Valerie's ramblings

January 19 (webpage)

2010-01-19T12:05:00.000-05:00

What was your favorite activity in this class? working on the L & R website

Explain at least three things that you learned?
1. I learned how to create buttons in photoshop and make them work in Dreamweaver.
2. I learned how to put pictures in a format that works on the web.
3. I learned how to create a fully functional website.

How might you use the information you learned in this class in the future? I would like to continue learning about how to build websites and maybe pursue it as a hobby.

January 19 (game design)

2010-01-19T11:47:00.000-05:00

I really didn't learn much about civics in this class. All I learned about civics are some facts about the Green Party. I learned a lot about the process of designing a game, though. I didn't know how much effort was put forth in order to make some of the simplest games. I'll probably use some of the skills I learned in here in my future education in game design.

12/4 Blog (digital imaging)

2010-01-15T13:00:00.000-05:00

This was the beginning of Flash. Tell me 5 things that you learned. Well, I really didn't learn anything new as I'm in game design class and already knew how to use flash. I did learn how to make a movie clip explode.

What was your favorite project so far? Why? My favorite project was the photo assignment. I loved going out and taking pictures.

What activity did you like the least? Why? I didn't like working with adobe illustrator because it was complicated.

11/20 Blog (webpage)

2010-01-15T12:46:00.000-05:00

If I were to receive a grade on the progress I have made so far, I think I would get at least a B. I've put a lot of effort into creating the pages I have done so far, and I think that they're top quality.

To save a photo to the web you must make it smaller in photoshop and make it 72 pixels per inch. Then you have to save it for web and devices as a gif.

Jan 11 WebPage

2010-01-11T10:29:00.001-05:00

Over this Christmas break I didn't really do much. The week of Christmas my sister came in to visit, but I had to work a lot that week. We did go sled riding on D & E hill. On Christmas Eve we all went to my grandparent's house for dinner and to exchange presents. I got some pajama pants, a shirt, some fuzzy socks, a gift basket, and some money. Then on Christmas day, we opened presents at our house, and I got a dvd, some books, and a lot of money. After that we went to my grandma's house, and I got some more money. On New Year's Eve I went to a party with a bunch of my friends where we played guitar hero and apples to apples practically all night. Then for the next week I really didn't do much. That was my extended Christmas break.

12/4 Game Blog

2009-12-14T11:59:00.000-05:00

My game is progressing really well. I decided to put a card matching game in my level, and it's working out really well. I just have to make a few changes and touch up the level. Then I'll be done with my section of the game.

As far as civics goes, I haven't learned much. I just learned some facts about the Green Party.

11/13 Game Blog

2009-12-14T11:55:00.000-05:00

I really haven't learned much about civics this week, but the game is progressing pretty well. I'm having trouble making the puzzle, but hopefully it'll work out.

12/4 Blog (webpage)

2009-12-14T10:05:00.000-05:00

How do you check spelling in DreamWeaver? Go to text and "check spelling"
You are finishing you site. What do you like about the site you created? I really like my recreation page. I think it is the most complete list of recreation around Elkins you'll ever find.
What would you do different? I would do my slideshows with a different program.
Tell me 3 things you liked about another site that was created. I liked David's slideshow. I like Miracle's for sale page and completed jobs page.

11/6 Blog (webpage)

2009-12-14T09:46:00.000-05:00

I have learned how to use templates in Dreamweaver.

Creating the homepage for VRC Racing is difficult and taking forever. I don't know where I want to put what, and it's really frustrating me.

I don't really know what type of site I want to make VRC Racing, but I suppose I'll figure that out later.

11/20

2009-12-14T09:27:00.004-05:00

Of all the programs you have learned so far, which program have you enjoyed the most? Flash

Why? I already know how to use it from game design class, so it's fun to use in here too.

Which program do you feel you have learned the most about? Photoshop

Why? It's the program we use the most in this class.

11/6 Blog

2009-12-14T09:24:00.003-05:00

I am learning how to create a scrapbook using photoshop. I am also learning how to take better pictures.

12/9/09

2009-12-09T10:28:00.000-05:00

L & R Home Builders should choose my website because I had a great format for each page, and I included unique pictures that make the website really come together.

