For the addition to Blog #3 I decided to take the website that I created in the course Intro to Digital Tools and make revisions to it based on the information I read about in this module. Although I am not completely done with it, because I am sure I can gain some insight and feedback to make even better changes to it, I am satisfied with my revisions I made after having read about the principles and rules of design. Below I listed the different aspects of my previous website that I decided to change and why I thought I would make this change.
Background color- I decided to change the color of my website because before with the planks of wood I felt like it was taking away from the website
Text color- I decided to change the color of my text to be a dark blue or black because I found that on my previous website I had various colors and I think it became to much.
Text format/size- I decided to change the heading fonts to Chester Market and all copy text to be written in Arial. I think this provided my website with a more simplified and basic approach.
The widgets- I changed the color and fonts of my calendar, forum, and other widgets so that it would be uniform and go with my whole website design.
Button Alignment- I thought I would change the alignment of the text on the buttons for the science and math pages and have it aligned to the right hand side since this would gravitate towards where the information was located. When editing this I liked the way it looked and thought it was a good fit.
Overall, I am really happy with how my revised website came out and cannot wait to be able to eventually edit it for my own classroom! I hope you enjoy viewing my website!
Previous version: http://paigesenatore6309.wixsite.com/mrswalsh5
Updated version: http://paigesenatore6309.wixsite.com/mrswalsh5-update
Hi Paige,
ReplyDeleteI love the wood background, but when I looked the new page and looked back at the original site, the planks were distracting. Changing it made the new site simple and easier to focus on the information posted on the various pages.
When I look at your math page, you have a nice heading with an image on either side, the buttons are to the left, the video is centered and then you have a nice motivational quote underneath the video. The page demonstrates great movement or flow on the page. On the science page, I love the images in particular the science lab and wall posters to give the presence of a classroom, but this time you have the title much larger and aligned to the right with a picture of student on the right, the video is directly underneath the title with some negative "white space" followed by the buttons and additional science images. I would consider designing the science page with a similar layout as the math page.
Enjoy your weekend,
Shon
Hi Paige,
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate your thoughtful approach in sharing the journey of your website. As teachers, we are expected to have updated websites to communicate with families, colleagues, and the outside world. However, until this point I don't think I have ever had anyone provide guidance on how to do this effectively.
I agree with Lashondreia when she mentioned in her comment that she had liked the wood background, but when looking at the updated version she noticed that it was distracting. I think it is a really important point because sometimes we design things and are so happy with our creative work, that we fail to see ways it can be improved. I too thought your site looked great, but when I looked at the new version I was surprised how much better it looked! Even the feeling of the site with the change of background was more striking and fresh feeling without even delving further into the content.
After reading Lashondreia's comment I clicked back and forth many times between your science and math pages. I have to say that I agree that the layout of the science page seems to have a better flow, and redesigning it with a similar format would provide consistency throughout your site.
From a parent perspective, I have to tell you that I would love for my children to have a teacher with a site that is so thoughtfully designed. Our district websites are not interactive, and I love the addition of the class forum. This gives the feel of your site a sense of connection between you and your students/families as well as the larger world.
I think you are on the right track and look forward to watching your journey continue to unfold!