1. http://www.w3schools.com/PHP/DEfaULT.asP
This will be the first site I will look at well researching PHP, it has very basic and easy to understand tutorials.
2. http://www.tutorialized.com/tutorials/PHP/1
This site tends to have more advanced PHP tutorials; once I have grasped thee basics of PHP I will surely be visiting this site as it will allow me to create and do more interesting things with PHP. For instance this particular site has various PHP tutorials on how to create forms and a mailing list. This can be very valuable when making a website with a form.
3. http://www.hotscripts.com/PHP/Tips_and_Tutorials/index.html
On this site there are both advanced and basic tutorials, ranging from how to start in PHP and the more advanced E-Commerce.
4. http://www.goodphptutorials.com/
This site has very good tutorials, most of them are videos. This is a very good site especially if you can’t understand some of the writing which is in most the tutorials.
5. http://www.killerphp.com/
This is an ok PHP video tutorial site. It has videos for both basic and advanced PHP, meaning you can progress slowly through the videos allowing you to develop PHP at your own pace.
6. http://www.thesitewizard.com/php/index.shtml
A basic tutorial site, this site is perfect for beginners as it shows the first type of scripts you should be creating with PHP and how to do them.
7. http://devzone.zend.com/node/view/id/627
Zend is a great site for beginners learning PHP. It has been strictly made for people who are just starting out in PHP and offers some simple advice to help you write scripts.
8. http://www.programmersbank.com/tutorials/PHP/2/
This site offers a wide range of tutorials. There are limited beginning tutorials but after the other sites this may be one to check for more advanced PHP help.
9. http://www.hudzilla.org/phpbook/index.php
This is a free online E-Book, it is an older version of the book but still offers valuable knowledge to help set up PHP and other basic information that is needed before starting to write PHP.
10. http://www.sitepoint.com/books/phpant1/
The Book “The PHP Anthology” is a great book, the first 207 pages are available free and offer some very useful PHP information which is easy to understand and follow.
Thursday, 8 January 2009
Wednesday, 10 December 2008
Skills Of The Trade
Skills
There are plenty of skills in the industry that I am certain that I need but do not have the skill in it at the moment.
The skills that I’m interesting in learning are Flash or PHP. Although looking at the industry jobs going at the moment PHP seems to be more valuable than Flash. A lot of this is to do with the fact that PHP is more accessible on the web than flash.
Reason
Flash: This is a skill, which I would like to know more about, because I know that it is used on a lot of websites these days and can also be used a lot to produce nice interactions on a site between the display and the user. However with this come some accessibility issues, with users having some problems clicking on slash links etc.
PHP: This skill is used on almost every modern day website. Usually to store information such as member (usernames and passwords) and also can be used to log IPS and other information. This skill seems to be needed in the industry, and usually is classes as standard.
Example Jobs
http://www.creativepool.co.uk/employee/jobdetail.php?ref=PUR/EN1097/JN8545
In the job above skills required are mainly Adobe products and also Flash. So this could be something to aim for, however this seems like more a designer role.
http://www.reed.co.uk/job-details/Nottingham/Lead-PHP-Developer-up-to-k-Nottingham/?JobID=17380389&k=web+design&ns=True&lit=2
This job however is based on Networking. But you need a lot of knowledge in PHP and also a fair amount of PHP experience to even get a look in.
http://www.reed.co.uk/job-details/Windsor/Web-Developer-Photoshop-XHTML-CSS-ASP-PHP/?JobID=17410376&k=web+design&ns=True&lit=2
Another web design job, however this requires both Flash and PHP.
In my opinion both skills are important in the industry but I feel PHP seems to be more the industry standard, this is why I would like to do PHP for my self timed learning plan rather than Flash.
There are plenty of skills in the industry that I am certain that I need but do not have the skill in it at the moment.
The skills that I’m interesting in learning are Flash or PHP. Although looking at the industry jobs going at the moment PHP seems to be more valuable than Flash. A lot of this is to do with the fact that PHP is more accessible on the web than flash.
Reason
Flash: This is a skill, which I would like to know more about, because I know that it is used on a lot of websites these days and can also be used a lot to produce nice interactions on a site between the display and the user. However with this come some accessibility issues, with users having some problems clicking on slash links etc.
