ICT unit 1 question

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Anna Piccinini

Unit 1 Question:

To What Extent Does our Health Depend on Technology?

Area of Interaction (AOI):

Health and Social Education

Significant Concept:

Our health is only as good as our health service

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Anna Piccinini

Investigate StageProblemI need to create a video or an animation to educate a certain group on the health benefits of a certain technology. My aim is to inform people so that they know about the health benefits of this technology. I will have to choose one type of technology which benefits the health and then present it to a group of people. The video or animation will have to be informative, so people can learn about this technology and interesting so people will want to learn about it. I have already chosen what technology I will research: the pacemaker. I have chosen this technology because I am very interested in this topic and how it works inside the human body. Also I am very interested in biology so this links in very well with it.

What technologies I could research: Pacemaker Electronic cigarette Dialysis machine Electronic toothbrush

How the problem relates to meThis problem relates to me because my grandfather needs to have an operation to insert a pacemaker cell so this affects me because his health has an effect on the well being of my family.

How the problem relates to the societyThis problem relates to the society because in this way older people can live longer without having heart problems. This is a benefit to my society but also something negative because it can sometimes happen that the pacemaker can have a malfunction, leading to abnormal heartbeats. In my research I will find out what are the advantages and disadvantages of the pacemaker and decide if it is positive or negative for my society.

How the problem links to the Area of InteractionThis problem links to the Area of Interaction because it is Health and Social and the technology I am going to research benefits the health of old people to extend and improve their lives. By creating a video I will inform people about this particular kind of technology which could improve their lives.

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Anna Piccinini

Questions I will need to answer

-Knowledge (information about the technology)

1. What is a pacemaker and how does it work?2. What are the advantages and the disadvantages?3. How is it helpful to society?

-Presentation (making the product effective)

1. How can I make the video interesting to different age groups? (survey)2. What are people interested in?

-Practical skills (using the software to make your product)

1. What software do I need to use?2. What skills do I need to work with this software?

The sources I will use will be: websites, books, videos, television programmes, newspaper articles, magazine articles and interview an expert. I will need to use at least four in order to have enough information and so that it is reliable.

To evaluate my sources I will ask myself these questions:

Are they unbiased? Are they valid? How reliable are they? How do I know this? Were they too detailed? Did they not give enough detail? Were they just right? Why?

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Anna Piccinini

Design Brief

The way that I will attempt to address the Problem stated is to create a video in order to inform people about a certain technology. The first thing I will do is my research about the pacemaker cell so I will know what will go in the video. Then I will start researching how the program I will use to create the video works. After collecting all this information I will start creating the video. I will have to plan my time carefully because I don’t want to stay behind and I will respect all the deadlines and the fixed dates. Before starting to create the video I will make a plan of all the different parts in the video and how they will combine. Also I will need to think about the music in the video, the information and how long it will be.

I am going to create my video when I finish doing my research and when I will know how the program works I will create the video in school because the software that we will use is on the school computers. I will make a plan of the time it will take me to make the video so I don’t have to do it at home. To test if people like my video I will make a questionnaire and ask people what they think about it. Because my target audience is an old age group I will ask my grandparents and also maybe my parents because when they get older they could be interested in this kind of technology. I will ask them if they think it is clear and it has informed them about this technology.

In class we saw some videos that some students a few years ago made so we can understand what we are aiming to do. The videos all had some music and they had alternated parts of writing and acted or animated parts. Some videos had also parts where students acted out a small role play informing about the technology they had chosen.

GOAL: I will educate my target audience which is an older age group on the health benefits of the pacemaker cell.

TARGET AUDIENCE: my target audience is going to be an old age group. From about 65 to 80 years old. They are the interested age group because the technology I will research is studied for older people as it helps to regulate the heart beat and it prevents strokes.

MAJOR CONSTRAINTS: one of the major constraints will be time, because we don’t have much class time and I will have to do a lot at home, considering also my other homework I will have to be careful not to forget things. Another constraint will be the software that we will use, because it is quite an old program and I will have access to it only in the computer lab. Also I have never used this software before and I will learn how to use it and all the function it has. I am not very good with these kinds of softwares so it will be quite difficult for me. I could ask the ICT teacher Mr Mariani for help as he is an expert in this field.

CRITERION: my aim is to make an entertaining video that will also inform people about my chosen technology. People should not be bored when they look at my video but they should be interested in learning more about it and find it helpful.

