LIS5313

Instructor Posts

Posts by the course instructor(s)

Welcome to lis 5313

My name is Jane Barrager and I will be your guide this semester on the subject of Digital Media: Concepts and Production.

I am originally from Detroit, but I’ve been living in Florida since 1992, and in Tallahassee in particular since 1996. Like many northerners, I came here for the warmth and Sunshine.

I am a graduate of both the undergraduate and graduate programs at Florida’s iSchool located in the School of Communication and Information and Florida State University. In fact, I am one of the first original 6 undergrads to ever be enrolled at the, previously graduate only college. The funniest story I have of that time is the day that I sat next to Warrick Dunn in class and had no idea who he was. I sat next to him on the first day of class because he looked lonely – it seemed to me that the other students in the class where, for some reason, keeping a wide berth around his seat and, feeling sorry for this poor guy, I sat next to him. During the first class our professor asked us to turn to the person next to us and describe the first thing we were going to buy when we graduated and started making money. I don’t remember what I said, but Warrick started describing what I knew (being a Detroiter and all) to be about a $60K vehicle. My response? “I hope you find a good job when you graduate, because you’re going to need it to afford that!” Warrick just smiled. About the third class period I woke up late for class, pulled on the dirty clothes lying next to my bed, swept my uncombed hair into a pony tail, and ran, make-up-less, to class and sat down next to my new friend (who’s name I still did not know). Suddenly a news crew burst into the room, shoved cameras and microphones into my deskmate’s face and started rapid firing questions at him which he answered with confidence and ease like it was the most natural thing in the world. When it was over I looked at him and said “Who the hell are YOU?” He smiled and said, “my name’s Warrick”, and it was at that point I realized who he was. So, my first taste of learning about multimedia at Florida state was when I was featured on national television as the seat partner of the infamous Warrick Dunn on ESPN’s “Sports Center” – makupless and, I’ll admit it, hungover!

I discovered in college that teaching was my passion. I’ve been teaching since 1998 and, although I spent some time teaching computer literacy at our local community college, the ischool has been my home since then. I’ve taught a variety of courses both online and f2f including: Intro to Information Technology, Social Media Management, Digital Media: Concepts and Production, Design and production of NW multimedia, Perspectives in IT, Electronic Media production, Technologies for Information Professionals, Research Methods, and Web site development to name most. I also spent some time working for the Office of Distance Learning developing web-based learning modules and other websites for the FSU community. In my current position I serve as the ischool’s Instructional Support Specialist which basically means that I help other faculty rehab classes. I also train and supervise doctoral students who teach in the UG program.

Now you all know a little about me, and I look forward to reading your stories as well. See you online!

January 16, 2024 by Instructor Posts Student Posts 0

Digital Story Example: Matisse – Painting with Scissors

Matisse – Painting with Scissors by Kyle Muller is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).

Synopsis: Henri Matisse faces a physical setback after decades of painting and devises a new technique to continue his creative passion.

Content & Creation: All visual content for this project comes from existing photographs of Matisse and his paintings pulled from online collections. Please note that use of any copyright material falls under the principles of Fair Use per category 1 (providing commentary/critique) and category 2 (illustration/example/education). This video was edited using Adobe Premiere Pro. Title slides and credits were created using Photoshop to generate the paper texture. The narration is self-recorded and all other audio elements are Creative Commons assets.

Image Credits:

Audio Credits:

January 11, 2022 by Example Posts 0

Media Lab 06 Example: Meltdown

Meltdown by Kyle Muller
Created with Adobe Premiere Pro, exported as 1080p H.264

Visual Resources:

Audio Resources:

January 11, 2022 by Example Posts 0

Media Lab 05 Example: Kyle’s Kitchen

“Kyle’s Kitchen – Episode 96: Eggs Poster” by Kyle Muller is a derivative of “Black Fork and Knife” by Toa Heftiba Şinca, originally in the Public Domain per the Pexels Photo License. The derivative is licensed under the Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).

Kyle’s Kitchen is a monthly podcast for the kitchen connoisseur. Every thirty days, I’ll be bringing you new recipes and reviews of the latest appliances and kitchen tools. Come cook along with me using step-by-step instructions to construct new and tantalizing meals. Get out your headphones and listen as your kitchen guide Kyle prepares a meal before your very ears! This episode is dedicated to the one and only egg.


The podcast “Kyle’s Kitchen – Episode 96: Eggs” by Kyle Muller is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).

