Web page: 

            I was a little nervous about this assignment, because going into it I had no web design experience.  To start the web page assignment, I opened one of the sample pages, “Moira’s Portfolio,” in Dreamweaver and started tweaking it.  One thing that was frustrating is I couldn’t really change the template that was already there, so I had a hard time fitting the graphic to fit the specific size of the little table that was there.  I ended up using a graphic I found on clip art and resizing it through Dreamweaver, and I liked the end result.  I also experimented with changing the background color and the text color, and I liked the colors I picked when I viewed them on my monitor, but when I brought up my page in the CIS lab at USF, it looked different.  So it was back to the drawing board, and I chose a less garish color than bright pink.  Creating links was an interesting experience, because it was so easy using Dreamweaver!  I ended up borrowing a book from my public library on Dreamweaver for Dummies, and it showed you exactly how to create both internal and external links.  I even managed to create a working email link!  I was very proud of myself.  The last thing I wanted to mention about my web page experience was changing the Publisher and PowerPoint files to pdfs.  Heather Dodge helped me download cutepdf at one of our meetings, and now I can change any file I want into a pdf, which is great because it makes the files accessible to people who don’t have Publisher on their computer.  I really learned a lot through the experience, mostly patience, and the old adage “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again” certainly holds true for building a web page! Considering that I was starting from no experience, I am very pleased with the final result and with everything I learned how to do.

Presentation:

            For the presentation module, I chose to create an instructional PowerPoint.  This was my favorite project, and I love the end result.  I was somewhat familiar with PowerPoint 2003, but my computer is new, so I have Vista and PowerPoint 2007 which was a totally different interface.  My goal was to learn how to use PowerPoint 2007 and to figure out where all the functions that I knew how to use were hidden.  I also wanted to learn how to insert sound files and how to use custom animations.  I accomplished all my goals, and I am very happy with the end result.  The game was really fun to create, and having tried it out on my 5 year old nephew, I know my kindergartners will love it.  At first I couldn’t figure out how to get the middle letter to float in by itself, but then I realized that what I needed to do was create a small text box with just that letter in it and then custom animate it.  I had some problems with the sound files, and slides 10 and 12 still don’t work, and God only knows why.  I went back through several times and tried to fix it, and when I preview it they worked, but it won’t work when I view the whole show.  The other sound files work, but you have to wait about a second to hear them.  I slated them to start automatically instead of when clicked, but they still take a second to start.  I also figured out how to animate the images by making them “walk” across the slide, or “fly” around the slide. The really cool thing I did was use my audio podcast assignment as a sound file that explained the rules to the game.  I was really excited when the MP3 file I created worked on the slide the way I wanted it to. Overall, I really learned a lot, accomplished all of my starting goals, and I love the end product.

Publications:

            The goal of this assignment was to “understand how to use publications in informal and educational settings,” and I definitely accomplished that goal.  For my project, I chose to create a flyer for a youth program at the public library.  Having used Publisher 2003 but never Publisher 2007, my goal was to become acquainted with Publisher 2007.  I started out using the “Blank Publication” template under quick publications, which allowed me to really manipulate all the elements of the flyer anyway I wanted.  I figured out how to set a background, how to insert clip art, and how to move /resize the text boxes on the page.  Publisher is very user friendly, and not difficult to use, once you figure out where all the buttons are hidden in the menus.  It didn’t give me even a moment’s trouble, and I feel as though I am pretty proficient in Publisher 2007, and I really like the flyer I created.

Communication:

            Blogs have a huge following, which has created the verb “blogging” and the noun “blogger,” so I figured I better get with it and create a blog for this assignment.  Blogs are the new way to communicate, and as a media specialist it is my job to stay abreast of new ways to communicate.  I used wordpress.com to create a free blog, which was a very easy, self-explanatory process.  The idea I had for the blog was to use it for a school’s media center as a way for me to post some book recommendations and for students to comment on them if they read the book, or add their own book recommendations based on what they have been reading.  I created one book recommendation under the category “Mrs. Reites’ Recommendations” and I wrote an explanation of what the blog is for under the “About” page.  I also added a “Final Reflection” category, and included my final reflection assignment within the blog.  Now that I see how easy and fun it is to create your own blog, I am going to be a dedicated blogger!

Other Media:

            The “other” media assignment was to create an audio podcast which I was a little nervous about, but it turned out to be astonishingly easy if you have the right equipment/software.  Audacity was very user friendly and easy to figure out, and I had no trouble at all recording a 30 second sound byte.  I had created a phonics game for my presentation assignment, so I used the 30 seconds to record the instructions to the game.  Then on the file menu there was an option to turn it into an MP3 file, so I did that, and because I used Dreamweaver to create my webpage it was really easy to create a link to the MP3 file under the “other media” designation.  I experimented a little bit with using music as a background to my voice, but I couldn’t find anything that wasn’t distracting.  The purpose for my audio podcast was to give instructions, so I felt that the music just didn’t fit with that purpose.  But it was helpful to learn how to add music to the audio podcast for future reference.

Summary:

Junior is typical teenage boy other than the fact that he has a fairly severe medical condition and he is an Indian living on the Spokane Indian Reservation.  He details his life on the “rez” in a darkly humorous way through his cartoons and his diary.  Life as he knows it changes when he decides to attend Rearden, the middle-upper class white school about 20 miles away.  He handles the changes and the hardship with his usual humor, in his diary of a part-time Indian.

Mrs. Reites Review:

This is a powerfully moving book that will have you laughing and crying in turn.  Junior is hopeful about life and refuses to give in to dejection and despair despite all the odds.  It is his resilience that renders this book so affecting.  Alexie spares no punches in his realistic portrayal of life on the Indian Reservation, and the poverty, despair, and prejudice are displayed in full, but so are more positive aspects of the human race, such as friendship, hope, and love.  This book is highly recommended for young adults.

Hello Imagine School students and faculty!  Welcome to the media center’s blog, where you can check out what your fellow students have been reading, get information about upcoming events in the media center, and get some reading recommendations from Mrs. Reites (your friendly media specialist).  Feel free to comment, or add a post of your own!  Happy reading:)

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!