I created a newspaper page on the Black Mirror episode “Hated in the Nation” because it’s my favorite film I’ve watched for this class. It was nice to just change the content on the newspaper to relate to the episode. I used Canva for this assignment using a Newspaper template that they provide. My favorite part is the bottom right article preview because this character actually used the “#deathto” on the criminal who was behind this killing and it wasn’t the best idea because the criminal realized that they were looking for him and he was hesitating in the scene so I thought it would be creative.
This was so much fun to create! I decided to take a rule that Finn Callaway lives by (which you can check out here: https://ds106.rusulabbas.com/blog/uncategorized/tips-for-your-characters/) and turn it into a PSA poster. The image features a hand grabbing data points, with the data points in red to match the “Own It” part of the title, emphasizing what’s being owned.
While the design looks simple, I had a great time putting it together in Canva. I uploaded the hand image, and the data points are a Canva element. I added the text myself. Even though it’s straightforward, I really feel like the message comes across strong and clear.
To create my video essay, I used iMovie on my iPad. I screen-recorded the scene I wanted to analyze, uploaded it to iMovie, and added a voiceover. You may notice that I was speaking fast—that’s because I had a lot to say but not enough time, so I apologize for that. This was a great assignment to work on, and it was my first time using iMovie and considering a movie’s editing and filming style to effectively tell a story.
We revisited the goals we wrote in the first week of class, and it was nice to look back and reflect. So much has been accomplished in just five weeks! I’ve embedded both my initial goal and my revisited goals.
Now that we’re a third of the way through the class, I feel like I’ve made some real progress. I’ve had the chance to grow my creativity, and even though there were times I doubted my work, seeing my classmates vote for Finn’s Walk Home post gave me a confidence boost. It reminded me that we really are our own biggest critics.
One of my original goals was to explore new tools, and I’ve definitely done that—especially with Canva, which I now use regularly for this class. I’ve embedded assignments I completed using Canva below.
Something I didn’t mention before but have also struggled with is finding time to work on my personal website. I’ve wanted to get more comfortable with WordPress and Domain of One’s Own, but it always felt like something I’d put off. Now that it’s required for class, I’ve finally had the time to use it more, and I’m getting the hang of it.
A big highlight for me was seeing my website get a shoutout in the Week 5 video by Jim—that definitely made me happy!
Looking ahead, I want to keep pushing myself creatively and take more risks with my work. I also hope to refine my storytelling skills and get even more comfortable with the tools I’ve been exploring. So far, ds106 has been a challenge in the best way, and I’m excited to see where the rest of the semester takes me!
This assignment requires you to take a video of yourself or someone else and finger spell a word or a phrase in Sign Language alphabet and let others guess what you have spelled. Make sure you do a word that is bigger then 5 letters so you can learn some of the letters. Link to assignment: https://assignments.ds106.us/assignments/signing-words/
For this assignment, I signed something related to my character. It’s just two words, and it’s very connected to them. I hope you guys can guess what I signed.
This was really fun because I learned ASL in high school and haven’t practiced in a while, so I had to get back into the groove of things. But I really enjoyed it!
10 tips…so many different options to do. What do you have 10 tips on? You could inform me on tips when going to the movie theatre, tips to get through quarantine, tips to get through school, ds106….hehe. Anything you want! What are you an expert in? Link to assignment: https://assignments.ds106.us/assignments/10-tips/
Alright, for this assignment, I wanted to use an AI avatar and a synthetic voice because it’s from my character’s perspective. I’ve included some of my previous assignments related to my character for anyone who isn’t familiar with them.
Instead of my usual Canva workflow, I used HeyGen. I had never used it before, I found it online, but I highly recommend it for anyone looking for an alternative to Canva. They offer a free version as well as different premium plans, but for this assignment, I just used the basic features.
It was pretty easy to use, most of it was drag and drop. You can create your own AI avatar, select a voice for them or use one of the available options, then add a script. They also provide options to include elements like graphics, images, videos, audio, and more. For this project, I added text, a script, videos, and my avatar. After arranging everything, I added transitions and edited the background audio to sound more natural. I also adjusted the voice, though I wasn’t completely satisfied with the selection.
Avatar Selection
Script
Text
Elements
Editing Section
Overall, it’s a great application and I would definitely use it again.
Create a video using some of your favorite pictures/videos that you have taken while in school this year! Add a wide variety of pictures from throughout the year. Make sure to add some music to the video before you post it! Here is a link to the assignment: https://assignments.ds106.us/assignments/favorite-moments-in-college/
First things first, I really enjoyed doing this assignment! Lately, I’ve been feeling a little upset about graduating next year and my college experience coming to an end, so this project gave me a chance to appreciate my time at UMW.
It was a bit challenging to include memories because I don’t take many photos, so my options were limited. I also didn’t want to include pictures of myself or others, so I intentionally kept it vague. Because of these limitations, I had to look back as far as my sophomore year. This video collage features a few memories from then until now. I have many more, but these fit my criteria for being included in a video.
I used Canva to create the video by adding each image to its own slide along with a short description. Then, I chose a fun, lighthearted audio track to keep it engaging. After that, I adjusted the frames, timing, and audio.
Overall, this was a really fun assignment! I do wish I had included more personal and playful memories, but I’m happy with how it turned out. Oh, and by the way, my favorite slide is at the end, so I hope you stick around and watch till then!
This week, we dove into audio storytelling, which was pretty exciting for me. I love using Soundtrap for audio editing! it’s super user-friendly and gets the job done well. I also set up a SoundCloud account to store and share my projects.
I watched 3 videos/audios: two by Radiolab’s Jad Abumrad and another called “Moon Graffiti.” Both were cool, but “Moon Graffiti” really grabbed my attention. On Wednesday night, I tuned into a radio show and wrote a little reflection about my experience. It was an interesting listen and gave me some new ideas.
Overall, it was a great week that deepened my appreciation for the art of audio storytelling.
This week, we had the opportunity to choose two assignments from the audio category in the assignment bank, and we were given two additional tasks. I listed them all below. The two assignments I picked were “Audio From Hell” and “The Mind of a CEO.” The last two tasks given to us were “After Dinner,” which is a sound effect story, and a radio bumper. For the radio bumper, I asked Dr. Oblivion to recite it for me.
A radio show about a world where if you speak against the government, they replace you with a robotic clone and erase your original self. The story could follow a character, like Finn, discovering the truth behind the cloning program while interacting with people trying to escape it. Tech chips would play a big role, controlling memories and thoughts, similar to Limetown, and a secret group could be trying to hack them.
For the radio show, we could create a thriller-style narrative, with intense scenes where Finn and others are on the run or trying to expose the truth. There could be a love like Evelyn (Lynn) Calico or Veronica Malone, who might be involved with the resistance or have a hidden connection to the cloning project. The show could blend suspense and mystery
