Week 29: Website Complete and Improvements Started

Last week I completed my website assignment and this week I aimed to start improving my past 2D Animation work. I had been given feedback on all of my 2D animation work and filled out an improvement plan to make these for resubmission. This week I aimed to start improving my pre-production documents.
The documents which I started to improve included reformatting of my bibliography, 2D animation history PowerPoint and soundtrack indication. These were the main improvements for my pre-production documents. The main improvement was my time line PowerPoint. I needed to link the design of this to my final animation design. I decided to redesign this with the similar layout of my animation with the film countdown image being the main design aspect. This therefore links in with the design of my final animation showing the history of animation. The other improvements such as the referencing in my bibliography I found an online referencing tool which helped me correctly reference my book resources. I have corrected this and my book resources are now correctly referenced. The other improvement completed was the soundtrack justification. I added this to my final idea justification document.
By the end of this week I have achieved the tasks I set out to complete. I have improved the pre-production documents from my feedback. I felt confident whilst completing the improvements because I was clear of what I had to exactly improve. Therefore a strength I had was the clear understanding of what I had to improve on the different documents.
Overall, I believe I have completed the tasks well and this is a skill I can repeat in future. This is a skill I will be using next week when I improve my production documents. I will be improving these the same as the pre-production documents this week. I am happy with the progress I have made so far on the improvements.

Week 26 & Week 27: Creating Website & Uploading

This week and last week I aimed to continue creating my website within Dreamweaver and upload it to my webspace. Throughout this week I also aimed to complete my evaluation and sample viewing for my website.
Whilst carrying out these tasks this week I felt confident that I would meet the deadline (19th March). Over the past two weeks I have been creating the webpages for my website within Dreamweaver. I have been using all the skills learnt and documented in my skills audit to create my website. I felt confident whilst creating the different pages and I used both my skills audit and tutorials from YouTube to create the different elements for the website. The various elements included are is 3 animations, graphics, rollover effects and links. These are all original materials which I have created and are required for my website.
Some problems which I have come across in the last two weeks includes the issue of uploading process. The webspace which I originally signed up for on freewebspace.com did not allow me to upload using FTP. Therefore I signed up for new webspace and my new website URL is http://www.hannahmediaportfolio.bugs3.com/. I then used Cute FTP program to upload my files to this URL.
I also completed my evaluation and sample viewing within this week. I asked 5 people to complete a questionnaire for feedback on my website. I would have liked to of held a bigger sample viewing, but I was unable to because of time frames.
By Monday 19th March I should have uploaded my website and submitted the work. Although because of the issues I had with the uploading process I was unable to meet this deadline. This is a point I will remember for the future and I will ensure I manage my time well and set aside a day before the deadline to test and upload the website.
Overall, I am happy with my final website and I believe I will be able to add to this website with the work which I create in the future.

Week 25: Production Documents- Mock-Ups & Organising Folders

This week I aimed to complete the original graphics and mock ups of my webpages for my portfolio website. The mock ups are the PSD layouts of my final webpages. This will allow me to design the main elements such as the menu panel and the logo/ graphics. I also aim to organise the Root folders for the various webpages to make it easy when I create my website in Dreamweaver.

Whilst carrying out these tasks this week I was able to use the skills learnt within Photoshop to create the different webpage layouts. I created the layout and design from the sketches and wireframes created last week. I had a clear vision of the design of the website and I was able to create this within Photoshop. I used the guidelines tool to section off all of the different elements within the various webpages. I used this process for all of the seven pages on my website. I then saved these using the web and devices setting. The PSD's will then save as a .hmtl document to open within Dreamweaver. Once imported to Dreamweaver I will be able to add content and links to this template. I have also organised the files required for the individual pages on the website. This is important for defining the website and editing the website. This allows me to easily access the images, text or videos required for the different pages. These are all seen within the 'Root' folder.

This week I completed all of the intended tasks. I managed to complete the mock ups and the final design of my website pages. I also tested these within Dreamwever, to ensure all settings were correct and I was able to edit the template. I felt confident when completing these tasks and feel as though I can now move forward and start to create my website within Dreamweaver. I also feel confident because I have organised all of the files needed for the website, so I can easily import them in Dreamweaver to the webpages. A strength which I believe I have had this week is in the form of organisation skills. This is vital for the building process of the website. I now feel confident when I start building the website that I have all the files required.

Next week I aim to complete the required animations for my website and also start to build my website within Dreamweaver. I will also be submitting my pre-production and production documents next week (12th March) which I have completed. Overall, this week I am happy with the progress I have made for this assignment.

