My work on MYP Computer Technology – Grade 8

The strengths of my Digital Portfolio are that it is attention-grabbing (the background, black, goes well with all the images and I chose that color for exactly that) and by already having all the content needed it made it easier for me to make it look simple and include all the information needed. The weekness's were that I hadn't included the specific details as to how I had edited the images that I had edited (The Photoshops and the IB Leaner Posters) because I personally felt that with all the other projects due and only 6 lessons that the amount I had done may not get me a perfect grade but it was to my personal extent. Throughout the entire year I believe that I was very distracted and talked too much but I was able to get a majority or all of my work done in the end (Maybe not to the standards I could have but my work was average) but not all of it was done in time. I think that in order for me to have a better year I should talk less. I mainly researched for my Cost Of Living projects since I needed to find prices and the exchange rates for 2 currencies in the time. I  mostly designed, planned and created for the rest of the tasks in different aspects of every single one of my tasks. For my HTML and Dreamweaver I had to mentally design and plan what I imagined them to look like and then finally bring it to life. For my Photoshop projects I had to first find out how to edit the photos with the programme, which was part of my designing and planning, before I finally created them. The IB Learner Posters were a lot easier because my partner and I were very familiar with Picnik before we even started the project. Making the Digital Portfolio was very easy because I already knew how to use Dreamweaver from an earlier project which made it even easier for me to make my portfolio. I was happy after completing the Design Cycle because after finishing one thing it allowed me to move on to another and in the end I was gung-ho about the ending result. I felt too many feelings throughout my entire MYP Grade 8 Technology course experience for me to write down but I was mostly either happy or stressed from completing something or from being late with a project.

IB Learner Profile Poster - Reflection

For 8 of the 10 posters, me and my partner used an online programme named Picnik and used they different formats it offered. For the other 2 we used Potoshop to create the changes. There were no particular design stages but our plan was to make the posters as simple as possible while also making them memorable and interesting at the same time by making the edits look unique and with no particular, set design in mind for each. This plan helped us extremely and the final results are, in my eye, extremely unique. If I were to do this project again I probably wouldn't change anything because I am proud of the final result. What I would tell any future students that were to do this project themselves is that they shouldn't make the posters to complicated and they should just keep it simple.

Exploring Photoshop

I found that using photoshop to edit these pictures was very easy because nothing had to be done manually. I feel that I successfully edited every picture except the couple image because I did not know how to change the next so what is currently written has nothing to do with the background. My easiest image to edit were the flowers because they only required filtering. I don't think that I will need to use photoshop in the production of my Digital Poftfolio because I have no further images to edit except, maybe, my banner and that only requires 'Free Transform' and adding text. The only way I can relate Photoshop to Dreamweaver is by looking at the company that created both applications. They also both allow someone to create something from scratch or if there is already and image that comes to mind someone can easily change it or turn it into something much bigger and better with Dreamweaver.

Exploring Dreamweaver

1.      A description of Dreamweaver (use your own words!!!)

2.      Why do we need Dreamweaver for creating web sites?

3.      Did you find Dreamweaver a good option for creating your digital portfolio?

4.      What is the relationship between HTML and Dreamweaver? Why do you need to understand HTML when using Dreamweaver?

5.      What do you think about your site created using Dreamweaver?  What are the strengths, what could you have done better?

1.

Dreamweaver is an application that is used for creating websites and it was originally created by macromedia which is how it got its older name (Macromedia Dreamweaver) but Adobe bought Macromedia.  It is now formally known as Adobe Dreamweaver or just Dreamweaver. It allows you to make a virtual website and preview websites in local web browsers. There are many things it can contain, including: Text, Video, Imagery, Sound and etc.

2.

Dreamweaver is relevant towards creating websites because it is what makes you be able to add content to a page without it being a boring plain screen. It is a lot easier to use rather than HTML because no codes are required for you to manually add but just the need for you to make the page how you would like it to be seen.

3.

 I thought Dreamweaver was extremely helpful because unlike with my personal website I did not have to type in any codes and I could have just about anything shown on the page. I am pretty positive that it would probably be harder to include a video or music on the HTML website than it was on Dreamweaver. It was obviously a lot less work to get pictures put in and have a heading and place everything according to how I see it in my brain because I could just copy and paste.

4.

