Unit One Test Review

Communication technology test notes from blythstudiob

The Phonograph

How it works:

- Developed: by trying to improve the telegraph + the telephone

- A needle is attached to the diaphragm (the part in the telephone that vibrates when voice hits it)

- To record voice or music: the needle moves up and down based on the vibrations of the voice or music and makes indents in a piece of paper

- Later, tin foil replaced the paper as a recording material, and then wax, and then vinyl (records)

How it changed society:

- Invented by Thomas Edison in 1877

- It marks the beginning of the recording industry

The Telephone

This invention transmits speech electronically, through wires and was patented by Alexander Graham Bell in the 1870s.

- The telegraph and telephone are both wire-based electrical systems, and Alexander Graham Bell's success with the telephone came as a direct result of his attempts to improve the telegraph.

- Bell had extensive knowledge of the nature of sound and his understanding of music enabled him to see the possibility of transmitting multiple messages over the same wire at the same time.

- The telephone replaced the telegraph.

- In 1970, Motorola developed the cell phone (the size of a brick).

Now, we use digital cell phones that combine different kinds of communications technology including:
the phone, the camera, the internet and an MP3 player.

The Telegraph + Morse Code

The Telegraph:

This invention uses electricity to transmit messages faster than they could be physically carried, over huge distances.

While a professor of arts and design at New York University in 1835, Samuel Morse proved that signals could be transmitted by wire.

He used pulses of current to deflect an electromagnet, which moved a marker to produce written codes on a strip of paper.

He then invented a code that is used to communicate every letter of the alphabet through dashes and dots: Morse Code.

This was a revolutionary advance in communications technology because it created the “wired world”.

It’s main limitation was that it needed an operator to translate the Morse Code back into English.

In your portfolio, write your name in Morse Code.

The Printing Press

Earlier this week in Comm. Tech. we watched the BBC film: "The Machine That Made Us" hosted by Stephen Fry (available to watch on youtube).  The film takes us on a journey to remake the original Gutenberg press by hand, along with the paper and the type that would have been used in 1439 when it was first invented.

Here are some examples of the work covered in the film:

The Printing Press

The Moveable Type

The first book ever printed: the Gutenberg Bible

How to View + Write About a Poster

How to view a poster from blythstudiob

Some posters are effective and appropriate for the product they are trying to advertise, such as the "fresh farm eggs" with a hand-painted sign. 

Other posters, such as the "free flying lessons", however, are not effective or appropriate at advertising their product. 

Find one example of an effective poster for a company that you like and fill out the form below:

how to poster form from blythstudiob

Assignment #1: Cover Letter + Resume (5%)

Here is the first assignment for Comm. Tech. - your Cover Letter and Resume using Microsoft Word.
Due: Monday November 26th. 

The first document below is the assignment handout.
The second document tells you how to do the assignment.

Resume task from blythstudiob

Cover letter+resume from blythstudiob

How To View + Write about a Website

How to View a Website from blythstudiob

Today in Comm. Tech. we wrote our reviews of the film: "The Mystery of the Rosetta Stone."

After, we learned how to view and write about a website and completed a review of either a good or a bad website, using the criteria from the PowerPoint above.

Write your name in hieroglyphics

Use the charts above to draw the symbols to represent your name, or use an online version: here.

Add the finished sketch (or print out) to your portfolio.

This exercise will provide a closer look at how the Egyptian symbols are formed, and even if they are not a real translation, they offer an approximation of the sounds the hieroglyphs represent.

The Mystery of The Rosetta Stone

On Friday in Comm. Tech. we started learning how to view and write about a film. The film we watched and will review on Monday is "The Mystery of Rosetta Stone" (It is available to watch on youtube).

We watched this movie to learn more about the origins of writing that uses sounds to communicate and not simply pictures (pictographs).

The Rosetta Stone represents a major breakthrough in writing systems, and is the first development that we are studying in the history of communications technology.

Here is a photo of the Rosetta Stone:

And here is the work that Jean-Francois Champollion did in working out the sounds of the hieroglyphs:

How To View + Write about a Film (PowerPoint)

How to view + write about a film from blythstudiob

Unit One Learning Goals for Grade 10

By the end of this unit I will be able to:

1·  use ideas, methods and skills that are needed to produce a variety of communications media products or services.

2· show that I understand the basic mathematical and scientific concepts used in communication technology and can use them to create media projects.

3· describe how communications media have affected society and culture.

Unit One Learning Goals for Grade 11 + 12

By the end of this unit you will be able to:

1 ·  use ideas, methods and skills that are needed to produce a variety of communications media products and services.

2 · describe the equipment and software needed for different kinds of communications media and explain how they are used.

3 ·  show that I understand the basic mathematical and scientific concepts used in communication technology and can use them to create media projects.

4 · describe how communications media have affected society and culture.

A.P.A. Style Citation

A.P.A. Style Citations and Reference List               
website: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/3/

Citing a Book in your essay:                                     
(Butler, 2012)                                                             

Citing a website: If possible, cite an electronic document the same as any other document by using the author-date style above.

If you don’t know the author and date:

If no author is given, use the first few words of the title of the webpage instead.

If no date is given, use the abbreviation "n.d." (for "no date").

 ("Tutoring and APA," n.d.).

Reference List:
For a Book:
Author, A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Location: Publisher

For a Website:
Title of Webpage/ or article.(n.d.). Retrieved from
       http://www.website.com.

PORTFOLIO TASK (10%)

PORTFOLIO TASK

Value: 10%

This will be due at the end of the course and will be added to as we progress through the units.

1. Keep an ongoing record of the history of communications technological inventions, how they work, and how they changed society.

2. In-class exercises for each unit including examples of graphic design, photography and other media.

3. Written responses to a variety of class activities, such as: film reviews, poster and advertizing analysis and website analysis.

4. One page on Careers in Communications Technology

5. Process work for in-class projects throughout the course and summative work: the ISP and Multi-media campaign.

Comm. Tech. Mark Breakdown

Welcome to Communications Technology!

Visit this blog to find out about what is happening in Mr. Butler's Comm. Tech. class.
There will be regular posts here that have important course information.

You can email Mr. Butler your work or questions at: phbutler.blyth@gmail.com

 Here is the mark breakdown for the course:

Course Work (70%):

Group Work: 5%

Portfolio: 10%

Resume + Cover Letter: 5%

Unit One Test: 10%

Illustrator Task (Design a Poster): 10%

Group Photo Essay: 10%

Photoshop Task (Impossible Self-portrait): 10%

Short Film: 10%

Final Work (30%):

Multi-media Campaign: 15%

ISP: 15%