SCRATCH

This term 4 we will being using the Scratch program to create a game. Scratch is a program that lets you create interactive stories, games, music and art, using control, looks, motion, sensing, operators, sounds, pen and variables blocks.

Moving Animation- Fire Breathing Dragon

Using the tutorial on StudentNet I have learnt how to make a moving animation using the program Scratch.



<----- On the right is the blocks I used to construct the moving dragon which is shown in the above two images. The orange-yellow blocks are used to HOW long the object should move. The purple blocks control what "costume" is shown. With the dragon, there are two costumes. A costume is the object itself. The dark blue blocks are used to control the steps and movement of the object, and the light blue block is user to tell the object WHEN to move.

In these blocks the dragon is: going to start when I press 'space,' repeat until I press the 'down' button, change to 'costume a' (costume 'a' is the dragon with a shut mouth). After that, it'll wait 0.5 seconds until moving 4 steps. Then it'll switch to 'costume b' (costume 'b' is the fire breathing dragon), wait 0.5 seconds, move 4 steps and if the dragon hits the edge it will turn around and REPEAT!!

Opening a door and Entering a room

Using Word I have created a flowchart for the recent algorithm posted on my blog.

Flowcharts!

Pink Chart

In this flowchart the question is asking if the temperature is below 32 degrees. On either side of the diamond are arrows-one labelled "no" and the other "yes"- indicating what your answer may be. Also, on either side both answers end up coming to a dead end, "end."


Blue Chart

This flowchart is for "One Second Response to a switch." Unlike the above flowchart it is more complex with more directions. The diamond below  "start" asks if the the switch is on. If "no" you follow the arrow labelled "no" and continue following until your answer changes to "yes." Once the answer changes to "yes" the direction changes and more instructions are given until you arrive at the next question. In this case, the next question is asking if one second as past. The same with the previous question, if the answer is "no" followed the arrow labelled "no" and do so until your answer changes. Basically, the flowchart could be split into two sections to make simpler but incomplete flowcharts.

ALGORITHMS

Opening a door and entering a room

1. Facing 180 degrees away from the door, turn 180 degrees to face the door.
2. Take 3 steps forward
3. Take one side-step to the right
4. Put your hand out
5. Lower your arm slightly
6. Grab hold of handle/knob
7.  Push handle down or turn knob towards the right until it unlocks
8. Push the door
9. Take 5 steps into the room

TERM 4 DEFINITION

Algorithms
A process or set of rules to be followed in calculation or other problem-solving operations.

Pseudocode
A compact an informal high-level description of a computer programming algorithm that uses the structural convention. (Written in a technical way but cannot be interpreted by a computer but by humans.)

Machine Language
Designed for use on a specific class of computers.

High Level Computer Language
A problem oriented language that uses English-like statements and symbols to create sequences of computer instructions and identify memory locations, rather than the machine-specific individual instruction codes and numerical addresses employed by machine language. (A language understood by both computer and person)

Flowchart
A diagram of the sequence of operations in a computer program or an accounting system.

Sequence
A particular order in which related events, movements or things follow each other.

Selection
The action or fact of carefully choosing someone or something as being the best or most suitable.

Repetition
Repeat a sequence of steps until requirement is satisfied.

FINALLY COMPLETED EBOOK!

I have finally completed my Multimedia Ebook which can now be viewed on share-point.

The program I was originally meant to use was Notland but due to the difficulties I was facing I have decided to use Powerpoint. Though I had no access to Powerpoint on my home PC I looked up the information, saved it and when I got to school I would put the information on the Powerpoint.

My Ebook contains hyperlinks to other slides, videos, images and sound. The easiest part of producing the ebook was making the hyperlinks. The hardest part on the other hand was transferring everything from one computer to another. During the process of the assignment I have learnt how to download videos off Youtube. The Ebook is also 25 slides long. :)

Ebook....

So far in the Multimedia Ebook I have made links and slides for two  topic I am doing. The topics I have chosen are Netbooks, Social Networking, CPU and Bluetooth.

The program I originally was using was Notaland but later discovered there isn't a way you can link to other pages. I decided i will use Powerpoint though I won't be able to access the Ebook at my home PC.

JUSTIFICATION

I would like to use Notaland as the basis of this assignment mainly because it would be easier for me to access at home as well as here at school. Notaland is an efficient and free program that allows you to make many different pages on your own personal 'notebook.' At home I do not have access to Powerpoint, therefore not being able to work on it after school hours.


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http://notaland.com/

Evidence of research into Multimedia presentation tools

Versatility What media does it allow me to use (text, images, video)?
Ease of use How friendly is the user interface for the designer (you)? How easy is it to add components to my presentation? How friendly is the user interface for the user, can visitors find what they need on your presentation? Are you able to create a menu system or is the user forced to worh through your presentation in a linear predetermined fashion?
Collaboration How well does the online tool allow me to work with my partner? Can we both work on the presentation at the same time?

