Web Site Development

Summary on the subject: Web Site Development

Web Site Development

I propose to develop a web site for anyone in the sunglass, contact
lens, colored contact lens or laser vision correction market. The most
important features included in this site must be: savings, convenience
and top quality products. It is necessary to tie all aspects of the site
together smoothly. By this I mean the shopper must have the ability to
purchase at any point In the site, as well as the ability to get
anywhere from anywhere. We must outline our available products and
services in such a way as to make it a “No Brainer” for anyone. Our
available products must be outlined from the onset. If vendors need to
be contacted to develop a wholesale relationship then this must be taken
care of as soon as possible. We must assess which products will maximize
our profit, which will maximize our marketability and which are just of
necessity to carry. We must develop a database of products and maintain
prices, additions and subtractions accordingly. One service I had in
mind was to develop a free service for anyone interested in laser vision
correction. We can develop an application where the patient inputs
his/her doctor’s written Rx or their contact lens box/bottle
prescription, and we can take this information and develop a sort of
internet merge letter. By this I mean, we can send them an email
response as to their current eye condition, the best suited surgical
procedure for their condition, history of other’s w/ their Rx & results
and maybe even doctors in their area. I understand this might take away
from the promotion of INSIGHT, but remember, anything free – keeps em’
coming back!! This will more marketing tool to draw people in, rather
than a service. Also, some production company or another could be
contracted out to develop videos which we could sell to candidates,
doctors, surgeons, etc… Dr. Sopher could develop a video directed to
practicing optometrists interested in sales techniques in the
examination room.

