ECI 575 - Web Development for Educators - Agenda for Week of September 13

Tasks

• Complete HTML Basics Part 2
• Begin Assignment One
• Planning for the World Wide Web (supplemental reading)
• Assignments

HTML Basics Part 2

Continue using Webmonkey, a site full of web authoring tutorials. Note that these pages are constructed to allow you to print them out if you wish. The directions are a bit chatty, but give you a quick introduction to the subject.

Use the Teaching Tool to learn the remaining HTML skills and tags:

• Links
• Mailtos
• Adding/Aligning Images
• Background Image
• Image Borders
• Ordered Lists
• Unordered Lists
• Definition Lists

In each case, be sure to practice the tag by completing the "try it" link at the end of the article if one is present.

Of course this is a bit overwhelming! But with practice you will be able to remember these tags. Or you can print out this cheat sheet and keep it handy:

• HTML Cheat Sheet

Exercise

Continue to work on your simple web page . It should use the above tags to create a pleasing format. Add the following content:

• A link to the ODU home page
• A way for your visitors to email you
• At least one picture (preferably of yourself)
• A background image
• One list

Keep all your elements within the same folder. At the beginning of next week we will be uploading this work to a server.

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Begin Assignment One

Laying out the Personal Site

I have provided a sample resume and hotlist for you to work with during this exercise. We will first link the files together, then upload the site to the server. If time permits, we will create a folder structure and re-link the files according to the principles of relative linking.

1. Make a folder on your computer desktop (or Zip disk) titled "575_website"
2. Place the "index.html" file we made last week (the Simple Web Page) in the local "575_website" folder
3. Download (File->Save As [choose HTML Source]) this sample resume and save it in the local "575_website" folder
4. Download (File->Save As [choose HTML Source]) this sample hotlist and save it in the local "575_website" folder
5. Open each file and look for the text to link. Put in the correct <a href="filename"></a> tags (I'll help a lot). Each link is in brackets; remove the brackets when you insert the linking code.
6. Open the files in your browser and see if they work.

Perfect? Now try and create the structure for assignment one. Do this work in the local "575_website" folder you just created.

1. Create the structure
2. Drag the files into the proper locations as listed in 1.
3. Change the code on the links to reflect the relative path names. This file gives you a list of the exact code you need.
4. We will upload this to your web account next week.

Continue Searching, Bookmarking, Saving

Last week we started working on searching the web. This week we will continue the work, but now with a purpose. Your personal web site needs to contain a hotlist that consists of links found on the World Wide Web that relate to topic you are interested in. During the second part of class, complete the following.

1. Review Searching the World Wide Web
2. Review Bookmarking
3. Find and bookmark 5 to 10 sites you would like to include in your hotlist
4. Save the bookmark file into your personal site folder

Start Formatting your Personal Web Resume

Either take the example resume or your own resume and start experimenting with text formatting to make the document more legible.

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Planning for the World Wide Web

Take some time to complete a design document for your personal Web environment. The text gives some good questions to start with:

• What is it that you are designing, and why?
• Who will use it?
• How will we know if we've been successful?

In addition, here are six elements of planning identified by John December in the Web development: Processes section of his Web Development site.

1. Planning
2. Analysis
3. Design
4. Implementation
5. Promotion
6. Innovation

We are now concerned with the Planning stage of our personal web environments. Begin by thinking about the following questions:

1. Who is your audience? What do they expect from your web environment?
2. What is the purpose of your web site? What information do you want to display? Are you marketing yourself?
3. From #2, develop specific objectives for your site.
4. Finally, what domain information, or background knowledge, do you need to assemble for your site?

Refer especially to the part in December that talks about planning. Be sure to follow all of the links.

Do your best to begin to answer these questions. Understand that you will revisit this planning document many times as your knowledge of the Web increases and as your goals change. But do start by getting some ideas down on paper now.

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Assignments due week of September 20

Lab Work

• Compile a list of 10 bookmarks for your hotlist
• Revise design plan for your personal site and turn in next week

Readings

• Castro Chapter 4
  • Reading Notes
• Castro Chapter 13
  • Reading Notes
• Castro Chapter 25
  • Reading Notes