book for web authouring class

[Chris Harris]

Hi,

I've been volunteered to teach a basic evening class on web design. I'm
planning on basing it around XHTML, CSS and following accessability
guidelines and general good design practice using standards etc. We'll be
starting with "hello world" in HTML (XHTML) and working up from there,
covering ftp, text and typography, some basic graphic manipulation, colours
on the web etc.. I don't claim to be an "expert" so I'll be teaching those
with no knowledge and leading the discussion with those that do know
something.

I want to use a recommended text so that I can send the students off to read
up on something, and that they can use a as a reference. I've been looking
at the O'Reilly's "Web design in a nutshell".

What do people think of that choice?

What text would you reccommend?

CJH

 

[kayodeok]

Hi,

I've been volunteered to teach a basic evening class on web design.
I'm planning on basing it around XHTML, CSS and following
accessability guidelines and general good design practice using
standards etc. [...]

I want to use a recommended text so that I can send the students off
to read up on something, and that they can use a as a reference. I've
been looking at the O'Reilly's "Web design in a nutshell".

What do people think of that choice?

What text would you reccommend?

HTML For the World Wide Web with XHTML and CSS 5th Edition by Elizabeth
Castro is another option.

 

[Gerry Nance]

From: "Chris Harris" (e-mail address removed)

Newsgroups: alt.html
Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2003 16:12:26 -0400

Hi,

I've been volunteered to teach a basic evening class on web design. I'm
planning on basing it around XHTML, CSS and following accessability
guidelines and general good design practice using standards etc. We'll be
starting with "hello world" in HTML (XHTML) and working up from there,
covering ftp, text and typography, some basic graphic manipulation, colours
on the web etc.. I don't claim to be an "expert" so I'll be teaching those
with no knowledge and leading the discussion with those that do know
something.

I want to use a recommended text so that I can send the students off to read
up on something, and that they can use a as a reference. I've been looking
at the O'Reilly's "Web design in a nutshell".

What do people think of that choice?

What text would you reccommend?

CJH

I started with "HTML 4.0 for Dummies" and I found it to be written in layman's
terms -- good, because I am neither a rocket scientist or engineer. Add the
companion quick reference book, and you have a set.

For an online source of HTML colors, see:
http://www.visibone.com/ right-click on the pictures to save.

For quick Reference foldout sheets see:
http://html-tags.info/

Be sure to download:
http://www.visibone.com/popups/

Also visit: http://www.htmlgoodies.com/

For graphics see: PaintShop Pro at http://jasc.com try the free download or buy
it for about $100. The color selector allows you to select and adjust colors
and then convert to a hexidecimal color number. Includes GIF Animation Shop,
so you can make animated GIFs.

For beginners I use Notepad for editing. Start with a blank page.
Insert the top <.HTML> tag, then copy, space down, and paste to the bottom and
add the / to close it. Next add the <.BODY> tag under the HTML tag, then copy
and paste it above the lower HTML tag, then add the / to close it.

Type in some text in the body , then add the <.BR>, copy and paste a few down
the page.

Next add a <.A HREF=""> Click Here<./A>
Next add an <.IMG SRC= ">

Next make a second page and show how to link to it, and navigate back to home.

Next do a TABLE

Then do a TABLE in a <.TD>

You learn by teaching what you know.

Good Luck!



Gerry Nance
World Alumni Registry
http://www.alumni.net
Register Today! Pass it on...

 

[Andy Dingley]

The text used in the class is this:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0619019689

OK, that one's now on my "burn this book" list.

<marquees> and frames and <applets> Oh My !


"Designing a web page with tables"

"Using frames in a web site"

Then three chapters later, CSS.

This is an obsolete book and it looks poorly structured. It teaches a
view of HTML which is inevitably a narrow view of a broad subject,
owing to time and space pressures. Yet it includes thoroughly obsolete
and deprecated notions (like frames), appears to teach nothing on any
sort of rational page structure or semantic notion, and doesn't teach
CSS - for as any teacher of HTML knows, you either teach CSS from day
one, or it doesn't sink in at all.

I don't even like the chapter numbering. "HTML 4.01" is a cutesy
college-style numbering scheme for it, but that is a very bad
numbering sequence to use when it's so obviously confused with HTML
versions. What do you say to a student who asks why HTML 5.01 uses
frames ?

"New perspectives on HTML" ? What ?


Teaching HTML is hard. Some of us know (or try to !) "all" of HTML,
but that's ridiculous. No-one needs all of this, it's very hard to
achieve (just how familiar with SGML parsing are you really ?) and
most of the volume is now thoroughly obsolete. How c.i.w.a.h arguments
have you seen on whether HTML 2 introduced the <foo> attribute or if
it was HTML 3.2 ?

There are three useful mass-market HTML books to write:


"HTML for beginners"

You know nothing, and need to write a homepage for your dog and your
amateur dramatics group.

Text editors, ftp, image editors, what a "server" is and why you
should avoid using nested <blockquote>s to indent a para. Teach CSS
from day 1, because it's easier than table-based layout and include a
CD of pre-drawn stylesheets and templates.


"HTML for students"

Hey D00DZ, see my rad koding skillz !
(actually these people are almost unteachable)


"HTML for professional trainees"

Validation, why you need it
How to read a TR and a DTD
Why tables suck.
Browser vagaries, when you should think about old-style markup and
what the implications are.
Why <span class="em" > is different to <em> and different to <b>
Why good case-authoring and attribute quoting habits will help with
XML
Javascript, and why it's finally worth looking at it.


The last thing we need is another crappy book or tutorial that
confuses tags and elements, or perpetuates frames or marquee

 

[Andy Dingley]

Agreed... Do you have any reccomendations for any. Or are you of the same
opinion as me that the book hasn't been written yet?

Haven't looked seriously for ages.

But I used to like Elizabeth Casto and Lie/ Bos on CSS



PS - How's the router ?

 

[CJ]

But I used to like Elizabeth Casto and Lie/ Bos on CSS



PS - How's the router ?

LOL maybe we need to start a alt.d-i-y.html NG ;-)