What to do today while I'm out today.

Today you must begin working on a second web page on your website, if you haven't already.

THERE WILL BE NO PLAYING OF VIDEO GAMES TODAY!!!! ANYONE CAUGHT PLAYING VIDEO GAMES WILL GET THEIR NAMES WRITTEN DOWN ON WILL AWAIT AN EXTRA ASSIGNMENT UPON MY RETURN!!!

You should spend the class period working on your website, nothing else.

Storyboarding your Website

Today you will be sketching out the tables and cells for your own home or 'index' page that will be the first page that users will see when they get to your website.
What will your index page look like?
What colors will you use?
Where will your navigation area be on your website?
How about your site map and search engine?
Where will your images go?

Can you visualize how the pages will be connected and how a visitor will get from one to another? It can be useful to imagine the homepage as the doorway to your website with each link to another page as a hallway to other pages (or rooms). Will your site be more like a long series of "hallways" or will you always be able to move to any "room" from any other "room" at any time?

For most websites, it makes sense to split pages up into different categories headed by a major page for each category that allows you to go from any one page to another at any give time — by putting a main navigation bar or menu at the top (or side) of the web page.

Look online and start to take notice where other sites put all of these elements.

Once you've completed sketching your storyboard, open up Dreamweaver and begin to create your table for your homepage.
Split and Merge the cells to create an area for each element of your webpage.

Storyboarding Tables

Today you will hand sketch on a blank sheet of 8X11 white paper.
Find any website you like that uses 10 or more cells
Draw out the tables and cells that you see, including representations of images and content that's written.
Also draw out and document where all the headers, buttons and captions are located.
I will check off your sketch by comparing it to the website you've choosen.

All Things HTML

By the time we get back from Thanksgiving break I need everyone in class to be on the same page with all assignments and projects.
Here's what you should be doing in class today.

1. Complete the Volcano Tutorial to Lesson #20, if you have not already.
2. Storyboard your website including Topic, Subtopics, and their url links to related websites.
3. Work on Chapter 1 assignment. Read and follow along with the instructions from pages 1-2 through 1-17.
4. Find any images on the internet that you can use for your website project that will officially begin next week.
Once you've completed all of these tasks, congratulate yourself and take satisfaction in the fact that you are caught up in HTML class.

Today in HTML

Today we jump into Dreamweaver.
After you have completed your Storyboard for your website, you need to grab a Dreamweaver Textbook and read through pages 1-2 through 1-17.
Make sure to follow along with the short lesson practices in the orange margins. Use your 'Chapter_1' folder to load the HTML pages into Dreamweaver for practice. MAKE SURE YOU ARE FOLLOWING ALONG UNDER THE (Macintosh) instructions.
Once completed you can work on your 'Volcano Tutorial' or continue to look for images and information related to your website project.

Website Topics and Subtopics

Please read these instructions carefully. You will be graded on this assignment on how well you follow the directions below.

READ CAREFULLY AND FOLLOW ALL OF THE INSTRUCTIONS EXACTLY!

What will be the topic of your website? What are the possible subtopics that the user will navigate to from your homepage?
I want you to open a 'New Document' in Word and type out this information.
Please include your name in the upper left hand corner of your word document.
Next, tell me in a paragraph what the topic and what the purpose of your website will be. Please include who your target audience will be and how your website will be relevant to these users.
Finally, list 9 possible subtopics that the user will be able to navigate to on your website. Include a brief summary of what each subtopic is.

Now that you have finished your Word Document, save it as 'My Website Idea'.
Open up your email and in the 'Subject' line of your email type in ALL CAPS what the subject of your website is. (Example: SUBJECT: SUPER MARIO BROTHERS)

Now that it's attached, send it to my email address ballewhtml@hotmail.com.
You are now finished with today's assignment.

HTML HAS ARRIVED!!!

I know you're all ready to move on and get busy with HTML so here is your first HTML assignment.
Pay close attention to the terms I just covered in class today. They appear a lot in today's lesson plan.
Also, words like 'Tags', 'Headers', 'Headers Level 1, 2, and 3', and the HTML abbreviations are words that should be payed close attention to in your reading assignment today. They might just appear on a certain test that I know a certain teacher is going to be handing out to you this next Tuesday.
Go to the following webpage http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/tut/tut0.html
Start the Volcano Tutorial, Lesson 1-20
Your reading assignment is to read the Introduction along with Chapters 1 and 2 in your HTML4 book.
LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!!

