TU100 My Digital Life

TU100 My Digital Life TMA 05 This tutor-marked assignment (TU100 TMA 05) must be submitted by 12 noon (UK local time) on 21 July 2015. This module requires all assignments to be submitted electronically. To submit an assignment, please follow the link(s) from your StudentHome page to the online TMA/EMA service. If you foresee any difficulty with submitting your assignment on time then you should contact your tutor well in advance of the cut-off date. If you're using the PDF version of this TMA, please remember the formatting is very basic. As a result you will need to use the online version to see formatting more clearly and to access any links and image descriptions. For further information about policy, procedure and general submission of assignments please refer to the Assessment Handbook, which can also be accessed via your StudentHome page. Important – help with assignment questions Please read the guidance in the TMA questions and guidance section of the TU100 website before answering the questions here. Note that TMA 05 covers Block 4 and is a full-size TMA. Also note that the final 20 marks in this TMA are allocated for demonstrating key skills and practical/professional skills associated with the learning outcomes for TU100 (as listed in the TU100 Guide and the teaching material). If you need further guidance on any assignment questions, please ask your tutor who will be happy to help. Question 1 (30 marks) This question is based on your work for Block 4 Part 1. You will develop what the teaching materials call a ‘shareable multimedia object’ or a ‘video presentation’ put together from images and audio files. You will develop your answer to this question as you complete the activities in Block 4 Part 1. Your presentation will be a response to the video presentation Who owns your data? on the ShareSpace site used in the teaching material (click on the ‘Question’ tab in ShareSpace to view it). Towards the end of Part 1 you are asked to upload your completed video presentation to ShareSpace. The rest of TMA 05 must be submitted to the online TMA/EMA service as normal. You will receive tutor feedback and marks on the following aspects of Question 1. TMA 05 2 (a) A video presentation, clearly identified as audio-only, image-only or audiovisual as defined in the Guidelines for Question 1 below. It must meet all those guidelines and be uploaded to ShareSpace. Note that your presentation must not be uploaded to the online TMA/EMA service. Only those presentations that are uploaded to ShareSpace, with a separate answer document for the rest of the TMA being submitted to the online TMA/EMA service, will be marked. You will not be able to upload your presentation after the TMA deadline unless you have previously agreed an extension with your tutor. (10 marks) (b) The storyboard you created when developing your presentation. (10 marks) (c) A commentary on the processes involved in creating your presentation. The maximum word limit for Question 1(c) is 400 words. (10 marks) Please see the Guidelines for Question 1 below for further explanation of what you are to submit. Guidelines for Question 1 Question 1 requires you to use what you have learned in Block 4 Part 1 to prepare a piece of multimedia. These guidance notes explain how to apply that knowledge in your answer to Question 1. In addition to teaching you to use Audacity and Picasa as tools for multimedia work, Block 4 Part 1 includes a number of activities that prompt you to develop your piece to submit for Question 1 of this TMA. Therefore, as you study Part 1 you are also carrying out tasks that contribute to your TMA submission. The estimated timings for the sections in Part 1 allow for that. The notes below complement the teaching material in Block 4 Part 1 and are to be read alongside it. 1 What is Question 1 about? Answer The video presentation you are required to create is your response to the video Who owns your data? You will find this video under the ‘Question’ tab in ShareSpace. 2 What materials can I use to create my response? Answer The module provides a TU100 media database within ShareSpace. You are strongly advised to draw your audio and image files from this database. 3 Question 1 (30 marks) If you wish to use files not in the TU100 media database, you may do so. However, you will need to acknowledge the sources of the images and sounds you use, and ensure they are of a similar file size to those provided in the TU100 media database. Otherwise your presentation may exceed the 12 MB limit in ShareSpace and you will not be able to upload it. You do not need to acknowledge the sources of the materials you use if you draw them from the TU100 media database. 3 How long does my response need to be? Answer This depends on your choice of format for your video presentation – the details for each format are in point 4 below. 4 What choices do I have for the format of my video presentation? Answer Your video presentation must be composed of still images only, audio only, or both. You must not use moving images. More detail is given below for each of these options. You need to make your choice early during your study of Part 1, so that the work you carry out whilst studying the main teaching text contributes to your final piece of work for Question 1 of this TMA. Please note that if you choose to prepare an audio-only or image-only presentation, you will be expected to create a piece that is more thoroughly thought-out in the medium you choose. . If you choose to make an audio-only presentation, the maximum length is 2 minutes. Your response must be presented as a read-aloud argument – record a pre-written script and combine that with a musical background. . If you choose to make an image-only presentation, the maximum length is 2 minutes. Your response must be presented as a slideshow that includes still images and text slides. . If you choose to make an audiovisual presentation, the required length is between 1 and 11/2 minutes. Your response must be presented as a slideshow of still images with voice and/or music in the background. TMA 05 4 5 What size and type of files can I upload to ShareSpace? Answer Please look at the guidance in ShareSpace on this. You will need to produce a file that is smaller than 12 MB and in an acceptable format. If you are using Picasa, you do not need to worry about the file format as both formats it produces (.mov and .wmv) are accepted by ShareSpace. If you decide not to use Picasa, you must check the detailed requirements in ShareSpace before uploading. 