Photoshop Screencast-O-Matic

 

I'm sick so I apologize for my voice!

Maryland Media Study

The Maryland Media Study was a fun little experiment for the day. 

I go to Mexico a lot, and I don't have service or internet. My longest visited has been over a month. So for one month I am with basic television (mostly shows that are in Spanish), no phone and no internet. So I have gone days without my phone and it is quite the struggle. I usually have my phone on anyway and I check it even when I know I won't have any new messages or internet. One month without these really does take its toll on you. ITS MISERABLE! I never noticed how dependent I was on these things, until I had no access to any of it. I get so bored without them.

It's great to have access to all of this technology and be able to use it whenever we want. The gadgets we have now are so advanced and you can do pretty much anything. I can spend my entire day on my phone or using my computer and time goes by so fast- yet when I do homework time can go by so slow. When I don't have these things though, I feel a sense of relief. No constant checking of my social media sites, no one to text or answer to and no internet. I have the worst eye sight and constantly checking all these screens often makes my eyes feel dry and tired. When I'm without my electronics, I feel like my eyes rest and the pain goes away.

So for this experiment I tried to go a whole day without any networked media. I turned my phone off and actually went out with my mom. We went shopping so honestly I didn't really feel that empty because I stayed occupied. When my phone was off, I noticed that I would still check it --only to find a dark screen with no new notifications or messages. It's nice to leave everything aside and just spend a nice day out and enjoy the world and your family with no distractions. 

It is a relief to not use these every once in a while; it helps break your dependence and urge to be on them 24/7. However, going every day without them would not be so great. Since I don't live with my family, my cell phone is a great way to stay in contact with them and for them to make sure I am safe. My Mac is also something I don't think I can live without. I use it to do anything school related and also for entertainment. 

I hope I can learn to take breaks from all this technology under my own will more often.

Composing Process

Finding a letter around campus was a fun assignment. I found letters in things I didn't even know existed. I started finding letters from gum on the ground to plants and buildings. I'm not much of a photographer (though I would like to be) so my pictures didn't turn out as great as I thought they would. When I looked at my pictures and tried to edit them on Photoshop, I wasn't very happy with them. I tend to look down on my work (I give myself a hard time) - especially when I look at my classmates work!

However, I tried editing them to the best of my ability. I messed around with a few tools on a letter W that was formed by the roof of one of the buildings. I rotated it and added a few filters on another layer. I was fascinated with the amount of filters and sharpening tools that are on Photoshop.

After speaking with Professor Dean, I realized that I hadn't come up with a theme. My meme is about UCSB registration and pass times, while my letter is a random W. I tried thinking of ways to tie the two together, but since I didn't like how my edited picture of the W even came out, I decided to change it all up.

I think my meme is pretty funny so I wanted to keep it and just try and find another letter picture that I could use. After class, I took a walk around school to see if I could find more letters. I decided that my theme could be UCSB life. I'm a transfer student so UCSB is still new to me. I walk around every day and still admire the campus' beauty and think about how lucky I am to attend such a beautiful school.

I live in IV, across from the dorms that are by the lagoon. So as I was walking home one day, I took a few pictures.

It's a little bit of a stretch, but I see a another "W" in the leaves. I plan to Photoshop the picture to make the W pop out. I'm not sure how I'm going to use the W and add it into the project, but I plan to tie it into UCSB life. I love the picture so I definitely plan on using it no matter what.