Growing Up With Games

Growing up with games was always exciting, while i thought we were having free time, teachers were really testing our knowledge. Advergaming allows students to play virtually online fun but educational games. I remember in elementary school we played this game Oregon Trail where we were able to learn about U.S. History but actually interact and enjoy what we were learning. You would cross valleys and trails learning about different places while riding on a wagon collecting food and supplies with fellow friends. Not only did it help in history but also mathematics when it came to cost of goods. I found that using educational games in school, students were wanted to play and wanting to learn since they were involved. The history game I learned some information but nothing that I will recall of now but games that I played on computers related to math or spelling really helped me excel in my work. I assistant teach kindergarten and majority of the classes have reading or mathematics there students complete daily and it records their growth throughout the year.

In advertising, advergaming is a great tool to promote a product. For instance, if you go to McDonalds.com there is a person in a chicken suit that will do whatever you tell it to. If you typed in dance, then the chicken would dance. If you typed in sleep, the chicken would go to sleep. While some may thought it was all fun and games, throughout the whole game it was a ad to reel you in to go to McDonalds. Advertising can be sneaky but very affective! So by the use of advergaming it will be a great way to reach specific target markets.


This video is a great example of advergaming where young children are able to play online video games while learning how to write, read, spell, and use pronunciation. It is a very fun and has so many learning choices. Along with enhancing to next level by keeping track of your scores. Take a look!

Tech Tools: Webspiration and Gliffy

Webspiration and Gliffy are two very useful sites that allows you to design concept maps, flow charts, diagrams and even floor plans. You start with a single idea and expand that idea into multiple ideas while collaborating with your fellow peers and employees. Whether its for a marketing map, designing a video game, or just a plain simple idea mapping, it can do it all. The fun thing about these tech tools is they allow you to make them unique by adding color, fun text, and photos to the charts. The shapes are very helpful if you have and idea (grocery list) with lets say four categories (dinner food, beverages, snacks, toiletries) and then items connecting the four categories. The shapes will allow you to distinguish the differences amongst the idea, categories, and items by applying different shapes to each. I have found concept maps to be very useful and make a wonderful presentation. Using Webspiration and Gliffy on the web sharing your ideas with others whether they are in the same room or in another state these tools allow you to open your exact work onto another persons computer to build ideas together.

I can see myself certainly using Webspiration and Gliffy as tech tools in the advertising field. It is a great way to come up with an idea with an ad, for example an ad or marketing plan will be able to section of into how i can connect with the consumers, where to locate, find a pricing strategy. Allowing me and my co-workers to jot down some ideas and mix-and-match what would work best for our promotional efforts. Also, its a great way to finish my work outside of my office and in my home and still be able to collaborate with others. These concept maps will do great for presenting a new product into a market.

The video below was choosing do to the specified directions it gives on how to create a concept map using Webspiration. I know when i first designing concept maps i did not know to do everything and couldn't find where thing were located. This video will certainly have you fully prepared to build a concept map no matter what your usage is for.

Web Presence

When Professor Cameron first asked the class “Who has a professional web presence?” There were blank stares across the room and no hands were raised, but then she asked “Well how many of you have a Facebook?” Hands shot up in the air and she “Congratulations, you have a web presence.” A web presence is a collection of files starting with a home page targeting specific goals and concepts. It shares personal information about you or a market, the location, the history, accomplishments, portfolios, and more. Examples are Facebook and Myspace, which are web presences that allow you to interact with others. Just about everyone in the world has a web presence now-a-days and doesn’t even know it! You can easily find someone by typing in their name on a search and it will pull up information about you. That’s why it is very important to keep web presences professional because you never know who is looking. You may be applying for a job but the manager comes across your web presence, finds something unprofessional, and you loose that job opportunity. By setting your web presence on private you are able to limit the amount of people who can see it and keep it amongst people you know.

Using a web presence in Advertising is very essential because it allows you to share your accomplishments and samples of your works. I can also present advertisements on my web presence and get the word out to people on the product I am trying to promote. The internet reaches out to everyone and is a great way to promote you and your business.





