Shark Art

My website idea has been updated!! I am creating a website that I have called "Shark Art". This website will illustrate most of the NSU artists that are apart of the PVA Department. I will include biographies and their artwork online, along with a department to showcase the Gallery and events that are currently happening, or that have happened in the past.

Detailed Website Idea:

Nova Southeastern University: Student Universe:
     The intended audience for my website is for current students at NSU, if you go to NSU then this website is designed and created for you. These students will use this web sight because it is a social network and informative site designed to help make every student aware and involved on campus. NSU has multiple websites from the homepage, to sharklink, to blackboard, to webstar, and to orgsync. Each one of these websites is used for a variety of reasons like finding classes, athletics, jobs, scholarships, and to keep in contact with your social group on campus. My purpose for this website is to create a universe were it all fits into one.
     You logon with your Nova ID number and you are welcomed into the world designed specifically for Nova students. This page will include upcoming events such as athletic games, art galleries, speakers, concerts etc. Students will be able to get information about the clubs on campus and will be able to join certain groups to get more involved. This page will incorporate discussion almost like a blog or chat, and will include different tabs for these specific areas. Photos of current students, events (etc) will be included on this site. Most of the websites designed for NSU aren't easy to use. You have to go to multiple places just to reach a certain area. This website will include it all, a link to go to the official NSU home page and other NSU resources. I want the website to be interactive with the students to post comments and opinions (positive) about the school. A place where freshman can go for help and become virtually active, and for juniors and seniors to go to prepare for graduate school and to reminisce on the year with photos and highlights. This website will include places outside of campus that is a "hotspot" for NSU students, to help find places to study, find or buy certain things, places to go to become involved within the community and experience a life in FL.
     The Website is going to be user friendly and incorporate different tabs for specific areas. Once the student logs  in they will be submersed into the student universe. There will be welcoming colors that reflect the school we attend. This website isn't created to copy what the school has, it is to focus on the social media impact where students can discuss and come together as a class. The deisgn will be simplistic, easy to read and comprehend.Students will encounter a welcoming homepage with current highlights from NSU students, from their they can navigate through the website to a specific area, information about upcoming events, photos, finding volunteer work etc.

Website Idea(s)

For our next project we have to create a website. I have many ideas for a website for example, I have a multitude of photographs I have taken so I was considering making a website to showcase my photography and art work. I'm not 100% set on what kind of website I want to create. Maybe I should take the initiate and fix the crappy school website we have now for NSU. I could make a website for current students and make it easier to use and relate it more to whats happening on campus and all the need to know things for students, or I could make a website selling the app that I created for the earlier project we had. Once again I have an immense amount of ideas flowing through my head and I haven't yet decided which one I would like to take charge and follow through with.

Style for Web Writing

The article "Style for Web Writing" was very redundant for me. It was difficult for me to keep my attention while reading this article. It was dry and explained information that I pretty much knew. Writing is general, and in order to write you need to have certain factors. This article really focuses on what is expected for writing for the web, however it seems to me writing is the same whether your writing for the web or not; although there may be some different factors you have to consider when writing for the web. This article could have been shorter and to describe what seems to me like common-sense.

https://mako.nova.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-2424531-dt-content-rid-23015789_2/courses/201330_WRIT-4000-EV1_32138/Style%20for%20Web%20Writing.pdf

The Principles of Design

I found "The Principles of Design" article to be very fascinating. I used to be an art major and we discussed all of the principles of design and how to incorporate them within a piece of artwork. We learned the definitions, what they looked like, and how to use them properly. I never thought that these same principles could be applied to technology such as a website and Web design. The author of the article gets into detail about what his definition of Web design is and how the principles of design fit into this. I was completly shocked when I first read this article because I didn't see the connection, however after reading it I can now understand why it is important to use the concepts such as balance, proportion and unity within designing and creating a website. After reading this article I can use it as a guide to help incorporate these principles and related concepts into my website that I have to create for class.

https://mako.nova.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-2424530-dt-content-rid-23015782_2/courses/201330_WRIT-4000-EV1_32138/_02_design_principles_page2.pdf

