This web design tutorial is designed to prepare you for the technology training we will do in the electronic classroom (TPH 215) in preparation for designing a homepage (home.html) a webquest (webquest.html, teacher.html, student.html, other support pages as needed) and other required webpages:  strategies.html, ss.html, math.html, science.html.

To begin, you will need some space on WKU's server so you can publish your web files.  WKU provides free web space for all students.  All you have to do is following these directions to get your username and password so that you have access to your free web space:Click HERE if you have forgotten your WKU email address - you MUST know this address if you want to use your WKU web space.  

1. Click on this link:  WKU WebMaster's Corner 
2. Click on Publish Website (http://www.wku.edu/Webmaster/account/)
3. Click on PERSONAL WEBSITE/ACCOUNT (https://www.wku.edu/Webmaster/account/personal.html)
4. Enter the following information and  click Activate my Web Account:
    

   E-mail Username:
   E-mail Password:

                               Don't enter your info here ... go to the above website and enter it THERE. 
    

5. When your account is activated a VERY important page will be displayed on your computer screen.  It will have your USERNAME and PASSWORD listed there.  The BEST thing to do is to PRINT that page - you might make a mistake if you try writing the information down.  PRINT the page.  KEEP the page. 
6. Please read the information provided regarding web publishing at WKU:
    
   • World Wide Web Publishing Policy
   • Computing Ethics Policy

IF YOU ARE USING A CAMPUS COMPUTER (DISTANCE SITES AS WELL) YOU DO NOT NEED TO DOWNLOAD COMPOSING SOFTWARE OR AN FTP PROGRAM - ALL LAB COMPUTERS ARE ALREADY LOADED WITH THAT SOFTWARE. 

OK, so far so good.  What you have done is the equivalent of acquiring LAND on which you will build a house.  The web pages are various rooms in your house whose "street address" is your URL.  Every URL is unique.  Yours will look like this:  http://www.wku.edu/~yourusername.  That particular address will open your "home.html" webpage. 

The next think you need is SOFTWARE in the form of a COMPOSING program.  Just like you need a word processing program to create a document of text, you need a composing program to create a webpage (unless you write in html code - which I do not).  You have some choices to make at this point.  If you are running INTERNET EXPLORER (commonly referred to as the "blue e") then you need to use FrontPage Express.  FrontPage Express is a smaller version of Microsoft FrontPage (like Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express!).  78% of all Internet users use Internet Explorer so let's start with FrontPage Express.

FrontPage Express is a FREE software program that you can download directly to the hard drive of your computer.  To do so, please go here: 

DOWNLOAD FRONT PAGE EXPRESS:  http://sssd.k12.ar.us/departments/dts/training/fp.htm

OR

Downloading and Installing Frontpage Express and WSFTP:  http://www.csu.edu.au/division/dit/cd/contents/resources/software.htm#WSFTP

You will see FrontPage demonstrated at the training session we will do in TPH 215, but you can familiarize yourself with the program by following this Front Page Express Tutorial:  http://accessfp.net/fpexpress.htm OR
Front Page express Tutorial:  http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/~blane/writing.htm 

Now you have the land (web space) and the construction crew and materials (FrontPage Express composing program).  Once you have built your webpages you need to MOVE them from the "construction site" (your hard drive, CD, or disk) where they were created to WKU's server.  To move the files you will need an FTP (file transfer protocol) program.  The following is a FREE FTP program that will allow you to move your files EASILY! 

GO HERE TO DOWNLOAD WSFTP_LE:  (click on "download it now" ... then on WSFTP) ... save the files to your desktop (or a folder on your hard drive) then follow the directions for installing the files:

http://www.csu.edu.au/webpublishing/install_body.htm

WKU Tutorial for using an FTP program:

Tutorials

If you use NETSCAPE browser you will need to use Composer as your composing software.  It is already on your computer if you are using Netscape.  The program is VERY similar to FrontPage Express and you should have no trouble designing the required webpages with this software.  Here is information you might find valuable: 

Tutorials on using COMPOSER.
GO HERE: http://www.netscape.com/download/  and download Netscape Navigator 

Netscape Composer:  An Introduction 
Montanta State Univ. Composer Tutorial 
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/ljbm/webpage.htm

Now you have everything you need to design your webpages.  The Technology Training for Teachers page I maintain has a few extra niceties for you like links to graphic sources, examples of homepages, electronic resources for educators, and links to all types of on-line instructional units of study.  Wise students use this page. 

Visit one of the graphics webpages and save an image to your hard drive or your disk:

1. Put your cursor on the image you want to save.
2. Right click your mouse.
3. When the box appears click SAVE AS
4. Give the image a name that you can remember
   • Start all background images with bg then add the file name ... should look like this:  bgskyblue
   • For all other images, put the noun FIRST and the descriptor NEXT ... should look like this:  boytall; caryellow; treefallcolors. 
   • NEVER (NEVER/NEVER) put ANY spaces, punctuation, special characters, capital letters in a filename.  NEVER.  EVER.  This is good:  webdesigntutorial.html .... This is BAD:  Web Design Tutorial! (really, really bad)
5. Giving credit:  Copy the URL from the page where you found the graphic and put a link to the page in your "credits" section of your webpage.  Read any and ALL information on the website regarding "FAIR USE."  If you are asked NOT to copy and use the image then DO NOT COPY/USE the image!

Email Dr. Petty (pamela.petty@wku.edu) with your URL for your homepage after you have registered for your space at WKU.  In the email please include:

1. Your URL for your homepage
2. An image you saved on your computer and put in the email (or attached to the email if you are using a text only email program)
3. The URL from either the FrontPage Express or the Composer tutorial you read/worked through. 

Yea for you!