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Anna Piccinini

Design Specification

Design specifications are a set of features that must be clear recognizable in the product. I will evaluate my product against these specifications.

- Limits: define the range of performance- Demands: requirements or features which must be met- Wishes: requirements which should be met

Function: What it needs to achieve and do. Appearance: How it should look (e.g. for a powerpoint mention slide transitions, for a movie

mention video effects, lighting, etc.). Content: The information included it. Also, the type of content – e.g. information on a

technology presented in the format of a story. Materials: What it will be made from (if you are making something physical, it would be wood,

metal, etc. but if you are designing something on computer it will be things such as sound effects, video clips, images, etc (which you found during your investigation).

Size: The dimensions or length – (for example a movie would have a run time and an aspect ratio, an animation would have both a run time and pixel dimensions).

LIMITS

Function Appearance Content Materials SizeMust not talk about more than one technology

Must not look childish

It must have at least 10 facts about the tech.

Images about tech. information, video clips.

Must not be longer than three minutes.

It must not be aimed at a random age group, it has to be specific

The music must not interfere with the video.

Must not be made in a poor quality

DEMANDS

Function Appearance Content Materials SizeMust only talk about one technology

Must be no longer than three minutes

Must have 10 facts

There must be music

Has to be high quality

It needs to be aimed at a specific age group

It has to be a video or animation

Has to contain images

It has to be created in a video format

The video has to be three minutes or shorter

It has to be professional

Has to be interesting and captivating

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Anna Piccinini

WISHES

Function Appearance Content Materials SizeIt should be aimed at the specific age group

Should look professional

It should have intersting images

There should be music, fitting the topic

It should be high quality

It should teach something and inform people

Has to contain at least 10 facts

It should be a video format or animation

It should be around three minutes long

Should not bore people

Test Plan

Test name Actual Outcome Comments/improvements?

Does the video talk only about

one technology?

Is it aimed at only one specific

age group?

Is it informative?

Is it interesting and captivating?

Does it look professional?

Is it longer or shorter than three

minutes?

Is it a video or an animation?

Does it have at least 10

interesting facts about the tech?

Does it contain interesting

images and video clips?


inofrmation?

Does the music interfere with

the video?

Does the music fit the topic

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treated?

Is it created using a video

format?

Is it high quality?

This table contains all the design specifications i have written previously so it is very complete and contains many specification angainst which i will test my product. When i will create my final prdouct I will use this test plan table to see what other people think about the video i will create. Another way in which i could test if people like my video is by doing a survey. It could contain questions like: do you think the video is interesting? Do you think it is informative? Did you enjoy watching it? This will give me a wider range iof opinions so I can improve the video in many areas.

Questionnaire

Question Person 1 Person 2 Person 3 Person 4 Person 5

Did you like my video?

Do you think it was interesting?

Did you enjoy watching it?

Did you learn something about the

technology?

Did you like the music used in the video?


Are the images and video clips interesting?

Comments...

This questionnaire will be useful to assess my final product because this way I can see what people think about it and in what ways I can improve it.

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Anna Piccinini

Evaluating my performance

During the Investigate stage I have worked really hard and tried to produce my best work. I wrote everything in detail and followed every step by looking at the grade 11 unit 1 blog Mr Mariani made. I was also very organised during this stage because I worked a lot in class so I didn’t have to do it at home. I am also ahead of the rest of the class because I worked quickly without distractions. I am very pleased with the work I have done in this stage because it is detailed and well written. The part that I found most difficult in this stage was writing the specifications because there are three different sections: the demands, the wishes and the limits and it was difficult to think of that many and put them in categories.

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Anna Piccinini

Research

What Are Pacemaker Cells?

Pacemaker cells are specialized cells that cause involuntary muscles and tissues to contract or dilate. They are found in all involuntary muscle groups, which can be striated or smooth tissues. Striated involuntary muscles are found in the heart, smooth involuntary tissue can be found in the brain, blood vessels, and the digestive system.

Pacemaker cells have a specialized cell membrane that allows sodium and potassium to cross and trigger their electrical impulses. Once the first cell generates an electrical impulse, it triggers a chain reaction in the other pacemaker cells.

The heart’s pacemaker cells are usually found in the right atrium in an area called the sinoatrial node. The electrical impulses generated by these cells cause the cardiac muscles to contract. They also control the rate of each contraction. Pacemaker cells generate an electrical impulse approximately 70 times per minute when the heart is at rest and up to 160 times each minute during exercise.

