September 11, 2007 - 4:24pm
2 comments

Report 2: things slowly beginning to pick up

I'm still doing a lot of the same stuff I wrote about in my last report: looking up software, meeting with program heads, installing ram, etc. But I'm starting to get a better idea of how crazy things are soon going to be. There's a lot of new software the HSTF has never used before that I think I'll be introducing (such as software for video, music, and digital portfolios). The task of choosing the right software - stuff that'll be versatile and accessible - is pretty daunting. They've had me looking into databases which has also been a serious challenge since I don't have much expertise there beyond working as a data entry grunt at Citizen Schools this past summer. I think I'll have more to write about when the after school programs start.

Comment from Kevin Palmer on September 12, 2007 - 10:40am

Kevin Palmer's picture

Hey Wes. Great seeing you yesterday at the Mass Area meet-up.

What kind of software are you looking at so far for media production? Is there digital portfolio software out there?

Good luck on starting the after-school programs. Last year I remember having this weird tension just before starting my after-school program that there was more planning and organizing I should be doing, but having no idea what specifically it was I should be preparing for.

Comment from Wesley Kaplan on September 12, 2007 - 10:56am

Wesley Kaplan's picture

I'm starting to look into video production software which is totally daunting because it seems there are countless choices I could make. The other thing I'm not sure about is whether the programs want something simple like iMovie or something they can use to make serious professional looking videos. I have some background in music production, so choosing software for that won't be as difficult. I actually found a really useful guide to digital portfolios - if you're at all interested:

http://www.essentialschools.org/pub/ces_docs/resources/dp/getstart.html

This I think explains pretty well what one should look for in digital portfolio software and even suggests possibilities for making web-based ones. It lists different softwares at the bottom.