From Early February 2003 to July 2004, I participated in Pennsylvania State's Web Professional Foundations Certificate Program, via their online World Campus. This gave me an entire year to study web design as well as internet technology. I had planned to make web design my main career, but have decided that web design shall be my paramount hobby. Instead of making it some job where I would tire of it, I decided to keep it as a hobby and a side business. Penn State made matters easier to decide when it dropped the second year of the program, making my participation in the second year impossible. Therefore, I have a certificate in basic web design, and I'm very happy with it.
My experience at Penn State was very excellent, but especially in the area of the teachers. At every turn, I had wonderful teachers who took the time to teach very lucid, clear lessons, answer my questions, and give helpful tips. I loved each and every one of them! They each had their own style, and it was great learning experience.
I have posted a library of my more outstanding project assignments below, with short descriptions and links to the assignments themselves. have a look around at my "homework" and have fun!
(Please note that the email addresses on the assignments are outdated or incorrect. So, these examples are for display only. )
IST 6733 : JavaScript Level 1
IST 6733 Assignment
This was my introductory course to JavaScript, and let me tell you, it was a very cold bath, so to speak! To master JavaScript, you must have a keen head for math, which I don't quite have. However, my teacher for both JavaScript classes was Allan Gyorke, and he was simply too much fun. That's the reason I got through it! He thought that the swimming pool storyline I made up was funny.
IST 6734 : JavaScript Level 2
IST 6734 Assignment
The second of the JavaScript classes. This one was more in depth, as you can tell by looking at the pages. That's because both sections use math handlers for the results, and it was very tricky to set up. The end result even impressed me! I couldn't figure out for the life of me how it was all going to work out, but it did. Ta-da!
IST 6736 : Multimedia and the Web
IST 6736 Assignment
This particular lesson introduced me to various forms of imbedded and integrated media elements. This course was super fun, and the end result actually looks halfway decent. I had to create a website that used five media elements in one continuous train of relevance. Hence, the American Battlefield Preservation Association was born!
IST 6737 : Web Server Administration
IST 6737 Assignment
This course introduced me to the Apache server bundled with Red Hat 6 Linux. It was a bit more challenging than the rest of my courses, and after thinking about it for a while, I would have to say it was the hardest of them all, because I was not in the least bit familiar with Linux when I started. I now have a healthy respect for Linux, and how to basically run a web server, and see to its administration.
IST 6738 : Security Issues and Basics
IST 6738 Assignment
This course was very good. It helped me get a better understanding of security threats, compromises, and good computing policies. I had to write an essay on Trojan horses, and I learned so much by researching and writing that paper! In fact, it could probably help others too! This whole course was really valuable to me.
IST 6741 : Visual and Graphic Design
IST 6741 Assignment
One of my favorite courses. This course was "uber-cool", as was my teacher for that course, Karl Leitzel. The whole course revolves around this imaginary bookstore that you are creating. The goal after each lesson was to take the site's design, and to apply the new elements, principles, and critiques to further improve it. I didn't have any idea there were so many subliminal and hidden pieces to design, or all the elements that have to be just right and well designed. It was an eye opener for me, and I had the greatest time doing it. "Prospero's Books" will undoubtedly be my finest piece of work in this college portfolio. Who could have thought that an imaginary bookstore's site would be so much fun to design?
IST 6772 : Introduction to Applications
IST 6772 Assignment
This course was also very fun, as it introduced me to Dreamweaver and Fireworks, and how to begin learning to use them in web design. I have learned so much from those two programs, and they have saved me so much trouble, that I don't know what I did before them! (I still like hand coding the finer parts of design though.) For this course's assignment, I made yet another pretend website, this one being the American Stock Photo Company. Very pleasant. My teacher was very impressed, and said that this final assignment was one of the most visually stunning final projects that she had ever seen.
IST 6774 : Preparing for Emerging Technologies
IST 6774 Assignment
I had Allan again for this one, and it was fun as well. The course showed how many "new" technologies come onto the market. Some develop, some do not, and some are freaks. The purpose of the course is to teach you how to discern and review new technologies, and decide whether to invest money in it, or even if it will ever turn into a viable alternative. This was awesome fun, because I love to analyze and review stuff, and this was even better! I had so much fun, especially with the E-Appliances review. I've started doing this kind of thing on my own now, and I have found it really, really helps you stop and think.
