Web Mastering Class -- Assignment 5

Chapters 3, 4, 5 and 6 in the book, The Non-Designer's Web Book, was enjoyable to read, especially since I do not have much web design experience.

Some of the concepts that I learned from reading these chapters include:

• Background images -- they can enhance a web page but can also make the text difficult to read if you choose one that is "too busy."
• Different kinds of links and how they are placed in web pages.
• Guidelines for making e-mail links -- there are certain rules that apply to make it appropriate for an e-mail link.
• Graphic files -- Depending on your web authoring software, the graphic files must be in your web site folder before you put it on the web page.
• Organizing files is very important -- there are certain rules to follow regarding how you name files.
• The importance of planning ahead. You need to know your target audience and what you want your web site to accomplish.
• Differences between using print and the web. Using the web is beneficial especially when you have constant changes in your product information; however, sometimes the file size can play a role. Print is more portable, cheaper to read, and more familiar.
• When designing web pages, do not center all the text. Turn borders off when appropriate. It is important to create a focal point.

So far this class has been a great learning experience for me because web design was one of the IT areas that I really did not have much knowledge. I guess you can't know everything about IT!!!

Alan November's National Education Computing Conference presentation

I watched Alan November's NECC presentation. In my opinion, one of his most important points was the fact that teachers are not connected. Schools act like they are the "learning police" in not letting students have access to technology tools. He related a recent trip to China and talking with an 11-year-old girl in Hong Kong who showed him some of the technology tools that she uses. He stated that there was more technology freedom in China than there was in the United States.

Another point he made that I wholeheartedly agree with is the fact that students should not have to memorize knowledge. They should have access to all knowledge when taking an exam. I am definitely a "real world" person and with the IT classes that I teach, I feel that students should know how to apply concepts to problems that exist in the IT world and not just memorize details.

A third point that I felt was excellent was Mr. November's statement that we should "prepare students to be globally connected" by teaching them proper grammar and syntax of the Internet.

I also enjoyed some of the tips he gave on searching and how you can type in "view:timeline" in Google and it will organize the results in date order so you get the most recent results.

Assignment 7: 13 Tell Tale Signs

This article was interesting to me because I grew up in the "typewriter" days. I realized after reading this article why I was taught to do things a certain way -- like underline the title of a book because you couldn't italicize on a typewriter.

Some of the 13 signs that I believe are important include the following:

1. Two spaces after punctuation. This is one of those "old school" habits that I personally acquired and it was very hard to break. In fact, I still do it to this day. However, when dealing with publications, according to the author, this habit gives publications an unprofessional appearance.

2. Using bullets instead of hyphens. This is another "old school" habit because typewriters couldn't produce a bullet. Bullets give a more polished, professional look.

3. All caps. All caps were used in the past to provide emphasis; however, with the software that is now available, all caps is not really the best way to provide emphasis. Think about it....when text is in capital letters, every word has the same shape and you start reading letter by letter. With the different typefaces that are available now, all capital letters is something that is not used much anymore (thank goodness!).

Assignment 7: The Importance of Color

Before reading these articles, I had not given too much thought as to how important color is. Color affects our mood, our buying habits, and our appetite. Retailers use color for advertisements, retail packaging, and interior decorating. Of all the colors, blue is considered an appetite suppressant. Weight loss plans suggest putting your food on a blue plate -- or even better -- put a blue light in your refrigerator!!! Maybe I need to try these ideas!! When you think about it, how many food items are blue? Not many when I started thinking about it. One article even went so far as saying blue M&Ms (which were just added a few years ago) are the last ones left in the bag.

Important issues regarding color and E-commerce:

When a web site is created for a business selling a product, colors must be as accurate as the existing technology will allow. Colors must function as the primary focus in the store's design -- the web page layout. Colors must create a sense of visual harmony and enhance the customer's interest in the shopping experience.

