Technology Tools and Landscape

My Thoughts on Multimedia Tech/Tools we will be Using

The wide variety of Multimedia Tools available to students
Source: Pixabay

From reading the submission regarding the tech we will be using during our time on this module everything seems grand. I am familiar with all of different tools apart from Unity3D which I have some knowledge of but not a whole lot. However from my time spent in CDM Year 1 as well as my own free time I am pretty experienced with the rest of the tools we are required to use. The online element of the module is somewhat new to me but I really like it so far as it allows me to access all the important documentation/information for this module. 

I feel updating the blog will also work very well as a means of reflection and idea generation regarding the work and projects we will be developing over the semester. The skills I would like to develop over the duration of this module is definitely Unity3D development. Game development is a field I am very interested in and I feel it will be both challenging but rewarding for me. I hope it could potentially be something I use in my career in the future.

The "Class Announcements Blog" I also feel is very helpful as it allows all members of the course to keep on top of things in regards to this module if they need it. For instance if they are absent from a lab or lecture and miss something important it will also be available on the blog for them to catch up on.

Time Strategies

A resource that must be managed well in life

Source: Wikipedia Commons

My thoughts on Time Management

As any student knows whether it be Secondary School or College, Time Management is one of the most important skills you could ever have. Ensuring you have enough time to allocate to the tasks you need to complete is integral to success especially in a course such as CDM which is mostly reliant on CA which involves the completion of multiple work/submissions per week to make up your grade for each of the modules you do each semester. Without effective Time Management it is very easy to become overwhelmed and lose not only important points towards your grade but also your knowledge of the course will suffer as you scramble to finish all of your work at once which I know from past experience can be both disorienting and disheartening for your own head space. If you can manage your time well and complete tasks as you receive them instead of putting them at the back of your mind to "be finished later" you will be much more successful in the course and in the future in areas such as the job sector as it is a respected and desired quality in an employee.

For this module I feel out of all the skills you should have and develop time management is the one that will result in you getting a good grade at the end of the year. If you can make a reasonable attempt at each of the tasks required each week to the best of your ability, even if you struggle with some areas the effort and skill you used ensuring you had enough time to have a crack at each of them will result in you having a stockpile of points which contribute toward your final grade.

The two supplied articles I read where "3 Steps to Recapture Time" and "Four Questions to Help Overcome Procrastination" I felt that the advice provided in these articles is very practical and can easily be applied by any individual such as student to ensure they can have enough time to get important, necessary tasks done while also avoiding dreaded procrastination while trying to complete these tasks. For me procrastination is one of my biggest faults when it comes to completing tasks. It's like I will always find some benign task to do instead of dedicating my time to the important task at hand. These two articles I felt were important in combating two faults I see in myself "Not having enough time to do what I want to do" and "Falling into the trap of procrastinating"

A simple tactic I have for managing workload is to just start. Once you start working you tend to get into a groove while you do it until you complete it. Even if you would rather do anything else simply starting to work can change your mind. It's true what they say: 

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" - Viktor Reznov

My Thoughts on Class Assignments

Typical Components used in a Multimedia Development Workspace Set-up
Source: Pixnio

Based on what I have read from the post regarding Class Assignments for Multimedia, I am really looking forward to working on this module's projects in the future. The assignments seem straightforward enough in what is expected from each of them. This is something I appreciate as I like knowing what is to be expected of me instead of jumping in blind in regards to new things as I can adapt/prepare for them.

I am really looking forward to the 3DUnity work as I am a big fan of video games and have always being fascinated by the developer tools that studios used to create their games popular engines such as the Unreal Engine, Dumia, Frostbite, Snowdrop, Creation Engine, ID Tech, and of course Unity are some of the AAA game engines I am familiar with from the games that I play. Although I myself have never developed a game in Unity I am fairly knowledgeable of the popularity of the engine especially among indie developers who do not have the funds to license the more popular AAA game engines from big studios such as Epic Games or ID. I hope that I can use skills from my time spent in Unity3D to my advantage and personal enjoyment following this completing of the multimedia Module.

