English 209 -- Section 002

Session 1 (Feb 17): Getting started: Skills Survey

Set up public_html directory on Mason server; begin creating course web page. You will need to purchase a floppy disk, or (preferable) a Zip disk, to save your work.

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

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

UCIS software download for home use
<http://itusupport.gmu.edu/downloads/index.asp>
You can find telnet and ssh programs here, but the version of Netscape is out of date.

You should use Netscape 7.1 or Mozilla 1.6 (both are free)

Assignment

Utilizing the skills learned in class today, work on a first draft of your homepage and your 209 page. Your homepage will be called "index.html" and will be uploaded to your public_html directory. Your 209 page will be a separate page (called "209.html") and will be linked from your homepage.

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

 

Session 2 (Feb 19): Uploading files and communicating with the server: FTP, sFTP, telnet, and ssh

Readings and Resources
Using ssh/ftp
<http://mason.gmu.edu/~montecin/install_ssh.htm>

Web Development Resources at Mason
<http://www.gmu.edu/mlnavbar/webdev/findex.html>

Assignments

Upload your home page and your 209 page

All of your assignments for Engl 209 will be posted on your 209 page over the four weeks. For now, include the following information

Session 3 (Feb 24): Web Evaluation

Readings and Resources

Evaluative Criteria

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. You may already have an idea of what your final Web project topic will be; search the web for three good sites and three bad sites related to your topic. When you've chosen your sites, write a paragraph or two 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.


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.

Session 4 (Feb 26): Image Capture and Placement
Plagiarism, Copyright, and Licensing

Readings and Resources

Fair use guidelines for multi-media
<http://mason.gmu.edu/~scampbel/copymed.html>

George Mason Honor Policy
<http://www.gmu.edu/catalog/apolicies/#TOC_H11>

Creative Commons
<http://creativecommons.org>

TEC Tutorial on image capture.

Assignment— Image Capture

Find three electronic images related to your final project topic. Place the images into a new html page, and record the following information (items in bold are required) :

Several excellent sources for photos are available from the Creative Commons "Get Content" site: Open Photo, Free Media, PD Photo, and Common Content. Most of the images available from these sites require attribution; some would like an email notification; others are in the Public Domain. Be sure to read the license before you use the images on your site.

Session 5 (March 2) Hypertext Annotation

Create targets or anchors (internal links) using Netscape Composer®, for use in 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>

Online Books at UPenn
<http://digital.library.upenn.edu/books>

TEC Tutorial on hypertext annotation.


Assignment—hypertext annotation

Construct a short hypertext (at least 2 screens, with about 10 links) annotating a short text (500 words -- about a page) from The Online Books Page at The University of Pennsylvania. You should be able to work directly in Composer®. Don't use the convert to HTML function in Word®—it makes unwieldy html.

An annotation consists of links to definitions, examples, personal reflections, and external sites. Do not simply link to Dictionary.com or an online encyclopedia; the definitions and examples should be your own. The Annotation project should consist of at least two html files: one of the original content, at least one page of targeted definitions, examples and such.

Session 6 (March 4): Begin final project preparation

 

Assignment: 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.

In this assignment, you should consider the differences between print texts and digital or electronic texts. Do you read them differently? Do you write them differently? Consider the differences between works composed for print and those composed for the computer screen. What about works written for print but converted to digital texts?

The final project may be an extended critique of a web site or an online work, an expansion of your hypertext annotation, or an offshoot of a text-based project in your major. You cannot, however, use an online project from another course for credit in this class.

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.


Spring Break

Session 7 (March 16): Work on final project preparation.

Peer review of project drafts.

Session 8 (March 18): Demo final web project.

 

The project must be uploaded to your webpage by Friday March 19.