Katie has learned many new technologies in her A Level media studies course that have improved her terminology and skills. Her skills with Photoshop have grown the most, allowing her to make edits and add effects to images for her magazine. She also learned to use Blogger to document her magazine production process. While familiar with PowerPoint and Word, generating a survey and presenting her evaluation exposed Katie to new uses of the software. Overall, her technical skills have expanded, though she aims to better manage her time next year.

1. Katie McLaughlin

2. I have learnt a lot of new technologies since the beginning of year 12. I now feel I have
a much wider range of terminology that helps me in media studies. My terminology
has progressed most when analysing video clips.

3. I think my use of software as a whole has improve from the start of the year because
I feel confident when I use software such as photoshop. This has helped me a lot
through making my magazine as I do not feel as though I was limiting myself when
using the software to make my product.

4. My Photoshop skills have improved a lot throughout my year 12 I used this programme
to manipulate photographs for example cutting out the green screen on my background.
I learnt new techniques of adding effects to my images. Without this programme I know
that I would have struggled to make my magazine. Even though I had used this
programme previously in GCSE I still learnt a lot of new skills from it like adding effects to
my images. However I feel as though I could improve my skills of using Photoshop as I
am not 100% confident with using it.

5. A new skill that I have learnt since making my magazine is using blogger. I set up a blog
at the beginning of the year so I could record all of my actions and show the progression
of my magazine for the examiner to mark. Without blogger I would not have been able
to record all of my work so this programme was very useful to me.

6. I used PowerPoint to do my market research, I took pictures from the internet
and analysed them using this programme however I often use PowerPoint so I
was already very familiar with it therefore I do not feel as though I have
developed my skills in using PowerPoint as I already had a good idea of how to
use it before.

7. I did not use this in year 12.

8. I used ‘word’ to make my questionnaire to give out to my target audience. This helped me
Find out what my audience actually wanted in my magazine therefor it was a crucial
Part of the production of my magazine.
I do not feel as though I have improved my skills of using the programme word as I
only used it for this one task and I already knew how to use word before.

9. I did not use this.

10. At the end of the production of my magazine I did an evaluation, this took longer than I
Had originally thought however I did manage to finish before the deadline. I used two ways
To present my evaluation, one way was through PowerPoint and the other way on a
Programme called ‘Prezi.’ I presented my evaluation in these two ways to show my
Wide range of skills.

11. I tried to generate ideas by using my target audience for example I did a questionnaire
Asking my audience what they wanted to see in my magazine. This helped me
generate ideas as I then knew what my audience wanted to see in the magazines. It was
Important that I used my audience to help me generate ideas as I wanted my magazine
to be exactly how my audience wanted it

12. During the construction of my magazine I also widened my skills on using my
camera as I learnt how to use different settings to improve my pictures and
get the right shot that I wanted. This was new to me as I had never
previously needed to change the setting on my camera because my images
where not needed for any of my work.

13. I did not use this.

14. I feel as though my note taking has improved a lot throughout AS I have become a lot
quicker at taking notes and picking out important information that I actually need
and writing it down.

15. I did not use this

16. I did find mysef getting slightly behind when making my magazine for example I took
Me a long time to find the right model for my images and I was therefor late getting
them done. However I learnt from my mistakes and made sure my evaluation was
Done before the deadline.

17. I think the most important thing to do next year is too keep everything up to date and
On time so that I do not find myself getting behind and struggling to get work finished.