What I hope to learn

In this class I want to learn new techniques and gather a fresh approach to web design. I have been writing online policies and documentation for five years for the company that I work for and I would like to gather some insight. I think it is important to learn tools used in web development and I would like to learn more about graphic and web page design. I am comfortable in Dreamweaver and I understand HTML, but I would like to learn more about common tasks performed in graphical programs that would be appropriate use for technical communication documentation.

As it is important to learn new software to keep up with technology, I would also like to discuss JavaScript, ASP, and other web-based technologies and how these affect technical communicators today. I think that we are heading towards more online documentation and less paper documentation for the future, so I think it is important to discuss how current web sites are being developed and what technical communicators can learn from this.

At the end of the semester, I hope that I have gathered a better understanding of the current tools, technology, and trends in web design and how technical communicators use these ideas.