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I chose to polish my Flash project, because I did not finish it on time.  It was originally supposed to be on the entire S.A.T. Prep class, but I decided that it was too long, so I had to focus on one section.  I chose the Critical Reading section to focus on.  I had to add all the content and the buttons.  Then I would have to add music and animation.  I couldn’t get the pages to turn though.  As well, I did not know how to get a movie clip to start after one stopped, so it was all started at the same time.  If I could get more help, I can really polish this.  With this, hopefully people will actually look at mine and use the methods in the presentation.

My flash project is done, in terms of layout and outline, however it is very boring since I did not put any button effects or music. Hopefully, during tutorial I will be able to finish and add effects to make it more interesting.

The finished product:

Honestly, I decided to revise my flash presentation all over again because I wanted to work on adapting the skills in doing the flash presentation. I found that it would be more fitting to do the flash presentation as my 5^th assignment because I found it to relate more with the new things that are going on in my life like: entering my junior year of high school. In my project, I wanted to add more to my presentation on how to handle the stress in one’s junior year of high school because in my previous presentation, I did not directly address that.

To improve my presentation, I added more slides that teach you what steps you need to take to get on top of junior year, since in fact it is the most stressful year in high school. In order to do this, I interviewed different post-juniors from different schools and asked them what they did to survive junior year. If I could add on more to my project, I would put on links to different virtual college campus tours because going to college is everyone’s top priority. In order to help my community and the people around me, I plan to show my project to incoming juniors in different schools to help them know what to expect in their junior year.

For my 5th assignment i decided to do my best on the flash presentation (see it on the previous post).

Ever since Trevor introduced me to Flash, i was captivated by it. Even before that, I was interested in learning it’s mysteries but did not know how. The ability to produce moving animations and create a combination of different media elements is a rather fine skill that I want to possess. Not only did I use basic animations (like moving pictures sideways) but I also included some images I edited in photoshop, and an instrumental used in audacity. The thing I really like is that I was able to learn a lot of stuff in a matter of weeks; and learn a decent amount of effects to use in Flash in a couple of days. Some of the things that I believe could use a little enhancement are the transitions between frames and the text is a bit small and blurry… perhaps I can make it more legible?

It took me almost two whole weeks to make my flash presentation, and in the process I learned to use my own imagination to create cool effects on the frames and make the project as a whole look a bit more professional. For me, in Flash, I have to first think about what I want to do; the effects, how I want the images to appear on the screen, the background and what it represents, etc… But the hard, yet interesting part is that I have no idea of how to make them!! Of course I got help from my instructors most of the time, and they were patient enough o help me, but I had to figure out several things by myself. The transitions I implanted I had to figure out how to make them (based on what both Trevor and Simon had taught me). I’m really proud of myself because I believe I did a good job.

I think that my presentation is both interesting and informative. One is easily amused by the simple effects it has and is persuaded to read the text and hear my voice and concerns.  I would like to add a few more slides, perhaps explaining and describing the good things about the program like the people we meet and the experience of living on a college campus.

Flash presentations, I have found are very good way of distributing information to the public. The effects that are possible are truly amazing and will easily catch the reader’s attention.  There are so many issues around the world that most people don’t know about, and don’t learn about because the way they are presented is a bit dull,  but with flash we could call attention to these issues. In SMASHcast, I will use flash to make the topics a bit more attention-grabbing.

A Flash presentation by Kathy Tran

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      When told we were to fix a project and re-post it, I was slightly indignant. I felt I was being told my project or projects were not done well. But as I contemplated, I concluded that my “What’s in a Name?” post should be rewritten in order to better present it.

     “Hello, My name is Monica Alcazar. I am a second year here at SMASH and an uprising junior at Henry M. Gunn High School in Palo Alto” That is what is known “The SMASH Way” here at the Summer Math and Science Honors Academy. MY introduction to you, however, is much friendlier =] :  

     My name is Monica Alcazar. I like ice cream, Mexican food, and working with technology. My first name, “Monica,” means “advisor” and my last name, “Alcazar” means “fortress”. I find that my first name adequately desribes me in that I consider myself to be a good advisor; I may not be handing out my advice on post-it notes, but I’m a good listener and will be sure to give sound advice if approached. I have found that my last name has grown on me; I am not a big person in size (I’m only 5′1″) but I am a strong and driven person.
     I have met several other girls named  “Monica”; at my middle school there were Monica A through Monica D, and at my high school there are also Monica S and Monica H. In my family, however, I am the only one with my name. And even though there are all those girls at school with my name, a famous singer, and a character on the popular television show, “General Hospital”, with my name, I am the only Monica Alcazar =].

     I chose to incorporate a castle in my background, a glow and colored pencils, musical notes, a gavel, the Flash symbol, a microphone and the Gunn high school symbol in my montage because they all represent a different aspect of me. The background, obviously, is a representation of my last name and my strength as a person. The glow around my image, and the colored pencils behind me symbolize my creativeness and my diversity as a person. I decided to put the musical notes in my though bubble because I love music; if one were to come to my house, there will always be music playing in SOME part of the house if I am home. The microphone is a representation of my will to be heard; I want my voice to be heard, and I often make it happen.: I will MAGNIFY my opinions and my thoughts for anyone to here. The gavel in my though bubble is to show my interest in our justice system and my aspiring to someday be a part of it. I incorporated the Flash symbol in the bubble as well to show that I love working with technology and learning new things I can do with it. Also, the Titan symbol in my bubble represents my school, Henry M. Gunn High School. I love my school, and I wanted to show my appreciation =]. Lastly, I put an image of the Virgin Mary in the corner of my montage to show my love for my religion; I have become a dedicated Catholic and very involved in my church in the past years; it is a very important part of my life.

     What “Monica” and “Alcazar” don’t tell you about me is that I am (clearly) a vociferous young lady. I am the oldest of three children, and I tend to be a perfectionist and an over-thinker sometimes. Some of my nicknames are: Moni, Morrica, Mon-eye-ca, Sylvie, and “conejita”. The first nickname, Moni, is one my parents and any Spanish-speaking person tends to call me once we know each other well; it is a term of endearment and comfort. The second and third nicknames given to me by two of my closest friends, Nidia Morales and Ken Guerrero,and Jose Bernal. Both nicknames keep me grounded and remind me that I am a goofball at heart and I love to have fun and be silly when with my friends. The fourth, Sylvie, came about during my French class, and it has stuck to me amongst a few of my friends; “Sylvie” is of Latin root meaning “from the forest,” I honestly don’t think it’s meaning has anything to do with my personality etc. The very last nickname, “Conejita”, came about during the 2007 SMASH summer session from one of my closest friends, Ken Guerrero; “Conejita” means “little rabbit” or “bunny”  in the female form of the word. I have no idea how it came about, but now I’m a “conejita”. 

     If one were to take my name out of my montage, I would hope it would still represent me to the others around me. The images in the montage would, hopefully, accurately describe me and my character well enough that you would not need my name in there to know it is about Monica Alcazar.

this is my flash presentation of learning of hyperbola