Week 24: Production Documents: Annotated Wireframes & Graphics

This week I aimed to complete my wireframes with annotations, sitemaps and graphic images to be included within my website. This would be the final production documentation for my website. It would clearly show the layout and contents within the different website pages. This will help me when I come to creating the website within Dreamweaver.

Last week I started creating the sketches and wireframes within Photoshop and this week I aimed to complete these. By creating these sketches I have a clear idea of how my webpages will appear. I have also included annotation to inform the client of the important elements within the different webpages. This also helps me when I start to create my website in Dreamweaver as I can use the wireframes as a guidance to ensure I am including all of the contents within the design of the website. I have created these wireframes from sketches and then created them within Photoshop with the annotations. I can then use these wireframes to create my mock up PSD’s of the website pages. This is a task I have set myself for next week. This week I also aimed to create the main graphics within my website. This is the face profile which will appear continuously on the webpages. I needed to create all of my own graphics within my website; therefore I used Illustrator and Photoshop to create these graphics. I created two different patterned face profiles for use, one containing a chequered pattern and the other a striped pattern.

This week I have completed all of the intended tasks which were annotated wireframes and started to create my original graphics. I felt confident while completing these different tasks and I now believe I will be able to build my website from the wireframes which I have completed as they are a strong guidance for my production. I am also happy with the graphics I have created and believe they show skills within different software programs. A strength which I believe I have had this week is creating the wireframes for my different webpages. I felt confident with the design and enjoyed creating and annotating these wireframes because of the guidance it will give me.

Next week I aim to complete all of my graphics, mock up PSD’s of the various web pages. I also aim to organise the different elements which are required for each individual page into folders. This includes elements such as page contents, logos, text and images. Overall, I am happy with the progress I have made within this production and believe I am managing my time well.

Week 23: Production Documents: Proposal and Website Sketches

This week I aimed to carry on with the production documents such as proposal, sketches, mood boards and wireframes.

Throughout carrying out these tasks this week I have decided on my final theme for my website. The theme I have chosen is based on fashion and art deco. The fashion element reflects part of my personality, as fashion is a strong interest of mine. In terms of the art deco element, I thought this is a creative design element which I could incorporate into my website. This theme has been represented within the mood boards I have started to create. I have also created a logo for my website, this can be seen below.

Portfolio Website Logo

When carrying out the rest of the planned tasks such as the proposal, sketches and wireframes I felt confident because I had a clear vision of how I plan to design the website. This also includes the animations planned for my website. All of these tasks were related to each other; therefore I found it easy to complete these tasks as I knew exactly what I wanted to create. The proposal was the main task to complete this week. It involved me researching into the different aspects related to website design. The main factors were: budget, legal & ethical, colour palette, typography and similar/ existing products. I felt confident when researching these elements because I have carried out proposal research in previous projects. I also continued with the sketches and wireframes for my website this week. I followed some guidance documents on Chichester Online to complete these; they show the layout of my website pages individually. This week I was also given some feedback on the work I have submitted. This was on the 2D animation assignment and also my website investigation. I filled out a form with my improvements and I will be responding to these after I have completed this current, website portfolio project.

This week I have completed all of the intended tasks. I have completed my proposal with the research and my sketches for the website design. Along with these tasks I have also created several mood boards which support my decisions made such as the graphics, typography, theme and colour scheme. I have continued with the wireframes in Photoshop and will complete these with annotations by the end of next week. The strengths which I believe I had this week was that I was confident completing the tasks because they are ones which I have completed in past assignments.
Overall, this week I have completed the tasks set and I believe I am managing my time well as I am using my production schedule to complete this production. I feel that the tasks this week went well and I was confident in completing them, I now have a clear vision of how I want my website to look and the content I will include within it. Next week I aim to complete my annotated wireframes and continue with the design of my graphic images.

