CEDO 599 - Week One

The final course in the MEIT Program has started along with my Capstone Project to wrap things up.  I will design a Web-site which will serve as a means to later publish my professional portfolio and establish Brian Adams as a brand in the market. The overall goal of the proposed project is to gain practical experience designing a Web-site using an industry standard tool: Adobe Dreamweaver.  I have never attempted to create a Web-site from scratch and it will require learning new software, designing, developing and publishing the Web-site.  The content will consist of public-facing content which describes myself, my career and exhibits materials while demonstrating technical and design skills which are a 'given' for Internet professionals. 

But why use an 'old school' tool like Dreamweaver when there are tons of Web 2.0 resources for building free Web-sites?  In fact, the MEIT Program has explored so many of these tools it almost seems like I am going backwards by using a thick-client to publish a site.  Well, Web 2.0 tools are widely available but business and educational organizations are still heavily vested in thick-client authoring tools.  The project will deepen my understanding of the underlying technology as well as practical considerations when consulting with Instructional Designers and IT professionals. Students, employers and even myself will benefit as I acquire the skills which permit me to design, develop and integrate educational experiences into existing environments.

Upon further review, the goal is a bit too ambitious for the thirty hour requirement.  Dreamweaver is a tricky tool and underlying CSS and its rules reminds me of my days as a programmer.  I decided to pare down the project so that it would be made-up of three truly SMART goals.  It will have three components:  CSS Template, home page, and three sub-pages with content. The Web-site for the culminating project will act as a shell upon which I will build-out my site following the conclusion of the MEIT Program.

I will use the site to showcase past, current and future accomplishments in my career.  Potential employers and colleagues can view my site at any time to see my work and interests.  RSS Feeds, links to blogs, and examples of ongoing work will ideally support my vision and mission statements.   Beyond the initial scope of the project, creating a Web-site lays the foundation upon which I may better understand the Web 3.0 technology looming on the horizon.   Needless to say, I am going to be very busy the next few weeks as I  kick it into overdrive to meet the goals of this project.