All of the heart’s cells are capable of acting as a pacemaker cell. The cells located in the sinoatrial node, however, are considered primary because they are faster than the other cells. They are responsible for starting the chain reaction most of the time. The other cells are then secondary and will fire in the event that the pacemaker cells in the sinoatrial node fail to start the chain reaction. When both primary and secondary pacemaker cells fail to keep the heartbeat regular, an artificial pacemaker might be considered.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-pacemaker-cells.htm

Evaluating this source:

This source was very useful because it explains exactly what a pace maker cell is and its function. I think that this source is quite reliable because it was published by two researchers, Nobel laureate Eric Kandel, M.D., and Steven A. Siegelbaum, Ph.D., at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. So this proves that it is a very reliable source and that the information contained in this article is reliable. This source is also unbiased because it is a medical article so there is no opinion on a medical aspect. This article was not too detailed because it was the correct amount of information and there was not too much detail about the heart. It is just what I needed because it is also easy to understand for me.


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Anna Piccinini

The Body's Electrical System

Have you ever wondered what makes your heart beat? How does it do it automatically, every second of every minute of every hour of every day?

The answer lies in a special group of cells that have the ability to generate electrical activity on their own. These cells separate charged particles. Then they spontaneously leak certain charged particles into the cells. This produces electrical impulses in the pacemaker cells which spread over the heart, causing it to contract. These cells do this more than once per second to produce a normal heart beat of 72 beats per minute.

The natural pacemaker of the heart is called the sinoatrial node (SA node). It is located in the right atrium. The heart also contains specialized fibers that conduct the electrical impulse from the pacemaker (SA node) to the rest of the heart.

The electrical impulse leaves the SA node (1) and travels to the right and left atria, causing them to contract together. This takes .04 seconds. There is now a natural delay to allow the atria to contract and the ventricles to fill up with blood. The electrical impulse has now traveled to the atrioventricular node (AV node) (2). The electrical impulse now goes to the Bundle of His (3), then it divides into the right and left bundle branches (4) where it rapidly spreads using Purkinje fibers (5) to the muscles of the right and left ventricle, causing them to contract at the same time.

Any of the electrical tissue in the heart has the ability to be a pacemaker. However, the SA node generates an electric impulse faster than the other tissue so it is normally in control. If the SA node should fail, the other parts of the electrical system can take over, although usually at a slower rate.

Although the pacemaker cells create the electrical impulse that causes the heart to beat, other nerves can change the rate at which the pacemaker cells fire and the how strongly the heart contracts. These nerves are part of the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system has two parts - The sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nerves increase the heart rate and increase the force of contraction. The parasympathetic nerves do the opposite.

All this activity produces electrical waves we can measure. The measurement is typically represented as a graph called an electrocardiogram (EKG). Here is an example of three heartbeats from an EKG (Figure 5):

http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/cellular-microscopic/cell.htm

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Anna Piccinini

Figure 5

Each part of the tracing has a lettered name:

1. P wave - coincides with the spread of electrical activity over the atria and the beginning of its contraction.

2. QRS complex- coincides with the spread of electrical activity over the ventricles and the beginning of its contraction.

3. T wave - coincides with the recovery phase of the ventricles.

Electrical system abnormalities can range from minor premature beats (skipped beats) that do not require treatment, to slow or irregular beats that require an artificial pacemaker.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/human-biology/heart4.htm


This source was not very useful because it was too detailed and it contained too many scientific explanations. If I had to do a biology research this would be perfect because it explains in lots of detail, however it is not appropriate for my type of project because I have to put this information in a video and if it is too complicated people will get bored and they won’t be interested in the rest of the video. Even though it is not useful I checked this with the last piece of information that I got so I checked that it was reliable and they both say the same things, only in this one there is much more detail. I got this information from a very reliable science website so I am sure that it says correct things. However I won’t be using this in my video.


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Anna Piccinini

LA REPUBBLICA.IT - SALUTE

CARDIOLOGIA

Pacemaker e vita quotidiana: ecco i comportamenti da evitareOltre 60mila dispositivi vengono impiantati ogni anno per regolare il battito cardiaco e permettere una vita normale. Ma alcune attività sono off limits: ecco una guida sui rischi nella vita di tutti i giorni

Per 60 mila italiani ogni anno è un piccolo apparecchio salvavita, oltre mezzo milione di persone se lo sono già fatto impiantare nel nostro Paese (2 milioni in Europa). Parliamo del pacemaker cardiaco, un minuscolo congegno - grande come una scatola di fiammiferi - che, inserito chirurgicamente sotto la pelle del torace, è in grado di correggere nel caso che i farmaci non risultino efficaci i disturbi del ritmo del cuore, intervenendo quando percepisce che sta battendo troppo in fretta, troppo adagio oppure è un ritmo disordinato.