Miracle also had a wonderful format for her website and I loved the paragraphs included with the homes for sale.

11/30

2009-11-30T10:41:00.001-05:00

If I got a grade on my website right now, I would probably get a B or a C. I have 3 pages mostly done, but they still need some work. I have been working hard on my site, but my recreation page is taking a long time.

To save a photo for the web, open the picture in Photoshop. Go to image and image size. Make it 4x3 and 72 pixels per inch. Then save it. Now your picture is web ready.

11/20 Game Blog

2009-11-20T11:35:00.000-05:00

I have put music on my game and tried to find the code for making a button go to the previous page. Unfortunately I haven't found the that code. I also researched the beliefs of the "green" party and began writing the speech. During my researched I learned a lot about what that particular independent party believes and a little about how our government works.

11/13 Digital Imaging

2009-11-13T13:15:00.001-05:00

A quality photo has a specific point that catches the viewer's eye. Also, good pictures follow the rule of thirds. Good contrast of colors also creates a professional looking image.

I like this photo because it gives a new angle on something that would otherwise be ordinary. I took this picture of a plant next to a crack in the curb. The angle and distance at which I took the photo makes the entire thing look like a larger, more epic scene. It kind of reminds me of a palm tree next to a canyon wall in a desert.

The contrast of the plant and crack against the dull gray color of the road and curb creates an eye catching picture. Although the crack is in the center of the photo, the plant is in the left third following the rule of thirds.

11/6 Blog

2009-11-06T13:06:00.000-05:00

By playing "What Are They Thinkin'?" the beliefs of the political parties will be learned. I haven't learned anything about civics this week because I've mainly been working on the art and coding for my level. Our game is progressing pretty well, we've gotten a lot done for just one week, but it would go a lot faster if we didn't have to stop to do all these stupid blogs and game uploads.

Smell-O-Vision Presentation

2009-11-02T14:12:00.000-05:00

I think our presentation went pretty well. Although we didn't dress up, we seemed pretty professional during our presentation. Everything was done and done well, so I don't see a reason we shouldn't get a good grade. The only reason we couldn't present on the original date was because I was sick, and I don't think that should count against us.

10/23 Blog

2009-11-02T14:09:00.000-05:00

Company projects were both easy and difficult because of group work. It was easy because we had someone else to share the workload with. It was difficult to get all of the details to match up because more than one person was doing the work. Our presentation went well, so I really don't think I would've changed anything about our company project.

The ACT posters are fairly easy to do. I think that the more simple the poster is, the better it looks. So I haven't really had any difficulties with the posters other than time constraints.

10/9 Blog

2009-11-02T14:03:00.000-05:00

I've learned so many different things in Adobe Illustrator this week. I've learned how to use the symbol sprayer tool, the type tool, and the lasso tool to name a few. My favorite activity was creating the greeting cards because I've always wanted to make a greeting card. I think that several professions such as greeting card creators and logo creators use Adobe Illustrator. Vector can be enlarged without blurring the image at all, but raster images are blurred when they are enlarged too much. Adobe Illustrator uses vector images, and Photoshop uses raster images.

Presentation Experience

2009-10-28T10:16:00.000-04:00

Although I did not know that it was supposed to be a web res resume, I still think my presentation went fairly well. I really wasn't too nervous about being in front of the class, and I made a few people laugh. So I suppose I got a good grade. I sure spent enough time on my web site to deserve it.

Civics Game Info For 9 Weeks Test

2009-10-27T12:50:00.001-04:00

Our new game is called "What Are They Thinkin'?" It helps the player learn about the basic philosophies of the political parties. There will be two or three levels, each with a candidate from a different party. One candidate of a certain political party will give a speech that tells the general beliefs of that party. After the speech is over, there will be a "Where's Waldo" type search for items that relate to that party's beliefs. This makes the game both fun and educational, two aspects that most games can't usually combine.

Start N Stop Buttons

2009-10-23T12:04:00.001-04:00

Creating the start and stop buttons for music was lengthy and practically impossible my first few tries. Eventually a useful fla example was uploaded to the wiki to make it easy and comprehensible. I have to say that I did end up learning a lot about flash through this experience and taught a few others what to do as well. Without on and off buttons for the music, a game would get either really annoying or really boring, so I'm glad I learned how to do this. If you want to check out the finished product (not of the game I'm making, just of the sound buttons) then go HERE !