We are standing on the precipice of a new culture? Sceptical,
questioning connected with the world, thirsting for information and
change. Technology is driving society at a pace unparalleled in history
creating new attitudes, interrelationships, and global awareness. A new
consumer is emerging, suspicious of traditional media sources,
incredulous of advertising, and contemptuous of the contrived the hyped,
the false. This consumer is not easily persuaded by clever graphics or
manipulated by fads in design. In order to integrate all aspects of a
‘brands’ presentation on a web-site, the designer must move beyond form,
colour and type and embrace the comprehensive impact of design. Enhanced
awareness of the world; deeper, broader thinking about problems and
opportunities; a respect for the historical roots of and formal
conventions of design; planning and diligent study are required to
create interesting global web-site designs. What? subject: Web site
design on the Internet Focus: Web site design in the future. Objectives:
To identify web-site designs that work, and to identify the reasons to
why they work. Why? With the increasing number of web-sites that are
coming online daily, in order for them to work, they are more dependent
on good design for attracting readership than print is. How? By
examination of the most frequently visited web-sites, and although a
historical approach with reference to print in design. Section Two
Design is the Answer What? Web sites need to be far better designed than
anything in the print medium, due to the very interdisciplinary nature
of the web-site. Why? Because a magazine with even minimum design gets
its information across to the reader. You buy it because you care about
the issues in its headlines, if you want more you jump inside, ‘print’
by its nature is a tactile phenonenom; touch, smell and accessibility,
and it is for that reason it will never die. But web-sites are purely
visual and aural, one screen at a time. Encouraging the viewer to go
beyond the first layer, even learn where to go for what is required is a
common problem for designers. It is their job to bring the viewer inside
through the “Dance of the seven veils”, and once inside, guide them, not
to confuse or frustrate them. How? Web-sites that work are sites that do
what you want it to do. They do not insult your intelligence, but
neither do they obfuscate. They must indicate the wealth of material
lying beneath the first page, but also offer you options and alternate
means of approach. The answer may lie in better selling of the ‘land’ –
in urban planning, to use a metaphor. The solutions to timeless internet
problems – navigation, access to information – will be provided by
design. Good design means; pertinent information, content, good
‘surfing’, exploring, and gathering. The designer is the Web’s real
pathfinder. How does the designer achieve this goal? By drawing up an
agenda for good web design. Section 3 and 4 Where does good web design
come from? I believe that the principles print informed quality print
design for hundreds of years and that these principles are equally valid
online. TEN RULES OF DESIGN FOR THE WEB 1. Put content on every page.
Design should not be decoration. It must convey information. Or
entertainment. Content should come to the surface on every single level.
Avoid useless and confusing icons, e.g. a navigation bar that has a? for
help. Make sure the content is easy to read quickly. Break the text into
smaller segments. On the web people are in a hurry. They want the
information they are looking for quickly, like a dictionary, that’s
still what the web is really about. 2. The first colour is white 3. The
second colour is black 4. The third colour is red. This is a basic rule
that has been around for 500 years. In Print white is the absence of all
colours. White makes the best background. Black holds the highest
contrast to white; therefore it is the first choice for text. And red
draws the viewer in, and defines the image. 5. Never letterspace l o w e
r c a s e When this is done the natural rhythm of the letters, so
carefully designed by font designer, is ruined. In design if you look at
what you do today, it should look like what you want to do tomorrow. 6.
Never set a lot of text IN ALL CAPS Fonts were not intended to be all
set in caps. They were intended to be upper and lowercase and to have
serifs and descenders and ascenders so that they are easier to read. 7.
A cover should be a poster A single image of a human being will sell
more magazines than multiple images or all type. Avoid the pitfalls of
‘fads’. Design loses its power when it falls prey to what is popular
now. 8. Use only one or two typefaces There are thousands of fonts on
offer, this does not mean it is clever if the designer can use as many
as possible at once, good design is pulled together by one or two fonts.
The best combination is one light and one bold. (This seems to work with
colours too). 9. Make everything as BIG as possible Type looks good in
big point sizes, a bad picture always looks better bigger. 10. Get
lumpy! The trouble with most web design is that it holds no great
surprise. 95% of web pages have beautiful graphic homepages, followed by
legions of pages that look like newsletters with stamps stapled to them.
Vary the content from page to page; don’t keep to the format of
picture-and-story. NINE RULES OF WHAT NOT TO DO WHEN DESIGNING WEB
PAGES. 1. Don’t confuse the viewer. Keep the site consistently designed.
For different pages and sections the navigation tools and graphics need
to look the same throughout. Make sure the viewer knows they are on the
same site when surfing your web pages. 2. Be organized with navigation.
Make sure your buttons and navigational directions are simple and clear.
Be consistent in these from page to page. 3. Don’t make oversize pages.
Research shows that 50% of all computers used for the internet use 13″
monitors, designers often use 17″ – 21″ monitors, ‘size matters”, keep
to 480×640 pixels. 4. Don’t design pages that require scrolling. This
makes it painful and impossible to read in a hurry. Browsers will never
scroll, they are more likely to press a button and keep going. Shorter
pages break up content to bite size pieces this is more appealing to the
viewer. 5. Don’t use big, slow graphics. No one wants to wait a minute
for art or seven minutes for a video; the only acceptable delay when it
comes to the web is no delay. 6. Go monochromatic. Monochromatic pages
frankly look better and run faster. Web clutter is typified by free
wheeling use of colour. Use one or two colours, not all of them. 7.
Don’t overdo text. Web browsers skim and surf, if you don’t give them
something quickly they absorb nothing. 8. Don’t use tiny type. It is
very hard to read small type on a computer, make everything bigger than
you would print. If you want to get noticed on the web make it easy and
clear to read. 9. Don’t navigate by type. Navigate by image, it’s less
confusing and never dull. Section 5. Conclusions What was the question?
What defines a well-designed web-site? The “wow” factor – this is not
cool buttons or fonts, or graphics, or audio or video, but clear, easy
to read information in bite size chunks, good content, and easy to
follow consist navigation. ent How do we plan a web-site that work’s?
Step 1. Client requirements and Goals The Brief Strategic planning, and
engineering. Step 2. Response and Refinement Trial Pages Design,
Content, and marketing. Step 3. Approval The Prototype Final design
testing and coding Step 4. Launch The Launch Style book, training, and
quality tests. What’s it all about? Content; The internet means nothing
without good stories, personalities and good direction.

