English 394
Fall 2000
"Writing (in) Cyberspace"
Project #1
Constructing
& Publishing a Web Page
By now, most folks have surfed the web, but
how many folks have developed and published a webpage? This assignment
is deigned to help you do just that, beginning with a simple web page and continuing
to develop it over the course of the semester.Your course Web site will be the
place where you will publish most of your course work. Since your Web material
will be visible to anyone with Web access, you want to be sure you protect your
privacy, follow copyright laws, and present yourself in a good light.
What you post on your Web site says a lot about you. Your home page is yours
to do with what you want as long as it follows ASU's
Webuse policies. However, your course Web site must follow both ASU guidelines
and the guidelines for this assignment.
In attempting this assignment, you will be introduced to
the basics of page composition, including considering your audience, composing
text, working with graphics, constructing links, and considering how all the
parts work together as a whole.
While we will approach this project from the perspective
of writers concerning themselves with composition and presentation of a text
to an audience (using the broader postmodern definition of "text"
as "anything that can be interpreted"), we also will be learning some more technical
aspects of writing web pages along the way, including working with various web
editors and understanding the basics of HTML
code. In so doing, the emphasis will be on the class engaging in a process
of "social construction" to decide what are some of the features that
make a good web page and how a good web page can best be constructed, rather
than on your instructor dictating what you should and shouldn’t do in constructing
a simple web page.
Schedule of Steps We Will Follow in Learning How to Construct
a Simple Web Page
- Obtain personal web account through ASURITE self-sub
process.
- Whole-class discussion of some items that make for interesting
and informative web pages. Examine several pages as a class using projection
system and following along on student computer stations. Introduction
to search engines and hierarchical site listings followed by small group activity
to find sites on topics of interest to group members. Group members
should discuss which sites they like and why and forward site addresses and
their evaluative comments to class listserv for consideration by the rest
of the class members.
- Introduction to basics of HTML and simple web editors
such as Netscape's Page Composer, Adobe PageMill,
and DreamWeaver. In-class assignment working in novice/expert pairs
to experiment with web editors in manipulating text and graphics and constructing
links.
- Construction of simple personal web pages that will
serve as the basis for all web-based projects that students complete in this
class. All student web pages will be linked to the class web page in
an evolving matrix of online scholarship and cyber culture.
Criteria for grading your course Web site:
- Richness of content - All course work that is
Web-based, plus relevant information, such as name, email address, date of
creation, link to home page, copyright symbol, etc.
- Quality of writing- clarity, logical organization,
evidence of proofreading
- Good organization - Be sure your Web site has
a clear organizational pattern and is easy to navigate.
- User-friendliness - The main page should have
links to all required material. Please make sure that all links work!!
Your reader should be able to navigate your Web site without getting lost.
- User-friendly layout - Your Web site should have
margins, font that is not too large or too small, appropriate contrast between
text and background, consistent color scheme (Your course Web site page should
have a consistent design.).
- Appropriate graphics - Your graphics should be
relevant to the topic and should compliment, not overshadow your written content.
Your graphics should not be memory hogs. Your audience will not in a
good mood when they have to sit there and watch your graphics load.
- Copyright - You should always cite the sources
of all information that you did not create yourself. This includes graphics.
It is illegal to "capture " someone else's document and post it on your Web
page. Linking is okay (Some Web sites, however, have guidelines for
linking to their material.).You must gain permission from the source to copy
a graphic onto your Web site. All material on the Web is copyrighted,
whether or not there is a copyright symbol.
Useful Resources for Web Design and Publishing:
Class Resources: