My name is Uyen Pham. This New Media Certificate program strikes in me the curiosity for future technology. For that, I would love to learn more about how to channel creativity with the help of our era's advancement.
Exercise Section:
Before this class, if anyone told me that I could create a website in just 3 days, I would totally laugh it off. Though the learning process seems short, its urgency incentivizes me to work harder (and more productive). For someone from a completely different field with zero knowledge about codes like me, that first website from scratch is more than just an achievement. With this project, I have learned how to apply the basic knowledge about HTML and CSS to work, understand the features of many elements, and able to link connections between them. I love that there are still spaces for creativity out of those rigid commands. Thanks to those FreeCodeCamp lessons, I can add more to the visual look of the webpage. Now I can proudly say that I know how to import some Google fonts for the texts and adjust the color of the linked button in the way that I want. Yet, aligning images is a whole different story. It is a tricky process that solely relies on CSS does not help much. This is when the advantage of the internet comes in handy. My struggle with aligning the title border and arranging the navigation buttons is thankfully solved thank to other internet developers. This is also an important lesson for me to know that there are always guidances somewhere, everywhere, and only if I want to find them or ask for them. All in all, I am excited about future projects and would love to learn more on how to enhance the current page.
If the first project is a quick peek at the basic HTML and CSS, then this second project requires a thorough understanding of those key components in order to master Bootstrap . This is to see how much I have learned from the previous lessons and how well I can apply them to the new concept. There are some sleepless nights I try to break down miles of codes, and there are days filled with joys when the result turns out smoothly. With Bootstrap, having generic code is both an advantage and disadvantage. The cluster of classes confuses new users like me. In fact, I see myself runs into a lot of class-related problems at first. I realize the only solution to solve this hassle is to master the Inspector gadget. Like Professor Sterling states, this is definitely an important step that I should have done first! Besides, the powerful feature of Bootstrap that is responsive and mobile-first teaches me the logic in writing codes. A good developer needs to be mindful of how his/her website runs in different viewports. I am glad this lesson has given me a chance to walk in their shoes and experience their perspective.
Speaking of things I am proud of from working with Bootstrap, being able to take advantage of their powerful grid system and successfully carry them out as the “Top 5 Vietnamese Must-Try Combo” in my webpage with two columns in each row is one of my achievements. Other than that, I love playing around with the site’s typography and have become more confident in customizing various fonts in CSS. In the future, I am looking forward to learning more from the next projects and hopefully getting better at writing codes at the end of this semester!
As always, each project comes with various opportunities to learn and acquire new skills. The purpose of Project 3 introduces us to one of the largest open-source software, WordPress, and its integration with WooCommerce as the most popular eCommerce platform. This project gives me a better understanding on the structure of an e-shop, how everything is built upon each other, and the connection between those layout elements. I choose to go with the simplicity of the "OceanWP Theme" with the software support from Gutenberg Blocks and Template Library by Otter and, of course, WooCommerce . Though this sounds like an easy task to complete with a theme of your choice and almost everything else is “fill in the blank,” I did not know that building a WordPress website requires much more than basic knowledge about HTML and CSS. The maze of theme functions confuses me from one place to another. The fact that I keep adding many contents to the page without knowing exactly where it goes seems to drive everything to a dead end. The struggle must have gone on if I did not decide to stop the workflow and re-explore the page slowly from the beginning. Besides the needed patience, I have also learned how to work efficiently with multiple sites at the same time and integrate their purposes to produce the best result. I am glad that I am able to strive beyond those rigid WordPress blocks to achieve some creative aspects on the site. Custom CSS, content stories, customer reviews, testimonial page, thought-provoking video at the homepage, and a little of search bar's animation at the shop page are some of the highlights. In conclusion, it is a wonderful experience to once self-host your dream shop. However, I have to admit that not many people understand the real struggles behind a smoothly run website until they have the chance to run it themselves. Speaking of the future, I would like to apply this WordPress experience, along with other projects in the past, towards the final presentation as it is a great chance for me to reflect on what I have learned in the course.
This fantastic project poses an opportunity (and challenge) to demonstrate all the hard skills that I have learned from the start. As the first programming language in the course, Javascript's official appearance arouses curiosity, delight, and a bit overwhelming to someone new to the computer world like me. Still, I have to admit that Javascript30 does a great job at touring everyone around some of the Javascript's powerful applications.