PHP: This skill is used on almost every modern day website. Usually to store information such as member (usernames and passwords) and also can be used to log IPS and other information. This skill seems to be needed in the industry, and usually is classes as standard.
Example Jobs
http://www.creativepool.co.uk/employee/jobdetail.php?ref=PUR/EN1097/JN8545
In the job above skills required are mainly Adobe products and also Flash. So this could be something to aim for, however this seems like more a designer role.
http://www.reed.co.uk/job-details/Nottingham/Lead-PHP-Developer-up-to-k-Nottingham/?JobID=17380389&k=web+design&ns=True&lit=2
This job however is based on Networking. But you need a lot of knowledge in PHP and also a fair amount of PHP experience to even get a look in.
http://www.reed.co.uk/job-details/Windsor/Web-Developer-Photoshop-XHTML-CSS-ASP-PHP/?JobID=17410376&k=web+design&ns=True&lit=2
Another web design job, however this requires both Flash and PHP.
In my opinion both skills are important in the industry but I feel PHP seems to be more the industry standard, this is why I would like to do PHP for my self timed learning plan rather than Flash.
Wednesday, 3 December 2008
The Return
Summer assignments
The summer assignments really prepped me for the second year, as well as make me curious about the actual working industry. What was fun about the summer assignment was that it allowed me o research and look at the current market for web design.
Although this was rather worrying at times seeing the locations was several miles away and often in a different city all together.
None the less I looked forward to the second year and the things that I could improve on to get a job in the industry.
CSS
CSS was the first step in the second year although I was dubious and in self-doubt I found this assignment very fun.
I struggled at first the coding. But after I learnt the easy access code through Dreamweaver I was finally making progress.
This part of the second year as taught me so much already and I am looking forward the 2nd half.
Presentation
Also this year I have already done another presentation. I seem to be struggling on these, as I can’t seem to remember all the information. However after a word with Steve one method is to place images of the desired information on the background of the presentation.
I have done this and I’m currently looking forward to testing it out and seeing how much it helps.
Creative!
At the moment I am currently designing for a product, which I know nothing about. I have been struggling a little with actually getting some ideas down, although the ones I have drawn I think are pretty good.
Summery
What I feel confident in
After the beginning of the second year I defiantly feel a lot more confident in my CSS abilities. Although I do feel as if some improvement is needed in general I am very pleased with the work I did over the assignment and in the test.
What I don’t feel comfortable about
I am still a little worried about presentations. I think this will improve with time. Although I think the new technique will help a lot it still needs to be tested.
Skills improved in
Know that I am doing my time sheets in my sketchbook every day, I feel a lot more confident in my time keeping. I always have my sketchbook, which makes it handy for jotting the time started, and the time finished on my work.
CSS as stated above I feel a lot more confident in CSS now especially after the test. The test put me under some pressure but it also showed me what I’m actually capable of.
Presentations are one skill that I’m planning on improving with the new technique. Hopefully it will be a success, through practising it seems to work.
The summer assignments really prepped me for the second year, as well as make me curious about the actual working industry. What was fun about the summer assignment was that it allowed me o research and look at the current market for web design.
Although this was rather worrying at times seeing the locations was several miles away and often in a different city all together.
None the less I looked forward to the second year and the things that I could improve on to get a job in the industry.
CSS
CSS was the first step in the second year although I was dubious and in self-doubt I found this assignment very fun.
I struggled at first the coding. But after I learnt the easy access code through Dreamweaver I was finally making progress.
This part of the second year as taught me so much already and I am looking forward the 2nd half.
Presentation
Also this year I have already done another presentation. I seem to be struggling on these, as I can’t seem to remember all the information. However after a word with Steve one method is to place images of the desired information on the background of the presentation.
I have done this and I’m currently looking forward to testing it out and seeing how much it helps.
Creative!
At the moment I am currently designing for a product, which I know nothing about. I have been struggling a little with actually getting some ideas down, although the ones I have drawn I think are pretty good.
