Tech Tool Evaluation

beta.mural.ly
Three things I like about this tool are:
The site allows users to aggregate links, images, or files and display them in a board that resembles a physical bulletin wall just by dragging and dropping the files. 
Users can invite others to edit murals so it is easy to share the mural with large groups. Completed murals can also be showcased with a full-screen presentation mode. 
It is different from Prezi: Users can include content from around the web, including maps, Dropbox files, Wikipedia entries and more.
Three things that I don't like about this tool are
It does not provide many options in designing my background. 
Instead of sharing the website to other people, I think it is better for people to download the mural as a document so it is easier to evaluate the mural. It would be better if Murally had a printing option, so that people can print their murals after creating it, so that we can display it everywhere without having to save it in our devices and look at it everytime. 
Two ways I can use this tool are:
Publish these murals and learn more about other students' personal interests or ideas. 
I can also use the mural to share and create presentations or interactive classroom settings. 
desmos.com
Three things I like about this tool are:
It is a very easy way to us the website as a graphing calculator because you don't have to download a special hardware, and it is free. 
It is also available at the Google App store, which means we can use this app in our cellphones our at our ipads. 
Desmos can make math more engaging for people who weren't interested in it before because it is   
ifun to play around. 
Three things that I don't like about this tool are:
The tutorial videos are not explaining the website clearly. Students who don't know anything about radicals, trigonometry, graphs or x axis would be very confused at the beginning. 
It is very difficult to create a graph with thousands of difficult equations, especially for people who doesn't have a lot of experience with graphs.
Two ways I can use this tool are: 
create a graph for a school presentation or as a profession scientific graph. I could also email and share my graphs or embed my graphs at a blog post so that everybody else could see how interesting this program is and they would try to start making their own graph too.  

the Cloud

   I don't know anything about the Cloud, but it seems familiar because I have heard about it before.
The several questions I have before researching my topic is

• What is Cloud computing?
• What are the advantages of Cloud computing?
• What are the disadvantages of Cloud computing?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ae_DKNwK_ms
This video explains Cloud computing very well. It explains how Cloud computing works.
It mentions that it is fast and it costs less.
http://www.slideshare.net/maikelm/disadvantages-of-cloud-computing
This website explains the disadvantages of cloud computing.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/dell/2011/12/20/the-history-and-future-of-cloud-computing/
This link is very interesting. It explains the origin and the history of cloud computing. It also explains what the people expect in Cloud computing for the future. 
http://dcloudcomputing.com/cloud-computing-facts/
This website includes 10 interesting facts of cloud computing. It is very interesting, and I noticed that Cloud computing is a very impressive and a difficult process.

This picture seems very complicated,
but it explains how cloud computing works
in detail. 

• Traditional business applications and platforms are too complicated and expensive. Cloud computing provides a data center, a complex software stack and a team of experts running it.  Local computers no longer have to do all the heavy lifting when it comes to running applications for cloud computing.
• The disadvantages of Cloud computing include security, loss of control, unstable cost structure, and decreased business flexibility. 
• The concept of Cloud computing was born in the 1960s from J.C.R Licklider envisioning computation in the form of global network. 
• Researchers are predicting that the revenue for cloud services will approach $152.1 billion in 2014 and it will grow constantly.  
• Cloud computing is not a new paradigm. It draws on existing technologies such as utility computing, software-as-a-service, distributed computing, and centralized data centers. 
• A new server is added to the cloud for every 120 tablets or 600 smartphones. 
• 64% of the companies have reduced waste and has low energy consumption levels after shifting to Cloud computing. 
• 65% of the US companies shifted to cloud in 2011. 

Cloud computing relates to my life because although you might face difficulties in your life, such as studies, social and economic problems, you can grow stronger when there is help on your way. Local, weak companies can grow stronger with Cloud computing. To compare that in our lives, you should get help from your parents, friends, and teachers when you are facing obstacles or difficulties. 

The question I still have for Cloud computing is: What are some solutions to shorten the disadvantages of Cloud computing and make it more successful?

College Exploration on Naviance

2 Colleges I have in mind are Yale University and United Nations University. 

2 Colleges I have never heard of but that I am interested are Skidmore College and University of Rochester.

7 areas that interest me about college are: Tuition, Scholarships, whether it has the major diplomacy or international studies in it, organization (MUN, debate team, leadership, International, Orchestra), location, grades(GPA, SAT), programs for foreign students

     

