Exploring HTML

Exploring HTML

HTML stands for hyper-text markup language. It is a special formatted text written that includes specific words that the computer can understand. When you write this text everything you include is shown on your website. It is like the language for computers.

We need HTML to create websites because the text that we write is telling the computer what to show on the website page. You can say whether you want text, pictures, videos and other cool things. By just learning some basic HTML you can play around with colors on your website and make it look great.

I find HTML a good option for creating my digital portfolio because I can control everything that comes up on the page, unlike on blogspot. I placed the parts I wanted on the page anywhere buy just adding a few more words in hyper-text markup language. At first it was difficult to get used to the format and words I had to write to tell the computer what to do. When I got used to HTML it was pretty fun adding everything else. I thought it was going to be boring when we started making our websites because it seemed so complicated, but after doing the learning it was a lot of fun because we could apply our knowledge in a creative way.

I was very happy when I finished the two page website. It was my first website created (and definitely not the last) that taught me a little about HTML. My website is very good because the hyperlinks to the other pages are at the bottom of all the pages so this makes it easier to navigate the website. I have a clear introduction about myself on the homepage and have many ways of showing the information about my country (like, tables, lists, paragraphs). I also have many pictures that have some text underneath to describe what is going on in the picture. When websites have many relevant pictures I find them more interesting. I also used nice colors for the background, and text that you could easily tell apart. Something I could have improved on is my making the color of the hyperlinks different because the bright pink is hard for the eye to read over the purple background. For one of the pictures I could have put the caption under it so it would be easier to tell which picture it was referring to. In overall, I think I did a pretty good job creating my first website.

Mount Etna Leaflet

My Digital Portfolio

My Digital Portfolio

My digital portfolio will include different things related to me. I would like to organize it in a way which is easy for other people to navigate in and not get confused. The portfolio will be clear and will be separated into different topics.

The first thing that will come up when you open my website will be the introduction. There I will write about the purpose of this digital portfolio and the different parts of it. By reading the introduction people can get a clear idea on almost all the things included in the website.

The major part on this digital portfolio is going to be about my academics. There will be a page explaining my school background, the schools I've been to and the subjects I take. I will separate this topic into four other pages. One will be on my favorite subjects and show the major projects and assignments I had in those subjects. Another page will be about my less favorite subjects and how I did in them. The third page will be showing all the certificates I received in senior school and junior school. It will include scanned copies of academic excellence awards, honor rolls, IB Learner Profile Awards (from the American International School) and others. The last page on academics will show my grades for each class.

There will be a section on my future. This will have information about places I want to live and other things. Linked to this page there will be a page on what I want to be when I grow up. I will explain what I wanted to become from different stages of my life.

I will have a part on my personal life which will include my hobbies, countries I have lived in and friends. Connected to that there will be a page that shows the different skills I have.

I am planning to include a page on my goals where I will record my goals for each semester and write about them. I will also add if I achieved those goals or not. At the beginning of this page I will write why I think goals are important for moving forward in life.

As you can see above this is how I am going to divide the pages in my digital portfolio.

Digital Portfolio-Research

Digital Portfolio-Research

Three important features about digital portfolios are:
1. You can add artifacts (example: audio recordings, videos, spreadsheets, music)

2. The digital portfolio shows the students achievements for different classes when people view it.

3. Teachers and others can view the digital portfolio and have discussions or write comments.

One advantage of a digital portfolio is that it is very easy for people to go to on the web and see it. It can also be easily reproduced on other digital forms such as CD's. This makes it easier for a big group of people to see it at the same time.

One disadvantage of a digital portfolio is that people can plagiarize what you have written due to the fact that the information can easily be copied.

Here are three samples of digital portfolios and my comments on them:

1. Creating An Electronic Portfolio

http://cte.jhe.edu/techacademy/fellows/Spencer/webquest/lasindex.html

This portfolio is about how teachers can make digital/electronic portfolios. It explains the different steps you need to take to make one and why you would need to make one.

The areas included are the intro (which explains why you would need to make a digital portfolio), The Task, Resources, The Process, Evaluation and Conclusion.

There are many good things about the design of this portfolio. It's good that the maker has some pictures and emoticons because it makes the page more interesting. Adding to that the background is very creative and does not affect how well you can read the text. There is nothing confusing or not so good about this digital portfolio.

The portfolio is very organized because there is a hyperlink to each section and a hyperlink to go back to the top as well. This makes it easier to move around.

2. Selling Yourself

http://www.teachnet.com/how-to/employment/portfolios/index.html

The content is about teaching people the advantages of having a portfolio. In this website it talks about creating and keeping a portfolio in a binder as well as information about what is needed in a portfolio when you apply for a job.

The different topics mentioned in this website are about what is a portfolio, how to make one, how to keep adding things and not forget to update it. The website also describes some good elements about keeping a portfolio and has a few tips for you to consider.

Some good elements from this website are that each page is listed and has its own hyperlink. It is clear to read because there is a white background and black writing and there are not too many pictures. The website keeps the same format and a clip art picture for each page so it seems put together in a organized way. I think that the font of the text could be a little bigger because it would be easier to read and would fill up the page a little more. I think there should be a title for each page you open so that it is clearer.

It is very easy to navigate the website because there is a list of all the pages you can see and they are clearly labeled. You can go to whichever page you like because the list of pages comes up on every page you open.

3. Senior Project

http://www.richerpicture.com/dp/jenna/index.htm

The content is about a girl who had learning problems and overcomes them during a project where she learns different outdoor activities. She had problems with reading and writing so by seeing her blog you can see that she has overcome these problems. The girl (Jenna) talks about different steps in the project.

There are different areas included in this blog. It is actually similar to the Design Cycle. Jenna starts her blog with an introduction page and continues with research, designing, presenting and evaluating the whole project. This is a very good example of how we can use the Design Cycle for our projects at the International School of Uganda.

Some good things about this website are that it is clear to read the text because the colors are plain. The background is white and the text is black. The website uses the same format for all of the pages. It is easy to see the writing on the table of contents even though it is green and white. This gives the website some color so it makes it more interesting. Some things that are not so good about the website are that there are no pictures of Jenna doing outdoor activities. This would have made her website perfect. In some parts of the website there is too much writing so you lose interest and stop reading without finishing the page.

The website is very organized and it is easy to go from page to page. The table of contents is clear and each page shows one step of her project. The pages and steps are in order so this makes it even easier to understand what she did and in which order.