Week Fourteen -14/12/10

During this lesson I began to put the pictures on my website. This made it feel more professional as there are less blank spaces, however I have not yet taken all of the pictures so I have a few spaces left to fill.

Week Fourteen -13/12/10

This lesson I began to take pictures for my website. Most of the pictures taken are of 'drugs' as they must be relevant to the website. It was a fun and simple task, however it was quite time consuming. I had to make some 'cocaine' which was actually crushed hayfever tablets.

Week Thirteen -09/12/10

This lesson I created my logo. I used a font website so that I could find a good font. I then began to construct my logo using photoshop. I tried various different colour schemes but in the end settled on purple as the background colour of the logo because it ties in with the colours on my website. Below, you can see the different colours that I tried out.

Week Thirteen -07/12/10

This lesson I worked on my 'Get involved' and 'Work placement page'. I began to write the information into the text boxes. On the left is an example. This is my work shops link which briefly explains what is involved in the workshops. I also made sure that all of the pages had the same layout. I disliked the background size as it meant that when opened on internet explorer, you were required to scroll along as it was too wide. It took me a while to change this on each page as I tried to make them all the same size.

Week Thirteen- 06/12/10

Week Twelve -02/11/10

I was unable to make it into college this lesson as I am ill. However, I have been working from home to research  affective colour schemes, and the first website I can across was http://colorschemedesigner.com/

The website itself has very similar colours to my website, which is a positive sign that I am on the right track.

I have made my website in accordance with Joel Sklar Theory; the logo and name of the website are on the top left hand side. I have designed my website whilst keeping in mind that peoples eyes will scan the top left hand side and then the right hand side.

The feedback I was given on the preliminary task will help me to ensure that this website appeals to the masses. One of my strong points on the preliminary task was that I kept my website consistent, through the colour scheme as well as the layout. Another praise was that I had a suitable amount of information on each page.

I was given mixed feedback on my use of colour blocks, one person said "The coloured blocks on your page are very good as they highlight the important information" however, another person said "Unfortunately I don't really like the block colours behind the writing" but seeing as they did not give a reason why I am not sure whether or not to take this into account.

For the main task website I will ensure that it is appealing to my target audience by asking for feedback from my classmate throughout the making of it.

Joel Sklar Theory

Week Twelve -30/11/10

I continued to work on my website and played around with the colour schemes. I wanted a striking colour scheme so that my website is easily recognisable. I have decided to try a black background and use bright colours to contrast it. I worked effectively in this lesson as I got a lot done and so far I am pleased with the results.

Week Twelve -29/11/10

This lesson I finalised my sketches and began to work on my website.

This is a print screen of my website so far. This is the first lesson of beginning the website so I believe I have made a good start, however this is still a lot of work to be done to make this an effective homepage.

Week Eleven -25/11/10

This lesson I worked on the sketches for my web pages. I have decided that one of my pages will be a page for 'your stories' and drew the layout for it. I am considering whether or not to have an 'Events' page, as I think it would be a good and interactive page to have. However, it is also difficult to think of what kind of events they would be as drug charities don't often have events. I have thought of having a 'Needle Amnesty', Drug Education Workshops and Famous Speakers who have come off drugs and are successful.

Week Eleven -23/11/10

This lesson I continued to work on paper. I began to sketch the layout for my websites homepage.

I have also been researching the type of information that I would like to include on my website.

One of the links on my website will be to Drink Aware as this can be placed in my self help section. http://www.drinkaware.co.uk/?gclid=CJ_nxvTyu6UCFY9O4QodnzoZuw

I also sketched a page for "Work Placement" as this is going to be my USP. (unique selling point) As a part of it being a drug charity website it will allow people to get back into work. I think this is a positive aspect of the website as it shows what is available to help people who feel like they have no help getting to get back into work.

Week Eleven -22/11/10

This lesson I completed my mind map and began to story board my ideas for the video I will create for the website. The idea I have at the moment is that the video will be filmed in the scenario of it being at a party, where there will be drugs such as marajuana. One of the people at this party will then find themselves being pressured into doing drugs which will result in them becoming addicted.

As well as the points written on the mind map I will also consider having an Events page and an About Us page. On the 'Your Stories' page I will include a question and answer section with frequently asked questions and answers to them displayed.

