Gavilan College
DM/Art/CSIS 77: Introduction to Digital Media

 

 

Schedule: Fall 2010
Some areas are under construction!

September 1 Course description and requirements. The Digital Media program. Introduction to hardware and software requirements and the tools available in digital media studio. Introduction to the lab, its operation, and restrictions.
Lab:
Log on to the computer if you have a password (registered earlier than 36 hours ago). If not, use the default password written on the left side of the classroom white board. Click the Safari web browser icon 9looks like a compas) which is displayed on the Doc. Read the welcome web page that automatically shows or select Home Page if the welcome page doesn't show up.
Assignment 1
: Introduction to Multimedia Concepts. Due September 13.

September 6 = Holiday
September 8 = Last Day to Add

Digital Art, Communication, and Concerns. Digital numbers and terminology.
Class Lab:
Exlore the equipment and Atomic Learning. Do the following assignments.
Assignment 2
: Watch the TED videos and write a two or more page paper as described in the linked assignment. Due September 15.
September 13, 15 The concept of sampling or digitizing of sound and video. Compression and decompression of digital data. Types of codecs (algorithms for compressing and expanding files). Multimedia file types.
Class lab: As a team, review a web site and answer the questions on the Assignment #3 page. Turn in a hard copy by September 22. Start reading chapter 2 and watching the Photoshop CS3 tutorial movies in sections A, B, C, & F on AtomicLearning.com.
September 20, 22

File types, more discussion of web sites. A look at photo oriented web sites.
Class lab: Finish watching the Photoshop CS3 tutorial movies in sections A, B, C & F on AtomicLearning.com
Assignment 4: Do the Review and Hands-on questions at the end of Chapter 2. It is due March 4. At home, gather 6 or more digital or images to be scanned that would tell your own story. Please photograph new images if possible. Images found on the web are not allowed.

September 27, 29
Last day to withdraw w/no record shown or switching to a Pass/No Pass grade option.
Lecture: Image editing and file types for web and print.
Class lab: Scan (see instructor) or open your photos in Photoshop. Save these as Photoshop (.PSD) files. Open Photoshop if it isn't already, then under the Help menu, select "How to Create Images for the Web." Prepare your images for the web using techniques shown in class lab and in the lessons above.
Assignment: Do Assignment #5 due Wednesday, October 6. Work through the first part of Assignment #6, Due date for prepared photos is October 6.
October 4, 6

More image preparation for. See Photoshop Help and atomiclearning.com in the Mac tutorials for Photoshop CS3. Do E. Web Graphics22, #3 Saving the Picture for Web Use. March 11: Construction of photo web site.This is the second part of Assignment #6 (B).
Class Lab: Prepare files for web site. Construct web Gallery using Photoshop.
Assignment: Finish Assignment #6B. It is due (show instructor) at the end of class no later than October 13.

October 11, 13

 

HTML, Dreamweaver, and homepages. See StoryBoard Doctor, http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/authoring/studio/index.html for clues as to what a storyboard is.
Class lab: Finish Assignment 6: Photo Gallery. Study the lessons in Assignment #7, the HTML tutorial page and constructing your home page using Dreamweaver. Be prepared to start on Assignment 7: Constructing your homepage and web site next class.
Assignment:
Read Chapter 3. Watch Dreamweaver videos in AtomicLearning (Dreamweaver CS3 Intro: A. 1 - 7; B, C, and D.). Work on Assignment #7. Study for exam which will be on October 20.

October 18, 20
(Mid-Term Exam)

HTML, Dreamweaver review. Show web page layout design. Web homepage except for banner.
Class lab: Finish your web site Home Page including Gallery and other links to sites that support your interests, capabilities, and portfolio.
Assignment: Continue with Dreamweaver videos. Also explore the help menu.
October 25, 27

Home Page presentations. Start on Flash banner: Introduction to Macromedia Flash: a program commonly used for web animation. Flash player files (.swf vs. document (.fla) file type.
Class Lab: Exam and design and storyboard a Flash banner/homepage animated art or advertisement.
Assignment: Proceed with Flash tutorials to be noted.

