Short blog today. I am working on getting everything together for the MnCUEW conference tomorrow, so I am going to just write through some of my ideas and quandaries relating to the website design project. Feel free to comment with ideas or suggestions.
As I compiled a list of possible links, documents, pictures, etc. for my website, I began to think about how I wanted to organize the information. I wanted something that represented my persona, but also something navigable and user-friendly. The website’s audience will cater to both students and potential employers, so the layout decision has been difficult. That being said, I considered using a WoW game interface as the main page. If you’re unfamiliar with how the game’s classic interface looks, here is a link (note that I did try to find a pic with arrows and labels for what the items are--for those non-gamers out there--but was unable to find any):
http://images.tentonhammer.com/aoc/images/wowui.jpg
The image is overly busy. Mine would be vastly reduced. The icons present would be links. But with more consideration, I’m not sure the idea is feasible, for a number of reasons. One, I don’t know that any non-WoW players would “get it;” two, I think it may be a bit too unprofessional for hiring committees (even though it would speak volumes about my style/personality); three, I’m not sure the action bar icons are emphasized enough to act as links (which is my entire premise with this idea, but unfortunately the action bar icons are de-emphasized for game play); and four, I’m not even sure my vision could be achieved through the software we’ll be using.
So I am still hunting. While I’d love to have a practical project result at the end of the class to use for both my possible audiences, I’m not sure how I can fit everything together to reach them without a disjointed feeling. Ideally, potential employers would visit the site and get a sense of how I manage my classroom through technology; the trick, though, will be doing so without alienating my students: I want them to feel like the website is their resource and not just a self-promotional tool of mine.
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If you have a graphic you're interested in using as a background, you can make it into an image map with "hot spots" that are clickable. It's not hard although I would have to give you print directions. I don't make image maps very often and don't have the process locked down in my head.
ReplyDeleteRemember, though, that if you use an image from somewhere else, you'll need to credit the image source somewhere on the site. We'll talk about the possible ways of doing this.
Judy, Is there a way to get an image without having to give credit? Would that be only if you use your own creations?
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