Week 14: Using games for teaching

In this lecture we discussed how using games and fun activites can be a great way to teach. Now-a-days the internet and gaming world has taken over kids and young adults lifes. So inorder to keep the attention of students teachers are able to do it in a fun, entertaining way.
Some examples of games to use to teach are:

Second life is a 3-d virtual world that enables teachers to teach via the web. Students can interact with other students and teachers via second life.

Leap Frog is a video game type thing that kids can use to increase their knowlegde about basic things...like math, reading, colors, numbers and letters.


THis video shows how using Leap Frog teaches children the alphabet in a fun and entertaining way.

How this relates to PR:
This relates to PR because it can come in handy with ways to teach upcoming PR majors new things about the PR industry. It also can influence a PR agency to use new and innovative ways to reach their consumers, by using fun, entertaining things to attract peoples attention and time.

Week 13: Distant Education

This week we learned about distance education and virtual learning. An example that was used class was the website: http://www.geteducated.com/
This website showed that ANYONE can get their education online, EVEN A DOG! It also showed how easy it was for people to get their education online.
We also debated (somewhat) whether it was fair or not to get an education online. Now-a-days so any people dont have to actually attend school anymore, they can just sit at their computer and learn. But for some, dishonest people, they use other people to do their work but their getting the degree. So, this isnt as useful as some may think because it questions if the people in the workforce now-a-days, that got their degree online, if they really earned it themself and if they really know what they're doing.

Here is a spoof of an online education commercial.


How this relates to PR:
This relates to PR because some people in PR could have gotten their degrees online. IF that is the case, they might not have the appropriate or experienced levels of writing and public speaking that they may need.

Week 12: Professional Web Presence

During this lecture we talked about web presence and how they are useful when it comes to applying to jobs. One example that was used in class was googlesites.com. This website allows users to build and edit their own website according to their personality. It is important to have a website for future employers to look at because it allows the the oppurtunity to get to know you a little better. It's sort of like a blog, but google sites allows you to go more indepth with whatever you want.

Here is my google site: http://sites.google.com/site/tiffsuttsite/

Although I havent finished with it, I def am considering using it for future employers and companies im interested in working for.

How this relates to PR:
THis relates to PR because it allows me to build my own website for PR agencies to see...the PR agencies that i apply to work for. IT also will help me with my skills in building a website so that I can one day build a website for a PR company that I work for.

Week 11: Open Source Software

This week we learned even more about open-source software.
Office.org and sorceforge are two resources that are used for open-source software. Gimp is also another open-source software. Gimp offers its users a way to improve and update their photos and images. The best thing about open-source software is that it is FREE and ANYONE can use it! As a way to show you how to use gimp, I uploaded a youtube video explaining how to download it and use it.



How this relates to PR:
This relates to PR because it allows PR agencies to use open-source software, like gimp, to improve their company and their companies products. For example, if someone were to use gimp they could photoshop their pictures for better advertisement.

Week 10: Text Tools

During this week we learned a lot about open source software. The video that was used in this lecture is Stephen Fry explaining what open source software is.
So, I decided to use that video as the example for my blog.
Open-source software is computer software that is available in source code form for which the source code and certain other rights normally reserved for copyright holders are provided under a software license that permits users to study, change, and improve the software.

How this relates to PR:
This is good for PR agencies because it enables them to use software for their companies and update the software and edit it, so that it fits the needs of their customers/consumers.

Concept Map

This is an example of what a concept map would look like if I were to have to design one for a public relations firm.

Week 9 Social Tools

This week we learned about social tools. One example of a social tool is social bookmarking is a method for storing and managing bookmarks of Web pages with individually chosen keywords. It is also the sharing of that bookmarked data. Social bookmarking, like delicious, is used to help you find information that you want faster, and easier. It also shares those shortcuts with those who are interested in the same things as you are. Another example of a social tool is google docs. Google docs is very helpful in such that it enables you to work on a document with other people. It allows everyone who is in the google doc group, or those who you email, to edit the document and add anyything they would like to add to it. THis is helpful because for people who are busy or for who groups who have a hard time meeting this enables them to help each other out without physically meeting together.

