Using the Internet to teach language and culture:
Making a class web page

Victoria Muehleisen
Institute of Language Teaching
Waseda University

This web page is based on a presentation given at the 36th Annual JACET Conference at Waseda University on September 6, 1997.

CONTENTS
Introduction Reasons for making a class web page Possible formats for class web pages Starting with your own web page Getting students started Some legal issues Publicize your pages

Introduction

It seems that the Internet is everywhere these days: more and more schools have computer labs with connections to the Internet, many teachers and students are connected at home, and there are even Internet cafes where people can walk in off the street and get connected. Language teachers can take advantage of the current interest in the Internet by using it in their classes; in doing so, they will at the same time be encouraging students to use English outside of the class as well.

There are many different activities that fall under the heading of "using the Internet", including e-mail and web browsing (see my article in the June 1997 Internet TESL Journal for more on these), but making a class web page is one of the best ways to get students involved in using English creatively.

Reasons for making a class web page

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Possible formats for class web pages

There are many possible formats for a class web page; how you choose to organize your page and what you choose to include in it depends on many factors, including the following:

To get a idea of the range of possibilities, it's useful to look at some of the projects that have already been carried out in language classes.

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Starting with your own web page

In order to students how to make web pages, you'll need to learn first. One of the best ways to do this is by making your own web page first. When you do so, I think you'll quickly find that you web page is a great place to put the information students often ask you for. My home page, for example, includes class schedules, information related to on-going class work, and interesting WWW links for students. Charles Kelly's article How to Make a Successful ESL/EFL Teacher's Web Page has many useful suggestions for teachers.

As you begin working on your web page, you will probably want to learn more about how the web works and about HTML (Hypertext Mark-up Language), the "code" used for making web pages. One good starting point can be found on-line at theWorld Wide Web FAQ. Any bookstore with computer books will also have useful resources for beginners.

One of the first choices you'll face in making a web page is whether to work directly with HTML code or to use page making software. With software, it is easily to jump right in and get started, but there are significant advantages to learning HTML code.

First, in order to work directly with HTML code, all you need is a word processing program (the files are saved as TEXT files rather than in the word processor's format). Since most of us already have one, there's no need to buy any additional software. It's convenient for students too; if they save their files to floppy disk, they can work on any computer at school or at home without having to worry about purchasing any particular software.

Second, with software programs it can be hard to correct mistakes and fine tune your page for the look you want. I've been frustrated by most of the software programs I've tried for this reason. The one exception is software that allows you to see and directly work with the HTML code, such as the Page Spinner shareware for MacIntosh.

To teach yourself HTML, I recommend the following WWW sites:

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Getting students started

Start by browsing the WWW: in class, have students look at web pages, especially those made by other students. Ask them to think about what makes a good page--a page that is interesting, easy to read and understand, and quick loading.

Next, have students work on individual pages to practice using basic HTML codes. You can break this down into steps.

  1. Have students choose the graphics they will use (perhpas their own photos, scanned into the computer) and write a basic version of their text. Have them think about the arrangement of the page: Where will the pictures go? How many separate pages will they use? How will they be linked together?

  2. Add the HTML codes to the basic document and test it on the screen. On Macs or computers running Windows, an easy way to do this is toopen two windows on the screen. One has the word processong program with the page in HTML code, while the other has the browser. Use the "open file" command on the browser to look at the text file. Students can modify their HTML code, save the file, and then look at it with the browser to see what the page looks like.

  3. Encourage students to experiment. They can try different sizes of font, different background colors, and different placement of graphics,for example. Encourage them to make links to their favorite WWW sites.

  4. Have students check each other's pages online, proofreading and testing links.

  5. When the individual pages are finished, link them up to the class web page.
Once the students have made individual pages, they will have a good idea of how HTML works and they'll be ready to work on a class project. Where you go from here depends on the kind of project you choose to do.

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Some legal issues

It's very easy to download text and graphics from other web sites and use them in your pages, but it may be illegal. My advice: don't even think about it!. Rather than downloading such material, you can link to it from your page. It's easier and perfectly legal.

You are also legally safe if you use text and graphics you've created yourselves. You can create your own graphics by scanning in photos you've taken or using a drawing program.

You can also buy collections of graphics (photos or clip art) which you can legally include in your pages. One example is the Web Explosion collection on CD-ROM.

Publicize your pages

Once your pages are finished, you'll want people to know it's on the web. A good way to do this is to register your pages with search engines such as Alta Vista and Yahoo.

You can also ask for your web pages to be added to lists for ESL teachers, such as the VOLTERRE-FR List.

More information about publicizing your site can be found on-line at http://ep.com/faq/webannounce.html

Good luck with your web pages!

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