Week 22: Pre-Production Documents Continued

Throughout this week I have been continuing with my pre-production documentation. By the end of this week I aimed to have completed the proposal and my sketches/ wireframes and sitemaps. These documents will include all of my research and planning for my website and its design. The proposal will highlight the idea for my portfolio website and the sketches and wireframes represent the graphics and layout of my website design.
By carrying out this task this week I am confident with the knowledge gained within my focused research (analysis of 3 websites) I have been able to create the proposal. This proposal included the research I have carried out such as legal and ethical considerations, budget and colour palette and font. I carried out the additional research in order for to write a proposal based upon the production of a website. I felt confident when carrying out this research as I understood the research required and how I will apply this to the production of designing my own website portfolio. In terms of the wireframes, sitemaps and sketches for my website, I have used guidance documents to help me complete these. I have been able to use a document showing me how to create sitemaps and wireframes. These are essential planning documents for website design. They show all of the layout and content included within each webpage on the website. The sitemap also shows how the pages are linked together, helping me create the website when I link the pages within Dreamweaver. I have also created a research dossier showing the my understanding of the research which I have gained throughout the researching elements for my proposal. This clearly shows how I have used the research and knowledge gained for my website design.
On reflection, this week I have completed the aims set. I have completed my proposal and the sketches, sitemaps and wireframes for my portfolio website. I feel confident that the work I have completed reflects my idea for the website and includes all the required elements for the client to understand my idea for my portfolio website. The skills learnt this week are also skills which I can use within future productions. I will be required to create proposals and sketches etc for future projects. Therefore I will be able to use the research, writing and sketching skills from this project within my future projects.

Week 21: Analysing Three Existing Design Websites

The aim for this week was to continue with my production schedule and my first task was to complete my focused research. This relates to the analysis of three existing design and creative led websites. These will allow me to understand what elements are included within these websites which could influence features within my own website.

Carrying out this task this week included taking notes about various factors within the website. These included: navigation, content, graphics, dynamics & interaction, typography and appropriateness for the audience. I analysed websites which could influence my own website design. I analysed Level 2 Design, Vivid Brighton and Mr Brainwash websites. All of these included different contents in relation to the factors I am analysing. By carrying out this task I felt confident about the elements I am analysing and how I could use these within my own website. Within my report I have written about the different factors for these websites
and the different techniques which I would include within my website.

This week I have completed the analyses, researching and writing the report for my focused research. I now have an understanding of the different elements which are included within these graphic design websites and how I can incorporate these into my own website. I did initially aim to finish this analysis by the beginning of the week, although I underestimated the time in which it would take me to take notes from these websites. Therefore I have now finished this analysis and I am able to start my ideas for my website in terms of the layout such as sitemaps, wireframes and sketches.

Week 20: Website Design Pre-Production Started

This week I have started the pre-production documents for my website production. I have now completed the workshop stage of this production and am now starting to plan my own website production. Throughout this weeks lesson I aimed to create my production schedule, understand the brief in full and begin analysing existing graphic websites.
Throughout the lesson I was introduced to the brief and the grading criteria for this website production assignment. My lecturer read the brief and I took notes on the important elements such as the deadlines. Once I understood the brief and what is required of me for this assignment, I was able to plan out my production schedule. I wrote this using the documents that are to be submitted by the end of this project. Some of the documents included, research, analysing websites, proposal and evaluation. My production schedule is a similar layout to the previous production schedules I have created. I am confident that I have created a schedule which I can work with and I have set myself realistic time frames. Within this session I also started the first task on my production schedule. This was to analyse existing graphic design websites. Through this analysis I am highlighting different design elements within the website. These include: navigation, typography, Interactivity & Dynamics, Graphics, Content and Appropriate for Target Audience. These are all factors which are design aspects which I need to consider for my own website. I will be analysing these elements on 3 existing websites and stating how I will use elements within my website. I have started to analyse these websites within this weeks lesson.
Reflecting on this weeks session I believe I have completed the intended tasks. I am clear about the assignment brief and I understand what I need to submit by when. I am confident with the production schedule I have created and I understand the deadlines I have given myself for the final pre-production document deadline on 20th February 2012. I will continue with the task of analysing websites as my task for this week.

Week 19: Dreamweaver Workshop

Throughout this week I have been at Chichester Observer on work experience. Therefore I was not in the Dreamweaver workshop this week. I have watched some tutorials online for the different aspects which were covered in class whilst I wasn't there. Therefore the aim for me this week was to watch tutorials to update my skills audit on Rollover Buttons, Behaviours, Tables, AP Div Tags and Spry Objects.

Whilst carrying out this task this week I didn't feel as confident as I am usually am participating within the workshop as I was relying on tutorials on YouTube to gain knowledge and skills. Although, because I knew what I needed to learn this week I was able to find simple tutorials so I can learn the new skills and update my skills audit. I found tutorials on each of the different elements listed above. These tutorials for Behaviours, Tables, AP Div Tags, Spry Objects and Rollover Buttons have really helped and were easy to understand. I now know the usage and purpose of the different elements within Dreamweaver.
 By watching the tutorials I was able to take notes as the tutorial played and I was able to pause this to ensure I have understood what was being explained. I have now started to update my skills audit with the new skills and knowledge I have gained through watching these tutorials. A problem which has arisen is the fact that I am unable to gain screenshots for my skills audit as I have not carried out the task within Dreamweaver. Therefore next week I will ensure that I can gain screenshots for the tutorials I have watched this week to add to my skills audit.