The video above demonstrates how to create a powerful web presence. Its important for you to stand out in front of others, especially in the work force. This video i found great and very detailed explains the steps and the value of having a web presence. Explaining the differences among with social network you choice to share your web presence and the financial outcomes. It even states having a small business can be easily expanded by having a completed web presence about their business. You should find great tips and tools that will help you create or edit your web presence.

Virtual Schooling

The idea of having your whole education K-12 and/or college degree online and never once stepping foot into a classroom caused me to have a lot of concerns but came to realize how beneficial it can be. Virtual schooling allows students to gain in education while being anywhere, at any time, and any path, just like Janice Barweld from our in-class video. Highly educated teachers are assigned to students to teach them their online curriculum and have constant interaction with the students regularly through phone, e-mails, or video. There are two different types of virtual school: virtual school and virtual homeschooling. Virtual school although it is taught online, the students are still enrolled at a public school. Allowing them to be taught by an outside educator but having the fees as if it was a student that came to class at a public school. Virtual homeschooling tends to be a little more beneficial due to the fact that it involves free, public school at home programs. Students are provided with books, computers, science and art supplies free of charge. Being very beneficial for low income families or families who live on the road. However, I was very concerned on how students learned how to communicate with others if they were trapped in their own homes. But, I learned that virtual schools set up field trips and outgoings so all students and can have social interaction. Virtual schooling does have its pros and cons but having a diploma of completion is the same no matter how you achieve it!

Being an advertising major I don’t find much use of virtual schooling for my field. Although, if I had to use virtual schooling for my field I would use it for a way to prepare myself for communication strategies, promotional, and leadership positions. Taking courses so I can advance in promotional ads, viewing steps on how to be the best and grasp the audience attention. Visually viewing ads and constantly communicating with people through the web will allow my social interactions grow professionally.

This Florida Virtual School provides students with an online education from grades K-12. Your able to contact highly trained teachers twenty-four seven and have classes regularly. It relates to this weeks assignment on virtual school because it is an actual Florida virtual school that students are able to attend, watch live, take online test,
and gain in education. I find this site great for parents you have jobs and are constantly having to travel but still what their children to have a proper education.

Animoto- Digital Storytelling

Animoto is a form of digital storytelling that has brought a whole new life to posting pictures. Hence how it got its quote “The End of Slideshows.” Animoto is a slideshow but in movement and not just flip the page movement, it can twist and turn, fade, everything. It is also very simple, all you do is choose your own personal photos stored on your computer, upload them, choose a song and Animoto does the rest. And what I mean by Animoto doing the rest is unlike PowerPoint where you have to sit there and listen how long it takes each slide to turn and will it be long enough for the audio I am playing. Animoto simply and automatically sets up your slideshow so the photos follow the song. If it is a long or short song no worries! All Animoto will do is either keep a picture up longer or have the pictures on a fast pace. All videos up to third seconds are free! Anything over that is a cheap monthly fee but having a site that practically throw your digital stories together for you fast and easy, you can’t beat that!

I can use Animoto in the advertising field by creating pictures and videos for upcoming events and it would be a great promotional tool. It will allow viewers to get a great outlook on what they will be experiencing if they attend our events.

I chose the video called “Animoto Promo” because it was one of the tools we used in class and even when class ended I wanted to do more. Animoto is able to document someone’s life experiences and feelings through the use of story and digital media. This video will help you get a glimpse on how you use Animoto.

Podcasting

Podcasting is digital media files that viewers subscribe to and are able to listen to through computers or downloaded on MP3s and Ipods. Digital media files can be audio or video which makes it possible for listeners to subscribe to their favorite radio station, individual, or certain topics. When creating a podcast who have to be aware of the sound quality and background noises when recording (also known as white noise). Tools you would use to make a podcast is a microphone, audio editing software, a website or houst upload your podcast, and an RSS feed. You are then able to record an audio file and edit the mistakes. Additional sounds and effects can then be added on to make your file even more attractable to viewers. In class, we learned about Garbage Band which is an audio program that allows you to upload your files to a blog. Garbage Band offers many great tools such as audio recording, virtual software instruments, editing, and music lessons!

