Free FTP for Macs

Here is a great free ftp program for the mac that I have been using for a while now: Cyberduck (http://cyberduck.ch/). Check it out.

For those of you that do not know, FTP mean file transfer protocol. Its used as a bridge between your computer and the internet. So it allows you to takes html files from your computer and publish them onto the internet.

Point and Shoot vs SLR

Today I will be comparing the two so I thought I would put some brief notes on my blog.

Regular Point and Shoot Camera:

Pros:

small size
very portable
inexpensive
most have low quality video

Cons:

slow shutter speed
not many options
cant change lenses
not good for long distance or sports pictures IMO

SLR:

Pros:

Can change lenses
Different Shutter speeds
Many options

Cons:

large – won’t fit into your pocket or purse
Expensive – some lenses can cost 1000’s of $$

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2010! In the next few weeks I will have a lot of new posts to this blog. To all of my students, I am going to try to put all of our class tutorials on this blog, so please check back here often to review what we have covered in class.

– Dr. Pastore

Adobe Flash: AS1 Button Actions

Here are the button actions we use in our class when we are using actionscript 1. Remember we learn both actionscript 1 and 3, which are used differently.

Button actions go on the button, not the keyframe:

Play button:

on(release){
play();
}

Stop button:

on(release){
stop();
}

Go to button:

on(release){
gotoAndPlay(“myMovie”);
}

Take note that myMovie is a frame label.

Instructional Design Models

An instructional design model is a systematic set of instructions for developing instructional materials. The models are designed so that materials have high quality and that each step in the process follows a set of guidelines/requirements. There are many ISD models, which include Dick and Carey and Morrison Ross & Kemp, ADDIE, ASSURE, etc. In my opinion, ADDIE tends to be the most popular in both the educational and corporate worlds. Below is a quick run down of two models and a very high level description of each step within that process.

Models:

ADDIE

Analysis – Includes conducting a need/front end/gap analysis to analyze requirements, cost, learners, resources available, timeline, and developing a course of action

Design – Develop instructional objectives, strategy to present objectives, assessment items for each objective

Devleopment – Development of instruction

Implementation – Implementation of instruction

Evaluation – Evaluate instruction (formative and summative)

ASSURE

Analyze Learners

State Objectives

Select Media, Methods, and Materials

Utilize Media and Materials

Require Learner Participation

Evaluate and Revise

Actionscript 1+2 vs Actionscript 3

In my multimedia class I am teaching my students AS1 and AS3. I give the students examples of each. Now, what I found is that 20 of my 20 students are doing their final projects using AS1. Even the ones with programming experience. What does this tell me? Nothing that I dont already think. Adobe needs to continue to support AS1 because a lot of people prefer it. Plus those with limited programming experience can be more successful with flash. IMO, AS3 is only more powerful for larger projects, but not small projects.

What is Instructional Design?

I am asked this question quite often, especially at things like jobs interviews and by my students. They are looking for a one sentence answer, which is quite difficult because the field encompasses so much. However, I think I have developed a one sentence answer that should give people an understanding about what ISD is. Keep in mind, this definition is very high level:

A systematic process for developing instruction, which improves learner achievement of a learning objective that is measured through assessment. To improve instruction, models, strategies, and theories are used to assess the current situation, create learning objectives, develop instruction that meets those objectives, and then to develop an instrument to assess those objectives.

Here is an image that depicts my definition of Instructional Design: http://www.raypastore.com/knowledge/ISD_process.jpg

Shutter Speed: Is it important?

Changing the shutter speed is unfortunately, not something most point and shoot cameras allow us to do. Generally we need one of the expensive Digital SLR cameras for this task. So why is shutter speed important? Well depending on the situation it may or may not be. A fast shutter speed is used for pictures with movement and/or action, such as a soccer game. A slow shutter speed is great for portraits. If you took a picture of someone running with a slow shutter speed, the picture may appear blurry and/or their could be a train behind the person running because the movement wasnt captured correctly. For instance, when you see a picture on the cover of sports illustrated of someone hitting a tennis ball, it looks as if everything in the picture is stopped because they used a fast shutter speed. Thus if you intend to use your digital camera for any type of action shots, it may be worth your money to invest in an SLR instead of the regular point and shoot cameras that most of us have.