Class 1: Nov 3
Skills survey
Set up public_html; begin creating your homepage.

In Class
—Review syllabus
—Skills Survey
—Project examples
—Set up public_html and permissions
—Begin creating your homepage

Readings and Resources
Activate Mason Cluster Account or reset password web:<https://mason.gmu.edu/ISO/SysEng/Mason/account.html>
ssh: <http://mason.gmu.edu/~montecin/newaccount.htm>

Set up public_html directory
<http://mason.gmu.edu/~montecin/create9.htm>

Assignment

—Utilizing the skills learned in class today, work on a first draft of your homepage for Wednesday. The homepage is your public_html index.html page and will include a link to your 209 page.

If you already have a homepage on Mason, please add a link from that homepage to the English 209 page you will create.

Class 2: Nov 5
Learn FTP and web evaluation techniques. You will need to purchase a floppy disk and a zip disk and bring them to class.

In Class
—ftp homepage to public_html
—Web page evaluation

Readings and Resources
Using ssh/ftp
<http://mason.gmu.edu/~montecin/install_ssh.htm>
UCIS software download for home use
<http://itusupport.gmu.edu/downloads/index.asp>
Web Development Resources at Mason
<http://www.gmu.edu/mlnavbar/webdev/findex.html>

Evaluating websites
— Evaluative Criteria

Web Pages that Suck
<http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com/>

Assignments
1) Email your homepage address
Your email addresses will be collected in class. After receiving your first class email from the instructor, send a reply-all email from your own account to the ENGL 209 class list. Write whatever you want as a way of introduction but be sure to include

• your name
• your homepage address
• why you chose to take this course
• what computer skills you have and what you hope to learn

2) Create your 209 course page
All of your assignments for Engl 209 will be posted on your course page over the four weeks. For now, include the information you sent to the class email.

In Class
Learn how to create external links using Netscape Composer

Resources

W3C HTML Validator
<http://validator.w3.org/>

Jakob Neilsen and Usability
<http://www.useit.com/>


Assignment— web critique
This assignment's purpose is to heighten your awareness of good and bad web sites. It is also designed to help you begin saving your preliminary web research. Since you already have an idea of what your final Web project topic will be (an online version of your personal essay for English 101), search the web for three good sites and three bad sites related to your topic. Since the topic is you, look for sites related to your interests, hobbies, careers, music, favorite movies, etc. When you've chosen your sites, write a short paragraph for each one. Include an account of why you chose it as a good or bad example, including whether your choice was based on design, content, or both. Make sure you refer to the evaluative criteria discussed in class.

Save the assignment to disk as an html file and make the sites active links. Upload your assignment to your webpage.

The more technically-minded may check for full HTML standards compliance at http://validator.w3.org/ Their standards are the highest; after all, these are the folks who set the standards.

Class 4: Nov 12

Image Capture

In Class
—Show your links page to the class
—Discussion of plagiarism (see links below)
—Image capture
—Hypertext Theory

Readings and Resources
—Digital Photographic Manipulation <http://www.pbs.org/ktca/americanphotography/features/digital_essay1.html>
— Fair use guidelines for multi-media
<http://mason.gmu.edu/~scampbel/copymed.html>
—George Mason Honor Policy--plagiarism
<http://mason.gmu.edu/~montecin/plagiarism.htm>

Assignment—capture an image
Find three electronic images related to your final project topic. Place the images into a new html page, and record the following information:

• The URL where you found the image (required)
• The original image's source, if not originally digital (if possible)
• The photographer or illustrator (if possible)
• The year the original photo or illustration was taken (if possible)
• Explain how this relates to your topic (required)
  
  

Class 5: Nov 17

Hypertext Assignment

In Class
Learn how to create targets or anchors (internal links) using Netscape Composer®, in preparation for the hypertext assignment.

Readings and Resources
—How to insert Targets using Netscape Composer
<http://mason.gmu.edu/~scampbel/link.html>

—Hypertext and Hypermedia Bibliography
<http://osf1.gmu.edu/~lsmithg/htextbiblio.htm>

Assignment—hypertext annotation:

Construct a short hypertext (3 screens, with about 10 links) based on some piece of writing from another course. You can paste the original text directly into Composer®, but you'll need to convert it to plain text first (using, for example, "Save As" plain text in Word® to create a .txt file). Don't use the convert to HTML function in Word®—it makes unwieldy html.

Once the file is in html format, consider how the structure of the writing could change. You want to avoid too much scrolling, for example, so you might break the text into several chunks. These "chunks" can be linked together in several ways, including, but not limited to the original organization. You can also link to external sites. You might choose to create a page of definitions, linked to the main text.

Class 6: Nov 19

Begin final project preparation

In Class
—Show class hypertext assignment and discuss
—Discuss final project
—Begin work on final project

Final Project
The 209 final project should be an original hypertext which uses the technology (linking, multiple paths, images, targets etc) in ways which enhance your ideas. The project should be a text which relies upon (not merely uses) digital media. If I can print out your final project and not lose anything important, you're not using the technology in an important way.

As in the earlier Hypertext Annotation assignment, you can convert the text of the essay into plain text and copy the text into Composer® to begin the project. But then you'll need to consider the ways in which hypertext differs from print. Restructure the essay for an online audience, adding links, images, and targets.

The final project should contain at least 10 links (including targets), three images, and 3-5 screens of text. The text should be at least 750 words.

Class 7: Nov 24

Work on final project preparation. Peer review of project drafts.

In Class
—Show class personal page and draft of final project

Readings and Resources
—Study the definition and brief history of hypertext with
"A Hypertext History in 36 Nodes"

Assignment
Work on final project and prepare to show the class your work at the next meeting.

(No class Nov 24— Thanksgiving break)

Class 8 : Dec 1

Demo final web project

In Class
—Show class draft of final web project. The members of the class will provide feedback and suggestions.


Assignment—final web project

The project will be uploaded to your webpage as your Final Project.