Summery
What I feel confident in
After the beginning of the second year I defiantly feel a lot more confident in my CSS abilities. Although I do feel as if some improvement is needed in general I am very pleased with the work I did over the assignment and in the test.
What I don’t feel comfortable about
I am still a little worried about presentations. I think this will improve with time. Although I think the new technique will help a lot it still needs to be tested.
Skills improved in
Know that I am doing my time sheets in my sketchbook every day, I feel a lot more confident in my time keeping. I always have my sketchbook, which makes it handy for jotting the time started, and the time finished on my work.
CSS as stated above I feel a lot more confident in CSS now especially after the test. The test put me under some pressure but it also showed me what I’m actually capable of.
Presentations are one skill that I’m planning on improving with the new technique. Hopefully it will be a success, through practising it seems to work.
Wednesday, 5 November 2008
Transferable
Time keeping
Advantages
Always used in a working environment to makes sure you get paid for the correct amount of time you have worked.
I have been getting better at this skill over the years however I feel as if I could use some improvements. In the way I do my time sheets, and remembering to always do them.
Phone manner / Social
Advantages
Clients: Having a good phone skill / Social skills allows to persuade clients much more easily to choose you as there designer etc.
Future: Having a good phone manner / Social skills are more likely to get you an interview with a future employer.
I have a fairly good phone manner / Social skills at the moment as my current job involves answering phones and talking to clients.
Presentational Skills
Advantages
Client: Being able to give a presentation in front of a client can make or break a deal for the company you work for.
Employer: Having a good presentational skill will allow you to perform better in interviews not getting stressed as much and also allowing you to answer the questions asked smoothly and calmly.
I really need some more practise, in this skill. Although I am confident enough to give a presentation, when I do attempt it, my voice sounds wooden.
Team management skills
Advantages
Clients: Having a good team skill will allow you to share information throughout the interactive media team more easily; this leaves you with more job positions.
Work: Almost 90% of jobs worldwide require you to have some kind of team skills that will allow you to work with or lead a team of people.
I can work with a team but I am not yet confident enough to actually lead a team. In the future this is one thing I would like to do.
Advantages
Always used in a working environment to makes sure you get paid for the correct amount of time you have worked.
I have been getting better at this skill over the years however I feel as if I could use some improvements. In the way I do my time sheets, and remembering to always do them.
Phone manner / Social
Advantages
Clients: Having a good phone skill / Social skills allows to persuade clients much more easily to choose you as there designer etc.
Future: Having a good phone manner / Social skills are more likely to get you an interview with a future employer.
I have a fairly good phone manner / Social skills at the moment as my current job involves answering phones and talking to clients.
Presentational Skills
Advantages
Client: Being able to give a presentation in front of a client can make or break a deal for the company you work for.
Employer: Having a good presentational skill will allow you to perform better in interviews not getting stressed as much and also allowing you to answer the questions asked smoothly and calmly.
I really need some more practise, in this skill. Although I am confident enough to give a presentation, when I do attempt it, my voice sounds wooden.
Team management skills
Advantages
Clients: Having a good team skill will allow you to share information throughout the interactive media team more easily; this leaves you with more job positions.
Work: Almost 90% of jobs worldwide require you to have some kind of team skills that will allow you to work with or lead a team of people.
I can work with a team but I am not yet confident enough to actually lead a team. In the future this is one thing I would like to do.
Wednesday, 8 October 2008
End Result
At the moment I am in the second year of a HNC Interactive media course. So far on the course I am currently learning CSS and XHTML, through research I have recently found out that it is required for a lot of jobs that these skills are known.
Although I am finding CSS and XHTML very useful I find that I need to improve several more skills before I attempt to enter the industry.
Skills such as:
Team Skills: As I am doing a top up course to HND after this year I feel like it will be some time before I learn the true value of a Interactive Media Team. I have worked in teams before but in a completely different industry.
CSS: I am currently in the process of learning CSS this year however it is somewhat daunting that I am not fully confident enough yet. I am sure that after this year I will have enough confidence to apply for a Jr position Job.
XHTML: Same as above really I feel I need to learn a lot more about XHTML before I feel confident enough to apply for a job in the interactive media industry.