Web Influence

The Internet will greatly alter the structure and operation of all
industries. For the management of any existing business the central
question is not whether the Internet will be relevant to your business,
but rather what will we need to do to profit from that change (“The
Internet”). The Internet is evolving many aspects of business and it
creates many new business opportunities. It is developing what is called
the “New Business Environment”, because it changes the way products are
developed, distributed, marketed, sold, and serviced (“Business on
the”). In theory, doing business over the Internet with consumers should
be ideal however, many people are not comfortable with it yet. It will
take a little while before most people are completely at ease and order
products. First off, the Internet will provide many capabilities that
will be very beneficial to a business. Some of the benefits include
E-mail, Mailing Lists, UseNet, Telnet, FTP, Gopher, and of course the
World Wide Web. All of these are a way to keep you informed and in touch
with business associates and customers anywhere in the world (“What can
the”). With an Intranet in place you’ve got an infrastructure for group
applications, you don’t need to install software on everyone’s PC, they
can just use their Web browser and while the main costs are in employee
time, the cost of software has dropped significantly (“Put Your Own”).
The effects of the Internet will take a decade or more to generally
replace existing patterns of business. The Internet and its strategic
impact are not technological issues, they are business ones (“The
Internet”). Executives are likely to carry responsibility for whether
their organization ultimately prospers or perishes in an Internet
impacted world. The particular impact will differ between industries, so
you need to identify the likely form of impact it will have on your
industry and adopt appropriate strategies. A few threats are when using
the Internet, competitors become relatively more effective, e.g.
reducing costs, improving service and increasing sales impact. Also,
some important customers or suppliers may have migrated exclusively to
the Internet and are inaccessible in any other way. Some firms redefine
the industry in a very fundamental way that threatens all existing
competitors (“The Internet”). With the advent of the Internet, it has
dramatically improved operational and sales effectiveness in numerous
different applications. A few such areas are, on-line stockbrokers: such
as E*Trade and Ceres, on-line travel agents, banks and other financial
services: such as on-line banking systems, and insurance and fund
management. Right now, there are many companies whose outreach is global
such as Amazon.com and CD Now, soon all of the above areas will be
global (Daring). Another area of the business environment that will be
significantly changed due to the Internet are small firms, especially
ones who wish to export. The Internet can relatively easily give small
firms access to international markets, and engage in electric commerce
(Cragg). However, not much is known about the use of the Internet by
small firms, mainly because it is such a new method. An example of such
an idea was taken advantage of by Elizabeth Botham & Sons Bakery. The
bakery is located in a small town called Whitby in North Yorkshire and
business is tough because it is geographically restricting and it is
based in a very seasonable town. In order to do business and keep their
staff hired year around the manager, Mike Jarman turned to the Internet.
He found a company called Octagon Ltd., which helped him get started.
Since going on the Web in 1995, the company has had over 25,000
potential customers visit the site and receives a dozen hefty orders a
week (“Yorkshire Bakery”). The Web is a great distribution tool, the
information you place on your Web site can be accessed 24 hours a day, 7
days a week. The Web can save you time and money in information
distribution over traditional mail and printing methods (Daring). Rather
than reading a static advertisement, your customers can go directly to
their areas of interest and see an intriguing web page. They can get
detailed information on your staff and services, browse your product
lines, and get up to date information on what is happening in your
company. One of the benefits of a web site is that your customer can
respond to you directly (Shaw). Even though the Internet has many
benefits, there is still a few drawbacks to this technology. First of
all, communicating with clients and customers via E-mail only goes so
far. It is pretty difficult to market a product over a computer,
basically whatever a customer sees they get. Also, empowerment is being
transferred from sellers to buyers. The Internet is decreasing the
importance of a merchant’s locale and information about competing
products is readily available (“Business on”). Customers cannot be
swayed by a salesperson over the Internet. A benefit as well as a side
effect of the Internet, is it is knocking down market entry barriers,
the Internet has no borders and the company’s market is global. A small
company can be just as easily found on the Internet as a large one. The
biggest problem that the Internet is going to have to overcome is the
fact that people are still very skeptical about making purchases over
the Internet. You could get scammed and not even know it. This will
change eventually when people can be comfortable with the services that
it provides, but this will take some time. With the incorporation of the
Internet, business have undergone many changes in the past few years.
They have become more in touch with many overseas company’s and even
company’s here in the US. Many industries have realized that if they
don’t adjust and incorporate the Internet in some way, they may not be
around for much longer. Businesses are going to be on the Internet
because it represents an additional and inexpensive resource for finding
customers because they can market directly with less advertising and a
smaller work force (Dearth). The bottom line is that the Internet needs
to focus on growing existing accounts, extending to new markets and new
customers, providing better customer service, and providing a higher
level of customer satisfaction. Even though this may take some time, it
is going to eventually happen and I think that most people who take a
chance will be very satisfied with the outcomes.

