Here are the focusing questions for Digital Media. Please try to answer each question briefly at first. Then go back and add more detail. Don't spend more than an hour crafting the review document. Use bullet points and link to related Internet addresses where appropriate as part of the discussion for each question.
- What is the difference between a compressed image format and a non-compressed image format? Likewise, what is the difference between a between a lossy file format and a non-lossy file format (audio or video)?
- File is the most notable difference between compressed and uncompressed image files but degradation of quality is also part of the answer.
- Quality is the most notable difference between lossy and non-lossy file format for digital audio or video. File differences are also part of the answer.
- How does MIDI differ from digital audio file formats?
- MIDI is a language for describing a musical performance in great detail. The actual performance, however, is produced by a software synthesizer or other MIDI device and then typically stored as as a digital audio file.
- MIDI is just data. A digital audio is data, certainly, but also directly produces the audio. A MIDI is similar in concept to the player piano role on an old time player piano. The piano role itself makes no sound. It must be attached to a sound generating device to make the actual music.
- A digital audio file is a complete representation of what happens when a MIDI file is performed by a sound generating device.
- What graphic file formats are most commonly found on a web page and why?
- JPEG - Joint Photographic Experts Group
- PNG - Portable Network Graphics
- GIF - Graphic Interchange Format
- PDF - Portable Document Format
- SVG - Scalable Vector Graphic
- What are transparent image file formats and why would one want to use them?
- Portions of a transparent allow the existing background to show through.
- PNG, GIF, and SVG all support transparency.
- What commercial, online, and/or open-source tools are available for creating or editing audio---video?
- Audacity - open source waveform editor for audio
- Band Lab - sort on online Garageband (free)
- iMovie, Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere, ClipChamp (online video editing)
- Explain why the PDF file format is an advantageous way to share finished documents.
- Universal compatibility with all internet devices.
- Security - PDFs can be encrypted and password protected
- Fidelity - the formatting of your original document is preserved including font choices, colors, and even internet links.
- Reduces carbon footprint.
- PDFs can be used for online forms, including digital signatures which are legally binding.
- Why is it necessary for musicians and educators to have a basic understanding of converting one Digital Media format into another?
- Keeping with the times. File formats change frequently. MOV was once prominent but MP4 largely has replaced it for online video distribution.
- To manage file size. We convert from TIFF to JPG to be able to share a lovely photo with much shorter download time.
- To take advantage of a feature of the new format. For example, to convert JPG to PNG in order to add a transparency layer.
- Why is the “art” of creating CD-ROMs, DVDs, and other physical media formats becoming less necessary to master?
- Streaming is gradually making physical media unnecessary.
- Schools and other facilities, however, sometimes require physical for playback.
- Distribution to students who perhaps lack internet access is only possible with physical media.
- Why would a teacher want to be able to embed a Digital Media product into an online resource such as a webpage?
- To extend the classroom by allowing students to access media you recommend at home as well as at school.
- To help students audition sound and play along at home.
- To promote the work of your students, raise funds, impress parents, and decisions makers who allocate money.
- The ability to rapidly share and have others access files has led to cloud-based services such as Appleʼs iCloud, Dropbox, and Flickr. What are they and why are they important in todayʼs age of information exchange?
- YouTube,Google Drive, OneDrive (Microsoft), LiquidFile, TikTok, FaceBook Live, Instagram, SnapChat.
- A cloud based service is both remote and distributed. Remote part simply means the file exist on a remote drive. The distributed is that multiple copies of the file are available more quickly from remote data centers in multiple locations around the world.
- What Web 2.0 websites allow students to create and share Digital Media?
- TikTok, YouTube, FlipGrid, Google Music Labs,
- Adobe Spark, NearPod (mostly for teachers)
- BrainPop - movie creation
- ClipChamp
- ScreenCast by Camtasia
- KAHOOT
- What copyright concerns must be considered when creating or using Digital Media either in traditional models or distributing it via the Internet?
- Traditional Models - No problem. Fair use. If you have licensed media you can use it in the classroom. Canvas does audits to ensure that broadcast of classroom activities do not include copyrighted materials. Canvas audits result in metered use of the media.
- Copyright - exist to encourage creative activity by allowing creators to profit reasonably from their work.
- Alfred Music - they have a brochure called "It's all about respect." If it is worth using, it is worth paying for.
- Are penalties rare? - Is it better to ask forgiveness than permission? Not anymore. Penalties for copyright infringement are becoming more common so we must ask permission. But that also encourages us a teachers to create original content to avoid copyright restrictions.
- What type of hardware and/or class environment is needed to make effective use of Digital Media for enhanced music learning?
- Computer
- Projector
- Audio system with speakers and microphone
- Network connection
- Playback devices for physical media
- Referencing the 2014 national standards: list the enduring understandings and essential questions you believe are most relevant to this technology content area.