Final Exam Planning

Today as a warm up - so that means about 10-15 minutes to complete this task - I want you to share with me your plans for your final exam. This is your project, so there are multiple ways to share with me your plans. You could write a paragraph describing the plans. You could do an outline with bullet points. Or something different, it is up to you.

Please make sure to address the following items:

1. When will you shoot this assignment?

2. Where will you shoot?

3. What will you be documenting or telling your "story" about?

4. What equipment needs will you have to get this finished?

5. Make sure to describe the process, by this I mean, where will you use the video portion, where will you use still images, where will your narration be, etc?

Do not forget - this will take at least three hours to complete on the computer once you have gathered your pieces.

For those of you planning to use another computer program besides iMovie, here are the criteria you must meet to turn your product in:
It must be either a .mov file or a .mp4. Please downsize it enough to fit on a 2 GB thumb drive. You can render it out in 720 dpi or 1080 dpi. I do not want it to take 10 minutes to open and run on my machine. Once you get the file onto your thumb drive, I HIGHLY recommend that you put it into another computer and hit play to make sure it works right.

Infographic and Illustrator

Making Infographics to enhance a story

Overview: Infographics are just what the name implies: graphics that display information. There are lots of creative ways to do this. The better you are at designing infographics, the more likely people will engage with your story. You are creating a new "entry point" that enhances your overall design package.


Directions: To help you get used to creating Infographics, we are going to use a new online service that helps you generate cool looking Infographics.

Step 1: Go to http://infogr.am/ to sign-up for an account.

Play with the different features to learn how it works.

Step 2: Go to http://www.statisticbrain.com to find some interesting statistics that you could chart in an Infographic.

Step 3: Select the best type of infographic that will best illustrate the data you have selected.


Step 4: Make sure you have added a headline and all the appropriate labels for your infographic.


Step 5: Post your info graphic to your blog by copying the "Embed code" to your blog. You must switch your blog post to the "HTML" mode when you copy the "Embed code" into your post. If you cannot figure this out, let me know and I will show you.


When you are done with infogr.am, lets try to make our own using illustrator!

You will need to do any of these tutorials and post your efforts on your blog for credit on this assignment. Please remember that the object of this is to help you learn how to create art for the newspaper, so try to find tutorials that help with that task.

Here are some links and both have clickable links to other tutorials and sites so click away!!:

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

http://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/articles/20-basic-illustrator-tutorials-every-beginner-should-see

http://www.good-tutorials.com/tutorials/illustrator/basics

You can also just google adobe illustrator tutorials and you will find lots of links.

For your assignment, I would like you to create THREE pieces of art that could be used in the newspaper. You can create straight art, or you can try to create items that use information and come up with an info graphic with text in it.

Here are some ideas, but feel free to come up with your own ideas and plans:

There will be stories in the paper covering these topics:

Why some students are waiting longer to get a driver's license
United Airlines, doctor dragged off the plane
FIT Bits
Sesame Street new autistic character
Bowie recycling
Samurai Jack
Pirates of the Caribbean
13 Reasons why
Snapchat filters

FINAL PIECES MUST BE COMPLETED BY THE END OF NEXT CLASS. You will have about 25 minutes to convert them into .jpegs and post them on your blogs. Then we move on to high dynamic range images.

Do not forget that you should be planning and shooting your final exam ASAP. Also, the Graffiti and Found Objects are also due in just a few classes.

Examples:

Opinion story - turning it in - 45 minutes to work

Today is a partial writing day and you have the entire day, but you MUST complete your opinions story today. When you are finished writing the story, please publish it on your blog in a post titled "My opinions story".

Here are the requirements:

This piece will need to be 500 words and should be about 12-15 paragraphs long. You should have started this last class and should actively work on it during this class. You MUST publish today.

Here are the hints I gave you before:

Here are some tips to writing this type of story:

1. Start with a good introduction that gives us, in very short fashion, the basics about your topic. Make sure you state your DIRECT opinion on the topic you have chosen.

2. Write in 1st person if you want. This means you can use the word "I".

3. There are no quotes needed, BUT you will need facts to base your opinion on.

4. State your opinion early and support it fully.

5. Address the other side, this means you need to directly say what the other side might feel about your opinion. Not only do you need to acknowledge their side, you need to refute their opinion, that means you need to prove them wrong somehow.

6. Come up with some solutions to your problem and try to convince the other side that your ideas might work.

7. To close, you can restate your opinion.

So pick your topic, do some research about your topic on google (make sure its facts!! Google is not always factual!!)