Time keeping skills: I have been using time planning a lot over the past years both for work and for collage. But I still feel I need to improve attention to detail when filling them out and try not to miss anything.
Presentation: This is a skill that I have been learning slowly from the beginning of the course and continue to improve, although I am still a little nervous about presenting my work in front of people.
By the end of the course I should have more skills that will allow me to be confident enough to get a job.
Although I am finding CSS and XHTML very useful I find that I need to improve several more skills before I attempt to enter the industry.
Skills such as:
Team Skills: As I am doing a top up course to HND after this year I feel like it will be some time before I learn the true value of a Interactive Media Team. I have worked in teams before but in a completely different industry.
CSS: I am currently in the process of learning CSS this year however it is somewhat daunting that I am not fully confident enough yet. I am sure that after this year I will have enough confidence to apply for a Jr position Job.
XHTML: Same as above really I feel I need to learn a lot more about XHTML before I feel confident enough to apply for a job in the interactive media industry.
Time keeping skills: I have been using time planning a lot over the past years both for work and for collage. But I still feel I need to improve attention to detail when filling them out and try not to miss anything.
Presentation: This is a skill that I have been learning slowly from the beginning of the course and continue to improve, although I am still a little nervous about presenting my work in front of people.
By the end of the course I should have more skills that will allow me to be confident enough to get a job.
Monday, 6 October 2008
Aspirations
For the second year I hope to have a better understanding of CSS and XHTML, the main reason for this is that they are both required to get a job in the web design industry and my confidence will be boosted if I gain a better understanding of the two languages.
Also I hope to become much better at problem solving so that I am able to spot my own errors in my work. The main goal I have for the second year is to improve my presentational skills as it will help me be more confident in group situations.
In the third year I aspire to improve a lot of my skills such as attention to detail, spelling and grammar. They are all important and will help me succeed later in life.
Also in the third year I would like to find out more about the industry and how it all works ready for when I leave collage. This will mean that I will have to get a part time job in the web industry. But before that I hope to become more confident in client situations, so that when I am actually in a work place, I will feel more comfortable and relaxed about situations involving meetings.
At the end of the course I am hoping to have a job in the web design industry at first a junior position, this will allow me to gain more experience in the web design industry and then I can move on.
After this I hope to one day own my own business in web design / print, even though it will take a lot of effort as I found out through certain assignments at collage I believe it is still possible.
Also I hope to become much better at problem solving so that I am able to spot my own errors in my work. The main goal I have for the second year is to improve my presentational skills as it will help me be more confident in group situations.
In the third year I aspire to improve a lot of my skills such as attention to detail, spelling and grammar. They are all important and will help me succeed later in life.
Also in the third year I would like to find out more about the industry and how it all works ready for when I leave collage. This will mean that I will have to get a part time job in the web industry. But before that I hope to become more confident in client situations, so that when I am actually in a work place, I will feel more comfortable and relaxed about situations involving meetings.
At the end of the course I am hoping to have a job in the web design industry at first a junior position, this will allow me to gain more experience in the web design industry and then I can move on.
After this I hope to one day own my own business in web design / print, even though it will take a lot of effort as I found out through certain assignments at collage I believe it is still possible.
Tuesday, 13 May 2008
End of year Evaluation (May 13)
Past
On my first Blog entry almost a year ago I did not realise how fast things would go. I have felt mixed emotions so far about my work, from being unhappy to being happy.
The first assignment we did based on a fictional website was a whole new learning curve for me, I did not actually realise how hard it would be as I wasn’t really thought the correct way before I found it quiet difficult to adjust.
Back when we first did the assignment I thought my initial designs were very pleasing however looking back now I can see how wrong I was. I struggled to grasp the concept of colour in the beginning, which I think made my work slightly poorer than what it could have been.
As you can see from the picture I used the wrong colour scheme, which made the design look bad. Also I did make a lot of design errors which looking back now makes me laugh at the easy mistakes I made.
I also had trouble with how things was marked here compared to the last college I was at however I am now starting to realise how and why things are marked in a certain way. This has helped me correct a lot of errors, which I was frequently getting at the beginning of the course.
The second stage of the course was building a real plan for a website which I would actually be building. For this I did take a lot more care however I was still making naive mistakes these mistakes did come to bite me later on when actually creating the website.
