Home Page Session 1

Building a Web Site
of Your Own

Session 1 - Session 1 begins with a review of web basics - what's a web page, what are its parts, what's a URL and what does it mean, etc. In part two of the session, we'll use HTML to create a simple page with the basic elements reviewed in part one! Here's the session outline:

Introductions, welcome, food, & enrollment for credit
Why web pages?
What's a web page, anyway?
Why HTML?
Learn a few simple HTML instructions
View a sample HTML page and explanations
Naming pages - guidelines for URLs
Let's make a page!
Practice time
Planning and organization - an introduction

Assignment

Complete enrollment at BlackBoard.com (online students only).
Create a simple HTML document containing at least one heading, at least one line break and one paragraph break, at least one horizontal rule, at least one short list, and at least two text styles. For participants in the full 1-credtit class, this "personal" page may be modified later to include a digital photo. If you wish, see a sample completed by an earlier course participant. Use the browser's "Back" button to return to this page.
Browse the Web for pages you like - make note of desirable characteristics. In particular, look at other school sites.
Download (FrontPage Express) or purchase (FrontPage 2000) a web authoring tool for use on your own computer.
Plan - bring an outline of the content you want on your page.
If time permits, check out some of the web design and creation resources on the Internet!
Submit a reaction/review to the "Grazing the Net" article from the link in the "Why Web Pages" portion of this session. Use the "Communications" section of the course site at BlackBoard.com.
Submit the HTML document created to the instructor. Use the "drop box" in the "Student Tools" section of the course site at BlackBoard.com.
Complete the first quiz - retake the quiz until at least an 80% correct is achieved. The quiz may be found at the course site at BlackBoard.com.

Send a copy of the HTML document to the instructor via the "drop box" and to submit your reaction/review for the reading. Complete the open-note quiz after working through these course materials.

[Session 1] [Session 2] [Session 3] [Session 4] [Session 5] [HomePage Overview] [Top]
This site copyrighted (2005) by Dr. Blake West - Please credit when linking to the site!
Kansas NEA - 715 SW 10th Ave. Topeka, KS 66612.

Check out these web design sites

How to make a Web Page: This site is a beginner's guide to creating a web page - it includes templates and support materials which may be downloaded. Its address is http://www.wam.umd.edu/~toh/HowToMakeAWebPage.html
Mindspring: This site links to how-to information and lots of great resources (such as icons) for use with your web pages. Their address is http://www.mindspring.com/~mconti/html.htm
Elements of Style: This site is the online version of information from William Strunk, Jr.'s Elements of Style reference manual. This resource would be invaluable for any person interested in publishing.
Sun Microsystems Style Guide: This is the web style guide for Sun Microsystems. It includes how-to information. Access it at http://www.sun.com/styleguide/
CNetCentral's Guide to Making a Web Page: This is CNet Central's web page with information for creators of web pages. Find it at http://www.cnet.com/content/features/Howto/Design/index.html
Making a Web Page for Educators: Here is a complete web creation course for educators. The person's maintaining the site also invite non-educators to come try out their resources, too, at http://k12.cndir.org:90/htmlintro.html
World Wide Web Consortium's Style Guide for Online Hypertext: This is a site called the "." In addition to providing practical guidelines for web authoring, they solicit suggestions from site visitors. See their resources at http://www.w3.org/pub/WWW/Provider/Style/Overview.html

Check out these links to other schools

Web 66: This site has links to quite a few schools with web sites. Browse around and see the content and the format that others have chosen for their education sites.
Yahoo's Education Links: The Yahoo search tool has a subcategory for education links. Other schools and links for educators can be found through the Yahoo site (try other popular search engines for additional links).

Top of page

Get a Web Page Editor Here

HoTMetaL: A shareware HTML editor for windows-based machines is available at ftp://ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu/Web/html/Windows/HoTMetaL/hotm1new.exe
Netscape Communicator: This is a web browser AND HTML editor available in a single package from Netscape. The package is free for use by educators and may be found navigating from Netscape's home page at http://home.netscape.com
FrontPage Express: A free program that works with Internet Explorer version 4.x or higher. If you haven't installed Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher, do that first with a free upgrade (again at the Microsoft Windows Upgrade site). To get to these items by navigating, begin at Microsoft at http://www.microsoft.com, going to free downloads, to windows update, and then to FrontPage Express.
Step-by-Step:

Make sure you have Internet Explorer 4.x or higher (download a later version from the same site as the FrontPage software is located as described below).
Go to the Microsoft web site.
Point mouse at "downloads" on and select "Windows Update" from the drop down menu.
Select/click "Product Updates"
If this is the first time you have installed an update, you may be asked if it is OK to install the "Critical Components" installer. Answer OK if prompted in this manner.
Scroll down through the product list (about halfway down the page?) to the "Internet Authoring" category and select "FrontPage Express 2.0".
Click "download".
Click "start download".
Click "yes" if you agree with the license agreement.
On the network, it will take about a minute to download and automatically install. Using a modem will take several minutes.