After my belated yet eventual submission of both my Web Development 1 [WD1] and Digital Imaging [DI] assignments, it’s time to evaluate on how they went.
On commencement of the dual modules I was still feeling a tad fatigued from the previous semester, although the Christmas break had offered some respite, it was proving difficult to muster the energy and focus needed in preparation for what we had in store. The DI involved us having to undertake 4 tasks strictly using Photoshop, whereas the WD1 would see us produce a live version of our websites based on the previously created screen designs from the Interface Design module.
I was enthusiastic about getting my teeth into the DI tasks; the approach we would have to take would differ enormously from what we underwent with the design tasks in our Typography module. Firstly we were given the tasks all at once [case loaded] rather than an “as and when” approach and we were required to plan their execution by arranging an individual production schedule. Immediately I preferred this method as it would give me adequate time to prepare for each task, something which is attributed to my reflective-theorist learning style. We were also asked to be more proactive in the learning of the subject matter, our lectures were few, and so we were being left to our own devices to learn the software as well as the theory essentially needed for a forthcoming exam.
I was already familiar with Photoshop to a small capacity, so it instilled a little confidence in me that I could perform well with the tasks, but I was not going to take it for granted. Early on I began to realise that some of the tasks would require more time than I had anticipated, so I found myself having to deviate away from my schedule to tend to the larger tasks. It was frustrating as I had to sacrifice many more hours of my time, which was already being spread thin due to events in my domestic life.
On reflection, I felt that I maybe paid more particular attention to the ideas generation to the tasks, partly because of the feedback received from the Typography module where I had been found a little wanting in this area. Despite that I was satisfied that the submitted work had significantly improved from previous and that I had made progress by providing detailed annotation that explained my thought process behind my designs. In the future I will try harder to stick with any proposed schedule set as I will have to follow similar schedules and deadlines when I am working in industry.
- Magic Circle website mock-up created with Adobe Photoshop
For the WD1 module we would take a fresh approach of learning XHTML and CSS by having guidance from Jonny Haynes who has vast expertise and knowledge of the subject matter from his lengthy time as a working professional. In preparation for the module we had agreed to fully read XHTML Dog in the Christmas break, this way we would hit the ground running when we commenced. Although I managed to do this I felt that I had not fully retained my new knowledge, so I was hoping that the practical tuition would help bring it all together.
- From novice to professional, HTML Dog is a very useful guide to XHTML & CSS
To be frank, early on I felt that things were going completely over my head when it came to XHTML and CSS. A lot of the time I was sat despondent in front of the screen trying to make head or tail of what I was learning. Being a new set of languages, I knew that with any new language a combination of patience, perseverance and practice was needed before I could find any real fluency. I tried to approach my study with this in mind; however progress was moving at snail’s pace which made the days long and tiresome.
Due to my circumstances I lost valuable lesson time on more than one occasion, the realisation of how much it had hampered me was made evident when I returned to the classroom to find I was seemingly light years behind with my understanding compared to my colleagues. I tried desperately to get back on track but often found myself lost in my own frustration when I was struggling to understand things that were trivial, only to find it was relatively simple to everyone else.
On the completion and upload of the website, I never really marvelled at what I had finally created, the sense of achievement was hugely overshadowed by the relief I felt of finally getting it all out of the way. Maybe I have found my Achilles heel with XHTML and CSS? But I can ill afford to let that deter me from getting back in the saddle to gather some lost ground in this area.
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