With the week off from work (hooray for MidWinter Break!!!), I’m using the days off to get caught up in class. I find myself at a distinctive disadvantage from the class, as many members of this class took Dr. Gilbert’s Technological Trends class just last semester. Me? I took the course back in 2002 (gulp). If there’s one things about computers and technology that everyone should know, it’s that 6 years is literally several lifetimes worth of development, concepts, ideas, and advancements. I remember the really basic websites we made for class back in 2002 and compare them to the work that the NYU students are doing now, and the difference is quite staggering.
That being said, having taken this class so long ago only makes me more aware now of how browing the Internet is a totally new experience. It seems that every Website nowadays features animation, flash, video, more “interactive”media features…at the risk of sounding like an “old timer”, I still remember that such features were more the rarity than the norm, back in 2002. I guess one doesn’t notice such things….unless they do happen to visit an “old” website and realize just how far the Internet experience has come.
As I struggle to work on and complete my Flash projects, I am amazed to see what is out there in terms of animation. One thing I’ve noticed is that many universities and even high schools are really taking advantage of Flash-type animation and interactive media features to make the “visit” as memorable as possible. The LaGuardia High School website, for example ( http://www.laguardiahs.org/ ) has a cool animated introduction which really suits the school. NYU’s website ( www.nyu.edu) has a Video Spotlight section that allows visitors to get a deeper impression of the school.
My own school where I teach, New Explorations into Science, Technology and Math, or NEST+m for short, does not have quite as memorable a website ( http://www.nestmk12.net/index2.html ), which is unfortunately because our school has so much to display and offer! I hope that my experiences with Flash will help me in possibly upgrading our Website and make it more memorable to those who visit, especially prospective students.
