Topic_1

= Topic 1: = = An Introduction to Web Development and Digital Learning =

Background/Rationale
Akin to the Gutenberg press, the advent of the Internet has created a new, revolutionizing publishing platform for the masses. Key to understanding this new medium is to appreciate how it has drastically altered the production and consumption of information. The power to access and create content – independently or collaboratively – is now faster and easier than ever before. Culture in its many forms--including business, education, and entertainment--will be forever changed by this lightning-fast transmission of electrical impulses.

Without pause, this Renaissance-like era will continue to usher in and force educators to consider new terms such as “web presence” and “e-learning.” Now that each of us has our own “printing press,” the playing field is leveled in terms of who has the power to create, distribute, and promote information, goods, and services – even our own image. And at the very root, this amazing power hinges upon an educator’s willingness to learn how to craft all things digital.

In the early web era, the ordinary individual could create a website, but the process relied heavily on learning Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) tags. Each and every line had to be constructed with proper formatting so that it would render in a browser. Because of limited bandwidth issues and coding complexity, web page designs of this early period were very “text” and “hyperlink” centric. Once the page was coded, then the creator had to find a place on the web to “host” the page and learn how to use file transfer protocol (FTP) so the resulting web projects could be displayed for the world to see. The entire process was not for the faint of heart. Though many could see the value of website creation, not many had the time or patience to take on such a steep learning curve.

As the web became an avenue for commercialization in the early to mid 1990s, we see the advent of “What you see is what you get” (WYSIWYG) editors. Such software allows us to take what we know about the word processing environment (WordPerfect and Microsoft Word) and transfer some of these existing skills to creating web pages. Though not identical to word processing, these editors greatly reduce the need to know extensive HTML coding. In short, WYSIWYG editors made web page creation friendlier and quicker, but learning such editor programs still involves commitment and time. Users could now use an interface somewhat similar to word processing, and the WYSIWYG editor would do all the tedious HTML/CSS coding in the background. These WYSIWYG editors would also usually have an FTP component embedded within them so that finished web pages could be easily transferred up to the Internet host (Netscape Composer, GoLive, and FrontPage were examples of these). Today, programs such as DreamWeaver, Nvu, KompoZer, Microsoft Expression Web, and HotDog Pro continue to be some of the most popular WYSIWYG editors used to speed up production of website creation.

With the advent of Web 2.0 technology, creating websites has taken yet another turn. Webware (online software, often free of charge, such as Google Sites, Weebly, Wix, and Blogger) and downloadable freeware/open source software (such as WordPress, Moodle, and Joomla) allow even quicker website creation and provide a gentler learning curve for the user than their WYSIWYG editor predecessors. Webware user interfaces now allow the average Internet user to click and choose or use intuitive drag-n-drop components to create an entire site. Often, premade templates can be used to create multiple pages fast and with professional results. Additionally, users can now publish their pages directly to the web – without use of an FTP program – with the mere click of a button. Web pages that once took days, if not weeks, to create can now be constructed within minutes. Because of advances in webware and our access to it, sharing of knowledge is now almost instantaneous.

Without a doubt, as digital publishing increases, so will digital learning; therefore, educators must be aware of how humans learn differently through this medium. While portions of the medium are similar to print, there are differences that must be considered as educators create and use digital content. Keeping this point in mind helps ensure end-user success. Almost a quarter of the earth’s population uses the services of the Internet; our access to online content and the ease of digital creation and dissemination – in business, in entertainment, and in education – necessitate that educators understand what is becoming our predominant medium of communication, as well as those that use it.

Learner Outcomes
At the end of this Learning Topic, you will be able to:
 * Compare and contrast the cultural changes brought about by the advent of the Gutenberg press and that of current-day web publishing via the Internet.
 * Evaluate the need for educators to be able to communicate with/use this digital medium within the classroom, for professional development, and for public relations.
 * Compare and contrast the process of creating/reading digital content to that of traditional print content.
 * Explore preconceptions and/or the evolutionary nature of the web publishing process based on current knowledge or previous experiences (including hand-coding, WYSIWYG editors, webware, and online services).

