Considering the fact that part of the course curriculum for our ENG506 class is learning iLife applications, I find it pretty funny that no one in the class (except I think Ray) is using iWeb to make his/her website. However, I actually view this as a good thing. Let me explain.
The computer applications of the future are going to be all freely available on the Web. Audacity is not quite as great as GarageBand, but it's free and available to anyone with an Internet connection. The same goes for Picasa versus PhotoShop, and for dozens of other free downloadable applications off the Web which are nearly as comprehensive as their corporate counterparts.
I'm doing my final project for this course in iWeb, and, so that I can become more familiar with multiple ways to make a webpage, I am using GooglePages to make my personal site. I know that many others are using FreeWebs. I think this is great. Down with the man -- the Internet should be free!
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I see your point. Let me say that HTML has always been free. HTML is just a text file, so you can build webpages in any text editor. Of course learning to code in HTML is more of a technical challenge.
Something like Google Pages or even Blogger is great b/c it's free AND easy. (iWeb is also free and easy, if you buy a Mac since the program comes with the machine.)
You see I don't think it's really a money thing. You can have Studio 8 (with Dreamweaver and Flash) and Adobe CS (with Photoshop, Illustrator, and inDesign) for under $500 if you're an educator or student. Even if you're talking about 25 user licenses for a computer lab, it's not that much money in the context of the expense of the hardware, technical maintainence, and technical support.
What is expensive is the time on task spent to master these technologies. You're easily talking 100s of hours per year to maintain the skill level to teach this stuff.
I agree that these services are useful. I'm glad to have you and your colleagues using them. I think they are a great, easy, and inexpensive way to get students on the web. It's a good introduction to web production.
And I would never argue that everyone needs to be a web designer or know how to use Dreamweaver or PhotoShop or whatever. That said, I don't think the argument has to do with the cost; it has to do with the labor you have to invest.
I observed a high school English technologies class last spring where the students were using dreamweaver to craft their own webpages that included graphic arts that they had created, writing and resumes. Their instructor was a little bit upset that they were "bypassing the protocol" by inserting their own html codes instead of using the system tools provided. I am not much of an expert on html.
The html that I do use is stuff that I copy and paste to word docs, where I tinker and experiment with it and stuff until I like the looks of it. I can't remember names and phone numbers, let alone a list of codes. I save these lists of codes and use them again and again, copying, cutting and pasting and tinkering. I do plan to purchase dreamweaver (and a new scanner) next semester with my student loan refund.
I started to take a class at Binghamton one semester because I wanted to learn how to make cool webpages. I soon discovered that the class also was required to make spreadsheets for a fake business. There were four books on html. I quickly dropped this class. I did not want to know how to design programs; I only wanted to know how to make groovy looking webpages.
When you can get the dreamweaver for 180.00, is it really worthwile to get the bundle for 500.00? 300.00 makes a big difference when you are a student!
Corporate Internet = Slavery
Free Internet = Freedom
We should seize any opportunity to support the free and open society of the people. Of course we're also suporting google at the same time, so it gets tricky.
Alex, what are you suggesting then is the labor intensive cost of the various free apps? Are you making a case for one or another as being easier to use?
Belatedly, great post, Dave.
I guess I do worry with the free apps that they money is coming from somewhere. So, the ads on freewebs are a bit annoying and there is the potential that they could market a product/company I don't support on my own webpage!
I think Alex's point makes sense, but have found that the nitty gritty business of district budgets does go into the kind of financial detail that you're demarcating as relatively insignificant.
-chris
Dave, check out your latest pic
Thanks for the comment, Dr. Reid. I knew I was simplifying things quite a bit; thanks for articulating the counterpoint.
Just browsing for new content Dave...
hi dave! just visiting with some students, nice site.
Go Browns!
:( niners
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