What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing the product
- 1. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing your product?
- 2. Cameras While developing and constructing my magazine I used various technologies in the process. One of the technologies I used while developing my magazine were a Nikon SLR and a canon digital camera, which I used to photograph the images I needed for my magazine. By using these cameras I developed my photography skills and used various camera techniques to improve my images. I used the grid setting on the cameras to improve my images by using the rule of thirds and I also used the zoom function to help take the best images I could. I also used a tripod while taking some of my pictures so they were taken steadily to a higher standard. Throughout this process this improved my photography skills and I succeeded in producing good quality pictures for my final design. Using two different types of cameras also helped me to learn how to use different cameras well however, I was limited by not knowing how to use all the different features available on the cameras.
- 3. Computing Another type of technology I used was a PC and the Microsoft windows operating system. By using this on a regular basis I was able to develop good use of the system and easily navigate to the different items I needed. I was able to use an usb and memory card reader through the system to import my images and files onto the computer with ease while it also allowed me to easily backup my files aswell. Throughout the process my knowledge of methods and technologies that are available to be used through a computer has improved showing what I have learnt during this process.
- 4. Adobe Photoshop I used adobe Photoshop software while planning and creating my magazine to give it a professional look. By using this I enhanced my knowledge on the different tools that you could use on Photoshop including cropping images, manipulating images, creating shapes, adding gradients, etc. Overall this was successful as I can now use the software efficiently to produce pieces of work. Limitations of this are that it is quite difficult to work at first and find all the different ways to adjust items within it, however by the end of the process I found the software easy to use and have learnt a lot about it while producing my magazine.
- 5. Blogger & Slideshare Another type of technology I used was blogger which I used to produce a blog of my completed work ready for marking. This was successful as I learnt how to upload my work to it easily and could now use this online service in the future. I also used to slide share in the process of uploading my work so I was able to upload word & PowerPoint documents onto my blog as it couldn’t be done directly through the blogger software, which could be considered a limitation of what you can do on blogger alone. However by doing this I learnt how to convert files ready to be uploaded to the internet on Slideshare and used a new online service in the process.
- 6. Facebook Another website I used in my project was Facebook which I used to do a focus group to find out what my target audience thought about my product, giving me an online method of feedback. This allowed me to learn how to create groups on Facebook which I then uploaded my magazine too so people could comment and provide feedback so, I could see what changes needed to be made. A limitation in my use of them may be that I didn’t get enough details about peoples thoughts from within the group, as I didn’t ask enough people within my target audience direct questions about my magazine and they could have been biased as I already knew the people I questioned, therefore it may not have provided accurate and truthful feedback about my products.
- 7. PowerPoint & Prezi For my evaluation I used Microsoft PowerPoint and Prezi to display my evaluation in various formats. By doing this I developed my skills on different software and learnt the different ways to display information that were available by using a PC. Prezi allowed me to create interactive annotated images which people can navigate around to find out more creating an interactive experience, so it was successful at displaying my evaluation in an interesting way. This also allowed me to learn how to use Prezi as I hadn’t used the software before, therefore this process helped me learn how to use this online software so, I would be able to use it in the future. I also used PowerPoint to create presentations about my evaluation so that it could be presented to an audience in a visual and interesting way, while it also allowed me to learn how to use different features of this software.
- 8. SoundCloud & Mobile I used sound cloud to create podcasts to explain my product, which allowed people to listen to my evaluation easily and allowed me to upload sound clips onto the website to put on my blog. While doing this I also used a voice recorder on my mobile phone to upload the sound clip to sound cloud which allowed me to use technology on a mobile phone within my project so, gave me knowledge of how to use various technologies together demonstrating what is now available to do through technological convergence. Similarly I also used voice recording software on my phone to record sound to be played alongside a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation so people had a choice of methods and could either read or listen to it, by clicking on the sound icons in the blog page or by watching the presentation.
- 9. YouTube & Movie Maker I used movie maker as part of my evaluation to create a video for a section of my evaluation. This allowed me to present it in a different and interesting way while also allowed me to learn about movie maker and find out how to use it effectively. I then uploaded this video to YouTube which allowed people to view it online while, also letting me learn how to upload videos to the website therefore helping me to learn how to use new features during the process.
- 10. WORD I used Microsoft word to write the first draft of my evaluation and also while writing the double page spread article. This programme allowed me to quickly type up my main double page article and sections of my evaluation easily and then upload it to my blog via Slideshare. This method allowed me to use other software besides Photoshop within my project to produce some areas of my work while also allowing me to show sections of my evaluation in a physical form.
- 11. Overall Through the use of all these various technologies, you can see how technological convergence has had a big impact on how we use technology today to produce products to research, record, distribute and present work. I used modern technology throughout the whole process of producing my magazine that wouldn’t have been available 30 years ago, so technology has changed this whole process of producing a magazine dramatically over this time. I think I used the technology available effectively and learn a lot about them during the process, and I now think I could use most of them effectively in the future therefore showing that I have learnt a lot during the process of making my product.