Revisiting New Technology: the Pocket Projector

Okay, if I hit the lotto, this will definitely be on the shopping list:
Optoma Pico Projector ($430 list price). It’s a long-awaited, much-rumored projector about the size of a cellphone: 2 by 4.1 by 0.7 inches, weighing 4.2 ounces.

Photo Contest - Adobe Oct. 17

Tech & Learning invites K-12 students to participate in Portraits of Learning, the seventh annual digital photography contest. The competition, open to all K-12 students, challenges you to capture - and share - your unique vision of the world. If you have an artistic side, you also have the option to digitally enhance your photos with your favorite imaging software. The best digitally enhanced photo wins a special prize from Adobe. Other prizes include a digital camera, Adobe Photoshop Elements, and more!

CLICK HERE TO ENTER! DEADLINE EXTENDED! OCT. 17
Students are encouraged to enter multiple photos!

Pelican Island Field Trip

Meet in the parking lot Saturday, April 19th between 6:45 and 7:00 am. The session will last until 8:30. A sign directing you to Pelican Island is on the left at you proceed North on A1A. Take the left and continue on Jungle Trail until you see the park entrance on your right; the parking lot is directly ahead.

Optional equipment: a tripod, comfortable enclosed shoes, insect spray, a small notebook, suntan lotion.

Recent Technology Innovations

A lot of new directions on the home tech front worth a look-see.

The New York Times reports on a Polaroid type mini-printer that makes instant prints beamed from your Bluetooth-enabled cellphone or camera.
Link

Casio's newest camera, the Exilim EX-F1, offers hope of truly high speed photography for the masses. Still a little rouch around the edges, this is a camera to watch.
Link

The Flip, a mini-camcorder by Pure Digital, captures one hour of filming internally, runs on 2 AA batteries, and requires no cables. Simply plug its USB connection into your laptop and you are ready to download or view.
Link

Finally, the "green" media players reviewed by David Pogue are enticing in that they run powered by either solar or crank. Best of all, one comes with cables to power your cellphone or other power-needy tech toys.
Link

Hi!
I was great meeting all of you tonight. On my way home I realized that there were a few things that I missed between the classes.

5 o'clock class: I failed to demonstrate taking video on the point and shoot cameras; the icon is usually a picture of either an old-fashioned movie camera or a piece of perforated film. Try it and then make sure you can figure out how to play it back. Also, Alan in the second class reminded me that I did not discuss digital zoom. All point and shoots like to advertise that they can zoom out much more than the optical zoom factor. This is done with smoke and mirrors and usually does not produce pictures with much quality. It may be set to on by default; check your settings and experiment.

6:30 class: If you decide to download Picasa2, it will ask you immediately whether it should find all the pictures on your computer or whether you will control what it finds. Take the latter choice as that way it will be limited to My Documents and avoid importing lots of systems pictures.

Remember, if you want to review the class handouts digitally you will need to click the link on the right side of this page to Empoweringtech. That is my web site rather than my blog and has handouts rather than web links.

I enjoyed teaching you all. See you all next Monday.

Now You Do It: Digital Photography at OrchidU

Welcome! Two new classes starting up. The first two weeks will focus on basic camera technology, tips and technique. Then it's off to Pelican Island for a photo shoot. The final class will explore image editing and sharing.

New to digital photography? If you’ve never switched out of Auto mode, this four week class will help you become comfortable with your digital camera as you learn how to use many of its other features. How to download, perform basic image editing, print and prepare images for email will be demonstrated. Gain tips for better composition, exposure, capturing movement, and tripod use. Three sessions will meet at Orchid Island on Mondays from 5 to 6:30 and again from 6:30 to 8 and will include lectures and practice. Then we’ll meet as a group to capture early morning rays Saturday morning, Feb 9^th, at Pelican Island Refuge.

I welcome your comments. If you haven't used a blog before, give it a try.

Applied Digital Photography for Beginners

During the winter of 2008 I offered a basic course in digital photography:

New to digital photography? If you’ve never switched out of Auto mode, T six week class will give you the necessary information and help needed to become comfortable with your digital camera. Learn how to use many of its other features and how to download, perform basic image editing, print and prepare images for email. Exercises will include composition, exposure, capturing movement, and tripod use. More advanced topics such as shutter speed, aperture, and focal length will be introduced. Each session will meet for two hour on Wednesdays from 4:30 to 6:30 (good sunset time) and will include lecture time and field work to provide hands-on experience relating to the course topics. Field work will take place on and off campus. The final session will include a sharing of student work.

With this course description, I expected to conduct a class focused on point & shoot cameras. As it turned out there were 3 DSLRs and 2 high-end p&s. The general level of interest and ability was high; most students had years of previous experience with film cameras. Initially I was concerned about having time each week to process on the computers, but this was left for the last class. The students wanted to focus on theory and technique. We met for one full class near a bridge and captured marvelous sunset shots. It would have been difficult to teach and stay on target without a projector and whiteboard.

I invite class members to provide feedback.