Evidence of Research into mutlimedia presentation Tools

Nota

Versatility: Nota allows users to create, shate and collaborate on persenations and virtually any other form of online material. Nota's toolset can instantly integrate text, video, maps, clip art, photos from web albums or on local PC, licensed-free images from Flickr, and material from a ever expanding array of sources. When the work is completed, users are able to link their work to social networks such as Facebook, Twitter or share with friends.

The CPU

What is the function of the CPU?
CPU is the heart of any computer. Like a car it's the engine that runs the computer.

What was the name of the first CPU?
Intel 4004

Describe how the speed of CPU's has changed.
Its expanential. (Varies throughout the years but always rising)

What does MIPS measure?
MIPS stands for "millions of intructions per second." It is the rough measure of the performance of a CPU.

Research what is a dual processor, what is multitasking and how do the two work together.
Dual core processors have two separate cores on the same physical machine. This means they can do two tasks at the same time without interfering one with the other or using up the others memory or processing speed. These can be located on the same mother board or separate mother boards.  These types of processors are used when several different tasks or operations need to be done simultaneously. Mutlitasking and dual core processing go hand in hand because the two micro-processors work on the one computer but doing two different things at the same time.

Broadband

What is broadband?
Broadband is defined as using a wide range of frequenciesin high-capacity telecommunications.

Outline the methods of delivery of broadband (wireless, cable, ADSL and fibre)? Identify the speed of each method.
Wireless Broadband- This typically employs the current low-cost 802.11 Wi-Fi radio systems to link up remote locations over great distances, but can use other higher-power radio communications systems as well. Cable Broadband- Used commonly by television networks and telecommunication network.
ADSL- Provides digital data transmission over the wires of local telephone networks. 256 kbit/s to 20 Mbit/s
Fibre Broadband- By fiber-optic cables connected directly to buildings will deliver broadband speeds up to 100 megabits per second. Australia has already begun rolling out the network over the country using fiber-optic cables to 90 percent of Australian homes, schools and business.

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each method.
Wireless Broadband- Advantage: Access internet from anywhere. More devices are able to use it at the same time. Disadvantage: Other radio communication systems may interfere and jam the service. Some wireless broadband systems may be faulty.
Cable Broadband- Advantage: Less expensive. Disadvantage: ...
ADSL- Advantage: Delivers data faster. Disadvantage: Speed may vary because of the ADSL technology.
Fibre Broadband- Advantage: Send data/signals and communicate faster and better with people internationally. Disadvantage: ...

Give examples of broadband providers and identify the costs.
Google- Google Fibre Broadband is said to vary from $4000 to install in one single home.
Vodafone- Vodafone's Pocket Wi-Fi cost a minimum of $348 for 6GB.
Telstra- Telstra's ADSL Business Broadband costs $120 for 25GB over a 24 month plan or $240 for 50BG+ over a 12 month plan.

The Fedral Gonvernment is thinking of rolling out a national broadband network (The NBN). Research the NBN and find out:
a) Method of delivery
Using optic-fibres wires, fixed wireless and satellite technology
b) Expected speed
25/5-100/4 Mbps
c) Cost
Upto $99.50/month for 500+ GB

The World of Multimedia

Where do you commonly use multimedia in your daily life, list as many examples as you can.
- Mobile Phones
- Television
- Ipods/ Iphones/ Ipads
- Television

What multimedia device or service would you find it hardest to be without? Discuss.
The device I'd find it hard to go without would be my mobile phone. In more ways then one it "carries" my life in it; alarm to wake me up, reminders, birthdays, memories, songs, planners etc. Like any teenager would know your mobile phone is sort of like your lifeline. It's like a bestfriend that knows about everything, all the sercet photos you keep, the kind of music you enjoy and it always helps you to be on time for things.

The video on future directions (third video) has already to some extent come true. What mutlimedia technologies displayed in this video are already commonly used?
Interactive white boards, Smartphones, Bluetooth, navigation devices.

Do you see any advantages/disadvantages to the use of such a multimedia technology?
Some advantages of developing such technology are making life easier to plan, getting lost a lot less complicated and many more. Although there are many advantages to these new types of technology the disadvantages out-weigh them. With technology evolving rapidly we forget the impact it can have on our lives. Relying on technology to do all the looking, finding, planning and communicating can effect our work environment and social environment. Instead of literally meeting up with people we will be vitually talking to them, instead of getting up and doing actual exercise we will be seating down enjoying a good meal while vibration waves are sent through our bodies by the use of a machine.

UPDATE 20.6.11

Today is the last day for our group to film. Therese is absent today so we have decided to cut out two of the four dares to make time for the studio scenes to be able to be filmed. This also gives us the advantage of being able to edit our video quicker and successfully upload the finished product onto student net. Today at lunch we wil continue and finish filming the video so we may start editting and putting together the final product.

Our group unsuccessfully followed the storyboard but hopefully will be able to make a satisfying video to be presented before the class as our assignment.

