Tag Archives: Subscription

SquareSpace

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SquareSpace

squarespace logo-1

ABOUT:

SquareSpace is an easy-to-use web building platform that features lots of different templates, and types of pages. You can use it for free, or pay for a subscription and have your own .com. People use SquareSpace to build online stores, digital portfolios, or to showcase art and other projects. SquareSpace is largely drag-and-drop, it allows easy embedding, and upkeep. SquareSpace websites tend to look clean and professional.

Supported

PC, Mac, tablet, mobile

Pros

  • Looks very professional without a lot of effort
  • Relatively easy to use and maintain
  • Lots of colorful modifiable templates

Cons

  • Does require some learning – you may need to take a short tutorial
  • Free application has much fewer options
  • Some features cannot be changed or manipulated

EXAMPLES

Below is a student website from a SCAD student:

squarespace-example-1

Uses

You can use a website for anything – and it’s no different when you’re using a SquareSpace website. Build your portfolio, use it to present work to your professors, keep a blog here, or showcase your projects — if you can imagine using a website for it, you can probably pull it off here. And it’s more and more normal to have your own .com.

Hightail

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Hightail

taken from http://www1.pcmag.com/media/images/395413-hightail-for-iphone.png?thumb=y

ABOUT:

Hightail is a both a storage and a sharing application. You do not need to be signed up for Higtail to receive files, but you must in order to share them, or contribute to them. Hightail works on the cloud and can store all your files for you, allowing you to share a high volume of files like film footage, music files, or videos. It is more for business than for school, but if you are making large multimedia projects in groups, this might be the right storage and sharing application for you.

Supported

PC, Mac, Mobile

Pros

  • Allows you to share large files without a need for email
  • You do not need to sign up for Hightail to receive files
  • Since it operates on a cloud system, even when your computer crashes, your files are still stored.

Cons

  • Since you have to download Hightail onto your device, you cannot use it from a school or borrowed computer.
  • Unless you password protect your files, they may not be private to you and your colleague.

EXAMPLES

Because Hightail is a sharing/storage application, it would be invasive to show a student example. Instead, here is a video about how it works:

Uses

You could use Hightail for any class that asks you to share or store large files. Hightail may be most useful to film production students, but you need not be working with that much content for it to be useful.

Dreamweaver

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Dreamweaver

ABOUT:

Dreamweaver is a unique website building suite with all of the new web-building technologies like HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, SQL, and many more. Dreamweaver also provides tools for porting to mobile and tablet design. It provides starter templates so websites don’t have to built from scratch. No coding experience is required for using Dreamweaver, but options are available if you wish to take the next step. Dreamweaver is part of the Adobe Suite.

Supported

Supported on Mac and PC. Due to intensive memory usage, it is not recommend for using on tablets or phones.

Pros

  • Great tools for easy website building
  • Advanced steps for coding are there if you ever want to drop in
  • Integration with the entire Adobe Suite for easy file transfer between programs
  • Live View features create easy workflow

Cons

  • No edit in Live View
  • Cannot include reactive web templates without CSS
  • Steep learning curve

Examples

A screenshot of Dreamweaver at work.

Uses

Dreamweaver’s main uses are for web development, but it is easy to use for anyone interested in creating dynamic and responsive web design very quickly. It’s wide base for integration with other technologies other than HTML/CSS/JS make it one of the best hybridization tools for computers today. Use Dreamweaver for any project that includes web integration and stop by CURVE for consultation services or visit the Digital Aquarium website for Dreamweaver classes.

 

 

 

iMovie

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iMovie

taken from macworld.com

ABOUT:

iMovie is simple video editing software for your Mac – in fact – it comes pre-installed on all Macintosh computers, except iPads. It is easy to use, though requires more training than Windows Movie Maker. It comes with simple transitions, effects, and labeling to enhance your footage. You can film right from your computer, import your own footage, stills or music to create a video for whatever your needs might be. Once your movie is created, you can export it in several ways, in a variety of qualities, including straight to youtube.

Supported

Mac, iPad only

Pros

  • Has lots of professional looking transitions and effects.
  • export to anywhere
  • Easy to learn using a tutorial

Cons

  • May be somewhat overwhelming for beginners
  • Videos take up lots of space on your hard drive

EXAMPLES


Because it is impossible to link to an example of a work in progress – or a dashboard, as iMovie actually is – the link above is a short tutorial put out by KingTutsPro that you can watch to see how someone might build a simple video.

Uses

Videos can be used for a variety of assignments, or to enhance a digital assignment. You can embed them into larger projects or use them all on their own. You can pretty much make a video for anything you might imagine.

Adobe Premiere Pro

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Adobe Premiere Pro

 

ABOUT:

Adobe Premiere is the main video editing tool used in the Adobe CS6 Suite. It features a unique workflow experience to the Adobe Suite. You can add anything from almost any document format–image PNGs, video MOVs or WMVs, Photoshop .PSDs, and many more. Take any video and apply a wide variety of effects, compositions, or animations like image stabilization, lens flares, and audio voice-overs. Premiere is the industry-standard for video editing and is a primary skill for anyone working in the film industry.

Supported

Premiere Pro is supported on Mac, PC, and even on Tablets and phones in the new 2014.1 version.

Pros

  • Industry standard of video editing
  • Integration with the rest of the Adobe Suite
  • Features unique tools for editing workflow

Cons

  • Steep learning curve – you will need to use tutorials or classes to learn this application.
  • Tedious editing process
  • No “live edit” function where edits can be applied in real time

Examples

Adobe’s masking tools can be used to track any object through its timeline.