Good Site/Bad Site

You are to write out two separate 'Word' documents for this assignment. One will be for a Good Website, one will be for a Bad Website that you find on the internet.
You will break down each of these documents into the following topics:

First, write your name in the top right of the 'Word' document .

Next write out on the next line down of the Word document 'Good Website' (and 'Bad Website' for the other document) Center this title.

Next, you will give me the Name and the URL for your site that you have discovered.

Purpose: What is the site about?

Design: How does the site look visually in terms of Color, Organization, Placement of all the information, images, animation, etc.

Message: What were the subtopics that you could navigate to and was it useful information? (Example: Super Mario World: Subtopics could be 'Secret Points', 'Villians', 'Clues', etc.

Architecture: Could you navigate to the information easily? If not, what was confusing about it?

Usability and Access: Did the pages on this website load quickly or were they slow to download? If they were slow, what do you think caused it to slow down? Was there Flash Animation or Videos that wouldn't load?

When you have completed this, attach both 'Word' documents to an email and send it to me with 'GOOD SITE/BAD SITE ASSIGNMENT' typed into the 'Subject Header'.

What Makes a Good Website?

Ah, yes, the sixty-four thousand dollar question. What makes a good website? What makes a bad website? We all want to know what makes a website a good website. Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, of course, but there are some essentials. Here are the 7 essentials to a good website:
Purpose:
This is the crux of what we talk about when we're up on our soapbox. You'll hear us use the word 'objectives' a lot. Why do you have a website? What its purpose? How are you going to measure your success?

Design:
We're talking about things like colour choice, alignments, visual interest, and meaningful metaphors.

Message:
Content is king. Every page in your website needs a goal. You need to understand who your target audience is and what you want them to do. Then you must provide them with the appropriate information and a meaningful call to action.

Architecture:
How are your pages organized? Is it intuitive? Will your target audience understand? Think about Disney.com will differ from Microsoft.com.

Usability & Accessibility:
HTML is still a coding language and it needs to be well formed and accessible. Not everyone who visits your site is perfectly enabled. Some people have disabilities, some have slow connections, some can't install the Flash plug-in. Knowing your target audience and your goals certainly helps to set your usability and accessibility standards.

Online Marketing:
Appealing to the search engines is a game. Get it wrong and you'll find yourself banned. Do it right and you'll be rewarded with lots of free, targeted traffic. It's not difficult, it just takes experience and planning [view our Website Promotion services].

Technical Stuff:
Is your domain easy to remember? Is your ISP reliable? Do they have 20,000 other websites hosted on your server? Do they support the right technologies for your website to grow?

Out Sick - Movie to Watch Today

Mind your sub today everyone! She has specific instructions to mark anyone down who's playing on their computer/laptop.
The movie you'll be watching today is 'Primer'. It's a great sci-fi movie with an emphasis on technology and what it could potential be capable of.
PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO DETAIL IN THIS FILM!!!
You will get extra credit for a full assignment if you can answer just one question about the movie that I will have for you when I see you next.
Enjoy!
Elliot Richards - Please assist the substitute with the DVD Player and Projector. The DVD is in the DVD Player and the projector needs to be turned on and switched to 'Video' mode, and then positioned and focused.
Please show the substitute exactly how to do this so she can do it during the next class period.
Thank you.

Required Reading for Tuesday 10/2

Once you’re finished handing in your letter to the White House go to the link below and read the article on Internet Infrastructure.

Read the following sections:

1. Introduction to How Internet Infrastructure Works
2. A Hierarchy of Networks
3. A Network Example
5. Backbones
6. Internet Protocol: IP Addresses
7. Internet Protocol: Domain Name System

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet-infrastructure.htm

Letter to the White House

Now that you have a Hotmail account, you are going to compose an email in a business letter format to the White House that you will Cc to me by the end of class on today.
This letter must be written in business format style and 'Cc'd' to me at my email address. It is your responsibility to search the web using a search engine to find the email address for the White House.
Below is an example of the Block Letter Style that you will use in your email to the White House. There should be NO slang or abbreviations in this letter. Your letter can include any APPROPRIATE topic that you would like to address to the White House and only needs to be one paragraph long.