STORYBOARD BY CAMILLU SAVEA

Gantt Chart by Emily Jones

SYNOPSIS BY FRANCHESCA ALBERQURQUE

Basically, our video will be about Random Dares. It will be like a small television program where our group Effects are sent letters from people to perform their random dares. These dares are not dangerous however, they're funny and made to let the audience laugh.
For this 'episode' we plan to give our selves our own dares in a system that works like this.

I --dare--> Camillus
Camillus --dares--> Emily
Emily --dares--> Therese
Therese --dares--> MeThe episode will open with a special theme song and then we'll Begin the show.

To make it appear that we received this episode's dares from viewers we plan to start off by reading letters that have our dares. We'll read it to the camera and then we'll have cut scenes to the different dares. The dares will be recorded in this order; Emily will perform her dare, then me, followed by Camillus and Therese.

Emily's Dare - Is to walk into the Visual Arts Classroom wearing PJ's and act as if she is part of the class (With teacher's permission of course) and somewhat distract the class. This will be a year 9 V.A class.
My Dare - Is to walk into the middle of Dobson Green during lunchtime and music will randomly start playing. When the music starts I have to dance the macarena for around 1 minute wearing a mask.
Camillus' Dare - is to dress up like a chicken and play in the playground of Parramatta Park for a few minutes. She'll play on the swings and slide down the slide acting as one of the young children.
Therese's Dare - Is to make toilet paper accessories and put it in her hair walking around in class with those accessories equipped.

At then end of each dare we're going to give feedback to the viewers and talk a little bit about the dare as if the person who was dared was getting interviewed.

At the very end of the episode we'll thank the viewers and take more requests for dares and have credits. At the end of the credits we'll include some bloopers that occurred when recording the video.

UPDATE ON ASSIGNMENT

Our assignment is to make a video animation using different programs and techniques. The topic is of our choice and we are to be in groups of less than 4. In my case it was a group of 4; Emily Jones, Therese Jankovic, Franchesca Alberqurque and I.

It took a few weeks to get started on our assignment due to being stuck on picking a topic. At first our group decided on doing a muck-up news report about planking and the effect it has on students and schools. We thought it'll be great topic because it was a recent topic in society and making a funny video about it would amuse people. However, it came to mind by Mr Lennon that planking isn't such a good topic unless we are talking about going against planking. As a group, we weren't thinking about what kind of message we were sending about planking, whether it be being against or for it. In truth, we weren't planning on giving opinions of our own but asking others what they think about planking. It also came to mind that planking is not allowed at school and school being the only place the 4 of us see each other, we knew it wouldn't be possible.

Following the fail and rejection of the topic about planking came a few more days of decision and discussion until we finally decided on making a video on random dares. Although random dares don't really have a storyline we thought we could make it a internet show where doing dares was one of our episodes. The group decided it was good enough and we allocated a piece of work to each person. Emily was to make a Ghentt Chart, Franchesca was to make the Synopsis, Therese was to make theme song and I was allocated to make the storyboard.

Due to the loss of my USB...again and not having access to Microsoft Powerpoint at home i decided to use Microsoft Word to make the storyboard. The storyboard is 15 scenes and is pretty straight forward. I have finished the storyboard and sent it to my email so I can access it at school and be able to screen shot it and post it on my blog for the rest of my group to access. It will be posted up as soon as possible.

Two weeks ago, Franchesca, Emily and I began playing around with the video cameras. Therese was unfortunely sick. Her sickness also set us back in filming but no one is blaming her. We were lucky enough to have her back 3 weeks before the assignment was due.

On Wednesday 15th of June, Emily, Therese and I began filming the first dare. Franchesca was absent at this time due to being Office Monitor. The first dare was Emily's dare. It took awhile to get started on the dare due to Emily's refusal to do the dare. After a while she did the dare and it turned out great. The only problem was the sound. When we watched the video we couldn't hear Emily's voice and hardly anything else anyone else was saying unless we were close to them. Therese and I have discussed whether or not we should re-do the scene again but we first have to talk to Emily and Franchesca. Therese also suggested that we get all the other dares and bits of filming done first and if we have time to film any scenes that may have faults. On Friday 17th of June we wil be filming Franchesca's dare and one of the studio dares at lunch.

Broadband and bandwidth

Q: What is Broadband?
A: Broadband in telecommunication means a wide range of frequencies that are available to transmit information. The wider the range of frequency available the more data that can be transmitted at a given amount of time.
Q: What units are used to measure bandwidth?
A: Kilobits per second (Kb/s)

Q: How much faster is broadband than dial-up?
A: 10 times faster than dial up.

Q: What are the speeds that broadband operates at compared to dial up?
A: 512Kbps, 1Mb broadband, 2Mb broadband, 4Mb broadband, 8Mb broadband, 24Mb broadband, 50Mb broadband.

Q: What are some advantages of using broadband connection to download something like a video compared to dial up?
A: The video will load faster. The video loads through some data coming to your computer at a time. Broadband had greater bandwidth and therefore more data will be downloaded at once than a dial up connection.

Q: Create an image in paint that illustrates how a high bandwidth connection can move more data compared to a dial up connection at a given time.
A: