Games for Learning

Games for learning is something everone could relate to as child, whether is be games for Wii, PS3, Xbox360, and the older platforms. Games I used to play in elementary school such as Math Blaster, The Incredible Machine, Oregon Trail, among other games that some would not consider educational. Educational was a good positive reinforcement for kids in elementary because every child loves to play games or school anyday.

Games like this really wouldn't fit in my job of telecommunications. My job is more on the the professional side so this wouldn't be beneficial for my career. It would something i would probably just use on my leisure.

Here is a video that further explains the benefits of video games:

Professional Web Presence

This week in class we learned how important it is that, as college students soon to be emerging onto the business scene, we all develop a professional web presence. As computers and the Internet become an increasingly important part of both our home and work lives, the importance of establishing an online presence also increases. Having a professional web presence means having things on the web that potential employers or colleagues.

Having a professional web presence page is esstential for an telecommunication major. For starters you can have a resume/portfolio set aside so when you apply for jobs or whatever the situation maybe they'll just be a click away. It'll also keep everything organized and kept in one place.

This Video shows you how to create a google site which is how you make your Professional Web Presence. There are some very useful tips in creating websites.

Open Source Software

Open Source Software is something that is starting to grow with technology. The great thing about it is that it allows for production, collaboration and innovation around the existing software. Developers of these programs have the luxury of tweaking a program to do exactly what they wan tit to do. This is also contributing to rapid innovation in the software industry. Innovations are now coming from anyone who has the source code and adapts the program to do something other that its packaged and sold product.

In telecommunication OSS is very helpful. This type of idea is always leading today's society towards better software that industry professionals can use to perfect their end product. And these innovations from "others" lead the industry to adapt and produce better functioning software for everyone, including the advertising industry.

Here's a video on YouTube video that shows you many different types of open source sofeware applications that you can search for.

Tech Tools

This week we learned about Tech Tools and critical thinking. We used Webspiration which organized information where you use webs and outlines. It was fairly easy to setup, and they are able to format the information the way you want it. There is also a program called Inspiration that you can download, and it is the same idea as Webspiration.

Tech tolls could definitely be used in my field because I can keep things and order. In addition when it comes to presentations everything will be clear, cut, and crisp. It'll keep my ideas organized and professional.

I think Webspiration or Inspiration would be beneficial to anyone! Check out the link!

Social Tools & Cloud Computing

Social Tools and Cloud Computing is something a bit unfamiliar to me, but i find it very useful. It helps with communication between people, groups and teams without anyone missing a beat. Programs like Google Docs make life alot easier for group projects because everyone doens't have to meet up at one spot it all done online through email. This keep all the unnecessary stuff down to a minimal. Social Bookmarking is also useful too. You can share sites with others with the ability to use multiple computers. You can search through different topics to see other sites that people have tagged about it.

These resources can be extremely helpful in my field of telecommuncation. It gives me the ability to communicate with my friends as well as co-workers on projects and share information and papers in group projects and presentations. In addition it just another form of communication which is what my field is all about.

Here is a site for social bookmarking. It is a site where people can share info, get feedback, you can give advice as well and just share information.

Digital Storytelling

Digital Story telling is a great way to tell a story using digital programs such as power point, Imovie, allows you to place photos in a timeline matter to tell a story. You can include captions, effects, sticker and much more to customize your story. It makes it easier, than creating a starch book. You can upload all your pictures to the computer and it allows it to go straight to the program you want yo use. Digital storytelling involves many different digital applications including a mixture computer-based images, text, recorded audio narrations, video clips and/or music. You can create your videos to make them as long as you want.

In the telecommunication view, most producers are now looking for new ideas of TV shows and film from digital story telling , They also look for talent this way. Many producers look through YouTube to find and ideas. Producers do this to get more creative and new ideas. They want to see what interest their audience. YouTube is great way for people to shoe their talent.

Here's a link to see a video: ---------> Goanimate.com

Visual Literacy

This week we learned about visual literacy and how it can be manipulated to distort images. We also found out how prevalent visual literacy is in our society, we use it everyday from streetsigns to building signs. Visual literacy is also very important because it's universal. By using only images, it does not matter the language you speak because an image can portray exactly what something looks like in real life. For example, an windows logo will be understood whether you're in the U.S. or in china. We'll be using Photoshop to edit our own images.

Visual literacy relates alot to telecommuncations because images is a way of communicating. Since i'm in the field of broadcasting visuals definitly play a great role whether its a picture telling you about our show or just giving you information about things happening in our society. Either way its unversal so everyone will understand.

I choose a video to help you understand visual literacy a little better. Here's the Link -----> Visual Literacy

Web 2.0

This week we familiarized ourselves with some Web 2.0 apllications. Web 2.0 allows internet users to control what they see on the web. There were so many applications and lots of them were new to me. I found lots of applications that i liked and that would be useful to me. One of the apps that stuck out to me was the Kideos app. I like this app because it is basically a YouTube for children. And I have younger family members that this site would be very appropriate for because the videos are monitored and safe for children. So check it out : http://kideos.com/

I plan on being in the field of telecommuncations so some of these apps are useful and some are not but its good for trying to target a certain audience.

I gave you a link to a particular app but there are plenty more apps out there to chose from to find what you are looking for. :-)

Copyright Laws

This week we got a chance to learn about copyright laws. I already knew what copyrighting was all about but there was still some valuable information I gained that I wasn't really aware of. One issue that I wasn't aware of is that teachers cannot bring a video to class from and show it to their class because it violates copyright laws. We basically learned about things could be manupilated and changed if it isn't copyrighted. However if it is you shouldn't mess with it at all.

The creative commons might be really helpful in my field of broadcasting because in this field videos can be re-produced and put online where it shouldn't be. Therefore, with the copyright laws falling into play whoever decides to tamper with any videos will be in deep trouble. This will keep all our footage protected and being manipulted.

Since this is an important issue here's a link with more info. ----> COPYRIGHT LAWS

MAC Computer

This week we learned how to use a MAC computer. As of right i'm still a windows guy but I'm very familiar with MAC's also. I know more about windows cause thats what used most of my life. In addition, there's still some things i need to learn about MAC's. In class we learned the basic functions of a MAC which was good because i got a chance to refresh my memory becuase its been a while since I used one.


We also learned how to use the different keys. For example, right on a windows differ from a Mac. On a Mac you have to command click which is a little bit more complicated in opinion but thats how Macs work. There's plenty of other minor button changes that differ from windows.

This information is very useful for my future career. I plan on going into telecommunications andmost business are becoming MAC friendly. I know during elementary and junior high school the computers we used were MAC's. It would be very beneificial for me to know how to use both a windows and a MAC to the fullest of their ability so i'll be prepared for anything. I think i'm startign to like Macs anyway.