Graffiti or "found" objects - outside shoot - Due in 2 weeks

This shoot will be on your own with any camera you have access to (including your phone). You assignment is simple, you will post 2 photos that you took out in the world of the following subject:

Graffiti or "found" objects.

By "found" objects I mean something that is not in its natural setting. Examples: a plastic soda bottle floating in a stream, or a newspaper sitting on a street corner bench. It must be an OBJECT, not a person.

If you need a definition of graffiti, well.....good luck.

You may NOT shoot any of these on the Bowie High School campus - it must be out in the world, your world.

Due date is Monday, May 15th (A day) and Tuesday, May 16th (B day) to have both photos posted on your blog.

Here is the grading criteria:

Having 2 photos posted = 50%

They are of actual graffiti or "found" objects found in the world = 25%

The composition, lighting and well the photos were taken = 25%

Any questions? please ask me privately.

Shooting Video on the Canon Rebel

Several of you have started planning your final project (GREAT JOB!!) and want to practice shooting video on the cameras. Here is an easy step by step guide:

Set the Mode dial to the Movie setting.

As soon as you select Movie mode, you can preview your shot on the monitor. You also see various bits of recording data on the screen; remember, you can press the DISP button to cycle through the different data display modes if you want more or less screen clutter.

Use the Menu button to display the Movie menu and then select the desired movie quality setting under Movie Rec. Size.

You can record movies at three different quality levels. The setting you choose determines the frame size and aspect ratio of the movie: 1920 x 1080, known as Full High-Definition; 1280 x 720, which qualifies High Def; and 640 x 480, which gives you standard definition. The two higher-quality settings produce movies that have a 16:0 aspect ratio, which is found on many new TV sets and computer monitors. The 640 x 480 setting delivers a 4:3 format, which fits old monitors and standard TVs. The Quality setting also determines the frame rate: 20 frames per second (fps) for Full High-Definition, and the more typical and slightly less choppy 30 fps for the other two.

While in the Movie menu, alter other movie preferences as needed.

Through the Movie menu, shown here, you can alter five settings in addition to movie quality (Movie Rec. Size): grid display, metering timer, AF mode, sound recording, and remote control.

Grid display allows you to display two different styles of grids to help keep your shots aligned properly. Choose Grid 1 for a loosely spaced grid; choose Grid 2 for a more tightly spaced grid. For no grid, leave the option set to the default, Off.

Metering timer allows you to request a shorter or longer delay in the meter readings for autoexposure settings. (The default is to establish settings when you press the shutter button halfway, then let the meter sleep for 16 seconds to save battery power.)

AF mode offers three autofocus methods.( Manual focus usually provides better results.)

Sound recording determines whether you record sound or shoot a silent movie

Remote control allows you to start and stop recording via the optional remote control unit. (For the RC-1 remote unit, after you select On, you also must set the timing switch to the 2-second delay to use it for movie recording.)

Compose your shot and set the focus.

If you are using manual focus (which is recommended), set the lens switch to MF and twist the focusing ring on the lens to bring your subject into focus.

Press the Live View button to start recording.

When you press the Live View button, highlighted here, a red “recording” symbol appears on the monitor.  

Press the Live View button to stop recording.

Your movie is ready to preview and download. 

Opinion Writing Part 2

First, go check out this website. It has some great ideas for the opinions writing segment of this six weeks.

http://poewar.com/having-your-say-writing-personal-essays/

Then answer the following questions in a new blog post titled Personal Essays:

1. What was one idea that the writer gave in the Wide Range of Topics section that you can use as you start deciding on a topic?

2. What was one idea the writer gave in the Opinions Pieces section that you should remember as you are writing your piece?

3. List three suggestions the writer makes in the Personal Essays and Crafts section that you will use as you write.

If you finish - please move on to this assignment:

Our next writing assignment will be for the commentary/opinions section of the newspaper.


Let's give this style of writing a shot. Pick a topic, YES you get to decide and write a commentary piece about it - below are some tips, followed by the instructions with length requirements.

Here are some tips to writing this type of story:

1. Start with a good introduction that gives us, in very short fashion, the basics about your topic. Make sure you state your DIRECT opinion on the topic you have chosen.

2. Write in 1st person if you want. This means you can use the word "I".

3. There are no quotes needed, BUT you will need facts to base your opinion on.

4. State your opinion early and support it fully.

5. Address the other side, this means you need to directly say what the other side might feel about your opinion. Not only do you need to acknowledge their side, you need to refute their opinion, that means you need to prove them wrong somehow.

