Brian Morgan Says Goodbye

Final Project


I've learned an awful lot this year in class. Being in the class was very fun and educational, there are only a few kids in the class so it's a lot on one on one teaching. I think the Sex Education video impacted me the most and made me aware of what can happen if your not careful. Also the No-Smoking videos show what smoking can do to you and affect the rest of your life. You only live once so don't ruin shorten your genuine life. Almost all of the information I learned this year will help me in the future.

life.http://www.youtube.com/user/WatertownHighSchool#p/u/2/nTPf464NG9o

http://www.youtube.com/user/WatertownHighSchool#p/u/33/NNENbL-rY4Q

I've had many difficulties with keeping up on the steps on the projects, but never gave up. I'm not very good at working with computers, but i kept trying and got to where I am today. I think editing videos can be hard but the video taping seems very easy if you don't rush through it. I think there should be more hands on learning than computer work. I wish we could have made more videos and got the feel of being behind the camera.

The final project was very intense and done in good time. The final project was pretty difficult and trying to keep a camera still can be a pain. This project made me more confident filming and more interested in filming even more in the future. My video was pretty good, but I noticed how many hours of work you have to give up to make the video perfect. If I had this class again next year I would like to make videos as a whole class and act out scenes. That would be very interesting and comical all at once. It's a lot harder than it looks and I am i interested in learning even more about filming in the future.

In the future I could use these skills to film weddings or even my children when I get older. This will bring back great memories and I could even go somewhere and have a career in filming events. This made my typing skills a lot better and I am more confident with myself filming.

You are very good as a teacher because you are very skilled in what you do. You know a lot, but rush through things and make it harder to absorb the information. I like how you are always there for extra help and want us to succeed. There isn' much to say bad about the class and if I was the teacher I would bring my students out a lot and film the surroundings. Overall your class is very good and I enjoyed it very much. Brian Mogan

Multi-Media Finals- Gabe Ferreira

I cannot believe it is time to say goodbye already. To me, this class has been an amazing experience. I feel that in this class, I have improved my skills with general computer usage and also video editing. Not only was tue class itself fun, the people in the class was also great and I was able to make good friends. Something I thought was lucky was how we had this class first period. What makes this class good for 1st period is that instead of going to school and having to listen to a teacher talk for 25 minutes, we got right into it with hands on editing and blogging. Another thing that I really enjoyed about this class was that everyday I learned something diffrent like diffrent shots, daily news and also diffrent video editing skills. One of the stories that influenced me the most was the 84 stories about no smoking. The 84 was a organization that held a competition about who can make the best video. The videos were good but there was one that really got my atention and really influenced my mind to never smoke. I also enjoyed watching the PBS Frontline documentaries. The one that I watched was called "Behind Taliban Lines" and that was about a reporter with a camera behind the terrorist group The Taliban.

Some of my strengths in this class was that I really enjoyed editing videos which made the class much easier. Another strength that I had was that I really love entertaining others which made me try my hardest in every project we did. One of my weaknesses was that I have a very little patience for little errors so when I messed up on the timeline, it anoyed me and I probably could've made an even better project if I was more patient. Something I wish we did more of was edit more videos other then doing so much blogging. I enjoyed the blogging but I feel like we did to much of it. Something I would include in the curriculum would be the video music that DJ Flack introduced to us.

I think I did pretty good on my final project. The idea of dancing infront of a green-screen to a Michael Jackson really went with my personality due to me being so goofy :). If I had this class again the kind of videos I would want to do would be music videos since I like music so much. To watch the Michael Jackson video click here.

Since I enjoyed this class so much and was good at it, I hope to see myself in the future making and editing music videos as a job. Since I learned so much in this class, I am going to use these skills that I learned and continue editing for a variety of people like my church and others.

I thinkthat Ms.Ventura's strengths were that she was a chill teacher and she was not much older then her students which made it easier for her to connect with her students. Another thing I liked about Ms.Ventura was that she was so open minded and also she was not afraid to tell her opinion. If I was a teacher, I would set the world record for the most chill teacher ever. I would assign cool projects and have many hands on things to do. I would make the class fun 24/7. This class was really fun and I hope I have this class again.

