How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Technology was crucial in my coursework, both in my research and my construction of my main and ancillary tasks, and without it I think that it would be pretty much impossible to complete both tasks. In this post, I am going to talk about which pieces of technology and programs I used, when I was most dependent on them, and what I learned that I can apply in the future.

Macs were important as they were what I used in class for every stage of the coursework. One program in particular that I think was more important than any other was Final Cut Pro, which I used to piece together and edit my video. I also used it to create the short film that I made at the beginning of the unit. I had never used it before and found it difficult to use to begin with, but after a couple of days I found it easy to get to grips with, and overall I ended up enjoying the editing process. Useful tools included the blade tool, which could be used to 'cut' clips from scenes I had filmed into parts, and the effects and transitions tools, which I used to create  The only problem  I found with the program was the uploading of the video - I didn't like the fact it took me several times to successfully upload my film and I grew rather impatient with it.

Pages and word documents were used to create my ancillary tasks. I was already familiar with these programs so I found it extremely easy to work my way around and make use the tools. Pixlr was another important piece of technology, as I used it to edit my pictures for the ancillary tasks, and one that I had used for my AS coursework. Even though it is free of charge, it provided everything I needed to make my pictures look as professional as possible, which is why I went back and decided to use it again.

I used technology in every stage of the coursework, but mainly in the filming and editing stage where I think it was the most important. It was also important in the research stage, in which I used a large variety, including the internet and T.V, but I also used physical texts such as magazines and C.D covers to conduct information for my chosen tasks. I also had prior knowledge of the task matter, so that came in handy when conducting my research, meaning that I could make less use of technology.

I acquired lots of new skills during the coursework, such as using Final Cut Pro to good effect and using the camera in a professional manner, and improved on the things that I knew and what I already could do with technology, such as using it for valuable research, which I could apply in the future and in other tasks.