The task that I am perhaps the most worried about in regards to the module is the commenting/project feedback tasks. I can often be quite critical of my own work so having to share my work with others from CDM will be quite daunting for me at least at first, especially if they do not like my work or point out things that I myself would have changed myself if I could. I also hope that I won't be too overly critical of other peoples work as I always try to see the best qualities/aspects of work that I am reviewing. I find constructive criticism difficult to give without coming across as nit-picky or mean.

The Extra Credit opportunities I feel are a great addition. They all appear interesting in their own way and all I feel serve a process as they will help me learn and reflect on new things while also providing an opportunity to earn extra points when necessary. For example if I know I will be very busy or absent during the week I can complete extra credit tasks to make up for any potential lost points which is fantastic. Thank you Shaun from all of CDM Year 2 for that.

Growth Mindset

My thoughts on the Growth Mindset

Carol S. Dweck, Host of the Growth Mindset Ted Talk.
Source: Wikipedia Commons

I have personally not heard of Carol S. Dweck or the Growth Mindset before taking part in this exercise. However I have watched quite a few Ted/TedX talks on various different topics as they related to modules in year 1 of CDM or during my time in secondary school Religion class. I have always found them to be insightful, interesting, and sometimes comedic depending on either the subject matter or the presenter themselves bringing humour into their Ted Talk. How I came to learn about the Growth Mindset was due to the supplied videos for this exercise combined with some independent research of my own.

I believe strongly in the concept behind the Growth Mindset as I found that in almost all areas of learning doing is the best way to improve or develop your skills. For instance an artist doesn't start off being naturally fantastic they must develop their skills through repetition and dedication. The basis of the Growth Mindset. The closest i've come to hearing about the Growth Mindset was through a former teacher of mine in Secondary School who informed us of the idea that it takes a combined 10,000 hours of work to become a master that no one is naturally gifted with the ability to pick up the skills instantly everyone must work to improve.

As for where I fit on the growth Mindset spectrum I believe that I fit somewhere in between the fixed and growth mindset. I feel that personal self doubt can often be responsible for individuals including myself leaning on more of the Fixed Mindset instead of the much more optimistic, productive Growth Mindset. I feel I should aspire to adapt the Growth Mindset in all aspects of my life as I feel I would greatly improve as an individual.

I would really enjoy learning more about the Growth Mindset over the year(s). I feel that it is important for students such as myself to be exposed to this as I feel there are a lot of students who are stuck within the Fixed Mindset without understanding the negative consequences this can have on their own happiness and their productivity in College, Work or School.

The biggest challenges I face when tackling new things I find that if I am unfamiliar with the process or the subject matter I tend to experience a lot of self doubt/apprehension before even getting stuck in. However on the positive side these worries tend to disappear once I get going and realise that often times, things can be easier to accomplish than they appear. Despite this the self doubt never really seems to stop appearing which is something I know and hope that I can work on over the time I spend in this course/my own personal life.

Comparison of the Growth Vs. Fixed Mindset
Source: Medium.com

Introduction Post

Who am I?: An introduction to Dillon Byrne

Filmmaking has always been a passion for me

Source: Pixabay

Hello, My name is Dillon Byrne I am 19 years old. I am currently in my 2nd year of the Creative Digital Media course in the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown. I chose this course due to my passion for film/film-making as well as my passion for video games in particular narrative driven games or to put it simply games that tell really good story's. I have always been a fan of film and video games for as long as I can remember. I also love the behind the scenes aspect of film/game making I love after playing a game or watching a movie getting a look at how the media came together into the final product and all the hard work and dedication put in from individuals in every department some of which might never be recognized by the general audience. 

As a whole I really enjoyed my first year of ITB. I enjoyed some modules more than others but I felt that each module allowed me to learn important tools and skills that I can and hope to apply in later life. The modules I enjoyed the most were Photography, Digital Media, Storytelling & Narrative and Web Development. I enjoyed all of these modules as I feel I will be using some or each of these modules as a basis for my future career which I'm hoping will be in either Film/TV Production or Game Development if all goes well.