On reflection, I have completed the task which I set out to achieve this week. I have also gained new knowledge and skills whilst working independently. I will complete updating my skills audit with the skills I have learnt and how I will use these within my own website.
I believe this activity went well this week and is one which I could repeat in the future, if I am unsure of any skills learnt within Dreamweaver I could watch tutorials to ensure I understand clearly.

Week 18: Dreamweaver Workshop: Image Viewers and Image Slicing

Through today's session the aim was to gain knowledge and skills within Dreamweaver and Photoshop by using Image Viewers and Slicing tools. The aim was to participate within a workshop to be shown the use of image viewers and image slicing tools. I would also learn how Photoshop and Dreamweaver work together to create the webpage with the slicing tools. This will then allow me to update my skills profile with the new skills I have learnt related to these tools and elements.
Our lecturer carried out the workshop and I was able to guided through the processes on the screen. Using the same webpage created in last weeks workshop, I re-defined the webpage to use within this weeks session. To begin with I learnt how to use the image viewer tool. This allowed me to import images in the form of a flash element, I imported images and they played as a slideshow within the browser. I could then edit the image viewer settings within the 'Flash Element' panel for the display of the webpage. In terms of image slicing, I learnt how Photoshop and Dreamweaver work together to create webpages. I created a basic webpage with buttons in Photoshop and then added grids and used the slicing tool to separate the button elements. I then learnt how to correctly 'save for web and devices' settings. This could then be added into Dreamweaver via my 'images' folder within the 'Root' folder. I felt confident whilst carrying out this workshop and I understood the news skills I was gaining.
I believe I have achieved the tasks which was set at the beginning of today's session. This was to participate in a workshop gaining more skills and knowledge within Dreamweaver. I have learnt new skills which will help me when creating my own website and I can document these skills within my skills audit.
I believe this activity went well today and I am confident with the new skills I have learnt. Being a workshop based session, I was being shown step by step the different tools and I believe I was able to keep up well with the lecturer. Therefore I was able to clearly understand what the element does and how it is used. I was also able to take screenshots of the relevant elements to include within my skills audit. I could repeat this activity again, in terms of the workshop by being shown and following the instructions on screen. This method does help me in understanding the different software programmes which will help me to create my own website. I will probably be repeating the workshop session again for different elements which are used within Dreamweaver. I could also extend on the knowledge and skills learnt today by watching online tutorials to gain advanced knowledge, for example on Image Viewers and Image Slicing.
Overall, I understand the new skills I have learnt and developed today and I will be updating my skills audit with these skills.

Week 18: Skills Audit Continued

Through today's lesson I aimed to continue to update my skills audit. The main skills which I will be discussing within the skills audit today was the CSS and Dreamweaver workshop from last Thursday. I have started to write the skills learnt from this workshop and by the end of the session I aimed to complete writing the various skills which I have learnt.
Through carrying out this task today I have been able to reflect on the skills I have learnt in order to write these into my skills audit. Through the process of writing this skills audit I have been reviewing the skills used, how I will use it within my production of my website and image to demonstrate visually the use of the tool. Through writing this skills audit I have been able to ensure I understand exactly the different skills learnt throughout the previous workshop. I can also ensure I am writing the skills audit in the terms that I can understand when I refer back to it when creating my own website. I kept this in mind throughout writing the audit, I have made it clear to myself and also anyone else who needs to use it for guidance. Also, by using images I can visually show screenshots of the relevant elements which helps explain the use of the tool.
By the end of this session I had completed updating my skills audit for the CSS and introduction to Dreamweaver. I was clear about what I had achieved and what I had written. I am happy that I have created a clear table with the tool used, skill learnt & how I will use this skill and an image to demonstrate what I am describing. I am happy that I have shown the new skills I have learnt by describing them within this skills audit.
A strength which I believe I had through updating my skills audit is that I have been able to show and explain the new skills I have learnt within the Dreamweaver workshop. I have learnt many new skills and by documenting it within the skills audit I can visually and simply explain the skill learnt and how I will apply this within my own website. I am confident with the skills I have learnt and I will be able to refer back to this document when creating my website.
Reflecting on today's session I believe I have completed the task set and I understand the purpose of this task. I feel this task went well and I believe I can repeat this task within the future. I will need to repeat this task as the skills audit is a continuous document throughout the production of my website. This is because I am learning new skills within different programmes such as Dreamweaver and I need to continue to document new skills. Therefore I believe I can extend on this task, by continuing and improving the skills audit as I complete it.