This podcast makes use of sound effects, voice overs, and music. I used sound effects to quickly ground the listener into the cooking environment. I chose a few familiar kitchen sound effects and placed them in the order that would evoke the soundscape of someone cooking a meal – a drawer opening, a knife, chopping sounds, and a sizzling skillet. At the end, I added the sound of an egg cracking quickly followed by more sizzling. I had these play as the simple, unobtrusive background music fades in and gains volume. I then ducked the audio slightly to accommodate for my welcoming narration.

Audio Credits:

Photo Credit:

January 11, 2022 by Example Posts 0

Media Lab 03 Example: Jelly Swim

Aquarium of the Bay by Natalia Wójciak is licensed under the Creative Commons License
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

If you’ve ever been to an aquarium, you’ve probably spent longer than you expected staring at the jellyfish exhibit. What is it about these creatures that evokes such a strong sense of both curiosity and serenity? It’s so easy to lose track of time watching them float seemingly without a care.

This image isn’t particularly terrible by any means but I believe the original artist missed out on a good opportunity to crop. Notice that there is a lot of redundant negative space in the empty ocean behind the jellyfish on the right. Additionally, the jellies in the upper left corner don’t particularly add enough to the photo to warrant their inclusion.

There’s an old quote by photojournalist Robert Capa which gets passed around a lot that “if your photos aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.” While I’m sure there was a physical barrier preventing the photographer from getting any closer, I think a tighter crop could have brought the subject closer and made this photo better. Luckily, the original image was so large in size that it could support a closer crop.

Jelly Swim by Kyle Muller is licensed under the Creative Commons License Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

To crop this photo I brought the focus back to the jellyfish which were originally on the right side of the photograph. Following the rule of thirds, I placed the jellyfish as closely as I could to the lower left intersection of lines and I have completely removed the smaller jellyfish from the canvas. This tighter crop brought the jellyfish closer to the viewer allowing for more detail. The swirling tentacles drifting counterclockwise from the upper right quadrant creates a more dynamic image. It’s almost as if the jellyfish has just floated into view.

January 11, 2022 by Example Posts 0

Media Lab 02 Example: Orion in the Sky

Orion by Shaun Wrightson is licensed under
 Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Concentration by KevinMacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons License. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

When do you feel most the most calm? During the winter months, I often enjoy gazing up at the big open sky. The first constellation I usually spot is Orion, recognizable by its three stars which make up the hunter’s “belt.” Over the years I have associated this vast constellation of stars with the cooling down of the weather and early sunsets, as it is visible from November to February.

The sight of Orion in the darkening sky imbues a sense of tranquility and wonder at the start of each new year.

The image Orion by Shawn Wrightson is a perfect example of the calming effect the beauty of nature can have. I thought pairing the image with the ambient elements found in the song Concentration by Kevin MacLeod created a serene mental environment where one can feel the cool air and hear a light brushing of the leaves in the winter wind. The stars shine down from above, almost masked by the thinning clouds, and provide a focal point for meditative introspection.

January 11, 2022 by Example Posts 0

Media Lab 01 Example: (Introducing… me!)

A photo of instructor Kyle Muller
A photo of Kyle at the St. Marks Lighthouse

Happy to be meeting all of you!

I currently live in Tallahassee, Florida near the beautiful Cascades Park. I’ve lived here for nearly my entire life, but I was born in Indiana where some of my family still is. I have been working for the past 6 years as a Systems Administrator at FSU’s College of Communication and Information HelpDesk. My day-to-day consists of supporting our college’s many servers (physical and virtual) as well as our several computer labs across campus. If you’ve ever used CCI Remote Labs for one of your courses, it is likely that you’ve interacted with just a few of the servers I help maintain. If you’re not familiar with the service, it’s a great way to run applications remotely in the cloud without needing to install them on your computer.

I’ve been toying with image/video editing and web design since I was in high school. I am quite familiar with the Adobe Creative Cloud suite and I’ll be happy to assist my students with any questions they may have. About five years ago I taught a course for the College of Communication called COM4470 – Desktop Multimedia that covered image editing with Photoshop and designing simple websites with Dreamweaver.

I graduated from the MSIT program in 2019 and have been teaching graduate courses since 2020. I’m very appreciative of the creative opportunity this class provides to students. Many classes can be very dry but this class seems is a lot of fun for everyone involved.

January 11, 2022 by Example Posts 0