IPT 286 Final

I have reviewed the other 2 people in my group. Here are the links

http://gelastacoridae.blogspot.com/2011/12/instructional-video.html?showComment=1323796850594#c2374570426842149006

http://teachingwtechno.blogspot.com/2011/12/earth-our-home-final-project.html

The second one is waiting to me moderated so it might not be up for a while.

Follow up on my PTP

I would like to give some more details on what I learned in Final Cut Pro X.

I learned about how to make parts of clips as favorites or as rejected clips.

I learned how to apply key words and ratings to clips.

I learned about the many different editing tools like the select, blade, trim, and 2 or 3 others.

I also learned about how I could audition clips on a spot and see which one I liked the best.

If I would use this for a project in class I could have the students create a video that explained the concept that we are learning in class.

Instructional videos

This is my instructional video about pressure.

Story board for Instructional video

Click here to view my story board.

PTP: Final Cut Pro X

This the final product of my Final Cut Pro X project.  As I did this project I learned about the basic organizing and editing tools of Final Cut Pro X. This is shown but how I was able to manually sync the filming from multiple cameras.

Even though this is a video of my wonderful nieces dancing, I can use the editing principles that I learned from making it to make instructional videos for my classes as well as making review videos for the class to watch so that they can see and hopefully better remember the projects and experiments they have done before.

The split screen tool could be used to simultaneously show several students doing the same project or experiment.

Any and all feedback will be appreciated.

Funny thanksgiving photo

This is a funny comic that I saw on the wall in the ESC.

PTP: iPad 2

I found and learned 2 useful and 1 useful feature of iPad 2 that I can use in the classroom.

Keynote:

Keynote is a very easy way to create very informative presentations.  You can add tables charts and hot links to youtube or whatever website you need.  One of my favorite features in the magic movie feature which lets images and texts move from 1 slide to the next. This can be used to greatly enhance the fluidity and interconnectedness of a lesson.

Solar walk:

Solar walk is an app that allows you to explore the solar system in real time. It also has many very useful videos that show things like size comparison of the planets.

Airplay Mirroring:

Both of these apps become even better teaching tools when used with airplay mirroring. This lets you send what ever is on your iPad 2 to a tv or projector connected to an apple tv.

I took this picture as I was sharing solar walk for the iPad to the tv there.
The best thing about this is that you don't have to connect the iPad to anything. It all happens over the wi-fi. 

When doing this assignment I learned how to use Keynote on the iPad 2 as a way to create and present presentations. I also leaned about all of the wonderful features and information about the solar system that are available in the solar walk app. I also learned how to share anything on the iPad wirelessly with a TV or projector.

As a teacher I would use these tools to clearly and effectively teach concepts and give them a better perspective of the solar system with the solar walk app.
One class activity I could do with the these tools is to hand around the iPad to the class and ask student to find different planets or moons in the Solar Walk app

Reviewed: iOS 5

I have been using iOS 5 for about 2 weeks now and am now ready to make a review of it. First I will review the update process, then the changes and what I liked and didn't like about each one.

Updating to iOS 5: I recommend you click download only when updating. This way you will not have to leave you device plugged into the computer during, what was for me, a 2 and a half hour download. Then just plug in your device and click update. Be sure not to interrupt the process in anyway as that will likely lead to a loss of all saved data on your device.  If this does happen to you don't panic all you have to do is plug your device back in and restore it to factory settings and click the NEXT to LAST backup with your device's name.  This might also take a while depending on how much you have on your device.  I had to do this but all was fixed.

Changes:

Double click home key while on lock screen reveals camera button.
             I like this update because of how easy it is to get in the camera app now, but I noticed that it does not put the app in the multitasking menu, which I found to be annoying.  Once in the home screen the only way to get the camera with hard keys if it is to lock the device and then double click the home key.
             Also something to note is that this feature is not on the iPad iOS 5 update.  My only guess is that it because Apple does not think you will be taking many pictures from you iPad.

Photo Stream.
             I love photo stream because it automatically syncs your photos to all your iOS devices and your computer.  I works wonderfully. My only complaint it that is doesn't work for videos which you still have to either dropbox or plug in to get onto your computer.

