Alfred Thompson
2008-08-25 14:30:01 UTC
Are you looking for ways to engage your students in 21st century learning?
Would you like to generate enthusiasm and excitement about using technology
in your classroom on a daily basis? Are your students interested in
developing skills they can employ immediately for fun and for profit? Would
you like to provide your students with opportunities to work on complex
projects in teams? After teaching computer science for more than twenty
years, I am pleased to be a guest writer on Alfred Thompson’s blog. He is a
knowledgeable, dedicated and insightful colleague. My goal for this blog
today is to inform you about new teaching and learning materials that are now
available (in beta form) at no charge.
I am excited to announce the creation of Introduction to Web Design Using
Microsoft Expression0%
0%, a one semester curriculum unit, released just in time for the start of
the new school year. The curriculum, written by a team of eight outstanding
classroom teachers from across the country, provides an extensive collection
of unique teaching materials that thoroughly span Web Design knowledge and
skills and promote meaningful, real-world learning experiences. Students will
engage in authentic learning experiences and design modern Web sites with the
same tools that professional Web designers currently use. I can guarantee
that this curriculum is unique because it represents the best thinking of a
team of talented educators – all of whom have taught multiple subjects for
many years. We have synthesized the creativity of web design, computer
science, media arts, math, fine arts, science, business education and home
economics teachers.
By providing students with opportunities to be creators, rather than only
consumers, of technology, Microsoft aims to motivate the next generation to
explore and develop their talents. Many students who would be intimidated by
a programming class enter the technology pipeline via web design, gaming or
robotics. The content in this web design curriculum is appropriate for
secondary students and non-technical community college and university
students. In order to make your life as a busy educator a little easier, we
have based the detailed lesson plans, tutorials, presentations, student
projects, and assessment rubrics upon the ISTE's National Educational
Technology Standards (NETS)0%
0% and 21st Century Skills0%
0%.
The first 4 of the 8 learning modules are available for you to download
right now at Microsoft’s Pre-Collegiate Faculty Connection0%
0%. The remaining 4 modules will be available September 15.
Module 1: HTML Basics 2 weeks
Module 1 introduces basic HTML tags and cascading style sheets (CSS) through
projects designed to experiment with page design and introduces the concepts
of Web standards and accessibility.
Module 2: The History and the Future of the Web 1 week
Module 2 explores the past and future of Web technologies and the structure
of the Web. The rights and responsibilities surrounding intellectual property
rights in an electronic world are emphasized.
Module 3: Designing for Communication 2 weeks
Module 3 explores human communication and the unique challenges that
electronic modes of communication present for effective transmission of
ideas.
Module 4: Working with Images 3 weeks
Module 4 uses Microsoft Expression Design to create images. Image concepts
related to scanning, digital photography, and image manipulation techniques
are included.
Module 5: Beyond the Basics with Expression Web 2 weeks
Module 5 introduces the Expression Web environment and provides tutorials to
guide them in creating a Web site.
Module 6: The Design Process 3 weeks
Module 6 explores Web technology careers and simulates the design planning
process of Web design professionals. Team collaboration and customer
interactions are emphasized.
Module 7 The Production Process 3 weeks
Module 7 guides students in the production of the Web site that was planned
and designed in Module 6.
Module 8 Web Publishing and Maintenance 2 weeks
Module 8 establishes processes and techniques for selecting hosting
services, evaluating the effectiveness and usability of Web sites, and
providing maintenance over time.
This curriculum project represents an expansion of a short Expression Web
curriculum unit0%
0% and tutorial0%
0% that we developed for United States high schools in the fall of 2007. The
need for additional and more extensive web design teaching/learning materials
was identified by feedback we received from teachers who participated in our
2 pilot projects in the fall of 2007 and spring of 2008. The following
information may be of interest to you and your students:
75% of for United States high schools offer a Web Design/Development class
(2007)
71% of the educators involved in the Expression Web tutorial pilot reported
that it was a valuable teaching tool and they would use it again. The
remaining 29% strongly agreed with that statement, yielding a full 100%
accord amongst pilot educators that the Expression Web tutorial was a
valuable and useful teaching resource.
64% of students reported that, after participating in the Expression Web
tutorial, they would like to build another Web site.
57% of US teens report that they create content for the Internet
The curriculum is currently in beta version and is being taught by educators
in the US and several countries through a pilot program. Schools
participating in the pilot program receive a free subscription to MSDN AA for
High School that provides the Expression software needed to teach the
curriculum.
Expression Web is Microsoft’s most recent Web design and development
software. It replaces FrontPage and gives your students the tools they need
to create high quality, standards-based web sites that meet today’s standards
with sophisticated CSS-based layout and formatting. There are many additional
resources for learning Expression Web and Design. Learn Microsoft Expression0%
0% offers training for both Expression Web and Expression Design with
tutorials, videos and quick start guides. These are great for teacher
preparations as well as valuable tools for teaching in the classroom.
We hope you and your students will enjoy this new set of teaching and
learning materials! The 30 high school girls that participated in Microsoft’s
“Digigirlz” technology camp last week at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond,
Washington were able to learn how to use the software and build simple web
sites in less than four hours. The girls voted to have a web site design
competition and created some truly amazing sites. Students who have a
“service learning” or “community service” requirement at their high school
have reported that they completed this assignment by building a web site for
a local non-profit organization in their community. We trust this curriculum
will help you provide students with useful opportunities to engage in
creating in and out of classroom experiences that you want.
We would love to hear from you! If you are interested in learning more about
joining our team of teachers who are piloting the curriculum or want to let
us know about interesting projects your students are working on, please
contact me.
