Evaluation of Websites

For this assignment I choose the Austin Westlake High School website and the Barbara Bush Middle School site . The main differences concerning these schools was that one is a middle school site for kids around the ages of 11-14 and the other is a high school for students around the age of 14-19.

The Barbara Bush Middle School's site seemed rather informative at first. There is a video displaying the days morning announcement along with a bulletin board posting all the informative news happening in the near future. The color in this website is mostly red-it would look much more sound if it contained a variety of colors. The greatest part about this website is how accessible it is towards both the students and parents. There are convenient links along the left hand side of the website that give information to students and teachers alike: calendar, athletics, PTA, clubs and electives, academic teams, and the library.

The part of the Barbara Bush Middle School site that seemed to be a little confusing was towards the bottom of the home page with a link leading to immunization shots. The page I went to had all sorts of different paragraphs listing what types of shots were needed. Going down the list I couldn't even keep track of how many there were.

That was the only part I could really locate that was misinforming about the Barbara Bush Middle School website. They even had "The Watchdog", which was their own online news source . This site contained all of the recent school announcements, athletic events, and performances. Overall, I was very impressed with all the gadgets that this website contained. It is only a public middle school, but the website displays so much information that it is like a college website. I would be proud if I were a parent because this website allows me the opportunity to view how my children are doing in school.

On the other hand the Austin Westlake High School displays similar traits in that it has many accessible links involving the student organization. One link in particular that I found that is beneficial for the parents is the Administrative Staff page. It listed particular teachers and what their experience with teaching children had been. For students there was everything that they needed to know: athletics, fine arts, library, staff handbook, student activities and many more. The one site I absolutely despised was the athletics webpage. All the links were in blue and the writing towards the bottom of the page seemed rather small. However the problem with all the links is that they seemed to be bunched up together on the left hand side. There are also links on the bottom of the homepage that are not underlined so it is harder to tell if it is a link.

Overall I think both webpages contained the same general information. There were links on Westlake Highshcool and Barbara Bush Middle School that were constant: athletics, library, announcements, teachers. The main difference was the Barbara Bush Middle School seemed more professional with the website designs. As a result, I seemed to enjoy the Barbara Bush Middle School website more that the Austin Westlake High School site.

NETS Students/NETS Teachers

I was previously unaware that there was a National Educational Technology Standards for both students and teachers. It was very interesting and informative that not only students are supposed to abide by standards set regarding technology. This website has approved guidelines that inform teachers and students how to go about dealing with technology. It lists the things that NETS feels most important for students/teachers should master first and then the agendas that are less important for starters.

NETS states that students should first learn how to incorporate "creativity and innovation" in technological work first and then use these tools to enhance their thinking ability. On the other hand NETS advises that teachers should inspire students with their knowledge of "subject matter" in order to get the most out of students. Teachers are advised to concentrate on sole leadership in the later haul.

In my first semester and a half at trinity, I have seen many aspects regarding the use of technology in the classroom. For example, in biology lectures are taught using a PowerPoint and then the PowerPoint is put on blackboard for the students to print and read over. The lectures are also recorded and put online so if a student misses a class, they are not too far behind in class. There are some (not many) old fashioned teachers at trinity who choose to veer away from the technology. I don't have a problem as I feel I learn just as much with technology as I do without technology.

It is my belief that here at Trinity a student needs to by technological savvy. Trinity does a good job in getting across to students who may have previously not been accustomed to technology. Technology, especially on the computer, has grown so much over the last decade. I feel that no matter what profession I go into, my future will largely depend on how I am able to maneuver around technology. The better off I am accustomed to it, the better off and easier my future will entail.

Fairey vs A.P.

Many people around the world probably have not heard of the name Shepherd Fairey. However, they have probably seen his famed artwork of Barack Obama colored in red, white, and blue, with the letters HOPE written across the bottom. Such an iconic work that Mr. Fairey has created is now in a deep legal situation.

The issue at stake is that Shepherd used a photograph taken for the A.P. by Mannie Green, a freelance photographer. The A.P. claimed that it owned the photo and demanded some of the earnings Mr. Fairey made from the poster.

Fairey decided to take the matter into his own hands by suing the A.P. His argument is that this work is protected by the fair-use copyright law. The fair use law takes into account four basic factors for consideration: the purpose of the work, the nature of the work, the market effect of the work, and the deviation from the original copyrighted work.

I personally believe that Fairey should be protected from any wrong doings. He took a photo, which could be like any other photo of Obama, and transformed it into a stunning, visual art masterpiece. Fairey used Garica's painting as a reference to his drawing, but the purpose of his drawing was to create a different message.

What makes matters more complicated in this case is that Mr. Garcia believes that he is the owner of the painting, and not the A.P. Garica doesn't know how he will take up this matter seeing that it has already been sent to the courts. However, he was very proud that his photo has been the main reason behind Mr. Fairey's patriotic work.

This is a special case involving the fair use agreement and it will be interesting to see how this matter is solved in court.

CLT Center

I have been to the library many of times before. The first floor is the place where I normally spend my time studying various subjects. However, I had never ventured to the AT&T Center for Learning and Technology. I had walked by it numerous times, but never really thought it was open to the public.

I was amazed in the tour all that the CLT had to offer. I never would have imagined all the equipment that was stored in each computer and various rooms. There are plenty of programs that are equipped editing anything involved with video or audio. I also liked the conference room that had a touch screen smart board. The Innovation Studio was my favorite part of the tour. I was surprised to see so many empty computer and such a nice are to study. Many times when I am in the library, all of the computers are take. Now I know that if I every want a comfortable place to study or a computer to use, the Innovation Studio is the place where I will go.

In general I really enjoyed the tour of the CLT center. The one thing that I wish Trinity would do is to inform students of the CLT center. It has plenty to offer and I wish I knew more about it that when I went on my tour. Its hours are conveniently located online so I know exactly the times am able to use this wonderful facility.