Friday 23 October 2009

A8 - iMe Self Assessment

In this journal post I aim to justify my grade for my recent SMLP (Self Managed Learning Plan) assignment. In this assignment I was challenged to learn a new scripting language and then give evidence of my learning through a suitable project. I chose to learn PHP and MySQL, and evidenced my learning in a final website tutorial.

Firstly in order to gain a pass level. I must have met all the learning outcomes I originally set out to do in my learning plan. Here is a list of the learning objectives, and how I did with each one:

Learning Objective 1 - Research into industrial uses of PHP and MySQL
This learning objective was met in the form of a research page. There is definite evidence that both scripts were clearly understood and put into context of todays industry.

Learning Objective 2 - Develop skills to the point were I could use them in a website
A clear understanding of development occured in this section. The research took a more specific route into the learning the scripts and the evifence came both in the research pages and in the creation of the website.

Learning Objective 3 - Create a fully functioning website
The evidence for this section can be found at www.samjharris.co.uk/a8, where the scripts have been used to create a tutorial styled website, which guides you through a few of the basic scripts learnt.

Learning Objective 4 - Evaluation of assignment
This learning objective was met in the form of a written evaluation. It was a very open evaluation where the whole assignment was reviewed and strengths and weaknesses were highlighted throughout.

After assessing the merit criterial I realised a few gaps in my workings. This means that after passing all of the learning objectives, I will reward myself with a Pass.

Tuesday 13 October 2009

Web Designer Job


The Job


Web designer with Photoshop, Dreamweaver, HTML, and CSS experience needed for leading marketing agency based near Huntindon This role would suit someone with at least 1 years commercial experience working as a web designer ideally with print experience using Photoshop, Dreamweaver, CSS and HTML. An online portfolio is a must for applications for this role as you will need to be able to prove you have what it takes creating unique and memorable web designs for a plethora of sites.


This exciting web design role will see you working on a variety of projects for different end clients, working closely with the rest of the team using your Photoshop, Dreamweaver, CSS and HTML experience.

In return for your expertise my client are offering a generous salary, contributory pension and bonus scheme, as well as a relaxed working atmosphere and training with some of the best in the business!

My thoughts

After searching through a variety of different jobs with the 'Web Designer' title, this one instantly stood out to me. Discarding the location this sort of job would be an ideal way to get into the industry. They are asking for one year's commercial experience but I do believe that the two years spent on the course would cover this, with such assignments coming up where we will be out working with a client.

Another topic that is mentioned as ideal is print. Through this course I have learnt a lot about print and as this is not essential, this knowledge would stand me in good stead against other applicants. I may lack some of the client interactive skills, however, and this is a weak area for me. To apply for this job I would first need to work on this problem by improving my communication skills.

Knowledge of photoshop being the first thing that is mentioned was also a huge draw for me. I have been using photoshop for many years and have a vast knowledge of its capabilities in industrial design. I believe I could really show off in this area of the application.

As far as HTML goes, I had a fairly basic understanding of XHTML before the course and have already improved upon this greatly. I feel like my XHTML is stronger than my CSS however I don't think I would struggle to adapt to new challenges as I have always been able to find the solutions quickly. By the end of this year I am certain that I will meet these two requirements in the job application.

Due to my knowledge of XHTML and CSS, Dreamweaver came to me very quickly. I believe that the program itself is very simple and it is more about knowing how to apply the code. This is another area that I will be working on even more this year, and by the end of the course I would have no worries in saying I have completely mastered Dreamweaver.

As of yet I do not have an online portfolio, but as with other aspects of the job I will have satisfied this requirement by the end of my college year. This is because we have a large final assignment to create a portfolio of the two years work. My only worry is that the work I have produced so far would not reflect where I actually am as I believe some of my earlier work has let me down in this. There is always potential to display my non college work in an additional portfolio that could be considered before applying for such jobs.