Warning: This is an archived course website that is part of my teaching portfolio, so some links may no longer work. Please contact me with any questions about this site.

English 313 Header Image

Week 4: Images, Color, and More Zen Bliss

Week 4 will mark the end of our first assignment and the start of our next big project: the CSS Zen Garden Redesign. In addition, we will learn how color works on the web, how to optimize graphics for the web, and how to use Photoshop to accomplish these tasks.

Before you come to class on Tuesday you should submit your Online Résumé assignment via email. Your email should include your memo of transmittal and the URL for your new homepage on your ISU public webspace. Your homepage should link to your online résumé. Remember, your homepage doesn’t need to be fancy at this point (you’ll add to it as the semester progresses), but it should share some of the styles you’ve created for your résumé page. Please bring a paper copy of your memo to class on Tuesday.

We will spend both class sessions next week working with color and images, with the hope that you can apply what we discuss to your CSS Zen Garden Redesign. There are short reading assignments for both Tuesday and Thursday (check the calendar for links), as well as a mini-assignment for Thursday related to the Zen Garden project. What the calendar doesn’t reflect is the fact that you should be thinking about what type of visual theme or motif you want to use for your CSS Zen Garden Redesign. Please read the assignment sheet before class on Tuesday so we can discuss your questions about the assignment and start moving forward.

I think we had a productive week in terms of reviewing basic (X)HTML and CSS principles, and I’m excited to see how you have applied these principles to your online résumés. Having said that, we’ll be moving from the kiddie pool to the high dive next week, so if you aren’t caught up on our past reading assignments, now is the time to do so. The learning curve for CSS positioning will feel unbearably steep if you don’t have the basics mastered, so buckle down and master the basics.

Finally, two quick reminders: First, I enjoyed reading your blog entries this past week. Try to add at least one new post each week to your blog and start thinking about how you can promote your blog to friends, family, and others who might be interested in your topic. Second, I haven’t received any emails from you with resources for the Links page. Each of you needs to submit five links over the course of the semester, and now would be a great time to start finding and sharing helpful CSS, color, and image tutorials.

Have a great weekend, and if you have any questions about Week 4, feel free to post them in the comments section of this entry.

Comments are closed.