Week 17: Dreamweaver and CSS Workshop

Throughout today's session I have been continuing with the web authoring workshops. Today we focused on introduction to Dreamweaver and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). The aim of today's workshop was to understand the elements within Dreamweaver and how CSS works. The main aim was to use the new skills learnt within Dreamweaver by creating 3 linked pages including images, background colours and text.
When carrying out this task today I felt confident in the new skills and knowledge I have gained. I understood the different stages of creating the webpages within Dreamweaver. I took notes throughout this task to help me understand the different tools within Dreamweaver and I can also write my Skills Audit with these notes. Throughout this session I was guided through the different parts of the workshop based on CSS. I learnt many new skills and have gained knowledge in terms of Dreamweaver and the creation of webpages, some of these skills and knowledge include:

• Organising Folders- I have learnt the importance of organising the 'Root' folder. I have created 3 folders within this, these include HTML (webpages), Images (images ready to upload to webpage) and RAW (Any word document files). It is important that these files are organised so the webpage file is able to locate the files for the certain webpage being edited. If the saved webpage HTML file cannot locate a file the webpage could potentially be broken.
• Properties Panel- I have learnt the functions of the properties panel which is located at the bottom of the Dreamweaver. This includes the page's font size, font colour, font style, background colour and headings text colour and size. This is located within every page which is created within Dreamweaver.  
• Creating 'New Site'- In the tool bar along the top of the screen is a button for site- new site. I learnt how to create the new site with the correct settings. This involved Dreamweaver going through a defining process to create the initial site page. This involved me selecting certain settings. I can also create a new file (new page) to appear in the same file (Dreamweaver page) so I can edit the different pages at the same time without having to re-open the files.
• Linking pages together- Another skill I learnt was linking the different pages together, so when I previewed these within the web browser I can click on a button (text) to link t one of the webpages. For example, I linked the index page to page 2 and back again to the index page. I did this using the properties panel and using the pick whip tool and select the 'Link' box and drag the tool to the page 2. I added the link to a piece of text within the page and this automatically links the pages together. Another piece of knowledge I gained was the use of the'_self selection' within the properties panel. This relates to the links I have made. This keeps my different pages within one browser window when a link to another page is selected.
• Flash Text- I also learnt about Flash Text, this is a swf file and I used this to create a text link button. I firstly created the text which I wanted to appear on the webpage. I selected the font, colour and size. I created the link button 'Back' within my webpage 2. I added this swf file to page 2 to link back to the index page, I selected this index page from the drop down link menu in the properties panel.

From the above knowledge and skills I have learnt I feel confident about using CSS and Dreamweaver when creating my own website. I feel confident because I am able to explain the different tools used within Dreamweaver for CSS. Reflecting on this task I believe I have completed the task of creating 3 different webpages interlinked using Dreamweaver and CSS tools. I have gained more knowledge and skills which I can improve and develop when creating my own webpages. A strength I believe I had when completing this task is the method of taking notes of the different tools and how they work in terms of Dreamweaver and CSS. This will therefore help me when I write my skills audit for this session and subject area of CSS.
I will continue to reflect on the skills and knowledge I have gained by writing my skills audit for this session. I will include the various elements which I learnt about, their purpose and the appearance of this within the web browser.

Week 17: Skills Audit for Basic HTML Completed

This week I aimed to complete the first part of my web authoring skills audit, the basic HTML which I learnt in last weeks workshop. This skills audit will help me when I create my own webpages because it allows me to understand the process of completing different actions and creating the webpage in notepad. I aimed to complete writing this skills audit this week so I can continue with it in tomorrows session (Thursday) and add the new skills which I learnt.

I created a skills audit table, similar to the table I used for my animation project. This included columns such as Code/ Description, Usage and Appearance in web browser. I understood what is required of the skills audit and within the code/ description I will place information regarding the code which is used to change something within the webpage. In the usage column I explained what the code does and how it appears in Notepad before the page is opened within the internet browser. The last column showed the appearance of the webpage once saved and opened within Internet Explorer. This layout will help me in the future when I create my own webpages, as I understand what the code is, what is does and how it changes the webpage. I was confident when completing this document because I carried out the task (creating the HTML page) within the skills audit. Therefore by carrying out this practically I am able to explain how it works.

