The student learned to use various software programs in producing their magazine, including Photoshop, InDesign, Blogger, Prezi, GoAnimate, Pixton, PowerPoint, Bubbl.us, Final Cut Express, iPhoto, and Mac computers. They found some programs like Photoshop and Blogger relatively easy to learn while others like InDesign and Final Cut Express were more difficult. Overall, using these new technologies helped the student produce their magazine and learn valuable skills that they can apply to other projects going forward.

1. Question 6: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

2. New technologies Throughout making my magazine products I have learnt various things about new and different technologies. There are a lot of technologies and software that has helped me produce my final products and without using these technologies my products wouldn’t look like they do now. They have helped me a lot and I have learnt various things from using them.

3. New technologies which I have used throughout making my magazine. This is a list of new technologies which I used: Photoshop – I used Photoshop to construct my final products, I’d never used Photoshop before. Once I got used to using it I used it throughout the whole magazine. I learnt how to create a page and combine my products together and edit them. I mainly used photo shop to create my front cover at is it a single page set up. I enjoyed using Photoshop after a while as I found it easy to use and I found that I could download brushes and different fonts to make my products look a bit more unique. I found it hard to get the right layout of my magazine on Photoshop as I ended up changing it quite a lot until I got it right. If I didn’t use Photoshop to produce my magazines then my product wouldn’t have good alignment and certain things which it has now.

4. InDesign – I used in design to construct my contents page and my double page spread. I chose to use in design to produce them certain pages of my magazine because you can use more than a single page setup on in design. I had never used this software before, and found it very complicated to use, however after a while I got used to it as it is slightly similar to using Photoshop. I learnt how to create pages and make sure everything was aligned on in design, it was hard to use the tools on it however it is very useful as you can set up alignment lines so you can follow them lines to make sure that your work is straight and is all in line with each other. I have learnt so much from using in design, and now I have used it once for this product, I will definitely use it again because now I know how to use it and it’s very useful to present things in a nice and neat way. It also made my products look professional. One of the main things that I learnt by using in design was to create a collage of all of my work and combine it all together in an organized way, for example making it all fit together.

5. Blogger – I used blogger to make a diary of all of my work. I learnt a lot from using blogger throughout making my final products. I learnt how to make new posts into my blog, I learnt how to embed videos, upload pictures and I learnt how to layout my work in an organized way. Now I have used blogger for this subject I will definitely use it again, I find it quite easy to use and even if you don’t want to post something at that certain time you can save it as a draft. I learnt how to layout my work in the right order by setting the right dates of when my work was produced. If I didn’t use blogger for keeping all my work in the way that it is it wouldn’t be set out like it is now.

6. Prezi – Prezi is an online program which I used quite a lot throughout the process of making my magazine. I used it to make brainstorms of my ideas in research and planning, and I also used it to present my ideas in a way that is spread out in a sequence, a bit like a PowerPoint however it has a different technique to it. I learnt how to make these sequences on prezi, they helped me a lot with getting my ideas together. After using prezi, I prefer using it to anything like using a PowerPoint as I find it more interesting to make and I think its more interesting to watch as you can add affects to it. Since using prezi for producing my magazine, I have used it in other subjects, therefore I am glad I learnt how to use it as I think it is a good program to revise from as it is still educational but it is interactive at the same time.

7. Go Animate – I used this online program to produce an animation for one of my evaluation questions. I found it really hard to use, but the final product is really good, it looks professional and it is a good way to present your ideas and work. I learnt how to make this animation by following the steps online, it was hard, however after a while I got used to it. I learnt how to make a short video which consisted of an animated character talking about my products. This is a good way to present your work as the person watching it will not get bored and I used it because it is a good and unusual type of multimedia to use. From using go animate I learnt that there is a variety of multimedia that you can use to present your work and answers it doesn’t just have to be simple like making a video or writing an evaluation.

8. Pixton – Pixton is an online program which I used to create a comic strip. I used this comic strip to for one of my evaluation questions and I thought it was a very interesting way of presenting work. I made the comic strip simple short however it answered my question very clearly. I learnt how to create this comic strip online by just experimenting with it. I learnt that you can make things online like this without having to do anything complicated. From using Pixton, I mainly learnt how to create comics online, and how to combine them with your work and a question for example.

9. Microsoft PowerPoint – I used Microsoft word a few times during the process of making my magazine. I used it to present my ideas in a slideshow, which is more interactive than just having a block of text written in my blog. I learnt how to create new slides and upload it onto my blog using slide share. Which is another program which was new to me. I had used Microsoft PowerPoint before, however I wasn’t that familiar with it using it on a Mac, because it is a lot different, especially the layout and the tools. I learnt how to present my work in another different way, and I learnt how to create a slideshow and learnt how to add affects to this slideshow using Microsoft PowerPoint.

10. Bubbl.us – I used this online program to produce a brainstorm online, this helped me lay out my ideas in an organized way. Now I have used it once for my media evaluation question, I will definitely use it again as I think it’s a good way of presenting your ideas and revising. It was complicated to use at first however after a while I got used to it and it became quick to produce my ideas on one page. From using this online program, I learnt how to brainstorm my ideas online in an organized way rather then writing them down on paper.

11. Final cut express – I used final cut express to create videos, I used one of these videos for one of my media evaluation questions. I found it extremely hard to use this particular piece of software however I had to use it because on the macs which we use at college this is what we have to create videos on. I found that it takes a long time to make a video as you have to render everything in which you import into your video. However I learnt quite a lot from using final cut express. I learnt how to render videos, set up the scratch disks, make a video, add images, add text and put it all together. I learnt how to make a professional video from using final cut express, it was definitely worth using and I learnt a lot from it because before using this software I had never made a video before.

12. Macs – I learnt how to use the macs in college, this took a lot of getting used to as the software and layout on the macs are a lot different to my computers at home however I love using the macs now. I have now learnt how to use all of the software on the macs, like Photoshop, Microsoft office programs and iphoto etc. I found it very interesting using the macs to produce my final products as I found it challenging but it was definitely a good experience and now I can use a Mac properly, where as before starting media, I had never used one before.

13. Iphoto – Iphoto is a piece of software which I learnt how to use when I started using the macs I used this piece of software to create videos and take pictures using the camera on the Mac. This became very useful to me because I created a focus group from using Iphoto. I learnt how to record videos, watch them and embed them into final cut express so I could put them on to my blog. I found it quite easy to use Iphoto as it was quite straight forward. I definitely would use Iphoto again as I have learnt a lot from it.

14. I have learnt a lot from using all of these new technologies and programs. I wouldn’t have been able to produce my magazine to the standards that it is at now if I wouldn’t have used all of these programs. I have learnt a lot about these new technologies and I have definitely had an advantage to learning about these different things as I can now use them for different things. My media products were produced using all of the above programs and software, that means that I have learnt a lot from using them all, due to the fact that I have actually managed to produce my magazine.