Una volta impiantato, il pacemaker diventa una parte dell'organismo con cui dover convivere rispettandone però le caratteristiche. Abbiamo chiesto al professor Massimo Santini, direttore dell'Unità Operativa di Cardiologia all' ospedale romano San Filippo Neri, quali sono gli accorgimenti per convivere con il pacemaker: consigli semplici ma degni della massima attenzione, perché possono esistere interferenze con strumenti della vita giornaliera. Personal computer. Se vengono rispettate le normative base di sicurezza ed il pc è in buone condizioni, è possibile lavorare al computer senza alcuna preoccupazione. Elettrodomestici. Non ci sono controindicazioni. Evitare, però, di piegarsi sopra il forno a microonde in funzione, controllando sul libretto, le indicazioni del produttore. Telefono cellulare. Distanza minima d'uso, 15 - 20 centimetri dal dispositivo. Meglio, inoltre, conversare accostandolo all' orecchio opposto a quello del corpo dove si trova il dispositivo ed evitare di tenerlo nel taschino della giacca quando non lo si usi. Ideale è ricorrere all' auricolare e fare attenzione, all' acquisto, al livello di dispersione elettrica indicata dal produttore. Lettore mp3. Solo se si trovano a 3 centimetri dal dispositivo, auricolari e lettori digitali interferiscono con il funzionamento di defibrillatori e pacemaker. È bene quindi seguire le stesse regole valide per il cellulare. Altoparlanti. Fare attenzione ad altoparlanti, forti magneti, generatori di corrente, saldatrici industriali ad arco e motori, utensili a batteria come i cacciavite ed i trapani, linee di potenza ad alta tensione, forni fusori, stazioni radar, antenne di trasmettitori. Non avvicinarsi a meno di cento metri per i trasmettitori

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radio/tv e radar ad alta potenza, capaci di recare danni circuitali. Non chinarsi poi su motori elettrici in funzione, come l' alternatore dell' automobile, che contengono spesso magneti. In viaggio. Sono circa 6 milioni gli italiani che partiranno in vacanza per Pasqua. Per chi abbia un pacemaker è possibile prendere l'aereo. In aeroporto, però, è utile portare con sè la tessera d' identificazione del dispositivo perché sia quest'ultimo sia il defibrillatore attivano il metal detector. Discorso analogo per i controlli di sicurezza nelle banche. Un portatore di pacemaker può viaggiare con treno, aereo, automobile. E' bene informarsi, andando all'estero, dove siano ubicati i centri ospedalieri specializzati. In ospedale. Non ci deve sottoporre a risonanza magnetica, PET, elettro cauterizzazione e radioterapia che possono causare danni permanenti al pacemaker tradizionale. Controindicate sono anche TENS (terapia antalgica) e litotripsia per la cura dei calcoli renali e biliari. No anche all'ablazione, defibrillazione e cardioversione esterna, cardioversione interna, terapia ad alta frequenza (diatermia), elettro agopuntura, magnetoterapia. Non sussistono invece controindicazioni per i raggi x, così come per l'uso di trapani dentistici ed apparecchiature per la pulizia dentale e l'uso d'ultrasuoni. Un nuovo apparecchio. Grazie a un nuovo dispositivo ideato da Medtronic e presentato in un convegno a Milano, i soggetti portatori di pacemaker di nuova generazione potranno sottoporsi a risonanza nucleare magnetica. Il nuovo apparecchio risulta infatti insensibile ai campi magnetici, grazie alle modifiche strutturali dei cateteri e dei circuiti del generatore apportate. Ogni anno vengono eseguite in Italia 800 mila risonanze magnetiche, ogni 5 minuti in Europa viene negato questo esame ad un paziente con pacemaker (300 mila nel nostro Paese). Fra i pazienti con pacemaker, il 17% deve fare una risonanza magnetica per motivi di salute entro un anno dall' impianto e il 75% nel corso della vita. Cos'è il pacemaker. Fu inventato, nel 1957, da Earl Bakken negli Stati Uniti. Emette impulsi elettrici necessari per regolare la frequenza cardiaca. E' dotato d'un generatore d'impulsi e uno o due elettro cateteri, che portano gli stimoli al cuore. Oggi i dispositivi sono automatici: analizzano le condizioni del paziente e riducono al minimo gli stimoli artificiali. I sistemi, inoltre, raccolgono nel tempo i dati sull'andamento della frequenza cardiaca e sono in grado di trasmetterli con la telemedicina da casa al centro medico ospedaliero, rendendo così più semplice e precisa la gestione della cura del paziente.

