CIT 2005 - WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

MONDAY, MAY 23, 2005

Convert Handouts to Web Pages

Instructor: Lynn Aaron
Time: 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Location: Science II - 135
Rating: Introductory

This workshop is for faculty members who use Microsoft Word to create handouts and would like an easy and practical way to make the handouts available to their students on the World Wide Web. People who are interested in putting information online for their students must consider two major factors: acquisition of the skills needed to create web pages, and the amount of space available on the web server.

Skills: Web pages are written in the HyperText Markup Language (HTML). They can be hand-coded or created by special web page authoring programs, such as FrontPage or Dreamweaver, that function like word processors. It is also possible to use the HTML conversion program built into Microsoft Word. Since many faculty members already use Word to create their handouts, this is a time-effective approach.

File Size: However, Microsoft Word adds a significant amount of proprietary code to documents to enable Microsoft features. This enlarges the size of the document, which, in turn, both uses up valuable space on the web server and increases the time the browser needs to load the page. This code is not necessary for web pages. Thanks to a relatively new feature, a simple adjustment can eliminate the code resulting in smaller, faster-loading web pages. Workshop participants will learn how.

Other Issues: Since there are differences in file name conventions on a web server and on a Windows PC, file-naming issues such as spaces, extensions, and the significance of folders will be addressed. A helpful operating system setting will be suggested.

Following the creation of presentable web pages, copies of the pages must be transferred to a web server. The FTP process will be discussed and demonstrated using a popular FTP program.

Access to the new pages will be accomplished by creating links on existing pages. A sample web page will be provided. However, attendees are invited to use their own home pages if they wish.

In summary, this workshop will cover an easy and space-conserving way to convert Microsoft Word handouts into web pages. Sample documents will be provided but participants who bring their own documents and the information needed to access their web servers will be able to upgrade their own websites during the workshop.