Pat Phillips, Director
Web Design Pilot Programs
v-***@microsoft.com
Would you like to generate enthusiasm and excitement about using technology
in your classroom on a daily basis? Are your students interested in
developing skills they can employ immediately for fun and for profit? Would
you like to provide your students with opportunities to work on complex
projects in teams? After teaching computer science for more than twenty
years, I am pleased to be a guest writer on Alfred Thompson’s blog. He is a
knowledgeable, dedicated and insightful colleague. My goal for this blog
today is to inform you about new teaching and learning materials that are now
available (in beta form) at no charge.
I am excited to announce the creation of Introduction to Web Design Using
Microsoft Expression0%
0%, a one semester curriculum unit, released just in time for the start of
the new school year. The curriculum, written by a team of eight outstanding
classroom teachers from across the country, provides an extensive collection
of unique teaching materials that thoroughly span Web Design knowledge and
skills and promote meaningful, real-world learning experiences. Students will
engage in authentic learning experiences and design modern Web sites with the
same tools that professional Web designers currently use. I can guarantee
that this curriculum is unique because it represents the best thinking of a
team of talented educators – all of whom have taught multiple subjects for
many years. We have synthesized the creativity of web design, computer
science, media arts, math, fine arts, science, business education and home
economics teachers.
By providing students with opportunities to be creators, rather than only
consumers, of technology, Microsoft aims to motivate the next generation to
explore and develop their talents. Many students who would be intimidated by
a programming class enter the technology pipeline via web design, gaming or
robotics. The content in this web design curriculum is appropriate for
secondary students and non-technical community college and university
students. In order to make your life as a busy educator a little easier, we
have based the detailed lesson plans, tutorials, presentations, student
projects, and assessment rubrics upon the ISTE's National Educational
Technology Standards (NETS)0%
0% and 21st Century Skills0%
0%.
The first 4 of the 8 learning modules are available for you to download
right now at Microsoft’s Pre-Collegiate Faculty Connection0%
0%. The remaining 4 modules will be available September 15.
Module 1: HTML Basics 2 weeks
Module 1 introduces basic HTML tags and cascading style sheets (CSS) through
projects designed to experiment with page design and introduces the concepts
of Web standards and accessibility.
Module 2: The History and the Future of the Web 1 week
Module 2 explores the past and future of Web technologies and the structure
of the Web. The rights and responsibilities surrounding intellectual property
rights in an electronic world are emphasized.
Module 3: Designing for Communication 2 weeks
Module 3 explores human communication and the unique challenges that
electronic modes of communication present for effective transmission of
ideas.
Module 4: Working with Images 3 weeks
Module 4 uses Microsoft Expression Design to create images. Image concepts
related to scanning, digital photography, and image manipulation techniques
are included.
Module 5: Beyond the Basics with Expression Web 2 weeks
Module 5 introduces the Expression Web environment and provides tutorials to
guide them in creating a Web site.
Module 6: The Design Process 3 weeks
Module 6 explores Web technology careers and simulates the design planning
process of Web design professionals. Team collaboration and customer
interactions are emphasized.
Module 7 The Production Process 3 weeks
Module 7 guides students in the production of the Web site that was planned
and designed in Module 6.
Module 8 Web Publishing and Maintenance 2 weeks
Module 8 establishes processes and techniques for selecting hosting
services, evaluating the effectiveness and usability of Web sites, and
providing maintenance over time.
This curriculum project represents an expansion of a short Expression Web
curriculum unit0%
0% and tutorial0%
0% that we developed for United States high schools in the fall of 2007. The
need for additional and more extensive web design teaching/learning materials
was identified by feedback we received from teachers who participated in our
2 pilot projects in the fall of 2007 and spring of 2008. The following
information may be of interest to you and your students:
75% of for United States high schools offer a Web Design/Development class
(2007)
71% of the educators involved in the Expression Web tutorial pilot reported
that it was a valuable teaching tool and they would use it again. The
remaining 29% strongly agreed with that statement, yielding a full 100%
accord amongst pilot educators that the Expression Web tutorial was a
valuable and useful teaching resource.
64% of students reported that, after participating in the Expression Web
tutorial, they would like to build another Web site.
57% of US teens report that they create content for the Internet
The curriculum is currently in beta version and is being taught by educators
in the US and several countries through a pilot program. Schools
participating in the pilot program receive a free subscription to MSDN AA for
High School that provides the Expression software needed to teach the
curriculum.
Expression Web is Microsoft’s most recent Web design and development
software. It replaces FrontPage and gives your students the tools they need
to create high quality, standards-based web sites that meet today’s standards
with sophisticated CSS-based layout and formatting. There are many additional
resources for learning Expression Web and Design. Learn Microsoft Expression0%
0% offers training for both Expression Web and Expression Design with
tutorials, videos and quick start guides. These are great for teacher
preparations as well as valuable tools for teaching in the classroom.
We hope you and your students will enjoy this new set of teaching and
learning materials! The 30 high school girls that participated in Microsoft’s
“Digigirlz” technology camp last week at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond,
Washington were able to learn how to use the software and build simple web
sites in less than four hours. The girls voted to have a web site design
competition and created some truly amazing sites. Students who have a
“service learning” or “community service” requirement at their high school
have reported that they completed this assignment by building a web site for
a local non-profit organization in their community. We trust this curriculum
will help you provide students with useful opportunities to engage in
creating in and out of classroom experiences that you want.
We would love to hear from you! If you are interested in learning more about
joining our team of teachers who are piloting the curriculum or want to let
us know about interesting projects your students are working on, please
contact me.
Pat Phillips, Director
Web Design Pilot Programs
v-***@microsoft.com