Although i think podcasting is a great idea I personally don't believe it comes in great use for my field of advertising. TV advertisement I find as greater professional aspect that will make our consumers more interested in our products. However, if i were to focus on getting a brief message across on a blog or website I would apply to podcasting. Podcasting is a good way for getting the voice out there about our products we are trying to share information. Especially with it being easy and free I would apply it to very minor advertisements that I present.

At first when I heard about podcasting I was unclear on exactly how you use it. I found a great video called "How to Create a Podcast" on youtube that shows step by step how you would build your very own podcast. It explains to you what you need before getting started and what each button does. Take a look and I am sure you would want to try it out yourself!

Social Networking

Social networking is online tools that keep people connected from around the world. Social tools such as twitter, YouTube, and Facebook are being used by millions of people everywhere from elementary students to grandparent. You are able to connect with friends, promote a business, and share opinions on products with friends and family. Even help fight a cause or cure, such as making people aware of breast cancer month or a marathon for diabetes. In class and online we discussed whether social networks are viewed as positive or negative. While some see it as a negative I see these tools as a positive! I believe that these networks are a way for people to express themselves and get their word out to people. Having such a big world it’s hard to reach people but being able to have fan groups and events that link others is very useful and affective! Social networks are certainly a way to practice social skills because you still have to connect with people that are professionals through emails and videos, communicating to people one on one and being able to present a topic and hold that topic. Also, it is a great tool to get in touch with peers and classmates when needing to figure out a homework assignment or a restaurant to eat at. It is a much faster tool to look for ideas and opinions then any other resource! A great thing about these networks is you can connect with people ALL around the world and still keep in touch with sending pictures and emails for free. It is just the beginning of social tools and many more networks and applications will be revolutionized throughout these upcoming years.

Using tools such as Facebook and twitter are great tools I can use for advertising. By applying Facebook use while working in my field I can promote my advertisements and products by creating what Facebook calls a Facebook group or an event. How it works is by making for instance a Nike Show Ad Group and I am able to share this with my fellow friends. Who from their can share with their peers by just a click of a button. This is a quick way to get my product out their and noticed by thousands. Also, Twitter is a good for my field because I am able to view people’s opinions’ good or bad about our advertisements. Getting viewers perspectives only makes the advertisement even better because it will be what people want! Therefore, social networking applies greatly to advertisement although it may not be creating the ad, it is the eyes and voices that help our business to grow.

I choose a link that relates to our topic of discussion in class about the pros and cons of social networking. Take a look on this websites to find why social tools are believed to positive to some and negative to others. Once you are done reviewing the pros vs cons you can then decide are you for social networking or against?

Social Networking Pros and Cons

Visual Literacy

Visual literacy is the ability to interpret and make meaning from information presented in the form of an image.One may ask well what exactly does that mean? After never using photoshop until EME 2040 I learned by using visual literacy it is using a piece of your imagination. For example in class our professor showed us a picture of a monkey and throughout the slide show that monkey appeared on the beach, the Eiffel tower, just about anywhere you can name. And how that monkey got there was by cropping the monkey out of your own photo or a cited photo and to use photoshop techniques and piece together images that you will like to see your image perform. While it may sound easy there are certainly a lot of steps you will need to learn as a first time user. But shortly after you will get the hang of it and it will be a piece of cake! A great quote that I read from our visual learning e-Reading online is "The image survives the subject and becomes the remembered reality." (John Szarkowski). By exploring a photo through one lens it will install that image in your head and explore beyond just a photo.

