The End.

We have come to the end of the semester, and for me, the end of my time at ESC, so it’s very exciting.  This class was my favorite. I liked the fact that it was different than all the other classes I’ve taken. I liked the creativity and choice it offered.  I’ll have to remember to thank my Mentor, Frances.  When I had to choose an art class, she pretty much insisted (in the best possible way) I take this one. Of course she left it ultimately up to me, but she HIGHLY recommended it and I’m really glad she did.  Lastly, before I sign off, I need to give a big shout out to Team Pawsome for an amazing job on our collaboration video! Thanks Danielle and Bianca!

Here is my final selfie video.

Platform: Adobe Spark

Script:

Hi everyone I really enjoyed taking this class I enjoyed being able to get to know you through discussion posts.  It’s really cool that we were able to view each other’s projects and hear each other’s stories.

I feel like the class has given me little bit more confidence in myself in terms of my creativity. When I first signed up for the class I was actually kind of worried about it and I was afraid I wasn’t going to be able to do what I needed to do to succeed.  Once I did my first story I realized, wow I can actually do this, so that was really cool, and I’m hoping that I will continue to sort of jump outside of my comfort zone and try new things and see where it leads me.

So after taking the class I view stories differently.  I watch a video on YouTube and I view it as more than just a video on YouTube I think about it more in terms of the process and what the storyteller is actually trying to tell so, I think that’s kind of cool.

I’m hoping that moving forward I have the opportunity to explore my creativity  a little bit more and maybe create new stories in the future. So good luck to everybody, bye.

The End (finally…)

Made with Adobe Spark Video

Learn more at spark.adobe.com

Click here for the Adobe Spark Video link

Works cited:

“Communicate with Impact.” Adobe Spark, www.spark.adobe.com. Accessed 31 May 2017.

“My Final Selfie.” YouTube, uploaded by Kathy M, 20 August 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0wlxJE0nvE&feature=youtu.be

 *Disclaimer: Clicking on the links above to view our story video will bring you to the YouTube and Adobe Spark website.

Click here for YouTube ‘s Privacy Policy:

Click on the following links for Adobe Spark’s

Privacy Policy: http://www.adobe.com/privacy.html

Terms of Use: http://www.adobe.com/legal/terms.html

Community Guidelines: https://spark.adobe.com/community-guidelines

 

 

Help Save A Life

Please enjoy our collaborating for a cause video.

Collaborating for a Cause – Team Pawsome

By Kathleen Mccoy, Danielle Duke, and Bianca Karayan

Platform Used: Adobe Spark

Script

Slide 1

Text: “I looked at all the caged animals in the shelter… the cast-offs of human society. I saw in their eyes love and hope, fear and dread, sadness and betrayal. And I was angry.

Slide 2

Text: “God” I said, this is terrible! God was silent for a moment and then he spoke softly, “I have done something” He replied. “I created you”. – Jim Willis

Slide 3

Narration: Each year, approximately 6.5 million companion animals enter U.S. animal shelters nationwide.

Slide 4 

Narration: Overpopulation in shelters is a problem. Each year approximately 1.5 million animals are euthanized.

Slide 5

Narration: We need to do our part and help as many animals as we can. There is so much to be done and it starts with us.

Slide 6

Photo only

Slide 7

Narration: Animals deserve safety, love, care and a happy home.

Slide 8

Narration/Text: “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. It’s not. “ – Dr. Seuss

Slide 9

Narration/Text: So what can you do to help?

Slide 10

Narration: Adpot!

Slide 11

Narration: Pet adoption from shelters gives displaced animals the homes they need.

Slide 12

Video only

Slide 13 

Narration: But what are the advantages?

Slide 14

Narration: You are saving a life and gaining a furry family member!

Slide 15

Video only

Slide 16

Narration: Most animal shelter adoptions charge only small fees and include up to date shots and spay and neutering.

Slide 17

Narration: Many shelter pets are already house-trained and are ready to join a family.

Slide 18

Narration: Because of overburdened shelters, adoption makes room for more needy animals.

Slide 19

Narration: What else can you do?

Slide 20

Narration: Volunteer at your local Shelter!

Slide 21

Photo only

Slide 22

Narration: You can volunteer to take animals on walks.

Slide 23

Photo only

Slide 24

Narration: Narration: Play time and snuggles are always wanted!

Slide 25

Photo only

Slide 26

Narration: You can donate!

Slide 27

Narration: Donate canned or bagged food to your local shelter.

Slide 28

Photo only

Slide 29

Narration: Treats and toys are ALWAYS helpful donations too.