Adding Sound

2009-10-23T11:56:00.001-04:00

It is important to add sound to a game to make it more interesting and entertaining. For example, Halo has excellent music that goes along with its gameplay. Also, there is quite a bit of dialog in the game, too. The sound is what completes the gaming experience.As for adding sound to my game, that didn't go too well at first. But I finally got everything figured out. I now know how to create a start and stop music button which helps immensely with what I want to do in my game.

....and no, I have not learned a thing (relevant to this class) from any of the blogs I follow.

Dreamweaver Skills

2009-10-23T10:07:00.001-04:00

In the design mode of Dreamweaver, we have learned how to insert and image, create a rollover image, and add a link to an image. To insert an image all you have to do is click the "tree" icon at the top of the toolbar and select "image". To create a rollover image you also click the tree icon, but this time you select rollover image. All you have to do to create a link within a picture is to click on that picture and then type the link into the box at the bottom toolbar. I would much rather use the design mode of dreamweaver than the code because it a lot less tedious.

Drawing in Flash

2009-10-19T12:51:00.001-04:00

Drawing in Flash is fairly easy to do. Our game characters are pretty simple to draw, and the background is simple as well. I haven't really learned many interesting things about our subject yet, but I've learned a lot about how to draw in flash.

Civics

2009-10-12T12:34:00.001-04:00

What is your game topic and how does it relate to civics? Our game is about germs, and we are relating the game to civics by adding government instructions on how to stay healthy.

How will a player learn more about civics while they play your game? They will learn government guidelines on how to wash hands, eat healthy, etc.

Where does your game topic fit into the Civics Knowledge Framework? Our game topic will fit into the Civics Knowledge Framework in the Citizenship category.

Does it teach about an ideal of government, a function of government or about citizenship? Please explain. It will teach about how to stay informed on the government health guidelines.

Imagining Your Game

2009-10-09T12:47:00.001-04:00

I really had fun thinking about what my game will be like. I hope it turns out similar to what I imagined. I'm really excited to find out what the final product will be once our whole group puts our ideas together.

Adding Animation

2009-10-09T12:43:00.001-04:00

What is the coolest thing about learning to animate?
I'd have to say the coolest thing was seeing the game once the animation was finished. Games would be dull and boring without animation and I'm glad we learned how to code animation into our games.

Is there any animation (in games or otherwise) that you admire? Why?
I admire the animation in Fable 2. The movement of the characters and the environment look extremely realistic and I'd really love to learn how they did it.

Share a link, video or picture of some inspiring animation!

http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/rpg/fable2/video/6149750/fable-2-working-title-official-trailer-1?tag=videos;title;1

Adding Navigation

2009-10-09T12:29:00.003-04:00

Adding navigation was hard at first because of all the different steps included, but once I knew all the steps to do it was relatively easy. It wasn't exactly fun to add navigation to the game, but it will definately make the game more fun. I did a pretty good job of creating all the buttons and adding the coding for everything, but I suppose that's only my opinion.

I decided to add this video to my blog because it contains a lot of information on preventing the spread of germs. It also shows the efforts put into preventing sickness within schools.

My Personal Web Page

2009-10-09T10:32:00.001-04:00

I am having many difficulties completing my web site because I really don't exactly know what to write on my homepage and what to put on my work samples page. It probably won't turn out right, but I'm trying to fill all the requirements for the web site. Guess I better get back to work...

KISS

2009-10-07T13:15:00.002-04:00

What drawing tools did you use in photoshop? I used the paintbrush, text, custom shape, and the gradient tools to create my logos.

 What does KISS means and why is it important? Kiss means keep it simple, stupid. Kiss is referring to how a logo is best when they are simple and easy to remember. If it is too complex or cluttered, no one will remember the logo and it will be essentially useless.

 Give me a personal evaluation of your final PSA and grade. I think my PSA was pretty good seeing as it was the first one I have ever created. It got the message across and stated the ACTE catch phrase. It also included appropriate pictures, music, and humor. I only wish I could have used actual video footage instead of just pictures. It would have made my PSA appear much more professional.

