Ann

Taking BE 170

2007-12-11T08:04:00.000-08:00

Hello Bloggarinos!

I am a little sad that this is our last blog together. I can't believe the last 8 weeks have flown by. I still am glad to be done with HTML but I will admit that knowing HTML helped if I wasn't liking how Dreamweaver set something up. For example, I would enter breaks in Code view of Dreamweaver. I have been inspired by this course to enroll in another web design class next semester, hope to see some of you there.

I must say that I was pleased with the books we used for this course, since we are online it is important to have a book that explains things well, is easy to follow and easy to use as a resource. Both texts have been great!

I was happy to see many students participating with the bulletin boards. I feel we got to know each other through them and the group project. A suggestion for the blogs would be to have us write one for each week rather than each assignment, combine them. This would save time and really I had similar comments about the different assingments so sometimes it was hard to think of good comments to make. I was disappointed that a group member bailed on us, I think it would have been nice to have more suggestions but Virginia is an awesome team member!

Carrie and Viola, you have been great in assisting me with problems/questions over the last few weeks and for that I say a big THANK YOU.

I now feel I have a basic understanding of webdesign and look forward to learning more, not sure I would like it as a carreer but as I said in the beginning of the course I would like to use these skills for some of the groups I volunteer for.

Happy Holidays!

Final Project in Dreamweaver

2007-12-11T07:35:00.000-08:00

Hello Blog Buddies,

Believe it or not I actually have a few thoughts about the final project. First of all I have to mention the thing I liked most which was the time I was able to spend with Stephanie Walls who provided me with many of the pictures and most of the content information for the page. I spent several hours on the phone, emailing and at her home interviewing her and taking a lot of pictures of her holding snakes and lizards. I was warned while she was handling the snakes to NOT react if one BIT her! Yeah right! None of the snakes have venom so she was in no danger and luckily no snakes bit her during our visit. We have become better friends over the course of doing this project and for that I am very happy.

Technically the assignment drove me crazy, I had to manipulate 29 photos which drove me crazy especially the Reptile page which was 3 tables with photos - fun! (sarcasm) I was happy that I was able to figure out Flash buttons to link between pages but when I loaded the website my file was too big so I took them out, I was bummed because they looked good. With Tripod I had major issues with uploading files so I used FortuneCity instead. Fortune city did not like 12 of my photos and rejected the files so I opened the photos in MicroSoft paint, adjusted the size and resaved, then went back to Dreamweaver and readjusted the photos and was able to successfully load my site. Success!

I think I did a good job with the site, it is very basic but I think it is easy to navigate, well balanced and contains interesting information.

I spent 35 hours, researching, constructing and uploading the Final Project.

Reusing Code and Rollover images

2007-12-01T00:06:00.000-08:00

Hello Bloggers!

I am thinking this is my favorite assignment...why you ask? Well I got it done quickly and understood what I was doing. I now know why we had to go through the horrible HTML assignments...to better understand how to work with Dreamweaver (and appreciate it too). This assignment took about 45 min to do. The worst part was cleaning up the copied code from Geocities when pasted to Dreamweaver but I love how Dreamweaver marked the code to tell me to "Delete Here" how great is that.

This assignment was so easy that I didn't even need my usual mellow music in the background!

Off to begin the final project and find some content for Wiki since one of our group members is MIA!

Have a super week!

I spent 45 min on this assignment!

Using Tables in Dreamweaver

2007-11-30T23:25:00.001-08:00

Hello Bloggers,
Wow only a few more assignments to go! Can't believe it's December 1 already! So I began this assignment just over 2 hours ago! It went fairly well, I am happy to say that I was finally able to get Dreamweaver to work on my home computer - Bonus! As I am a night owl I appreciate being able to work at home in the middle of the night.
Ok so the assignment was pretty straightforward and I was able to get it done successfully but I was not able to use the "print screen" command to complete step 1. I am going to scan the print version as a PDF from work on Monday to complete the assignment; puzzled as to why it didn't work. Oh well.
Am excited to get started on the final project, I meet with my subjects on Wednesday!
I spent 2 hours on this assignment!

