Writing with New Media

Lindsey Evans Marc Bousquet Writing with New Media 4 December 2009 Final Learning Essay I walked into class that first Tuesday of my Freshman year at Santa Clara University and shuddered as it was brought to light what I would be doing for the next ten weeks—creating websites. I have never been very technologic and I thought I was going to be in for a long first quarter of college. To my pleasant surprise however, here I am today finishing up my last class and it seems as if yesterday was September. I have grown so much and developed technology skills I never thought imaginable in this class. As my family and friends would view it, I have “done the impossible.” From that first hypertext onward, I have only improved and fine-tuned my skills and could not be more proud of my accomplishments and what I view as achievements. That first hypertext was only the beginning of a journey that will at the least continue through the year. My second hypertext commenced with an idea that was more of pet peeve or social irritation. However, as the site developed my ideas developed as well. I learned how to delve into a topic and elicit more mature ideas that had greater meaning to them. While this may have taken me multiple drafts early in the quarter, by the time our third hypertext rolled around I felt more comfortable generating a more thought provoking site that had less of a personal concentration and more of a generally applicable focus that could be applied to larger society. I remember the countless hours spent in the Multimedia Lab when I was working on my first hypertext. I was uncertain as to what I was doing and I could not locate a lab assistant to aid me with what I recognize now as very elementary aspects of Dreamweaver. After two hours of ruthless work I left the lab and headed back to my dorm to show my roommate and fellow Writing with New Media classmate my proud work. However, upon opening my website’s home page nothing appeared. I proceeded to have a minor freak out session and this was my first major challenge in dealing with Dreamweaver and in general Writing with New Media. I learned my lesson the hard way in the necessity of having to properly “put” my hard work online. Finishing my first hypertext was one of my most rewarding moments during my first quarter at Santa Clara University. I called all my friends and family and proudly provided them with the link to view my pride and glory that was my first website. While I believe my hypertexts have improved with experience, I am definitely most proud of the work and effort I put into my first, personal hypertext. With both my second and third hypertexts I feel as if they matured and my experience and level of comfort with Dreamweaver developed. Technically and artistically I possessed better insight into how to present my information in an online format. Searching through previous websites from last year’s class and reading the “how to” websites provided me with insight as to how most effectively and creatively refine my future websites. Layout decisions may affect the way individuals read websites so as the quarter progressed I began to make these choices subconsciously after familiarizing myself with these practices. Personally, when going through the design and development process of my sites, I reflected upon what I would find appealing in a website. While this may not have been the most subjective way of going about designing and creating a successful website, when showing family and friends I generated positive responses. I asked what they would want to see or what they might find alluring in a website. After all, the audience and readers are who determine either positive or negative responses and ultimately the survival of the website. By the time midterms rolled around I could not believe all I had accomplished and learned in a mere five weeks. I had previously considered myself computer illiterate however now my parents and brother were asking me on insight regarding web design. I am no longer ashamed of my computer skills even if they may be limited to Dreamweaver. As Draut discusses in her book, technology is one of the new up and coming fields of education and in order to augment chances of success being located in a major city is key. Simply by enrolling in this class and being privileged enough to be living in the Silicon Valley and close to San Francisco I have increased my opportunities and I am fortunate to be able to receive this type of an education. I believe I have maintained my midterm goals of continuing to work hard and further develop my skills on Dreamweaver. I have delved deeper to discover the true heart and issue of my final two hypertexts. While my first hypertext may be what I am most proud of I can genuinely say I am proud of all of my work in this class due to the personal challenge I undertook in testing my technological skills in the lab. I look forward to undertaking even more challenges in the Spring Quarter and hope to refine my abilities and develop new insight into the world of New Media.