Experiment with Audacity audio recording and editing software.

Unfortunately, this experiment was not wholly successful since I do not have a suitable microphone and the sound quality is not all that good. Worse, I simply lack the time to go buy a dedicated microphone as I have started a new job (though at least now I have the funds which is a big step forward!). Alas, I simply do not have enough time to devote to this, and will have to punt this little project. It is a bit too involved for the time I have available to me, I'm afraid. Here, though, is the link to my first ever digital sound recording. Perhaps once the dust settles and I have some more time I can play with this more - I think I will get a dedicated microphone of some sort to do this justice.

Image layer assignment

For this assignment we were to play with image layers. I chose an unusual image, that of an air strike being launched from U.S.S. Yorktown, CV-5, during the Battle of Coral Sea in 1942. Apparently the photo was taken from the tailgun position of a TBD Devastator torpedo bomber, and clearly shows Yorktown and fleet support ships in the background. Note that the photo was carefully retouched during the war to hide the CMAX RADAR array on the main mast. Would have been easier with Paint+!

Assignment 29: Image Editing

Before and after shots posted to blog, per assignment instructions:

 

Another post regarding the Michael Wesch presentation

Note Bene: I started writing this with the first assignment in the Michael Wesch presentation series, but due to time constraints could not finish and went with an alternate post. I have decided to post this for posterity, since it has some contrarian views that suit my curmudgeonly personality…

 

To question No. 1, I would respond thusly:

I do have a bone to pick with one part of the presentation. Professor Wesch laments that the most frequent questions students have are “How many points is this worth?, or “How long does this paper need to be?”, and his least favorite, “What do we need to know for this test?” While I sympathize, at the end of the day he has only himself and his profession to blame.

Consider that we are in fact graded on how well we do, and have to get so many points in order to obtain even a passing grade, and more to do better. One often has to achieve better than a mere “C” average to, say, maintain a scholarship. And if one is looking for a job, employers will ask you what your GPA was, and may even request transcripts. I should really not have to explain why students have an obsession asking about how many points an assignment is worth! One’s very future depends on it!

Professor Wesch also needs to understand that we do not have unlimited time to devote just to his one narrow subject – our efforts encompass much more than just his class or necessarily even all the classes one is taking in a given semester. One may have a job, a family, or, heck, just a *life* outside of a particular class. To paraphrase Khan Noonian Singh in Star Trek II, “Time is luxury we don’t have…”

It boils down to simple economics – I have 24 hours in a single day. In that time I have to attend class, do homework, eat, sleep, and so forth. The most successful students apportion their time wisely, and keep their studies focused on what is essential to pass the class, and not waste time they simply do not have on something that will not directly aid them in attaining that goal. That, and if they study something that is not on the exam, they may end up confusing themselves and doing poorly, even if the relevant material was fully covered.

Professors that wish to alter this paradigm need to rethink quite radically how classes are taught, not just in the format but also in terms of the whole way we evaluate students as well. As a start, I would suggest that the whole system of “grading” is pointless; rather, the focus should be more on a “pass-fail” criteria, with an emphasis on demonstrating material competency, rather than simply passing tests and getting “A’s”.

Digital Literacy Definition

Digital literacy consists of the skills and concepts a student needs for success in school and after graduation as a professional and citizen.


Please note for the record that this is simply for a class exercise, and is not reflective of my REAL blog, which is here: http://angantyrs-games-things.blogspot.com/


Unfortunately, I could not simply turn THAT in and save myself some annoying work...