Typeography in Dreamweaver

2007-11-26T08:57:00.000-08:00

Hola Blog Buddies!
This assignment was pretty straightforward; the only problem I recall was finding a font so I just substituted with a similar looking one. I wonder if anyone else had that problem?
A couple of assignments ago I said that I liked the HTML book better...well I think I may take that back. This book is fairly easy to follow I just wish the screen shots were a bit bigger or better marked. I still am loving Dreamweaver better than HTML, I would bet the rest of the class feels the same. I am disappointed that the trial version did not work on my computer...I am having fun learning this and would have considered buying the software. Oh well their loss!
I spent one hour on this assignment in the lab.
Ok, so now I am amending this blog. I was correct when I said that I worked for an hour in the lab BUT I have since spent 5 more hours working on Steps 4-6 of the assignment. I did not like the Bravenet.com free site GRRRRRRR!

I have spent 6 hours on this assignment in total! (all links worked for me I hope they do for you!)

Working with CSS in Dreamweaver

2007-11-26T08:46:00.000-08:00

Hello Blog Buddies!
I hope your Turkey Day was good! I spent mine at the home of a friend that does exotic pet rescue so if you know of anyone interested in adopting a snake , bearded dragon or some sugar gliders let me know. She has lots to go around; look for my final project for more information. I am going to ask if I could use her as the subject for my project.
But I digress...working with CSS in Dreamweaver. The best thing about this assignment was working in the split view. I found that by being able to see both views side by side I better understood the code. I really appreciated how Dreamweaver numbers the lines of code, this made parts of the assignment easier to complete. Looking at a full page of code could drive you crazy. What I didn't care for was the 20 things you want to remember about working with CSS in Dreamweaver. I don't memorize phone numbers cuz that is what phone books are for. I don't memorize CSS stuff cuz that is what w3schools website, the text books and the manual loaded on the Dreamweaver software is for! My brain has limited capacity so there you go!
I spent 2 hours in the lab on this assignment!
Happy Monday!

Creating Links in Dreamweaver

2007-11-18T12:41:00.001-08:00

Hello all! Long time no blog!

With Thanksgiving only days away I ask myself "Self...what are you thankful for?" "Well Self" I answer "That I am done with the HTML section of my Be 170 Class". On that note, let's do this blog!

So Creating Links in Dreamweaver...say it loud say it proud
SO MUCH EASIER THAN IN HTML!
I am loving this program. Granted we are only two assignments in but darn tootin' this is more fun than HTML. Chapter 5 took just under one hour to complete! Yeah me! Oh yeah and I actually understood what I was doing with no having to start over! Yes, blog buddies you heard it hear first "ALF completed her assignment without a do-over." That earns me a margarita....or Cold Stone Ice Cream. Both? Nah, one or the other. As I stated in my Assignment 9 blog I left the CD rom here at the Hawk so I have yet to watch the videos but they are on my list for when I get home! I just need some Pop Secret Jumbo Pop and I am ready to watch!

I hope this assignment was as successful for you as it was for me. Until next time blog buddies be sure to cook those turkey to the proper temperature to avoid a trip to the ER this Thanksgiving.
In all I will have spent 3 hours on this assignment: Chapter, research and blogging.

Using Dreamweaver

2007-11-18T11:52:00.000-08:00

Hola Blogarinos!

How is everyone this fine Sunday. Ok here's the thing...I just completed the exercises for Dreamweaver chapters 3, 4 and 21 I skimmed through chapters 1 and 2 (it may not be right but I get points for being honest) I was working in the Lab Saturday afternoon and left my CD Rom in the computer at BHC so I have not watched the videos. Good luck though cuz I was waiting outside the lab at noon today and was able to retrieve my CD (Whew). Note to self write name on CD rom just in case I leave it behind again.