Documents in the Cloud.
             I was very excited for this update because as a college student write a lot of papers and being able to mobile edit them would be so great. However, this feature does not not work as advertised, yet.  I does sync your documents on iOS devices to other iOS devices and to the cloud but it does not sync to the apps on your computer.  All you can do is download copies onto your computer. You can't even edit it online you have to download and then re-upload it or edit using an iOS device.
             This is very disappointing but my guess is that apple will be updating iWork in the near future and that those new apps will work as they are supposed to work.

Safari.
             The updated safari only has tabbed browsing on the iPad but the reader function makes reading articles so much easier.  Also the reading list is very useful.  I just wished that I would save the pages for offline reading.

Pleasant surprises in iOS 5.
            The maps app now gives up to 3 route choices.  The calendar now has a week view in landscape orientation and the find my friends app is useful for meeting up with friends when they are close and allows you to hide from your friends if you would like.  Sadly this app does not work from icloud.com.


Thank you for reading if you have any questions please feel free to leave them in a comment.

Copyright assignment

Here are the 2 youtube clips and my comments on how they used copy rights.

This film was interesting as far as copyrights go because they were reviewing a product that they don't own. I thought they did a great job as they showed you how to find and buy the product.

This video was an add for a full length video that you can buy separately.  They water mark the website where you can get the whole presentation so that you can find it and if you use that part of it you will also show the website.

Reviewed: Apple's iPhone 4S announcement

This time Apple did everything that was expected and nothing more. 

First the announcement of features that we were already expecting was very nice. Things like iOS 5 and iCloud were much anticipated and now coming on the 12th this month. Sadly there was really no other updates for the iPod touch other then the fact that  you can now get it in white.  One App that we haven't heard about before is the Find my Friends app. This will enable you to allow your friends to see your location.  This can also give peace of mind to parents and the like being able to confirm that their loved one made to their destination safely.

The new iPhone looks the same, I think so that no one as to remake the accessories that already work on the iPhone 4. It has the expected better camera, now 8 MP and can shoot 1080p videos. Also the voice recognizing assistant is amazing being able to respond and understand natural speech.  The Siri assistant can also do things for you like read you texts and reply to them without you needing to do anything ask and speak. It can also reschedule appointments and create notifications access apps and information on the web.

The biggest let down of the keynote was the fact that this assistant will only work on the iPhone 4S.  Not even the iPad 2 will support it.

I am very excited about the automatic file sharing with iOS 5 that will automatically sync your music photos documents and apps between all of your iOS devices and your Mac. 

Just 8 more days.  :-)

My Practice Class Website

I have a made a template website for hypothetical classes. Click here to view.

Feel free to take the quiz in Physics and please leave any comments in the comment boxes on most pages or on this blog post.

The Creed of God's Army

As I listened to the priesthood session tonight.  As most of the talks talked about us being in a war or enlisted in an army or someone being in the military I felt I should write the Soldier's Creed down.  It is some words that everyone in the US Army memorizes and tries to live by.  Then I rewrote the Soldiers Creed as the Creed of God's Army.  Here is a copy of each:

Creed of God's Army

I am a Soldier of the Most High God. 

I am a warrior and a member of the army of God. I serve my brothers and sisters and live the gospel values. 

I will always place the mission first. 

I will never accept defeat. 

I will never quit. 

I will never leave a fallen comrade. 

I am disciplined. Physical mentally and spiritually tough. I read and study the words of ancient and modern prophets. 

I will always maintain my sword of faith, my armor of God and my testimony. 

I stand ready to discuss share and demonstrate the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ in close quarters. 

I am a guardian of freedom and the kingdom of God. 

I am a Soldier of the most High God. 

Soldier's Creed:

I am an American soldier.

I am a warrior and a member of a team I serve the people of the united states and live the army values 

I will always place the mission first. 

I will never accept defeat. 

I will never quit. 

I will never leave a fallen comrade. 

I am disciplined. Physically and mentally tough. Trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills. 

I will always maintain my arms my equipment and myself. 

I stand ready to deploy engage and destroy the enemies of the United states in close combat. 

I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life. 

I am an American Soldier

Feel free to share this with anyone you'd like.

Reviewed: Mac OS 10.7 Lion

The new OS has been out for a little bit but, I was finally able to upgrade. So my first impression of it is that it certainly feels like snow leopard meets iOS. Which leads to some good things and bad things.

Features of note include:
Launch pad Which I love because of how easy it is no organize and access apps that are not on my dock.

