Category: Communications Technology

Google Classroom App

Google Classroom App Store Banner

If you have a smartphone, please go into the app store (see links below) and install the Google Classroom app. This will allow you to get Classroom notifications which will help you be more successful in this class.

IOS
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google-classroom/id924620788?mt=8

Android
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.classroom&hl=en_US

I also recommend that you check your school board email account daily for any notifications from Google Classroom, especially to check for any comments I have made on your submissions.

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Students’ Favourite Affinity Designer Tutorials

At the end of this semester I asked the Communications Technology students to share which Affinity Designer tutorials were their favourites and why.

Following are their responses.

Creamsicle Vector
https://bit.ly/2FBzSbl

This was one of the tutorials that I found on my own, and I really enjoyed it. It was a fun tutorial that involved using a lot of basic tools in different ways to create a fun illustration.

Some of the skills used were masking, subtracting, changing stroke size, and changing fill opacity.

Retro Tutorial
https://bit.ly/2JSy93I

I enjoyed this tutorial as it involved a little bit of everything and taught me about reflections and node tools. It also got me to experiment with different tools and techniques.

I also learned the importance of grouping as it becomes very messy when there are 20 different lines and none were labeled.

Cute Rooster
https://bit.ly/2JVi1yJ

I enjoyed this tutorial because the end result turned out good and the instructions weren’t complicated. The tutorial also allowed you to customize your rooster to fit the theme that you want, not just Chinese New Year.

This tutorial taught me how to make advanced shapes using the pen tool. It also taught me why I need to group my layers together.

Flat Design Castle
https://bit.ly/2QUfpAw

This tutorial was one that I found. I liked it because of it’s symmetry and simple style. I liked it because it allowed freedom but also wasn’t very vague in it’s instructions, it struck a good balance between the two.

Some of the skills learned were Duplication of vectors and how to make things look like they have value.

Volkswagen Van
https://goo.gl/nwnN5i

Image result for Affinity Designer - Drawing a van

I really liked and enjoyed this tutorial for a couple of reasons. One, it was a super fun tutorial to follow and complete. Two, it really challenged you at some points. Three, it was a fun tutorial to follow and I had a great time doing it!

Also, I learned new techniques for the program which were very cool for me.

How to Create Patterns
https://bit.ly/2CqJnXq

I really liked this tutorial because it was very easy to follow. It was very clear and concise. It also looks really cool and complicated to make when in reality it was very simple. From this tutorial I needed a lot of patience, there was lots of little lines and very exact spacing measurements I needed to follow.

Python Trace
https://bit.ly/2HIIZEt

The video does a very good job on explaining on how to do the tracing but after showing you how to do one part of the snake it skips forward to coloring.

This Tutorial is very enjoyable but very tedious because there is a lot of repeating work but the enjoyable stuff is that you can customize the colors and stripes however you want and the finished project that comes out looks really nice.

Captain America Shield
https://bit.ly/2sUUPqt

I enjoyed this tutorial because it used a wide variety of skills and showed off the many parts of Affinity Designer while showing you a tangible way to use all of them.

Some skills I used include using different types of layers and how to use the pixel persona in Affinity Designer.

Festive Christmas Fireplace
https://bit.ly/2HLlv1o

I liked this tutorial because it was the most interesting out of all the tutorials and it didn’t take that long to make and it helped that the program was so good and it made is way easier and learning how to use it and fix my mistakes.

For those that don’t know about Affinity Designer, it’s what I’ve started using in class as an alternative to Adobe Illustrator. I just can’t substantiate paying Adobe’s ridiculous subscription fees when there is a fantastic and just as capable alternative available for a one-time fee of just $50 US.

See https://affinity.serif.com/en-gb/designer/ for details.

Missed Test Policy

Missed tests must be written/performed within two days of your return. It is your responsibility to arrange a time to write/perform the missed test.

If you have been away for an extended period of time, extra allowances may be made. This must be arranged the day you return. Again, it is your responsibility to make these arrangements.

Quizzes may only be written by students in attendance at the time of the quiz. This policy is an incentive for prompt arrival in class and for steady attendance. Missed quizzes will result in a mark of “zero”. 

ePortfolio | Affinity Photo Tutorials

Copy-and-paste five of your favourite five Affinity Photo tutorial files.

Under each picture put “Tutorial: URL”, where URL is the bit.ly shortened version of the URL.

For each tutorial, include a short paragraph explaining why you enjoyed this tutorial and what technical skills you learned from it.

Ensure the page is aesthetically pleasing.

Addressing the Big Ideas (TGJ2O)

Respond to the following questions (copy and paste them onto your page):

  1. What are the three projects that you created that you are most proud of? Why are you proud of these projects?
  2.  Can you name at least six fundamental skills that you used to create those projects?
  3.  How did you use project management techniques to plan and develop any of your projects?
  4.  What interpersonal and/or communication skills did you use in in class when working with others?
  5.  How did the design process factor in when creating any of your projects? Name at least two examples where you had to go backward in the process at some point, and explain why.
  6. How can we adapt our use of communications technology devices or processes to reduce their harmful effects on the environment?
  7. What are at least three social effects and/or issues arising from the use of communications media technologies?
  8. How can the use of communications technology be used to enhance cultural and/or social diversity in society.
  9. What are at least two careers related to communications technology? What are the academic and/or practical work requirements for these careers?

Note! 

When mentioning specific projects in any of the above replies, include links to the project pages.

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Important Update from Remind.com!

If you are a teacher using the Remind service you need to read this! You will have to share this information with your students.

We’re sorry to write with a disappointing update. As you might remember from this summer, Rogers Canada was planning to charge Remind a fee that made it impossible for us to continue supporting text messaging for anyone with a Rogers wireless plan. Now, Bell Canada has decided to charge Remind a similar fee as well.

Please read on for all the important details—we promise to keep this as short as we can.

What’s happening?
To offer our text messaging service free of charge, Remind has always paid for each text that users receive or send. Now, Rogers and Bell are charging us additional fees intended for companies that send spam over their networks. Remind messages aren’t spam, but our efforts to resolve the issue with the telecoms haven’t been successful.

As a result, the Rogers and Bell fees increase our costs of supporting SMS in Canada to at least 25X our current cost. This isn’t financially feasible for us to support, and it’s forcing us to end Remind text messaging for everyone who has a wireless plan on the Rogers and Bell networks.

How will this affect you?
Beginning January 28, 2019, people in your classes who normally get Remind texts will no longer receive your messages if they have wireless plans with Rogers, Bell, or their respective subsidiaries.

What can you do?
To make sure people in your classes continue receiving your messages, encourage them to download the mobile app or enable email notifications. Our team’s also working hard on a solution that allows your classes to continue to use Remind by text, and we’ll share more details with you before January 28.

In the meantime, we’ll keep fighting to make sure Canadian educators, students, and parents have access to effective communication. To do this, we need your help: If using Remind has made a positive impact in your classroom, at your school, or anywhere in between, please ask Rogers and Bell to reverse the fee here: www.remind.com/canada-carrier-fees

We’re very grateful for your support, and we’ll be in touch soon with an update.

Sincerely,
The Remind team