Here’s a running list of tools and apps that might be useful for your projects. If you need further assistance with any of these, just make an appointment with me or an ITF.

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TOOLS

How to create animated effects for graphs and charts.

Use Keynote (available on your laptop)
* See Tutorials for further instructions, especially “Using Advanced Bills to Animate Objects On and Off Slides”

How to create animated maps

Use Social Explorer (full features available when you log in at CUNY)
* Use the “Map” tool to create a slideshow by dragging the still image of the map you want to use
* Export as a Powerpoint file

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APPS

Dipity

Dipity create a visual timeline like this:

The History of Macaulay Honors College, a timeline created by students of the Class of 2013 at the Spring 2010 Tech Fair

Download Helper

Download Helper is a Firefox extension that allows you to download videos into editable files from various video sites. You can also download multiple images on a page in a single operation.

Flickr Annotations

Flickr offers a quick and easy way to annotate photos, like this

Google Maps

Google Maps is a great way to create and customize maps. Images and video can be embedded in your maps.
View Hunter College in a larger map

See here for more information on creating Google Maps.

Keepvid

Like Download Helper, Keepvid allows you to capture videos from YouTube and other video sites, so you can download it as an MP4, then import it into iMovie and mash away…

Slideshare

Slideshare allows you to share a Keynote or PowerPoint presentation with others, to embed your presentation into your site, to add audio to your presentation, and find presentations in the SlideShare community. Also works with documents and PDF files.

Voicethread

Voicethread allows you to create a conversation around a video, document or photograph.

An alternative to using copyrighted images, music or video for your projects is to use “copyleft” works, more specifically those licensed under Creative Commons. Creative Commons is a nonprofit organization that creates tools to allow creators of online digital content to control and promote the use of their work. Generally, images or music with a Creative Commons license are available for you to use for free, sometimes with certain guidelines (for example: attribution, no modification allowed, non-commercial use). Of course, you can also designate your creations under the Creative Commons (See the different types of licenses available here).

Below is a list of websites from which you can source for images and music that have a Creative Commons license:

Images

http://search.creativecommons.org/
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Music

An alternative to using copyrighted music is to use “safe music” that’s been Creative Commons-licensed for remix and reuse. You can find such music here:

http://www.jamendo.com/en/
http://www.musicalley.com/
http://spinxpress.com/getmedia

Fair Use

As you’re working on your various assignments, you may find yourself incorporating materials readily available on the Internet in your own work, whether it be images, music or video. While you are welcome to utilize the resources available on the Internet, it is important that your work adheres to fair use guidelines. Use of copyrighted materials generally falls under fair use if they are used for educational purposes. However, you must provide clear citations of all the sources you include in your work. Just as you would not want others to pass off your work as their own, intentionally or otherwise, you should also observe good citation practices when it comes to incorporating someone else’s work in yours.

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Citing Online Images

If you’re using an image that you have not created, it is important that you cite the source appropriately. When you’ve found an image you’d like to use, note down the following information:

Title of image (if any)
Creator of image (if known)
Creation date (if known)
Location of image (if known)
Name of website
Date you accessed the image.
URL

Create a citation, one that adheres to the stipulations of the citation style your professor would like you to follow. The citation should be placed in a visible place. If you have a “References,” “Bibliography,” or “Works Cited” section on your website, be sure to include images you use in the list. Always include the image title and creator next to the image. Where possible, create a link to the website from where the image was obtained. See example below. If you’re using the image in a movie, include a citation as a text caption.

Example:

Note that the image is a link to the New York Public Library site from which the map is obtained.

Image title: A plan of New York Island, with part of Long Island, Staten Island & east New Jersey : with a particular description of the engagement on the woody heights of Long Island, between Flatbush and Brooklyn, on the 27th of August 1776 between His Majesty’s forces commanded by General Howe and the Americans under Major General Putnam, shewing also the landing of the British Army on New-York Island, and the taking of the city of New-York &c. on the 15th of September following, with the subsequent disposition of both the armies / engraved & publish’d by … Wm. Faden. (Oct 19, 1776).
Creator: Faden, William, 1750?-1836 — Engraver

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Using Music in Web-Published Videos

You may have heard that “Youtube now mutes videos with unauthorized copyrighted music.” Clearly, this will effect your movie editing choices as you decide on what soundtrack you want to accompany your video footage.

