The Campaign Trail

2008-2009 Entry #2

On November 4th, 2008 The United States of America elected their new president, Barack Obama.  Prior to this historic election both candidates - John Mc Cain and Barack Obama - promoted their platforms through ad campaigns.  Take a look at the following advertisement and tell us what you think of it.  What campaign issues are brought to light in this advertisement?  What is Obama's message to the American people?  Is this an effective ad campaign?  Why or why not?

And for your viewing pleasure, this commercial was based on a very popular commercial from 2000:

Welcome Class of 2008-2009!

2008-2009 - Entry #1

As part of your media arts / communications technology course you will be required to create and maintain your own media arts / comm tech blog.  Blogging has quickly become a very popular form of communication and online journaling.

Through this course you will be required to reply to six different media / technology issues or topics that will be posted here for you to respond to on your own blog.  Each response must be no less than 300 words and should have discussions relevant to media arts and communications technology.  You will also be required to respond to 6 other people's blogs with thoughtful ideas and comments.  The evaluation for this unit is found in your unit guide. Once you have completed all tasks (which will take you several months) you will submit your unit guide, with a list of the six blogs that you responded to, for evaluation.

Happy Blogging!!!

Bigthink.com: Conversations about the BIG questions

Grade Ten Media Arts Entry #7

Bigthink.com is a new online presence that is increasingly becoming known as the "smart Youtube".  Bigthink.com brings experts, celebrities and the public into a conversation about the big questions that face us today.  On it you will find the likes of Moby talking about why he is avegan, John Legend discussing Oprah's influence, Senetor Ted Kennedy speaking about democracy and education along side everyday people who choose to join the conversation.  Bigthink developers believe that one of the biggest hurdles that they face is the shrinking attention spans of the average person on the net.  In our YouTube/MSN/instant noodle world, how can people enter into a deep discussion about such things as poverty, love or the environment if people possess attention spans that last as long as TV commercials?  View one expert's discussion on a topic that interests you and then respond to that video on your blog.  Finally, talk about the concept of Bigthink.com and its attempt to bring intelligent and interesting conversation to the internet.

Ec(h)o...

Grade Ten Blog Entry #6

Well it came and it went and yes we survived and experienced another Mary Ward Art Show!  Ec(h)o was a huge success and was certainly a great week for celebrating all of the fabulous talent that you the Mary Ward students possess.  For your last blog entry of the year, share your photos, stories and experiences of Ec(h)o!

Are You a Right Clicka or an iBook Flippa?

Grade 10 Blog Entry #5

The war between Mac and PC has been waging for about a decade now.  While some swear by their Mac (believeing that its' aesthetically-pleasing design and user-friendly interface is well worth the price), PC followers believe that it is all "iHype" and the the universality of the PC and its' affordability is hard to beat.  Watch the following video which pokes funs at this rivalry and after doing some research about Mac and PC specifications (ex: operating systems, hardware, software and typical usage) explain which platform you believe is better and why?

You can also check out their website: www.macorpc.org

Facebook and Education ... a New Partnership?

Grade 10 Blog Entry #4 

Well let's face it - facebook is here and it is here to stay.  There are few of us out there that don't have a Facebook account.  We have been seeing Facebook in and out of the news and once again - there is another news story about Facebook.  This time the story is not about students using Facebook for the wrong - but simply as a study tool - an educational resource.

Read the following articles, as well as the comments left by other readers.

CTV News Article

City TV News Article

What do you think about the whole situation? Do you feel the university is in the right or the student?  Do you see how facebook could be used as an educational tool or is it simply a social utility?

When Graphic Artists Get Bored...

Grade Ten Blog Entry #3

Graphic artists are generally known for their sense of humour and their ability to "think outside the box".  Watch the following YouTube Video entitled "When Graphic Artists Get Bored" in which you will see the visual wit of graphic artists who use Photoshop to amuse themselves and others.

Which image do you think is the most interesting? Why? Describe step-by-step how you believe the graphic artist was able to achieve this hybrid image in Photoshop.