My Capstone Experience

My Capstone experience went better than I expected. I came into the presentation nervous and worried that it would go bad. But in reality, it didn't. I feel like my multimedia components really helped me put out my issue to the judges. All in all, Capstone was a pain to work on but in the end it was a success.

Final Video Project

This video's main idea was to portray what happened during the Senior versus Junior basketball game. I was the Senior in the video who crossed up all the juniors and hit the game winning shot. I felt like this video was really creative and the editing process made it even better. Jalil was the junior and the girls were cheerleaders. Zuhair was the enthusiastic ref who made good calls that ended up giving us the win.

Final Capstone Projects

Website-http://www.wix.com/allenthomas93/stopsportsinjuries

Poster-https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi13G6vOBWu8l6gRepxN-y8sXMYpTneJ_yl9znS3-EcGi7xBULyijtO_6bmH9PUQMYNBmpslIqd9HFV4v3j-HK9YLiWwlanLl3b4GMhZlmGD7GgrpkdfPzpLizTvYCMBMB-z3nyC_BCL_ng/s1600/my+poster+allen+thomas.jpg

PSA- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvmxpSIdIt8&feature=youtu.be

Video Project- http://www.mmlab2.rlc.dcccd.edu/imed1391n04/web7438/The%20Game%20of%20Life%20Video%20Project.ppt

I feel like with these multimedia components, my Capstone presentation will be truly effective. I worked very hard on these and I hope it pays off.

Video Project

I picked powerpoint over all the other options because I would like my presentation to be as simple and to the point as possible. I do not want the judges to be too focused on other aspects seen on the other options. I talk about the development and end product of my project on my powerpoint presentation. It will truly be an aid in getting my message across.

Brief Proposal Presentation to Class

The whole theme of my presentation will revolve around a athletic and medicinal type of ideology. For props i will be using an enlarged photo of my poster that will give it a athletic mood. I will also be having multimedia equipment set up so i will be able to show my PSA and website to the judges. I am currently working on my end product which is a injury guidebook that will provide people with an essential amount of information about sports injuries. It will probably be finished by next week. All in all, I am well on my way to finishing up my project.

Capstone Website

Link to website: www.wix.com/allenthomas93/stopsportsinjuries

For my website I used the program Wix, which was a more creative way to construct a website. On Wix you have many options to customize and create a website they way you envision it. I went with a simple approach on my website in which it will be more user friendly for all age groups. I included many images that really bring out the mood about how serious my issue is. I included many tabs with vital information that will help change and mold opinions about the seriousness of sports injuries in the younger generation.

Website Prototype

My web page will be a interactive site for both parents, coaches, and youth. The home page will have a vibrant and playful theme that will include flash aspects. My research will be mostly off of government and health websites that will contain a wide array of information about sports injuries. My future essay will be a more in depth look on my issue and will provide a lot more insight on how we can keep sports injuries at a  minimum. My links will include my PSA video, my poster, and I will also try to incorporate a more fun aspect by adding games and other activities so that it can attract the younger population.

Thinking Ahead - Presentation

Other props I have decided on is a injury guidebook that I will give out as a free handout to those who are participating in sports or who act as coaches or concerned parents. What this guidebook will include is a list of common sports injuries that high schoolers face during their athletic endeavors. It will also include tips on preventing these injuries which will be of great aid to them. As of right now I am still constructing the blueprint on this idea and will soon have it ready with various amounts of information.

"Let us keep kids in the game of life!"

The concept of my poster is to show to my community how serious sports injuries in kids and teens today. I used a high resolution picture as the background of my poster. I then added text that relates to my and catches the readers eye. To make it more vibrant, I added a drop shadow to the text that gave it a "popping" look.

SOPA and PIPA

As a frequent user of sites such as Facebook, Reddit, and Wikipedia, I believe that congress is way out of line for proposing this atrocity. I believe that many peoples freedoms are taken away if this bill is passed especially the right to free speech. I don't believe this idea will sit will for our society and I think our country will be heading into a hard time.

Poster design and typography

http://strongstuff.deviantart.com/art/robot-earth-3009-poster-139553290

I think there are some awesome aspects of this poster that brings out its message. First of all the whole theme of robots is stuck through out the entire poster. From the visual image of a robot, to the robotic typography, the whole design of it gives me the idea of robots. Also, I think the text is must be readable and it is just that in this poster.

About my PSA

My PSA consists of video clips, a track by The Go! Team, and my voice over explaining my issue. I used Adobe Premiere to put my video together. The video clips are various clips with kids playing sports. I included a text slide with some statistics that I explain in my voice over. All in all, I feel like my PSA should a strong message to people in a efficient manner.

http://youtu.be/DvmxpSIdIt8

How to Write a PSA

After reading the article on how to write a public service announcement, I feel like I have cleared up a lot of questions and doubts I had. I learned that when writing a PSA, one does not need to be creative in order to send out a specific message. The main goal of it is to get someone to take a specific action. To do this, I myself must take action and figure out if the issue I am presenting is important enough. I should not be putting out a message that is irrelevant to anybody in society. I must establish how relevant it is to the audience and how important it is to the target audience. Some other concepts I need to incorporate are emotion, personal accounts, clarity and so forth. One of the main things I am debating on is adding music to the announcement. I should only use it when it enhances the impact of the message. By using all these concepts and techniques, my PSA will effectively convey my message.

