Final Project

            As a final project we were tasked with creating a digital portfolio.  Before creating the actual site, the biggest challenged I faced was finding a website that was easy to use, would allow me to create a suitable page in a timely fashion, and allow me to post it online for free.  First, I tried using Wordpress.  After playing around with it for awhile I came to the conclusion that I disliked the interface it used so I moved onto Circlepad.  At first it seemed as if it would be my choice but after a short while, it began freezing on me and after having to restart my project several times because I never got the chance to save it, I decided to move onto a less buggy site.  I returned to Google to search for a portfolio making site when my eye was caught by a link to Google's own Google Sites feature.  Deciding to give it a try, I quickly realized that I couldn't ask for a better utility for creating my portfolio site.

            Now that I had my medium decided on, it was time to decide on what kind of content and layout I wanted to utilize in my portfolio.  Through Google sites I was able to view several different templates that I could use on my site and, after some time, I decided on one.  Once I had selected a template I began browsing through the available themes.  I wanted to find something interesting but not so intricate as to be distracting and I found it in a notepad styled theme.  As far as content went, I decided to include pages for past and future projects.  The headings I decided to use for each page were Audio Production, Media Communications, Video Production, Web Design, and Web Technology.  Under the Audio Production heading there are no projects currently, but as I take courses dealing with things such as Protools, I will add them to the page.  Under Media Communications I plan on putting essays and powerpoints I have made in Ann Catalano's Media Communications class.  Under Video Production I will place videos made using movie making programs such as Windows Movie Makers, iMovie, and Final Cut Pro.  As of now however, I have no movies to post so for the time being that page will remain blank.  Under the Web Design page I have included links to website I made in my Intro Web Design, Advanced Web Design, and Javascript classes.  Finally, on the Web Technology page, I included two videos; one being a project completed in Second Life and the other being an example of animation using GoAnimate.com.  I also included a link to my blog at the bottom of the page.

            Outside of the pages relating specifically to classwork I included a sidebar addressing my PLN which includes links to my personal Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, and LinkedIn accounts.  These sites will allow me to stay in contact with professionals in my field to build relationships and make connections.  I also included a link to my resume which lists my past job experience as well as my education.

            The last thing I did was organize all of my information into an easy to digest configuration and added a picture of myself to the main page.  All that remains to be done at this point is to finalize the site and hand it in.  I know that I will be able to use the skills I learned from making this portfolio and in this class in the future to better myself and my career.

IP Addresses

Every node in a network must have its own individual and unique address so that data transmitted over a private or public network reaches its correct destination.  As well as having a physical address in a network, each node also has a logical address, or an IP Address.  The IP is made of of 4 groups of numbers ranging from 0 to 255, each separated by a period.  These 4 groups are called octets. 

Originally IP addresses were divided into classes to increase the number of addresses available.  Using this system addresses were classified by network.  Networks ranged from Class A through Class E.  The classes define which octet in the address define the network.  Typical A classes include large educational networks, businesses, and government entities.  B Classes also includes large educational networks as well as business and government entities.  C Classes are made of small-to-medium size business and ISPs.

As the demand for more IP addresses increased, the development of a classes routing system occurred.  This allowed network administrators to expand the number of network nodes assigned to a certain address.  In order to view your networked computer's IP address you can use the command prompt window and the "ipconfig/all" command.  This will display your machines current IP address.

Current IP addresses are called IPv4, containing 32bits of information defining the address.  A new version called IPv6 is expected to replace IPv4's 32bits with 128bits, allowing more addresses.

Networking Basics

In order to expand the usefulness of internet technologies, it is imperative that one understands the importance of networking.  Networking is the connection of two or more computers using devices such as cables or wireless media.  Networks allow users to share data and devices through it.

Local area networks or an LAN, is a computer network supporting users in a small geographical area such as a home, office, or single or several buildings, such as a college campus.  Each computer or device used on an LAN is called a node.  LANs are configured in one of two basic configurations, peer-to-peer or client/server.  A peer-to-peer LAN is made of a small number of computers linked together, oftentimes to use a peripheral device such as a printer.  Peer-to-peer networks proliferate small businesses and home offices across the nation.

