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Multimedia and Webpage Design Teacher Links
This page includes links of particular interest to Computer Engineering teachers. You can also view links generally useful to teachers (classroom tools, video sites, reference sites, etc) at our main Teacher Links page.
Multimedia & Webpage Design
Webpage Design Links
General
Web Authoring Languages and Software
Presentation and Scripting Languages
Web Standards
Publishing a Site
Assorted Sites
Advanced Interest
3.01 - Explore Multimedia Systems, Elements, Presentations
Compare Multimedia Systems
A 'top ten reviews' site compares multimedia computers with their strengths and weaknesses. The site may give students a better understanding of what components make a computer better suited for multimedia creation.
Audio Compression
This site illustrates differences in sample rates, file sizes and audio quality.
Copyright and Fair Use Guidelines
NCDPI-recommended guidelines on Copyright in an electronic environment.
Dewey Music
This site offers more than a million free public domain songs!
How MP3 Files Work
This page in the popular howstuffworks website explains what MP3 files are and how they are played.
Copyright-Friendly and Copyleft Images and Sound
This wikispaces page offers sources for images and sound that students can use in projects. (SOME resources found in these sites do not require permission, but others do do read any copyright notices carefully, and teach that 'free' resources should always be cited or attributed!)
Free MIDI File Database
This site offers some free amateur MIDI files with familiar tunes.
Free Sound Samples
More free sound samples.
Free MPEG and MOV Samples
Sample streaming videos.
3.02 - Develop Webpages - General
W3Schools
A wealth of information on web design from the organization that manages web standards. This site includes numerous tutorials as well as background information.
The World Wide Web in Plain English
This video, less than three minutes long, offers a concise overview of how the World Wide Web works and touches on several of the main subject areas covered in this course.
HTML.net
This site is the home of some nice tutorials that walk you through key concepts of HTML and then CSS.
Screen Readers
This video shows the use and the importance of screen readers for visually impaired web users.
SitePoint
This site, from a publisher of books for web developers, offers a variety of resources from basic explanations of terminology and concepts to more complex articles. Much of what you'll see here is well beyond the scope of the course, but search the library of articles for basic and simple information on appropriate topics.
Web Authoring Languages & Software:
HTML, XML, XHTML, Java
About Web Design
A plethora of definitions, explanations and tutorials on basic web design topics from HTML to XML to CSS and more from About.com.
Crucial HTML and XHTML Tags
A handy list of tags from W3C.
SitePoint References
The British web design publishing company SitePointoffers this fantastic set of references on HTML concepts, elements, attributes and more.
HTML and XHTML Attributes
A comprehensive list of attributes and their status, from W3C.
W3Schools HTML Tutorials
This site offers tutorials on HTML from the official web standards organization.
About XML
This about.com explanation also includes a tutorial.
Get Your Feet Wet in XML
This tutorial from online-learning.com goes much deeper into XML than the curriculum requires, but actually contains some great explanations of key XML concepts. It would be a good place to point students who aren't satisfied with the basic definition and want to know more.
What is XML Used For?
A quick reference that might give better insight into the uses of XML.
A Technical Introduction to XML
This more detailed explanation of XML is for those who really want to know more than the curriculum requires them to learn.
What is XHTML?
W3C's definition of XHTML. You can also find a simpler explanation at the javascript kit site, which also includes some examples of XHTML.
W3Schools XHTML Tutorials
W3Schools also offers tutorials on XHTML.
DTD - Doctype Tags
Every web page needs a doctype tag at the top. There are several variations, based on the type of code the page is written in. Here's a list and information about the different types.
Character Set Encoding
If you want to know more about the character set encoding at the top of a web page, here is more information. This is more complicated than you have to get in the classroom.
Java Applets
From Sun Microsystems, developers of Java programming languages, this page explains how applets are small programs written in Java language and included in html pages. Java must be installed on a PC or laptop in order for the browser to display the information in a Java applet.
Java in Action
These examples of Java at work may help students understand some of the capabilities Java applets can add to website interactivity.
Presentation and Scripting Languages
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and JavaScript
CSS Attributes and Values
A list of common CSS attributes and values.
Deprecated HTML/XHTML Tags and Attributes
A list of deprecated tags and attributes and their CSS alternatives.
How 'Styles' Impact a Basic HTML Document
This page offers a simple explanation of how an internal style sheet works in a very simple html document, telling the browser how to display the content.
CSS Zen Garden
How much impact can a CSS style sheet have on the appearance of a web site? This fascinating site starts with one common html document of text, and offers numerous versions of that page with just one difference - the pages are attached to different CSS style sheets which completely transform the look of the page. Show this site to students early on to offer a quick understanding of the impact of CSS - and let them come back later to explore the details.
How CSS Changes Web Page Appearance
This page includes a nice example of html code and what it looks like when rendered in a browser, and how the incorporation of internal CSS styles changes the appearance. You can see the code that's added, and the effect it has. Other pages in the site illustrate the use of html and css to create and style tables, ordered lists and page layouts.
W3Schools CSS Tutorials
This site offers tutorials on CSS from the official web standards organization.
W3Schools CSS Tryit Editor
This fun and informative site from W3Schools offers interactive pages on which students can edit html and CSS code and immediately see the difference their edits make on page display.
W3C Markup Guide on Styles
A quick reference from W3C that includes a nice succinct explanation of some key CSS concepts.
CSS Cheat Sheet
A quick reference pdf from htmlprimer.com.
W3Schools JavaScript Explanation and Tutorials
It's beyond the scope and requirements of this course, but interested students can learn more about JavaScript and even learn how to write it with a tutorial at this site.
W3C
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) controls the HTML and other coding standards and policies related to the Internet.
W3C Code Validator
How does your web page stand up to recognized web standards? Check it at this W3C page.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
How does your web page stand up to recognized web standards? Check it at this W3C page.
Browser Statistics
What's the most popular browser right now? The answer may surprise you. Up-to-date statistics from the W3C can be seen here.
Internic
A searchable list of URLs managed by ICANN, which maintains a list of accredited registrars.
Lunarpages Education
This web hosting company has a FREE web site program for schools. If you choose to upload any work done by students, be sure to check with your district's policies first.
Open Source Web Design (OSWD)
Find open source templates and information at this site.
Open Web Design
Another source of open source templates and information on web design at this site.
Portable Apps
A place to download portable applications such as browsers for your flash drive.
Web Color Codes
A list of color codes from W3Schools.
Teach-a-Geek
Knightdale High teacher Geof Duncan's blog/website with a lot of tech tips for teachers.
Berlitz - German Coast Guard Video
Amusing illustration of the need for a 'common language.'
How to Read a Book
A look a 'first time learning' and the frustrations of trying to grasp somethimg completely new.
A List Apart
This blog site features articles on taking web design to the next level. It's strictly a recommendation for students who wish to delve further into specific challenges and issues of web design.
CSS Zen Garden
You may have shown this site early in the course as an illustration of how pointing to a different CSS file can radically alter the look of a page. Advanced studsents may enjoy examining that further after learning the basics of CSS.
Meta Tag Generator
This site goes well beyond the scope of the course, but if you have students who want more information about meta tags, this is a great place to send them for a better understanding.
'Free' Web Host
This site lets users sign up for a free account and build a site using an online WYSIWYG tool. They can upgrade to a paid subscription that includes more space and eliminates ads. Using this site will NOT teach students the html and CSS that are part of the curriculum and should not be used as a substitute for learning about code! But this site does give an understanding of 'free' web tools.
If you find information on these pages that is outdated or needs to be added or changed, please email us and we'll get it fixed.
