A self reflection of Sketchbook...
Hmm. Well, I already turned in my 3 page paper on Sketchbook and I'm not sure sure if this blogpost is supposed to cover entirely new ideas. So I'll say this:
I think I am fairly satisfied with the way my project turned out. Of course, there are tons of things I wish I did in addition (more sample pages, a grading rubric, convert the logo into an image so it is not dependent on installing a certain font, etc). But, after a while I just had to stop. This project- like all the projects presented in class today- seems to be infinite in possibilities. Sketchbook, the digital project, is like any educational lesson plan; it should constantly be revised to improve it, and it will never be perfect.
I will say this, someday, I would love for Sketchbook to be an online application like its sister site Facebook. I believe that an online website would make Sketchbook as accessible as possible to the most audiences. Also, the idea could still work for computer design classes. The students could view the website and then try to replicate and improve its design in Dreamweaver, InDesign, etc.
Right now, I don't like that my project is not accessible. Sure, I finished what I needed to for the class and turned it in, but no one but Selila and me will have access to it. It seems like a big waste, in the grand scheme of things. All my classmates with websites have their work out in the world to help teachers, parents, and students already. Sketchbook can't do much for the academic community unless I get out there and manually peddle CDs with the project files on them. To be quite honest, I can't see myself doing that any time soon.
I guess I'll just have to sit on the project until I can cultivate the skills and resources I need to take the project live. In the meantime, anyone out that that wants my files can come and get 'em! (Or, email me and I'll find a way to get them to you.)
Anyways, congrats again to all my classmates. I was incredibly impressed with how everyone's projects turned out. They were all even more innovative and well-crafted than I expected. Corcoran Art Ed represent!
Monday, December 1, 2008
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Interactive narrative
Let me start off this entry saying, I am in no way particularly qualified to define the term 'interactive narrative.' I did not coin the term, nor am I any sort of researcher in the digital media field. However, I do have an idea of what 'interactive narrative' should mean.
Quite simply, the term should mean some sort of story that is created as a result of a person's answer(s) to prompt(s) set forth by and designed to further its plot. These narratives could have one, multiple, or zero set endings. It is the user-chosen process of progression that makes such stories 'interactive narratives.'
My first memory of (what falls within my definition of) an interactive narrative came in fourth grade. Two days a week my class went to the computer lab. We spent much of our time there playing my beloved Oregon Trail. For those of you who aren't familiar, Oregon Trail is a computer game in which the play assumes a role as a parent who tries to get his/her family through the trail to the Pacific Ocean. The player decides companions' name, what supplies to buy, what paths to take, how to cross each river, et cetera. More often than not, all of the wagons break, oxen run away, and family members drown in Snake River. That is, most of the time the player never makes it all the way to the Pacific.
Oregon Trail was very important to our learning. We learned about geography, history and societies, human and animal health, the pioneering lifestyle, agricultural, accounting and math, and changing covered-wagon wheels. (And don't forget the fine motor skills we refined while trying to click-shoot a buck for our dinner.) Most importantly, being able to inject ourselves into the game made us develop an incredible appreciation for the plight of our predecessors. After all, the men and women were placeholders for our real life relatives. Additionally, this game caused us to swell up with state pride (as we were Oregonians). I mean, what other state is the object of such an exodus AND the inspiration for a wildly popular computer game?
I do have one qualm with naming Oregon Trail a simple interactive narrative. The outcomes of the game depend on both player choices AND chance. For example, fording Snake River may be the wrong call most of the time, but occasionally it will be successful. It is up to the discretion of a computer game to decide. It prevents absolute cause-and-effect learning. But I wonder, does that mean the whole game is bad?
The metaphorical river of life as seen in Apple II's Oregon Trail
In my opinion, Oregon Trail is an excellent game to teach the vulnerable, luck-dependent lifestyle of those on the trail, among other things. Even if it doesn't work in exclusively in linear cause-and-effect ways, players still learn to weigh each option before making decisions in the game. When it comes to crossing a river, players consider the deepness, currents, rockiness, etc before opting to ford the river, wade across, or travel north to find a calmer path. So what if luck can override reason? That's the way it really happened, and isn't that we we're supposed to be learning?
