MIS-334 Web Design Assignments:

Introductory Assignment:
Please introduce yourself to me. The purpose of this assignment is so I can get to know you individually. I would like you to include the following information in your introduction:

1. Your background (if you are a full-time student, your program of study; if you work, the kind of work you do; etc...)
2. Career plans or goals that relate to this course, if any.
3. Why you enrolled in this course, and what you hope to accomplish.
4. Make a statement about yourself that will help me remember you from among the many other students in the course. (The statement should focus on what is unique about you).

Assignment 1:
What is the most cost effective ISP in your area? (Chapter 3)
You are to research several ISP's in your area to determine which one is the most cost effective. You will need to define what cost effective means to you. There are several considerations such as speed, reliability, and cost. List the ISP's you researched, your definition of cost effective, and the results of your research. Based on your research which ISP do you consider the most cost effective?

Assignment 2:
There are many browsers available. You are to research two browsers of your choice and list the strengths and weaknesses of each. Make a summary statement as to which one you would choose and why. (Chapter 4)
A good web site to use for information is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_web_browsers

Assignment 3
Go to one or more of the smiley sites you'll find in the smiley section of the Interlit Web Site, and browse the list of emoticons you will find there. What are your favorite emoticons? Which emoticons do you find too esoteric for general use on the internet? (Chapter 5)

Assignment 4
Go to the following site: Acronyms and browse the list of three-letter acronyms you will find there. Give a sample of which TLA's you think an Internet-literate person should know? Which ones are too esoteric for general use on the Internet? (Chapter 5)

Assignment 5
Carefully read the Bill of Rights and Responsibilities for Electronic Learners listed below. Do you agree with all of the items covered in this Bill of Rights? What do you disagree with? Do you plan to abide by these guidelines? Do you think they have left out anything important? What's not covered that should be? (Chapter 5)

The Bill of Rights and Responsibilities for Electronic Learners

Article I: Individual Rights

The original Bill of Rights explicitly recognized that all individuals have certain fundamental rights as members of the national community. In the same way the citizens of the electronic community of learners have fundamental rights that empower them.

Section 1.

A citizen's access to computing and information resources is a right. Access to computing or information resources shall not be denied or removed without just cause.

Section 2.

The right to access includes the right to appropriate training and the tools required to effect access.

Section 3.

All citizens shall have the right to be informed about personal information that is being and has been collected about the, the right to review and correct that information, and the right to control the distribution of that information beyond the expressed purpose of its collection.

Section 4.

The constitutional right to freedom of speech applies to citizens of electronic communities just as it does to citizens of other communities.

Article II: Individual Responsibilities

Just as certain rights are given to each citizen of the electronic community of learners, each citizen is held accountable for his or her actions. The interplay of rights and responsibilities within each individual and within the community engenders the trust and intellectual freedom that form the heart of our society. This trust and freedom are grounded on each person's developing the skills necessary to be an active and contributing citizen of the electronic community. These skills include awareness and knowledge about information technology and the uses of information and an understanding of the roles in the electronic community of learners.

Section 1.

It shall be each citizen's personal responsibility to actively pursue needed resources: to recognize when information is needed, and to be able to find, evaluate and effectively use information.

Section 2.

It shall be each citizen's personal responsibility to recognize (attribute) and honor the intellectual property of others.

Section 3.

Since the electronic community of learners is based upon the integrity of all information, it shall be each citizen's personal responsibility to be aware of the potential for and possible effects of manipulating electronic information: to understand the fungible nature of electronic information; and to verify the integrity and completeness of information that he or she compiles or uses.

Section 4.

Each citizen, as a member of the electronic community of learners, is responsible to all other citizens in that community: to respect and value the rights of privacy for all; to recognize and respect the diversity of the population and opinion in the community; to behave ethically; and to comply with legal restrictions regarding the use of information resources.

Section 5.

Each citizen, as a member of the electronic community of learners, is responsible to the community as a whole to understand what information technology resources are available, to remember that the members of the community share them, and to refrain from all acts that waste or prevent others from using these resources.

Article III: Rights of Educational Institutions

Educational institutions have legal standing similar to that of individuals. Our society depends upon educational institutions to educate our citizens and advance the development of knowledge. However, in order to survive, educational institutions must attract financial and human resources. Therefore, society must grant these institutions the rights to the electronic resources and information necessary to accomplish their goals.

Section 1.

Educational institution's access to computing resources and information is a right rather than a privilege. Access to computing resources and information shall not be denied or removed without just cause.

Section 2.