Readings and Research:

 * 20 Reasons Why an Organization Needs an Effective Web Presence. (2007). Global Commerce & Communication. Retrieved November 20, 2009, from @http://www.gcchq.com/web/web_benefit.htm.
 * Kelly, F., McCain, T., & Jukes, I. (2008). Teaching the Digital Generation: No More Cookie-Cutter High Schools (pp. 9-25). Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press. Retrieved November 20, 2009 online from http://books.google.com/books?id=GqRqPesB2zYC&pg=PT3&dq=Ted+McCain,+Ian+Jukes&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=3v=onepage&q=&f=false.
 * Kirschenbaum, V. R. (2006). THE OLD WAY OF READING AND THE NEW. Educational Leadership, 63(8), 47-50. doi: Article. (available through EBSCOhost)
 * Krug, S. (2000). Don’t Make Me Think! A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability. Chapter 2 – How we Really Use the Web. Advanced Common Sense. Retrieved November 15, 2009, from @http://www.sensible.com/chapter.html.
 * Neilsen, J. (2006, April 17). F-Shaped Pattern For Reading Web Content. Useit.com. Retrieved November 12, 2009, from @http://www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html.

Field Experience:
none

1.1: Discussion 1 - Publishing, Societal Change, and Power
Read the compiled excerpts in The Gutenberg Press and the Internet. **//A.J. Liebling once said, “Freedom of the press belongs to those who own one.”//** or


 * 1) Compare and contrast the freedom/power of individuals during the Gutenberg era with those who have Internet publishing capabilities today.
 * 2) Respond to the following questions:
 * Why is each invention heralded as a societal and cultural change agent though they are mere tools?
 * What do these statements have to do with a web design course for educators?

**Assessment**
All discussions will use the Discussion Rubric Chart for evaluation.

===1.2: Discussion 2 - Similarities/Differences Similarities/Differences Between Printing via the Web or Traditional Printing Press ===
 * 1) Read the following articles/readings provided:
 * Kirschenbaum, V. R. (2006). THE OLD WAY OF READING AND THE NEW. Educational Leadership, 63(8), 47-50. doi: Article. (available through EBSCOhost) [[file:Old Way of Reading the New.pdf]]
 * Krug, S. (2000). Don’t Make Me Think! A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability. Chapter 2 – How we Really Use the Web. Advanced Common Sense. Retrieved November 15, 2009, from @http://www.sensible.com/chapter.html.
 * Neilsen, J. (2006, April 17). F-Shaped Pattern For Reading Web Content. Useit.com. Retrieved November 12, 2009, from @http://www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html.
 * 1) Argue against or defend the following statement: //**Designing/writing for a web audience is more different than similar to designing/writing for a paper audience.**//

**Assessment**
All discussions will use the Discussion Rubric Chart for evaluation.

1.3: Discussion 3 – Experiences and Preconceptions of Creating Websites

 * 1) Share your experiences with creating web pages in the past.
 * 2) Reflect on the following as you respond.
 * 3) What technical and nontechnical challenges did you encounter in the process?
 * 4) What aspect of the process was successful/painful?
 * 5) If you’ve never made a web page or website before, explore your preconceptions about the process, as well as reasons that may have deterred you from making a web page or site.

**Assessment**
All discussions will use the Discussion Rubric Chart for evaluation.

1.4: Poster Creation - The Need for an Effective Web Presence
Read the article //**20 Reasons Why an Organization Needs an Effective Web Presence (2007)**//. Though the article is largely written for businesses, create a poster 8x11 or larger showing how many of these same reasons apply to education/educators. Your poster title choices are as follows (fill in the with the number of reasons illustrated on your poster):
 * //**Reasons Why a School Needs an Effective Web Presence**//
 * //**Reasons Why Individual Educators Need an Effective Web Presence**//
 * Use any graphic editing tool of your choice (Picnik.com, Photoshop, MSPaint, Gimp, etc.). Save your resulting poster as a .jpg and print a copy.
 * Post your posters in the Topic_1_Student_Page.
 * Review and critique two or more of your colleagues’ posters and provide constructive feedback in the Discussion Section of the Topic_1_Student_Page.
 * Discuss whether this paper medium (the poster) adequately demonstrates all ideas clearly. Would the content of the poster be more or less effective if it were a web page? Why or why not?


 * Assessment**

Homework

 * 1) **1.4 Poster - The Need of an Effective Web Presence** -Post your posters in the Topic_1_Student_Page. // (Due the Friday following Class Session2.) // Discussion on this topic will occur during Class Session3.
 * 2) Be familiar with the **Required Readings for Topic_2** by the start of Class Session2.