 On Dreamweaver it is still possible to use codes when adding anything to the website and HTML is needed because the video that is found on YouTube could only be put on using the code that it was embedded with so that there would be no copyright problems. HTML is also needed when adding different content types because you may find a problem on the website when you check on it that does not appear to be there when you use Dreamweaver.  But when you look at the codes from HTML you may find the source of the problem easily.

5.

I think my site is nice considering how long we had to complete it (Long). I quite like how I had placed everything although I had difficulty arranging the pictures appropriately in the tables and placing the videos where I had wanted them. Dreamweaver was a good application to use and I enjoyed it. If I were to make my website again I think I would try and add more content to it, mainly text, detail and a lot more description although I found the amount of word content I put in is to be enough from my perspective. It would need to be more specific if a stranger was trying to find out more about Uganda and its culture.

What is a Photoblog?

It is the sharing and publishing of photos with the format of a blog. The Photoblog designer may choose to have text but it is mostly limited to a title and category. A Photoblog contains mostly images. Sometimes the photos look original but on some occasions it is very obvious to tell that they have been photoshopped. It is a diary about pictures using images.

Exploring web editors

Exploring Web Editors

1.      What is a web editor?

A web editor/text editor is a program where you can create and edit text files. The two main categories that web editors fall into are:

·         A line editor: You have to first choose a specific line before you can edit/make changes to it;

·         Screen-oriented editor/Full screen editor: With this editor you can choose to edit any text on a page by moving your cursor over it.

2.      What is the relationship between a web editor and HTML?

They are both used when making a web page to make it more organized and so it can actually have information and content on the page.

3.      What is Dreamweaver?  Write down at least three important features of the product.

Dreamweaver is software that can also be used to make Web pages that is not HTML.

Three important features of this product are:

·         It allows viewers to preview websites;

·         Gives you the ability to edit or replace text or code;

·         You can virtually create a website.

4.      Find out two examples of web editors different from Dreamweaver.

Two examples of other web editors different:

1.      Komodo Edit

2.      Aptana Studio

And they are both free.

5.      What is the difference between a web site and a web page?

·         A website is a collection of web pages, pictures, text and video or anything digital that can be addressed to a URL;

·         A web page is a resource of information that can be found on the WWW (World Wide Web) and it can be accessed through a web browser and is displayed on a monitor.

6.      What is a web browser and why do you need for opening web pages?

It is a software application that is used for showing, transferring and getting information onto the WWW and it is needed when opening web pages because it is connected to the World Wide Web and it’s a system where you can enter the code.

7.      What is a web server (please find the definition as a computer and as software)?  Why do we need one when creating web sites?

It is a computer program that can be used for delivering content through HTTP onto the WWW.

8.      What is a domain name?

a.      Explain the parts of the domain names

b.      What is the relationship between a domain name and a URL?

8) A domain name is an ID label that represents control on the internet based on the Domain Name System. It represents one or more IP addresses and they are used in URL’s to find specific web pages.

a.     

1.      The top-level domain which would be .com in www.google.com;

2.      The sub domain which would be www in www.google.com;

3.      The hostname which would be www.google.com and google.com because domain name needs at least one IP address.

b.      A domain name identifies certain web pages and a URL is an already identified resource.

Exploring HTML-Reflection

1.      What is HTML?

2.      Why do we need HTML for creating web pages?

3.      Did you find HTML a good option for creating your digital portfolio?

4.      What do you think about your first site created?  What are the strengths, what could you have done better?

                                              RELFECTION

Hyper-

Text

Mark-up

Language

1.

It is used to describe how text and images should be seen by a viewer and it is what is used to actually construct a web page.

2.

Html is needed when making web pages because without it there would not be any content on the page. It is also needed because then the web pages would not be organized.

3.

HTML was a very good option for making my Digital Portfolio because it was easy to use once I got the hang of using it. I was able to put all the pictures I wanted on it and have all the relevant information I needed as well. I could also include tables and bullet points which I found to be an interesting characteristic for this program because it helped me organize my information well.

4.

I thought that my site was not plain with only white as a background color but I used different font colors as well as a black background. It turned out very well and it was just as good as I had imagined although it was impossible to get more font colors on the page rather than just blue or grey. It had a lot of color but if I were to do it again I would probably try and concentrate more on the information I include rather than the appearance of the actual site but still have it look good.