I supplied an example of what a google doc would look like. (up above)

How this relates to PR...

This relates to PR because say a group of people in a PR firm are working on a project and they need a way to edit each others work they are able to through google docs. It enables people that still need to travel and go to other meetings the oppurtunity to edit their group/peers work. Also, a PR firm can use social bookmarking for their consumers or companies to help create shortcuts for what they're interested in.

Also, this is my delicious bookmark account. Take a look if you want to see an example of what what looks like and of what one is...

http://delicious.com/tifflsutton

week 8 Podcasting

This week we learned about podcasting. Podcasting is a form of a digital technology. Podcasting is a series of digital files that are released episodically and downloaded through web syndication. Podcasting is an automated technology that allows listeners to subscribe and listen to digitally recorded audio shows. Once you subscribe to a podcast, the files are automatically downloaded to your computer's media player by podcatcher software periodically throughout the day. For example, in 2004, Duke University distributed around 1,650 Apple iPods to its incoming freshmen. On these iPods the university put acedemic information on them. For example, things like an orientation schedule, acedmic calendar, introductions from Duke administrators, athletic schedules and advice from previous and current Duke students. Also, a lot of people use podcasting for creating their own music and sounds, so that they dont have to worry about copyright. A lot of times you can listen to a podcast and here a little bit of a song before you by it off the internet, so that you can make sure you want the song.

Here is a video that tells you what a podcast is and how to create one...


How this relates to PR...
PR firms can use this for their consumers and products. They can use this for potential consumers. For example, they can pre-record a message about their product and their company so that if anyone has any questions they can just listen to the podcast instead of having to read something or look something up.

Week 7 Digital Story Telling

This week we learned about digital story telling. Digital story telling is a short, first person narrative, created by combining recorded voice, still and moving images, and music or other sounds. Teachers can use this for educational purposes. For example, show a tutorial type thing to a class to show the class how to do something. People can use digial story telling to tell their own stories too. For example, a lot of people use youtube to show an event or reinact something. A couple digital story telling tools are one true media, rock you, imovie, animoto and picasa. We had to create our own story using one of these tools and I used animoto. Here is mine...just click on the link. http://animoto.com/play/6F2phSlP9YZTpkOMNNibEQ

Here is another example of digital story telling:



The video I put up is a the video that my pofessor used as an example in class..."Where the Hell is Matt"

How this relates to PR...
This relates to PR because PR firms can use digital story telling to create a message to the public and to their consumers. They can use this to promote something their company is representing. And, as you can see, youtube is becoming more popular so they can use youtube to create a message or ad for their audience.

week 6 Visual Literacy

During this week we learned a lot about visual literacy. We learned that using photoshop and other critique like tools to photos can enhance or take away from the photo. Companies and businesses use photoshop to create a picture or logo for their brand. Inorder to make the picture presentable and representalbe for the company the brand/company will use photoshop. Photoshop is also used a lot for magazines that focus on celebrities. A lot of time photographers will make celebrities look bigger or smaller just to create contraversey. Or they crop one person to another person to make it look like they are together.

I posted a piture up of a Victoria's Secret ad. In this picture the model WAS holding a purse but it looks like its suppose to be photoshopped out. Unfortunatley the company didnt do a good job at photoshopping the full purse out.

How this relates to PR...
This relates to PR because in PR we are trying to build trust with our audience and consummers. We want to have a good relationship with our consumers and potenetial consumers and we want to keep that relationship positive. If the company puts ads like this up on their website then we are showing that our company isnt being truthful with the ads. It shows that we use photoshop and the consumers wouldnt trust that our company (Victoria's Secret in this case) real photos but instead uses fake/photoshopped pictures.

