So I am wrapping up my work for Tech class. I have learned so much! I will definitely be taking many things along with me, for future use. This class has really just opened my eyes to the many ways we can use technology as a performing arts educator. What I enjoyed the most about this class was learning how I could but ideas, projects, lesson plans on the web to share with others- and get ideas from others too.
Thanks!
-SG
Monday, July 19, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Concrete master! (kinda)
So today I finally finished my music concrete assignment. Once I actually got into the flow of it, it didn't take that long. I found a hip hop beat clip online, which I made the background sound for the whole track. I also found clips of champagne popping, buzzers, cars starting, and cash registers which I added in. I looped them so they each played a few times throughout the minute long clip. I'm glad I have discovered a little more how o work with Audacity, because I'm sure as a dance teacher in the future, I will want to cut and play around with music. Still so much more I want do with it in the future, but here it is...https://files.nyu.edu/sg2747/public/concrete.html
As for my movie.... I figured out how to get my web-streaming version onto my site, but I am still trying to get my full-quality version up. When I went to upload it I left it for an hour, and when I returned it was still not done. I don't think it should be taking that long. Still working on that.
Almost there!
-SG
As for my movie.... I figured out how to get my web-streaming version onto my site, but I am still trying to get my full-quality version up. When I went to upload it I left it for an hour, and when I returned it was still not done. I don't think it should be taking that long. Still working on that.
Almost there!
-SG
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Changes
Lots of changes going on with my website. I have to have it finished for Monday, so I'm working m way through finishing every page. Here's what I'm working on....
1. Homepage- tightened everything up (so you don't have to scroll down forever), added 2 tables for links
2. Tech Assignments Page- turned it into a table layout with images and links to other pages
3. Image Page- scaled down the images
4. Animation Page- Still a work in progress! I need to figure out how to get my web-streaming version and full version of my video up, and narrate my explanation
5. Music Page- tightened up the controllers. I need to narrate my process for embedding the music examples
6. Music Concrete Page- Still a work in progress too!
7. Literacy Page- pretty much done
Never realized how much work building all these pages would be... Visit the construction site...https://files.nyu.edu/sg2747/public/index.html
-SG
1. Homepage- tightened everything up (so you don't have to scroll down forever), added 2 tables for links
2. Tech Assignments Page- turned it into a table layout with images and links to other pages
3. Image Page- scaled down the images
4. Animation Page- Still a work in progress! I need to figure out how to get my web-streaming version and full version of my video up, and narrate my explanation
5. Music Page- tightened up the controllers. I need to narrate my process for embedding the music examples
6. Music Concrete Page- Still a work in progress too!
7. Literacy Page- pretty much done
Never realized how much work building all these pages would be... Visit the construction site...https://files.nyu.edu/sg2747/public/index.html
-SG
Final Presentation Day!
So today my group presented our final project on Aesop's Fables. It went well, and i am very proud of what we produced. We started off with a discussion about the performing arts and literacy. I discussed how dance can help student's literacy. Then we presented our 3 fable pages, and how to interactively use the site. First you play the audio recording of the story, then you read the story on the page and play the sound bytes that go along with it, and lastly you can view the movement video we created and do it yourself! We finished up by showing other YouTube examples of the performing arts and literacy working together. I really enjoyed doing this project, and I actually wish that teachers could use our site! Check it out....https://files.nyu.edu/sg2747/public/perform.html
-SG
-SG
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Final Project Journal Entry 2
In addition to my responsibilities listed in yesterday’s post for my group’s final project, I am also now the html author for the main page of our site, which I like because I like to make sure everything is in sync and organized.
Our project is progressing well. We are each working on building a site for each of our fables, and then collaboratively we are building a homepage. Last night we also set to work on making 3 videos, which will serve as demonstrations on each fable page. We have also been doing lots of research on how dance, music, and acting can influence literacy.
So today we just have to work on final tweaks, and outlining how our in-class presentation is going to work.
I’ve really enjoyed working with this topic of performing arts and literacy. It’s something we talk about a lot in my dance ed classes. Dance and Creative Movement can explore literature and poetry, and it can also serve as great inspiration for the creation of dance. We do not however, usually discuss how technology can be brought into this conversation. I am discovering that technology can spread the work you are doing in your classroom out to the public- for teachers across the world to see and maybe use in their classrooms. Technology can also facilitate relationships via the internet between classrooms. A class here in NYC could video-conference with a class in Asia on a dance project about “Where The Wild Things Are,” (just an example). Needless to say this project has opened my eyes to those possibilities….
