1st Term | Study Guide ("Broadcasting" tab) | Media Release Form | Digital Media Contract

Tues., Oct. 4 through Fri., Oct. 28, 2011

This is the part of the course where you'll probably think something like, "What the heck, Mr. Rathke, why didn't you show us this before?" And then you'll be upset until I explain why we've been coding web pages with a text-based editor. Today, I'm going to show you Dreamweaver. This program is one of the industry standards for web site creation and it is some much easier because it is a text editor, a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor, and it is a file management system all in one.

After the demonstration of Dreamweaver in class, I would like you to set up a "site" and start working on the next assignment: Create a web site for cause, or a Public Service Announcement (PSA) of some kind. This assignment you will create in Dreamweaver and have ready for grading at your computer by the end of class on Wednesday, November 2, 2011. (Please note that the due date is in the second term so this is the first assignment for that term. If you are missing anything from this term, make sure I grade it before Thursday, October 27, 2011, or you will be out of luck getting a grade for that assignment).

Tues., Oct. 4 through Wed., Oct. 12, 2011

Now that you've created a multi-page web site, let's practice by creating another one. This time I would like you to make a web site to advertise a car. This sounds familiar because I had you make a web page for your favorite vehicle. This is different from that assignment because you have to go into tremendous detail on this one. Here you'll have a gallery page, and then you'll have a specs (specifications) page, etc. All of it should have a uniform layout and look. This assignment is due by the end of class on Monday, October 10, 2011. I will be grading it at your computer.

Tues., Sept. 20 through Fri., Sept. 30, 2011

Today I will show you how to create a web site rather than just a web page. A web site is a collection of web pages that are all linked together. You are reading my web site right now. After I show you how to organize and create a site (First, you start with the first page and get your layout figured out, then you do a "Save As" to save it as all the other pages. Then you go in and edit each page's content separately), then you need to start on your first multi-page web site: Your personal biography web site assignment. You must complete your web site (in its own folder) by Friday, September 30, 2011. I will grade it at your computer.

Friday, September 16, 2011

First thing you need to do is take this quiz (click on the link). I also discussed how to format lists in an HTML document. There were two types of lists: unordered lists (UL, with bullets and no particular order) and ordered lists (OL, with numbers organized by priority). Each bullet point or number is a list item (LI). Use the class time to complete your web page for your favorite outdoor activity. I will come around in class today to grade it at your computer.

Mon., Sept. 12 through Wed., Sept. 14, 2011

Now that you've created a web page that contains a table, let's create one where the who page is a table that you use to organize elements. This next assignment is a web page for your favorite outdoor activity (if your last assignment was an outdoor activity, do one on a different interest or hobby). This assignment is due by the end of class on Wednesday, September 14, 2011. I graded your favorite hobby or interest in class on Monday.

Tues., Sept. 6 through Thurs., Sept. 8, 2011

Today you will learn about formatting web pages using tables. This includes the table tag, the table row tag, the table data tag and the attributes that allow you to modify the table (align, bordercolor, bgcolor, border). After the classroom demonstration you will be able to practice on the next assignment, a web page for your favorite hobby or interest. This assignment is due by the end of class on Thursday, September 8, 2011. I will come around and grade your favorite vehicle assignment today in class.

Tuesday, Aug. 30 through Thurs., Sept. 1, 2011

Today I will continue with more HTML tags and attributes. We'll learn how to format a link and how to insert an image. Then you will need to create your first web page of your favorite car. This assignment is due at the end of class on Thursday, September 1, 2011. I will grade them at your computer on Tuesday, September 6, 2011.

Friday, August 26, 2011

We started discussing HTML, its origins and uses. I taught the basic structure of a web page (head and body tags). Then I started explaining tags (also known as elements) and attributes. These are two vocabulary words you will need to know to pass this course. The tags I introduced today are b (bold), u (underline), i (italics), and font. The attributes are color and bgcolor. There is a guide to HTML here if you want a reference. We ended the class by trying some of what we learned out in a text editor and reviewing what we had done in a web browser.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Welcome to the first day of class. Today you will receive my disclosure, which is due back to me next time we meet or you will not have access to the computers. And you will forfeit points since this is your first assignment. I will discuss what my expectations are and what the rules in my classroom will be this year. Your disclosure is due back to me signed by you and a parent/guardian by Friday, August 26, 2011.

An integral part of web design and marketing is the ability to convey a message. This is usually done by some form of storytelling. When you are trying to sell a product or promote an event, for example, you need to be able to write convincingly. Web pages has text as well as images. Today's exercise is called "What's YOUR Story?" This is where you write about an event or defining moment in your life that tells something about you. This is not an autobiography, we don't have time to hear about your whole life. We just want a story that tells something about you. Your story should be written in Microsoft Word, OpenOffice, or some other word processor. It should be at least one page single spaced and be emailed to rathke at teacher dot com by the beginning of class on Friday, August 26, 2011.