• Background: I am currently in the processing of developing this webpage, so it is not as complete as it will be eventually. This page will feature resources for faculty that may be useful in developing similar class webpages. A class webpage is one of the most effective ways to feature student work.
• Getting Started: First, you will need to set-up a webpage. Creating the Page. Your college or university might provide free space for storage of your html and other files. You will also need to use some form of an html editor. This is the program that will produce your webfiles. If you use Microsoft Word, you can use their very simple "Save as HTML" command. Most web aficionados do not using their feature because upon editing in a dedicated html program like FrontPage, the Word file will contain suspect characters. There are also some free editors, which you can view here. Your Own URL? If you wish to establish an easy to remember URL (mine are www.scottlukas.com, www.genderads.com, and www.criticalliving.com), then you may wish to purchase your own domain name. The company that I have used for years charges $14.95 per year for a name registration and $5.95 for the year for 10 mb of storage (see http://www.dayanahost.com/). I use my college's provided web space to store graphics files and the like, but having my own URLs makes it much easier to communicate with my students.
• What to Include: It's up to you and literally the possibilities are endless. Time Issues. Since I began working with html years ago, I have found that creating and updating my own page is a great drain on my time. Ultimately, because I have seen students gain so much, I would say that having a webpage is worth it. I would never go back to not having one (or three in my case). The Home Page. As you begin to think about what too include on your home page, consider it to be the one-stop place for all of your students, internal and external colleagues. Here is my home page. As you can see, I include a separate page for each of my classes, as well as pages detailing departmental and community events, class handouts and the like. Your home page should be laid out in an easy to read format, with all of the items that you plan to include presented in an accessible format, such as with buttons for each item. If you have pages for each of your classes, you will likely have subpages. For example, your Introductory English class includes a page with a class syllabus, a page featuring student projects, a page for links, etc. You will begin to see how time-consuming a class webpage can be!
• Other Useful Things: Digital Camera. In addition to the knowledge needed to begin building a page, you may need other equipment and software to get started. A digital camera (which can be purchased for less than $200) is a necessity for taking pictures of student projects and events. Graphics Editor. To edit your digital pictures, you will need a graphic editor. Graphic Converter, available here for free, is one of the easiest and most effective free image editor available. It will allow you to edit pictures, as well as convert them to the two formats that you will likely use on the web: gif and jpg files. If you have the money, I recommend Photoshop. There is no other program like it on the market. One of the best features in the newest version is a "test for web feature" that allows you to see what a picture will look like when saved in different file formats. Why is this important? Well, one of the things that you discover in building a webpage is that it gets rather annoying if you have to wait for large graphics files to load. With some planning, you can determine how low in quality you can save an image while preserving the look of your site. Thumbnails. Thumbnails are a very common feature to sites. They present a small, scaled-down version of a graphic that a user can then click on to view a larger image. They are one of the best ways to save loading time on your page. My favorite thumbnail program is Quickie Web Albums by LAJ Design. There are many such programs out there, and I would just say that they are a great time saver in producing a graphics-intensive page. Scripts. If you want to get fancy, you may find yourself using java scripts, flash or other remote scripts. Basically, a script is a program that does something on your webpage. It could be as simple as flashing some text on the screen, creating a menu for your page, or even rotating pictures on the page. Scripts take some time to learn, but they are easy once you get the hang of it. The best script site I have found is Hotscipts.com. On that site you can locate good tools for your webpage, including guestbooks, web polls and the like. Web Polls. One of the most useful webpolls sites is Sondageonline. The web polls featured on the site allow you to create complex and easy polls for any of your teaching needs. Another good site is Survey Monkey. Web Backgrounds. If you do not wish to use the standard backgrounds, such as the white background on this page, you can find many free backgrounds or textures for your use. They are easy to implement in most html editors and generally take up very little space on your directory. The best and largest such site is called Absolute Web Graphics Archive, and in terms of textures alone they hold thousands. Besides textures, you will note other fun things to spice up your website, including lines, arrows, character sets, sound effects and fonts. Buttons. A button can be made with a graphics program or any number of free websites that offer button generators. A button is used for navigation purposes, to allow your visitors to more easily access your website. One site known as Button Generator offers a number of different styles. GRSites also has a useful button maker. Flaming text has many free buttons as well. If you would like to generate flash buttons for your site (which requires that you download a small file and place it in the directory in which your webpage appears), go to the GUIStuff.com site. Banners or Logos. The banner refers to the text or image generally located at the top of your page. You can enter a simple heading using your text html editor, but if you wish to spice things up, consider creating a banner that will give your page a different look. One of the most attractive banner creation sites is found at GRSites. Also, Flaming Text has some very interesting banners that you can create. Unfortunately, their site features many pop up ads! Animated Gifs. Some people enjoy animated gifs, which are sometimes silly moving images that you can place on your webpage. Too many of them can clutter up your page and make things look unprofessional, but in case you are interested, consult the Animation Factory. General Webmaster Resources. To learn how to make web pages or to find useful tutorials, files and numerous resources, have a look at Webmonkey, Bravenet,
• Miscellaneous: If you need to look up the IP address of a site or a domain name, here is a good resource for that purpose. To look up your site URL and to see how it ranks on various search engines, click this link.
• Pedagogical Resources: There are many excellent websites that feature resources dedicated to teaching. Here is a list of sites that I will continue to update. Teacher Resources. SitesforTeachers has a load of listings. Conferences. Space Share is a site that lets you find transportation and accommodations for conferences while Conference Alerts lets you search for academic conferences worldwide. Syllabi. If you are looking for a new class ideas or some ways to revitalize a course, check out the Internet Syllabus Archive (coming soon). Books. Need a price on a book that you are considering, have a look at Bookchecker or Bookfinder.
• Questions?: Email me.