How to Go From Class-Room to Web-Room as Painlessly as Possible

1.0 ABSTRACT Getting your course onto the World Wide Web (WWW) is best
done using a systematic approach. There are a number of steps that need
to be taken prior to starting any of the actual web work. Meetings
should be held with various groups within your institution. Once the
actual coursework is begun, there are some essential components and some
optional components. There are specific skills and talents that you
either need to acquire or you need to access. Each web-based course is
unique, but they often have many components in common. Some are
essential, others may be optional. Resources can be found on your
campus, from the many web companies and from the web itself.

2.0 KEY WORDS World Wide Web, WWW, Distance Education, HTML, Web-Based
Instruction

3.0 INTRODUCTION The number of degree credit courses available on the
World Wide Web (WWW) has increased at the same astonishing rate as other
activities on the WWW. There are some specific steps that can be taken
that will help to transport the professor from the idea stage to the
delivery of a course over the WWW. Also, just like any other educational
technology, web-based instruction works better for some situations than
others. Web-based instruction is useful when you want to create a
virtual environment which is not easily or, perhaps, safely accessible.
An example is sending learners to a virtual nuclear lab or on a “virtual
tour” of the Louver in Paris.

4.0 WEB BASED INSTRUCTION Web-based instruction it allows learners to
gain knowledge and skill more effectively than traditional methods.
Simply transferring material such as lecture notes to the web is not
using the technology to its best advantage. Lengthy text such as lecture
notes are, in fact, best printed because most learners experience eye
strain and sensory disinterest reading long passages of text on a
screen. Some specific situations tend to lend themselves to web-based
instruction. 4.1 Encouraging Communication You want to encourage
communication through conferencing. Through internet conferencing
learners may participate in discussions or group work with one another
with or without the participation of the instructor. Role plays,
simulations of historical events and debates are also examples of how
learning can be facilitated through the conferencing option. 4.2
Accessing Source Documents You want learners to use “source documents”
to complete assignments such as conducting an analysis or designing a
project. These source documents may not be readily available to learners
or perhaps, based on the assignment, will not be equally significant to
all the learners. For example, you may ask learners to research and
analyze issues pertaining to Canadian elections. To complete the
assignment, various learners may access archived information such as
newspaper and journal articles which specifically relate to their
particular interest or point of view. One example is a site operated by
the University of Victoria (http://web.uvic.ca/history
robinson/index.html) which contains letters, maps, biographies and
newspaper articles about the murder of William Robinson committed on
Saltspring Island in 1868. The information at the site allows learners
and the public to pursue their research as they please and to access
original documents which are not generally available. Individuals are
free to interpret the meaning of the documents and reach their own
conclusions. 4.3 Flexibility of Learning You want to provide maximum
flexibility to allow learners to undertake learning and research in the
order which best suits them. Because the web allows learners to “move
around” at will, they do not need to follow a structured hierarchy.
Generally learners need and want some direction but the web allows a
more flexible approach. 4.4 Further Study You want learners to pool data
and/or analysis to find patterns and trends or to undertake further
study.

5.0 ASSUMPTIONS For a starting point and to keep us on track in this
paper, I will discuss degree credit courses delivered by the University
of New Brunswick. I will assume that for your case there is ready WWW
web access for the professor as well as web access for students. Again,
for consistency, I expect my students to have at least Netscape 3 (or
its equivalent), their own internet service provider (ISP), and the
skills necessary to access the WWW. These are my starting points – but
most concepts discussed will transfer across institutional lines.