Educational institutions in the electronic community of learners have ownership rights over the intellectual works they create.

Section 3.

Educational institutions have the right to allocate resources in line with their unique institutional missions.

Article IV: Institutional Responsibilities

Just as certain rights are ensured to educational in the electronic community of learners, so to each is held accountable for the appropriate exercise of those rights to foster the values of society and to carry out each institution's mission. This interplay of rights and responsibilities within the community fosters the creation and maintenance of an environment wherein trust and intellectual freedom are the foundation for individual and institutional growth and success.

Section 1.

The institutional members of the electronic community of learners have a responsibility to provide all members of their community with legal acquired computer resources (hardware, software, networks, databases, etc.) in all instances when access to or use of the resources is in an integral part of active participation in the electronic community of learners.

Section 2.

Institutions have a responsibility to develop, implement, and maintain security procedures sufficient to ensure the integrity of individual and institutional files.

Section 3.

The institution shall treat electronically stored information as confidential. The institutional shall treat all personal files as confidential, examining or disclosing the contents only when authorized by the owner of the information, approved by the appropriate institutional official, or required by local, state, or federal law.

Section 4.

Institutions in the electronic community of learners shall train and support faculty, staff and students to use information technology effectively. Training includes skills necessary to use the resources, knowledge of the existence of data repositories and techniques for using them, and an understanding of the ethical and legal uses of and responsibility for the resources.

Assignment 6
You are to join and participate in a listserv of your choice. Once you have joined a listserv and participated in it for a while you are to indicate the listserv you joined and what your experiences were.

Assignment 7
You are to participate in a newsgroup of your choice. Once you have participated in a newsgroup for a while, you are to indicate which newsgroup you participated in and what your experiences were. (Chapter 8)

Assignment 8
The purpose of this assignment is to give you exposure to a media player. The two most common are Windows Media Player and Real Player. You can download either media player for free. If you choose to download RealPlayer make sure to download the free version of RealPlayer 8.

Select one of the audio sites offered by the media player you downloaded, such as National Public Radio (NPR). What do you think about the quality of the audio? Does it meet your expectations? (Chapter 9)

Assignment 9
There's a knack to writing a hypertext in such a way that the wording makes it clear what will happen when the user clicks on the link. Provide three examples of what a hypertext link might look like to tell the user how to return to your homepage. Each example should be a line of hypertext that would appear on the user's screen, containing one or more hot words that the user clicks to go back to your home page. These are just written examples, not actual links. (Chapter 16)

Assignment 10
Develop a Web Page which includes a home page and a link to your resume. The home page can contain any items of interest to you.

You MUST use one of the following web design tools to create your pages:

Netscape Composer
Netscape Composer is a part of Netscape Communicator and is a free download. If you don't have Netscape Communicator on your machine you can download it by clicking here . Make sure to download Netscape 7.2 or earlier. Netscape 8 no longer includes Composer.
See file link below for instructions on how to use Netscape Composer.

Front Page
A 30 day trial copy of Front Page is included with your textbook. For more information about Front Page click here .
Please note: You MAY NOT use WORD to create your web site, you may not use YAHOO Page Builder to create your site, you may not use ANY web design tool other than Netscape Composer or FrontPage. If you do...you will receive the grade of zero for this assignment.
Make sure you include targets/bookmarks, links, graphics, and tables. Once you complete your home page and resume page the pages will need to be uploaded (and don't forget to upload all of your graphic files as well) to the web server. You are to use angelfire.com to upload your web site. For more information on how to upload your HTML files to angelfire.com please click on the link below.
Thoroughly test your pages to be sure the targets/bookmarks, links, etc... work properly. Make sure to test you web site on a different computer so you can be sure all of the links are working. Don't forget to run spellcheck as well. You will then submit the URL to me so I can visit your web site.(Chapter 15 - 22)

To submit this assignment please type the URL for your web site into a Word document. You will then be able to submit the Word document via the assignment link.

Assignment 11
Shockwave can make your Web Browser do some really neat stuff. Follow the links to Shockwave at the Interlit Web site. Download and install the Shockwave player. Then use your browser to visit some of the Shockwave-enabled Web sites you find at http://shockwave.com . Make a list of the features you find Shockwave supporting that you haven't seen on Web pages that don't use it. What is your favorite Shockwave feature? (Chapter 23)

Assignment 12
Complete exercises 1 through 3 at the end of chapter 24, which has you put audio onto your home page. After you've tested the audio on your Web page to make sure it plays back properly from the Web, submit the URL of your home page. (Chapter 24)