1. Multimedia applications are websites or online programs that do something. They often are used by a consumer to create something or assist them in some way. You will see text, images, video, audio and/or animation in multimedia applications.
3. Literacy isn't just about reading and writing anymore. The 6 new literacies of our modern world are: digital, media, social, digital safety, information, and visual. We must be literate in these areas to be successful in the world today. From promoting events to creating powerful (or hilarious) memes!
4. Blogs, websites, and social media are becoming one in the same. And they are all equally important and relevant to our world, especially in the professional realm. We were required to create this blog in this course and at first I hated it. I really wanted to write a blog about something that was relevant to my life, such as my spiritual journey. But, instead I was stuck doing this every week! Now that the course is over and I look back at all of my posts, however, I'm happy I did this because now I can go back and refresh my multimedia knowledge if need be.
5. Design matters! I had to UNlearn everything I knew and relearn that LESS IS MORE. Don't use crazy fonts or colors. Don't fill every square inch - white space is okay! Keep it simple and to the point (utilize links).
6. The cloud can be your best friend (or your worst enemy). The cloud is a place to store your files on another server. While this saves space on your personal device, you will have to keep an eye on privacy, bandwidth, and internet access availability. I personally choose to not place all my eggs in one basket.
7. Audio/Video (for beginners) can all be done from a smartphone these days, and usually done pretty well if you take advantage of free online tools like music and graphics. And then there are all the free apps to edit your creations like YouTube (video) and Audacity (audio).
8. CREATIVITY. Pretty much encompasses what this class, as well as the digital age, is all about. The sky is the limit and I've only scratched the surface. I'm excited to learn and grow in all of my creative digital endeavors.
9. Presentations are all around us, though I don't think I ever quite noticed until this class. Yes, there are PowerPoints and Prezis. But there are also slideshows and videos.... and data visualization? Yep. I learned how to take that boring ol' data and make it exciting and fun!
10. If I can do it, so can you. Probably the most important thing I learned all semester is that technology is only overwhelming because there are so many options out there. Just pick one (YouTube is a great place to start!) and try something new - you'll be amazed at what you can create with a few clicks of the mouse and a little creativity.
There are plenty of ways to do things from scratch if you are ready to take on a challenge. But, there are also a lot of programs with templates already designed and ready for you to put in your pictures, videos, music, recordings, data, etc. and then it creates a work of art for you. I prefer those kind since I'm all about the shortcut! But, it is helpful to at least have a basic understanding of how to create multimedia from scratch. Below is my final project which encompasses a little piece of pretty much everything I learned this semester. I did this from scratch in a program called Wevideo using all of my own original photographs, a song that I downloaded for free from YouTube, and a voiceover of myself which I recorded into my smartphone and uploaded to my project. I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I enjoyed creating it!
