2011 Web Design Competition
Women, Wishes, and Web Design Serendipity
The Beginning
Since sixth grade, when dialup Internet became a novelty, I simultaneously became a computer geek. Countless hours have been spent using search engines to locate information, communicating on Internet Relay Chat, and navigating rivers and fighting off thieves on the Oregon Trail.
Fast-forward to today where I am reading hundreds of online articles per week, networking with people across the globe on Twitter and Facebook, and using a slingshot to fling animals into various structures in Angry Birds.
The types of activities that have preoccupied me have adjusted little. The real change has been the access time. Thank God for high-speed Internet.
After taking several computer classes in high school, I decided that a career as a business teacher would be the perfect fit. After all, I was the one racing around the classroom helping my classmates with Excel formulas and business letter formats. Because of my passion for learning, I continue to develop a solid personal network and research new methods to reach my students every day. But it is my love for seeing my student’s soar that prompted me to enter them into a life-changing contest sponsored by the Michigan Council of Women in Technology (MCWT).
The Contest
Prior to the 2010-11 school year, I did not know MCWT existed. It was my technology director, Fran Hubert, who sent a web design contest flyer to my inbox. Hundreds of professional development opportunities and contests grace my desk annually. This one was no different. And it certainly was not printed on neon paper nor did it have glitter shimmering around the letters of the title to make it stand out. But web design is my favorite class to teach so I jumped at this chance.
In this first year, three young ladies were registered for the contest, two placed in the top twelve, and one was awarded with an honorable mention distinction. Because of the success in this pilot year, it was now mandatory for all of my web design ladies to enter the contest.
Unlike last year, where the competition consisted of three metro-Detroit counties, this time the contest was open to six counties in southeast Michigan. The theme for the contest was Magic Genie in a Bottle: Three Wishes. As the title suggests, students were required to create a five-page website that captured their inner-most desired wishes. With guidance from me and rigid rules from contest authorities, students had nine weeks to put their sites together. Aside from the sheer amount of work done within the classroom, students also sent a total of 89 emails, 26 tweets, 22 Facebook messages to me asking my feedback. Many of their messages simply asked me to read a paragraph or check an edited photo. They truly wanted to ensure quality every step of the way. It makes me proud to see this type of learning engagement surface through the use of social networking. On top of using me as ping-pong for pointers, students spent a colossal amount of time before school, after school, and at home modifying their work. Depending on the contest category that the students chose to enter, beginner or advanced, the first place prizes were $450 and $750 respectively.
On December 3, students presented their websites to a panel of five business executives including Janet MacQueen, the Vice President of Blue Care Network, Mark Parker, the Regional Operating Officer of Mercedes-Benz, Linda Monteith, the Vice President of Comerica Bank, Charlotte Decker, the Vice President and CTO of AAA Michigan, and Gloria Schneider of Compuware with the hope of winning that top spot. With only twelve finalists selected from each category, these students should be thrilled to place regardless of the prize.
Lake Shore has truly talented students within the district. By focusing on the student ownership aspect within each lesson, providing real world opportunities, and giving constant feedback, all students will excel in their learning. I cannot begin to try totaling the amount of unpaid hours I have spent helping students on this project each fall. But what I do know is that it will never add up to the joy I receive by the enormous smiles, warm hugs, and you’ve-changed-my-life thank yous.
It was not the contest itself that filled my heart with admiration for MCWT. It was the countless volunteers who sacrificed family and work time to provide these teenagers with an authentic learning opportunity. The professionals at MCWT truly love giving back to others and their generosity is displayed through both their words and works.
