CIS86 Fall 2007 : Class Projects

Writing Assignment (in any format, including: HTML, Word, text, in an email; sketches if any can be hand-drawn):
- Examine Liked/Disliked Sites. Describe (at least) 3 sites you like, and 3 sites you don't. Describe what you like or dislike about each site (appearance, style, visual effects, animation, color, completeness, cuteness, content, whatever). Describe or sketch the grid layout of each page. Is it centered or left-justified? Is it fixed-width or fluid? How big are the different pieces of the pages? Who do you think is the intended audience for each site?
- Experience Level: Please describe your level of Web experience, the principal ways you use the Web, and how often you use the Web. If you have some experience with HTML or Web page creation, tell me about it.
- Why are you taking the class?
Objective/subject of your Web site. Begin thinking about the objective or topic or subject of your proposed Web site. You don't have to write this up yet, but it is a good idea to get started figuring out what you would like to create.
Suggested Reading: skim both textbooks to see what they cover, and look over the class Web site.

Week Two

Topics

Class discussion topics for Week Two cover:

basic HTML and CSS from the Building Pages section of the Web site
assignment #2
FTP and the student Web sites
introduction to FireFTP (file transfer program) and Codetch (HTML editor).

2nd Assignment (due 09/12/07)

Writing Assignment: Objective/subject of your Web site. Write up your ideas about the Web site you'd like to create, including a Goal Statement for your site -- what you'd like to build, for whom, and why. For example: "I’d like to build a site about my family vacations, so that my extended family can enjoy seeing the kids." Write up the Goal Statement as a simple HTML page on your student site.
Access your student site on MonolithDesign.com Web server. Configure access to your personal directory on the class Web server. Upload site reviews pages (and any site design ideas) from Assignment #1 to your personal site.
Become familiar with basic operations using FireFox/FireFTP/Codetch: uploading and downloading files; simple editing and previewing.
Start practicing what you have learned about HTML and CSS. Try out the real-time editors.
Suggested Reading: Look over www.monolithdesign.com/class/. In particular, visit some sites from the References > Web Sites page.

Week Three

Topics

For Week Three, we are going to go through the entire lifecycle for Web pages. We will connect to the student Web sites, download a sample HTML file, edit the file. and upload it back to the server. Finally, we will view the results over the Web.

Connect to student Web sites using FireFTP.
Download a sample HTML file: simple.html.
Use Codetch to add common HTML and CSS to the sample HTML file.
Upload the edited HTML file.
View the HTML file over the Web.

3rd Assignment (due 09/19/07)

Create the basic design for your Web site. Design the basic look and structure of your Web site. Show or describe the basic grid layout of your pages. Are all pages the same, or is the home page different? What's the "feel" you want? Create storyboards, flowcharts, graphics as needed. Identify the content. Document your design on a new HTML page on your fledgling site -- specify which pages you plan to create, and the content that will be on each.

This is not absolute!!! Not everything has to be identified, not everything has to be decided, not everything has to be written!

Week Four

Topics

In Week Four, we are continuing the basic CSS exercise from Week 3.

The next major topic is Positioning: how to place elements at particular locations on the screen. This file has a bunch of examples of positioning.

4th Assignment (due 09/26/07)

Develop the “look” of the site. Define the overall layout of boxes; fonts and colors; fixed vs fluid layout; navigational style. You can mock up the pages in any program, but it would be best if you can create the mockup as actual HTML pages -- even if it‘s only a simplified skeleton.
Begin to create a site based on your design (ongoing). While it's not necessary to fill out every detail of every page, try to flesh out some of the pages to show off the design and concept. Continue building pages in the following weeks, and be prepared to show your work on the last night of class. Test your site on the opposite platform (Mac or PC), or on another browser on the same platform. Describe the differences and problems you discovered, and how you fixed them.

Week Five

New Pointers

Here are some interesting Web sites I have found recently:

Topics

In Week Five, we will focus on positioning elements on HTML pages.

Assignment

At this point, your focus should be on (1) completing the earlier assignments if you haven’t, and (2) working on your site.

Week Six

Topics

In Week Six, we will talk about the basic process of going from a blank page to a fleshed-out Web page.

Week Seven

Topics

For Week Seven, we will talk briefly about validating your HTML. We will spend the entire time working on individual projects, and I will be available for questions.

Week Eight

Topics

For Week Eight, I will show 2 brief examples, and then we will spend the remaining time working on individual projects.

Week Nine

Final Project (due 10/24/07)

Class Presentation: Each student will present their site to the class, while the other students follow along at their own computers. Each Web site should consist of at least half a dozen pages integrating the work from previous assignments.

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