http://www.repubblica.it/salute/medicina/2009/04/07/news/pacemaker_e_vita_quotidiana_ecco_i_comportamenti_da_evitare-5586025/ 07 aprile 2009


this sources was very useful even though it was in Italian, but it is not problem because I can translate it when I need the information to put on the video. The article is about what you should avoid if you have a pace maker machine installed in your body. For example it is advised to speak on the phone only using

http://www.repubblica.it/salute/medicina/2009/04/07/news/pacemaker_e_vita_quotidiana_ecco_i_comportamenti_da_evitare-5586025/

http://www.repubblica.it/salute/medicina/2009/04/07/news/pacemaker_e_vita_quotidiana_ecco_i_comportamenti_da_evitare-5586025/

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headphones. The source is reliable because it come from an Italian newspaper so I am sure about using this information for my project. There wasn’t too much detail and it was very clear.


This article was quite difficult to understand because it is full of scientific terms and I could not understand a few of them. This meant that I had to search for them and it took me quite a lot of time. However this source is very reliable because it comes from a famous scientific magazine so I am sure

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Anna Piccinini

that the information I took from this is correct. There was more information than I needed but it was quite useful.

Cardiology - Heart Physiology II (Muscle contraction and Pacemaker activity)


This video was very useful because it explained how the pacemaker cell works with diagrams so it was very easy to understand. The source is reliable because a professor teaching in college made these videos to inform students about this particular subject. There was a lot of information in the video, in fact I am not going to use all of it because it goes quite in depth but it has been very useful and clear to understand.

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Anna Piccinini

Interviewing a specialist

-Specialist: Doctor Andrea Piccinini

-Questions:

Do phones interfere with pacemakers? The answer to this question depends on the type of phone being used. Today's pacemakers are engineered to avoid interference from cellular phones. However, in some cases, digital cellular phones may interfere with the devices.

Do pacemakers need to be adjusted periodically? Some devices may need to be adjusted if a person's medical condition or lifestyle changes. And of course patients with a pacemaker need to have regular appointments with the doctor that installed the technology to check if everything is proceeding correctly.

When replacing a pacemaker are the leads also replaced? (Leads are the wires that carry the electrical charges to areas of the heart.) If the original leads are functioning properly, in most cases, they can be left in place and reattached to the new device.

When do pacemakers need to be replaced? Most devices will last several years, after which the battery or pulse generator will need to be replaced. Replacing a pacemaker generator may be done on an outpatient basis or may include an overnight stay in the hospital.

Can you travel with a pacemaker? Yes, you can travel with the device and drive a car if cleared by your doctor. You should be sure to always have your identification card with you wherever you go.

Can you exercise with a pacemaker? Upon consulting your physician, you may be able to do moderate exercise with your pacemaker, including housework and yard work.

Can a patient feel the pacemaker? At first, you may feel the weight of the device in your chest. However, over time, most people become used to it. The pacemaker generator is very small, about the size of two coins stacked on top of each other, and weighs about an ounce or less, depending on the make and model of the device.


Interviewing a specialist is the best source because you can ask them anything that is not clear and they can explain it precisely. I have decided to interview the specialist last because in this way I could ask him the things that I did not find on the internet, in books and in magazines. I have the perfect amount of information because I asked him exactly what was not clear and all the remaining doubts I had.

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Design StageDesign 1

Test Design #1Test name Yes No


one technology?

✓


age group?

✓

Is it informative? ✓

Is it interesting and captivating? ✓

Does it look professional? ✓

Is it the correct amount of time? ✓

Is it a video or an animation? ✓



✓



✓


inofrmation?

✓

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the video?

✓


treated?

✓


format?

✓

Is it high quality? ✓

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Design 2

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one technology?

✓


age group?

✓








✓



✓


information?

✓


the video?