  Larger organizations will quick outgrow peer-to-peer LANs and may need to implement a client/server set up.  Client/server networks consists of multiple computers or workstations, one or more servers, and other tools such as printers.  The server allows users to share data, file space, peripheral devices, and internet connection.  

Outside of LANs, metropolitan area networks (MANs) connect clients and servers in a region larger than a single office or building.  A wide area network (WAN) is a network covering a very large geographical area such as several locations located in England, Canada, and Japan.  WANs are oftentimes made up of several LANs connected through the network.

Digital Portfolio

-I plan on going into web design and my portfolio will reflect that.  I plan on using websites such as Diigo and programs such as Jing to include highlights and markups of my past work so that potential employers can easily view my portfolio. 

-I plan on using flavors.me as my main source of templates and designs for designing my portfolio. 

-I plan on using techniques I read about in the textbook such as advanced searching and viewing other people's portfolios through social networks to get a better idea of how it should look. 

-Furthermore, I could use these social networks to get in contact with others in the field if I have any questions about assembling my portfolio  .

Special Interest Websites, Personal Finance Resources, and You

   The internet is undoubtedly one of the most useful tools we have at our disposal. Taking full advantage of all the websites and resources available through them can help people to attain knowledge and live better lives. From life advice to video games to financial tools the internet has tools for anything and anyone under the sun.
   Special Interest Websites are websites devoted to specific hobby or activity such as cooking, museums, or genealogy. Other Special Interest Websites include how-to sites and movie fansites.
   One popular area of Special Interest site are healthcare and diet sites. The rise in obesity in the United States can likely be acknowledged as the cause of this increase in interest in healthcare and dieting information. Furthermore, these sites can be used for information regarding specific illnesses and conditions. Examples of health websites include Discovery Health, Mayo Clinic, and WebMD.

   Across the web there are also thousands of websites devoted to hobbies, entertainment, and various other services such as cooking advice, movie reviews, and finding jobs. Examples include vegetarian.com, Yahoo Entertainment, IMBD, and Monster.com respectively.

   Another highly useful web feature are the wealth of personal finance tools available.  Such tools make the frustrating task of trying to balance monetary funds a little more easy and a little less frustrating.
   The most common form of online financing is online banking.  In the past, banks were largely brick-and-mortar businesses; customers had to be on location in order to perform transactions or ask bank related questions.  With the advent of the internet however, it is entirely possible for an individual to do their banking entirely online.  From balancing ones checking account to managing funds for financing a new car to paying bills automatically each month, it can all be done online with the click of the mouse.  
   Other popular finance sites include credit score websites, insurance websites which very often allow users to obtain free quotes, and financial calculators.  Shopping for insurance usually involves calling several companies and asking for quotes.  With websites such as Insweb, Insure.com, and Insurance.com, one can compare several rate quotes all at once from competing companies by simply filling out their information just once.

Creating My PLN

In order to effectively build a useful Personal Learning Network, I plan on joining

additional social networks and utilizing the ones I currently use (Facebook, Twitter, and Cinch) more effectively. Within these social networks I plan on expanding my contact lists and attempting to make useful connections in the field I plan to get into. Furthermore, I will hopefully be able to look to these new connections for assistance should I come across any issues in my career. Lastly I will try to maintain contact with my classmates because they will no doubt become very productive in their chosen fields and having them as contacts will prove very useful.




My iGoogle

Portals!

A portal is a web site that serves as a gateway to web content and services. Portals are often classified by their targeted audiences. Examples of such portals include general consumer portals, personal portals, vertical portals, industry portals, and corporate portals. General consumer portals offer broad areas of content such as search tools, news and weather, stocks and reference tools amongst others. Examples of popular consumer portals are Yahoo, Lycos and MSN.

Personal portals, also known as horizontal portals, are consumer portals whose content can be customized to suit your needs. Examples of such portals are My Yahoo, My Lycos, and My MSN.

Vertical portals, sometimes called Vortals, provide gateways for users with more specific interests such as video games or gardening. Examples of Vortals include National Cancer Institute and the Penn State Youth Portal. Vertical portal that target viewers interested in a specific industry are called industry portals. Examples include Web Host Industry Review, EARTHWEB, and Farms.com.

Finally, corporate portals or enterprise information portals (EIPs) can be used to access a company's business information, work with each other through email, or conduct business transactions.