What do I think of Dreamweaver? So far so good; just had to start over a couple of times to clarify some stuff. However I think the publisher of this book could take a note from the publisher of our HTML book. I think the HTML book is easier to read and do. I think though with the limited hours the lab is available assignments should be due later in the day on Tuesday ( I know we have until Wed noon but how about Wed 7 pm after the lab is closed?) Especially this week with T-Day closing the Lab/School down Thur, Fri and Saturday. I am going to have to take time off work next week to get the assignment done. I know we all must sacrifice!

So far I have spent 3.5 hours on this assignment but have yet to watch the videos so I guess we could call it 4.

HTML Page Layout

2007-11-12T13:51:00.000-08:00

Good afternoon bloggers!

So I did the QCTimesCritique. It was interesting looking at a site from a different angle. In the past I am just looking for the info I am interested in with no thought as to how it works. Interesting. I can tell that there is a lot to learn and practice with web design but it has been fun getting my hands wet with some basics. I have not yet taken the time to do Units G and H but I plan on doing them for my own benefit.
I did use the w3 Schools website to help me identify table tags to complete this assigment...this has been a really great source for some quick answers and help. I also used it to help play with a form. This is definately marked as a favorite site.

On the critique assignment I spent about 4 hours poking around the site and answering the questions.

Internet Copyright Issues

2007-11-11T23:57:00.000-08:00

Hello Blog Buddies...Happy Veteran's Day!

So Assignment 7...lucky #7. First of all this was the dryest assignment so far...lots of reading on an important (but boring) topic. Did learn that I need to change some stuff on my mySpace page so as to not be breaking any laws! On the submitted htm document I may have gone a little simple but I did try formatting my definitions from an example on the w3 Schools site example for definition lists.

http://www.w3schools.com/html/tryit.asp?filename=tryhtml_lists3

Can I say how much help this site is? I know I say it every assignment but it is nice for a quick look and ability to play around before putting it in my text editor. Perhaps I should contact them to give a paid testimonial?

At the end of the day I spent about 4.5 hours on this assignment...well below the suggested of 9 but in looking over Assignment 8 I think I will be making it up!

Working With Tables

2007-11-05T09:15:00.000-08:00

Good morning Blog Buddies!

Working with tables, what did I learn? I learned that my reading comprehension skills need work! Again the troubles I had with this assignment can be traced to not following instructions. Also to be noted I need to be fully rested to do these assignments!

Tables are not fun, there is so much code that needs to be written, I did copy/paste the tags but you have to be careful. I finally just printed the document and highlighted the areas where the tags needed to be placed...it seemed to help! I think I started this assignment 6 times before I got through it! Grrr...I must accept this is how I learn! In the end I am proud of the result! Now off to work on the Group Project!
Site link of the week: drum-roll da da da da da da da
http://www.w3schools.com/html/tryit.asp?filename=tryhtml_tables
Yes, buddies W3 wins again. Love love love how easy it is to understand info presented!
Till next time...I am outta here!

Time spent on Assignment #6 7.5 hours.

HTML & CSS

2007-10-30T21:58:00.000-07:00

Good Evening Blog Buddies--Oops it's after midnight so I say Good Morning Blog Buddies!

Wow, lots to do this week, assignments, projects WOW! So I am trying to get an early start but once again myBlackHawk has failed me and I cannot load files.

So what did I learn in assignment 5? I learned the how important it is to carefully read the instructions and to take care with keying in the code. Not exciting but I hope to get this down some day!

I played around on the W3 schools website under the CCS Examples tab...lots of colors to choose from. I have said this before I am enjoying the W3 site, they make it easy to play around and get some practice.

I only had to start over on this assignment 4 times (my friend's Mo Jo is wearing off! but I didn't listen to my music so maybe my formula is off?)

In the end...I feel comfortable with background colors, images, and margins; the lists are coming together nicely. Was also happy not to have to do the Google Docs thing this assignment, more time for the group project.

On this assignment I have spent 4.5 hours so far and still have the Technology Blog, CSS review and Group assignment to work on, and load my files to myBlack Hawk so I will have spent about 8 hours by the time I am done.

Till next time, have a happy day blog buddies!

Week 4 - Images

2007-10-29T20:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Assignment 4 Blog Buddies!

