Showing the World What You Can Do

If you look at a Web page in its basic form, what do you see? Text and pictures. When you work with Web pages, don't worry so much about all the bells, whistles and fancy technology; instead, focus on the basics of good communication. Web pages are easy to build, but make sure that children are ready conceptually before you start teaching them how to do it.

Kids should first be introduced to the Web itself, of course, and email. You should spend time introducing things like digital photography, image editing, file formats and multimedia concepts before creating a Web page. That way, they'll be learning good visual and written communication skills as well as technology along the way.

Build a Web site for your center and include areas for pages from different classes and programs as well as from the kids. Create an online group share so kids can show off their work. Even if you can't make the site available over the Internet, you can still put Web pages on your lab computers; people can see them when they visit your center.

Elements of a Good Web Page

Why are some Web sites more successful at engaging and educating children than others? Just like a book, magazine or movie, good content is most important. You want information and images that people care about, and the page(s) should be well organized so that visitors can find what they want and enjoy the experience. In addition, the best sites all have five characteristics, regardless of their subject matter:

1. They are purposeful. That is, they have clear goals and objectives.

2. They are interactive. A site doesn't have to use all the most sophisticated technologies; it just has to spur kids to do something. Maybe it includes a "mailto" (a special kind of link for sending an email message when a visitor clicks on it), so that visitors can contact the kids with comments, or features something as simple as a button users can click on to get a pop-up definition. Think action.

3. They provide assessment. Great Web sites provide a way to measure learning, skills or other aspects of effectiveness. Think about this aspect as you build sites with your kids, as a way of measuring their skills development.

4. They tell a story. Stories are the essence of both learning and entertainment and are a way of sneaking knowledge past a kid's defenses. Web site stories don't have to be novels or even narratives. A collection of neighborhood slang terms can tell a story about language, and the right photograph can tell a story of adventure.

5. They are systematic. The brain searches for patterns, and great Web sites all have a logical structure that reveals their stories in a way that children can understand. Don't mistake "logical" or "systematic" to mean linear. One of the great things about hyperlinking and the Web is that visitors can find their own way to the heart of a story according to their individual interests and through multiple paths.

Look for these characteristics in the sites you recommend to children, and build them into the sites you and your kids create. Again, the learning value in building a Web page is not so much in using the software but in learning to be better communicators.

What You'll Need

Keep in mind that Web publishing is really a multimedia exercise. Web publishing software is simply used to enter text and assemble objects on page. If you have already introduced the kids to word processing, drawing, image editing or multimedia software, they'll already know much of what they need. Kids should at least be comfortable with the computer itself, the basics of using the Web, and email, and they should have some experience with a graphics application.

You have many choices in Web publishing software. We recommend Netscape's Communicator because it is easy to use and has the advantage of being free and available on most community computers. As a result, kids can take their files home or continue work at a library or school. Another good Web publishing product is Macromedia's Dreamweaver.

If you plan on connecting your pages to the Internet, you'll also need to work out the details with your network administrator or other technical staff to learn any specific issues about how your center's Web site is managed, although you may not have to concern your kids with this information.

Web pages are actually files written in a programming language called HTML (or one of its variants). A Web publishing application lets you lay out a page visually so that you don't have to learn programming. You simply type in text and arrange your links, pictures and other objects on the page, then the program automatically creates the program code in HTML. It's so easy because the program does all the technical work. For older kids, especially if part of your goal is to help them gain career skills, you may want to bring in local professionals from Internet design firms or technology companies who can talk about HTML and Web development beyond the simple things that a program like Composer can do.

A Structure for Teaching About Web Pages

Because so many routes to Web page creation exist, it is most important to remember the basics:

• Prepare kids with journal and mapping activities to get them thinking about the Web page or the subject of the project.

• Make the Web page part of a larger project that involves broader learning goals, and use stepped activities along the way. For example, you may be working over the long term on a project to create a survey, but you can introduce the basics by doing a simpler page like checking the weather. A Web page can be the culmination of almost any kind of project, from an inquiry-based project to reporting after a field trip.

• Before you have kids start building the actual Web page, always have them do sketches in their journals to make sure they've really thought through what they want to do. Another reason for this step is that you want them to see that new technologies augment, not eliminate, traditional methods.

• Always introduce new software, concepts and tools in a staged manner, as suggested in the guidelines for teaching about technology.

• Be sure to talk about the features that make a good Web site, as discussed above. Talk especially about the importance of including interactivity and communication to Web pages, such as including a mailto. Kids may not think about these elements at first, but talking about the subject will help them internalize the habits of online communication and will positively reinforce their work. Just remember that adding the mailto is not enough by itself; you'll need to let people know that the page is available, even if it's just to parents or kids in other classes at your center.