Working

I finally feel like I am making progress. I've also come a long way in the span of a week. Last week I had issues with the hosting service and was unable to publish my files. Though for some reason, I reentered my password once more and Dreamweaver finally allowed me to connect the server. My splash page is coming along, as I have written more content on the topic. This information is perhaps background or general information about the department. Towards the end of the section, I have two buttons that will navigate to the second-tier pages. These pages will describe why did the reform is necessary and how to implement the reform. My third tier page will likely be accessed from one of these pages. This third tier page will offer the call to action, which will be to put pressure on the TCU Board of Trustees. In essence, I'm providing a letter in which students can download, fill in the blanks and send in regard to the department. The only other page will be the "about me," which will be accessible from the splash page. Further, the main menu on the splash page will make finding the second and third tier pages a bit easier. My next steps are to finalize the splash page (which has the navigation intact), then duplicate it for the other pages, link those pages, fill in the content, and finish up designs for all pages.

Update

I've recently run into a problem with my web hosting. This has largely prevented me from working on the design and structure of my site. I'm not exactly sure why I get an error when copying and pasting my account information into Dreamweaver. Nonetheless, I will attempt to figure it out so I can preview my files on the host server. Other than that, I have more information on the specifics of my reform. As mentioned in my previous post, my area of focus is the TCU film department. I have developed a four-step approach as my solution for improving the department. These steps include: 1) overhauling the curriculum 2) hiring/evaluating professors 3) establishing/expanding programs 4) increasing allocated funds. Within these four areas, I have more specific ideas for the administration to consider and build upon. The next step in building this website is determining which/how many pages to construct and which tier to classify them as. In that sense, I have a good idea of the content of the site, but need to work more on the structure.

Brainstorming

I am currently brainstorming the layout and content of my website. I already know which reform I am going to focus on: the TCU Film-TV-Digital Media department. As you can assume, I am a film student and this department is where I see the most room for improvement. I'm thinking of creating a "State of the Department" page, which essentially describes the current makeup and status of the film department. Though of course, I don't want to simply harp on the various problems and not provide solutions. Therefore, I'm thinking about making two separate pages with what I view as two major improvements: an overhaul of the curriculum and additional funding for the department. This balance is important because both aspects are interrelated, and any deficiency in one area can have an adverse impact on a student's education. I will perhaps go further into detail on my view of the department and suggested improvements in a subsequent post. Though for now, I wanted to express my thoughts on the three main pages of content. In a sense, I want the layout to follow the simple structure we learned in speech class of "problem-solution." This will contain a mixture of written and visual elements to make an effective argument.

Dreamweaver

Up until last class, I was intimidated to learn Dreamweaver. I was very comfortable using Photoshop and doing certain elements of graphic design. However, web design is a different animal that requires a different set of skills. For one, I consider myself more creative than technical, so I had no problem with the first unit project. I felt going into the second unit that I would struggle in learning essentially everything from scratch. HTML and CSS? I had heard the terms before, but it was all too confusing to distinguish, let alone apply to my own webpage. Nonetheless, I think I've gradually become more comfortable with web design/development in the span of a few days.
Last class, I opened Dreamweaver for the first time. I created the root folder, linked the hosting service, and designed a rudimentary HTML page, as shown above. Perhaps the biggest relief was when I recognized that I can work from the canvas and create designs. Originally, I thought I would have to write code––which I consider a foreign language. Foreign as in, if aliens could write, I'm pretty sure "<button type="button" onclick="myFunction()">Try it</button>" is what it would look like.