By now you should have seen the utility of the World Wide Web, and know what sort of impact web sites can have for education. In this activity you will create your own home page for the WWW. You need not learn the HTML (hypertext markup language) code that is often used to create such web pages because there are applications that allow you to create in the foreground while the application writes the HTML code in the background. Adobe PageMill is one such WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) application, and you will use this application to create your website. (If you are facile with another HTML editor, you may use that to create your web page; there is nothing sacred about PageMill. Any HTML editor will do; you are free to write the code on your own if you prefer.)
In this project you will create and post to a web server a WebQuest Project. Full details about WebQuests with examples can be found on The WebQuest Page. To continue your introduction to WebQuest activities, go to this website and read "Overview & FAQ." Next, move on an review a number of age and subject appropriate examples by following the hyperlink "Examples." Take advantage of the web page templates found under "Training Materials."
IMPORTANT NOTICES:
Many students choose to skip the PageMill tutorial thinking that it will take no time at all to just begin working successfully with this software. This has proven not to be the case. PLEASE, for your own sake, work through the tutorial. In the long run you'll spend a lot less time on this project. Don't worry about making a "perfect" end product. It is more important that you get to know the program than to create a polished presentation.
In order to learn more about accessibility features for students
with disabilities, view the 11-minute videotape World Wide
Access: Guidelines for Creating Web Pages that are Accessible
to Students with Disabilities. Alternatively, read the 6-page
document World Wide Access: Accessible Web Design. Both
items can be obtained from your course instructor.
1. If necessary, orient yourself to Adobe PageMill 2.0 by first working your way through the tutorial found on the computer specified by your course instructor. You are free to use Front Page, Communicator, and even MSWord to create your web page on the platform of your choice because the html file you create will be a cross-platform document.
2. After you have become oriented to PageMill 2.0, you may want to use PageMill 3.0 found on any of the Physics Department's iMac computers (e.g., in room 304 or 307-C) to create your WebQuest page. Your WebQuest page must meet the following minimum criteria:
3. With the assistance of your instructor, place the finished
web page on the ISU Physics Department web site using Fetch or
a similar file transfer program.
The WebQuest web page must be a meaningful creation, visually appealing, and "workable."