-SG
Our project is progressing well. We are each working on building a site for each of our fables, and then collaboratively we are building a homepage. Last night we also set to work on making 3 videos, which will serve as demonstrations on each fable page. We have also been doing lots of research on how dance, music, and acting can influence literacy.
So today we just have to work on final tweaks, and outlining how our in-class presentation is going to work.
I’ve really enjoyed working with this topic of performing arts and literacy. It’s something we talk about a lot in my dance ed classes. Dance and Creative Movement can explore literature and poetry, and it can also serve as great inspiration for the creation of dance. We do not however, usually discuss how technology can be brought into this conversation. I am discovering that technology can spread the work you are doing in your classroom out to the public- for teachers across the world to see and maybe use in their classrooms. Technology can also facilitate relationships via the internet between classrooms. A class here in NYC could video-conference with a class in Asia on a dance project about “Where The Wild Things Are,” (just an example). Needless to say this project has opened my eyes to those possibilities….
-SG
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Final Project Journal Entry
The final week of class is upon us, and we are putting together our final presentations. My group consists of myself, Natalie, and Michi, and we have decided to create an "interactive study site" for students about Aesop's Fables. I really like this idea, and how we plan on using music and dance to explore three of Aesop's fables. We are going to create a few different pages-
Main Page- background history on Aesop's fables, and an annotated listing of 5 or so fables with short descriptions, and links to the fable.
3 pages for 3 Fables- each having 4 components:
1. the story itself typed out
2. a dance/acting out video that goes along with the story
3. a recording of us reading the story
4. embedded pictures and sound effects to go along with the story
Teacher Instruction Page- explanation of how this site can be used in class, and contact information for us, links to other resources, etc. Also include some research about literacy and the performing arts.
My role in this group is to create the page for "The Tortoise and The Hare" fable, and choreograph the dance videos that accompany each of the 3 fables. I will also be discussing how dance and literacy interrelate in our final presentation.
-SG
Main Page- background history on Aesop's fables, and an annotated listing of 5 or so fables with short descriptions, and links to the fable.
3 pages for 3 Fables- each having 4 components:
1. the story itself typed out
2. a dance/acting out video that goes along with the story
3. a recording of us reading the story
4. embedded pictures and sound effects to go along with the story
Teacher Instruction Page- explanation of how this site can be used in class, and contact information for us, links to other resources, etc. Also include some research about literacy and the performing arts.
My role in this group is to create the page for "The Tortoise and The Hare" fable, and choreograph the dance videos that accompany each of the 3 fables. I will also be discussing how dance and literacy interrelate in our final presentation.
-SG
Overwhelming Technology
Over the past two weeks I have been introduced to so many new technologies in class. Editing images in Photoshop, cutting and working with music in Audacity, making movies with iMovie- it’s all come at me fast and furious. I’m still feeling uneasy about how I will use what I have learned in this class when it is done- but I’m sure as with most things, time will tell. I want to just talk about some of the things I have been learning….
Images
Photoshop! Never thought I would be able to handle it. I don’t know why, but I always reserved it for professionals, and never thought I would be able to navigate it. I found though that it is relatively easy to use. I took an image I got from Google Images and dragged it into Photoshop. I resized it, made it a little smaller, and then started adding effects to it. Photoshop has tons of different effects to apply to images, and you can also layer them on top of one another. Once you have picked an effect, you can also alter them by making the effect more or less powerful by changing a few settings. I created about 10 new images and uploaded them to my website, with descriptions on how I obtained their looks. Check it out… https://files.nyu.edu/sg2747/public/images.html.
