How did you use media technologies in the construction

and research, planning and evaluation?

Focus: Evaluation(Some technologies that have been used in

this section will be shown in the other sections where they are more prominent)

Screencast-0-Matic

As previously mentioned in the other sections of this evaluation question, Screencast-0-Matic is one the biggest reasons as to why my blog can be classed as having a multi-media format to it as last year i had a range of presentations and other material but did not really have any video format research or planning. This has been crucial as i have been able to record vlogs, research, planning, construction and of course evaluation. In terms of evaluation, this software has mainly been used to create videos answering the evaluation questions. For example i have used this software to detail some of the specific technologies and how i have used them for this question as well as making videos for the other three questions. As i am using the questions from the brief which states about having a multi-media format, i feel by having presentations and videos as well as it being on a blog, it makes by a multi-media production.

Slideshare

Like the other two sections of this evaluation question, Slideshare has helped me present my work in a professional fashion while also giving me the opportunity to gain feedback from other Slideshare if they care to do so. For this part of the question, Slideshare has mainly been used to present the question so that i embed them onto my blog quickly and easily. For example, this presentation will be uploaded onto Slideshare and then embedded onto my Word Press blog, as well as this i have created presentations detailing activities within the other questions. It is vital that i present my work with a professional and appropriate manner and i feel as though, along with Screencast-0-Matic and Prezi are the best options as to answer and present these evaluation questions. I have gained valuable presentations skills from Slideshare for my evaluations as i can view other people’s presentations and compare my presentation skills to them are see how i shape up in terms of if i feel that it is professional enough or that it needs tweaking slightly. Without Slideshare my work would be significantly less professional.

Prezi

Again, like Slideshare and Screencast-0-Matic, Prezi has been vital in my work in terms of allowing me to show the evidence and analysis for my evaluation questions. I have created a Prezi specifically for the this question as i wanted to do not just a Slideshare but also a Prezi so i also created that for the construction section of this question. Prezi is incredibly easy to use after getting to grips with it as it often viewed as the more creative and inventive option for making presentations whether it be like in my case for coursework or whether it be for a lecture or other subject presentation. I feel as though i can easily make the presentations i want as well as adding my own inventive to it such as adding sounds in the background or adding a video in the background as well to wow my teachers as well as the examiners and general audience. This software has also helped me in terms of the exam side of Media studies as i can create presentations for media revision on different media philosophers or have a Prezi on the different media theoretical work such as representation of different cultures, genders or races.

Word Press

While i have spoken countless times about Slideshare etc, none of those can be shown off without the website Word Press. For the past two years i have been using this website and technology and i found it a through joy to use. Its advantages are that it is so simple to use, the big presentations software's are linked to it, e.g Slideshare has a direct link to Word Press and has its own embed code while Youtube encourages to embed videos on Word Press blogs. Another advantage of Word Press is that other blogger’s can comment on a page or a certain post that you put up on your blog and gain feedback from what they say. I have had teacher’s post interim coursework checks and told me how i can improve my overall blog so that i can get the best mark possible. In terms of comparing the blog from my year 12 blog i would say that there is a vast improvement in terms of being more eye catching and inventive than the previous year. This would not o f happened though without the technology that Word Press offers whether it be to allow me to create different tabs or pages, or to embed presentations, Word Press has been one of the most important pieces of technology this year. I have also learnt that i can use Word Press for other aspects of work such as for the theatrical side of Media or other subjects.

Youtube

Youtube will always be important for coursework tasks such as this as it can hold your work and store in a place which can gain feedback while also exposing it to a bigger user base. In terms of using Youtube for evaluations, i have created video using Screencast-0-Matic and then uploaded them to Youtube such as videos on Feedback i have gained over the course of this year as well as videos on how i used imovie for the construction section of this evaluation question. Youtube has also helped me develop my skills as this year i set up a channel dedicated to my media work and therefore if people see one of my videos they can then click onto my channel and find all my other media coursework videos. This is helpful in terms of gaining exposure to my work but also the fact that i am able to communicate to a wider audience with my work in hope of Feedback which i can then put into my work or future work. For example i had feedback from one of my earliest videos using just a webcam before i started using Screencast-0-Matic and a Youtube user said that the picture was fuzzy and the sound was distorted. This prompted me to look for other technologies which led me to Screencast-0-Matic.

Facebook/Twitter

With social networking sites now one of the powerhouse in the advertising business's, it was vital that i exposed my product to the two biggest social networking sites Facebook and Twitter. I did this by uploading myself and the group’s trailer to both sites in hope of gaining feedback and comments. This was important as part of the evaluation brief states that it is vital to understand different formats of technology and vital to be able to communicate effectively through them. I feel as though i have done this by gaining feedback from the social networking sites (See Feedback page on Word Press blog) as well as getting likes and favourites from the respective social networking sites. In was also vital to exposure the product to these sites as our primary audience for our trailer and ancillary products are statistically the biggest users of these social networking sites. This show’s that i have been productive in terms of remembering my target audiences preferences and figuring out ways of how to advertise that to them.

Survey Monkey

For Evaluation question 3, i wanted to gain initial audience feedback so that i could answer the first activity within that question. To do this i set up a questionnaire based on my genre that i was researching (Drama/Teen Drama) and made a public questionnaire so anybody and everybody could answer in hope of feedback. This was important because the brief states that i needed to collect feedback in a variety of formats, and this was an extra format alongside the traditional questionnaire that was handed out at the media showcase awards as well as the videos i did detailing other feedback. I found this website extremely easy to use and set and found it fun to create a questionnaire with my own choice of questions, how to answer and what format the answers would be collected in. This website has certainly helped me develop my skills in terms of gaining more feedback and gaining valuable knowledge into online survey’s and how useful they can be. I will definitely be using Survey Monkey to create more online survey’s for media and other subjects.

Summary of Evaluation SectionOverall, these technologies that i have used have been important in enabling me to complete the designated evaluation questions for my Media A2 Coursework. The use of the different presentation software's are important as i have tried to make sure that my evaluations and the whole blog itself is of a multi-media format. I think the use of Survey Monkey and the questionnaires that i collected at the media awards showcase are vitally important as they can show off the feedback i have gained for question 3 and how that has affected my main product as well as my ancillary products. As well as these technologies, the use of the social networking sites has been vitally important in exposing my film to a wider audience as well as advertising on a site that directly links in with the genre that myself and the group have been researching and developing our understanding of all year. Again the use of Youtube has been important. In conclusion, i feel as though throughout the year i have succeeded in what the brief and the course outline has asked to do in terms of having a multi-media format of work. As well as this i have described and explained each major technologies that i have used and what i have learnt and helped me throughout this year.