-Gabe

Adios.Addio.Slan.Goodbye

As this year comes to an end I am reflecting back on my work and experiences that I have had this year. One article in particular that I feel has influenced my life is the blog I wrote about the water emergency in Watertown, Mass. I feel that this most influenced my life because I first learned about this emergency when I was working at Shaws. At this time many people came into the store to buy gallons and cases of water that bucked up 12 registers. Not only did i experiences this emergency but I feel that it also taught me something. This emergency made me realize that most people in the world take the littlest things for granted, as for water no one thought we would ever not be able to drink from our home faucets. It showed me that the little things in life are really valuable and that we should not take anything for granted because we never know what could happen.

Water Emergency Blog

Besides reading and writing blogs this year I also learned many different things, some that were hard to do and some that were easy. In this class I feel that I had many different strengths and weaknesses. One of my strengths I feel was being able to learn and understand the different ways to use the program final cut. Understanding and using final cut was a good strength to have when I was editing projects because it made it helpful to do different effects. One of my weaknesses in this class I feel was being able to be creative when making videos. It took me awhile to be able to be open and try different things while editing, at first it was hard for me to use my imagination, but after practicing and making different videos I was able to use my imagination and be creative when making my final project. I wish we learned more about how other movies and productions are made and the effects they used to make them. If I could include one thing to learn this year is to look at all different types of movies and learn how they were made.

First made video

For my final project I decide to do a video based on my life. At first I wanted to do a music video but then I wanted to do an autobiography. Making this video I had to watch a bunch of different home videos and watching this reminded me of my childhood which was great to remember. From making this video I did grow a little bit in my skill. I learned different ways to edit my slides to make it look cleaner. I also learned how to transfer videos from a VHS to a DVD which was pretty cool to learn because this way now I can view things easier. If I was going to take this class again I would like trying to do a music video. I wouldn't want to pretend to sing in my video I would want to get different clips and pictures to represent what the song meant to me and I think that would be a cool think to do.

Final Video

What I will take from what I learned in this video is being able to express myself, I think this will be a useful thing to have as I go on in life because this way I can show people who I am and what I want to do. I also think this will be useful because since I want to be a doctor I think being able to be comfortable with what I have to say to say to other people I might not know. Through out this year I faced different challenges but were able to fight through them all.

Lastly, one thing I liked about Ms.V teaching style was that she kept up to date with the news going around this world and made sure that we knew it to. I also liked that we had to do blogs based on things we learned so we kept other people informed to. If I were to teach this class I would also like to keep kids updated on the news but I will also like to inform them on stuff they like and let them pick anything in the world to talk about. Ms.V also showed us other cool blogs with stuff that kids would be interested in which I though was cool. But if I were the teacher I would have kids talk about their favorite movie and put together what they learned and how the movie showed what they learned. Other then that I had a fun time in this class learning different things and knowing about what going on in the world.

Goodbye

During my semester taking this class I have learned a ton of information about film terminology and how to shoot and edit video.I learned a lot of shoots and how to film all of them. Some of the shots we learned were Dutch angle, Long shot, Close-up, Soft focus, Rack focus, and much more. We also learned how to use google documents to power point are film terminology projects. The last thing we did in this class was are video projects. During this project I learned how to film and I also learned how to edit. The hardest and my weakest aspect was the the filming because I didn't want to be in my video but I was. Editing was hard but I feel that that was my strong point in the class. I wish we did more filming because that was fun even tho i didn't like being in my videos. I think that Ms.V taught are class a lot because I learned a lot in the shot time I had her.