From a young age I was always fond of writing stories and reviewing media. Whether it be Film, TV or games. I have fond memories of Primary School Where I would write stories during creative writing inspired from some of my favourite games and movies. I did sometimes get in trouble as my favourite games and movies back then weren't exactly "Child Friendly" however it didn't stop me.

My hobbies include of course watching Film/TV Shows, Playing Video Games, listening to Music discussing media with friends/family, Watching film/game/tv show analysis, Watching documentaries, Swimming, Go-Karting and Walking.

As for my taste in film my personal favourites tend to be the films that I was surrounded with by family members which tend to be from the 70's, 80's and 90's. However there are plenty of films from 2000's and 2010's I love also. As for my taste in music I love a lot of the 80's/90's classics I feel my taste in music was influenced a lot by the type of music you usually hear in films that use music from the time period they are either set or based in. I also really enjoy listening to the OST's or Official Soundtracks from Games/Movies or TV Shows. I love putting on music like this while I am working, Studying, reading or walking.

Workshop 01

How do Traffic Lights Work?

During our first Multimedia lecture we were given the task of describing as simply as possible, how do traffic lights work on a four-way intersection. The idea was to answer as if the idea of traffic lights was completely foreign to an individual. When I first approached the question I noticed I was being way too technical and logical with my answer trying to describe the mechanical operations of how traffic lights work. This of course was not what was required as a technical explanation is way too confusing to someone who is theoretically completely unfamiliar with the concept of Traffic Lights.

I then changed my approach to a much more practical explanation describing how traffic lights signal vehicles know when to stop and move at appropriate times and also allow for pedestrians to cross between roads that contain traffic lights. I felt this explanation fit the brief much better and was easier to understand.

The Delivery Process

I felt the way the question was presented was confusing at first as we weren't given a desired approach to take when attempting to answer the question. This led to me conversing with fellow students to see if their approach was similar to mine or completely different. I noticed that we all took radically different explanations to the same question. None of which we knew were right or wrong. This group dynamic I found very interesting as I got an idea of the thought process of not only myself but my colleagues also.

My Reflection

This was my flowchart of how I felt the process would work during the lecture

I really enjoyed getting to reflect on my experience during our first Multimedia lecture. I felt that the process of reflecting allows you to consolidate what you have learned and also analysis areas you feel you need to improve or work upon. Learning after the fact on work you have completed previously is a great way to learn in my opinion. I feel reflection will be an integral process during my Unity Project Development in the future. Below are images of my process during the lecture I wrote in my notepad.

I initially wrote out how I thought I should answer the question in the lecture

My favourite game I played recently

My favourite of the games I played recently has to be "God Of War" for the PS4. The game was released on the 20th of April 2018. The game is the fourth main installment of the "God of War" series. The game despite it's lack of number or subtitle is in fact a sequel not a reboot of the franchise which began in 2005 on the PS2.

Kratos with his son Atreus who accompanies him throughout the game

Source: Flicker

The game is a narrative heavy and heavily combat focused. The game changes the formula up for the franchise by having a more traditional behind the shoulder 3rd person style of combat more along the lines of games like "Dark Souls" or the recent "Assassin's Creed Origins". This change was quite controversial upon the announcement of the game with complaints that the game was attempting to replicate recent PS4 successful exclusive "The Last of Us" instead of improving on the traditional combat style which was more similar to games like "Ninja Gaiden" and "Devil May Cry".

Despite really enjoying the original games I however felt the change was fine and allowed the combat to feel much more brutal and visceral having the perspective closer to the action instead of more pulled back like in the previous games. Fans and critics were largely won over or accepted the change once they played the game. The games narrative is one of my favourite for games in recent memory. The main character of Kratos was given much more of an arc and humanized more than compared to the previous games which largely had him as a man turned God consumed by vengeance. I really enjoyed the callbacks in the form of references to events and characters from the previous games which enforce the fact the game is a sequel but also allow new fans to enjoy the game as they serve as history and development for Kratos.

Kratos in his "Spartan Rage" after seeing Atreus attacked

Source: Flicker

Test Post

This is a test post for my blog