This activity should be done early in the course. It is strongly suggested to have the participants share their ideas on good Web page design in a chat. See Good Web Page Design on Chat Topics and Focus Questions for tips. Post their thoughts either on an electronic discussion board or on a Web page.
- Basic browser skills
- Activities on electronic discussion board
- To share ideas on good Web page design
Before you start your Web pages and after you have completed the activities on electronic discussion board, continue to browse Web projects and sites. After some exploration on the Internet, one begins to recognize the difference between a site that is worthwhile to view or one that is not. Initially, the visual appeal is what will invite further exploration of a Web site, but what about those left-brained people? Producing effective Web pages must address two questions: "Who will read these pages?" and "What is the purpose of the site?" An educational Web page will address teachers, students, parents and the community. It is expected to be educational. It should be open for review and facilitate feedback. The presentation of graphics and content should be balanced in a clean, efficient and attractive format.
Make note of what you liked and disliked about the pages you viewed; include reasons for noting these sites. Check the page for layout, navigation, graphics, loading time, grammatical errors, accurate information and if it is appropriate to your students' grade level.
Share your notes with the other participants about what you liked and disliked about the Web sites you have seen. Include your reasons. Follow your facilitator's instructions about where this discussion will take place (face-to-face, electronic discussion, bulletin board, . . .). Try to include these shared ideas while you are creating your pages.
You may want to have a printed copy of one or two web pages to refer to while you are sharing information with others. If you cannot think of any at the moment, print and compare these two versions of the same Web page.
You might decide to do the sharing at an online chat. If this format is your decision, create a Web page listing the comments from the participants. This page will become a resource for the participants as they write their Web pages.
If you decide to have the participants post their responses, you might still want to create the Web page for ease of use by the participants.
If the participants need projects to view, use /lincon/el_proj_examples.shtml.
Have them view the student pages, etc. They may find other examples of Web pages and use those. The most important part of this lesson is to use the shared comments about what was good in their project Web pages.
Remember to add the due date to this activity on the assignment sheet.
Web page design can become very personal, but there are guidelines that are commonly accepted by many designers. Here are several sites you can use as resources as needed. If this activity is assigned, read one or two of the listed resources before you share your ideas with the other participants as indicated on your assignment sheet or as indicated by your facilitator.