LINKS

* Film Terminology

* Video Project (The General By Dispatch)

Final Response

Visual Studios class was a good experience and I'm looking forward to taking it again next year. Not only was the class fun, but we had great students, I made new friends. I also liked how we had Visual Studios 1st period, that way we didn't need to listen to any teacher, we just had to edit our videos or blog, its a quick and easy class. I also enjoyed learning with Ms.Ventura, she's a really nice teacher and anybody can get along with her. We've also been blogging a lot about interesting news articles, It was a great idea knowing more about the gulf oil spill, and its drastic affects. I also enjoyed watching the PBS Frontline documentaries. I've watched pretty much all Afghanistan documentaries, and had more knowledge about what was going on there. My favorite documentary was Obama's War.

To watch Obamas War Click here

I've learned a lot more about multimedia, the next time I upload any video on youtube, ill be using skills that I learned in this class. It was great knowing all the different shots, and transitions. I've also learned a little bit about Final Cut. It was a pretty hard editing software, and we should have taken a bit more time on that. But other then that, It was a great idea trying Final Cut, I enjoyed using a new editing software.

I wish to know more about Final Cut, it seems really easy but once you start editing a video, you don't know what comes first. We should take a bit more time learning how to do different transitions, and shots, slow-motion, etc...

My final project went pretty well. It was a great experience making a video. I made a video about Pakistan's Military, it was my idea because not a lot of Americans know about Pakistan's Military, I've given them facts about the Military and its contribution to the War on Terror, and their commitment for global peace. Now that I've learned more editing skills, ill be more then happy to make more. If I ever get the chance to make a new video, Id make a documentary about one of the greatest war generals, the one in my mind is General Lee of confederate army (During Civil War).

Since I edit videos, I can see myself using what I've learned in this class. In my opinion it was a great class to have and I did learn new editing skills.

Ms.Ventura has no weaknesses, and classes went by really quick. I liked how we could use her printer in the morning to print out our homework, and I also liked how we got to class and listened to music while editing. I also liked how Ms.Ventura was a really calm teacher.

If I ever become a teacher, I'd be a cool teacher like Ms.Ventura. I'd also try to use different editing software just because they're fun to use. Finally, Id also let kids use my printer to print their homework.

FINAL FINAL FINAL

Dear Class,

It has been a wonderful experience working with all of you this semester.
I hope you will continue to explore this wonderful world of muti-media, information, and creativity that surrounds us on a daily basis.

As a closing (aka final) in blog format:

1- I would like for you to reflect upon your experience in the class. Review your blogs and your classmates. What information/stories most influenced you and your life (include links).
2- Reflect upon what you have learned in this class. What were your strengths and weaknesses. What do you wish we did more of? Would you include anything in the curriculum?
3- Talk about your final project. What was the experience like? In what ways did you grow from making your video? What kind of videos would you like to make in the future if you had this class again?
4- Where can you see yourself using what your learned here in the future? How will the skills you acquired be useful?
5- Finally, what are my strengths and weakness as a teacher? What part of my teaching style did you like and what part didn't you like? If you were a teacher how would you teach this class?


How this is graded:
1--Well written (grammar and sentence construction).
2--LINKS
3--PICTURES
4-THINK THINK THINK about what you are going to say.



Make these great. I will miss all of you!!!!
Ms. V

Links about Oil Disaster in the Gulf

A TIME LINE
INTERACTIVE MAP 1
INTERACTIVE MAP 2
PHOTOS
VIDEO 1: Coastal Community Braces for Oil
VIDEO 2: Oil Spill Threatens Wetlands' Ecosystem
Underwater Footage
President's Address
Ariel Shots

Oil Spill at the Gulf of Mexico

There is a horrible oil spill underneath the Gulf of Mexico,which people have been failing to stop. BP renewed an effort to use a dome to funnel some of the leaking crude into a tanker up on the surface. A similar idea failed three weeks ago, but officials said they have resolved some of the technical problems they faced last time.

Click here to read more.

