Blog Update - 28th Sep. 09

How well do you feel you have settled in at college so far?
I feel that i have settled in at college really well. I am well prepared in the mornings and have handed work in on time and with a lot of effort. I know my way around easily and i am taking a keen interest into enrichment activities and applying to be a Student Ambassador.

Have you enjoyed getting to know your classmates and have you formed any friendships within the group?
I have enjoyed getting to know the other students in my class although i believe there could have a been an induction lesson where we get to know each other and even ask questions so we know what each person likes without feeling awkward when asking them.
I have formed some friendships within the group and I'm sure more will form as the course continues.

What skills have you learned so far?
I have learnt how to create a piece of music using GarageBand on the Mac. I have learnt how to write about a photograph and how to express my views on the photo in my writing. In Functional Skills English i have learnt how to correctly write a formal letter. In AS Art / Design i have learnt how to scribble draw and create an image with mark making. I have also learnt how to work with the people on my course.

Did you enjoy creating music using GarageBand?
I did enjoy creating music on GarageBand although as a musician i wanted to input my own ideas and notes as i thought the loops didn't offer much variety for the type of music i wanted to create. Its easy to understand though so i could quickly add or delete anything i didn't want in my piece.

What was particularly challenging about creating the mood slide show?
The challenging thing about the slide show was that a Google search didn't bring up the appropriate images for my mood which was 'Frantic'. It was quite a tricky word to use to collect images so i tried to use words such as 'rave' and 'busy crowds' to try represent a frantic state of mind.

What have you found most challenging about your work as a whole so far?
The most challenging thing would be the group activity with the second years in which you had to relaunch a sitcom series. As most of us weren't familiar with the show we had('The Likely Lads') it was hard to modernise it. Its also hard because you don't want to change much to take away the character the show already had.

Are you please with your work on your mood slide show?
I could have done better if i had taken my own images for example, but i think the transitions worked well and the music captured the mood of a frantic person/mind.

What skills are you looking forward to developing?
I'm looking forward to creating things with new skills i have just learnt. I know a little about photography, music production and journalism/writing anyway, so i hope to further my skills in radio or TV work for example.

What has been your favourite experience so far on the course?
My favourite experience was when we walked down to the Media Museum and we had to write about the exhibition on Don McCullin. I really loved his work and enjoyed writing about the image i chose even more. When i feel passionate about something or a photograph, i will enjoy writing about it compared to feeling nothing for the image.

What skills and abilities do you hope to improve upon during your time on the course?
I hope to improve my photojournalism work as i believe it is my strongest point. I hope to excel in every task we are given are use my full potential to do so.