New from Adobe

Speaking of Adobe … you might want to check out this blog post, Cool Things I Saw at Adobe Yesterday, which focuses on new software for animation and digital publishing.

It’s written by Steve Sloan, my friend and tech mentor, who manages the SJSU Help Desk in Clark Hall, and posted on his SJSU Tech on a Mission blog.

Be sure to check out the Liquid Layout video … very cool! And if you’re feeling adventurous, you can set up an Adobe user account and download some free “pre-release” software.

Adobe product info

My thanks to Jack Barnwell for forwarding a link to Adobe Creative Suite product information on the Computerland web site at http://www.uscollegebuy.com/0ab/asl.htm. (Adobe software is also available at the campus bookstore at student prices.)

Jack notes that “the Design Standard suite is probably the best choice for students on a budget for $200.”

It includes the following software:

Getting started

Yes, MCom/APSC 63 is a required course for all JMC majors  …  but it’s also your introduction to the software and tech skills that will help you land an internship and — eventually — a job!

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Please browse around this blog — click on the page tabs to check out the syllabus, class schedule, assignments and online resources. Start thinking about what topic you’d like to focus on for your topical blog this semester.

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If you like having your own copy of things, you can  download a copy (in pdf format) of the syllabus, along with the workshop schedule for your section of the class. Here are the links:

MCom/APSC 63 syllabus (s.1 & s.5)

Class/workshop schedule for Section 1 (M/W)

Class/workshop schedule for Section 1 (T/Th)
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See you in class!

Your final projects

Congratulations to everyone for completing your final projects…and just generally surviving the semester. Here are links to some of your Spring 2008 multimedia projects:

Tricia Alvey and Tanja Roelli’s Love Hockey site for Sharks fans.
Stephanie Bunting’s Perspectives site, which focuses on dealing with anxiety.

Ryan Mendoza’s Mix Vibes site highlights Pioneer DJ Products and offers a tutorial on how to set a loop.

Jeannette Minster’s Music Maven web site highlights new artists and where to go to hear good bands this summer.

Scott Reyburn’s HolyPSP site gives you his top picks for Nintendo 64 video games. Here’s a link to his podcast on his top five games for the Nintendo 64.

Brittany Romby’s Genetically Impossible site looks at local music and art shows and features her KSJS playlists.

Alan Potter’s multimedia project, The Art of Surfing, explores surfing in Santa Cruz.

A Twitter shout out?

Speaking of social media, I’ve run across a couple interesting blog posts on uses of Twitter.

On the PR Squared blog, Todd Defren, a principal at the PR firm SHIFT Communications, suggests that if you want to succeed in PR, you’d better become an active Twitter user. Why? Personal branding, early info, and networking.

In a post titled, “How We Use Twitter for Journalism,” the ReadWriteWeb blog answers the question: How useful can communication limited to 140 characters be for serious journalism? How about uncovering breaking news, interviewing sources, requesting info/help, and promoting your stories?

I’ve responded to a couple of tweets this week calling for ideas/help, and I’m thinking this is an excellent use of Twitter…kind of like an online “friend lifeline” or “shout out.”

100 percent SJSU

Check out the latest project, 100 Percent SJSU, by Kyle Hansen, the Spartan Daily‘s online editor, and friends. It’s a graphic (as in…using graphics) look at diversity and ethnicity at SJSU.

Click on the icons on the campus map to see the ethnic breakdown of students in each college. Note: in case you’re wondering, the School of Journalism and Mass Communications is part of SJSU’s College of Applied Sciences and Arts (CASA), represented by the medical icon.

New turf for job hunters?

As you set up your Linked In page, you might want to check out this timely New York Times article on “Looking for work on Facebook.”

The article notes that social networking sites like Facebook, Friendster and MySpace are evolving into spaces for professional networking as well as socializing. Several people also mention Linked In, with one marketer noting that “LinkedIn feels more appropriate for job hunting.”

Getting Linked

You’ve been experimenting with some form of social media for the past couple of weeks, and written about that experience (I hope!) for this week’s blog post. Now I’d like you to add one more social media experiment to the mix: a Linked In page.

Some of you brought up the potential problems posed by MySpace and Facebook accounts for people who may be looking for a job soon: these pages tend to focus on the fun side of your life and may not create a good impression on potential employers. Linked In offers a solution to that problem. It’s a more professionally oriented social networking site…more like having your resume and potential jobs network online.

So this week, please establish a Linked In account and set up a page on the site.

Also, if you haven’t yet created a link list on your blog, now’s the time to do it. Here’s what you should have in a links list in your blog’s sidebar:

1. A link to this blog
2. A link to your class web page
3. A link to your Linked In page
4. A link to your social media page of choice (your MySpace, Facebook, Twitter or Flickr page, etc.)
5. Links to the blogs you’ve been following for this class
6. Links to a few of your classmates’ blogs (optional)
7. Links to a few web sites that you find useful and/or interesting (optional)

Here’s how to do it in Blogger: In your dashboard, click on the Layout tab, then click on “Page Elements.” You should see an “add an element” link on the upper right side. Click on that and select the “link list” option (and any other options that sound good).

Also, please make sure you’ve got links to your video project on your class blog (in a blog post) and on your class web page.

Reflective writing assignment

As you work on your Final Multimedia Project, I’d like you to blog about it. Over the last few weeks of class, please write three blog posts reflecting on the process of completing your project, as follows:

1. Getting started: Near the start of this process, reflect on your expectations for this project. For example, what do you expect to accomplish? Do you think it will turn out to be a worthwhile effort? How is this project different from working on in-class lab projects? If you’re part of a team, how do you plan to divvy up the work? How much time do you think it will take? (Due 4/24)
2. Checking in: Partway through the project, assess how you’re doing and what you’re learning. What new things have you learned so far? Is your project turning out like you thought it would? How much more time do you think it will take you to complete this project? (Due 5/8)
3. Assessing the project: When the project is completed, assess how it went and what you learned…and maybe, what you unlearned. How do you feel about the project and what you’ve done? Did it turn out as expected? What parts of this project did you enjoy the most? The least? What were you best at? What skills do you need to improve? Did it change your outlook or expectations in any way? Would you recommend a project like this to another student? Why or why not? (Due 5/16)

This assignment is worth 30 points — that’s 10 points per post. Since it’s subjective, it’s mostly ungraded. That means if you complete all three parts, you’ll get full credit (unless you publish a post with a bunch of typos and errors – I’ll still take off points for that). That makes it a low-risk, high-reward assignment.

Fighting over sports bloggers

OK, sports fans. Do bloggers belong in the locker room? That’s one of the questions posed in this NYT article, Tension Over Sports Blogging.

Might make a good topic for an individual blog post. Here’s a taste:

Tension over sports blogging is one of the strains between sports franchises, leagues and reporters to have emerged during the digital age.

The dispute has grown lately between the press and organized sports over issues like how reporters cover teams, who owns the rights to photographs, audio and video that journalists gather at sports events, and whether someone who writes only blogs should be given access to the locker room.

Here’s the direct link: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/21/business/media/21bloggers.html?th&emc=th