This is a Blogger class that Jil is taking

 
Dear Blog:

I'm doing a Blog Workshop at the Grad Center on October 8th.

Here is what the Grad Center advertised about the workshop:

Blogging Workshop
Learn how you can join the blogging revolution as a reader and/or creator of blogs. What's a Blog? During this one-hour workshop, you'll learn the answer to this question and much more. You'l learn how to publish and organize content, images, links, and other materials using blogging software. You'll also learn how to set up your blog for yourself and colleagues and to post comments and have discussions.

Instructor: Jil MacMenamin is a Web Database Consultant. Jil works with client's proprietary web databases that include: PowerSchool - a student information system(SIS) and Web Trader - Peachtree's retail e-commerce system.

She has extensive experience in database programming & system development, software testing, data warehouse report generation, and corporate training.

Jil has been an adjunct faculty at the Community College of Vermont for 20 years. Specializing in computer training, she currently teaches web programming classes and internet graphics for both on-line and classroom instruction.

For fun she teaches technology classes at a private elementary & middle school, developing theories for bringing the paperless office to fruition by teaching through doing.

MSIE - Grad Center of Marlboro CollegeBA, Mathematics & AS, Computer Programming - Vermont State College at Castleton. When: Saturday October 8th, from 11:45am to 12:45pmWhere: Marlboro College Graduate Center
posted by Jil at 11:56 PM

 
Well - as hard as it is to beleive - it's been another year. I'm an independant consultant, I have set up several small businesses in town with networks and web interfaces. I am also doing quite a bit of teaching at both an Elementary and College level. Although I have taught for 25 years, it still seams new - and I'm still amazed how much people need to learn about computers.

My true love has been and always will be databases. I get to work on a nice Web Database and create XML reports which work cross platform. I always have loved databases - but web database access rocks.

Talk again in a year?? Who knows...... I'm teaching my students Blogging - so you may see more posts.
posted by Jil at 6:19 PM

 
I'm updating this - It's been over a year - and I have graduated from the MSIE program - and finally feel comfortable with the title of "Alumni". I seriously, very seriously thought about exending my time - by not graduating. I couldn't stand the thought of no longer being in the Masters Program at Marlboro. But because with a Grad Degree you become a life long learner - you have the ability to take workshops and audit classes at the same fees as if you extended the degree program only you now had your masters. So it didn't make financial sence to extend my program - but I continued to call myself a graduate. Next week I will be attendiny my first Class Reunion - and I am going to call myself an "Alumni" - I guess I really did graduate. And I love it.
posted by Jil at 3:03 PM

 
I am in the final trimester of my Masters Program.
I am sharing Bloggs and how I use them with a classmate.
posted by Jil at 1:52 PM

 
Jen's Feedback 4/13
Met with Jen after the Flash Class, We went over all the screens, gots lots of good feedback.

posted by Jil at 3:41 AM

 
The YMCA will have to manually go through the new guests and pick and choose what goes into the Database.
There would be a siginificant amount of coding to do it within the system and a fair amount of maintance to
code for all the odd things that weren't thought of. Its faster to just have the staff review and accept or reject with
a single click then generate a Welcome letter with another click.

I'll add that to the reports section
Jason's feedback
posted by Jil at 7:43 PM

 
Jason:

I am just auditing this trimester, and would like to audit the Web Design II class next trimester.
I may ask permission to Take Web Design II for credit - I'm not sure -I'm still looking at my schedule. Do you see any issues If I were to take it for credit?

Thanks for the feedback, I have learned a great deal from this class and am looking forward to WDII. I'd be happy to share/present with/to the class my project. It would help with the introduction for next trimester, because I would like to be able to bring my "Design Challenges" for this project to the Chats & Class.

There are soooooooo many ways to do data entry, but which way is the best?
That is what I'm hoping to explore in WDII:
1.) data entry flow
2.) menu's
3.) Help

You don't have to answer any of these responses to your questions, I'm using them for my prep/blogg for Saturday's class. This is your copy of the plan.

1.) Your description of how everything works on the help page is great
--> Good - At McKesson HBOC where I worked (a fortune 35 company) they used the Help as the General Spec, Documentation & Help - everything was in 1 place at first I thought it felt funny, but as I used it, having everything in one place solved a lot of issues, and created a one stop shop.

2.) I’m not sure what the difference is between add a new mailing list and save a new mailing list.
-->Yes, I’ll clean that up

3.) If you haven’t already you might want to do a few user scenarios. If you are presenting this to the class, that might be a good way to sort of walk everyone through the process so they can understand it.
--> I wanted to use the Help for the User scenarios or Use Cases as we call them. Maybe I could use that idea next trimester and polish it. To combine the Use Cases and the Help. Hummm – I think it would be a good idea, especially for such a small system. Easier on maintance as development changes hands.