By the end of this week I have completed writing the first part of the skills audit. I feel that I understand what I have written within this document and why I have written this. I am confident about continuing with this document with the new skills I learn throughout the future workshops and I am able to continue to include screenshots of the programmes and the certain code I am explaining.

This is a skills which I can repeat within this project and also future projects. I will be continuing to explain the different codes used within web authoring to apply in my own work. The skills audit is a document which will help me and I could also create these for other projects to show my skills within certain software programs.

Tomorrow I will be expanding my skills by using Dreamweaver to use different codes for webpages. I will then be able to continue filling in my skills audit with the new skills I have learnt throughout the workshop.  

Week 16: Web Authoring Workshop

In today's lesson I was introduced to the practical of creating a HTML webpage using codes and tags. The aim of today's session was to create a basic webpage using Notepad with the correct tags and codes for the different elements within the webpage. I also aimed to document the skills learnt to show the development of my own skills related to creating webpages. Another aim was to gain practical skills to apply within my own future web design work.

Through carrying out this task today I have learnt many new skills related to the creation of HTML webpages. HTML was the focus of this workshop, creating a webpage using the correct tags and codes for the different elements on the webpage. This definitely helped me in understanding how to carry out the task. I did carry out this task successfully. I had never been introduced to the creation of HTML webpages before and I now feel confident with the knowledge I have gained today from this workshop. The types of skills which I learnt include creating a simple HTML webpage using Notepad including text, hyperlinks, video, title, background colour and centralising the elements on the page. I created these using the correct tags and codes. One main point which I learnt was to always remember to close a tag once it has been opened in order for the page to display content correctly. I therefore also understand the importance of using the correct tags and codes and especially closing the different tags within the webpage.

I feel confident of the task I have completed today. I am happy and confident with the new skills I have learnt and understand how these skills will help me when creating my own website. I did complete the intended task for today and I created a simple webpage, a screenshot of this is shown below.

The webpage which I have created from today's lesson

The codes for the above webpage. This is how the webpage appears within Notepad
and once this is completed correctly using the tags, the webpage appears, it controls
the layout and content within the webpage (above).

This shows the title, background colour, video, hyperlinks to other websites and text. This task has also ensure me that the knowledge I gained from writing my investigation is correct. I will also be completing a Skills Audit style document showing the different skills I have used to create the webpage, this will be continuous throughout this assignment. I am able to experiment with Notepad and create other webpages and use other tags to expand my knowledge and skills within my own time. Therefore this task is a skill I can expand and continue with over the coming week. Overall, I am happy with the new skills I have learnt and feel confident about learning about Dreamweaver next week.

Week 16: Web Authoring Investigation Complete

This week I aimed to complete my web authoring investigation. I aimed to complete the writing of the investigation; I was completing this document with the help of the research I gathered in the research stage of this task. This week I aimed to write the remaining four web authoring terms into my investigation showing my knowledge and understanding of these. The Deadline for this investigation is tomorrow (5th January) therefore this week I needed to complete writing up my investigation to ensure I meet the deadline.

I believe that this week I have completed this task successfully as I have completed my investigation and I have finished writing about the remaining four terms. The reason why I decided to plan which terms I would write up each week was to ensure I was writing the document to the best of my ability and understanding and gaining knowledge about the different web authoring terms. I feel as though I have gained knowledge to apply in my own work through researching and writing this investigation. I have also used resources such as books and the internet for my research, as I believe research from books is more reliable that information from websites.

Reflecting on this week and the whole investigation I believe I have learnt and gained a lot of new knowledge about web authoring and the terms involved and their purposes within web design. This will therefore help me when I come to create my own web production. I have also completed this task within the deadline time and I have researched and written the investigation to the best of my ability.

Overall, throughout completing this task I have definitely gained knowledge for the future web production and I now understand the purposes of elements and tags. I can now put this knowledge into action and use when carrying out my own web production.

Week 15: Web Authoring Investigation Continued

This week I aimed to complete writing my investigation into web authoring. Last week I had finished the research stage and I started to write the first 3 terms within the investigation. The terms which I wrote about were HTML, XHTML and CSS. I completed writing about these terms and the aim for this week was to continue with writing the investigation by writing about the next five terms from the knowledge and research I had gained. The terms which I will write about include: Metatags, Javascript, DHTML, FTP and Framesets.