Although I did make lots of mistakes in the plan this did not discourage me from fixing them when actually coming around to building the web site. I was a little unhappy with my first choice of design so I changed it slightly to make it easier on the eye this also made it more user friendly.
As you can see the ne thing I started to learn was complimentary colours and how they affect websites. I got all the information from a colour lecture presented by Steve; this made me very happy, as that’s what I had been struggling with from the beginning.
The first thing I did was change the website image and the general overlay to make it look more pleasing. After I had done I was very pleased with my work and exited that I was learning more about my self and the things I could do.
As you can see from the image there was a big change in the style of the website. Also what impressed me was the dramatic difference between the look. One of the major factors, which made me change the style, were rereading the “Park” lecture which was in my sketchbook, this very clearly said that the best designers always use repetition. So I decided to give it a go on the website and it worked! The website was looking great and had to be my best achievement at that time.
The most fun I’ve had on the course to-date is when I started “A7 Wailing Whales” This gave me more of a chance to explore my design talents when I had to listen to music and think of a perfect design that would fit as a Digipak cover and also a CD cover.
The reason why I found this assignment to be a little more fun is that I got to explore with more creativity than the previous assignment. It was all trial and error and I soon learned which would be the best possible design for the job.
Although it was very fun and probably the most hands on assignment to date I was worried through pretty much the entire thing. The main problem was not being able to pick a final design I struggled on this for both the Digipak and logo designs. I had a lot of problems mainly because I made too much work for my self and I could not choose one of my own designs, as I liked all of them equally.
A have learned a lot in this past year so much more than I ever thought possible when I joined the coarse. The most valuable information I have learned is all the design issues such as PARC and colour coordination. Because they haven’t just improved my design skill the combines two have improved my entire work enabling me to work at a better more comfortable rate.
The most inspiration moment was when Dave Panel came in to see people in the HND course I got to learn a lot about the industry and how things work once you get a job working for Dave or any other company. I suppose I was a little surprised at how some clients always want something out of this world.
Where I’m going
At the end of the coarse I hope to be going into the industry, however at this moment in time I do not feel confident enough to go out into the industry and get a job. I think the major factor behind this is because I still make some bad decisions when designing. But my overall thought is that I am not yet confident enough to work for a client.
Although I am happy with my progress I am a little sad that the time has flown by so rapidly. I can see a major difference in the way I work since when I first started. One of the main things, which have helped me on the coarse so far, is the sketchbook. The reason being that it allowed me to jot all my ideas and all my mistakes down in the same book this is what has helped me reflect back on the beginning. This has helped me learn from many of mistakes, the best way I have found learning my mistakes was via making a checklist. This however can get confusing if you make simultaneous checklists I got lost several times when checking off my work. I have recently got a lot better at doing work as I seam to be concentrating a bit more I think that may be to do with me finally getting how the course is laid out and how I should be doing things.
At the moment we are getting ready for the second year to be honest I suppose I was a little worried / scared of CSS and how I would cope with a new language. On my previous course I did VB, which I thought, was ok and fairly easy but CSS seams to be a completely new language. Although once I spoke to Steve I was soon at ease after learning that it is actually easier than VB.
I am slightly worried about the second year mainly because of the huge amount of work involved. However I am also really exited, I have done a lot of work recently and I feel ready for the second year.
How I’m going to get there
I think what would be best for me personally would be to get a couple of books to keep me in front over the holidays so when I come back ill be in the frame of mind to work. Also as Steve and John have told me reading will help me with my spelling, so it will work two times as good for that reason.
I also feel as if more tutorials are in order. Some of the work I did at the beginning of the year and even through A7 was only achievable through learning the work from tutorials, which I had found online. Although they can be quiet stressful at times I think I did get a lot of help from online tutorials as they helped me with certain advanced features with the programs we were using.
I did struggle a bit last year though when it came to understanding the criteria, which came with every assignment. I think it may be best if I talk about my understandings of the criteria opening with Steve or on the blog so that if I have got it wrong I can be corrected before I hand in an assignment.