4.) Sometimes it makes sense to create wireframes of the “thank you” screens (i.e. “Thank you your mailing list has been saved”).
--> Good Idea – for the Member Information Screen (outside security)
These new inquires need to be screened before they are added to the database. (Or I may automate this process if I learn the skills in time)

5.) Who will use this site? Are there different classes of users, such as admin, guests, and members? Do all users have the ability to do everything, or are some things only allowed by certain users?
--> Three Groups – On the SSL Secure Socket Layer site will be used by Admin and Staff. A Member/Guest page(s) will be available for a member to add-only their information. Any changes will need to be made my Admin & Staff as the site stands now. There is a LOT of work to do to get this done by Aug.

6.) Is there a main navigation? The navigation on screen A feels like a main navigation, but then that changes in other places. (I may just be confused because I don’t know the different classes of users for this site).
--> Yea, I can use help here – Jen Kramer will be contributing a “shell” so that the data entry screens have the same look and feel as the rest of the www.meetingwatersymca.org site.

7.) Will there be any email confirms when certain things happen? For instance does someone get an email saying “You have been added to a mailing list”, or would an admin get an email every time a new group is added, so that they can make sure no-one is using the site illegally?
--> That is a good idea for the Member/Guest who enters information.
For the Admin & Staff we may want a daily activity/log confirmation.

8.) Does there need to be any sort of approval process for any of this content?
--> Yes everything will get final approval from the YMCA director. For a full list of deliverables for my capstone, visit my website:
http://bob.marlboro.edu/~jilmac/YMCA/YMCA.html

My specific deliverables are listed in my blog:
http://www.sover.net/%7Ejilmac/blogger/blogger.html
Which could be moved out and put in a nicer chart.

posted by Jil at 11:42 AM

 
Send Jen Kramer the link to the Help/User Doc for YMCA.
Also sent a link to the 7 basic YMCA Database screens.

Attended Jen Kramers Usability Class on Sunday April 23rd.
Created some basic wireframes, Scallop was my partner and she
gave me some really great ideas, and simplified. I got motivated
posted by Jil at 12:36 PM

 
YMCA Database Project Scope broken down into Roles and Responsibilities:

Jil MacMenamin:
* Create a relational database with postgreSQL or mySQL - DONE in Access - 4/08/03, SQL loaded on Volcano
* Detail costs involved to support the database and give options for several server sites
* Create a transition path for the database and system to be moved to the server site
* Code Database & Selection Screens to:
___Create login security for Admin, and YMCA staff
___Create Admin functions to change YMCA staff passwords
___Create YMCA functions of Administrative data entry, Admin Reporting
___Create YMCA staff data entry, cleanup, and basic reporting
___Allow Internet data entry for Admin, Staff, Volunteers & Customers
___Allow customers to select their catagories of interest
___Allow volunteers to identify their skill sets
___Allow contributor to identify contribution interests
___Allow all to select the type of communication level: e-mail, phone, visit
* Create Reports/Extracts & Report Selection screens for:
___An Export file in an Access importable format (could be used for camp, etc)
___Uploads from current database
___Mailing lists for:
- all customers, by type of interest, by type of customer
- all volunteers, by type of skill set
- all contributors
Administration Reports
General statistical Reports
* Create Administrative & Staff User Manual - FIRST DRAFT of Help 4/05 WebDesign Presentation

-----------------------------
Potential future projects:
Alerts for new entries
On line Charge Card payments
Extended Content Management areas


1. Deadlines, deliverables Jil must have ready for testing/approval
Steve Fortier:
March – Provide letter of support for project - DONE 3/14/03
March - Provide Catagories for:
Types of interests
Types of skill sets
Contributor – Statement of Support (SOS) groupings (Financial, Time, Expertise)
April - Provide export file & file layout from current database (Works) to populate database.
Provide feedback & changes on wireframe page layouts
May - Test screen entry for look and feel
June - Test screen entry for look and feel
July - Provide selection & funding for Server Site

Jen Kramer:
April – Provide feedback & changes on wireframe page layouts - DONE 4/13/03
May - Test screen entry for look and feel
June - Provide HTML template for consistency with rest of site
June - Give recommendations for Report selections
July - Incorporate Data Entry screens into the current website

3/14/03 - Letter of Intent is signed and delivered to Persons School for outline above
2/20/03 - Received e-mail approval from Mark Francillon for Capstone
2/19/03 - FIRST MEETING with YMCA's Steve Fortier & Jen Kramer
Discussed scope of project and got specs for submitting Request for Capstone

posted by Jil at 2:33 PM

 
I am sooooo excited. The very DAY that I learned about blogging (Discussed by Instructor Jason Mark in Web Development and a special workshop taught by Jen Kramer) Blogger was purchased by Google.com (as Instructor Mark Francillon states: "8th wonder of the world).

Weblogs, or "blogs" for short, are a form of grassroots online diary publishing that give ordinary people with limited technical knowledge the ability to update personal Web sites. A blog consists of short, frequently updated postings that are arranged chronologically, highlighting the latest material.

For Google, which has become a household name for searching the Web, the move marks the privately held company's latest push beyond search and into publishing. Last fall, it launched Google News. Two years ago Google acquired Deja.com's Usenet, a massive archive of Web-based discussion groups.

posted by Jil at 8:49 AM