Slide 30

Video only

Slide 31

Narration: Your Donations go directly to the love and care of Shelter Animals.

Slide 32

Narration: So go out there and help your local Animal Shelter!

Slide 33

Video only

Slide 34

Photo only

Slide 35

Photo only

Slide 36

Narration: Choose adoption, volunteer and donate to help save a life!

Slide 37

Photo only

Slide 38

Photo only

Slide 39

Text: ASPCA Giving Day is August 29th

Please donate at

http://www.aspca.org

Slide 40

Text: Sources:

ASPCA. http://www.aspca.org. Accessed 9 August 2017.

Humane Society. http://www.humanesociety.org. Accessed 9 August 2017.

Quotes:

Slide 1 – Jim Willis, Author and Animal Advocate

Slide 7 – Dr Seuss, Author

Slide 41

Credits

Text: Written By: Danielle Duke and Kathy McCoy 

Narration (In order): Kathy McCoy, Danielle Duke, Bianca Karayan

Images: Danielle Duke, Kathy McCoy

Video: Danielle Duke

Editing: Kathy McCoy

Music/Icons: Adobe Spark

Slide 42

Text: Made with Adobe Spark Video

         Learn more at spark.adobe.com

Adobe Spark Link: https://spark.adobe.com/video/UsBhPgJQ4RZGe

Works cited

“Communicate with Impact.” Adobe Spark, www.spark.adobe.com. Accessed 31 May 2017.

“Help Save A Life.” YouTube, uploaded by Kathy M, 13 August 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0wlxJE0nvE&feature=youtu.be

 *Disclaimer: Clicking on the links above to view our story video will bring you to the YouTube and Adobe Spark website.

Click here for YouTube ‘s Privacy Policy:

Click on the following links for Adobe Spark’s

Privacy Policy: http://www.adobe.com/privacy.html

Terms of Use: http://www.adobe.com/legal/terms.html

Community Guidelines: https://spark.adobe.com/community-guidelines

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

 

Image from Alamy.com

Disclaimer:  I feel like I’m often complaining in these posts, but I think it is somewhat cathartic to be able to put my feelings into words, so I go just with it…

Here we are, nearing the end, in the final module of the class. What seemed extremely daunting on the first day, now actually seems doable. I am proud of what I have accomplished in this class. I am happy with the stories that I have done, they exceeded my expectations, which, I guess, is not that difficult when you set the bar as low as I did…   The support from everyone in the class, with these projects has been amazing!

While I do see the light at the end of the tunnel, I still have a lot of work in front of me and I am trying really hard not to get stressed over it. I am taking 2 additional classes as well, so at times I do feel a bit overwhelmed. I often spend hours a day working on assignments as the summer slips by.  I constantly remind myself it’s worth it because on the bright side, these are my last 3 classes and I will be graduating with my bachelor’s degree! So that’s very exciting and definitely makes the light at the end of the tunnel even brighter! (In case you’re confused, when I did my selfie for the class, I mentioned I had one more class to take in the fall, but since then, I was able to add that class to my summer schedule – WOO HOO!)

I’m looking forward to working as a team on the final story.  I think it will be fun to be able to have creative input from others.  I am a little worried though, (I wouldn’t be me if I wasn’t) that it will take longer to complete than I would like because we will have to wait for each other’s input.  On the other hand, with my other classes, I can always find other assignments to work on.  So for now, after a rather productive Saturday morning, I can scratch one more blog post of my list, close my computer for the moment, and go spend some quality time with my daughter.

 

 

Guess What?: My Digital Story

For my digital story, I used a website called StoryJumper to create a children’s book.  The one great thing about this website is you can add narration to your stories. Being that this is one of the criteria necessary, it was a perfect choice.

While the website offers a library full of scenes and props to illustrate the story, at my daughter’s insistence, I illustrated it myself.  Please excuse the minimalistic illustrations and lack of background scenery.  I am not an artist!

Be sure to click the play button to hear the audio and click the bottom corner of each page to turn the pages.  I hope you enjoy!

 You can read the StoryJumper privacy policy here.

Read this free book made on StoryJumper!function(){function d(){“undefined”==typeof SJMakeBookOpenLightBox?–c>0&&setTimeout(d,100):SJMakeBookOpenLightBox()}function e(){/in/.test(document.readyState)?setTimeout(e,9):d()}var a=”https:”==document.location.protocol?”https:”:”http:”;if(“undefined”==typeof SJScriptLoaded){window.SJScriptLoaded=!0;var b=document.createElement(“script”),c=10;b.src=a+”//www.storyjumper.com/script/storyjumper-embed.js”,document.getElementsByTagName(“head”)[0].appendChild(b),e()}}();

My Second Digital Story

As I had mentioned in my previous post, I had a lot of trouble deciding what I should do for my next story.  For me, coming up with an idea is the hardest part.  After thinking long and hard and after investigating different platforms to use, I finally decided to create a book online.