The Results
Here are the results of the contest for Lake Shore High School students:
Eva Smith, junior, 2nd place - $500 cash
Christina Denomme, senior, 3rd place - $300 cash
Lisa Nye, senior, 4th place - $75 cash
Beginner Category:
Jacqueline Buffa and Brooke Dombrow, seniors, 1st place - $400 cash
Mallory Burr, junior, 2nd place - $250 cash
The Materials
Like many other school districts across the globe, Lake Shore has had its own financial woes. In a technology class, it is more important than ever to keep current with industry standards by supplying the classroom with the latest hardware and software. While some districts were using Dreamweaver, Flash, and Photoshop CS5, Lake Shore students knew that working with limited tools would be a challenge. Notepad ++, a free download, was the editor we used to create each website. Photoshop Elements 9 allowed students to manipulate graphics in professional ways. Because of the contest results, it is proof that students do not need the most expensive tools to produce high-end results. It is solid instruction, critical thinking skills, and creativity that are the ingredients for victory. Finalist Sarah Woolsey commented, “The lack of equipment and software did make creating our sites and going through the class much more difficult. However, if we all accomplished such great things with so little, the things we could accomplish with newer equipment and software are unthinkable.”
The Males
And what about the males, you ask? Because technology career fields are male-dominated, the contest through MCWT was only open to females. When explaining this to all students enrolled in web design, the males simply shrugged their shoulders and did not let their lack of participation in the contest deter their enthusiasm for learning course content and completing a wish website of their own. Stacey DeLoose, a technology-saavy parent, volunteered to give the males a prize incentive for the best male website with the sponsorship from her company. It is truly the generosity of the community that can make an entire school tick. Senior Ben Matthews reflected, “This class has given me the chance to show what I can do in a different way. Instead of excelling in math or science [like usual], I can do well in designing and creating a unique website. It’s a bad thing I am a senior, because I would definitely take this class next year if I had the chance.” Like Matthews, the males thoroughly enjoyed the process of creating the site despite not being able to enter the formal contest through MCWT.
The Final Thought
Mitch Albom wrote, “Stardom is a funny thing here. You don’t achieve it by talking loud or dating a supermodel. You achieve it by shyly lowering your head when they introduce you or tossing the ball to the refs after scoring a touchdown. ” Through the continual actions of volunteers who promote technology nationally, statewide, and locally, I want to say many thanks to you.
Since sixth grade, when dialup Internet became a novelty, I simultaneously became a computer geek. Countless hours have been spent using search engines to locate information, communicating on Internet Relay Chat, and navigating rivers and fighting off thieves on the Oregon Trail.
Fast-forward to today where I am reading hundreds of online articles per week, networking with people across the globe on Twitter and Facebook, and using a slingshot to fling animals into various structures in Angry Birds.
The types of activities that have preoccupied me have adjusted little. The real change has been the access time. Thank God for high-speed Internet.
After taking several computer classes in high school, I decided that a career as a business teacher would be the perfect fit. After all, I was the one racing around the classroom helping my classmates with Excel formulas and business letter formats. Because of my passion for learning, I continue to develop a solid personal network and research new methods to reach my students every day. But it is my love for seeing my student’s soar that prompted me to enter them into a life-changing contest sponsored by the Michigan Council of Women in Technology (MCWT).
The Contest
Prior to the 2010-11 school year, I did not know MCWT existed. It was my technology director, Fran Hubert, who sent a web design contest flyer to my inbox. Hundreds of professional development opportunities and contests grace my desk annually. This one was no different. And it certainly was not printed on neon paper nor did it have glitter shimmering around the letters of the title to make it stand out. But web design is my favorite class to teach so I jumped at this chance.
In this first year, three young ladies were registered for the contest, two placed in the top twelve, and one was awarded with an honorable mention distinction. Because of the success in this pilot year, it was now mandatory for all of my web design ladies to enter the contest.
