My Learning Journey
BTT10 First Term
PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS
Thanks to my technology class, I have learned some good photography tips on composition. We explored four aspects; golden ratio, rule of thirds, balance, and odd numbers. Using these four aspects, we took pictures in groups and made a powerpoint explaining each rule with an example of what to do and of what you should not do.
Rule of Thirds
The rule of thirds focuses on placement of your object. The frame is split up into thirds, both horizontally and vertically. All important objects are located along these lines. The intersections are very critical points. Horizons, or other lines, can occupy 1/3 or 2/3 of the frame. An important thing to remember is to never center your object in the frame.
- The frame is split up into thirds
- All important objects are located along these lines
- Horizons can occupy 1/3 or 2/3 of a frame
When you are taking your pictures, there are two questions you can ask yourself. What are the points of interest? Where are you intentionally going to put them? Asking these two questions will help you improve your shots.
My Exploration
In addition to what I had learned in class, I explored the topic more in depth. Some people say rules are meant to be broken. While the rule of thirds works great in many pictures, there are opportunities to break that rule. Sometimes when you place your object dead center in an image, it can produce a very striking effect.
PRESENTATION SOFTWARE
This semester, I have also learned about various types of presentation software. We used many different types of software, such as Prezi, Haiku, Powtoons, and Google Presentations. As individuals, we also created "how-to" presentations using one of the softwares. As part of the curriculum, we were taught presentation skills as well.
Prezi
Prezi is a fun, easy tool to use for presentations, making them look exciting and engaging. It can be used for any kind of presentations, from business reports to school projects. Prezi is free and anyone can use it.
- Prezi has many different templates to choose from, which gives you different and exciting presentations
- You can also change the colour theme of your template
- You can also share you Prezi presentation with whomever you wish, whether it be your co-oworkers or your teacher
- You can insert pictures, from either pictures on your computer or pictures directly off the internet
My Exploration
Recently, I decided to explore Prezi to improve the knowledge I already have of the program. I figured out how to use multiple shortcuts for your editing needs. If you wish to use these shortcuts, the first thing you need to do is enable the shortcuts. That option can be found in your top right corner. A few important shortcuts are:
- F: Draws a frame
- S: Draws a shape
- 1: Zooms in
- 2: Zooms out
- Left, right, up, and down arrows: Move the selected object one pixel
- Ctrl + S: Save Prezi
An e-Better World
My eyes have been opened because of what this course has forced me to discover. We learned about how electronics affect our world, and the many negative impacts electronics have. In class, we had the choice to make a presentation about different topics about an e-Better world, such as planned obsolescence or child labour.
Planned Obsolescence
As an individual, I researched planned obsolescence for my e-Better presentation. Planned obsolescence is the designing and producing of products in order for them to be used up (obsolete) within a specific time period. I also investigated perceived obsolescence, which is the part of planned obsolescence that refers to “desirability”. In other words, an object may continue to be functional, but it is no longer perceived to be stylish or appropriate, so it is rendered obsolete by perception, rather than by function. I discovered that with Microsoft, Windows gets larger and hungrier for bytes with each new version, forcing people to buy better and faster computers.
E-waste
E-waste is a huge problem in our modern world. E-waste is discarded electronics. It contains many toxins such as mercury and lead. These two materials are bio-accumulative, which means they concentrate in fatty tissues. This can lead to problems in fetal development and in nursing babies. Lead also causes damage to the nervous system and kidneys. Cadmium, which some of you may have never heard of before, is found in semiconductors and chip resistors. It has been proven to be the cause of different types of cancer, and it harms the kidneys. If e-waste is such a danger to our health, why are we not doing anything about it? All our "last year's models" are just sitting in landfills. Or, they are sent away to children in third world countries. These children are forced to take apart our electronics, and are exposed to all the chemicals in the computer parts, the old cellphones, your outdated printer, and any other electronics you might have thrown away. They are only earning pennies a day doing this. We all need to work together to create an e-Better world, so that all these children are not suffering from our problems.