6 What do I need to submit for this TMA? Answer Upload your video presentation, responding to the Question 1 video, to ShareSpace. You must not submit your video presentation via the online TMA/EMA service. Even if it is accepted by the online TMA/EMA service it will not be marked. Only the TMA 05 video presentation in ShareSpace will be marked, and only if a separate answer document for the rest of the TMA is also submitted to the online TMA/EMA service. As well as your answers to Questions 2 and 3, you must submit the following parts of your answer to Question 1 in the word-processed document you submit via the online TMA/EMA service: . your storyboard/plan . a short piece of text that provides a commentary on your video presentation (see point 7 below). 7 What are the guidelines for the commentary? Answer You are expected to write no more than 400 words commenting on the processes involved in creating your response. You need to include: . a rationale for your choice of format . an overview of the creative process you followed to arrive at your storyboard and how your ideas evolved . a short account of the technical processes you used to move from the storyboard to process the sounds and/or images and put them together into your final response. 5 Question 1 (30 marks) Question 2 (30 marks) Please note: you are not expected to produce another presentation for this question. (a) By the end of Block 4 Part 3, you should have provided comments in ShareSpace on the presentations of at least two fellow students, in order to give them constructive feedback. Paste a copy of your feedback comments on two of those presentations into your TMA. They must be comments you consider to be helpful in identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the presentations in question. In each case, state the name of the student to whom you gave the feedback and the date when you supplied it, and provide a link to the page that shows the feedback. (8 marks) (b) Give a brief summary of the feedback you received from other students on your own presentation, including the strengths and weaknesses they mentioned. Explain why you agree or disagree with this feedback. Briefly describe any changes you would make to your presentation, based on: (i) the feedback you received (ii) one or two ideas you had from looking at other students’ presentations. (8 marks) (c) In Parts 3 and 5 of Block 4, you used various tools for asynchronous and synchronous communication to discuss the presentations you and your fellow students created in Part 1. As part of the block, you also studied concepts relating to online communication. Write a short account of your experience of using asynchronous communication to provide feedback to other students on their presentations and to receive feedback on your own presentation. Describe how you used ShareSpace (an asynchronous tool) and how you might have used synchronous tools such as OU Live. As part of your account, refer to at least two of the following concepts which were introduced in this block. Community of practice Critical mass Reciprocity Social presence (14 marks) The maximum word limit for Question 2 is 700 words. TMA 05 6 Question 3 (20 marks) Scientists monitor the advance signs of mudslides by embedding motion detection sensors in the ground. Increasingly large ground movement levels may indicate that a mudslide is imminent. You are going to create part of a prototype for a computer program to monitor ground movement levels in a mudslide zone. The position of the slider will represent the level of the current ground movement: so a large slider value will correspond to a large ground movement and a small slider value will correspond to a small ground movement. Each reading of the ground movement level (slider value) will be compared with the previous: if it is the same, a circle will be displayed on the Stage; if it is smaller, a downward-pointing arrow will be displayed on the Stage; if it is bigger, an upward-pointing arrow will be displayed on the Stage. Each reading along with the number of readings taken so far will be written to a text file for later analysis. In parts (a) and (b) of this question you will complete a single script. The script in part (c) will control the execution of the preceding scripts by sending appropriate broadcast messages. You do not need to consider how the scripts will interact until you come to part (c). (The scripts for parts (a) and (c) have been partially created for you.) With your SenseBoard connected, open the Sense file TU100_TMA05_Q3. sb which is available from the Supporting files area of the ‘Assessment resources’ page on the TU100 website. Make sure that the SenseBoard is detected (select show SenseBoard watcher from the Extras menu). Notice that we have created three variables which you will use: . currentMovementLevel to hold the reading of the current movement level (the current slider value) . previousMovementLevel to hold the reading of the previous movement level (the previous slider value) . readingNumber to hold the number of readings of movement levels (slider values) obtained so far. Question 3a In this part, you will investigate and complete