Music
We been looking at multiple ways of including music on websites, and using it in different projects. In the first week of class we learned different ways of embedding music on our pages- having it start automatically when a page loads, having it embedded on a page with a controller to turn it on and off, and creating a link to a music file- all of which I got down immediately-> https://files.nyu.edu/sg2747/public/audio.html. Then we stepped it up a bit. We have mainly been using a program called Audacity in class. As of right now I have a love/hate relationship with this program. I know it’s a great program, but I just don’t feel 100% comfortable with it yet. I have gotten how to cut music down, but adding and mixing tracks and effects has proven a little more difficult. We were assigned a “Music Concrete” project, which I am still working on. We have to record ambient sounds from the internet using WireTap Pro, then load them into Audacity, add 5 more tracks to the sound and mix them up to create a new stereo mix. It’s taking me a while to complete this one mainly because I don’t know Audacity that well yet, and am uncomfortable navigating around it. I will get it though! I really want to master this program because I know it will be of great use to me in the future for choreographic reasons. Sometimes I feel limited by music when I am trying to create dance, so I think this will give me more options, freedom, and control in my future projects.
Movies
Movies! I have been having lots of fun working with iMovie. We were assigned a project to create a movie from still images- meaning we download lots of images from Google (on a certain theme of your choosing), and create a documentary-like (in my opinion) movie. I chose to get a bunch of pictures of modern dancers in action. I gathered images of mostly American modern dance companies- Parsons, Alvin Ailey, etc., and uploaded them all into iMovie. Like Photoshop, you can apply effects to the images to change them- like “Old Black and White,” “Old Film Grain,” “Color TV,” etc. There are so many options. You can also add in transitions between the slides like “Dissolve.” This part I am having some trouble with because whenever I try to add a transition in, iMovie says my clip isn’t long enough (has to be 5:02 seconds) to have a transtiiton. I then started to try and find out if I could make my clips longer, but I haven’t found that answer, so I’ll be asking about that in class today. I added in some clips with quotes by Martha Graham, the “Mother of Modern Dance,” as well to tie the theme together. I also added music. This is another part I am going to have to ask about because the track I wanted to use was an m4p file that was like 5 minutes long. My film is only 1:43 minutes, so I need to cut that music. But I was having trouble dragging this m4p file into Audacity. So I need to work on that. I also was having trouble uploading the hi-resolution version of the movie onto my page- it was taking a really long time. Even thought I am currently facing all these problems, I really like how the movie is developing. It doesn’t surprise me that I am enjoying the visual aspects of this class right now a little more than the audio- I have always been a more visual learner. But with only a few days left in class I want to be able to get a grasp on as much of the material as I can.
-SG
Images
Photoshop! Never thought I would be able to handle it. I don’t know why, but I always reserved it for professionals, and never thought I would be able to navigate it. I found though that it is relatively easy to use. I took an image I got from Google Images and dragged it into Photoshop. I resized it, made it a little smaller, and then started adding effects to it. Photoshop has tons of different effects to apply to images, and you can also layer them on top of one another. Once you have picked an effect, you can also alter them by making the effect more or less powerful by changing a few settings. I created about 10 new images and uploaded them to my website, with descriptions on how I obtained their looks. Check it out… https://files.nyu.edu/sg2747/public/images.html.
Music
We been looking at multiple ways of including music on websites, and using it in different projects. In the first week of class we learned different ways of embedding music on our pages- having it start automatically when a page loads, having it embedded on a page with a controller to turn it on and off, and creating a link to a music file- all of which I got down immediately-> https://files.nyu.edu/sg2747/public/audio.html. Then we stepped it up a bit. We have mainly been using a program called Audacity in class. As of right now I have a love/hate relationship with this program. I know it’s a great program, but I just don’t feel 100% comfortable with it yet. I have gotten how to cut music down, but adding and mixing tracks and effects has proven a little more difficult. We were assigned a “Music Concrete” project, which I am still working on. We have to record ambient sounds from the internet using WireTap Pro, then load them into Audacity, add 5 more tracks to the sound and mix them up to create a new stereo mix. It’s taking me a while to complete this one mainly because I don’t know Audacity that well yet, and am uncomfortable navigating around it. I will get it though! I really want to master this program because I know it will be of great use to me in the future for choreographic reasons. Sometimes I feel limited by music when I am trying to create dance, so I think this will give me more options, freedom, and control in my future projects.
