Getting familiar with a new classroom is pretty easy. A teacher lays out the expectations and the rules while students listen and ask questions. But once you step outside of that classroom, there are other teachers, other students, other schools, other cities, other states, and other nations. The world outside of the classroom is huge. So big, in fact, that many people, including grown adults, have a difficult time finding important places on a map. During this lesson, you will fully understand the guidelines of this course, get a better idea of what the course will be about, and we will circle up around the map to talk about the world as it was and the world as it is.
LEARNING GOAL #1: The Basics of Web History
Students will understand how the Internet evolved from a classified government research project into a world wide resource with the help of highly educated teachers and students.
This course was created to give students a basic understanding of the web, including where it came from, how it was made, and how it works. But along the way, this course will also teach students how to create content for the web, how to make that content visually pleasing, and how to make some of that content more interactive.
Over the last several years, students have designed a wide range of websites and web pages. Some were designed for outside businesses and others were designed for fun, but in the end, all students were able to demonstrate their knowledge and their experience. Below are a few examples of sites that have been designed by other students:
Presidential Websites (2013-2014) In the beginning of this course, students were asked to choose a 19th Century president and design a biographical website. This was a fairly good example of what students were able to create during the first year.
The Bald Strawberry (2014-2015) The Bald Strawberry was a Gluten Free Bakery in Melbourne, Florida that the students of Web Design I designed for in 2014. The owner of the store even brought more than 100 Gluten Free brownies for all the students who participated in the project. But that was a long time ago. The company decided to take down their site in early 2017, so this link is just a replica of what it was once designed to look like.
The Spice House of Longwood (2015-2016) The Spice House of Longwood is an Indian Grocery Store just a mile or two up the road. Students in Web Design II competed for the right to design this site and the company has continued to use it every year since. At the time of the project, they even gave us free samples of Indian food for students to try throughout the semester.
The Rythmix DJ (2016-2017) The Rythmix DJ was a new company that came down to Florida from the Northeast and was looking for a fresh and interesting website. Students in Web Design II competed the right to design this site and the company has continued to use it every year since, even bringing a gift card to the winner of the design.
Do It Yourself (2017-2018) The Do It Yourself website was one of the first enterprise projects from Web Design II students who had come up with an idea of how to present themselves in a fun and expressive way. The site speaks for itself and allowed several students to collaborate on a finished design.
Topic #3 – Course Learning Goals
Learning Goal #1: The Basics of Web Technology
Learning Goal #2: The Basics of HTML
Learning Goal #3: The Basics of CSS
Learning Goal #4: Applied Web Design
Topic #4 – Course Notes
There should never be a need to ask, “What are we doing today?” Because when you pull up the lesson of the day, read the overview, and skim through the lesson, you will discover this information on your own and “discovery” is good practice for all Internet users.
After today, we will not review the guidelines again for several weeks. You will simply be expected to know the rules of the classroom and your presence on the first couple of days of class will be proof that you already heard and agreed to these rules. No one can claim, if they filled out a Student Information Sheet, that they did not know or understand what the rules were in the beginning.
This is a shared classroom for Web Design I and II students. Web Design I students will receive 90% of the teacher’s direct instruction. Web Design II students have independent assignments and will receive only 10% of the teacher’s direct instruction.
All students should roll their chairs up to the front and circle up around the map on the bulletin board. Below are some of the questions that will come up as part of our class discussion.
Why are we surrounded by images of the world in a web design class?
Where are we on the world map?
What are some of the farthest places we, as individuals, have traveled?
What are some of the places you hear about in the news and in current events and where are they on the world map?
When you think of someone or something or some place you have heard about World War II, who or what or where is it?
What was the cause of World War II?
Can we identify some of the locations related to World War II?
Getting familiar with a new classroom is pretty easy. A teacher lays out the expectations and the rules while students listen and ask questions. But once you step outside of that classroom, there are other teachers, other students, other schools, other cities, other states, and other nations. The world outside of the classroom is huge. So big, in fact, that many people, including grown adults, have a difficult time finding important places on a map. During this lesson, you will fully understand the guidelines of this course, get a better idea of what the course will be about, and we will circle up around the map to talk about the world as it was and the world as it is.
This course was created to give students a basic understanding of the web, including where it came from, how it was made, and how it works. But along the way, this course will also teach students how to create content for the web, how to make that content visually pleasing, and how to make some of that content more interactive.