Assignment 5 -- Podcast Assignment

Our group consisted of Jackie Spears, Christy Bryant, Diane Dotson, and Sara Landry. Our podcast contained information on how to create an effective newsletter. The first step was to create a script. I didn't realize how important that step was until we were ready to actually record the podcast. We spent a good bit of time rehearsing our script before we actually recorded the podcast. One of our biggest obstacles was keeping the podcast within five to six minutes. Ours was too long at first and we had to "cut down" our script several times. When we actually started the recording process, there were several things we had to take into account: background noise, talking into the microphone, talking clearly and not slurring your words.

This podcast experience was a first for me, but was interesting to me in how it is all put together and the tools that are available (Audacity) for a polished finished product.

Assignment 3 -- RSS feeds

RSS feeds was something I had seen on various web pages, but I had no idea what it was all about. I set up an account with Google Reader and subscribed to various feeds that I was interested in. It's amazing to me how this can be set up to give you constant updates. I am still learning on how to do all this, but at least this assignment has made me investigate RSS and how it can be used to save time for personal and work information.

Frank McCourt Lecture

I attended the Frank McCourt lecture on Thursday, April 10, 2008, at the University Theater.

I wasn't really sure what to expect because I had not read any of Mr. McCourt's book. However, a friend of mine who attended the lecture as well, had read his books and loved each of them.

I enjoyed the stories Mr. McCourt told of teaching public school for the first time and the flying sandwich. It seems that the attitude of students hasn't changed much!!! I appreciated his way of teaching that may have not been the "norm" at the time.

According to my friend who has read Mr. McCourt's books, he grew up in poverty but yet he still pursued his goals and overcame many obstacles in his life.

Desktop Publishing--Communications

"Define the purpose of the product and identify the specified audience."

This standard works hand-in-hand with the "Work in Solving Problems" standard. The specified audience needs to be identified and what exactly you want to convey and then you can decide on the appropriate media to use.

Desktop Publishing--Work in Solving Problems

"Distinguish design requirements as they relate to purposes and audiences including one-surface objects, multiple or bound pages, stationary, book jackets/magazine covers, pamphlets, magazines, brochures and labels."

Different audiences are drawn to different forms of media, and it is important to target the proposed audience with the appropriate type of media.

Desktop Publishing--Information Acquisition

"Demonstrate the ability to import and export elements from one program to another."

Importing and exporting to/from other programs can be challenging at times. However, most software today has the ability to do this if the user knows where to look. When you import and export information to/from other programs, it can improve the efficiency in your work.

Desktop Publishing--Foundations

"Delineate and make necessary adjustments regarding compatibility issues including, but not limited to, digital file formats and cross platform connectivity."

I chose this standard because this is a big problem with users, including myself. There are so many file formats available and some are not compatible with the particular hardware and software that you are using.

Graphic Design and Animation--Communications

"Identify pictorial qualities in a design such as shape and form, space and depth, or pattern and texture to create visual unity and desired effects in design."

With graphic design, it is important to "catch the eye" of the proposed target audience. The above qualities are crucial to that task.

Graphic Design and Animation--Work in Solving Problems

"Use the basic principles of proportion, balance, variety, emphasis, harmony, symmetry, and unity in type, color, size, line thickness, shape and space."

With graphic design, I believe your project needs to flow and in order to do this, you need to give special attention to the items listed above. You don't want your finished product to appear "too gaudy."

Graphic Design and Animation--Information Acquisition

"Use the Internet and retrieve information in electronic formats including text, audio, video, and graphics, citing the source."

Students need to know how to use the Internet to increase their skills. There is so much information on the Internet, but it is also important to cite the appropriate source so you are not "stealing" someone else's creativity.

Graphic Design and Animation--Foundations

The "foundations" standard that I chose for the graphic design and animation course is as follows:

"Make decisions regarding the selection, acquisition, and use of software taking under consideration its quality, appropriateness, effectiveness and efficiency."

I believe this is a significant issue especially with a high school course. Graphic design software can be very expensive and many high schools are unable to purchase this expensive software. There is a good deal of graphic design software available that is available for free trials so the software can be evaluated and tested before decisions are made to purchase software. I didn't realize how much information was available on the CNET web site. This web site has tons of information available.