SamanthaC Italia Tour

In theory, if you click on the link above, you will be taken to a Google Earth tour that I created to quickly reflect a trip I took to Italy in 2004. I am not very proud of the quality of the results, but I finally reached a breaking point where I just wanted the project to be over. This project really shouldn't have taken more than a half hour to construct, and maybe another half hour to plan. It has taken me four days to get any kind of working prototype, and by the end of yesterday I was in tears. I NEVER reach that point with technology. I'm a digital native according to the research, having been born in '82 and grown up with computers. This stuff is supposed to be a breeze. I found this program (and the equipment we had in the library) SO FRUSTRATING!!! The concept of Google Earth is wonderful, and I can see the tool opening up a world to students who don't get to travel or who relate learning in a visual manner, but I would never use this in a classroom until I had some formal training and better equipment. I still don't even know if my video will play....

One of the most enjoyable things about personalizing your blog is changing its appearance. I've tried getting different backgrounds from shabbyblogs.com, but I haven't tried this method of changing the skin. (See below) Hopefully I will find the time this week to do so.

As far as our discussion about what makes an excellent personal tale, I think it takes some planning and forethought. A rough draft of the idea should be written out, along with a storyboard sketch of the media that will be used. Once that's done, it should be reworked until a usable script is born. As the editing process occurs, intended audience should play a large part in the decision making. Who is the video for? What is its purpose? How long should it be? What needs to be spoken and what needs to be shown? What style of music will best fit the audience and the timing of the tale?

Once these questions have been answered and the editing begins in earnest, the creator must pare down the message to the absolute necessity. No extra photos, slides, words, etc. A time limit should be set for the video, and the editor must stay within the time frame.

Depending on the intended audience, each video will look different and convey a different feel, but they should each be compact, direct, engaging, and should accomplish their intended purpose.

Here is a mini documentary of my summer. I wish I had more pictures, but I was too busy experiencing life to take many pictures!