Perhaps you're wondering about my choice of URL. I'll start there: "froggyfille" has become a frequently used cyber-nickname of mine in recent years due to two of my interests, frogs and French ("fille" = girl en francais, by the way). I can't explain the frog thing, except that I think they're endearing little creatures, I loved drawing them when I was younger, and I now have amassed a large (enough) collection of non-living frog paraphenalia from friends. Never had a pet frog. Maybe someday. By now, most of you have heard the French thing...I majored in it, have studied/lived abroad, and worked at a bilingual school for the past number of years. French has thus become more than my second language; it is also a second persona of sorts.
I am excited to have finally made my debut on the blogosphere, to discuss all things art and education, two more things near and dear to my heart...and probably to yours too if you're reading this.
Here I'm cheating and quoting myself from an earlier posting for this class about what I'm looking for in this class: I look forward to having critical discussions about the possibilities and limitations of technology (in life and in the classroom) and how to use technology responsibly. I am interested in refining and expanding my own technology skill set for my own personal development and so that I can confidently teach. I think technology can be great in terms of helping kids who don't think they are artists ("I can't draw!") access their creativity through other forms like video, photography, web design, etc., so it definitely has a place in the art classroom.
Cheers!
Friday, January 30, 2009
Web critique #1 (class assignment)
1. Chicago Public Schools: http://www.cps.edu/Pages/home.aspx
Content:
-I enjoy a homepage which does not require scrolling, so I find the homepage a bit too cluttered/content-heavy.
-However, the choices of what content are featured are good. There seems to be a logical link to click next for just about any visitor.
-Upcoming events & news keep the site dynamic and current
-The range of topics, from small (school days off) to large (the “turnaround” controversy and explanation) is good
Design:
-It’s a pretty no-nonsense, no-frills site, which has its advantages, but from a design standpoint, it’s a little bit dull
-The color choices are not inspiring…they don’t make me excited about CPS…I definitely think more photos of students learning would enliven the site. No fancy scrolling photos or special effects. Just some more real life shots from inside CPS
-For example, on the Programs > Academic and enrichment > Arts Education page, a photo or two of children engaged in art activities would make a world of difference.
-I also think that more highly contrasting colors would help differentiate text boxes from one another. The use of lots of light shades of dull colors (grays, blues, pinks) – i.e. the teaching recruiting page is more dynamic and interesting: http://www.cps-humanresources.org/Careers/career_index.asp#)
Interface/Usability:
-Highly visible “search” bar in top right corner is good
-The “breadcrumb” trail on each page is helpful -- if ever you need to backtrack within the site, you know just where you are and where you’ve been
-The repetition of “Resources for: Parents, Students, Community, Partners, Staff” at the top right corner of each page is nice – gives confused people a place to go
2. The Art Institute of Chicago: http://www.artic.edu/aic/
Content:
-Good. It all seems to be there.
-Maybe there are a couple too many main menu choices up top on the home page, but none of the drop downs are too text-heavy
-easy search feature
-helpful to have the hours/admission displayed on the homepage, not a click away
Design:
-I like the different-colored & -sized blocks on the white background: it makes for good contrast (that was lacking on the CPS site) a neatness/cleanness that facilitates navigating around the site
-not enough contrast in the white background and the white drop down menus
-the font could be a point or two larger – it’s a bit small
-since they’re an art museum, they could mix it up a bit more from their block-y format, like on the “teens” page http://www.artic.edu/aic/education/teens/index.html
-I like that the photos change – keeps the site dynamic
Interface/Usability:
-I find it generally user-friendly, except for font size
-breadcrumb trail is again helpful
3. National Art Education Association
Content:
-There is a LOT of info on this site (and mostly useful, interesting stuff); seems that if you don’t know what you’re looking for, though, you might get lost
-a nice combination of visual and written content…archives of kids’ work, articles written by teachers, & administrative info
Design:
-I like the color choices and the irregular shapes
-rotating photos/text on home page are nice w/variety of fonts and interesting images make homepage interesting
-Like CPS, the homepage requires too much scrolling & has an overloaded feel! Less can be more…
Interface/Usability:
-Again, because there is so much content, things can get a tad confusing
-Having so many different stimuli pop up in all corners of the page gets me a little distracted from my original intention, but such is our web-cuoture I suppose ☺
Content:
-I enjoy a homepage which does not require scrolling, so I find the homepage a bit too cluttered/content-heavy.
-However, the choices of what content are featured are good. There seems to be a logical link to click next for just about any visitor.
-Upcoming events & news keep the site dynamic and current
-The range of topics, from small (school days off) to large (the “turnaround” controversy and explanation) is good
Design:
-It’s a pretty no-nonsense, no-frills site, which has its advantages, but from a design standpoint, it’s a little bit dull
-The color choices are not inspiring…they don’t make me excited about CPS…I definitely think more photos of students learning would enliven the site. No fancy scrolling photos or special effects. Just some more real life shots from inside CPS
-For example, on the Programs > Academic and enrichment > Arts Education page, a photo or two of children engaged in art activities would make a world of difference.
-I also think that more highly contrasting colors would help differentiate text boxes from one another. The use of lots of light shades of dull colors (grays, blues, pinks) – i.e. the teaching recruiting page is more dynamic and interesting: http://www.cps-humanresources.org/Careers/career_index.asp#)
Interface/Usability:
-Highly visible “search” bar in top right corner is good
-The “breadcrumb” trail on each page is helpful -- if ever you need to backtrack within the site, you know just where you are and where you’ve been
-The repetition of “Resources for: Parents, Students, Community, Partners, Staff” at the top right corner of each page is nice – gives confused people a place to go
2. The Art Institute of Chicago: http://www.artic.edu/aic/
Content:
-Good. It all seems to be there.
-Maybe there are a couple too many main menu choices up top on the home page, but none of the drop downs are too text-heavy
-easy search feature
-helpful to have the hours/admission displayed on the homepage, not a click away
Design:
-I like the different-colored & -sized blocks on the white background: it makes for good contrast (that was lacking on the CPS site) a neatness/cleanness that facilitates navigating around the site
-not enough contrast in the white background and the white drop down menus
-the font could be a point or two larger – it’s a bit small
-since they’re an art museum, they could mix it up a bit more from their block-y format, like on the “teens” page http://www.artic.edu/aic/education/teens/index.html
-I like that the photos change – keeps the site dynamic
Interface/Usability:
-I find it generally user-friendly, except for font size
-breadcrumb trail is again helpful
3. National Art Education Association
Content:
-There is a LOT of info on this site (and mostly useful, interesting stuff); seems that if you don’t know what you’re looking for, though, you might get lost
-a nice combination of visual and written content…archives of kids’ work, articles written by teachers, & administrative info
Design:
-I like the color choices and the irregular shapes
-rotating photos/text on home page are nice w/variety of fonts and interesting images make homepage interesting
-Like CPS, the homepage requires too much scrolling & has an overloaded feel! Less can be more…
Interface/Usability:
-Again, because there is so much content, things can get a tad confusing
-Having so many different stimuli pop up in all corners of the page gets me a little distracted from my original intention, but such is our web-cuoture I suppose ☺
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