FREE DAY! and a survey! :-)

Since today is our last day of class before we go off on Winter Break; I am granting you all a free day in the computer lab! Before you all set off making a project on any of the programs we learned this semester or playing a game, I'd like to ask you for your thoughts about the class.

Please fill out the survey in the link below:

Media Technology Survey

Thank you for all your hard work and enthusiasm this semester! Have a happy and safe Winter Break!

Create a Project with Sketch-Up, Scratch, or Flash OR Stykz

Today you will have the freedom to create a project with any of the programs that we learned this past semester. Here are some project ideas:

Sketch-Up

• create a holiday village set in any place you like: the North Pole, Africa, Italy, New York
• build a robot
• create a replica of a monument or building: make it to scale

Scratch

• make an animated "talking" holiday card
• create a holiday-themed "Packman" game

Flash

• make your own holiday cartoon

Stykz

Stykz is a stick figure animation program that is really easy to use. You start with a pre-made stick figure and start creating a cartoon. Go to http://www.stykz.net/ to download the program.

Or any other appropriate project you dream up!

Animation with Flash 8

Adobe Flash or Flash is a program that we will use to create animation. You can also use flash to create games, movies, and even web applications but for the time we have we will just stick to animation.
Flash uses symbols, which is the name of an object created or used in Flash. There are 3 types of symbols:

• Graphics: images that stay in place
• Buttons: if you place a button symbol in your animation, people can click on it to start the movie, stop it, or other commands you give it
• Movie clips: Flash movie with its own timeline that you can place inside your movie

In order to create an animation, create a drawing on the stage. To move on to the next frame, go the timeline (which is located at the top) and right-click to insert a "keyframe."