For this project, I choose to dive deeper into two of the thirty challenges inspired by Wes Bos . The first one is the "Flex Panel Gallery," which can vertically slit the screen into five panels that contain different images. Thanks to its brilliant "feature" to present multiple pictures all in one place, I see the opportunity to turn it into a mini-game. By opening the image one by one, the users can get a complete view of each scene, which disguises some hidden cats that they have to find and input the total number into the attached box. This is also where my new Javascript knowledge comes to use. The form validation using the submit button is one of the highlights for this webpage. That is, the users will receive varied responses based on the accuracy of their answers. With extensive CSS, I also manage to change the page's fonts/colors and add shadow effects to the "Play Game" button.
Here comes the fun part. For the second challenge, I choose to go with "Whack A Mole" as a familiar-yet-fun game that almost everyone knows of. This Javascript application perfectly fits the overall theme of my project (an Arcade) and serves as a great stress reliever for every guest who visits my site. Indeed, there is still plenty of room for creativity when it comes to this challenge. Physically speaking, I have entirely altered the look for this game from "Whack-A-Mole" to "Crack-The-Egg" based on its name. From changing the cartoon figures and the "holes" where they come out, I also adjust some layout pixels to match with the pairs. That is to say, the use of extensive CSS on this last page has taken the most of my time!
Apparently, every opportunity that comes with challenges also comes with struggles. Though Bootstrap has never let me down with their template selection to reminisce the childhood arcade, the price I have to pay costs me a few sleepless nights. At first, I was having problems with the file location, which could not be transferred to different desired folders. Specifically, the existing connections to multiple files (CSS, image,…) in the original template prevent me from organizing them in the directory that I want. Nevertheless, I am glad that I could finally figure out the reason for my problem and work around it to get a better result by writing new codes on the existing file and linking any additional connections at the end. Through this experience, I have learned that it is essential to thoroughly understand your mistake from the root, for which it will become much easier to find the appropriate solution to untangle the problem.
Overall, I would love to apply this knowledge section about the powerful Javascript to my final project and portfolio. I know it is the missing piece to finally complete this NMIX 4110 puzzle that I have learned so many things from!
This year must be the first year that I've gotten to watch summer slips in the most intensive way! The New Media Production course - NMIX 4110 - has made it the best summer in my life by providing a quick tour around the computing world, along with many hands-on web development projects.
In front of the finish line, my final mission is to build a website that could reflect my academic level while striving beyond the course minimum standards. Notice the enormous power of WordPress from the previous experience, I know this is a fantastic system to develop my last project - a charity auction shop! Have you ever heard of the Second Life Toys campaign where people donate their unwanted toys to revive the old broken plushies to raise awareness about child organ transplants? It is exactly what my site is about, but with one important feature: allowing buyers (mostly parents) to auction that new, cute, unique plushie, for which the bid-winning money will be sent towards charity organizations.
Speaking of theme and software support, WordPress's Lalita is definitely a solid assistant to help me fulfill the topic idea. In addition, I trust Gutenberg Blocks and Template Library by Otter for its dynamic blocks and use WooCommerce to set up products and contents, Woo Auction Software to host live auctions, and WPForms Lite to insert contact and feedback forms. Some of these plugins are utterly new to me, and thanks to this project, I have the chance to play around and modify its function to fit with the site's purpose.
Compared to the last encounter with WordPress, I believe my experience with the largest open-source CMS has gotten better this time. If Project 3 was filled with confusion and the overwhelmed of having to work with many features, then for this assignment, I can say that I have total control over blocks and more comfortable with extensive plugins (actually, start loving it now!). One of the highlights, and the big difference between the two encounters with WordPress, is the presence of blog posts. Visitors to my site can find articles about transplant facts, nutrition tips, and the primary purpose of our Second Life Toys website . The appearance of the sidebar and side widget is also something I am proud of from this project. Users can easily find social links and follow up with new articles/comments from two sides of the web. One sweet thing that I love about this project is the background music from the right sidebar - something I have never accomplished and was scared to try in the past.
Speaking of the challenge while building the web, of course, every assignment carries its own struggle. At first, I could not install the WordPress application due to some PHP errors, which was luckily solved, thanks to Reclaim Hosting's quick response. Second, the confusion between the blog page, which contains all the posts, and the post section itself took me a while to figure out the proper connection. Through this experience, I learn that it is crucial to understand how everything works before starting to work on them. It only makes the situation worse off without not knowing which direction to drive to.
Overall, that is just one of many valuable lessons this class has taught me during a short summer month. Though its challenges might be a little overwhelmed due to the lack of time, I believe NMIX 4110 is a wise investment for those interested in learning about the new era of "media." This playground definitely helps me to define my dream path and be more confident with my decision. That is all I need!