✓

Does the music fit the topic? ✓

Is it created using video format? ✓


Design 3

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one technology?

✓


age group?

✓








✓



✓


information?

✓


the video?

✓


treated?

✓


format?

✓


Design 4

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Test Design #4

Test name Yes No


one technology?

✓


age group?

✓








✓



✓


information?

✓


the video?

✓


treated?

✓

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format?

✓


Chosen Design: #1

I chose design number one because it is the most complete out of all the four. It has the most interesting video clips and it meets all of the specifications mentioned in the test plan. What I really like about this design is that fact that it has a diagram of the heart because this way it is much easier for the people who are watching to understand. Also there are about ten interesting facts and also three advantages that the people who are watching this video should consider. This design talks only about one technology and is aimed at the specific age group I am addressing. The length of the video is also correct and is captivating and interesting. However there are things I could improve, for example I could add more scenes where people talk and act to make it more interesting.

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Plan StageGantt chart:

Gantt Chart

Step by step plan

Prototype Design 1

Prototype Design 2

Prototype Design 3

Prototype Design 4

Evaluation of Designs

Process Journal

Find cast

Write Script

Film footage

Cut the footage

Put the footage together

Add all the facts in the video

Test Plan

Evaluate

Contingency time

Final Submission

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

Creating a Gantt chart can be very useful because it can help you to plan your time effectively. Also in this way only with one look I can determine at what stage of my project I am and what I have to do next. I think that I included all the things that have to be in my project and listed all of them in detail. I created it by using Microsoft Excel, I listed all the tasks I had to complete and then the starting time and the hours it would take me. Then I inserted a graph and modified the preferences of the axis so it looked this way.

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Step by step plan:

Date Time Task Materials needed15.11.13 18.00 – 18.30 Write a script for my video (having already chosen actors) Word document15.11.13 18.30 – 19.30 Film all the video Camera or phone15.11.13 19.30 – 20.00 Cut all the pieces of the video I don’t need using movie

makerMovie maker, computer

16.11.13 17.00 – 17.30 Insert the two slides with the 10 facts Movie maker, computer

16.11.13 17.30 – 18.00 Add the remaining parts (looking at storyboard) Movie maker, computer, storyboard

16.11.13 18.00 – 18.30 Add all the transitioning effects Movie maker, computer, storyboard

16.11.13 18.30 – 19.00 Check if the video runs smoothly and if it lasts less than 3 minutes

Movie maker, computer

Creating a step by step plan can be very useful as it tells you every little step you have to do to create your product. I think that I included the correct amount of details in my step by step plan because it is not a very long process, however all the steps are included and somebody could take this plan and create my product because everything you need to do is clearly explained. I also listed all the materials that I will need for each part of my step by step plan so when I come to the Create Stage I am already prepared and I will also have all the materials ready. What I can do to improve this step by step plan is to add even more detail about how I have to do all these things like for example how to insert the video in Movie Maker. What I am going to do next is start creating my product. While I will be creating the product I will have to take screenshots of the making of it and record it in my Process Journal.

Script for my video:

Setting the scene: An old couple is in the living room reading. The woman reads an article about the pace maker and they decide to go and ask for more information

(Both reading)

Sofia: Honey! Honey! Honey!!

Alessandro: Yes? Yes? Sorry, yes.

Sofia: (Pointing at newspaper) Look at this article. It’s a pacemaker. It will help you

Alessandro: (Looks at article with her) Oh, pace maker. Right. Yes, what is it?

Sofia: (Brings article nearer to her) Let me see. Basically it’s a new technology to improve your

health. It will change your life forever!

Alessandro: Forever? Yes, interesting. Let’s go and ask for more information.

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Setting the scene: the old couple goes to the hospital and asks a doctor about the pacemaker. The doctor gives them information about this new technology.

(Old couple walking slowly towards the doctor. The doctor is writing some papers)

Alessandro: Good morning.

Natalia: Good morning, how can I help you?

Sofia: We would like some information about the operation for the pacemaker.

Natalia: So, it is very simple. It doesn’t take long, it’s maybe one hour, one hour thirty and it is

not risky at all.

Sofia: Good, because I don’t want him to die

Natalia: No no, don’t worry. We have carried out many operations and they are all good

Sofia: (Leaning forward with hand to her ear) What?