Multimedia Literacy

The article "Multimedia Literacy" written by Richard E. Mayor discusses literacy and how it should be incorporated within multimedia. I liked this article, and I agree with the author when he makes the argument that "the conception of literacy should be expand to include both words and pictures," also known as multimedia formats (359). Everybody is a reader and a learner; we all learn and read in a variety of different ways. I think it is crucial to incorporate literacy in the multimedia format because it can expand out to a different types of people. Some people may love to read words and long articles, while others may like to have pictures to enhance what they are reading or to help understand the topic. I found the article very interesting because he incorporates the ideas of literacy in a many forms and ties it in with the way people learn. In some ways multimedia format (pictures and words) may help people read and understand while it may not be helpful to others.

https://mako.nova.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-2574406-dt-content-rid-24459172_1/users/cl830/richard%20mayer%20multimedia%20literacy.pdf

User Experience Guidelines

Apple's IOS Human Interface User Experience Guidelines gave me the information on how to successfully create and manage an app for any IOS device. It gave me tips on how to make the app user friendly for example, having tappable controls, clean and easy structure, the design should be for touch, and it should be easy to read and understand. The article helped me structure my ideas for my app project by telling me to focus on the primary task, analyze what is needed in each screen, focus on what is important for the users, and how to structure the information and graphics within my app. This article is very useful for my app project because it gave clear instructions and tips with pictures to follow too.

Reading:
http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/ipad/#documentation/UserExperience/Conceptual/MobileHIG/UEBestPractices/UEBestPractices.html

App Design Strategies

The app design strategies article was very informative and important when considering my app that I am creating. The article gave me a list of steps to follow when creating my app definition statement. It gave me tips and ideas on how to target my certain audience and how to be clear and concise  The article was very informative to me. I will keep the article in mind when I create my app definition statement for my project.

Reading:
http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/ipad/#documentation/UserExperience/Conceptual/MobileHIG/AppDesign/AppDesign.html

Texting and Driving Worse Than Drinking and Driving

I am guilty for texting and driving, but I have rules for myself. Whenever the car is in motion I do not pick up my phone, sometimes I will glance down at it where ever it is sitting but I won't pick it up while driving. I guess you could say I text while I'm stopped at red lights, stop signs, or whenever I'm idling. I used to pick up my phone and send a text a lot by driving. I really stopped doing it when my state created a law against texting and driving.

The article discusses texting and driving and how it is unconsciously more acceptable than drinking and driving. While drinking and driving can be very dangerous and deadly, texting and driving impairs your ability to work a vehicle just as badly. People die or get injured all the time while they text and drive, yet they do it anyways. The whole concept of texting while driving impairs your ability to focus on the task at hand, and if anything unexpected were to happen while you are driving. I truly believe more states should adapt a law against this to help stop people from being careless on the road. When you text and drive not only do you put yourself in danger, you put me in danger too.

Reading:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/31545004/Texting_And_Driving_Worse_Than_Drinking_and_Driving

I h8 txt msgs: How Texting is Wrecking Our Language

hey hw r u? :)  2day was 1drfl...i hd a gr8 time @ the prk..there ws 2 many ppl tho lol :P
i will c u 2moro asap.. ttyl luv ya!!! <3

Honestly, if I ever saw someone texting like this, I would never respond back to them. I understand when people use some text message lingo or abbreviations like "lol" but to talk like that? Okay, maybe I'm a little guilty for texting like that, but that was a long time ago.

When I was younger in middle school, I used to text like the first sentence. Whenever I could, if I didn't have to write a full word or sentence I wouldn't. I would text my friends all the time using as little characters as possible. Granted at the time I had a box for a phone that only allowed a certain amount of characters. Now when I text, I am very formal with coworkers or professors, and a little informal with my friends. I will add an "lol" or a few smiley faces, but do I text as bad as the lingo above? Absolutely not. Why? Well, I'm older now, I have a iPhone that has autocorrect and allows a lot of characters, and I know when it is acceptable and when it isn't.

The article "I h8 txt msgs" talks about how language is being ruined by text messaging. But I don't necessarily agree with that. Just because we use emoticons and certain lingo while texting, doesn't mean we will forget and move away from our normal language. Language changes every day. Text message language will become adapted into our society, but will never replace the way we speak and communicate with others.