For a unique and childish article about Oregon Trail's sly educational impressions, read this.
Quite simply, the term should mean some sort of story that is created as a result of a person's answer(s) to prompt(s) set forth by and designed to further its plot. These narratives could have one, multiple, or zero set endings. It is the user-chosen process of progression that makes such stories 'interactive narratives.'
My first memory of (what falls within my definition of) an interactive narrative came in fourth grade. Two days a week my class went to the computer lab. We spent much of our time there playing my beloved Oregon Trail. For those of you who aren't familiar, Oregon Trail is a computer game in which the play assumes a role as a parent who tries to get his/her family through the trail to the Pacific Ocean. The player decides companions' name, what supplies to buy, what paths to take, how to cross each river, et cetera. More often than not, all of the wagons break, oxen run away, and family members drown in Snake River. That is, most of the time the player never makes it all the way to the Pacific.
Oregon Trail was very important to our learning. We learned about geography, history and societies, human and animal health, the pioneering lifestyle, agricultural, accounting and math, and changing covered-wagon wheels. (And don't forget the fine motor skills we refined while trying to click-shoot a buck for our dinner.) Most importantly, being able to inject ourselves into the game made us develop an incredible appreciation for the plight of our predecessors. After all, the men and women were placeholders for our real life relatives. Additionally, this game caused us to swell up with state pride (as we were Oregonians). I mean, what other state is the object of such an exodus AND the inspiration for a wildly popular computer game?
I do have one qualm with naming Oregon Trail a simple interactive narrative. The outcomes of the game depend on both player choices AND chance. For example, fording Snake River may be the wrong call most of the time, but occasionally it will be successful. It is up to the discretion of a computer game to decide. It prevents absolute cause-and-effect learning. But I wonder, does that mean the whole game is bad?
The metaphorical river of life as seen in Apple II's Oregon TrailIn my opinion, Oregon Trail is an excellent game to teach the vulnerable, luck-dependent lifestyle of those on the trail, among other things. Even if it doesn't work in exclusively in linear cause-and-effect ways, players still learn to weigh each option before making decisions in the game. When it comes to crossing a river, players consider the deepness, currents, rockiness, etc before opting to ford the river, wade across, or travel north to find a calmer path. So what if luck can override reason? That's the way it really happened, and isn't that we we're supposed to be learning?
For a unique and childish article about Oregon Trail's sly educational impressions, read this.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Who needs EHarmony?
I thought some of you might find this article amusing. It's about a man who met and married one woman, then shtupped and spooned other(s?) online. He married the first woman first online then in 'real life' but she has recently announced he plans to divorce him. Why? Because the wife was upset about his Second Life avatar's "unreasonable behavior.' First it was cyber sex with a Second Life woman, then an emotional (and cuddly) affair with a virtual pal.
The wife was incredibly upset by his actions. The Times article quotes the real-life wife as saying: "It may have started online, but it existed entirely in the real world and it hurts just as much. His was the ultimate betrayal. He had been lying to me." She divorced her husband online, but elected to stay married to him in real life. However, she did not entirely trust or forgive him. After the prostitute incident, the wife hired a Second Life private investigator to monitor her husband's actions- which may be how she found out about the later couch cuddling.
But, the plot thickens. The husband claims his WWW infidelities sprang from his wife's addiction to the online role-playing game World of Warcraft. He also insists that the second offense meant nothing- "We weren't even having cyber-sex or anything like that," he said. "We were just chatting and hanging out together."
Fortunately, online romances have a tendency to prevail. The husband is now engaged to her online spooning partner (though I don't know if they're engaged online, in real life, or both) and the wife is now dating a man she met playing her beloved game World of Warcraft.
All these cyber soap opera antics just make met think, "Seriously?" I thought high school was needlessly dramatic and painful. I cannot imagine why anyone would pursue a lifestyle, online or otherwise, that would perpetuate this pain. What possible benefit can there be? I'd rather just collect cats, old newspapers, and bitterness in the 'real world.'
Quick sidebar: These articles refer to Second Life and WoW as being three-dimensional. But I don't agree. Sure, these little avatars have shadows, but they are housed within a flat screen. Optical illusions don't invent axises, do they?