Throughout this week I believe I have been carrying out this task well. I have been focused on the five terms which I will be discussing and writing about within my investigation. Therefore by having five set terms to write about I have been focused on these and been able to write the investigation. I have used a similar technique to last week, setting myself time limits, although this is in terms of setting myself the amount of terms to write about.

From this week I wanted to complete writing up five of the web authoring terms listed above. I have completed this aim for this week and I have also gained more knowledge about web authoring. The reason for this is because by researching I have learnt about the terms but from writing my own investigation with the help of the research has increased my knowledge and understanding of the subject.

A strength which I had this week was that similar to last week I have been able to give myself time scales in order to continue to complete the aim for this week. In reflection of this week I believe I have completed the aim to the best of my ability and I will continue to complete and finish the final four web authoring terms in my investigation next week.

Week 14: Web Authoring Investigation Research Completed

Over the Christmas holidays I have been continuing with my investigation for web authoring. This week I have focused on completing my research into the different web authoring terms and also to start writing up my investigation.  From last week’s post I stated that I aimed to complete research into the remaining 7 terms, although I only completed 4 of these terms. Therefore this week I completed the research into these 3 remaining terms. I did not want to rush the research stage as it is important that I understand what I am researching in order to write the investigation. This week I have completed all of the research in self-study time.

I believe that I have completed this research into the web authoring terms in a sense that I understand what I have research and I am confident that I will be able to write an investigation relating to this subject. Through this week I have researched into the different terms and I have learnt a lot about web authoring which will help me within the rest of this project. I have also adapted my skills in terms of researching into a given subject. I believe that this week I have completed the task but also the process of researching into the terms has improved. I feel more confident in terms of researching a given subject easily to help with my written work. From this week I also aimed to start to write up my web authoring investigation. I aimed to write about three of the web terms using my research to help me.
Reflecting on my aims for this week, I have achieved the tasks which I set to complete. I have finished my research into the remaining web authoring terms and I have also started to write up the document. A strength which I had this week was the planning of how I would set to complete these tasks. For example, I planned the time in which I would spend on the rest of my research. By giving my self a time scale I was able to easily plan how much time I had to complete the other aim. Time planning was a strength this week as I did keep to my time deadlines in order to start writing the document.

Overall, this week I have complete my research and started to write the investigation. I believe I am still on track to meeting the deadline. I feel that I would be able to repeat the process of researching again as I have adapted an easy research method in order for me to carry out the research easily. I can now continue to complete my written investigation on web authoring.

Week 13: Web Authoring Investigation

I have been continuing with my web authoring investigation. I started this investigation last week and I had started my research. Through this mornings session I aimed to complete research into six out of the 13 terms which I need to include within my investigation. This will then allow me to start to write my investigation on the information I have found out from the secondary research. Whilst carrying out this research I have gained knowledge and understanding of the different terms related to web authoring. I found a good website which gave me information on the six terms I was researching into. The terms which I was focusing on within this session were:

• HTML
• XHTML
• CSS
• Metatags
• Javascript
• DHTML

I have completed the research into these terms and I have started to write up my investigation with a definition, how it works and how I will use it within my own work. I started this investigation last week and I was slightly unsure about these different terms and how they are used within web authoring. Although, through researching into just 6 of the the 13 terms it has allowed me to research thoroughly and understand how they work. In the next session I can then research into the next 7 and repeat this process.
By the end of the session I have achieved what I intended at the beginning of the session. I have researched into the six intended terms and I have started to write these up into my investigation. A strength which I have from this session is the organisation of what terms I need to research into by breaking them up into two groups. I can then understand what I need to research into and this allows me to research into these thoroughly ensuring I understand their uses. This reflects the fact that I have overcome a weakness which I had last week. This was that I was unsure about the uses of the web authoring terms. I did not understand how they worked as I did not manage what terms I would research into and I was unclear about how the terms linked to each other. Therefore I now understand the terms uses as I have managed what I will be researching into. A strength which I have therefore had within this session is researching correctly and taking notes to help write up my investigation.
I did complete the activity I intended to do within this session and I believe it went well. This is because I have gained knowledge from the research I have gathered in relation to web authoring. This will therefore help me in writing the investigation as I have a clear understanding of what am writing within my investigation. The research skill which I have used within this session is a transferable skill. I will use this within other work as it is a good method of researching into a given subject/ term to help with related work.