Here is a website that shows more photoshop diesasters. http://abduzeedo.com/worst-photoshop-disasters-decade

Photoshop

Photoshop is a graphics editing program. Photoshop uses different tools to add, or take away, from pictures. For instance, it uses a liquify tool to pull in or drag out something in a photo; a pucker tool which shrinks something; and a patch tool that replaces one part of something with another part of the picture that you want it to look like. Photoshop can also change the colors and backgrounds of pictures. Photoshop can do a lot.

One thing photoshop is known for is that it can distort images or improve them. Photoshop can make a fat person look thin and can make a thin person look fat. It can also make a pretty person ugly and an ugly person pretty. Photoshop makes people look like something that they're not.

For example, it can make people look like monsters or mythical creatures, or even vampires. I posted this youtube video up because it shows the steps used in photoshop that turns Bella (a character in the book "Twlight") into a vampire....a human being into a vampire. So, as much as I LOVE photoshop, most of the things (and people) that are photoshopped aren't real. Yes, they might be a real person, but it's not the REAL image of the person, it's touched up.

hmm...Maybe thats why our society is so obsessed with perfection...

Multimedia

Multimedia is a program or a product that contains still pictures, moving pictures, animations, sounds, text, motion pictures, or video. It is considered multimedia as long as two of these things are combined.

Multimedia is used for many different things. It can be used for advertisement, PSA, telling a story, music, education, entertainment, business, science and so many more. You can find forms of multimedia on the interent, on TV, on billboards, on street signs, on pretty much anything.

For example, I decided to use "The Doritos Slap" commercial as a way to show you a form of multimedia. In this commercial the women's son slaps her date for looking at his mom. This uses multimedia because it shows a 'moving' video and sound of the women, a boy and the man. It also uses text and graphics representing the Doritos at the end for advertisement.

Kids and the Internet

It is truely amazing the fascination that kids have with the internet. Now-a-days, for fun kids would rather be inside surfing the internet than outside surfing waves. They would rather be in chat rooms playing games with other kids via screen and microphone than outside running around and playing. A lot of kids are more internet savy than their own parents. This generation of kids is the first generation to come of age using the internet. They have created their on virtual society.

Not only do kids play games and chat to people on the internet, they create profiles and blogs. Some go as far as to create a different person and profile, so as to mislead viewers. Many kids are secretive about their profiles to their parents and family memebers; they will keep things from them and try and avoid letting them see their profiles and blogs.

A lot of kids spend more time on the internet than doing anything else. Kids as young as 5-7 are using the internet and becoming "friends" with people on gaming websites. Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube are social networks that any aged person can create. Some kids put too much info up on these websites or spend too much of their time surfing around on these sites.

This YouTube video interviews a few different kids and asks them different things about their internet experiences. I think it's very interesting what the kids have to say. For example, the kids are asked what they would do without the internet and you get respsones like; they would be annoyed, they would be bored and they wouldnt have a way to socialize. I also think it's interesting that some of them dont have a time limit when playing and surfing on the internet. One boy even said he spends 4 hours a night on the internet.

Copyright Law

This blog post is about copyright. Copyright is very controversial and convoluted. The basic definition of copyright is a form of protection provided by the U.S. law to the authors of "orginal works of authorship." These works include literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and other works. These works also have to be tangible forms of expression. They can not be ideas, but they can be the forms ideas take. It is illegal for anyone to violate any of the rights that are provided by the copyright law to the owner of that copyright. The copyright law last the lifetime of the creater plus 70 years.

A copyright is secured automatically when the work is created. A work is created when it is fixed in a copy or phononrecord for the first time. A phonerecord is a material object that embodies fixations or sounds; like a cassetter tape, CD, or vinyl disk. A copy is a material object from which a work can be read or visually perceived directly or or with aid of a machine or device.

This youtube video briefly discuses the copyright law. It uses cartoons and pop up bubbles disregarding copyright usage. It doesnt go into detail, but it does touch on the basics of copyright. It talks about a band producing a song, someone producing a movie, and someone creating a painting. It's major theme is "Copyright protects your creation, all the way across the nation. When it becomes a great big hit, you get all the credit."