Web Design

This was a good assignment for me to do this week. Especially as a novice in the field of technology! The only thing I've been able to add to the web is a facebook page and this has only been in the last few weeks.
The websites that we were to look at http://www.ratz.com/features.html and http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com/ gave some absolutely fantastic information and guidelines to use when building a web site for yourself. A few things they both pointed out that you need to avoid is varying text sizes, fonts, and different colored text. The sites also discussed pages being to overdone or to difficult to navigate. Another piece of advice was to keep all pages in a similar format so it looks consistent. There has to be some forethought into your web site. Who is your audience is a good question to ask yourself. For an e-portfolio you need to include information relevant to education and yourself. Nothing too personal because its not for your friends and family to view. This site will need to be simple but professional looking as well. Since I'm a beginner in web design I found the sites through http://sites.google.com/ , http://www.weebly.com/ , and http://www.yola.com/the easiest to use. I think they all offer great web sites to get started with building your portfolio. I have done a portfolio for another class through CCV but it wasn't using CCV's course portfolio. It was very basic and not something that I could use professionally. So I look forward to building my professional e-portfolio in the weeks to come.

5000 Days of the Internet

I did not grow up with the luxury of having a computer in my home with its quick and easy internet access to information. They were limited in our school at the time and only a select few of students were able to use them. I was not one of them. My last job I had before becoming a SAHM was an office manager. It was really the first time that I got to use a computer and the internet! It's all amazing to me.
The video link 5000 Days of the Internet was interesting indeed. Especially to see how far and how fast it has all become. We can look for certain information, research different things, communicate with others, watch videos, have live chats, download and upload and I know there is so much more. One thing that does fascinate me is how is this information all stored? How am I able to retrieve information? It just is overwhelming to think at any one given time how many people are using the internet and how we are all connected. I am excited to see what will happen in the next 5000 days for the internet as it is continually changing at a rapid pace. For educators and students the internet is a great tool to have available. As I read more about Wiki I see this as a great addition to the classroom and look forward to be able to incorporate this in my own classroom.

Wetpaint!

This week I was invited to join Wetpaint a Wiki site that I have never heard of before. I seem to be having a little difficulty navigating around but have managed to sign in and create a profile! I did participate in a Wiki last semester through CCV taking a Statistics course. It was interesting to use and only posted in it a few times over the length of the course. So looking forward to learning more about it and hopefully feeling a bit more comfortable using this technology!

Internet Detective

In one word...Wow!
I have taken several online courses through CCV and have used a variety of internet sources for the classes. I usually rely heavily on CCV's Hartness Library but I have done an internet search now and then. I knew to be aware of the URL and look for key things like edu. or gov. and to be aware of dates and authors. I would say I was most surprised with how elaborate some of the sites are with scams and false information. I also didn't realize that it was possible to identify the country of origin and not to always just rely on the URL itself. I need to investigate further to make sure its legit.

Goals for This Class

I graduated high school 20 years ago this year. Computers were not readily available to me during this time. So it has not been easy for me to understand the technical lingo. I know that today's classrooms are far different from the ones I experienced as a student. Technology is a significant part of the classroom environment. So as I begin this class I have a few goals in mind. First, I hope to gain a better understanding of technology in general and to also feel a bit more comfortable using it. I also hope to aquire knowledge in how to use technology successfully in my classroom and be able to share what I learn with my students.
I am not particularly nervous taking this class. I would say I am very excited!