Movies
Movies! I have been having lots of fun working with iMovie. We were assigned a project to create a movie from still images- meaning we download lots of images from Google (on a certain theme of your choosing), and create a documentary-like (in my opinion) movie. I chose to get a bunch of pictures of modern dancers in action. I gathered images of mostly American modern dance companies- Parsons, Alvin Ailey, etc., and uploaded them all into iMovie. Like Photoshop, you can apply effects to the images to change them- like “Old Black and White,” “Old Film Grain,” “Color TV,” etc. There are so many options. You can also add in transitions between the slides like “Dissolve.” This part I am having some trouble with because whenever I try to add a transition in, iMovie says my clip isn’t long enough (has to be 5:02 seconds) to have a transtiiton. I then started to try and find out if I could make my clips longer, but I haven’t found that answer, so I’ll be asking about that in class today. I added in some clips with quotes by Martha Graham, the “Mother of Modern Dance,” as well to tie the theme together. I also added music. This is another part I am going to have to ask about because the track I wanted to use was an m4p file that was like 5 minutes long. My film is only 1:43 minutes, so I need to cut that music. But I was having trouble dragging this m4p file into Audacity. So I need to work on that. I also was having trouble uploading the hi-resolution version of the movie onto my page- it was taking a really long time. Even thought I am currently facing all these problems, I really like how the movie is developing. It doesn’t surprise me that I am enjoying the visual aspects of this class right now a little more than the audio- I have always been a more visual learner. But with only a few days left in class I want to be able to get a grasp on as much of the material as I can.
-SG
Monday, July 5, 2010
Adventures in Image Processing!
So for the past few days I have been embarking on an assignment involving image processing. I have chosen an image to test numerous Photoshop Elements 8 filters on, and I am posting them on my website. It’s amazing what can be done to images these days. I’ve explored crystallizing, liquefying, film grain, adding neon and glowing edges- all transforming my image exponentially. I chose to work with an image of Henri Mattisse’s painting Dance (1909-1910). I chose this image to work with and appear on my homepage because it’s an image related to dance, but it’s a non-traditional portrayal. I love this Modernist era of artwork, and to me it’s a joyful image.
The filters I have enjoyed working with the most are the ones that transform the colors of the original painting- “Neon,” “Glowing Edges,” “Clouds,” and “Charcoal.” The resulting images have bright colors and look like completely different paintings. See my Image processing page here- https://files.nyu.edu/sg2747/public/images.html.
I never thought I’d be able to navigate Photoshop. It always seemed like a daunting program, which I thought could only be mastered by professionals. Although this has only been an introductory trip into it, I’ve gotten a little hooked by it and want to see what other possibilities lie within.
-SG
The filters I have enjoyed working with the most are the ones that transform the colors of the original painting- “Neon,” “Glowing Edges,” “Clouds,” and “Charcoal.” The resulting images have bright colors and look like completely different paintings. See my Image processing page here- https://files.nyu.edu/sg2747/public/images.html.
I never thought I’d be able to navigate Photoshop. It always seemed like a daunting program, which I thought could only be mastered by professionals. Although this has only been an introductory trip into it, I’ve gotten a little hooked by it and want to see what other possibilities lie within.
-SG
How is this going to work out??
Ok! Here we go! I am making my own website! Never did I think I would do this kind of thing, mainly because I would never have imagine I would know how to. My boyfriend is a web designer and filmmaker, and he is always talking about needing certain software, and writing pages and pages of code all day, and until now I had no idea what that entails (if you want to see one of his designs…. http://www.acefest.com/). I’m sure everyone starting out in this class says this, but I never knew how much work goes into making a website. In the first few days of class we learned a lot- how to put an image on the page, how to put an mp3 file on and play music, how to have links to the other pages of the website, and links to outside sites. It was a lot to take in. I am proud of what I have accomplished so far.
Moving forward, I am have really been enjoying the learning process so far, but I am interested, however in where this class is going to take me. How am I going to be able to use this info in my future career- past just having my own website. How am I going to apply this knowledge in my teaching dance?
Blogging is also totally new to me. I have never been a blogger, or read blogs daily. I’m interested to see if it takes and I continue to blog outside this class. I can definitely see a blog being useful in the future- if I wanted to write about my experiences in teaching, and maybe get dialogue going with other arts teachers.
Things laying ahead…. I have an assignment on image processing to finish up, and will be learning next week in class about the various ways to embed music on my site…. Stay tuned…
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