I couldn’t have actually come this far without my sketchbook and thus I would not be able to carry on without it. I think that it is still very important for me to record my work in the sketchbook as it helped me understand a great deal more. The sketchbook was also a recorder for me as when I forget things all I have to do is read certain parts of it back to remember.
To get there fully I also need to know when to ask for help. All this year I have been too shy enough to ask for help on my work. However this has also caused some of my work to slack in details stopping me from getting higher marks. I suppose more than anything it was just stubbornness I believed that I was right, however for the second year I will always ask for help if I need it to make sure that my work is done fully and correctly, I think this will help me reach my full potential.
Goals for next year
Sketchbook, even though a sketchbook is not art of the syllabus next year, I would like to continue using one. However I would also like to get a lot better at using the sketchbook and maybe record my time in the sketchbook also as I think it would help me more than it being a separate sheet.
Time, I know for a fact that I need to improve my time keeping next year. One thing I have been thinking abut is keeping a record of time in a sketchbook as I think I would remember to do everything if I was seeing it everyday like the sketchbook.
Tutorials, I would like to learn one new skill from a tutorial every 2 month starting from the second year. I think learning advanced options in applications can only help me in the future.
More reading, this one is a definite; as I struggle with spelling reading more books would help me greatly. However it is not just about my spelling. I think getting books such as CSS and Illustrator for beginners will help me a lot when trying to complete my work.
Help, I need to learn when to ask for help, instead of waiting until the last minute. This should help me get the first few passes with no problems.
Grades: In the second year I am aiming for 2 passes and 3 merits. This should be very doable but I will have to work my hardest to ensure I stick to this as I want to get the best grades possible.
Word Count 1844
On my first Blog entry almost a year ago I did not realise how fast things would go. I have felt mixed emotions so far about my work, from being unhappy to being happy.
The first assignment we did based on a fictional website was a whole new learning curve for me, I did not actually realise how hard it would be as I wasn’t really thought the correct way before I found it quiet difficult to adjust.
Back when we first did the assignment I thought my initial designs were very pleasing however looking back now I can see how wrong I was. I struggled to grasp the concept of colour in the beginning, which I think made my work slightly poorer than what it could have been.
As you can see from the picture I used the wrong colour scheme, which made the design look bad. Also I did make a lot of design errors which looking back now makes me laugh at the easy mistakes I made.
I also had trouble with how things was marked here compared to the last college I was at however I am now starting to realise how and why things are marked in a certain way. This has helped me correct a lot of errors, which I was frequently getting at the beginning of the course.
The second stage of the course was building a real plan for a website which I would actually be building. For this I did take a lot more care however I was still making naive mistakes these mistakes did come to bite me later on when actually creating the website.
Although I did make lots of mistakes in the plan this did not discourage me from fixing them when actually coming around to building the web site. I was a little unhappy with my first choice of design so I changed it slightly to make it easier on the eye this also made it more user friendly.
As you can see the ne thing I started to learn was complimentary colours and how they affect websites. I got all the information from a colour lecture presented by Steve; this made me very happy, as that’s what I had been struggling with from the beginning.
The first thing I did was change the website image and the general overlay to make it look more pleasing. After I had done I was very pleased with my work and exited that I was learning more about my self and the things I could do.
As you can see from the image there was a big change in the style of the website. Also what impressed me was the dramatic difference between the look. One of the major factors, which made me change the style, were rereading the “Park” lecture which was in my sketchbook, this very clearly said that the best designers always use repetition. So I decided to give it a go on the website and it worked! The website was looking great and had to be my best achievement at that time.
The most fun I’ve had on the course to-date is when I started “A7 Wailing Whales” This gave me more of a chance to explore my design talents when I had to listen to music and think of a perfect design that would fit as a Digipak cover and also a CD cover.
The reason why I found this assignment to be a little more fun is that I got to explore with more creativity than the previous assignment. It was all trial and error and I soon learned which would be the best possible design for the job.
Although it was very fun and probably the most hands on assignment to date I was worried through pretty much the entire thing. The main problem was not being able to pick a final design I struggled on this for both the Digipak and logo designs. I had a lot of problems mainly because I made too much work for my self and I could not choose one of my own designs, as I liked all of them equally.
