Mark DuBois Weblog

As we begin the fall semester, I wanted to share a few thoughts with students taking my classes in the ICC web curriculum.

First – welcome to class. I am here to help you better understand the material and apply it to real life situations. If you ever have a question about the material, contact me and I will do my best to help.

Second – you are responsible for your future. Since you are taking these classes, I make the assumption you aspire to be a web professional. You are encouraged to develop and enhance your professionalism as part of these classes. For example, do the absolute best you can on each assignment. Do not settle for second best. You may someday wish to include some of these as part of a portfolio of your work. Also, take responsibility for your actions. If you know you will miss a deadline, notify me in advance. As a general rule, I will provide you with extra time. However, if you do not notify me beforehand, you will receive a grade of “unsatisfactory” or a 0 for that assignment.

I hope you are looking forward to this semester as much as I am. For those who are in the East Peoria area, we do have an optional open lab for all CMWEB students on Wednesday and Thursday nights (from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. in TC 210 – ICC East Peoria campus). If you are able to make it – great.

The Peoria Gem/ Rock and Fossil show was held at the Ramada Hotel on August 22 and 23, 2009. These are some of the photos I took while attending the show. Thought you might enjoy seeing these. Lots of interesting specimens on display (many for sale).

We met with the public at the Hunter Museum of American Art on August 6. The event was well attended by members of business and industry as well as numerous educators from Chattanooga, Atlanta, and surrounding communities. These are some of the snapshots taken during this time. I did ask if it was permissible to take photos in the gallery and post them on the web and was told to go for it.

Members of various organizations (Adobe, Opera, WOW, AIGA, WaSP and Interact, to name a few) met to discuss the current state of web education and what can be done to improve opportunities for the profession and for aspiring professionals. We spent the majority of 3 days covering a multitude of topics and developing a set of action plans to pursue. These are some of the photos from that meeting.

One of the most intriguing art exhibits we visited was the HelloWorld.show(); exhibit and reception. Computer code as art. Quite a concept. A few of the images from that exhibit are shown below. Some of the participants in the OWEA (Open Web Education Alliance) meeting also had their art on display at this exhibit.

Our meetings in Chattanooga were held on the Delta Queen river boat. This craft was created in the 1920′s. It was a wonderful juxtaposition to discuss the future of web education in such a location. Here are a number of snapshots of the Delta Queen. I will be adding more photos and discussion over the next few days.

I had the pleasure of visiting Chattaqnooga, TN during the first week of August, 2009. These are some of the photos of the city and surrounding countryside. This is a most impressive city which has tremendous support for creative individuals. Thanks to Leslie for all her hard work in organizing our conference and the wonderful meals and entertainment. If you have questions about the photos, please contact me. Likewise, if anyone who participated in the OWEA summit would like a full copy of any of these photos, just let me know.