Production 1: Set-up your Website/Digital Portfolio Reflection

     When I first read the requirements for this Production, I noticed that we were given leeway in terms of how to set up our Website/Portfolio. I compared Weebly, WordPress, Wix, and SquareSpace to see which of these websites are the most user friendly. I liked how with Wix, users and viewers are able to view the website from both the desktop and mobile version. I also saw examples of websites made from Wix and they looked very professional, so I decided to choose Wix as the website creator for The Curious Pupil.

     I titled my website The Curious Pupil, as it encapsulates the essence of this website. This website was created by myself, a very curious and inquisitive person, who is also eager to learn new things and add to my learning each day. The website will only show some of my thoughts as I am continuously learning and growing as an educator, professional, and person. Moreover, in Thumlert, Owston & Mulhotra (2018) they write that teachers ended up taking the role as co-learners with their students for the technological/pedagogical innovations that occurred in their research (p. 88). It's important as educators, to be willing to change our pedagogy as circumstances change and society advances. That means that we will have to collaborate with colleagues, gather resources, as well as educate ourselves on how to properly and appropriately use new network tools and apps. It's not bad to be a pupil 😎. 

     While I was creating the website I came across many problems as a non-tech savvy dinosaur, but had resolved all those issues through trial and error by playing around with the options, as well as utilizing the help features. For example, in my Home page, at the bottom there are texts that lead you directly to the Weekly Production page and Resource page. However, when I clicked the texts, they lead me to a different page than the page stated. Usually there is a link icon next to the animation icon, and whenever I double clicked the text, the link icon never showed. I knew once the link icon was visible, then I can just adjust the link to the correct page. This was very frustrating for me and I had to sleep on it and then retry it the next day. This was one of the instances where I had to resort to clicking the help feature (I was so determined to figure it out on my own! But if there's one thing I learned, it is okay to ask for help). I found out that I had to directly edit the text, and the link icon would be close to where the bold, italics, underline feature was. Another instance, was when I was figuring out how to change the icon that is pinned on the bottom right corner of the webpage, which allows the user to go to the top of the page instead of scrolling up. It was orange and didn't match the aesthetic of my website. I wanted to change the background color so that there was no color at all, or so that it matched my blue color scheme. After playing around with it, I was able to fix the the icon so that it matched my vision, and additionally, I was able to add another icon that allows the user to go straight to the home page.

     Overall, the website's help features were very helpful. They had videos on how to do things, and step by step instructions on what to do for specific actions. It was easy to read and follow, which is what any dinosaur wants, when they are trying out something new. Despite these challenges and frustrations, I found myself invested in the creation of the website. I would show up a few minutes late to family meals because I wanted to keep working on the website, whether it was to solve an issue, or to add more interesting elements (text, image, icons, etc.) to the website.

     As you can tell from my problems that I highlighted, I was very meticulous when creating this website. I wanted to make sure that the aesthetic of my website was minimalistic, yet fun, and easy to navigate. That is why there are not as many links and categories as the original site that I began to edit and make my own. The color scheme is blue, which is my favorite color, and was the color theme of my Wedding. I did not want my website looking overcrowded, so I removed any excess text and image boxes. The background of most pages are short animations, but they are simple animations that hopefully will not distract any viewer of the website from the actual content of the website. I even slowed down one of the animations (I believe it's the Weekly Production page) so that the movement is subtle and calming. I also ensured that I used very few fonts, as the majority of the text in my webpage is Poppins Extra Light or Poppins Semi Bold and matches a specific blue shade or grey shade. I also spent lots of time deciding what images to put in my posts or website. The amount of scrolling I did to find the perfect image is ridiculous! I guess that's what happens when you're a perfectionist 🙃. I didn't even know that I had to tweak the mobile version as well, until I published the website and was alerted to check the mobile version on my phone. When I did, some of the settings were different from what I changed it to on the desktop version. So I had to go in and tweak it so that it did not look drastically different from the browser version.  

     Gee (2008) also talked about the downfall of gamification when games are appropriated (p. 231). If the game becomes just another form of instrumental exercises, then it fails not only as a game, but also as an educational tool (Class 2, York University). Although the purpose of creating the website was for completing Production 1 in this course, it was through playing (constructing my website), that I learned a lot about the different purposes of websites (whether it is for an online service, a blog, or even to advertise an event). The process of designing and making this website included experimentation and interaction with objects (in this case, the objects are called elements). Although my engagement was purpose driven for this course, it was the mastery of this software environment that can be constituted as the play. From this play experience, I was able to see how a website is far more than a series of pages, but each page is intricately constructed as they have different elements (text boxes, images, insertion of apps to web page, etc.). I also understand that I was using a website building software to help me, but that there are other complex and advanced ways to create a website, like using HTML or JavaScript. So, I have learned to appreciate the amount of coding that goes into something like website building.

      I mentioned before how I was deeply invested in the creation of my website. This is indicative of the play that took place in this process, and links not only to the Gee (2008) reading, but even the concept of play and flow from Psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihályi. While I was working, I was in a state of flow, whereby nothing could distract me from the play that was happening. In this case, it was the tinkering and tweaking of the elements that I wanted to add or delete from the website. Additionally, Gee (2008) mentions that "play takes place within its own boundaries of space and time and draws players into a separate world" (pp. 231-232). Although I was not playing a video game, I found myself immersed in the world of the web. Even constructing the own website's theme and aesthetic is like building my own separate world to live in, as I would be showcasing only what I want in the website. This idea is talked about in Gee's (2008) article when he talks about Portal, and the way that players are given endless possibilities in the given environment (p. 233). Again, I am aware that website building is not the same as playing games like The Sims, WoW, Portal, or Contagion, but the idea of navigating in a different, separate world from reality is related. To give you a better idea of how enticing the world of website editing was, there were some moments where I would choose working on the website over reading the required readings for the upcoming classes 😅.

References

1. Gee, J. P. (2008). Cats and Portals: Video Games, Learning and Play. American Journal of Play, 1, 2, 229-235.

2. Thumlert, K., Owston, R. & Mulhotra, T. (2018). Transforming school culture through inquiry-driven learning and iPads, Journal of Professional Capital and Community, Vol. 3 Issue: 2, pp.79-96.