	Yale University	United Nations University	Brown University	Seoul National University
Tuition	$40,500	Each UNU degree programme has a different tuition.	$42,808	$5800
Scholarship	Offers Scholarship	A limited  number of scholarships are awarded to excellent applicants. Scholarship opportunities vary for each degree.	Offers Scholarship	Offers Scholarship
major (diplomacy, international studies, global affairs)	International Development, Environmental studies, International economics, International relation/affairs, International/ Global affairs,	There are a lot of majors which are only related to United Nations. http://unu.edu/research This link shows all the majors of UNU. All the majors interest me.	Development Studies, Environmental Studies, International Relations, Sociology  Office of International Affairs is a conduit  which students and scholars can access Brown’s diverse international programs and internationalization efforts.	Politics and Diplomacy, Sociology, Global economy, International Relations
Organization (debate team, leadership, MUN, International,Orchestra)	MUN, debate team, Orchestra, International	conference, MUN, seminars, debate team, Symposium, Campaigns	MUN, debate team, Orchestra	MUN, debate team, Orchestra
location	New Haven, Connecticut	13 Universities located around the world	New York	Seoul, Korea
grades(GPA, SAT)	requires 3.85, 2080 SAT	*Does not appear -offers outstanding academic records and selection is very competitive.	3.78, 2150 SAT	*Korean system of grading
program for foreign students	OIS is a four-day program designed to introduce new international students to Yale. All Yale  international students are invited to attend OIS.	offers outstanding academic records and selection is very competitive.	more than 1600 international students,representing over 90 countries.

My GPA from the first quarter is a 3.7.
Yale University-3.85
Columbia Universiy-3.78

Google Day 4

My goals for today is to create and design my own cartoon.
I'm not sure if I can finish it today but I'll try my best.
If I don't finish it, I'll present what I did at my presentation.
http://www.howtogeek.com/102351/how-to-make-photoshop-cartoons-in-about-one-minute/
This link describes how to create a cartoon photograph from a real photo.

Using this link, I turned a normal photo to a cartoon.
http://www.laughing-lion-design.com/2008/08/creating-speech-bubbles-in-photoshop-using-the-custom-shape-tool/
Using this website, I created a speech bubble to make a comic.

This is a final version of turning a photo into a comic.










I moved on to creating my own cartoon at Photoshop using this link.
http://webdesignledger.com/tutorials/create-simple-cartoon-characters-in-photoshop
My cartoon didn't turn out as good as I thought because I failed on making a mouth for the character.

This is my final cartoon I created. Next time, I would prepare for my presentation.

Google Day 3

     My 3 goals for the day is finish the typography design I started last week. If I succeed and have more time, I would like to make a new design. I finished filling all the colors for my text and put more blur on the text.
I was planning to place a rope around the texts, but I failed and I got stuck in the middle and I am planning to put another effect. Photoshop has so many functions, so it is very complicated.
Next class, I would like to move on designing my own character.

Google Day2

   My goals for the day are:
1. Review the project I did last time and check whether I remember the information I researched last time.
2. Check websites of how to create my typography and start creating.
3. Try to put color to my typography.
http://blog.templatemonster.com/2012/02/03/40-typography-photoshop-tutorials/
This link shows the types of examples of typographic designs you can use and create.
There are more than 40 types of effects you would like to design.
I chose the Suspended Text effect.
http://www.photoshopstar.com/text-effects/suspended-text-effect//
This link describes accurately the process of designing the typography in rainbow colors. It is very well described and it is easy to understand and follow the directions. 

 The picture in the right is the final image. 

 The picture on the left is the final image I designed today in class. I haven't finished the design yet, but I have put the colors for the word "Computers". I followed all the directions from one link.
I didn't have enough time to explain the whole process of what I had done, sorry. Ms Shawn knows I have worked hard throughout the whole period.



If I finish my design, I'll start creating my own character. 

Search Storres

https://searchstories-intl.appspot.com/en-us/creator/
The purpose of this site is to create a story about a topic and share it to other people. Creating a story through this site makes it easier to present and     show the steps of how to research the topic. 
Steps
1. Open the website and think of a topic you are going to explain and create a story about. 

2. If you are unsure of the topic you are going to present, you can look at the examples by clicking "Watch Search Stories." 



3. Search your terms to create the story. All the terms should be related. You can use images, maps, websites 
to present it. You can preview the results on the bottom of the page.





4. Add music to your story: You can choose 

the type of music you would like to insert.













5. Preview your story before you upload it and share it. You can edit your story if you don't like it. 






6. This is the finished version of my story 
(I made my video, but it won't let me sign in with my Gmail.
I tried two emails, but I couldn't sign in for some strange reason.
I couldn't upload the video on Youtube)

Examples of when you can use it in class:
-When you explain the steps of a research you did
-When you want to upload a video on Youtube of explaining procedures specifically
-It is the easiest and fastest way to display a research process more exciting. 