Reading:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-483511/I-h8-txt-msgs-How-texting-wrecking-language.html

Help! My Smartphone Is Making Me Dumb- or Maybe Not

The articles main topic is multitasking and whether or not it is making us dumb. People all around the world multitask and with new technology that is available at the tip of our fingertips, it makes multitasking a lot easier. I don't necessarily think multitasking makes people dumb, but I would say it makes people very careless. When people do more than one task at a time they have a hard time concentrating on that one specific idea. I find it also depends on what kind of multitasking you are doing. I know when I do homework and watch TV I don't retain any information. When I'm reading articles and watching a movie, I have to re-read sentences to understand what they mean. However, I can listen to music and do homework because I can tone in and out of the music when needed. I would disagree with the article, multitasking doesn't make people dumb, it makes them careless.

Reading:
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/10/multitasking-studies/all/1

Mexico Turns to Twitter

Social media such as Facebook and Twitter are used for social interactions among friends. It gives the ability to talk among each other and share information about oneself. Social media can also be used to share hot topics and need-to-know information from your area or around the world. The article discusses how Twitter can be helpful to warn people about incidents or disasters, and how it could be harmful because people can spread false information creating chaos. I don't see the problem when people post about something important going on. I think social media can be very beneficial to citizens to learn about whats happening in the world. I don't read or watch the news very often, but when there was an earthquake that hit my home town at 12pm a few weeks ago, I knew about it at 12:05pm. I learned about the earthquake faster than I could find it online. I was able to call my family  immediately to find out if they were okay. Although some people may exaggerate the truth or lie about certain events, I think social media is more helpful than harmful. If you don't believe what they are saying you can always back it up by looking online.

Reading:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/25/world/americas/mexico-turns-to-twitter-and-facebook-for-information-and-survival.html?ref=facebookinc&_r=0

About Wikipedia

The reading is a Wikipedia page that talks about itself. It describes the history of Wikipedia, the copyright information, how to use the site, the benefits of the site, and  much more. They discuss the weaknesses and strengths about their site as a source for information. They don't sugarcoat the negative things about their site either.  It's kind of humorous to me that there is a Wikipedia page about Wikipedia  because if you didn't know how to use it then you wouldn't go to that site in the first place.

Reading:
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/facebook_inc/index.html

Colbert Report: Wikiality

Colbert uses his sarcastic comedic tone to describe Wikipedia and how easily one person can change the information on the site, and with enough people to support it, it will become "truth". Colbert continues his rant about Wikipedia and describes how Wikipedia is used for resources and how unreliable the information is. I didn't know you could easily change the information on the site, but maybe now I will test that theory and try changing the information to my personal opinion and ideas.

Video:
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/72347/july-31-2006/the-word---wikiality

A Stand Against Wikipedia

The article discusses how academia believe Wikipedia is not a reliable source for information and how some believe Wikipedia should be banned from colleges as a resource. I would agree to say that I would never cite or use Wikipedia as a source for a college essay, or ever. However, I do use Wikipedia as a starting point sometimes. When I'm beginning a new essay, I start with Wiki to learn basic information. I also use Wikipedia when I am home googling and searching random topics, such as actors biographies, music artists, movies etc. I believe Wikipedia is a good starting point for information and is a good place to learn about extracurricular activity but I would never use it as a main or reliable source for any college assignment.

Reading:
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/01/26/wiki

NY Times: Facebook

This article discusses when and where Facebook was created and the variety of ways it can be used for. I use Facebook to share my life story to the world, a.k.a my friends. I upload photos, make statuses, and write comments. To me Facebook is a way to keep connected and to stalk or creep on your random friends. While Facebook is used for this reason for me, some use it as advertisement, which is one of the many uses for Facebook. These ads are located wherever I look on my homepage. Companies buy ad space which thus helps pay the company. Most of the times these ads are relevant to things I am interested in, or have Googled in the past. Do I like these ads bombarding me as I try to gossip? No, however if it keeps Facebook free for me, by all means keep on advertising!

Reading:
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/facebook_inc/index.html