Another version of the same story: "Virtual affair leads to real divorce for UK couple"
Sunday, November 16, 2008
More on Sketchbook...
I have already written about what I want to do for my final project. Simply stated, I want to make a facebook.com-like faux-website called sketchbook.com. The website would enable art or history students to assume the identity of a pre-existing artist and make a website about him or her.
Ideally, I could write the online application myself. However, my sources say that applications like facebook.com are made using ASP.NET which is waaaaay beyond my capabilities. Instead of condensing years of coding learning into a few weeks, I have been exploring other ways to create what I want. Previously, I mentioned using Adobe InDesign.
I met briefly with Selila last week about my final project. She was worried InDesign might not be the most appropriate program for what I want to do. Since then I have been looking further into programs that will make interactive PDFs (AKA PDFs that include buttons and links to other PDF pages and therefore navigate much like webpages). I have discovered that Adobe CS3's InDesign does have these button making/linking capabilities. And, since InDesign and PDF programs do not need the internet, a sketchbook.com lesson wouldn't necessarily need the world wide web to work (which some schools don't have).
Now, I just have to figure out how to do it. I have never had any training in this version of InDesign. During undergrad, I briefly learned a previous version of the program. And, at work we use QuarkXpress exclusively. So, all of my CS3 knowledge has been self-taught based on pulling in outside experience and playing around. This should be fun. If you have any advice, please let me know!!
Ideally, I could write the online application myself. However, my sources say that applications like facebook.com are made using ASP.NET which is waaaaay beyond my capabilities. Instead of condensing years of coding learning into a few weeks, I have been exploring other ways to create what I want. Previously, I mentioned using Adobe InDesign.
I met briefly with Selila last week about my final project. She was worried InDesign might not be the most appropriate program for what I want to do. Since then I have been looking further into programs that will make interactive PDFs (AKA PDFs that include buttons and links to other PDF pages and therefore navigate much like webpages). I have discovered that Adobe CS3's InDesign does have these button making/linking capabilities. And, since InDesign and PDF programs do not need the internet, a sketchbook.com lesson wouldn't necessarily need the world wide web to work (which some schools don't have).
Now, I just have to figure out how to do it. I have never had any training in this version of InDesign. During undergrad, I briefly learned a previous version of the program. And, at work we use QuarkXpress exclusively. So, all of my CS3 knowledge has been self-taught based on pulling in outside experience and playing around. This should be fun. If you have any advice, please let me know!!
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Copywrong
...get it? Sorry, I was just trying to make this subject a little more entertaining.
I'm not sure where I stand on all this digital copyright business. To an outsider (which I am trying to be right now), there is no clear right or wrong about transmitting digital information. I'm sure the original Napster generation (ahem, me), the intellectual socialists, the media executives, and Metallica band members disagree. I am sure everyone one of them insists the subject is black and white. So, what do we do?
There are merits on both sides of this argument; artists (filmmakers, producers, musicians, actors, etc) should be paid for their hard work, but how could one even consider trying to charge money for the binary manifestations of creative thoughts? And, what would be an appropriate price?
In theory, I think bootlegging, pirating, torrenting, etc is bad. At the moment, I'm not sure I'm comfortable calling that 'wrong.') Transmitting intellectual property without paying for it (when there is typically an associated charge) is bad. It is bad for the artists who don't get paid for their work; it's bad for the economy (though admittedly can be better for the individual); it's bad for the seeders who get sued by media companies; it's bad for the bandwidth when one roommate is trying to legally stream a TV show; it's bad for law and digital media students who now have all of the resulting copyright acts to sort out. Whether or not all these activities are 'wrong' depend on the moral beliefs of each individual.
The problem with digital copyright, I believe, is regulation. How can people discourage, track, and punish activities that violate the digital copyright acts? And, who's responsibility is it? Are there WWW police, or do we have to wait for an outside party to step in a la To Catch a Predator?
I believe prevention is another important measure to take. Prevention and discouragement could be furthered through legal and practical alternatives to stealing and scaring the crap out of downloaders by threatening to sue the. I do not think it was a coincidence that illegal music downloads plummeted after the introduction of the iTunes store and recent waves of threatening emails from the Recording Industry Association of America.