Within the second session today I intended to complete research into the other 7 terms in relation to my web authoring investigation. Last session I completed research into 6 of the terms for me to understand what I am writing within my investigation. Throughout this session I continued with my research, again I have gained more knowledge and understanding of the different web authoring terms. I have found reliable sources for my research such as books (ebrary) and websites. The terms which I aimed to research into in this session include:

• FTP
• Divisional Layers
• Framesets
• Behaviours
• Attributes
• Event Handlers
• Sub- Divisional Layers

By the end of this session I had researched into 4 out of the 7 remaining terms. I did aim to research and understand all of these 7 terms, but a reason why I may not have been able to do this was because I was writing up my investigation after researching into two of the terms. I would have liked to have completed all of my research for the above terms today. Although I believe I will be able to complete this in self study time. I have a clear understanding of the research I have undertaken today and this has helped me in understanding web authoring in general.

A strength which I believe I have had throughout this session is that I was focuses on researching into the given terms. I have taken notes about for my research as this allows me to understand the information clearer. A weakness which I have had is that in researching some of the terms I did not understand the Attributes very well. Therefore I will research this in more depth so I have a clearer understanding of what the attributes are.

Overall, today I have gained knowledge for my investigation. Although, I did not complete the task in full as I aimed to complete my research and notes into all of the 13 web authoring terms. I believe that I will be able to complete this research in my own time and start to write up my investigation from my research. I feel that I this activity went well today as I researched into 10 of the 13 terms and I most importantly I have a clear understanding and knowledge of these terms.

Week 12: 2D Animation Assignment Complete- Evaluation & Sample Viewing

I have now completed my 2D Animation assignment. I have submitted all of my pre-production, production and post-production documents to turnitin. Over the weekend and today I completed both my Evaluation and Sample Viewing. Through my evaluation I have reflected on the entire project. I believe I have been critical within my evaluation as to how I feel the project went and how I could improve my animation. Within my evaluation I also discussed my sample viewing and feedback I gained from the target audience of 14-16 year olds. The response which I got from the sample viewing was positive. I initially handed out 10 questionnaires but I only got 9 of these back. I stated this in my evaluation and said how I would ensure this didn't happen if I repeated the project. I asked 5 14-16 year olds and this was the majority of response and feedback. I asked the participants to express their opinions on my final animation and whether they believe it will appeal to the target audience and themselves. The response was positive in relation to the layout and how the information was presented in my animation. They also gave me improvements for the animation to appeal to the audience more. The main improvement was to add colour to the animation to make it eye catching. This is an element which I would include if I could improve my animation. I have stated the feedback from the sample viewing in my evaluation. I have also stated how I would respond to this feedback if I could repeat the project.
Overall, throughout this assignment I have learnt many new skills in terms of using Adobe Flash and I have gained knowledge in terms of Animation History. I believe I have created an animation which appeals to the target audience and I have been reflective within my evaluation as to how I think I performed within the creating my 2D animation. I have also shown how I can respond to feedback on my written and practical work. In terms of responding to feedback initially in terms of pre-production work, one of my improvements was to be more reflective in my blog. I believe I have taken this improvement on board and I have been more reflective and critical. I will continue to do this on my blogs for future projects.

Week 11: 2D Animation Completed

I have now completed my 2D animation. I am happy with the final outcome of my animation and I believe this fitted the brief which I was responding to. This was to create a 2D animation for the target audience of 14-16 year olds. I believe I have created an animation which will appeal to this target audience. From the pre-production stage of creating the idea and storyboarding my final animation idea the target audience have been considered. This is because I have been asked to create an educational 2D animation for this target audience. When I was creating the animation in Flash I had also made changes for the animation to appeal to the target audience. I have documented these changes on my blog and also in my evaluation which I have started. I also made other changes in general as I developed other ideas within the production stage of this project. These have also been stated on my blog and evaluation.
I have also started to write my evaluation, this document will allow me to reflect on the process of creating the animation. I will discuss: skills developed, knowledge gained, problems encountered, technical considerations and what I would do differently if I were to repeat this project. This evaluation allows me to reflect on the production of my 2D Animation and be critical of the production process.
I have started to carry out my sample viewing for my 2D animation. I will be asking 10 people to participate and complete a questionnaire to give me feedback on my animation. I can then explain in my evaluation what I would do differently if I were to repeat this project from the feedback I gain. I have created the questionnaire and I will ask people to view my animation and share their opinion.
I have also completed the improvements which I was given in relation to my pre-production documents. I have completed the improvements in relation to the investigation into animation history and my blog. I have listed these improvements in a previous post last month. I will be submitting my improved documents on Monday (5th December) along with my other production documentation.
My final 2D animation is shown below

I will continue to complete my evaluation and sample viewing for the deadline which is Monday (5th December).