the Stage script headed with the hat block when_I_receive[setDisplay] which is responsible for the Stage display. To do this, it will broadcast messages which are responded to by the sprites DownArrow, UpArrow and Circle. Inspect these sprites and their scripts. (i) The partially-complete script headed when_I_receive[setDisplay] currently sends three messages, responded to by scripts belonging to DownArrow, UpArrow and Circle. What do these scripts do? (ii) Now complete the script headed when_I_receive[setDisplay] by adding blocks underneath the existing ones so that it achieves the following: 7 Question 3 (20 marks) ? if the current and previous movement levels are the same, the circle is shown on the Stage ? if the current movement level is less than the previous movement level, the downward-pointing arrow is shown on the Stage ? if the current movement level is greater than the previous movement level, the upward-pointing arrow is shown on the Stage. You should use the variables previousMovementLevel and currentMovementLevel and assume that when your script is run as part of the overall program their values will already have been set to the readings of the previous and current movement levels (slider values) respectively. Helpful information To test your script use set[]to[] blocks to set previousMovementLevel and currentMovementLevel to different values. (Leave these blocks in your project so your tutor can use them to check your script.) Observe the variable values via watchers on the Stage. Run your when_I_receive[setDisplay] script each time by doubleclicking on it. Submitting Question 3a (ii) . Use the ‘save picture of scripts’ facility built into Sense to save a picture of your when_I_receive[setDisplay] script and paste that into your word-processed solution document. . Save your final version of Question 3a (ii) and submit it as TU100_05_Q3a_OUCU.sb where OUCU is the OU computer username you use to log in to StudentHome (e.g. abc123) in your TMA zip file. (6 marks) Question 3b Now create a Stage script to handle writing the required current data to file. The script will respond when a message writeMovementDataToFile is broadcast, so start by creating a suitable hat block. In response to this message, it should construct a string of the form shown in the example below, containing the number of readings of movement levels taken so far (held in the variable readingNumber) and the reading of the current movement level (held in the variable currentMovementLevel). It should append this string, as a single TMA 05 8 line, to the file TMA05File_OUCU.txt, where OUCU is your OU computer username. Reading number: 4, movement level: 39.8826979472141 You should assume that when your script is run as part of the overall program the values of both readingNumber and currentMovementLevel will already have been set. Your script should not delete TMA05File_OUCU.txt as another part of the program will handle the creation of a fresh file. Helpful information To test your script use set[]to[] blocks to set currentMovementLevel and readingNumber to different values. (Leave these blocks in your project.) Observe the variable values via watchers on the Stage. Run your script each time by double-clicking on it and check the contents of the file TMA05File_OUCU.txt. Submitting Question 3b . Use the ‘save picture of scripts’ facility built into Sense to save a picture of your new script and paste that into your word-processed solution document. . Save your final version of Question 3b and submit it as TU100_05_Q3b_OUCU.sb where OUCU is your OU computer user name (e.g. abc123) in your TMA zip file.. (6 marks) Question 3c In this part, you will finish your program by completing the when_green_flag_clicked script that will run when the user clicks on the green flag button at the top of the Sense window. Every five seconds this script should read the slider value (representing the current movement level) and ensure that the Stage display is set appropriately and that the current data is written to the file TMA05File_OUCU.txt. This script will control the execution of the scripts you have created in parts (a) and (b), activating them at suitable points by sending broadcast messages. (i) We have placed some initialisation blocks at the top of this script. Explain what this initialisation consists of. 9 Question 3 (20 marks) (ii) Now complete this script by placing blocks below the initialisation blocks so that the script achieves the following. Deletes the file TMA05File_OUCU.txt Repeatedly (until the program is stopped by the user clicking on the red stop button at the top of the Sense window): ? waits for 5 seconds ? sets the appropriate variables to the previous slider value, the current slider value, and the number of readings taken so far ? ensures that the Stage display is set appropriately (as described in part (a)) ? ensures that the required current data is written to the file TMA05File_OUCU.txt (as described in part (b)). Helpful information You will need to use the wait[]secs block from the Control palette. To test your program, run it by clicking on the green flag button at the top of the Sense window. Then set different ground movement levels by setting different slider positions. Observe the variable values via watchers on the Stage. Check that: . the arrows and circle are displayed appropriately . the required data is written to the file. Stop your program by clicking on the red stop button at the top of the Sense window. Submitting Question 3c (ii) . Use the ‘save picture of scripts’ facility built into Sense to save a picture of your when_green_flag_clicked script and paste that into your word-processed solution document. . Save your final version of Question 3c (ii) and submit it as TU100_05_Q3c_OUCU.sb where OUCU is your OU computer user name (e.g. abc123) in your TMA zip file. (8 marks) TMA 05 10