As an advertising major I can find great use of visual literacy because visual literacy catches the eye of the people and that is exactly what my job intails. Trying to promote a product that viewers will remembered! Such as coca-cola commercial or billboard, I can design an image or slides of the coca-cola bottle and place it with people at the beach or people enjoying a refreshing coke float with their family at home. Visual literacy allows me to design an image that I want people to capture, a photo cant always have exactly what you want in all the time but being able to play around with a photo you can portray the exact image you are looking for. So certainly applying visual literacy to promote my advertisement will come in handy in the future.


I chose an YouTube that captures the great understanding of what visual literacy is and why it is so important. It explains to us that we all the see the world differently through one eye but lets see the world through one lens together and find the true meaning of the image is trying to capture. Don't just scan pictures, look at the expressions of the peoples' face and trying to feel like you are in their shoes even if the picture takes place accross the world. So, take a look at this video and look beyond just the image!

Concept Map

http://mywebspiration.com/publish.php?i=387040a28331

The Life of Melissa

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Multimedia & Hypermedia

Multimedia is a combination of pictures, videos, and sounds that come together to create a presentation. It allows flexibility and a creative thinking process. Something very interesting I found from the lecture was one of the forms of multimedia which is video production and editing system. You are able capture “video from a camera, make edits, add special effects and transitions,” and the ending result of a finished video. I find it very handy when don’t have to use multiple sites to create one thing. Hypermedia is a proactive learning that improves writing and process skills that allows people to navigate through links. There forms include commercial multimedia, hypermedia packages, and commercial interactive videodisc packages. As it may seem similar to multimedia, hypermedia is done through documents and resources why multimedia is done majority from still pictures and video. Although, this are two very good forms of web resources however we have learned that they take up a lot of time and space.

Being part of advertising major I can defiantly take use in using multimedia and hypermedia. I am able to incorporate both of these aspects in advertising do to the fact of creating a commercial we must capture sound combined with photos, texts, and video. I can learn a lot from both of these which can enhance my projects greatly.

This link “Multimedia/Hypermedia” lets you see a collection of arts, audio, and videos. While seeing these forms of multimedia and hypermedia you are able to experience for your self and play around to create your own backgrounds or soundtracks. It’s a really fun link that lets you better understand what multimedia/hypermedia really is. As we learned in class the written part of media, now we are able to design our own.


http://multimedia.eserver.org/

Web 2.0

Web 2.0 is an evolution of the internet; it is allowing users to be involved in creating and presenting their ideas online for people to see. As stated from our tutorial "Web 1.0 is read-only while Web 2.0 is a read-write web". In the past people were able see information presented online but it was limited to who can actually write the information on the internet. It use to take skills and knowledge but now it is simply provided for users to be involved. Web 2.0 is also known as a social network and the best example to present a social network would be "Facebook". Facebook allows people to interact with one another across the world; sharing photos, videos, text, audio to one another. It is a great way to keep people in touch with one another and share memories and experiences. Another coming form of Web 2.0 is "Flickr". Flickr similar to Facebook but is an expression through photos. You’re allowed to create videos, slideshows, folders, greeting cards and share them to people from all over. The evolution of Web 2.0 is an amazing invention that has over billions staying connected and evolving with one another.

Getting the word out and getting people involved in an organization or an event is the overall meaning of advertising. Web 2.0 is greatly used and honored when it comes to promoting our ads. Working in the advertising agency you can reach out to millions just from login on Facebook sending out a group/event about a business and once one hears it gets spread and seen on others pages who gain in interest. Also, you can promote businesses by having their own Facebook page, sharing photos a description, people thoughts and opinions about the business. I feel i will get great use from Web 2.0 when i work at high-end advertising firm after graduation.


The video “Explaining Web 2.0” is a great way to understand the basic meaning of Web 2.0. It shares its features and usages that can evolve from Web 2.0. The video explains the connection it has to social networking and give you places you can visit to get involved I social networking. It relates to our tutorial because it’s the whole explanatory purpose to use the evolution of Web 2.0 compared Web 1.0.