I am using a website called StoryJumper.  The website is kind of cool, you write your own story and they have a library that contains scenes, and props to help you illustrate it.  You can also upload your own images which is a great option to make the story more personal.  While I think the whole concept of the website is really cool, I have been finding it to be a bit glitchy.  However, I often found that issues I was having were actually user errors. (oops)  As I was creating my story, I started to slowly figure things out and then it became a bit easier to use.  Overall, I did find it to be pretty user friendly.

Now that I’m done with my story, I keep reviewing/revising it just to make sure I’m happy with the outcome before I post the link here on my blog.   It’s just about ready to go!  It was fun creating this story and doing something for a class that allows creativity!  If you are interested in writing stories, you should definitely check this website out!

I hope you visit again soon to read my story!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One Story Down

meanstreetsoma.com

I managed to get through my first module and my first digital story, relatively unscathed.  One down, two to go!  Creating my story was way more fun than I anticipated.  I really enjoyed being able to view all my fellow classmate’s stories and it was really cool reading all the positive peer reviews.  Everyone is being so supportive of one another which I think is amazing.  Being able to see each other’s work is helpful because it can give us all ideas that we might want to incorporate into our future projects.  It also gives us the opportunity to see first hand, stories created using various platforms.

Now for the next difficult decision… What should my next story be about?  This for me, is the hardest part.  I can’t decide if “your choice” for the story is a good or a bad thing.  On one hand, the world is your oyster, you have infinite possibilities and no restrictions.  This makes it easy, right?  On the other hand, you have INFINITE POSSIBILITIES and NO RESTRICTIONS!  Ugh, this might actually make it more difficult for me!  I think it would be easier if it had some sort of theme or something, anything that would point me in a direction. Any direction!

dreamstime.com

riskinsight-wavestone.com

But we don’t, so I guess I’ll just have to put my thinking cap on, again, and try to get the creative juices flowing. Wish me luck!

 

In the Blink of an Eye: My Mobil Story

When I was trying to figure out what story to do, I was definitely feeling stressed about it.  I wasn’t sure that I was technologically savvy enough to pull something like this off.  I finally decided on my story and the platform I would use, but I was still worried.  As I started, I quickly realized how user friendly Adobe Spark is, and was actually enjoying putting everything together.  It was fun to go through old photos and make everything come together.  This was definitely a bit outside of my comfort zone, but I’m really glad I had the opportunity to do this.

I highly recommend viewing the video prior to reading the script.  I hope you Enjoy it!

Setting:

The setting for my story is Long Island, New York.  The video contains an assortment of texts, photos, and video that represents my life over the past 30 years.

Audio:

The video is accompanied by the song “100 Years” performed by Five For Fighting. Purchased through iTunes.

Platform:

I used my laptop to create the video and I chose to use Adobe Spark Video to do my digital story.

Script:

In The Blink Of An Eye 

 

Slide 1

(Title Page)

Text: In The Blink of an Eye

By Kathy M.

Slide 2

Text: This, is where my story begins…

Slide 3

Photo: Bride and Groom

Text: 30 years ago I married this guy

Slide 4 

Photo: A house being built

Text: We built a house

Slide 5

Photo: Completed house

Text: and soon our house became a home

Slide 6

Photo: Pregnant woman

Text: This happened!

Slide 7

Text: It’s a girl!

Slide 8

Photo: Newborn baby

Text: 1989

Slide 9

Photo: Happy couple

Text: (Fast forward 27 years and she is now engaged!)

Slide 10

Text: and they adopted this crazy girl…

Slide 11

Video: The crazy girl

Slide 12

Text: 1992, Baby No2 arrives!

Slide 13 

Photo: Newborn baby

Text: It’s a boy!

Slide 14

Text: Soon after, baby makes 5

Slide 15

Photo: Newborn baby

Text: Another girl! – 1996

Slide 16

Photo: Family

Text: Our family is now complete

Slide 17

Photo: 3 children (humorous)

Text: They grow, and they are beautiful

Slide 18

Photo: 3 children (humorous)

Slide 19

Text: and GROW

Slide 20

Photo: Mom and 3 Children

Slide 21

Text: And soon they leave for college…

Slide 22

Photo 1: Daughter #1 graduate

Photo 2: Son graduate

Slide 23

Photo: Daughter #2 at college

Text: A college senior, soon my “baby” will also leave the nest

Slide 24

Text: While my life might not be glamorous,

it’s mine and I wouldn’t trade it for the world!

