Journal 2

Blog Post 2

Affinity Group and Digg Stream

I joined Classroom 2.0.  I chose it because of it’s Education and technology emphasis. Also, it has a lot of members so I figured it must be good!  There is a plethora of information about webinars, virtual conferences, lessons and more and most or all is free.  This week I applied and got accepted, then customized my page. I also searched around.  Many people post valuable links to additional content.  It’s a bottomless pit! (In a good way).

Here is a link to my Classroom 2.0 Page:

http://www.classroom20.com/profile/LenoraHetser

The Digg Stream is a lot like Classroom 2.0 in that it there is an overwhelming amount of information out there.  I signed up for educational sights, as well as some new sights.  I like having my sources of information in one place.  It is also really helpful to have a backlog of articles to read when I have time.  I learned that a lot of teachers love teaching kindergarten, and I got a ton of ideas for my own classroom!  I look forward to having all of my favorite bloggers’ ideas in one place.

Here is a link to my Digg stream:

http://digg.com/reader/feed/http%3A%2F%2Faplacecalledkindergarten.blogspot.com%2Ffeeds%2Fposts%2Fdefault

Where will you find the time to read and research all of this information available to you?

I don’t know.  It would be nice to have some professional development time to dedicate to researching lesson ideas and current research of what works in education.  I will suggest to my K/1 team that we use one of our 2 meetings per month, or part of one, to start doing this.  It is helpful to be able to access Classroom 2.o0 and my Digg stream on multiple devices, so I can check in on the go.

What do you think of attending virtual conferences and webinars?

I have always wanted to attend a webinar.  I was a moderator for a virtual conference for the 2013 Spring Graduates at the EMM Graduate Symposium.  That was a really great experience.  The presenters were all over the United States and there were some attendees from out of the country.  There were were, all in one virtual room, enjoying the presentations!  I will try to attend some through the Classroom 2.0 recommendations.

Journal 1

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Journal #1:  Niederst, Robbins Jennifer. Learning Web Design: A Beginner's Guide to HTML, CSS, Javascript, and Web Graphics. Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly, 2012. Print.

Summary:

Web design usually involves teams of designers, each with a specific job.  There is an interaction designer, User Experience Designer and a Visual/ Graphic Designer, as well as multimedia developer, content strategist and information architect.  A web designer must always have the user in mind.  O’Reilly distinguishes between frontend design and backend development.  Frontend design has more to do with how the user will see and use the page, while backend development has more to do with the programming and server management. 

HTML:  A markup language, which sets up the structure of the webpage.

CSS:  Is responsible for how the webpage looks.

JavaScript is a programming language that is responsible for what a webpage does.

The web is a way of sharing information in addition to file transfer and email.  The internet is the network of computers.  Servers allow sharing, or communication between computers. A domain name links to an IP address,  to be found on a server.  A URL is a pages address.  The source document contains text and HTML and CSS mark ups to define how the page will appear.  The graphics are accessed by the mark ups, such as in the Jen’s Kitchen example.

There is a lot to consider when designing webpages these days.  There are many different devices that it will be viewed on, with a few different ways to connect.  As designers, we also need to consider how the user will be viewing the page.  Are they in a hurry?  Are they sitting at a desk?  Do they have a small phone screen or a large monitor?  Sticking with the W3C standards will help to ensure uniformity.  Using the progressive enhancement strategy is one way to help with differing browser capabilities.  The designer starts with a very basic page that can be accessed by all, then adds layers of complexity.   Responsive web design uses CSS to allow the page to open in different ways depending on the size of the screen, therefore allowing for optimal user experience.

The Web Accessibility Initiative was started to ensure Web access for all.  For example, users with vision problems can use screen readers and users with limited use of their hands can use altered keyboards etc.

Would I be more of a frontend Designer or a Backend Developer?

I definitely find myself more drawn to frontend design.  As a frontend designer, I would need a good eye for design, as well as solid knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.  In addition, knowing about server side programming and database management would be beneficial.

What was the most interesting information you learned from this reading?

I found the explanation of how webpages and the web work to be very helpful and easy to understand.  I also learned that responsive web design can make pages easier to read on the iPhone, by breaking up the elements, and allowing them to be viewed larger without too much scrolling around.