A have learned a lot in this past year so much more than I ever thought possible when I joined the coarse. The most valuable information I have learned is all the design issues such as PARC and colour coordination. Because they haven’t just improved my design skill the combines two have improved my entire work enabling me to work at a better more comfortable rate.
The most inspiration moment was when Dave Panel came in to see people in the HND course I got to learn a lot about the industry and how things work once you get a job working for Dave or any other company. I suppose I was a little surprised at how some clients always want something out of this world.
Where I’m going
At the end of the coarse I hope to be going into the industry, however at this moment in time I do not feel confident enough to go out into the industry and get a job. I think the major factor behind this is because I still make some bad decisions when designing. But my overall thought is that I am not yet confident enough to work for a client.
Although I am happy with my progress I am a little sad that the time has flown by so rapidly. I can see a major difference in the way I work since when I first started. One of the main things, which have helped me on the coarse so far, is the sketchbook. The reason being that it allowed me to jot all my ideas and all my mistakes down in the same book this is what has helped me reflect back on the beginning. This has helped me learn from many of mistakes, the best way I have found learning my mistakes was via making a checklist. This however can get confusing if you make simultaneous checklists I got lost several times when checking off my work. I have recently got a lot better at doing work as I seam to be concentrating a bit more I think that may be to do with me finally getting how the course is laid out and how I should be doing things.
At the moment we are getting ready for the second year to be honest I suppose I was a little worried / scared of CSS and how I would cope with a new language. On my previous course I did VB, which I thought, was ok and fairly easy but CSS seams to be a completely new language. Although once I spoke to Steve I was soon at ease after learning that it is actually easier than VB.
I am slightly worried about the second year mainly because of the huge amount of work involved. However I am also really exited, I have done a lot of work recently and I feel ready for the second year.
How I’m going to get there
I think what would be best for me personally would be to get a couple of books to keep me in front over the holidays so when I come back ill be in the frame of mind to work. Also as Steve and John have told me reading will help me with my spelling, so it will work two times as good for that reason.
I also feel as if more tutorials are in order. Some of the work I did at the beginning of the year and even through A7 was only achievable through learning the work from tutorials, which I had found online. Although they can be quiet stressful at times I think I did get a lot of help from online tutorials as they helped me with certain advanced features with the programs we were using.
I did struggle a bit last year though when it came to understanding the criteria, which came with every assignment. I think it may be best if I talk about my understandings of the criteria opening with Steve or on the blog so that if I have got it wrong I can be corrected before I hand in an assignment.
I couldn’t have actually come this far without my sketchbook and thus I would not be able to carry on without it. I think that it is still very important for me to record my work in the sketchbook as it helped me understand a great deal more. The sketchbook was also a recorder for me as when I forget things all I have to do is read certain parts of it back to remember.
To get there fully I also need to know when to ask for help. All this year I have been too shy enough to ask for help on my work. However this has also caused some of my work to slack in details stopping me from getting higher marks. I suppose more than anything it was just stubbornness I believed that I was right, however for the second year I will always ask for help if I need it to make sure that my work is done fully and correctly, I think this will help me reach my full potential.
Goals for next year
Sketchbook, even though a sketchbook is not art of the syllabus next year, I would like to continue using one. However I would also like to get a lot better at using the sketchbook and maybe record my time in the sketchbook also as I think it would help me more than it being a separate sheet.
Time, I know for a fact that I need to improve my time keeping next year. One thing I have been thinking abut is keeping a record of time in a sketchbook as I think I would remember to do everything if I was seeing it everyday like the sketchbook.
Tutorials, I would like to learn one new skill from a tutorial every 2 month starting from the second year. I think learning advanced options in applications can only help me in the future.
More reading, this one is a definite; as I struggle with spelling reading more books would help me greatly. However it is not just about my spelling. I think getting books such as CSS and Illustrator for beginners will help me a lot when trying to complete my work.
Help, I need to learn when to ask for help, instead of waiting until the last minute. This should help me get the first few passes with no problems.
Grades: In the second year I am aiming for 2 passes and 3 merits. This should be very doable but I will have to work my hardest to ensure I stick to this as I want to get the best grades possible.
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