Unlike last year, where the competition consisted of three metro-Detroit counties, this time the contest was open to six counties in southeast Michigan. The theme for the contest was Magic Genie in a Bottle: Three Wishes. As the title suggests, students were required to create a five-page website that captured their inner-most desired wishes. With guidance from me and rigid rules from contest authorities, students had nine weeks to put their sites together. Aside from the sheer amount of work done within the classroom, students also sent a total of 89 emails, 26 tweets, 22 Facebook messages to me asking my feedback. Many of their messages simply asked me to read a paragraph or check an edited photo. They truly wanted to ensure quality every step of the way. It makes me proud to see this type of learning engagement surface through the use of social networking. On top of using me as ping-pong for pointers, students spent a colossal amount of time before school, after school, and at home modifying their work. Depending on the contest category that the students chose to enter, beginner or advanced, the first place prizes were $450 and $750 respectively.
On December 3, students presented their websites to a panel of five business executives including Janet MacQueen, the Vice President of Blue Care Network, Mark Parker, the Regional Operating Officer of Mercedes-Benz, Linda Monteith, the Vice President of Comerica Bank, Charlotte Decker, the Vice President and CTO of AAA Michigan, and Gloria Schneider of Compuware with the hope of winning that top spot. With only twelve finalists selected from each category, these students should be thrilled to place regardless of the prize.
Lake Shore has truly talented students within the district. By focusing on the student ownership aspect within each lesson, providing real world opportunities, and giving constant feedback, all students will excel in their learning. I cannot begin to try totaling the amount of unpaid hours I have spent helping students on this project each fall. But what I do know is that it will never add up to the joy I receive by the enormous smiles, warm hugs, and you’ve-changed-my-life thank yous.
It was not the contest itself that filled my heart with admiration for MCWT. It was the countless volunteers who sacrificed family and work time to provide these teenagers with an authentic learning opportunity. The professionals at MCWT truly love giving back to others and their generosity is displayed through both their words and works.
The Results
Here are the results of the contest for Lake Shore High School students:
Eva Smith, junior, 2nd place - $500 cash
Christina Denomme, senior, 3rd place - $300 cash
Lisa Nye, senior, 4th place - $75 cash
Beginner Category:
Jacqueline Buffa and Brooke Dombrow, seniors, 1st place - $400 cash
Mallory Burr, junior, 2nd place - $250 cash
The Materials
Like many other school districts across the globe, Lake Shore has had its own financial woes. In a technology class, it is more important than ever to keep current with industry standards by supplying the classroom with the latest hardware and software. While some districts were using Dreamweaver, Flash, and Photoshop CS5, Lake Shore students knew that working with limited tools would be a challenge. Notepad ++, a free download, was the editor we used to create each website. Photoshop Elements 9 allowed students to manipulate graphics in professional ways. Because of the contest results, it is proof that students do not need the most expensive tools to produce high-end results. It is solid instruction, critical thinking skills, and creativity that are the ingredients for victory. Finalist Sarah Woolsey commented, “The lack of equipment and software did make creating our sites and going through the class much more difficult. However, if we all accomplished such great things with so little, the things we could accomplish with newer equipment and software are unthinkable.”
The Males
And what about the males, you ask? Because technology career fields are male-dominated, the contest through MCWT was only open to females. When explaining this to all students enrolled in web design, the males simply shrugged their shoulders and did not let their lack of participation in the contest deter their enthusiasm for learning course content and completing a wish website of their own. Stacey DeLoose, a technology-saavy parent, volunteered to give the males a prize incentive for the best male website with the sponsorship from her company. It is truly the generosity of the community that can make an entire school tick. Senior Ben Matthews reflected, “This class has given me the chance to show what I can do in a different way. Instead of excelling in math or science [like usual], I can do well in designing and creating a unique website. It’s a bad thing I am a senior, because I would definitely take this class next year if I had the chance.” Like Matthews, the males thoroughly enjoyed the process of creating the site despite not being able to enter the formal contest through MCWT.
The Final Thought
Mitch Albom wrote, “Stardom is a funny thing here. You don’t achieve it by talking loud or dating a supermodel. You achieve it by shyly lowering your head when they introduce you or tossing the ball to the refs after scoring a touchdown. ” Through the continual actions of volunteers who promote technology nationally, statewide, and locally, I want to say many thanks to you.
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