But the question remains, how much should a song cost? a movie? a digital novel? And, how can we make sure they don't get unreasonably expensive?
I have no idea. Do you? Maybe while we try to figure it out I'll go download a pirated movie.
I'm not sure where I stand on all this digital copyright business. To an outsider (which I am trying to be right now), there is no clear right or wrong about transmitting digital information. I'm sure the original Napster generation (ahem, me), the intellectual socialists, the media executives, and Metallica band members disagree. I am sure everyone one of them insists the subject is black and white. So, what do we do?
There are merits on both sides of this argument; artists (filmmakers, producers, musicians, actors, etc) should be paid for their hard work, but how could one even consider trying to charge money for the binary manifestations of creative thoughts? And, what would be an appropriate price?
In theory, I think bootlegging, pirating, torrenting, etc is bad. At the moment, I'm not sure I'm comfortable calling that 'wrong.') Transmitting intellectual property without paying for it (when there is typically an associated charge) is bad. It is bad for the artists who don't get paid for their work; it's bad for the economy (though admittedly can be better for the individual); it's bad for the seeders who get sued by media companies; it's bad for the bandwidth when one roommate is trying to legally stream a TV show; it's bad for law and digital media students who now have all of the resulting copyright acts to sort out. Whether or not all these activities are 'wrong' depend on the moral beliefs of each individual.
The problem with digital copyright, I believe, is regulation. How can people discourage, track, and punish activities that violate the digital copyright acts? And, who's responsibility is it? Are there WWW police, or do we have to wait for an outside party to step in a la To Catch a Predator?
I believe prevention is another important measure to take. Prevention and discouragement could be furthered through legal and practical alternatives to stealing and scaring the crap out of downloaders by threatening to sue the. I do not think it was a coincidence that illegal music downloads plummeted after the introduction of the iTunes store and recent waves of threatening emails from the Recording Industry Association of America.
But the question remains, how much should a song cost? a movie? a digital novel? And, how can we make sure they don't get unreasonably expensive?
I have no idea. Do you? Maybe while we try to figure it out I'll go download a pirated movie.
Blogs in Space
Yesterday I taught a session of my class Lego Star Wars and Motorized Machines. For this class, I bring in Star Wars themed word searches and puzzles for the kids to do while we're waiting for everyone to arrive in the morning. Usually I copy them out of a SW puzzle books I have, but it seems to have 'borrowed' from my organization's storage areas. So, I went to Google to find 'free star wars print puzzle.' Lo and behold, I ended up finding my puzzles on a (home school) teacher's blog. So, next time you need free, printable, children's Star Wars activities, check out the blog school@home.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Response to Nora's presentation
I tried to post this on Nora's blog about Garageband, but I couldn't because I don't have a wordpress account I guess? Anyway, here it is:
First off, I have you say your presentation was very good. You seemed to have really looked into the program and why it's relevant. That was really slick info about how musicians like Erykah Badu and making and distributing music via Garageband these days. I think factoids like that would really help excite students about learning the program.
Also, Mr. William's multiplication rap was ingenious. I bet he could even inspire students to make their own informational music. All the writing and speaking repetition would surely get them to remember their multiplication tables. For that first track I wonder if he stripped the track Lean Back, or just used the tools on Garageband to replicate it? I imagine that song with muffled words couldn't sound as clear and even as track one (AKA the 2 times tables) was. Do you know if he made the music himself?
First off, I have you say your presentation was very good. You seemed to have really looked into the program and why it's relevant. That was really slick info about how musicians like Erykah Badu and making and distributing music via Garageband these days. I think factoids like that would really help excite students about learning the program.
Also, Mr. William's multiplication rap was ingenious. I bet he could even inspire students to make their own informational music. All the writing and speaking repetition would surely get them to remember their multiplication tables. For that first track I wonder if he stripped the track Lean Back, or just used the tools on Garageband to replicate it? I imagine that song with muffled words couldn't sound as clear and even as track one (AKA the 2 times tables) was. Do you know if he made the music himself?
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