Being very detail oriented could be a weakness or strength depending on the view and the situation. Or perhaps, the fact that I am a perfectionist translates to taking a while to get the work in a written format. On the other hand, taking the time minimizes the number of grammar/spelling mistakes etc. which can have a big impact on the work as well. So, that’s on the positive note.

Where was the fun part? The answer is: “Everywhere”. Along the way, throughout the course, in the way it was designed, just to mention a few sections.

Our outline related to creating the Web Folio and LinkedIn contained Dr. Paterson’s lines that read:

…my profile on LinkedIn is quite whimsical and a little off-beat for your average academic; this is because I want to represent myself as a unique educator. I am not interested in the average academic jobs…

What did she mean by that? Well… If you have been in her class, you will know… It is the way she designs her class program (the study material), writes her emails, the Instructor’s Blog, and interact with students in the online environment. I never took a “fun” English class before.  This is a first one!

So, this self-assessment reflection turns out to be a little …bittersweet…

As I review my work during this course, I can say this has been quite an accomplishment, which I did not think I was fully capable of. I can honestly say that it was very much worth the effort as I have gained strong writing fundamentals I can continue building on. I am also a lot more confident in my writing skills and style.

I am a little sad that the course has come to an end, but on the other hand, I am very happy I had the privilege to be one of Dr. Paterson’s students because she really is a unique Educator.  Thank you, Dr. Paterson and also, thank you to the Technical Knockout’s Team Members and Everyone in the Class of the Summer 2016 for your creative writing skills, the peer reviewing and your great attitude towards it all. This has been such a great experience I will take with me on my writing journey whatever that turns out to be.

The concept of creating this Web Folio could easily be compared to designing a garden and starting to plant in it. Obviously, the first thought is about the site where you would want your plants to grow. Deciding on the different themes is like choosing different categories of plants to grow: flowers, shrubs, grass, maybe a fruit tree or where you just want to place your planters with the annuals in them.

Next, the decision is to get enough variation within each category for the best display. The same goes for organizing the work within each group of themes. Designing a beautiful garden that everyone admires takes a lot of work; the planning behind the scene, proper watering and fertilization, trimming and pruning, deadheading, and so on. Sometimes, despite all the best efforts of the gardener things do not grow according to the plan.

During my first two or three weeks into the course, I had probably experienced every single bad case of program unresponsiveness, unfriendliness and everything in between. I just could not get my website going and every time I compared it with other websites, it did not show what it was supposed to show. Dr. Paterson’s patience was unlimited with me at that particular time and for the right reason. After yet another trial, everything was working.

For a novice Web creator, like myself, I am quite happy with my accomplishments. I realize that some things could be a little better but the fact that this is my first “growing season” deserves an extra credit, would you agree? As you navigate through different categories, you will get some insights of my inner site and you will get to read examples of my creative technical writing as outlined in this course. Even though I have tried my best, the site is not completely perfect but you will realize that very few things really are. This Web Folio is my personal work and it is unique in that sense.  Would you agree?… I hope you’ll enjoy it.

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