Slide 25

Photo: 3 grown children

Slide 26

Photo: Happy couple

Text: Where will our new chapter take us?

Slide 27

Text: Credits:

(In order of appearance)

Wife – Kathy M.

Husband – Steve M.

Daughter #1 – Casey M.

Fiancé – Will S.

Grandog – Bailey

Son – Patrick M.

Daughter #2 – Madison M.

Story by Kathy M.

Music: “100 Years” – Five for Fighting

Slide 28

Text: Made with Adobe Spark Video

         Learn more at spark.adobe.com

 

Works cited

“Communicate with Impact.” Adobe Spark, www.spark.adobe.com. Accessed 31 May 2017.

Five For Fighting. “100 Years.” The Battle for Everything, Aware Records and Columbia Records, 2004, iTunes Digital music file m4a.

“In The Blink Of An Eye.” YouTube, uploaded by Kathy M, 16 June 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eeXVSqlduo&feature=youtu.be .

 

My Mobil Story: Can I Do This?

lukemeduc1049.wordpress.com

WOW!  I have to say, figuring all of this out is a bit overwhelming.  I did a blog for a previous class so I thought this would be easy!  Did WordPress change or am I just getting older and less adaptable?  I have spent waaayy too much time setting up the page’s colors, backgrounds, tabs, etc… It’s definitely time to put that aside for the moment and focus on assignments!  Did I mention I’m overwhelmed?

As I read through everything that we have to do for this class, I have to admit a feeling of dread passed over me.  What had I gotten myself into?  Is anybody else feeling this way or is it just me?  I have to keep reminding myself, to take things one step at a time. I know (deep down) if I break it down into smaller, more manageable pieces, instead of looking (stressing) at the remaining 12 weeks in it’s entirety, it will be just fine. Right?   After all, I have felt this way before with previous classes and have succeeded.

On the other hand…

This class is different.  While I consider myself fairly good at tech stuff on a day to day, troubleshooting my computer, kind of way, I am concerned about all the technological challenges this class is going to bring.  (deep, cleansing breath)

With all that being said, I did do some research on different story telling tools, and my initial instinct was to use iBooks Author because we are an Apple, brand loyal, family. (did I mention yet, that two of my kids work for Apple?)  A couple other options I found are Adobe Spark and Steller.  Both seem like viable options.  Steller is only an iPhone app and can’t be used on the computer,  I think my preference would be to use my computer. I’m also not sure if I will like the lack of audio.  I would love to hear input if anyone has experience with any of these apps, or any other suggestions for that matter!  As far as what story I’m going to share?  I haven’t quite figured that part out yet, but I definitely have my thinking cap on!

So, for my overwhelmed self, I guess I’ll just do my best, one step at a time, and deal with every (potential) obstacle when (and if) they arise.  I’ll try to remain positive and keep telling myself I got this.  And when all else fails — my tech savvy kids are just a phone call away.

commonsense.org

“Adobe Spark – Communicate with impact.” Adobe Spark.  . Accessed 2 Jun 2017.

“iBooks Author.” Apple. <www.apple.com/ibooks-author/>. Accessed 1 Jun 2017

“Steller.” Steller.  . Accessed 1 Jun 2017

My “Selfie”

The setting for my video is the Interior of my house, in my kitchen. The video contains one scene of me introducing myself. There is nobody else in the video. 

Script:

Hi, everyone! I’m Kathy and I live on Long Island.  I am a return student (which is code word for old) and I’ve been attending Empire for the last couple of years, studying Communications and Media. I will be taking my final class in the fall and will then be graduating, which I can’t wait!  I am taking two classes this semester and they both seem like they will be keeping me very busy.  On top of that, this is my life right now…

(pan construction)

I hope I didn’t make you dizzy. I’m standing in the midst of construction chaos because my house is in the middle of being renovated.  We our completely re-doing our living room, our dining room and our kitchen.  While It’s both exciting and exhausting, my house is in a huge state of disorganization at the moment and I’m really hoping I can keep my sanity throughout this process. I am taking this quick opportunity to film this without background construction noise, since my husband ran out to pick up some supplies.  I’m looking forward to this class and I’m looking forward to getting to know some of you, and I hope we have fun!  Thanks, bye.

“My “Selfie” Video.” YouTube, uploaded by Kathy M, 21 May 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsm0Xr1dvAc&feature=youtu.be.