You may have also heard that it’s okay to use copyrighted music as long as you limit it to 30 seconds. However, whether it’s a firm okay is subject to debate, as there is no hard and fast 30-second rule. Your best bet is to familiarize yourself with what constitutes fair use and exercise good judgment when incorporating music (or video footage) created by someone else. The Center for Social Media has published a Code for Best Practices in Fair Use for Online Video, a resource I highly recommend you read before making online videos.

As with images, you should also cite the sound recordings that you use. Note down the following information of your sound recording and provide an accompanying citation:

Artist name (Note down composer and performer where relevant)
Song title
Recording manufacturer
Medium (e.g. MP4).

Please post your abstracts and group members, if any, here. To post, create a new post and check the category, “Planning Projects.”

As University Scholars, you are required to attend the Common Events for your Seminars during each semester.  In Seminar 4 you may choose which Community Voices event you wish to attend, unless you are assigned one by your instructor; everyone participates in the Sophomore Forum and in the culminating Conference.  See the Macaulay Honors College web site for more information.  Please mark your calendars for these Spring 2010 events.

PDF

My name is Fiona Lee and I am looking forward to working with you as your ITF. I am a Ph.D student in the English Program at the Graduate Center. My research interests are in postcolonial theory and literature; feminist theory; and memory studies. Prior to being an ITF at Hunter College, I previously taught literature and composition courses at Baruch and Queens Colleges as a Graduate Teaching Fellow.

another summary

This is a test post

Reports of Common Events will be published in the “Events” section of the website. For the Common Events Calendar, click here.

Here’s how to post:

1. Log into Eportfolio
2. If you have several eportfolios, make sure you are on the Dashboard of “Shaping the Future of the City.”
3. On the left menubar, go to Posts > Add New
4. Give your post a title and type away!
5. CATEGORIZE: After you are finished, be sure to assign your post the appropriate category that is listed on the right. The category should correspond with the event you are discussing. Please check only one category box.
6. TAG: Tags are another way of organizing content on the website. Whereas categories are predetermined and organized by date or event, making it easy for you to find stuff, tags are determined by you and should describe the actual content that you’ve written. For example, if you are writing about the City of Water film, you might want to give your post the following tags: “City of Water”; “documentary”; “water.” You may also assign your post an existing tag created by someone else (click “Choose from the most used tags…”). All posts assigned to a specific tag will be assigned its own page, accessible via the Tag Cloud on the sidebar.
7. PUBLISH: Be sure to click “Publish” to see that your post can be seen on the website.
8. To see your post as it appears on the webpage, go to the top menu bar and hover your cursor over “Blog.” Your post will appear on the corresponding date in the drop down menu.

Your weekly readings/discussion will be published in the “Blog” section of the website.

Here’s how to post:

1. Log into Eportfolio
2. If you have several eportfolios, make sure you are on the Dashboard of “Shaping the Future of the City.”
3. On the left menubar, go to Posts > Add New
4. Give your post a title and type away!
5. CATEGORIZE: After you are finished, be sure to assign your post the appropriate category that is listed on the right. The category should correspond with the date your post is due. Please check only one category box.
6. TAG: Enter one or more tags that describes your post. Tags are another way of organizing content on the website. Whereas categories are predetermined and organized by date or event, making it easy for you to find stuff, tags are determined by you and should describe the actual content that you’ve written. For example, if you are writing about Le Corbusier, you might want to give your post the following tags: “Le Corbusier”; “Modern”; “International Style.” You may also assign your post an existing tag created by someone else (click “Choose from the most used tags…”). All posts assigned to a specific tag will be assigned its own page, accessible via the Tag Cloud on the sidebar.
7. PUBLISH: Be sure to click “Publish” to see that your post can be seen on the website.
8. To see your post as it appears on the webpage, go to the top menu bar and hover your cursor over “Blog.” Your post will appear on the corresponding date in the drop down menu.