Reflection

Creating a Web site was a new and exciting experience for me with many valuable lessons learned along the way. After researching a variety of programs to create the Web site, I used an open source program called Nvu. I found the software very user friendly for a beginner. The biggest challenge in creating the site was visualizing what I wanted to see on my pages and learning to use the software quickly enough to make it happen. I was able to learn enough of the HTML code to copy and paste, add, change or delete when necessary in order to achieve the formatting results desired.

Using the Web-hosting server was another new experience with only minor obstacles. Unfortunately Geocities does not offer free FTP access. That meant I would have to upload files one at a time. Even though Geocities allows the upload of multiple files during one session, they all have to be going to the same folder. Since the presentations and calendars were created in Microsoft Office, they were in separate folders. That meant that they had to be uploaded during multiple sessions. The other problem was that I continually see things I want to fix. I quickly discovered that I could not repeatedly fix and upload without exceeding the files transfer limits. I am now learning to complete revisions before uploading files. I also see the value of planning the revisions on paper, then editing the files on the computer.

I am so grateful that I began this process with a flowchart. I was able to use the flowchart throughout the process to stay focused and to make sure that I included all of the necessary elements. I stayed with the original flowchart that I submitted in Week Three, with the only addition being this reflection paper. The exciting thing is that I am already working on additions for the future for the revised edition of the flowchart and training Web site.