Table and Keytrain

2009-10-01T12:40:00.001-04:00

In order to create a table, A LOT of coding must be used because tables allow tons of customization. Titles, cellspacing, cellpadding, headings, column and row height and width are all things that can be changed on a table. And it is practically impossible to list all the coding for it here, so I'm not even going to try. BUT... once you memorize the coding for all of the different aspects of the tables, it's really easy to create a good looking website.

Keytrain helps us learn skills for now and the future by teaching us the fundementals of math, reading, and logic. By perfecting the fundemental skills, we are able to build upon them with more complex knowledge which creates a well rounded individual. The future depends on those who leave ignorance in the dust, and by giving us the perfection of our fundementals, Keytrain is helping us build our futures.

PSA and Forest Festival Bookmark

2009-09-25T13:31:00.001-04:00

Within the past two weeks I have completed a bookmark for the Forest Festival and a public service announcement for the ACTE contest. By working on these projects, I have learned how to use many different applications on the Mac, and I have learned more about photoshop. Within photoshop I learned how to use the gradient tool, the pattern stamp tool, and how to resize an image. I think that I've have learned how to use those tools very well because my bookmark looked really good. By creating the PSA I learned how to use Garage Band to create my own music. I also learned how to create a movie in Imovie by adding pictures, music, transitions, text, and voiceovers. To create my voiceover, I recorded my voice and edited it. Although some of this was difficult to do, I enjoyed learning all these new things.

Planning Your Game

2009-09-25T12:46:00.001-04:00

I am the project manager and artist for The Dirty Surgeons. My job as project manager is to keep everyone on task and make sure we meet all of our deadlines. I think being the game artist will be fairly easy because I am pretty good with flash and I also have good skills in Photoshop (I'm in digital imaging). It's been fun imagining what we want the game to be like, and I'm really excited to see how the finished product will turn out.

Create Your Blog

2009-09-25T12:21:00.000-04:00

This is a picture I took in Photo Booth.

And this is a link to my Wiki!

72

2009-09-25T09:51:00.001-04:00

Why is the number 72 important? 72 is the number of pixels your screen will display per inch. If you create photos for the web that have more then 72 pixels per inch, then you are just wasting memory.

Why is Photoshop important to web design? Photoshop helps create buttons and images that can be viewed on the web. Without the use of photoshop, web pages would be very dull.

Why do you do prototypes for web pages? Prototypes help you imagine what you want your web pages to look like before you start creating them.

What is the most important element of your personal web site? Links to each web page are the most important thing within the web site.

Paper Prototyping

2009-09-18T12:26:00.001-04:00

Today we paper prototyped our games. My group's name is The Dirty Surgeons. We have an idea for a game called Clean The Pipes. It is a bit difficult getting the entire group to agree on some concepts, but we eventually started working together. We finally decided to make the game a side-scroller in which a white blood cell kills germs inside a man named Deer T. Steve. There are three levels in which Steve contracts different types of diseases, each more serious and difficult to destroy than the previous. The concept looks like it will make a really fun game, and I hope it will turn out as good as we imagine it to be.

Links and Codes

2009-09-18T10:08:00.001-04:00

b - makes the text bold
p - starts a paragraph
font color=# number code - changes the color of the text
br - inserts a break in the text
h1 - makes the largest heading

In order to create a text link, you must first use the A HREF tag and then insert the url of the website they want to link. Then you have to type the text that you want to use for the link. After you're done you must end the link with another A tag.

In order to create an E-mail link, you have to use the A HREF tag and the mailto tag along with the email address and the text you would like to use for the link. Then you must close the link out.

To create a link to the top of the page, you must use the A HREF tag and then use the # sign with the top tag. Then type the words "To top" for the text used as the link. Then close out the tag.

To insert an image use the IMG SRC tag, type the name of the image in parentheses and specify the height and width.

To create an image link you must first insert the image. Before the image tags, put the A HREF tags with the URL to the website you want to link in parentheses. After the image tags, close out the link tag.

