These past few months I’ve learned a lot about the internet, it’s usability, user preferences and most of all, myself.
Before entering this class I had no idea how web sites were created. I wondered how people uploaded videos, made tables, added quizzes and such to there web sites. Sure I had once been a Myspace fan, it happens to the best of us, but I had no mastery of the web at all. I know today, that my knowledge of the world wide web and its workings have greatly increased.
It all began with a program called Windows Movie Maker. In class we were assigned to make a documentary movie depicting the role that technology played in our lives. I had already used the program for a series of Spanish movies, but all of a sudden I had found a new use for the program. I learned how to insert pictures from the web and add a sort of voice over onto the pictures. I also learned how to transfer music from online sources into movie maker. Having started the year off with so many firsts, I knew that the year would only be a learning experience.
The technology skills of learning how to use new programs may seem simple, but at first it is challenging. Finding how to insert images correctly, add sounds and add any unique touches to a video takes a lot of analyzing and exploring through programs. In the class we had a minimum of guidance, but a lot of the project did rest on us, the students in the class. As a result, we gained more technological independence, able to rely on ourselves to solve certain problems or setbacks.
Perhaps one of the most important skills I will take from this class, however, is definitely the ability to create and maintain my own website. I had always heard about HTML and its importance on the internet, but never actually spent time working with it. The codes and structure of HTML, though complicated, can easily be found on the web. Small details such as how to make a paragraph or a link in HTML code, I will always remember. Though seemingly unimportant, by learning small details such as paragraph code at a time, eventually I may be able to write in HTML code. Until then, however, I know how to find HTML codes through widgets. Having never heard of widgets before this class, I now know how to embed them into a website and how important they are to create a unique website. Personally, I enjoy the Weather Bug widget on my advisor’s site.
I know that in the future all the skills I have learned in this class will be put to use. I may need to create a website for a future job, or search for ways to make a college presentation. All I know is that I now feel more comfortable on the computer.
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