Natalia: The operations always work

Alessandro: Good, good

Natalia: And our patients live better afterwards, because the pacemaker improves their life and

heart rate so you will be just fine. There’s nothing to worry about

Sofia: Ok, thank you

Alessandro: Thank you doctor

Natalia: Would you like to take an appointment for the operation?

Alessandro: I don’t know if I am going to be here tomorrow so…

Natalia: Oh! Don’t be so pessimist!

Sofia: Well, we’ll let you know, thank you!

Natalia: Take care.

(Shake hands and leave)

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Anna Piccinini

Create StageMy Process Journal

I opened a new document in Windows Live Movie Maker ready to start my video.

Then I saved it in a folder on my computer named “The Pace Maker Cell Video”. In this folder I already have the two videos I filmed in school that will be the base of my video. I have also saved in this folder the music that I will put in the video.

Then by selecting the option ‘Add Videos And Images’ I inserted the two videos in the document.

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Anna Piccinini

Then by clicking on the option add title page I created a new “Slide” and added the title. I also changed the background from black to blue.

Then I added another slide after the first video and wrote some information about the pace maker cell.

I repeated the previous operation and wrote: “Pacemaker cells are specialized cells that cause involuntary muscles and tissues to contract and dilate”.

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Anna Piccinini

In the next slide I wrote: “They are found in all involuntary muscle groups like the heart, the brain, blood vessels and in the digestive system”.

Then I wrote: “They have a cell membrane that generates electrical impulses and triggers a chain reaction in other pacemaker cells”.

In the next slide I wrote: “When pacemaker cells fail to keep the heartbeat regular, an artificial pacemaker is needed”.

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Anna Piccinini

“This happens most of all in old people because their tissues start to wear out”.

Then I added the second video and after this added the rest of the explanation.

“The operation is very easy and does not take a very long time”.

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Anna Piccinini

“An incision will be made on the chest and a pacemaker will be installed. The cut will be then sown closed by the surgeon”.

“This will improve the patient’s life because he/she will no longer have to worry about heart attacks and heart diseases”.

In the last slide I added a text box with all the people who participated in the making of the video.

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Anna Piccinini

Evaluate StageTest Plan

Test name Actual Outcome Comments/improvements?

Yes No


one technology?

✓


age group?

✓




Is it longer or shorter than three

minutes?

✓




✓ It only contains 8



✓


information?

✓

Is the music the correct volume? ✓


treated?

✓


format?

✓


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Anna Piccinini

After having tested my product against my specifications I could clearly see what improvements I should make. My product meets nearly all of the specification. The only one it does not meet is the specification saying that it should include 10 facts about the technology. My video only contains 8 facts, I did this on purpose otherwise my video would have been too long and also boring. I had a lot of information to put in the video because I did a lot of research using a variety of sources but I didn’t include it all because it was too much and it would have made it very long. If I had to do the video again I would not change many things. One thing that could be improved is the quality of the video clips I inserted in the video, where my friends acted. It could be improved because you can hear the echo of their voice. This is because we filmed it in school, in a room where the acoustics were not very good. Next time I would do it in a smaller room where you can’t hear the echo. Also I filmed both the video clip with my iPhone because I didn’t manage to bring a camera to school. Because of this the video is a bit wobbly but it is nearly imperceptible, but if I had to do it again I would bring a camera and a tripod so that the video is very still and looks even more professional. Also next time I could include more images in the explanations because I did ton include them the reason for this is because I thought the explanations were already very clear and did not need a diagram to be explained but thinking back to I would add pictures to make the video more colourful.

Questionnaire – 5 people

Question Person 1 Person 2 Person 3 Person 4 Person 5

Did you like my video? Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Do you think it was interesting? Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Did you enjoy watching it? Yes Yes No Yes Yes

Did you learn something about the

technology?

Yes Yes Yes Yes No

Did you like the music used in the video? Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Does it look professional? Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Are the images and video clips interesting? Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Comments...

- -

It was a bit

boring and

wasn’t very

informative

-

I already

knew about

this

technology

so I didn’t

learn

anything

new

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Anna Piccinini

Survey – 10 people

Yes NoWas the music appropriate?

Was the video interesting?

Do you feel like you have learned something?

Is the video persuading?

Did you find the videos interesting?

Did the videos contribute to make the video more clear?