Mac vs PC

A couple of years ago my father asked me “Melissa would you like me to buy you a Mac or a PC for when you go to college.” I quickly answered my dad that I would like a PC, therefore knowing my brother had a Mac and I was never able to figure anything out when I tried using it. As years went on and I saw all of my friends were using Macs and I would use theirs and realize all the neat affects and simplicity a Mac offers. I greatly regretted my decision of owning a PC shortly after. All it would have taken was a few days to figure out a Mac and I could have been saved from all the complications that a PC offers. Macs are very user friendly and the best feature I find is the dock. The dock has a collection of all your basic sites or applications you normally use, neatly organized shown right on your desktop. Unlike a PC where you have to search for what you want to use then download it to your desktop, leaving your computer with a scatter page. Throughout the presentation we gained an overview of web technology concepts between Macs and PCs. I was able to grasp a much better understanding on how each of them works especially when capturing a screenshot. Labeling and opening folders seemed to be very similar when dealing with the two. Although, Mac and PC have similar features the Mac is better built making those features stand out!

As an advertiser the simplicity and rapid speed of the Mac would defiantly be a better use when creating ads or emailing businesses. I would be able to contact my employees and customers easier without interruptions you would receive from a PC. The Mac offers fun tools such as photo booth which allows people to take photos of themselves and create backgrounds or funny designs. Which would be very handy when designing an online ad.

The video “Mac vs. PC: Windows Vista” is a perfect example on the complication Windows faces. It is a brief commercial but sums up the truth that every time you try to use a PC you have an interference also known as a pop-up asking you if would want to accept or ignore what you have clicked on. From personal experience and using a PC the pop-ups become in annoyance because nine times out of ten what you have clicked on you have select for a reason and would like to move on to the next site.

21st Century Skills

What is the 21st Century one may ask but I ask what isn’t the 21st century? The 21st century is surrounded by a rapid evolution of technology. People use technology on a daily basis whether it’s the use of their cell phones, computers, television, or GPS systems. Technology has been absorbed in so many people’s lives that we wouldn’t know what to do without it. Knowing how to use technology plays a big factor when getting in touch with the 21st century because there are so many advances that make it hard to follow. Being part of the Generation Y it is very easy to follow these advances because we were born and have grown with the use of high-tech technology. As for our grandparents and parents it takes a little getting use to because in the older days everything was done through mail boxes or pen and paper. Schooling can now be taught over computer; you can virtually watch your teaching online and simply turn in assignment through e-mail and not once seeing your teacher or going into a classroom. I am amazed by technology and everyday something new is invented and we have to be flexible because technology is everywhere and to succeed in the future you will have to be able to adapt to these changes.

Being in an advertising major we use technology for everything! Technology promotes advertising. Ads are placed on billboards, television, cell phones, websites, and are simple ways to spread the word about a business or event to people from all over. With the use of technology we are able to send mail advertisements straight to your email that can also then be transmitted to your cell phone. I currently was applying for an internship called the ZOI which is a Greek directory for colleges all over; interns promote their company to businesses and asking if they would like their business to have an ad in their directory. But the thing with the ZOI is they only have one office and that is located in California and all of their employees have to contact them through cell phones. Without the use of cell phones the ZOI wouldn’t even exist across the country unless having to open more offices. Technology allows them to work with their employees and run a successful business. With the use of computers I am able to excel in my ads and make my advertisements more exciting and eye catching to viewers.

The video below "Bringing 21st Century Learning to Your Classroom" expresses how we are coming into a New Age and why educators should care to teach technology to their students. As teachers promote participation through the usage of blogs and wikis, students communicating meaningfully and prepare them to be active citizens in the 21st century. The more teachers allow their students to practice with technology the more their students will grow. They will expand their horizons by being able to connect with others and forming ideas together creating emotional attachment. Students are able to learn opinions from peers based on analyzing their work and progression. I agree with the video that technology should be taught in the classroom because once that student leaves the class everything around them is technology. You want to teacher your students something valuable that will need and you don’t want to trap them by not letting them connect with present day technology.

Slate on Copyright Law and Technology