Week Ten -16/11/10

I began to research types of drugs so that I can decide what my four pages will feature when I am creating my website. I found this website: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/drugs/drugs-law/Class-a-b-c/ which gives information on the classes of drugs and the penalties given if you are found in possession of them or if you are dealing them.

Most drug websites are not only for drug users, but also for those effected. Therefore I shall ensure that I have a section.








After doing this I began to design a mind map of the features that I want my website to include.

Week Ten -15/11/10

This lesson I looked over my research and I feel that I have done enough work on it as I have decided on what I want to do. Although there are numerous drug charity websites, this area of the market is less saturated then others which gives me a chance to make my website stand out. This research has been a key factor in helping me decided what I will do for my charity website as I have gained knowledge on the stereotypes of websites and also what works, as well as what doesn’t. This will help me to achieve the grade I am aspiring to get.

For inspiration I will be looking at Talk to Frank as I believe that this is by far the most successful drug charity website.

I especially like that there is a "Join in" page as it involves the audience. There is also a page where you can experience how Cannabis can 'mess with your mind' which gives the website a more interactive interface.

Week Nine -11/11/10

This lesson I worked on my blog and tried to find other drug charity websites. I did not annotate these on my research as I feel that I have done enough, however I did take note on the features that I liked. One of the websites I looked at is called Youth 2 Youth which is run by young people and is targetted at young people. This is different to the other websites I have looked at as they have been created by adults.
http://www.youth2youth.co.uk/about_us.htm?gclid=CLbtgNzooqUCFQFO4QodWhU3jg

When looking at the Talk to Frank website I saw that there is a page where you can submit pictures or writing about why people should stop taking drugs. This is good as it allows people to express their views and try to teach people from their personal experiences.

Week Nine -09/11/10

This lesson I began to focus my research and chose to do either drugs or women charity website. I then chose to do drugs and refined my research by analysing numerous drug charity websites. On my research page I wrote  - "I have begun to narrow down my research and I will be focusing more closely on charity websites for Child and Drug abuse. I feel that I would be able to create an appropriate and professional website for both as I am within the target audience and therefore I can create something that I like and be within the brief."

Week Nine - 08/11/10

Throughout this lesson I have worked on  my charity website research. To ensure that I have a wide range of knowledge I have chosen to do five very different websites. This lesson I analysed the RSPCA and Talk to Frank websites. I have tried to avoid making my work too text heavy so I have included print screens to evidence my writing. I feel that I have worked effectively this lesson as I have got a lot done, however I am still not sure about what type of website I would like to do. From a practical perspective it would be easier to do a child abuse website as I have a little sister who could be my actress. On the other hand, I would much prefer to do a drugs website which is similar to Talk to Frank as I am a part of the target audience so I would be able to create the website to a high standard. I am glad that I have done website research as I definitely need it to help me decided what I shall do.

Week Eight -04/10/10

This lesson began with a slide show presentation displaying exemplar blogs. We were also given the marking criteria for our blogs. I know that this will help me a lot throughout the course as I will know exactly what I need to do so I can achieve the best grade possible. I then worked on my blog to write about the last three lessons and ensure that my blog posts are written eloquently with print screens included.

This is the current layout on my blog

However, I am going to change the theme to one that is more difficult to find so that I can add some originality to my blog. The images below show the way that I was able to select a theme as well as my choice of background.

Week Eight -02/10/10

This lesson we were introduced to the mark scheme that would be used for the main task so that we are able to achieve the best grades possible. I will do this by keeping the criteria in mind so that I know that I am successfully fulfilling the tasks that are required of me. I then continued to add to my charity website research by analysing the Women’s aid website.

As you can see, so far I have evaluated Women’s Aid, Oxfam and NSPCC. These are all very different websites and I chose them purposely so that I could explore the different type of charity websites; which will mean I'll be able to make a well informed decision about what I chose to base my own charity website around. One of the things I have written about the colours used and how it relates to their target audience.

Week Eight -01/10/10

This lesson our teacher was ill so we were given a task to complete at home. This was to continue with the charity website research. I chose to write about NSPCC

Week Six - 21/09/10

For the beginning of the lesson I continued to edit the blog by adding images and print screens to support the text.

As I had finished all the set tasks for the Preliminary task I have begun my Charity website research. This is a print screen of the first page of my evaluation that I completed this lesson.

This was a successful lesson as I have got a fair amount done and it also means that I will have less work to do next term when we begin to create the charity website for the main task.