Photoshop

2009-09-11T13:14:00.001-04:00

What type of jobs would use Adobe Photoshop? Photographers probably use Adobe Photoshop or a similar program to retouch photos that people buy. Magazines and newspapers probably uses photoshop also.

How can you use Photoshop in your personal life? Some personal uses for photoshop are cropping and resizing photos, fixing red eyes, and putting templates on photos.

What is a PSA and why are they important? A Public Service Announcement is an noncommercial ad that creates awareness about specific issues such as drugs, violence, alcohol, etc.

What is a tagline and why are they important? A tagline is a slogan that is usually used in advertising. It is a catchy phrase that is easily remembered. Taglines are important because they sum up the entirety of the ad in which they are placed.

Mini Game

2009-09-11T12:20:00.001-04:00

Was it hard to make your mini game? It was very difficult. I had to completely restart because the directions on wiki were wrong. If the instructions were actually right, it wouldn't have been so bad.

What was the best part of this topic? I liked learning about how to actually make a game.

The worst part? The worst part of this was trying to figure out how to fix the code after making a mistake.

Do you play games in your free time? Yes, I play them all the time.

Which ones do you play and why are they your favorite? I play mostly play first person shooters, but I also like rpgs. I like them because they are exciting.

Coding Essential Question

2009-09-11T10:30:00.001-04:00

What is difficult about html coding? it is very tedious
What is the advantage of knowing coding? nothing (if you have dreamweaver) but you have the great advantage of being able to create webpages (if you don't have it)
Why is it important not to have typing or any type of mistake on a page? if you make one mistake, it could mess up the entire web page and cause it not to show up
What type of web page would you like to create? Explain. I would like to create a web page about video games.

Adobe Photoshop Skills

2009-09-09T13:36:00.001-04:00

This week I learned how to use the lasso, feather, crop, layer, blur, smudge, and text tools in Adobe Photoshop. I learned how to use text tools such as warp text to create pictures of me with my name in them. It was really easy. Also, I lassoed, cut, and pasted my face onto nick's body and used the smudge, blur, and color and contrast tools to make the picture look realistic. I also put his face onto a picture of my body. I liked doing those two pictures the most. I've also made pictures that look like sketches by using layers and drawing on them. Creating the sketches are really tedious, but they look really cool.

HTML coding

2009-09-04T10:13:00.001-04:00

This week I learned many different coding skills. I learned how to create a title, horizontal line, and put things in paragraph format. I also learned how to create headings of different sizes and bullets of different styles. A few more things I found out how to do are change the font and background colors. All of the coding was fairly easy, and the instructions were pretty simple to follow. My favorite activity this week was creating the "All About Me" page.

Educational Games

2009-09-03T11:50:00.001-04:00

September 12th is a game that shows players some of the aspects of the war on terror. The game makes you realize the difficulty of eliminating terrorists without harming the innocent or destroying cities. It is a pretty fun game, but it gets a little repetitive after a while.

I also played a game called Sammy the Salmon. It is an educational game that teaches the player facts about the Coho Salmon. It's not exactly the most exciting game in the world, but there's only so much you can do with an educational game.

Classroom Rules

2009-09-01T11:25:00.001-04:00

Basically all the classroom rules are important. If you don't follow the rules, then you'll most likely end up like the poor guy in this picture. First off, he probably fell because he didn't get up to push his chair which was a bad idea even if it wasn't a classroom rule because his hands are quite full. Secondly, only beverages with lids are allowed in the classroom and this is obviously why. When this guy lands, he's not only going to do a face plant, but he's going to get doused in hot coffee. Lastly, we're not supposed to have food in the room at all. No one wants a mess of food in the computer lab.

Pink Pretty Picture

2009-08-31T21:35:00.000-04:00

I love taking photos. Everywhere I go I see a potential picture. It's almost like an instinct. I'll see something at a certain angle and in just the right light and think, "If that was in a picture frame, it'd be art." Please tell me what you think of my picture!

Harassment

2009-08-28T09:50:00.001-04:00

I have been harassed before, but I have also harassed others when I was younger. Harassment is a serious problem among young students, and there should be severe punishment for harassing others because harassment can cause permanent mental and emotional damage. I have witnessed harassment before and stood up for those being harassed because no one needs to be harassed.