New Media Center

Even though it is summer time, we have not forgot about the starving students taking those summer classes. So in celebration of summer time and summer food we bring to you some digital media recipes.

Over at digitalmediacookbook.com you’ll find all sorts of helpful “recipes” to indulge in and perhaps you’ll even hold on to a couple of those recipes for future use. Every recipe comes with a video demo (screencast), ingredients, and directions. The creator of the cookbook, UMW’s New Media Specialist Andy Rush, has made it very easy to follow the recipes, even you digital media novices out there have nothing to fear.

Andy Rush is always working hard to find and create new recipes for this cookbook. So if you like what he has to offer make sure you send some comment or link love to let him know you want more recipes. Just as any good chef likes to recieve compliments, our new media specialist needs some lovin’ too.

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Here is a screencast of an example editing session using VideoSpin. We take the video that we digitized from Windows Movie Maker, import it, add it to the timeline, insert transitions and titles, and then send it to YouTube.

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Using new media means using online resources. The more we use online resources, especially ones dealing with sensitive information like bank accounts and student data, the more we need to think about creating strong passwords to protect those resources. If you’ve ever had trouble coming up with a password that was considered "strong", but would then have trouble remembering that password, then I have the resource for you. The Password Generator is a website that not only creates strong passwords for you, but gives you a way to create passwords you can remember. If you just want to create a random password, you have that option.

However, if you want to use a password that you can remember more readily, you can choose the "leet password" option (ask a geeky friend where the word leet comes from *). The key is typing in a phrase that you will remember like "I graduated from Mary Washington University in 08". The password generator will then create a password with letters, numbers, and special characters that looks something like this – !6FmwU!08 . Notice how the characters aren’t the obvious choice. The ! stands for capital I, the number six is used for the small letter g, capital f for from, and so on. More and more sites will begin to ask for these strong, fortress-like passwords. When they do, you’ll be ready.

* – find out about leet.

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When you need a technology gadget for your computer, or for creating digital media, where do you start? Well, we in Teaching and Learning Technologies recommend you start at Cnet reviews. Cnet is a technology website and they do accept advertising, but they are very independent when it comes to their reviews. If the readers at Cnet don’t agree, there is a user review section that will provide some possibly alternate viewpoints. The best thing about Cnet is the one stop shopping resource. You look for the category of device that you want, like digital cameras. Then we recommend you start with the editors picks (ex. Editor’s Top Digital Cameras). You can then drill down into types of devices within the category (Best Compact Cameras). Once you have a few candidates to choose from you can read the individual reviews. From there you can also see how the aforementioned users feel about the device. Cnet will also provide links to vendors who carry the product so you can purchase it right away. How much easier could it be? Well, it’s true you need to know what to look for and whether features are worth the money, but Cnet’s reviews generally spell this out for you. They also provide a “buying guide” for many types of products that will help you sort out the terms (ex. Digital Camera Buying Guide). Cnet’s review site is a great place to start your electronic shopping spree.

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