Lesson 4: Publish Media Responsibly

Yesterday you improved an image. Today you make it part of the portfolio without creating a new problem.

A media file can be technically correct and still be a poor publishing choice. It may be too large, missing alternative text, improperly sourced, or contain information that should not be public.

Publishing is a technical action and a responsibility decision at the same time.

Alternative text is not a caption

Alternative text, usually shortened to alt text, describes the useful information an image contributes when the image cannot be seen.

A caption and alt text may overlap, but they do different jobs.

Imagine a portfolio image showing a student-built robot on a competition field.

Weak alt text:

Image

Still weak:

Robot picture

Better:

Red-and-black competition robot positioned in front of the scoring grid during a test run.

The better version communicates the content and context that matter.

Do not stuff alt text with every visual detail. Include what a person needs to understand the image's purpose on the page.

Decorative images are different

Some images exist only for visual decoration. A decorative background texture may not communicate important information.

Do not invent a long description for decoration just to fill a field. Follow the accessibility controls supported by your platform and teacher guidance.

The key question is:

If this image disappears, what information does the visitor lose?

That answer tells you what the alt text should preserve.

Provenance: where did this file come from?

Provenance means the record of where something came from and what happened to it.

For media, a useful provenance record may include:

• original creator;
• original source or location;
• date acquired or created;
• permission or license basis;
• edits made; and
• final filename.

You do not need a legal essay for every image. You do need enough information that someone can trace the asset later.

Privacy check before publishing

Look at the image itself, not just the file name.

Check for:

• student names on badges or papers;
• addresses;
• usernames;
• email addresses;
• school IDs;
• screens showing private information;
• faces when permission is uncertain; and
• location information that should not be shared.

If the image contains information that should not be published, do not upload it and hope no one notices. Replace, crop, redact, or use a teacher-supplied alternative.

Lab 1: Build a media record

For the image from Lesson 3, create a media record with these fields:

If you created the photograph yourself, record yourself as the creator and note that the file is student-created.

If the source or permission is uncertain, stop. Use a teacher-approved image instead of guessing.

Naming files so humans can understand them

Compare:

• IMG_8821_finalFINAL2.jpg
• robot-test-run-banner.jpg

The second filename communicates purpose.

Good filenames are usually:

• short;
• descriptive;
• free of personal information;
• consistent; and
• safe for the platform you are using.

Avoid spaces when your platform or local website workflow handles hyphenated names more reliably.

Lab 2: Integrate the image

Add the edited image to the portfolio home page or project section.

Then check:

1. Does the image load?
2. Is it displayed at a sensible size?
3. Does the page remain readable?
4. Is useful alt text present?
5. Does the filename avoid private information?
6. Is the source record saved with your project evidence?

If your platform provides an accessibility checker, run it. Treat the checker as one source of evidence, not proof that the entire page is accessible.

Test the page under a constraint

A good web page should not depend on ideal conditions.

Choose one bounded test:

• resize the browser window;
• use a smaller approved device;
• zoom the page to 200%; or
• use a slower preview mode if your platform provides one.

Record what happens to the image and surrounding text.

If the layout breaks, document the failure before changing it.

Common failure: “I found it online, so I can use it”

Availability is not permission.

Search results show where files can be found. They do not automatically grant reuse rights.

For this course, use your own media, teacher-supplied media, school-approved licensed collections, or sources whose reuse terms you can document.

The deeper intellectual-property strand comes later in the course. For now, build the habit of recording where media came from instead of treating the Internet as an anonymous file cabinet.

Evidence to keep

Save:

• completed media record;
• integrated portfolio page;
• alt text;
• privacy check result;
• one constrained-view test; and
• any revision made because of that test.

Exit check

Explain the difference between these three statements:

• The image loads.
• The image is accessible.
• The image is appropriate to publish.

They are not the same claim.

Next lesson, we begin the presentation project that continues through Week 3.