Full screen apps I love and hate. I love that if you are watching a movie in full screen and move to another "space" and then move back, before you would have to restore it to full screen. Not anymore it will remain just as you left it. I hate it because if you are web browsing and want to click and drag it to your desktop. Well you just can't.

2 finger swipe to change space/full screen app.
I both loved and hated this as well. I love how easy it made it to switch between screens. But I used to do that to go forward or backward in my Internet browser. Now I can either have one or the other. The magic mouse is not sensitive enough to use 3 fingers. So I have to choose if I want easy multitouch for switching pages or spaces and apps. Why can't I have both? I think if I did have multitouch pad instead of my mouse I could do that but I don't like that I like my mouse better.

In general it works very quickly and smoothly and feels like a very nice upgrade from Mac OS 10.6. So other then a few small quirks it is a useful and smooth OS.

Reviewed: Motor Trend's Best Driver's Car Comparison

This September Motor Trend held their annual Best Driver's Car Comparison test. There were 11 cars competing in the test and some of the results were quite surprising.  First what is a driver's car according to Motor Trend? "It's not brute performance or gut-wrenching grip. A great driver's car is about balance and finesse, about the quality of the interaction between man and machine. A great driver's car has the chassis and powertain and brakes and steering that enable the enthusiast driver to confidently explore the limits of its performance envelope on the track, yet remains engaging and entertaining when driven on the road. A great driver's car doesn't dare you to tame it; instead, it helps you maximize your potential."

See full Article here.

The results are as follows in order of last to first:

11) Lotus Evora S

10) BMW 1M

9) Lexus LFA

8) Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

7) Audi R8 GT

6) Chevrolet Corvette Z06

5) Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca

4) Porsche Cayman R

3) Porsche 911 GT3 RS

2) Nissan GTR

1) Ferrari 458 Italia

Thing to not about this test include the fact that the cheapest car, Boss 302, got 5th place. Also how close the judges were on the order of the Porsches in the results and that the most expensive car placed 9th.

The most surprising thing to me was that the Ferrari won.  I did not know that the 458 was so different from the Ferraris of the the past that were known for trying to kill their drivers should they make a mistake.

One thing that I did not like about this test is some of their choices of what cars to put into the test. Most of the cars are hardcore/ race ready versions of already good cars.  Many times this means that they are worse drivers cars. For example I feel that the normal Audi R8 V10 would have been a much better choice then the R8 GT.  Other then that I enjoyed this test very much especially the 11 car drag race.

A Movie for My Wife

Candy was really great this week so I made this small movie on my iPod for her.  The end has a little surprise.

What my Wife did Today that made me Love her More!

Today was a very busy day for me.  I had classes and or tutored straight from about 8am until about 6pm.  Then after that I had a very lengthy assignment that I had to do on the computer.  Candy was very sad that we had to spend so much of our time apart.  To make it better she packed my an amazing lunch which was so much better then having to get Taco Bell or something.  She kindly picked me up at 6 with a smile and after I kissed her she informed me that she was covered in feces because of an accident that she had when she was at work.  We laughed.  Candy made dinner for me as I worked on homework, it is so nice to have such support.  I took a break for dinner.  After dinner Candy continued waiting for me to finish.  Then when I was at last done, we were finally able to sit down and have a nice conversation about our day.  I am so lucky to have such a wonderful wife.

This is a picture of Candy in a garden in England making the flowers jealous.

Bentley Integrates Apple Tech into a Concept

Bentley shows us a concept in which they integrate 2 iPads a Mac mini and an iPod Touch into their backseat entertainment system. In this concept both backseat passengers get an iPad with an Apple bluetooth keyboard sadly you can not remove the iPads in this concept which could limit functionality, but it does keep them charged and in sync using the Mac mini, in the trunk, as a data hub.

My favorite thing about this is that with the a Mac mini as the data hub you will get 500GB of onboard storage. This would allow most people to carry their entire media library with them on the go.

Check it out here.

Motor Trend's ultimate drag race!!

Motor trend is in middle of their biannual Best Driver's car test and since they have 11 of the hottest, most desirable cars in the world. They did and 11 car drag race.

Watch it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDP7Pty8Qnw&feature=youtube_gdata_player

The 2 reasons l like this race is because the Nissan beats Ferrari and all 11 cars finish in under 13 secs. WOW!!! All of these cars would be quite entertaining to own.