Brian Morgan

BP the giant British oil company has failed again at fixing the leak that as been spilling into the Gulf of Mexico since the explosion that happened on April 20, 2010. The explosion of the rig killed 11 people. The leak has spilled millions of gallons of oil into the ocean and is killing animals and fish all over the region. BP has tried to cap the leak but their efforts have failed. In the new attempt they tried to take mud and concrete and plug the hole up but that also failed. Their newest idea is to send a cap down and cap the hole and have a flexible hose siphon the oil up to the surface. The oil then will be put on a holding ship at the surface. This is considered a minor fix as the permanent on is being constructed now and is said to be done around August.

Link to Boston.com

Deadly Israeli Raid On Flotilla

Israel has faced a huge amount of condemnation, and large amounts of questioning after they raided a ship full of aid for the Palestinians. Turkey, one of its closest friend in the Muslim world, had also taken part in the condemnation and had cancelled any future meetings and Military exercises with Israel.

Both sides blame the other, Israelis say the pro-Palestinians started it by hitting them with knifes and rods, and the pro-Palestinians say the Israelis started it by firing on them, and 9 of their passengers were killed. The Israelis also claim that the ship wasn't an aid ship, but instead it was a ship full of pro- Palestinians ready to start a fight.

The Flotilla organization says that the passengers weren't militarily trained but instead were normal people that wanted to help take aid into Gaza. There were around 600 passengers that were taken to an Israeli jail where they are being interrogated with, around 40 had been aloud to leave and the others are still held. One of the passenger was a well known swedish author.

Many ship have been aloud to come into Gaza, many have been forced to go back, and there have also been incidents where the Israeli Navy commandeered aid ships into their sea ports; but this one was the most deadliest way of turning them back or towing them into a seaport.

To Read the full Article, click here.

On May 22, a major leader of the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization was killed by a drone attack. Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, an Egyptian, was known to be Al-Qaeda's number 3 leader just behind Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri. His involvement with the terrorist organization was that he handled everything from finances to organizational planning. According to a Pakistani intelligence official, Mr. Yazid was with his wife, his 3 daughters, and his grand-daughter when the predator drone missile hit, killing all.

American officials say that this is a major victory and that maybe now that can help them locate Al-Qaeda's other top leaders. "His death will only be a severe curse by his life upon the infidels" said Al-Qaeda to a jihadist web site. Mr. Yazid was reported dead in 2008 to only return shortly after and resume his leadership with Al-Qaeda. For more info, read the whole article here.

Chicago vs. Philadelphia Stanley Cup Finals

Philadelphia, the team that had an unbelievable comeback to beat the Boston Bruins with a 4-3 series, is now getting pushed around by the Blackhawks. The Blackhawks have won the first two games already and have two incredible rookies, Kane and Teows. The 2nd game was close, but the Blackhawks pulled away with the win. Now Philadelphia needs to put all they can into the rest of the series, which is going to be an awful lot of work.

Brian Morgan

A Hidden Spill We Can't See

As of today June 1st the oil spill near New Orleans and The Gulf of Mexico is still spreading and we haven't been able to find way to stop it yet. Could it be, that there is a disaster in the depths of the Gulf of Mexico we can't see? Independent scientist and officials say there is a disaster we can't see, evidence shown that there is about two massive underwater plumes of what appear to be oil, each hundreds of feet deep and stretching for miles. The chief of BP says that there is no evidence of the huge amounts of oil suspended undersea, but this also the same chief who for weeks denied the amount of oil spewing into the gulf.

There has been a 24 hour camera to watch the daily accident of the oil on sea floor and images of dying birds covered by oil. About 20 million gallons of oil and possibly 43 million gallons that have spilled since the accident in April. But there is yet to be a camera to watch over the rest of the Gulf of Mexico that covers 600,000 square miles and reaches about 14,000 feet at deepest point.

Many of the species that live in the Gulf of Mexico are in there annul spawning seasons. Eggs that are covered by oil would not be able to hatch, but those that survive would quickly die due to lack of plankton.

Our best hope to stop this awful accident is to drill a relief well diagonally into the gushing well but doing this would take up until late August. This processes is also a trial-and-error and could take up to weeks but it will eventually work.

Click To Read More

By: Samantha Jewers