Monday, May 18, 2015

Stop Animation Video - 2048

My stop animation video is about the game 2048. I chose this as my topic mostly because I thought it would be a fun project to end the year on. Also, I love playing this game so it's a good fit for me. Although it wasn't very challenging, this idea was actually very time consuming.
If I were to rate my stop animation video, I would probably give it an 8 out of 10. I think this is reasonable because although some people may not find it very unique or creative, it is very clean and well put together. Plus, I think it would've looked better if my images were cropped to just show the board. However, when I transferred them from my phone none of the edits saved, after I had spent two full days cropping photos. But it's not horrible, because I like that you can see the score as the game continues.
If I were to do this project again, I think I would actually play the 2048 game in real life using post-its and Expo markers. Although this would definitely take more time and the quality of the photos may not be as good, I think it would be really cool to see my hand "moving" the numbers. This might add a little more to the video if people didn't actually like the game itself.
My stop animation is unique because I was able to do it off of my phone and incorporate new apps. Also, each game of 2048 is different, so this is completely different than what someone might have played in the past. Also, I thought outside of the box by actually continuing the game until I got the 2048 tile. This took more work, but if not I don't believe my video would have a purpose.
On this project, I believe I deserve an A. My stop animation video is well put together, follows the requirements, and was turned in on time. Also, I think my audience will stay engaged and be interested by the game because they feel like they are playing it themselves.

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Unethical Practice

Why do you think that most people use unethical practices to cheat academically?
I think that most people use unethical practices to cheat academically because they feel like they have no other option. Some people are just lazy and go straight to those means, but others just get stressed out and don’t know what do. They try to work on the assignment/paper/etc., but anxiety has caused them to procrastinate and they feel their only choice left is to plagiarize. Also, some students think that they can be smart about stealing or copying work, but their teacher usually finds out.

Which one of the four offenses committed you think should have been let off with a warning rather than expelled? Why?
I think that the two students who committed collusion should have received a warning instead of being expelled, or at least the girl should have. She thought that they were just working together on the outline, and wasn’t aware he was copying her word for word. Also, neither of them knew that what they were doing was genuinely wrong, unlike the other students. In their eyes, they were just helping each other and didn’t even think that they could be breaking any policies. For the future, they definitely know their boundaries and what is allowed. However, I would definitely still make them redo the paper and potentially even give them a percentage off of the final grade.

What kinds of problems will follow the students with this on their record?
If a student is caught for plagiarism, it can stick on their academic record forever. If future schools or potential employers see that on your record, they will immediately begin to doubt your character and work ethic. Also, they probably won’t hire you or let you in to the school. Soon, it will become hard to build a strong future for yourself because of a stupid decision you decided to make in the past.

Search the unethical academic practices or plagiarism at the school you want to attend and see what the offense for these practices are.
At Stanford University, my dream school, they have a strict policy regarding plagiarism, like any school should, especially for one that excels in academics. If a student participates in plagiarism, ghost writing, collusion, purloining, or any other type of academic cheating, they will receive a severe punishment. An example of one such disciplinary action might be suspension or expulsion, and it’s possible that they might take legal means. The administration board would handle these types of situations and refer to any professors or advisers to uncover the whole story, if necessary. 








Monday, March 9, 2015

3/9 Sphero Investigations

Lesson 1: Time, Speed, and Distance - In this lesson, we found how the time and speed that you program for a Sphero affects its distance. For example, as the time or speed increased so did the distance that the Sphero traveled, because of the formula Time x Speed = Distance. We learned how to add MacroLab commands such as Roll and Stop, basic steps for controlling our Sphero.
Lesson 2: 2D Geomety - In this lesson, we had to incorporate geometry and angle measures in order to create a square, triangle, and pentagon. For each of these shapes we changed the color of the Sphero for each side (i.e. four colors for a square because it has four sides). To do so, we learned how to add the RGB command in addition to using the Roll, Stop, and Delay MacroLab command. We also added a heading to the Roll command to change the direction of the Sphero.
Lesson 3: Mean, Median, and Mode - In this lesson, we estimated the speed and delay needed for the Sphero to reach a certain target. Also, we learned how a difference in the speed affects the delay when programming the Sphero. Using the Roll command, we were able to knock down pins and reach a target with our Sphero.

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

3/3 The Thrilling Potential of SixthSense Technology

SixthSense Technology

Above is the link to a TED Talk on up-and-coming SixthSense Technology. This new technology concept has to do with the idea of interlacing the physical world and the digital world. SixthSense technology is able to mimic the motions of your hand and apply them to your computer, laptop, or tablet. The origination of this breakthrough technology came from taking apart and reconstructing the rollers inside of a computer mouse. From there, the rollers were made in to a contraption, or glove of some sort, that wraps around the hand and portrays your motions on the computer monitor as an actual human hand. Another feature this technology includes allows you to use a special pen to write on a post-it note and it will appear on your screen as a message or note. Additionally, you can send what you wrote on the post-it as a text message through your phone. The same pen theory is used to further digital art and architecture. You can essentially "draw" in the air, and your images will show on your screen. People who work in advertisement can use this technique to form images and architects can use the 3-D ability to design buildings, homes, etc. There is a small camera and projector that you can wear around on you that incorporates this idea of SixthSense Technology. It comes with coverings or gloves for the tips of your fingers to follow the movements of your hand. With any wall, you can project something, such as the home screen of your computer, and complete simple actions, i.e. checking the weather, using your fingers as you would on a tablet or smart phone. However there are minor problems that can occur with this type of technology. What if you don't have a proper place to project your smartphone screen? Also, with new technology comes many unforeseen complications because it's a new item and a new field of pioneering.