SPAN106

We've had a couple users this morning that have a problem accessing their homework/quizzes through a Pearson product that SPAN106 is using for course management.  The issue is that the site heavily uses Java.  All newer browsers are very restrictive of what Java plug-ins can do, because of recent massive security breaches.  This means they cannot fully use the site on any sit-down computer in our Center, nor can they use it on their own laptops.  They CAN use our laptops to access the site.  (Since our laptop are only imaged once a year, the browser is out-of-date enough that the equally out-of-date Pearson website actually works.)  I would say that this is only a short-term solution, and I will try to find out who to report these problems to.

Summary: If a user is having trouble with their Spanish homework and asks you to install a Java update, don't do it. Just check them out a laptop and it will work fine.

additional update on this:

They might also need to record audio in to the website.  In this case, our laptops do not have an internal microphone, and you will need to check one out to them. I would recommend the headphones w/ mic, the USB blue snowflake kit, or the Tabletop Mic kit.

2013 Library Fall Workshops

In addition to the iMovie workshop Cassy mentioned below, (by the way, great video, Cassy!) there are plenty of free workshops that the library offers to faculty, students, and staff. In fact, there are over twenty of them! Topics range from Orientation of the Center and Film and Video Collection to software tutorials and explanation of processes and services available in the library. Student Multimedia Design Center-specific workshops include Digital Photography Basics with John, an advanced Adobe Photoshop workshop with Nico, Production Basics with Hannah and many more.

Currently at the Center, we have flyers that contain each one of the workshops with a description, instructor, and date and time. In any case that you need to let someone know about a specific workshop, the flyers are a quick and easy way to answer questions and give correct information. In addition to the flyer, those interested can visit http://guides.lib.udel.edu/workshops for the same information. Users will also need to visit this site to register online for each workshop.

Don't Miss Out On This Great Workshop!

With the start of the new semester there's a lot of exciting activities that you can participate in on campus. From football games to club activities, your 2013 Fall semester is bound to start off great! However, don't forget about the exciting workshops the Student Multimedia Design Center has to offer.

If you're interested in movie making, or have to create a video project and just need to know the basics then iMovie: The Essentials is for you. This workshop "will highlight the many features of Apple's video editing software. [And] will explore the entire iMovie editing process from beginning to end."

When: Thursday, September 19, 2013, 10 a.m. -12 p.m.

             Wednesday, October 2, 2013, 2:30-4:30 p.m.

Presenter: Hannah Lee, Assistant Librarian

Where: Student Multimedia Design Center

Cost: It's Free!

* Below is a project I completed using iMovie for my Media, Design and Culture class.

[Second] Life As We Know It from cassygalon on Vimeo.

"I Have a Dream" speech and copyright, fair use

Some of you will remember our discussions of copyright and using movies, music etc. in multimedia projects. (You can search "copyright" in our blog and see past posts.) Yesterday's 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech has got some coverage regarding the fact that the speech is copyrighted and mostly cannot be used in entirety without paying licensing fees. One copyright lawyer wrote a column in the Washington Post exploring the issues. He discusses "fair use" and copyright cases and how they might relate to the speech.

Jumpstart your recording career for free with Audacity

Audacity is a powerful recording tool that is offered in the Student Multimedia Design Center. 

For those who want to download it onto their own machines, it is an "open-source audio editor that offers excellent basic production capabilities for a very reasonable price: free." 

If you have not had the opportunity to use the program, Jumpstart your recording career for free with Audacity offers a quick tutorial into the realm of Audacity.

Infographic Design Tips!

While looking around the internet for inspiration on my infographic project I found a great article that walks through the do's and don'ts of infographic design. There are a few good links inside the artile as well. I didn't know that Adobe Kuler existed until now!

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2011/10/14/the-dos-and-donts-of-infographic-design/

Do It Right Or Do It Twice - "Minimum Digitization Capture Recommendations" should save time

The Board of Directors of the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS) endorsed “Minimum Digitization Capture Recommendations” at the 2013 American Library Association.annual conference. 

The Recommendations were created to help libraries that are digitizing content to avoid having to digitize the same content again. "Institutions can feel secure that if an item has been digitized at, or above, these specifications, they can depend on it to continue to be viable in the future"

How can a library standard be relevant to Student Multimedia Design Center users?  By following these guidelines, one can avoid having to re-digitized materials.  For example, most of the Center's scanners default to 300 dpi, which captures text nicely, but 300 dpi is too grainy to show fine details in artwork or photos that are to be published.  An image good enough for a small screen may not be acceptable for use in a poster, article, or book.  This will be explained further in the October 14, 2013 Digitizing Old Formats: Photos and Videos workshop.

While larger file sizes require more storage space and bandwidth, files can sampled and reduced in size for use as web graphics.  For the long haul, creating and saving appropriately high resolution digital files produces files that won't need to be recreated if the image is needed again later in a higher resolution version. 

The Recommendations include File Naming Conventions for Digital Collections to help assign meaningful file names.  This may be eye-opening for people who let their scanners and cameras name their image files and never change them.