Block Letter Style:


March 25, 2003
(2 to 10 blank lines)

Mr. C. G. Everett, President
Visual Design, Inc.
2000 Coast Highway
Santa Barbara, CA 90909-9898
(1 blank line)
Dear Mr. Everett
(1 blank line)
SUBJECT: BLOCK LETTER STYLE
(1 blank line)
This letter illustrates the block letter style, the accepted letter style for use by students in the College of Business. All typed lines begin at the left margin. The date is usually placed two inches from the top edge of the paper or two lines (one blank line) below the last line of the letterhead, whichever position is lower. Please notice that the letter is single-spaced with a blank line between each paragraph.
(1 blank line)
Sincerely
(3 blank lines)


(Your Signature Embedded by Hotmail)

What to do while I'm out today, Tuesday 9/25

Today you will continue to watch 'Minority Report'. Remember, you will need to take mental notes on all of the technology that you will see in the movie.
NO ONE SHOULD BE ON THEIR COMPUTER OR LAPTOP DURING CLASS TODAY.
We will discuss the movie next Monday in class.
Elliot Richards, you are in charge of helping the substitute with setting up the DVD Player and Video Projector.
Thank you.

Creating an email account and using Netiquette

Congratulations on completing the first portion of this course! I hope that you were able to learn a little bit more about just how your computer works.
We will now be moving on and exploring the world wide web and what your responsibilities as 'Netizens' are to this relatively new form of communication medium in our society.
Now that you've created your very own email account, you will be using it to communicate with your teacher (me) and others over the web. Please copy and paste the url below to your address bar at the top of the screen. This will send you directly to today's reading assignment.
You are required to read all 10 'Netiquette Commandments' and write out short one sentence definitions of each Netiqeutte in a 'Word' document on your computer. You will then turn in these 10 definitions by attaching your Word document to an email that you will send to me on Monday.
Send your email to me at ballewhtml@hotmail.com
We have a lot to cover this week so don't put off this assignment until the last minute. Start now.
You will not get credit by copying and pasting text from the Netiquette website into your Word document. You MUST write out your own paraphrase in YOUR own words from the following Netiquette Commandments.

1. Remember the human
2. Adhere to the same standards of behaviour on-line that you follow in real life.
3. Know where you are in cyberspace.
4. Respect other people's time and bandwidth.
5. Make yourself look good on-line.
6. Share expert knowledge.
7. Help keep flames under control.
8. Respect other people's privacy.
9. Don't abuse your power.
10. Be forgiving of other people's mistakes.

Use complete sentence structure and capitalize when needed.
Copy this link:

http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html

The History of Computers

You are required to read the following article about the History of Computers Part 1 and 2.
Once you've read through the Part 1, click on 'Next' to read Part 2.

Here's the link to your required reading:

http://www.computersciencelab.com/ComputerHistory/History.htm

Write out definitions in a Word document for the following terms from your reading assignment.

Abacus
Slide Rule
Pascaline
Difference Engine
Analytic Engine
IBM

First Reading Assignment

Read the following article on the How Stuff Works website, a great source of information for whatever topic you would like to learn more about.
Read the whole page and also watch the video using your headphones.
When you are done with reading and watching the video, you will open up the 'Word' document software on your computer and write out definitions for the following 8 terms: (Make sure to include your Full Name, Date, and Period in the upper left corner of the 'Word' document.

CPU
RAM
ROM
Cache
Motherboard
BIOS
Hard Drive
Operating System

Copy and paste this url to the How Stuff Works website.
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/pc.htm

Welcome HTML Students!

This website is designed to keep you up-to-date with all things related to this class. This is where you can come to retrieve your assignments and link to your tutorials.
Whenever you have any questions regarding HTML assignments, you can first look on this website for details. If your out of the classroom and your questions remain unanswered, feel free to email me at marty.ballew@shorelineschools.org