After answering all the questions of the test plan I asked a sample audience to look at my video and give me feedback so I designed a questionnaire and a survey. For the questionnaire I asked five students in my school to answer the questions. The response was very good. Most of them enjoyed watching it and found it interesting, captivating and said they learned something new about this technology. A person said that they did not find the video very interesting because they already knew about this technology so they did not learn anything new. Another person said that it was “a bit boring and not very informative” I don’t think that this negative comment is very important because only one person out of four thought this so it means that maybe only that person was a bit harsh in marking my video.

In the survey instead I asked a group of people from my target audience. I asked my grandparents and some of their friends because it was aimed at them. Also in this test most of the responses were positive and in every situation not everything you do is considered good by everybody because everybody is different and has different ideas. Two people out of eight thought that the music was not appropriate and only one person thought it was not interesting. Both these tests help me to understand that I did a good job with my product because the majority of the people I asked thought it was good.

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Anna Piccinini

Evaluating my performance

Investigate

During the Investigate stage I have worked really hard and tried to produce my best work. I wrote everything in detail and followed every step by looking at the grade 11 unit 1 blog Mr Mariani made. I was also very organised during this stage because I worked a lot in class so I didn’t have to do it at home. I am also ahead of the rest of the class because I worked quickly without distractions. I am very pleased with the work I have done in this stage because it is detailed and well written. The part that I found most difficult in this stage was writing the specifications because there are three different sections: the demands, the wishes and the limits and it was difficult to think of that many and put them in categories.

Design

During the design stage I had to design four or more designs or storyboards for my product. I designed all of them in class and then evaluated them with the test plan to see which one fitted most of them and create it using movie maker. I think that during this stage I worked very hard because I tried to produce all of the designs in the correct way. I labelled all of them saying what should be on the slide with a sketch of it. I did not find any difficulty in this stage because it was very easy. I just had to design four storyboards, evaluate them and choose one. I chose design number one because it is the most complete out of all the four. It has the most interesting video clips and it meets all of the specifications mentioned in the test plan. There are about ten interesting facts and also three advantages that the people who are watching this video should consider. This design talks only about one technology and is aimed at the specific age group I am addressing. The length of the video is also correct and is captivating and interesting. However there are things I could improve, for example I could add more scenes where people talk and act to make it more interesting.

Plan

In the plan stage I had to create a Gantt chart and a step by step plan. Creating the Gantt chart was very easy because I do this for every ICT unit, creating the step by step plan is always more difficult because you have to include a lot of detail in it. Creating a Gantt chart can be very useful because it can help you to plan your time effectively. Also in this way only with one look I can determine at what stage of my project I am and what I have to do next. I think that I included all the things that have to be in my project and listed all of them in detail. I created it by using Microsoft Excel, I listed all the tasks I had to complete and then the starting time and the hours it would take me. Then I inserted a graph and modified the preferences of the axis so it looked this way. Creating a step by step plan can be very useful as it tells you every little step you have to do to create your product. I think that I included the correct amount of details in my step by step plan because it is not a very long process, however all the steps are included

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Anna Piccinini

and somebody could take this plan and create my product because everything you need to do is clearly explained. I also listed all the materials that I will need for each part of my step by step plan so when I come to the Create Stage I am already prepared and I will also have all the materials ready. What I can do to improve this step by step plan is to add even more detail about how I have to do all these things like for example how to insert the video in Movie Maker. What I am going to do next is start creating my product. While I will be creating the product I will have to take screenshots of the making of it and record it in my Process Journal.

Create

The create stage was the stage I preferred in this unit because I created the video. I love creating things on the computer so I really enjoyed making it. The program that I used was Windows Live Movie Maker. I found this program very easy to use because it was not complicated and did not contain lots and lots of features that made it complicated. It took me a very short amount of time to create it: about one hour. And because I had never used this program I thought it would take me a very long time but it didn’t so I was very happy because I was able to create a quality product in a short amount of time. During the making of the video I always took screenshots of what I was doing and pasted it in my process journal. It is important to remember because sometimes you get caught up in the work and forget it. in the process journal I also added a small explanation of how I did it and I think that it is very important.

In the whole I am very satisfied with this project because I think I put a lot of effort into it and managed to create a product that meets nearly all the specifications.

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Anna Piccinini

Bibliography

Websites:



Newspaper:

La Repubblica – Cardiologia. Pacemaker e vita quotidiana: ecco i comportamenti da evitare

Magazine:

The Scientist. Exploring life, inspiring innovation. New Biological Pacemaker

Video:

Cardiology Heart Philosophy II

Interview:

Specialist: Doctor Andrea Piccinini