November 1, 3

Vector graphics and the pen. Flash draw tools for making your own animated banner.
Class lab: Go to the Adobe video help section: http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/video_workshop/?id=vid0132. Click this link to a screen shot and use it to select the Program, Flash CS3, the section Getting Started, then the videos Using the Drawing Tools, Working with Text, Creating and Using Symbols, Understanding the Timeline...
Homework & assignments: Video tutorials (these are big files to download): Go to this web site http://www.cartoonsmart.com/free_index.html and download the Drawing Basics and Animation Basics 1 later if you want. Note that the Drawing tutorial takes an hour, but it's good. The Animation Basics takes two hours, so this is optional.
Explore Flash drawing tools. Go to the Flash help menu for help. Watch AtomicLearning.com A. Basics #1 - 2, 8 - 17, B. Working with the Flash Interface #2 - 12, and C. Modifying Shapes and Objects#1 - 19.
Assignment: Assignment 8: Constructing your homepage and web site, due November 15.

November 8, 10
Mid Term exam!

Animating with Flash. The concepts of timelines, keyframes, motion guides, tweening, and shape animation.
Class lab: On your own, do a simple animation using motion tweening. Show the instructor. Use the movies at www.atomiclearning.com for assistance. See http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/authoring/studio/index.html or the StoryBoard Doctor. See AtomicLearning.com and watch D. Modifying Shapes #1 - 12, E. Layers and TimeLine #1 - 5, F. Symbols Library and Behaviors #1 - 4, and G. Frames and Animation #1 - 12.
Assignment:
You may study the Flash Tutorials at w3schools.com. You are not responsible for the Button 1 & 2 tutorials.
Do Hands-On exercises 1 and 5 on page 71 as assignment #9. Turn this in on November 17. Finish class lab.

November 15, 17 Description of final project More animation: shape tweening, text, masks.
Class lab: Finish your web banner/site. Work on ideas.
Assignment:
Read Chapter 4, Sound on the Web. See http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/authoring/studio/index.html or the StoryBoard Doctor. Answer Review Questions and do Hands-On Exercise #1 on page 102 as assignment #10, due November 24.
November 22, 24

Intro to video and digital storytelling. Write a short story or a slideshow-like description that fits with your web site subject area. You can use the script example and template found here. Video recording tips. Lighting, camera settings, tripods, etc.
Class lab: Finish the Banner and include it in your web site (assignment #8) this week for sure. Explore Apple's iMovie tutorials at http://www.apple.com/ilife/tutorials/#imovie and storytelling tips on Atomiclearning. Go to the Extras and choose Video Storytelling Guide.

November 29, December 1

Digitizing, file types for Video and Sound. Editing Video using iMovie, adding voice overs, music, transitions, and photos.
Class lab: Be ready on December 6 to transfer video to the Mac according to the lab video instruction handout and Apple tutorials.
Assignment: Start editing video.
Final Project: Incoporating this video on a page in your web site is the final step for your project. Make sure everything works and is all in one folder so that the site can be transferred to any location. This is absolutely due May 27.

December 6, 8

Exporting for your web site or YouTube. Making a DVD.
Class lab: Edit your video.

  1. When finished Share your movie as a Quicktime and select the size that you need. For an example, see web Movie test here. It shows the movie in a page.
  2. Now make sure your movie is placed in your web site Root folder. Use Menu Insert, Media, Plug-in command in Dreamweaver to insert your movie into your page. Using the properties box, set the size of the plug-in to the same horizontal size of the movie, then add 20 pixels to the verical size of the movie and enter that. Do a Preview in browser to check it.
  3. Name your site folder with DM77_YourName_Sp-10 and test it thoroughly to see that it works. Do this by draging the ndex.html page to your browser. Have someone else test it too.
  4. Copy the whole site folder by holding the option Key down and draging the folder to the Class Box, RBeede folder, and dropping it on the Drop Box. It will come up with a message that says you will not be able to see it. It has just been dropped into a Black Hole ready for showing on final day.
    Assignment
    : Finish all assignments if you can!!!!!!!!!!
December 13, 8:00 to 10:00 AM Final web site presentations! Everone must attend. No exceptions. See above for help.

 


Syllabus, R Beede, Gavilan