6. Come up with some solutions to your problem and try to convince the other side that your ideas might work.

7. To close, you can restate your opinion.

So pick your topic, do some research about your topic on google (make sure its facts!! Google is not always factual!!)

And start writing!!! Don't worry, you can't be wrong, this is your opinion. Know your subject, take a side and stick with it (don't be wishy-washy!!) and go for it.

This piece will need to be 400-500 words and should be about 10-15 paragraphs long. You will have one and a half classes to complete this story and have it posted on your blog. Today you have the entire period, next class you will have the entire period to turn in the commentary piece.  I highly recommend that you write in word, save the word document in your folder on the server and wait until you are completely done to post it on your blog. Please write in Times or Times New Roman, size 12 or 14. Make sure you that put an extra space between paragraphs so I can easily see where the paragraph breaks are. No one should finish this today.

Peer Review and Opinions Writing Preview

Today we are going to finish off the writing portion of the class. Simply put, we are going to look at Mr. Reeves version of the story, remember his is a little shorter than yours, but the idea is there.

So here is his version:

Who - the Bowie Administration (but he didn't put the name of who won it)
What - announced the student of the month
Where - at a press conference
When - Monday morning
Why - the October student of the month
How - announced it

Monday morning the Bowie High School administration named it's October student of the month at an early morning press conference.

The winner was senior Erica Jones.

"I was so excited to win student of the month," Jones said. "It really meant a lot to me to be singled out for this award, I worked very hard last month in my classes and I volunteered 25 hours for NHS."

Jones maintains a 4.0 GPA and is a member of a number of extra curricular clubs at the school.

"We named Erica the student of the month because not only is she a great student, she gives so much to the community," Principal Stephen Kane said.

At the end of last year Jones was nominated and won a leadership role in the National Honors Society.

"Erica was heads and shoulders above the rest of the people who were nominated," NHS sponsor and English teacher Samantha Smith said. "Her position this year is president of the club."

In addition to her high grades and club involvement, Jones volunteers at her church.

"I am a pre-school teacher in bible class," Jones said. "I love to work with the little kids. I want to be a teacher in the future."

Jones has three younger siblings, including her step-brother Ethan King, who is a freshman at Bowie.

"I was so proud of her," King said. "She is an inspiration."

The next student of the month, for November, will be announced late next month.

Okay now its your turn to grade your classmates:

Here is the criteria:

50 points for having at least 8-10 paragraphs (350 words)
25 points for having at least 5 quotes (you may give 10 bonus points if the quotes are done PERFECTLY as the example below looks - PUNCTUATION counts!!!)
25 points if the story is in inverted pyramid style (in your opinion)

Now let's pick out some stories to read. Go to the blog and pick a class different than your own. Click on anyone's blog in that class. Read their story and give them a grade. How are we going to do that? On your blog, link their blog using the LINK button in the tools above. Below that break out their points:

Paragraphs - ? pts
5 quotes - ? pts
Inverted pyramid - ? pts
Extra Credit? - 10 points
TOTAL = ???

Publish this on your blog with a title of "Peer Review SoM"

Now here is how you do a quote:

"I was so proud of her," title name said. "She is an inspiration."

Once you are done with the peer review/grade - here is your assignment for the rest of the period.

On a new blog titled "Opinions writing preview activity" please complete the following:

You will need a copy of the 5th issue of the Lone Star Dispatch and you will need pages  A6 and A7, the Commentary section. These are located in two places - first there could be copies in the black boxes between your computers, or they are located in the front of the room in the black book shelf on the 5th shelf up.

There are five stories on this two page. Read them fully.

For each story answer the following questions (some of them might be the exact same answers, but please answer them for each story):

1. Who wrote the story?

2. What is their story about?

3. What is their direct opinion about that topic? Please quote it directly from the story or do a really good job of paraphrasing.

4. Did they address what the other side might think about their topic?

5. Were they wishy-washy with their opinion? By this I mean did they every go back and say well maybe if this were to happen, then their opinion wouldn't be valid. Support your opinion.

6. Are there any quotes in the story?

7. What point of view did they write in (1st, 2nd or 3rd)?

Finally, answer the following questions:

A. What do you think the major differences between a hard news story and an opinions piece? Come up with at least three.

B. Why do you think there aren't very many photos on this page?

C. What are three topics you think would be good to write an opinions piece on?