In honor of learning about images I thought I would play around with adding an image to my Blog. Hmm...perhaps I will try video on the next blog, it's always fun to try something new!

I am pleased to say that I only had to start this assignment 3 times. I have some bad MoJo on my home computer (the images would not appear after I loaded them) so I trekked out to the Hawk (Black Hawk) to work in a lab and my files could not be opened on Internet Explorer. So I gave up came home and talked to a friend on the phone for 2.5 hours, he must have bad MoJo repellent because I was able to load the photos when I began the third attempt. Note to self: call friend if computer acts up!
Well back to business...I need to remember to check my typing when keying these assignments - that seems to be why I have some problems. I key fast but count on spell check WAY TOO MUCH! For this assignment I liked http://www.w3schools.com/html/tryit.asp?filename=tryhtml_image_align I am thinking that W3 Schools is becoming a favorite site for this class, I really like the side by side html / web site samples shown. They also make it easy to play around with it using their examples. I like to have samples to consult while figuring out a problem.
How many hours did I spend...hmm 3 yesterday and another 3 today so I will say by the time I am done blogging, looking up stuff for the group project, checking out the "Wow" sites and playing with Geo Cities (which I don't think I am liking )

I will have spent 8.5 hours on this assignment.

See ya next assignment!

Week 3-HTML Formatting, Uploading Pages

2007-10-26T20:08:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody,

Can I say that this assingment started with me RE-DOING Units A & B! I am over them by now. I don't know what didn't work but oh, well hopefully the 10th time is the charm! If you read last weeks entry you know how many times I had to restart the last assignment!

I have to say it was more fun playing around with formatting and color than just setting up pages. I hope we are able to do more fun stuff with pages as we continue!

I have learned that I need a lot of repetition in working these exercises to learn the lessons. I definitely learn by trial and error, and very hands on! I also find that good music in the background has kept me from going too crazy while I do my homework for this class! May I suggest Joss Stone and John Mayer! They help set a groovy atmosphere for keeping calm!

The links I liked for this assignment were:
http://www.webmonkey.com/webmonkey/teachingtool/fontcolor.html

http://www.w3schools.com/html/tryit.asp?filename=tryhtml_formattingch liked this one best the samples were easy to read.

Happy Halloween and Homework Blog Buddies!

I have spent 9 hours on this assignment so far, but cannot complete it because myBlackHawk is down and will not let me upload files and send emails! :(

Creating Links; Keeping a Reflective Journal; Creating a Technology Blog

2007-10-21T21:18:00.000-07:00

Hello Everybody,

So let me start by saying this assignment drove me CRAZY! :O

I had to restart it 6 times! AAAAHHHHH. But I have to say when it finally came together I felt like I accomplished something! Yeah me!

I think the best things I learned were "Opening Links in New Windows", I like the idea of having the orignal window still in view after you click the link and "Adding Link Titles" as a user I think it is helpful to get a little information about the link you will click on before you click, it could save you some time from visiting sites that won't be helpful.

I bookmarked the anchor tag sites after a brief visit, but to be honest I spent so much time on the assignment that I will now go back to review them, especially after reading classmates blogs that said how helpful they were.

I am sad to say that I spent about 20 hours on this assignment, I guess my head was filled with cobwebs this week! Wish me luck on Units C and D!

Have a super week!

Creating an HTML Document; Using Google Docs

2007-10-20T09:27:00.000-07:00

I learned a lot in the first lesson, I haven't taken any computer programming classes so to learn how to set up a simple web document was interesting. I was proud that I was able to follow the directions and actually see the result. I have heard of Google Docs but have never used it, my only concern about this part of the assignment was when I copied and pasted the index.htm document the tags did not transfer, I simply checked the "Edit HTML" option re-copied and pasted and completed the assignment.
I do see a use for the HTML skills in my future with an organization I volunteer with is having trouble finding someone familiar with HTML to update their website.
I looked at the websites listed and have bookmarked them to use them in future assignments!
I hope to continue to learn more as the semester (and assignments) continue! :)

Honestly I spent about 6 hours on this assignment and did it a second time to review!