Week 1: Build the Digital Portfolio Foundation

This week starts with the first requirement in the district Computer Systems curriculum: create a website that can function as a digital portfolio and learn how to improve photographs for that site. You will also begin the presentation strand that continues through Week 3.

A portfolio is more than a folder of finished files. It is a system for showing what you made, why you made it, and what evidence proves that it works. A useful portfolio needs structure, navigation, readable media, responsible source records, and a clear audience.

You will build the first version of that system this week.

What you will learn

By the end of the week, you should be able to:

• explain the difference between a page, a site, a link, and navigation;
• organize a simple portfolio so another person can find information without guessing;
• test links and diagnose common navigation failures;
• crop, resize, correct, and export an image for a specific purpose;
• compare an original image with an edited version and explain what changed;
• write useful alternative text for an informative image;
• record where media came from and whether you are allowed to use it;
• integrate an optimized image into the portfolio without exposing private information; and
• begin a short presentation with a clear audience, purpose, and visual hierarchy.

Labs this week

Week 1 contains several short labs:

1. build a portfolio skeleton;
2. test and repair navigation;
3. enhance an image;
4. integrate the image with accessibility and source evidence; and
5. begin a three-slide presentation.

The website and presentation are not throwaway exercises. They continue into Weeks 2 and 3.

What you will submit

Keep the following evidence:

• a working portfolio home page or approved local equivalent;
• at least two working navigation links;
• one original or teacher-supplied image plus an edited version;
• a short edit record explaining crop, resize, correction, and export choices;
• useful alt text for the edited image;
• a source/provenance record for the media;
• the first three slides of your presentation; and
• the weekly reflection.

You will also complete a Week 1 quiz covering the concepts and skills used in these labs.

Tool options

Use school-managed tools when they are available. Photoshop, PowerPoint, and a school-approved website surface are valid choices. If those tools are unavailable, use the approved fallback supplied by your teacher. The requirement is that you perform and explain the work, not that you create a personal account or publish publicly.