A new skill that I have been developing during my time at conner prairie is using their digital software Black Baud. Black Baud is similar to Word Press but slightly different. AJ Fetcher, Conner Prairie’s Web Administrator, has been incredibly helpful and patient with me while learning how to use the software. My time at Conner Prairie has allowed me to build upon the skills that I learned in previous semesters. One skill in particular that I have had a lot of time to work on was web planning/designing. Something that I have had to consider while creating my exhibit page is how the design will be viewed depending on the device used. This has been slightly challenging for me, as the projects I have created in the past were typically only used/viewed on a computer. However, thanks to AJ’s and the team over at Black Baud, things are starting to come together! Another skill I have been developing is using different forms of media to help enhance my exhibit page. Huge shout out to my mentor, Ryan Shank, who is helping bring one of the letters written by a Civil War soldier to life. The video is of a Union soldier reenactor reading a letter out loud. The original letter itself came from a soldier named William R. Lowes. Within the letter, he discussed his opinions on the war and his longing for home. I have learned that adding different types of media to an exhibit page can help immerse users in the information. Lastly, I have learned that by including content such as the soldier video, will allow users to create an emotional connection with the information.
Some other skills that I would like to develop in the future include creating other learning tools. I have found that I really enjoy helping other people learn. I would like to develop the skill set required for both online and in-person learning. I am excited to learn how to create online lesson plans so that teachers may use them. Also, I would like to continue building upon the web-building knowledge that I have previously learned. Although I think coding might be a stretch to learn, I still would like to continue learning about the different purposes web pages can have. Overall, I believe that everything that I have learned at Conner Prairie so far will be incredibly useful to me in the future.