Over view of my preliminary task



I completed my preliminary task within the allocated time we were given and infact I have one lesson of this half term left where I shall begin working on my charity website research for the main task. Overall I think I have coped well with the time restraints and worked effectively. To help me to improve and ensure that my main task is as good as can be I was given feedback from several students in my class, who wrote about the pros and cons on my website. The feedback given by one of my classmates said "I like the amount of information and pictures, it makes the website feel genuine. I think the pink is a bit strong in contrast to the purple, also I would fill the blank space at the top." This is the sort of advice that I will keep in mind when creating my main task for an adult audience as they prefer having less bright colours.

Week Six -19/10/10

This lesson I finished my website and worked on the blog. I the changed the theme of my blog so that it was better suited to my tastes; I also altered the format.

Week Six - 18/10/10

I continued to edit my website by adding one of the new photographs to the top banner and then I updated my blog so I could begin tp catch up with the days I had not yet written about.

Week Five -14/10/10

This lesson I created this blog, decided on the theme I wanted and began writing my blog posts.

Week Five -11/10/10 & 12/10/10

I continued to work on my website and made further improvements. To make it more interesting I varied the colour scheme as it was looking quite dull.

This is the result of changing the colours:

Week Four -07/10/2010

For the beginning of this lesson I took photographs of my media class so that they could be displayed on the Media Studies page. After uploading them I continued to work on my media page and made a few drastic changes as I did not feel that the composition was working.

Week Four -05/10/2010

Our lesson was cancelled so I worked on my blog independently whilst at home. I updated the posts and ensured that the dates were all correct.

Week Four -04/10/2010

This lesson I continued to work on my website and edit the homepage as well as making a start on the media page. I selected the images that I would use on the homepage. As I become more familiar with the programme I work more effectively so I am making good progress.

These are a small selection of the pictures that I was able to choose from when deciding what I would suit the website best.

Week Three -30/09/2010

This lesson I uploaded the images that I had taken and designed the home page of my website. This was a productive lesson and I managed to almost finish the homepage. I create the banner, added the current school logo to the top left hand side according to Sklar theory.

Week Three -28/09/2010

This lesson was cancelled as we were not in a room with Dreamweaver computers.

Week Three -27/09/2010

This lesson consisted of me taking pictures of the school so that I could include original images on my website. I then continued to create my website on Dreamweaver FX.

Week Two -23/09/2010

After completing the evaluation I moved on to designing my website for Parliament Hill School. Once I had designed it, I began to work on Dreamweaver FX by following the instructions in the booklet we were given. I found it quite confusing at first as it is the first time I had used the programme but the instruction booklet was clear and easy to follow.

Week Two -21/09/2010

I then began to create an inspiration page which included logo’s, banners and features that I like. This gave me an idea of the way I would like to create my website as I will combine my favourite parts of the websites I have looked at. It also means that I am familiar with the content and design of school websites so that mine looks realistic.



Week Two -20/09/2010

I continued to add to my evaluation by looking at William Ellis, Channing and Hornsey School for Girls. I analysed the style of the website, the colours used and http://www.williamellis.camden.sch.uk/ http://www.channing.co.uk/ http://www.hsg.haringey.sch.uk/

Week One -16/09/2010

This lesson we began to type up our website evaluation and expand on the notes that we had written. For each website I added print screens and annotated certain aspects of the websites. When comparing websites I have noticed that many of them stick to Sklar theory, in particular the placement of the logo in the top left hand side.

Week One -14/09/2010

For the beginning of this lesson we learnt about Sklar theory which consists of the style of website design and how it attracts an audience’s attention. Keeping this in mind, I then evaluated a selection of existing school websites as for the preliminary task we have been asked to create a website for Parliament Hill School. In pairs we made notes on positive and negative features of the websites. The websites we evaluated were: http://www.laswap.camden.sch.uk/ http://www.camdengirls.camden.sch.uk http://www.parliamenthill.camden.sch.uk/ http://www.haverstock.camden.sch.uk

Week One -13/09/2010

As this was our first day at school and our first media lesson we introduced ourselves to the class and played some ice breaker games to make us better acquainted. Following this, we were shown a powerpoint presentation outlining the course and about the importance of media in modern day life. In the second half of the lesson we looked at good and bad examples of websites and analysed their good and bad properties.