Through creating various projects, the student learned how to use several technologies including Paint.Net, Blogger, Sony Vegas Pro, digital cameras, SlideShare, Prezi, YouTube, and Publisher. The student gained skills in photo editing, video editing, blogging, creating presentations, and desktop publishing. Some programs like Paint.Net and Blogger were relatively easy to learn, while others like Prezi and Sony Vegas Pro took more time and practice to understand how to use effectively.

1. What have you
learnt about
technologies from
the process of
constructing this
product?

2. Paint.Net
In my preliminary task I had a limited understanding of how to use different
editing software such as „Paint.Net‟ and would often take the easier route of saving
or cropping pictures on „Paint‟ instead which lead to a poor quality and an
unprofessional looking image. I gained knowledge of how to use Paint.Net
properly by watching tutorials on YouTube which helped me learn myself how to
use the program. I learnt how to remove and situate someone in front of a new
background by using the „Lasso tool‟, similar to other editing software like
„PhotoShop‟. Then how to add „motion blur‟ or „unfocus‟ effects to the edges so it
blended in more. I then experimented with adjusting the temperature and the
saturation of the photos to try and bring the colours back to life that had been
dulled by the flash. This helped my images look more colourful and it was also
something I couldn‟t do on Paint. When it came to saving my work I realised that I
had to save it under a different file format which is „JPEG‟, it would then give me
the option on what quality I wanted to save my picture under and naturally I chose
the highest option. On Paint.Net it was a lot more simplistic and easier to crop
things properly as all you would have to do is drag your cursor around the
selected image and then go to „edit‟ – „crop to section‟ and it did it immediately. At
school we have the availability to use PhotoShop, however as you have to pay to
use the program I was unable to access it at home where I do most of my
work, therefore I used my own editing software which I personally feel is also
easier to use as I know a lot of other people who experienced problems with using
PhotoShop.

3. Blogger
First getting to grips with Blogger proved difficult as I‟d never
heard or used the website before starting my preliminary task.
I got to grips with how to upload pictures but it took me a
while to understand the concept of embedding html codes into
the post from other websites like YouTube , Prezi , Slide Share
and Slide Rocket. The way you can‟t adjust or move the
picture you have uploaded freely around the post and only
had limited sizing options made a few of my posts sometimes
look shabby and out of place. I also experienced problems
being able to upload pictures at one point but I think this was
a problem all bloggers were experiencing as a link must of
been broken. I liked the way you could change and edit your
layout to make it more personal and have it styled the way
you wanted it to be. I downloaded a template off a website I
discovered on Google and uploaded it to my blog.

4. Blogger
When viewing my blog it should like how it does below. However
sometimes the pictures don‟t always appear untill you re-load the page.
I also found that my layout can not appear as it should and often comes
up blank when I use the Internet Explorer. Therefore my work will
probably have to be marked using Google Chrome.

5. Sony Vegas Pro 10
To help me in the production of my blog I made
a few videos that I could embed into blogger. I
already had this software downloaded onto my
laptop so I could use it straight away. I have
never used it before, but like I did with
„Paint.Net‟ I watched some beginner tutorials on
YouTube to help me get going with producing
my own videos. It is quite difficult to use and
hard to understand at first but you learn as you
go along and pick up new shortcuts along the
way. I learned the general workings of the
editing software like how to split tracks, add
audio, how to position things along the time line,
add effects, transitions and how to render my
video after to a high HD quality.
This could potentially help me in the future if I
go on to study Media at A2 level when we
produce our own short film or music video.

6. Digital
Camera
SLR Digital
Camer Camera
a
I have never actually owned my own digital camera or really used one
continuously to take my photographs. In the past I have always taken
pictures on iPhone camera so the only thing I really knew about the digital
camera was how to turn it on a take the actual picture. Luckily though this
was pretty much all I needed to know. I did however need help turning the
flash on in some photos, but usually it would come on automatically when
it was needed which is really useful. There were different effects you take
the photos in but I decided not to alter the original settings as I wanted to
do all of my editing on a proper editing software. After taking my photos I
would then have to connect the camera to the computer using a USB and
transfer the images onto the computer. It was simple and easy to learn how
to do which was good. Although the schools digital camera s were good to
a certain extent, I know some other people owned a better SLR Camera
which gets really high quality pictures and actually looks like it has been
taken professionally. Therefore if I had the opportunity to use one of
these cameras I would of done.

7. Slide Share & Slide Rocket
Slide Share was a really good sight to
use for the production of my blog
because it allows you to upload
power point presentations, like the
one I have made now, and embed
them onto my blog. I again, like
blogger have never used this website
before but it was quite simple to get
to grips with because of the clear
instructions provided on the website
to guide you through your first
upload. It also tells you how many
people have viewed your slide share
to the right of the title.
Slide Rocket is similar to Slide Share but instead of uploading the power
point you actually produce it on the website. It‟s quick and simple to
use. I have learnt how to add audio into my presentations on there too
which is why I prefer it to Slide Share.

8. Prezi
Prezi was definitely the most challenging website I used within the
production of my blog. When you sign up and actually log onto the
website you get a beginners tutorial but after I was left feeling more
confused and just completely didn‟t understand how to use it even
after practising. It took me about week of experimenting with it
before I learnt how to put everything together. I really like the way
it is presented. It takes quite a long time to make the presentation
but I think it is worth it because of the smooth playback it gives and
the themes you can choose to apply. It was just like SlideShare when
it came to embedding it onto my blog so I didn‟t have any problems
with that.

9. YouTube
I already know how to work and operate YouTube which is
good, and I used it to watch tutorials on how to work other
software like Sony Vegas Pro 10. What I didn’t know but
discovered later on in my research and planning stage was that
underneath each video is ‘public statistics’ which tells you what
age gap is most popular with viewing the video. Some Public
Statistics have been hidden but the majority are open for the
public to view. This helped me when identifying my target

10. Production: Publisher
To make my magazine I had to use Microsoft Publisher
which I felt was a massive draw back when it came to
putting my magazine together. It only has simple tools like
cropping and resizing. I did some research into different
design websites and found one called „In Design‟ by Adobe
which I think would of been better in the production of my
magazine, however it wasn‟t available for us to use a school.
On Publisher there are print margins however you don‟t
have to stick to them. I also found it hard to move things
around my page because when I clicked on it, the page
would move up slightly which is quite fustrating. I could
use Publisher before hand and don‟t feel I have learn
anything new from using it to create my magazines.
“Adobe® InDesign® CS6 software is a versatile desktop publishing application that
gives you pixel- perfect control over design and typography. Create elegant and
engaging pages for print, tablets, and other screens. Use Adaptive Design Tools to
easily repurpose layouts to look great on a variety of pages sizes, orientations, or
devices”