PSA Intent

My PSA video will be very much on the serious side because I want people to approach it on the right attitude. It will include soft and calm music and also words spoken by me. I will also be using text to help me explain the issue.

- Start off with a video of athletic activities
- Use text to introduce topic
- Have music softly playing in the background
- Include statistics when talking about topic
-Talk about proposed solution

Preliminary Identification of Presentation Capstone elements

i. Yes I will be using props to give my presentation more theme and making the people who view it more comfortable with what I'm trying to convey.

ii. I am hoping to get an easel stand and also a laser pointer for my poster presentation so it will be much easier to show explain the different concepts shown on my poster.

iii. I am hoping to get 3D models on different parts of the body that are most commonly involved in injuries. With these models, I will explain the science of the various parts of the body and how they are affected in certain injuries.

iv. I think just a formal suit and tie combination would be suffice as proper attire when I present my issue to the people.

v. The most important points I will present in my verbal presentation would be the main issue and various statistics on how frequently it is affecting kids today and also my proposed solution and how I will minimize this epidemic with it.

vi. I believe brochures are great ideas because it can help spread the word easily when people take them and show their friends and acquaintances this issue.

vii. Yes, I will definitely be presenting my website and video during my presentation.

Look and Feel Issues

A. I feel like my presentation would be more on the serious side because adding humor to it would undermine the seriousness of the issue and how we need people to look at it in the right way so it can be resolved.

B. I feel like graphs and photographs would be essential to this because today's society is a more visual society and adding these would help them better understand the seriousness of this issue. When it comes to colors, fonts, and layouts, I believe that making these concepts more one the serious side would also help convey the seriousness of the issue and how it needs to be resolved as soon as possible.

C. My site, video, and print material would be more persuasive if I keep it as simple and minimalistic as possible. If I add too much "clutter" onto it such as humor and colorful fonts, a loss of seriousness for the issue would occur.

D. I can make my point of view understood by adding a brief testimony done by me so that I can spread the word on what I believe this epidemic will be if not minimized or undermined soon.

E. I intend to create a interactive website that is good for parents, coaches, and even youths too. I would especially focus on it being more kid friendly meaning adding more fun activities and games on there that will be the keep them engaged and not bored. Also, for the parents and coaches, I hope to include many tips and ways they can help prevent youths from getting injuries.

Looking ahead on PSA

1.) Some key points I will be emphasizing about my issue will be some statistics about the frequency and severity of sports injuries, how life is changed because of constant injuries, and the steps one can take to bring awareness to people.

2.) I think some good visuals would be to include an example of a young person getting injured and how they struggle to recover with it. Audio wise I think a voice over explaining what is happening in the visuals would be appropriate.

3.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtEyPVT6KUo

- This video talks about a common sports brain injury known as a concussion. A young girl who had suffered from it by playing soccer is explaining her feelings on it. Her mother sits next to her informing parents on how they need to step up and be aware of this issue.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDzbKMU2jFY

- This PSA was put out by the Seattle Seahawks football organization and also talks about head injuries. Current players and former players express the need for parents to be more aware of this issue.

Statement of Intent

1.) One of the main goals I would like to accomplish in my capstone is to minimize the frequent episodes of sports injuries mainly in adolescents and children.  I would also like to bring awareness to this epidemic especially to parents, coaches, and even the youth. I think this will be a major benefactor in overcoming this dreaded problem.

2.) This issue is important because sports is a big part of youth's lives in today's societies. It is something they look to for recreation and even relieving stress. If these youth are being prevented from playing the sport they love because of nagging injuries, they are truly missing out on a special opportunity for them. This is why I am here to propose a solution in this multimedia capstone class.

3.) My future career is to be physician or even a surgeon in the field of Orthopedics, which is the study of the musculoskeletal system. Sports injuries are probably going to be one of the major issues I am going to face in my profession. I would like to start helping early with this epidemic and work mainly towards children and help them keep playing the sports they love.

4.) My project gives back to society by helping youth's continue to play the sports and physical activities that are dear to them. I am also helping preventing injuries so that they are able to do basic daily activities like walking or picking up things.

5.) The Richland triple bottom line is people, economics, and environment. The people I am mainly directing to is the youth who are in elementary, middle, and high schools, who participate in athletics. Economic wise, I think this is something that will undermine the economy because of all the money put into surgery and rehabilitation. Last but not least, the environment I am aiming towards is helping is more of a school environment because of the vast number of people and sports there.