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.