My Thoughts During the Course: Web Development I (CIS 241)
Throughout the course of this class I have learned many new concepts, techniques, and skills which I can apply in my future. This is my first formal introduction into Web Development. I am excited to continue learning about web development and look forward to the remaining series of courses.
What I have found difficult when constructing my webpage is visualizing the front-end design in relation to the back-end. While I was initially designing the personal webpage I was able to mentally construct the entire page design. However, constructing the back-end involves finding a way for the code to work in order to match what you visualize on the front-end.
I have found the best way to compose the entire site is to make a schematic blueprint of each page. I had multiple drafts of each design with various layouts. I had to consult various resources to help complete my overall design. Additionally, I made sure to validate my HTML and CSS markup on the W3C Validator Service. This ensured that all my mark-up conforms to their standards.
Also, gathering content for each webpage can be difficult due to copyright laws. I made sure I only used images that I had available and were related to the page site. I wanted to make sure I respected and followed copyright laws when using any media and graphics. There are many open and public source images, audio, and videos available for non-commercial use. Before I used any content from other websites I ensured that I was legally allowed to use the content.
One of the ways I ensured that I used copyrighted content properly was to only use public and open source media and graphics. I searched for websites that offered this service and made sure I read about their policies before I actually used the content. For example the images of the Paintings on the Interests page (The Kiss, No.3/No.13, and The Treachery of Images) are in the public domain. Additionally, I extracted these images from a website that allows distribution of the images for academic purposes.