DIGITAL NATION

       I agree with the professor's statement that students could have done better in their exams after taking their lectures if they weren't distracted with technology. According to an experiment, people are unable to think clearly and fast than before because they are always being distracted by their emails, a Youtube video, Facebook and Twitter. I agree with this statement because even I am being constantly distracted by technology while I am trying to do my homework. 
    According to a data, more teenagers are spending fifty hours a week on digital media. It is bad because they are getting constantly distracted while their brains should be developing. Even brains while doing Internet search are proved more active. The digital era was moving so rapidly, it needs more time for people to stop their behaviors of interacting so closely with technology.
    There's another contradiction whether the world is getting risky and our health is being affected. However, I agree because the Korean kids who are addicted to video games are harming their health and their mental state because they aren't concentrating on their studies and they are constantly being distracted. 
    A lot of Korean parents are worried of their kids of playing games 7 hours a day, and the Korean government is building up a new system to prevent the kids who are addicted to Internet. It is the first country which considered Internet addiction as a disease. I agree that Internet addiction is a scary thing nowadays. There are clinics and camps that cure these kids with those diseases, and help them focus to go back to their simple lives. 
The Korean teachers and governments believe it is right to learn the ethics and technology first and learn how to not be distracted, then learn the techniques. 
Some principals say the kids have to be fluent in technology and be used to it to adapt in the new digital world. They say kids should do their homework in laptops and learn more about technology, that technology is like oxygen in the current world. 
A lot of professors say they need more education in technology, especially in multitasking. The world has sped up, and due to digital distractions, the kids are not as academically capable as they were before. 
 For parents, it is a devastating loss for their young children to be interacting so closely to technology. It's not that they shouldn't learn how to communicate or learn how to use the Internet, but the new learning system is not believed to be helping the students in any way. 
    Some people believe they are grateful for the new technology, and it has made our lives more comfortable than before. It is changing so fast, if you don't learn how to use the Internet, you will be left behind. Bubbe is an old woman who believes all age groups should use technology in this new era. For this statement, I am neutral because it is true that you will be left behind in digitally developed countries. However, I don't think we should be grateful about it because extreme addiction is causing us to be distracted, causing less face to face communication, and we are wasting too much money on unnecessary technology devices by just trying to catch up with the society. 
     Nowadays, even relationships are build up in the Internet and one third of every women has met their boyfriend while playing games. The technology was a new way of being more social. I agree with this statement because even I made more friends through facebook by sharing or expressing my ideas without being shy. 
   Some companies use technology to have meetings and talk with others who are just a few feet away. I disagree with this idea because it proves that people are being more lazier than ever by talking through technology, even if a person is just a few feet away. 
   The military is the driver of technology by using the Internet, aircraft, weapons, jet engines and more. It is believed as the frontier of technology but it creates new dilemmas. The cameras everywhere has made it more easier to attack, or build up security inside the army. 
   Overall, I am pessimistic of this new digital society. We should question ourselves whether all this technology is necessary. It is true the world is being comfortable, however it is not making the world a better place. 
    
    

White hat hacking

   I don't know anything about white hat hacking. Although I know what hacking means, I don't know how to do it or what white hat hacking means. 

I have a lot of questions about white hat hacking: 

1. What is white hat hacking and what is the difference between hacking and white hat hacking?

2. How does it work and what is its function?

Useful links for this topic

http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/white-hat 

This website explains the definition of white hat hacking and the job of a white hat hacker

http://ww2.cbtuggets.com/

This website is an online tutor course where you can learn how to do white hacking with videos.

• White hacking, also known as ethical hacking, is identifying a security weakness in a computer system and exposing the weakness to allow the system's owners to fix the error. 
• White hat hackers are professionals with a desire to solve problems and prevent black hat hackers from causing damage to network systems. 
• Famous white hat hackers include Robert Hansen, Greg Hoglund, Dan Kaminsky, Zane Lackey, and Marc Maiffret.
• White hat hackers are usually assigned by a company to test the strength of the company's security system.
• The National Security Agency (NSA) offers certificates to these hackers which covers professional hacking techniques and team management.

White hat hacking relates to my life and my dream because I don't want to be a black hacker who hacks for his or her own advantage and harm other computer systems. I would want to be a white hat hacker who prevents the danger and protects the system.

My last question is.... What is more difficult to do: White hat hacking or Black hat hacking? 

Google day 1

Three goals for today:

1. Experiment interesting effects, color, editing in Photoshop with a picture.

2. Design or think about the typography and find the kind of typography in the Internet which I would like to create.

3.Learn some basic tutorials of Photoshop 

process for today: http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/tutorials/learn-how-to-create-great-typographic-wallpaper-photoshop/This website inspired me with the type of typography wallpaper I wanted. It explains the specific steps of how to create a typographic wallpaper. I could follow the steps carefully and design my own typography. I would like to create a typography wallpaper with the text CNG High school with a 3D effect and put the colors I want. 

http://www.photoshoplady.com/tutorial/3d-shining-text-effect-in-photoshop/6599 This link explains how to create a 3D shining text effect in photoshop. 

Google 20%

  For this semester, I would like to learn more about photo editing by using Photoshop. I would like to create my own character through Photoshop and make a new interesting comic or a new poster. Also, I want to learn several techniques of putting cool effects. I want to learn how to create a new typography and make my own font and apply my font to Microsoft office Word. I would also like to know how to edit and improve a picture of a face of a person to become more pretty. 
   When I present this project,  I will show my classmates a new comic or a poster I've created using Photoshop. My comic would look more professional by using Photoshop rather than drawing it by hand. Also, I would put a before picture and an after picture, which I edited to make it more pretty. I could also show my new 3D typography effect so that I can use it in Microsoft World and PowerPoint. On my presentation, I would focus on showing how much I improved for the 4 months.

LINK

C/C website