Wordpress.com and Wordpress.org, although they may sound like the same thing, they have many major differences.
Wordpress.com had a guided set up process that is easy to understand for beginners with different themes other customizable features. Once your site is set up, you can use the portal to see your site, a feed of other wordpress sites, and stats about your blog.
Pros
Easy to set up
Easy to customize.
Free
Cons
Paid upgrade needed for more features and customization
No plugins
Limited number of themes
Wordpress.org is a website dedicated to wordpress community. on this site, you can download the wordpress software. Although it is much less restricted, you have to have experience and knowledge
in web design.
Pros
Free software
Plugins
You can use any theme
Unlimited customization
Cons
You have to pay for hosting
Install it yourself
You are responsible for managing and maintenance of your server
Although not one os objectively better than the other, it is up to you to pick which features you value the most.
In class we have been researching maps embedded into websites with custom pins that show personalized information for a potential client. We looked at three different sites and how they worked to understand how we can make our own version.
Zillow-
Zillow is a real-estate website. The map makes it easy to find houses in an area and all of the information that may be needed. I couldn't find exactly how they made the custom pins, but they embedded Bing Maps into their site to create the map.
Century 21
Century 21 is also real-estate website. This map has highlighted red areas to show what area is selected and also has similar pins to Zillow. I couldn't find exactly how they made the custom pins, but they embedded Bing Maps into their site to create the map.
T-Mobile
This site shows all of the T-Mobile stores on the map. This one is created with Google Maps and also has custom pins providing information about each store.
I will use Google Maps to embed a custom map onto my site with custom pins.
This project was to create a music video using a pre-existing song. It took my group approximately three weeks to complete. Challenges that we faced included image stabilization, scheduling, and editing choices. I learned how to work with a filming team and actors. I also learned the value of a team where everyone contributes. I received feedback about using different shots and on editing choices. If I were to change anything, I would use a tripod on more of the shots and I would pick a try to change the song. I was very pleased with the final product.
High School Trailer
This project was to recreate a trailer for a high school movie. It would have taken about four weeks to complete. The biggest challenge was my group. I had to lead the group of three, which included one member who refused to help in any way. I also didn't have a lot of experience in video and I am not the most interested in video. We did not fully complete the project because we didn't get to film all of the shots that we needed. I learned that I need to take action and to motivate myself to keep going and finish what little I can. If I could change anything I would find another group and choose a different trailer to remake that could be done out of school hours. I am not at all happy with how this project turned out and I regret what happened.
Short Film
This project was to create a short film with an original script. My group selected my script to be turned into this short film. From writing the script to the final edit, this project took about six weeks. The biggest challenge that we faced was finding an actor. We had an actor for the main character, but he couldn't make any of the filming days. So, already behind schedule, I had to step in and play the part of Sam. This was a great challenge because I have never acted before. Along the way, I learned a little about how to act and also how to write a treatment, script, and how to storyboard. The feed back we were given included tips on camera angles and lighting. If I could change anything, I would find another actor (who could actually act) to play Sam instead of me. I am mostly proud of this film, although I am not proud of my acting performance.
Time in Class
I have used my time in class very well. If I finished early I would help classmates on their work or I would work on other school work. Outside of class, when I watch TV, I notice the camera shots and other techniques that are used.
My Strengths
My strengths as an employee are leadership and project management. I work to lead my group, even if I'm not the main leader, I help by keeping others on task.
Improvement
If I were continuing on in video, I would need improvement on Premiere Pro and on script writing.
Summary
This semester, I most loved getting to know all of the different people in the class who all share a common interest. Something that I would change is that I would take more charge and be more of a leader in my groups. My take away from this year is that video isn't for me, but I'm more interested in the photography aspect. My goal for next year is to improve my skills in web design. I'm glad that I had this year to explore and discover what I want to do with my life.
My Sophomore year in web design has taught me a lot.
For technology, I have learned a lot about HTML, CSS, and how to efficiently use Dreamweaver after all of the projects we've done this year. Although I faced many challenges like Dreamweaver crashing every time I tried to save, I learned a lot. These skills will help me to succeed in my next two years in web design, and possibly beyond then.
In collaboration, I have collaborated with others to improve our projects. In leadership, I have helped my classmates to solve problems or just to suggest an improvement.
For communication, I have learned how to present myself online and I have improved in my writing skills. This will help me in these upcoming years in school and it will also help me to get a job.
For project management, I learned how to use my time efficiently and effectively to complete all of my projects on time. I will be able to use this skill for the rest of my life wherever I am.
My greatest strength is project management and my greatest weakness is communication. Project management is a strength because I am able to work on and complete my projects in a timely manner. Communication is my greatest weakness because I don't enjoy writing blog posts or long papers. I have improving in my writing this year and I will continue to improve the more that I write.
I will use the skills that I have learned to improve my work in school and to also improve myself for life and my future employer. If I were to change anything, I would go back to my earlier projects and improve them with the skills and knowledge that I have gained this year.
I am happy with what I have accomplished year and I am excited for the next two years that I have in web design to improve myself and my work.
In web design, we are redesigning the Olathe Northwest logo and mascot. I chose to design a logo for the Olathe Northwest Aviators. I chose this color scheme to reflect the red baron.
I created a new home page using a dreamweaver template. Using a template instead of starting from scratch is easier, but it does have it's challenges. I had some problems with the formatting of the projects list. The css was already in place so I only had to modify it to fit my needs.
This experience helps me to understand how professional web designers work. Most of the time, they probably use a pre made template instead of starting from scratch every time.
For this project, I created a website about my past, present, and future. The buttons are rollover images created with photoshop. I created the overall site with Dreamweaver. When you hover your curser over the buttons, it displays the years that are being covered, and when you click on my name in the header, it takes you back to the homepage.
