FINAL PROJECT

Due: May 5th at the beginning of class

The purpose of this project is to follow a specific proposal to execute an environment in a social platform which adheres to a pre-selected theme. Each student will submit a proposal for how they build an environment in Second Life which is based on an early memory they had. The student will then construct a well-crafted and complex environment which utilizes the free-form mechanics of Second Life. Using modular building components, the student will construct this 'memory space.' All components must be built from prims developed by the individual student. There will be no copying/repurposing.

Each project will be graded based on a predefined rubric. The majority of the grade will be based on accurate craftsmanship and a unique use of the Second Life environment to execute their projects. Accuracy in craftsmanship will be designated that all joints should be clean and all planes should be level and even. Students should be crafting a "dream-like" environment which could not be built in real life; their world should be expressively virtual in it's nature, purpose and function.

Keep in mind the teachings of Marshall McLuhan's "Medium is the Message" while building your project. As you design it following the 5 layers of user-experience design, determine what the message of your environment is and how you will guide people to experience it.

This project must be completed in full before May 5th and will be shared with the professor in its entirety at the beginning of class. We will have a brief critique in class evaluating the success of each project following the guidelines established above.

IMPORTANT: Because this project represents 30% of your entire semester grade, please put forth as much time and care as necessary to achieve a good grade.
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Mini Project 8




These are the images of the copy of the house (first two images) and the house I copied (3rd image) it was fun.
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Mini Project 8

This is the original image















This is my image.































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Mini Project #8 Fix


So above are my versions of the building bellow which is the original. Found this "shack" at Boston Nightlife.

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Mini-Project #8

FRONT-





BACK-




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Mini Project #8




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Mini-Project #8

View #1




View #2



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Mini-Project #8

DUE: Tuesday April 19th

The purpose of this project is to have students utilize the modular nature of Second Life constuction and analyze the impact of the environment on user behavior.

Each student will find (1) one example of architecture unique to Second Life which they will imitate. This building MUST use 'open' architecture which demonstrates the transcoded behavior of the second life environment: it should permit easy movement and not "feel" like a real life house/building. For an example of this transcoded behavior, please explore the building in your inventory labeled "Wright House." This object box contains the components for a building similar in style to a Frank Lloyd Wright house, but exemplifies typical Second Life architecture.

Take several screencaptures of the (1) one example of architecture you will recreate. Use these as a reference and rebuild this building in its entirety, as accurately as possible. You will be graded on accuracy of recreation as well as the craftsmanship and precision on your prim connections. Do NOT use any pre-made edifices. Prims not created by yourself are forbidden!

When you are finished, take screenshots of your building from the same angles as the original which can be posted as a side-by-side comparison with the original building. Post these comparative images to a new blog entry before class on Tuesday.

HINT: There is no need to build your copy accurately to scale. If your selected building is enormous and you want to build a copy that is the size of a house, this is fine. It just needs to be accurate in scope (you should still be able to use it as intended).
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READING RESPONSES 14 - 16

Online News and the Viral Campaign: podcast and beyond
Reading Responses:
14: What is creativity?
15: National Podcast Radio
16: Wireless Revolution

Please read each of the (3) three articles and create a new post for each article by Thursday, March 24th. Each essay should be no less than two paragraphs in length and summarize the main points of the articles read. It should also include any ideas you had in relation to the reading; not opinions about the complexity of the writing, but the content. Title each entry as "Reading Response" followed by the sequential number of the article; your entry on National Podcast Radio would then be titled "Reading Response 15"
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Mini Project #7

Person 1
57 year old male banker about to retire
Interested in Sports, Stock, Politics, US news, World news, and Business news
He usually feels rushed and stressed at work because of his age
He enjoys relaxing and reading the articles on the news
He looks at the news usually at work in a small windowless office
He has a high but outdated skill level, he doesn't know electronics very well but well enough
He gets frustrated with useless information

Person 2
26 year old female kindergarten teacher
Interested in Health, Entertainment (celebrities), Politics, US news, and the Weather
She is content with her life but sometimes feels like she's rushed or can't concentrate because of the children
She needs speed and shortened information because the children take up most of her attention
She looks at the news in the morning during play time in class, so she has a shortened attention span
Her skill level is up to date with technology and she has been through college recently
She is frustrated when there is too much to read, she needs simplicity

Person 3
39 year old male meteorologist
Interested in Weather, Technology, Politics, World news, US news, and Leisure
He's usually relaxed but very critical of people's opinion
He needs information, precise information
He looks at the news at work in the lab while doing his research and checking the numbers on his weather sensors
He has a very high and up to date skill level
He gets frustrated when there aren't enough details

I decided to completely simplify everything on the website because two of my people needed that. On the main website there were sections like US news, Politics, Opinion with information under them, lots of information. I decided to delete all the information and make those sections into "buttons" that you click on if you want to know more about the US news, and on the next page will be your information because not all of my people were interested in the same subjects. I kept the weather section because all of my people needed that, and I kept the markets (stock) section for my banker. I also added a section on the right side with current news headlines which are links to more information so that, for example, the school teacher can pick and choose quickly which she might be interested in reading more about if any.
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Mini Project #7

Person 1: This person is 45 years old and teaches history at a high school. He is a pretty bad teacher and does not spend much time with the students. He is online all day looking for anything entertainment wise to pass the hours of the day. He is fat and struggling with some health problems.

Person 2: A young man in college, at the age of 27. He is in criminal justice and is very healthy. He is a straight B- student. Although he has potential, he spends too much time on social websites, mostly facebook and twitter.

Person 3: An aspiring model, she is 36 and very underweight. She worries about her health but will do anything for a shot at her dream career. She spends most of her day on social websites messaging famous fashion designers hoping for a chance.

I made a lot of changes to the website. I cut down about 90% of the writing on the page. I brought the page tabs to the top so they are easy to see and put entertainment and health near the top so my customers. I also made the top story picture bigger so it's very visual and easy to find. Finally, i took away the social media selections, such as facebook and twitter, from the bottom and put in a selection of big, easy to see, buttons near the top of the page for very easy access.
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