TECHNOLOGY TASK #8

Updating Classroom WebPages

December 6 - 16

The last Tech Task for this semester is to update your classroom webpage so that it is ready for the second semester when we return after Christmas. Beginner Level is to correct or post your second semester schedule AND change the background and clipart for winter. Intermediate Level is to complete Beginner tasks and include a syllabus for the first two weeks in January. Wizard Level will be to add a counter to your index page, in addition to Beginner and Intermediate tasks.

Email Barbara (bgarnett@tipton-county.com) when you have finished the highest level you plan to complete.

BEGINNER LEVEL – Updating the basics

(1) Open WORD and open your Index page from your M: drive. (Remember that you probably can’t see the M; however, it is the one that has
yourusername on tcs_web\vol… in the middle of the dropdown.)

(2) Single-click any graphic that you wish to replace and hit the delete key. To insert a new one in the same place, click Insert / Picture / clipart or Insert / Picture / from file (if you are using one saved to your hard drive or from a CD).

(3) To change the background, click Format / Background and pick a color, or Format / Background / Fill Effects / Picture / Select Picture. Navigate to the background graphic that you wish to use. If you are using the Multimedia CD, remember that there is a folder on it with great backgrounds.

(4) To copy a picture from the Internet, locate a graphic that you want to use on a webpage. Right-click the graphic and choose Save Picture As. Navigate to your network drive and save the graphic in there. To insert it, make sure that the cursor is on the page at the spot where the graphic should go. Click Insert / Picture / from file. Go to your network drive and double-click the graphic.

(5) If you need help setting up your schedule, see Barbara ASAP.

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL – Inserting syllabus

(1) Complete Beginner Level tasks.

(2) While there are several ways to insert your syllabus, probably the best way is to create a new webpage and link to it from your Index page.

a. Click File / New / and click in the Blank Web Page option along the right side of the page.

b. Type in your weekly syllabus in WORD for the first two weeks in January. You may format it any way you wish; however, if you put graphics on the page, remember to put everything in a table.

c. Your syllabus should list what you will be covering in class each day, as well as the assignments.

d. Save the syllabus page into your M: drive. Be sure to name it just one word, since the Internet does not recognize any spaces in a name. The easiest thing to do would be to name it syllabus, so that you can just replace it with new info when necessary without having to change the link.

(3) When you have finished the syllabus page, you must create a link on your Index page so that students and parents will be able to hit the page.

a. After saving the syllabus in M: drive, open Internet Explorer and visit the page by going to your webpage and typing in the name for the syllabus page at the end of your classroom webpage address. You will also need to type .htm at the end…
Ex: http://www.tipton-county.com/bhs/teachers/yourusername/syllabus.htm

b. On your Index page, type in the words that will be the link
(Ex: Geometry Syllabus January 10-21) and highlight them.

c. Click the Insert Hyperlink button on the toolbar. It is a globe with a chain link under it.

d. It opens the contents of the current folder first. Once the contents have dropped down, click Browsed Pages. Your syllabus page that you just visited should be at the top of the Browsed Pages list. Click it and then click OK.

e. Save your Index page into M: drive and check everything by visiting your webpage.

WIZARD LEVEL – Adding a counter to your webpage.

The problem with free webpage counters is that almost all of them include an advertising link under the counter. Since we don’t need to include any advertising on our pages, this presents a problem; however, there is one site that is free, provides statistics via email to you, and does not include any advertising.

(1) Visit our BHS homepage and scroll down to the bottom of the page. You will see a small multi-colored square. Single-click the box and you will go to the SiteMeter page (http://www.sitemeter.com/).

(2) Single-click the “Sign Up for a free Site Meter” link.

(3) Follow the prompts, clicking Next or filling in the appropriate boxes when necessary. One page has you fill in your classroom webpage address. The BEST way to do this is to visit your page and copy the URL (webpage address) to the clipboard; then paste the address into the “Your site’s URL” box. This ensures that the URL is correct and will hit.

(4) When you have finished, you will see a page that tells you that your username and password have been mailed to the email address that you put in. Your username is the codename that you put in, with a letter (probably s) and a number (probably 16 or 19) before the codename. The password that they emailed you is just several nonsense letters, but don’t worry about retrieving it since we will be changing your password immediately.

(5) Ignore the Upgrade offer, unless you wish to pay for the counter. Click on the Manager link at the top of the page.

(6) Notice the Membership Overview links along the left side. We will be making adjustments to the following: Stats by Email, Password, Meter Style, Ignore Visits, Privacy Level, and HTML Code. (Be sure to do the HTML Code last.)

(7) Single-click the Stats by Email link and either choose the day of the week that you would like SiteMeter to email you the statistics concerning your webpage visits, or choose Never. (Be sure to click Save at the bottom.)

(8) Single-click Password and type in a new password and confirm it. Save.

(9) Click Meter Style and choose the style counter you wish displayed. Save.

(10) Click Ignore Visits and choose whether or not you want your own visits to your page to count in the total. (Note: The program will not continue counting subsequent visits from the same visitor per visit. This keeps your count from being skewed if someone just refreshes the page often.)

(11) Click Privacy Level and choose Medium if you do not want visitors to have access to your statistics. Save.

(12) Now click HTML Code. At the bottom of the page, you will see “If you didn't find your editor in the lists above, you may find some help here.” Click the “some help here” link.

a. Scroll to the very bottom of the page until you see the Site Meter Regular HTML box (not the Javascript one). Single-click inside the box and all of the code in the box will become highlighted. Copy the highlighted text to the clipboard (CTRL / C).

b. Open your Index page from your web drive. Scroll to the bottom of the page and insert a blank row after the last row in your table. (Just get your cursor in the bottom row and then hit <Tab>.) Click the Center button to get your cursor in the middle of the row, if necessary.

c. Even though your HTML code is on the clipboard, we can’t just paste it on your webpage; that would just display your code on your page instead of insert a working counter.

i. Click View / HTML Source.

ii. Scroll down almost to the bottom of the source code and find the text that you want your counter to be under.

iii. There is probably some code that looks like this:
</td> there. Click after it and hit the <enter> key to get the cursor on a new line.

iv. Paste your code.

v. Save the Source file.

vi. After you save and close the Source file, you should be back on your WORD page. At the bottom of the page you should see a small yellow square – something like SpongeBob… If it is not in the newly added last row of your table, click it to select it and then CUT it from the page. Paste it in the center of the last row.

d. Save your Index page and check it out by going to the Internet.