A video showing Premiere’s new tablet and phone app to export videos and share them

 Uses

Premiere Pro is used for editing video only, unlike Adobe After Effects which is primarily used for adding elements to video. Premiere Pro can be used for video analysis frame by frame, enhancing video, or making informative videos.

 

 

 

 

 

Weebly

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Weebly

WeeblyScreenShot

ABOUT:

Weebly is a surprisingly easy way to create a unique website, blog or online store. It is a drag-and-drop system that allows you to chose from many templates, and plugins that will help you create your page. You can import images, video, and text to help you create your project and capture your audience. It’s so easy, you can even do it on your phone.

Supported

PC, Mac, Mobile

Pros

  • The drag and drop dashboard is so easy, even a first time web builder can do it, with no tutorial
  • The templates are versatile enough to create lots of types of sites
  • No coding needed. Ever.

Cons

  • Because of the ease of Weebly, it has less of a professional feel than many other site builders.
  • Because there is no coding involved, you are stuck with the offerings on Weebly

EXAMPLES

There are several examples of Weebly website online. Click on the image below to see a page where you can click on a bunch of different student examples:

taken from http://wefed.weebly.com/student-sites.html

Uses

You can use Weebly to complete several kinds of projects. It is a great place to keep a class blog, or to create a website for a presentation, or a digital portfolio.

WordPress

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WordPress

Taken from: http://www.sixsix8.com/2011/02/hi-resolution-social-media-logos/

ABOUT:

Many people use WordPress as either a blogging site, or a website. This is because WordPress is versatile and has many features to chose from, both free, and for a charge. First, the user must chose a ‘theme’ which makes up the look and feel of the blog site. The user must then clear the WordPress settings, like the “Hello World!” post that comes with each new site. Once you have chosen a theme and written the first post, there are a number of options you have, each specific to the theme you have chosen, including but not limited to – video streaming, media hosting, static pages, menus, and a variety of widget and plugins to enhance your site.

Supported

Mac, PC, Mobile, Tablet

Pros

  • Multi-Use tool
  • Easy to use and maintain once you get the hang of it
  • One user may host over 10 blogs using the same login

Cons

  • It takes a long time to design your blog or website, and this can be a difficult experience for new users.
  • Some themes will allow certain actions, while others will not – or will ask for them to be performed differently. This can be confusing and frustrating.

EXAMPLES

This blog won an award in 2012 for best student blog. Consider the layout, color choice and content arrangement as you look through the example. Click on the image below to be taken to the full site:

WordPress-2

 

Uses

Blogs can be used for any number of projects. A blog can be built to look like a website, or to keep a log of content like the example above.

You may be asked to keep a blog for a class, or you may elect to use the blog application to showcase a project, or keep your own personal record of your learning. The blog is only as limited as your imagination.

Timetoast

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Timetoast

TimetoastScreenShot 2

 

ABOUT:

Using Timetoast, you can create simple, clean timelines that are shareable, and presentable. The continuum of dates along the bottom of your timeline uses plot-points that can be inserted that enlarge when clicked. Each plotted point can be filled in with images and data specific to the history or narrative you want to convey to your audience.

Pros

  • Creators can easily insert media (video, photos, audio clips)
  • Viewers can interact with the timeline to learn more
  • Spans of time can be added along the bottom of the timeline
  • Can have multiple events at the same time

Cons

  • Must add specific day/month/year
  • Pop-up explanations can sometime be distracting
  • Not much customization with the look and feel in the free version
  • Does not print, can only be shown online

EXAMPLES

The example below incorporates images and text on specific events in the timeline and includes spans of time to show when movements began and ended.

TimelineIDTExample 2

Uses

Timetoast is a great tool to use when creating timelines for classes like History, Literature, or even a report on the background of your favorite politician or scientist, especially when you want to incorporate more than just text. It can be used as a presentation, or can be something you feature in a blog post or a group project on another site.

Prezi

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Prezi

PreziScreenShot

ABOUT:

Prezi is a free  presentation tool that allows you to zoom in and out of content so you can present with more than just flat slides. You can chose from a template, as you can see in the screen shot above, and insert your own text, video, photos, and more, or you can start from scratch and build your own presentation with a book cover backdrop, or a photo that correlates to your research. Prezi moves from frame to frame in a fun way that can make a viewer dizzy, so be careful, but Prezi also allows you to zoom in ways that can make a presentation on, say, the solar system, quite amazing.

Supported

Prezi operates on Mac, PC, iPad and iPhone

Pros

  • Interesting and exciting if designed well
  • Embedding capabilities allow you to be able to play youtube videos and other media right inside the presentation
  • Backgrounds and images are fully customizable

Cons

  • Can be too flashy and distracting if not designed well
  • Free Prezi version is always public

EXAMPLES


In the above post, the student used a template that goes along with her topic. She did alter the template a little, which Prezi allows the user to do. Also, because the free Prezi tool is public, the user can share her content anywhere on the web, which is how it is embedded here.


The above Prezi is a book recommendation presentation that plays with the zooming feature Prezi allows. This student chose to use Prezi in a way that would enhance his presentation and take advantage of the storyline featured in the book he talks about.

Uses

Prezi can be used to present information, an argument, or to give a proposal. It is best for shorter presentations, as your audience could easily get lost in Prezi’s frame-to-frame movement. You want to make sure that the Prezi you chose is designed well and correlates with your presentation. Don’t use Prezi just because you think it looks cool. Make sure you have a reason for using Prezi over another tool.

If you’re not sure if Prezi is right for your presentation, visit the website and take a look around. They have tutorials and examples in plenty.