouse over and click on this hand, it moves the thumb and pushes the buttons just like you would on a real iPod. Then, you can actually listen to Etienne's music. Where can I get this for my music?

http://www.desclides.net/etienne/podfolio/

W390 Week 4: Exploring Second Life

For W390, I’ve been exploring the virtual world called Second Life. Many real life places have been recreated here as well as some fantastical places, too.

It is fun to change into all the different clothes and hairstyles and to visit places like the Eiffel Tower set in the year 1900 or a fairy haven where giant mushrooms and winged creatures abound. Scuba diving or horseback riding from the couch is pretty fun, but flying is the best. It’s cool to see the landscape from the sky.

I’ve only interacted a little bit with other avatars,

but tha

t’s usually how I behave when I’m a tourist in a foreign land. I like to take it all in as I trek through unfamiliar territory. When I’m sightseeing, I’m not loquacioua. If you know me personally, you know how unusual that is for me. Although, I have had a couple of interactions with the keepers of some of the places I’ve visited. Sometimes people give you things like notes to read or props to add to your inventory.

The most challenging part of the Second Life experience, for me, has been fighting the software. It’s a real memory hog and often the whole program crashes or stalls when I’m at a critical moment in my explorations. I’m using my husband’s computer, which is pretty new and beefed up and it’s still taxing our hardware. For that reason, I’m looking forward to finishing up the Second Life exercises. I don’t want to knock it though. Second Life is a cool world.

W390 Week 3

This new class I’m taking online at IUPUI is supposed to help me “find my e-voice”. Honestly, I took it because I needed a 300 level class outside of my major to help fulfill my graduation requirements. I've been active online for a long time in various forums and of course on Facebook. Who isn't on Facebook these days? I suppose I follow more than I lead in most cases. I enjoy stalking my friends and some celebrities including Neil Gaiman, Wil Wheaton and Felicia Day.

While I post a lot about myself in one particular forum (which I’m keeping a secret) and on Facebook (where I can control, to a certain extent, who reads what), I’ve never wanted to blog. I’ve always had a, “don’t put anything in writing” attitude since my first husband read my middle school journal after finding it a box he was unpacking. He mocked me for the next four years.

That being said, I still feel like I can improve the way I present myself online. Other than my journaling aversion, I’m an open book. If you know me in person, you really know me. You probably know more than you care to, in fact. I guess I just need to take the leap into blogging with less trepidation. To, “suck it up” and write something. Still, if it’s going to be at all interesting, I need to find a subject. Maybe that way I can protect my online self from the world and still offer something fun to read. So far, I’m trying out a somewhat casual voice, in the hopes you’ll find the posts light and easy to read.

Most of the posts here for the next few months will be school related. I make no promises to write anything else you might enjoy or find interesting, but I’ll give it the old college-try.

Blog Back in Business

I haven't blogged for a very long time because journaling isn't really my bag, baby. Yet, here I am, back blogging for my latest web class. Instead of starting a new blog, I figured I would take this one out of cold storage.