Reflection:

Computer Science, the only Technical Application course not addressed in the TATC program, is my area of expertise and my love. The use of scripting languages and Java in the development of web pages is the natural bridge between Computer Science and the other Technical Application courses. This connection sharpens my interest in Web Authoring.

Time constraints rule our lives more often than we would like to admit. Prior to entering the TATC program my experience with web development included coding in native HTML and limited use of FrontPage98. Because TATC requirements rearranged my priorities, I have taken the time to become reasonably proficient with Dreamweaver MX. The use of more powerful software has opened new doors. So much more can be accomplished in so much less time that I am lured into delving deeper and experimenting more, always investing more time than anticipated. You see the cycle! Who needs sleep anyway?

The concepts from the basic and the advanced Web Authoring modules have whetted my appetite. It is in this TA discipline that my wish list for conquering techniques grows fastest. If I were proficient in all aspects of Web Authoring already, the challenge of trying to keep pace with advancements in web technology would hold my interest.

In the extended Web Authoring course, using Javascript and Java was fun. One of my goals is to learn more about the capabilities of these languages on the web. What unsuspected kinds of things can be done with them? I would love to teach an advanced web course in high school for students with programming background, so that writing scripts and applets could reasonably be a significant part of their curriculum.

Artifact #2 / Artifact#4

Caption 2

My EZTravel Site serves as a valid benchmark for the beginning of my web mastering experience. Although it is a simple site, more pictorial than informational, I learned a lot about using tables, particularly nesting another table within a table cell, as I created the collages of summer and winter activities. I also gained experience with a variety of navigational schemes that will continue to serve me well. Bread crumbs as a navigational technique puzzled me significantly because I couldn't seem to find a clear definition. It took me forever to realize that bread crumbs are the "chain" of links at the top or bottom of the page that show you a direct pathway from home to your current location. If you come to your current page via a bookmark, without navigating through home, bread crumbs tell you a direct pathway from home.

Indicators: I, II, III, IV, V, 7.7, 7.8, 7.9, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.7, 8.9, 8.10, 8.13, 8.17, 8.18, 8.19, 8.20, 8.22, 8.23, 8.24, 8.25, 8.27, 8.30, 8.31, 8.33, 8.34, 8.35, 8.38, 8.39, 8.40, 8.41, 8.42, 8.43, , 8.44, 8.45, 8.46, 8.47, 9.8, 9.11, 9.15, 9.20, 9.24, 9.28, 9.39, 9.42, 10.9, 10.10, 11.1, 11.2, 11.3, 11.4, 11.7, 11.9, 11.12, 11.13, 11.14, 11.16, 11.17, 11.18, 11.19, 11.20, 11.21, 11.23, 11.24, 11.25, 11.27, 11.28, 11.29, 11.30, 11.32, 11.34, 11.35, 11.39

Artifact #2

Descriptors: Web page design, development, and publication, web development tools, site navigation schemes, elements and principles of design, image aquisition, digital graphic creation, creating a site map, HTML testing sites

Title: EZTravel Site

Course: TATC 102 Web Mastering, Web Design

Date Created: October, 2002

Source: Individual project, Web resources

Media: Macromedia Dreamweaver MX, Adobe Photoshop Elements

Description: EZTravel is a web site for an imaginary travel agency. The specifications for the site required creation of a company logo, a minimum of three web pages that demonstrated good navigation techniques, consistency in appearance of the pages, a site map, an HTML test, links to external sites and maps, and presentation of basic information about the agency as well as a featured travel location.

Rationale: I must admit the content of this site reflects my own interests and attitudes. I don't like to travel. It's only value to me is in what waits at the end of the journey. I enjoyed creating the collages for summer and winter activities, and this gave me some excellent experience with using tables to control placement of information on a page. This was the part of the project that was new to me.

Implications for future: I believe this project would be appealing to students, offering them an opportunity for imaginative expression as they research geographic locations. I continue to gain facility with Dreamweaver MX, and I am attending training through my school district to gain facility with Flash MX also.

Reviewer's Comment: Well, I really like what’s here. The logo is good, the graphics are great. I really like how you positioned the variety of photos you had—the overall pages have a great look. Maps are excellent, and the general layout is very nice.

Reviewer's Name: Peter Ponce

Title: TATC Colleague

Date Reviewed: October, 2002

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Caption 4

I have chosen my Online Web Tools project as the artifact for Standard XI because it exemplifies those indicators so well. It demonstrates the kind of systematic research that allows a student to reach beyond a superficial understanding of new Web Authoring concepts to the kind of knowledge that enables him to know and choose the best tool for a task. Information was gleaned from numerous sites and compared with information from text books to analyze it for accuracy, breadth and depth of content, and clarity. The site offers what I hope is a spring board into an understanding of DHTML, Javascript, and Java. Information is included for someone wanting to just download a script or an applet to use. One interested in a deeper understanding is given limited technical information on the page with links to more comprehensive tutorials.

Indicators: I, II, III, IV, V, 8.7, 8.9, 8.45, 9.8, 9.20, 9.24, 9.39, 9.42, 11.1, 11.2, 11.3, 11.7, 11.9, 11.10, 11.11, 11.12, 11.13, 11.14, 11.15, 11.16, 11.17, 11.18, 11.19, 11.20, 11.21, 11.23, 11.24, 11.25, 11.26, 11.27, 11.28, 11.29, 11.30, 11.32, 11.34, 11.35, 11.38, 11.39

Artifact #4

Descriptors: Search strategies, ethical practices, validation of information, plan, organize, and deliver instruction, web page design, and web development tools

Title: Online Web Tools

Course: TATC 202 Extended Web Authoring

Date Created: November, 2002

Source: Text books on DHTML, Javascript, and Java, and Web Resources

Media: Macromedia Dreamweaver MX

Description: The TATC participants taking the Advanced Web Authoring elective each chose three topics from a suggested list of advanced web tools, researched the tools, and presented the information for the benefit of the entire group. The topics I chose were Dynamic HTML, Javascript, and Java.

• Produce a web page with a table of the 3 technologies, starting from the leads given in Interactive Guide 2, in which you evaluate the technologies for educational potential.
• In your table include the Technology and Reference, Description, Educational purpose, Educational value, and Educational limitations.
• Provide links to the resources that you listed in the first part and a link to the "how to" for the second part.

Rationale: This artifact serves as a good example of collaborative learning because different TATC participants investigated various topics and shared the results of their research. I had a strong interest in investigating methods of making a web page dynamic and interactive. While I have a strong background in programming, and I have guided advanced students working with Javascript, I needed a broader understanding of the uses of these languages for web use. I learned that the Document Object Model used in Dynamic HTML shares the object oriented approach that is central to the other two tools.

Implications for future: Allowing students the opportunity to become more expert in the use of a chosen tool and impart that information to others can promote respect for classmates, encourage communication about concepts, and enrich a curriculum by making it possible to cover more information.

Reviewer's Comments: First of all, I LOVED your Applet for the banners. That was sooooooo cool. :-)

Your information, as usual, was very well covered and you provided way more links than we were asked to ...

Your JavaScript How To was still over my head. You are so great at all of that stuff. I guess I don't have the mind to apply JavaScript like you do. Thanks for the hard work!

Reviewer's Name: Diana Saenz

Title: TATC Colleague

Date Reviewed: December 1, 2002

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