FAQ for OAHS Web Design Students

Q: Your HTML and CSS assignments are too hard for High School students. Can you please stop assigning them to us?

A: I'm not so sure about that... Click here for another perspective, courtesy of B.H., OAHS class of 2015.

Q: I misspelled my password for my Google account a few times, and then they disabled my account and I can't access Google docs. I'm doing the assignment you asked us to do today on this account if that's okay. What should I do about the account?

A: The short answer is that Google has a recovery system, and you should use it. It may involve your phone- it's different in different cases. There should be a link to it right underneath the message telling you that your account has been disabled.

The long answer is that you need to write down the account name, user name (it's the same in this case), and the password every time you make an account online. No exceptions! Don't trust your memory!  I taught this until I was blue in the face before you joined the course, so you missed that little gem. Even so, a good handful of students have come to me saying their accounts didn't work, and they all had one thing in common. They ignored my advice, and didn't write down the user name and password. 

If worse comes to worse, you can always create another account. But this time, I know that you will write down the user name and password!

Q: I have fallen behind on my work- can I come after school for extra help?

A: Yes, I am generally available Monday and Wednesay starting right at 2:25 p.m. Just let me know you're coming. I would be happy to help.

Q: I got a bad grade on my assignment. Is there anything I can do?

A: Yes. To start, correct all of the problems (not just some of them). Then, make an appointment to meet with me after school on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday- the choice is yours. I will re-evaluate your work and raise your grade if everything is corrected, and if you do this in a timely fashion. The reevaluation usually doesn't take very long.

Q: I decided not to do any work today during our class lab time, because I was not in the mood. You don't mind if I come in during your prep period for extra help, do you?

A: Yes, I mind. The reason I give you lab time during class is so that I'm available to help you if you need it. I need my Prep Period in order to prepare lessons, grade student work, and a variety of other professional responsibilities. The solution to this problem is for you to do your work during your scheduled lab time.

Q: I'm stuck and don't know how to do the next thing on my website. What should I do- wait for you to help me?

A: I will help you individually as time permits, but no, don't wait for me. Virtually every step that you need to follow is in the directions I provided on my website. Reread the directions on my website, and you will probably find the answer. If you still have a question, do your best to find the answer on the Internet. Everything I know about web design is on the Internet. Also, the last item in the menu bar in almost every application is labeled Help. Click on this menu, and look for your answer. The answer to every web design question you could possibly have can be found in one of these three places.

It is your responsibility to find the answers if I am not available to help you at that moment. Don't wait for me.

Q: You didn't help me during class, so I sat and didn't do anything because I was stuck. I can get an extension, can't I?

A: Probably not. It is your responsibility to get the work done by the deadlines that I have set. My expectation is that you will work independently, and solve 95% of your web design problems on your own, or in collaboration with the people that are seated near you. See the previous question.

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Education Pays, as it turns out. Who knew?

Mr. O'Connell's Google Site

Items of Interest:

The Dangerous Myth of Multitasking:

"Multitasking reduces your efficiency and performance because your brain can only focus on one thing at a time. When you try to do two things at once, your brain lacks the capacity to perform both tasks successfully. Research also shows that, in addition to slowing you down, multitasking lowers your IQ."
-Travis Bradberry, Forbes Magazine

• Multitasking Damages Your Brain And Career, New Studies Suggest
• The Myth of Multitasking
• Multitasking: "Switching" cuts efficiency
• These Are The (Negative) Long-Term Effects Of Multitasking

Sound Diffusers 101: Free DIY Diffuser Designs

Here's an interesting website that deals with Acoustics, the science of sound. I have been making an informal study of the physics of sound waves in order to optimize my new home recording studio, and this site has a series of downloadable plans for building diffusion panels. I plan on building some in my wood shop this summer. J. Levine was kind enough to share this link with me that explains a bit more about why Musicians need to understand physics:

Physics of Sound

Study explores how to increase productivity by stopping cyberloafing

This study reveals a fresh new approach to the problem of Cyberloafing.

Grammarly

Great resource, suggested by Alex M, Class of 2020: This is a great resource for those who miss the green squiggly line in Microsoft Word!

Wheel Decide

Brainpop

oahs mcas

Type to Learn

Industrial Arts

Business and Technology

Quotes

To educate a person in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society.

Theodore Roosevelt

The future is a very uncertain place. It is devilishly difficult to anticipate what you’re going to need when you get there.

Mr. O’Connell

I hope you'll never move out of the house,
I'll miss paying for everything.

said no parent ever

Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Computers are incredibly fast, accurate and stupid. Human beings are incredibly slow, inaccurate and brilliant. Together they are powerful beyond imagination.

Albert Einstein

It has been my observation that most people get ahead during the time that others waste.

Henry Ford

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FAQ