5. Additional Information about Remaining Assignments and Final Semester Projects

Hands-On Assignment 6 - Due August 2, 2007:

• After reviewing the Photo Story 3 Tutorials (listed on the Class Six web page), download and install the free Microsoft Photo Story 3 Software for Windows XP http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/photostory/default.mspx and begin creating a digital story related to your work or instruction. If the computer you normally use is not running the Windows XP operating system, try to find a PC that you can use that has Windows XP installed and where you can download, install and begin using the Photo Story 3 software.
  
  If this is not possible, you may want to try creating a digital story with PowerPoint, but please do this only if you have no other choice.
   

  Saving the Project File in Photo Story 3 (.wp3)
  When you are at a point where you are satisfied with your progress, you should save the project file. This will produce a   .wp3 file, which can only be opened with Microsoft Photo Story 3. It is important to save this project file so that you can come back to the project later and continue working on it.
  
  Click on the Save Project button from any of the screens in Photo Story and you will be prompted to save the project file. As we discussed in class, be sure to pick a descriptive file name, rather than the default file name the program offers, and choose a location where the file will be easy for you to find.
  
   

  The saved .wp3 file is the actual work that you have put into the digital story (picture editing, customized motion, transitions, narration, music, etc). You can save this as a working copy and come back to edit it later.
  
  
  Saving your Completed Story (.wmv)
  Next, you will need to perform a final save that puts all of the elements of the story together and allows you to view the finished piece. This save will create a .wmv file (Windows Media Video) that will be playable with Microsoft's Windows Media Player.
  
  In order to perform  final save will, you must click the next button until you reach the final screen--it will say Save your story at the top left. At this point, you are able to make some choices about how to save the complete story from a series of choices presented in a pull-down menu. Most of the time, you will want to select: Save your story for playback on a computer, as this will give you the best quality. However for this assignment, you should select: Send the story in an email message, so that you can submit a copy of your digital story to me via email, at: brobin@uh.edu 
   

  One More Thing...
  At the bottom left of the Save your story screen, you should see a Settings button.

  
   

  When you click on this button, another screen pops up with several choices for what size (in pixels) that you want to save your story. I suggest that you try either the 240x180 setting or the 320x240 setting when you save your story. Because you will be sending your story via email, the file size of your finished .wmv file should not be too large. You should experiment with the different settings to see which setting works best with your story.

  
  
  For more information on saving the project file, refer to the tutorial on saving a project in Photo Story 3.

  When you have completed the digital story, use the online submission system at: http://eclassrooms.coe.uh.edu/assignments/ to submit a brief report in which you describe your initial work with Photo Story 3, including:

  • what topic you selected and why,
  • what kinds of images you decided to use and where you found them,
  • what type of audio you included, if any, and
  • a description of your experience using the Photo Story software and whether or not you had any problems with the creation of your story.

  Then be sure to send a copy of the .wmv file to me via email at: brobin@uh.edu

Final Semester Project

Final Projects may be on any educationally-relevant topic and should include either:

• A digital story - either as a stand-alone project or inserted into a PowerPoint slide presentation.
  
  or
   

• A web site - as has been discussed, we didn't cover creating a web site in this course, but it is an option for those who already know how to create one.
   

UPDATE: Each project should include several of the following components we covered in class this semester. There is no specific amount of items that must be included in the final project, although you should try to include as many as are applicable to the project.

Final Semester Project Report