Technology Blog For EDU580

At the Web site http://office.microsoft.com/training/training.aspx?AssetID=RC061276411033&ofcresset=1 one will find a tutorial on using Microsoft FrontPage 2003®.  The tutorial takes the learner through the steps for designing a website using the program.  The tutorial is divided into six different parts.  The introductions are narrated by a recording.  Within each part the learner can read several pages about the given topic.  At the end of each section there are multiple choice questions so that the learner can check their own understanding.  If the learner answers a question wrong the quiz explains why the response was incorrect and then allows the reader to answer again.  In doing this the reader has their incorrect answer justified and then must continue to seek the correct answer.  This is a better model for learning from mistakes than if the tutorial were to simply give the learner the correct answer. 

                This tutorial would make people better able to use features available to them in designing a website with FrontPage® software.  It gives helpful tips for designing a website that is friendlier to a visitor to the site.  The tutorial also gives enough detail about the infrastructure necessary to have a website to be useful.  There is not too much information to make it confusing to the new website designer.  The function of a website is different for everyone.  This tutorial is vague enough to help in designing all types of websites.  It is becoming easier for any person to make a website and this tutorial would be helpful to new website designers.  The tutorial does take close to an hour to complete.  At the end of the tutorial learners are given the option to print out a note card that has a bulleted list of the aspects of the entire tutorial boiled down for quick reference.

                As websites get easier to design, more individuals will be apt to make them for less than valuable reasons.  Someone looking for information on the internet may find that they encounter many sites that are not useful for their research.  This is a negative aspect of the ease of website design.  I fear that as individuals become comfortable with making websites, the quality of websites will diminish.  If a website is just one of many that an individual intends to make throughout a lifetime there may not be motivation to make it as good as it might otherwise be.

                Not being technology savvy myself, I wondered if I would feel comfortable designing a website of my own after completing this tutorial.  I looked on my computer for the FrontPage® software and was surprised to see that it was not included in the Microsoft suit that was installed there.  Having not yet designed a website I am not sure how beneficial the tutorial was.  I do feel more informed about terms I did not know before; like server, URL, and HTML.  I also feel more informed about what is necessary to publish a website on the internet.  Designing a website is not just about typing information into a template.  In order to have a website available to the world one must have a URL, a server, and must upload their webpage.  This would have to be done every time a change was made to the site, unless the site was designed on a server-based program.  Overall I feel more comfortable with the computer terms that are commonly used and when I come to designing a website I think I am better prepared to make it as useful to viewers as possible.  I would recommend a new website designer to take the time to review this tutorial before they begin working on it.