6.0 BEFORE YOU START YOUR COMPUTER 6.1 Steps to Take There a number of
things that you should do before you begin to do any coding, contracting
or late night computer hacking. There are meetings to setup, there is
paper work to be done and decisions to be made. Then, and only then, do
you get to “play” with the computer. 6.2 Meetings I would advise that
you consider the following meetings as part of your endeavors. They will
help you set the ground rules, help you avoid some of the mine-fields,
and start you off on a working relationship with groups that can be
either wonderful allies or formidable combatants, and hopefully help
keep you on track as you work towards a finished product. 6.2.1 Your
initial meeting with your own department I feel it is imperative for any
relationship you and your delivering agency (Department of Extension,
Continuing Education or “University of the World”) to start with a good
relationship with your own department. In this meeting you may need to
get the approval of the supervisors of your department to be able to
deliver in something other than the traditional face to face, on campus
mode. Those in authority may have to guarantee the academic support for
some period after the first start of delivery of the course (at UNB, the
period is three years). At the University of New Brunswick, instructors
delivering courses through the Department of Extension are recommended
by the faculties. This is something you might also wish to discuss with
your own department at this time. It is often assumed that the person(s)
developing a course will be the one(s) that wish to teach the course and
the one(s) that the faculty will appoint to teach the course. This is
not always the case. You should also discuss possible sources of help
for the development of your course. There are times when stipend relief
may be available from various sources. There may also be funds available
from other agencies. 6.2.2 Your first meeting with your delivering
agency Having gained the approval of your faculty, you should next meet
with your delivering agency. In this meeting, you should discuss the
ways that they can help you in the development of your course. They may
also share with you what they know about possible funding sources. As
Web-based learning is different from regular face-to-face lecture
learning, they will want you to make use of good instructional design
methodologies. This is often an area where they can help. Here are some
items you may wish to discuss at that meeting: a. possible methods of
web-based delivery for your course, b. method of payment to the
instructor, c. ancillary support materials and their delivery to the
students, d. how the materials, assignments, marks and communications
flow between parties e. liaisons with the libraries f. liaisons with
Computer Services g. on-going checkpoint meetings with your delivering
agency. At regularly scheduled intervals, you should meet with your
delivering agency as they will wish to monitor the development of the
course. Your delivering agency should be checking with you to: * keep
abreast of your time lines. They need this to be able to best market
your course and to see that it receives the coverage it deserves, *
ensure the consistency of an Academia “look and feel” * ensure the
consistency of any standards for web-based courseware development (for
an example, please see http://www.unb.ca/home/webinfo/guide.html) * keep
abreast of your needs and successes. These meetings are intended to
insure the standards and formats consistent with the delivery of your
institute’s courses, and should in no way be an attempt to interfere
with your teaching.

7.0 NOW YOU MAY START YOUR COMPUTER There is an ongoing debate as to
whether one should do all or some of the web work oneself, or if the
work should be jobbed out. I enjoy working with the web, I have
instructional design training and have been involved in courseware
development for quite a few years and so, as long as I have more time
than financial resources, I will do the work myself. There are many very
good professional agencies that can be contracted to produce courseware
for you. These agencies can be contracted to do a wide range of the jobs
necessary to complete any type of web-based application. There are
probably agencies within your institution who specialize in
instructional design and courseware development. These units should be
consulted. For certain areas of the development that you do yourself,
you will need some specific skills. 7.1 Skills and Talents 7.1.1
Essential Skills (Talents) You will need to be very familiar with these
or will need access to people who are and can do these aspects of the
job for you. 7.1.1.1 HyperText Markup Language – HTML Stands for
HyperText Markup Language, and on a scale of one to ten, learning the
basics of HTML is about a three. The web is a great resource (see the
Resource list below), and there are a plethora of good books on the
subject. I keep the most current version of Teach Yourself Web
Publishing with HTML in a Week by Laura Lemay near my computer. As with
all aspects of the WWW, the print support is changing constantly, but
the most recent edition is usually the best. 7.1.1.2 Instructional
Design Again, there a large number of excellent resources and my
favorite is Jerry Kemp’s The Instructional Design Process (New York:
Harper & Row, 1985). It is however, out of print, and this is one case
where I do think the next edition was not as good as the first. Another
good choice is, Robert Branch’s Common Instructional Design Practices
Employed by Secondary School Teachers, Educational Technology, 34,
(Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications, 1995). 7.1.2
Optional Skills (Talents) 7.1.1.2.1 More HTML The more familiar you
become with HTML, the more you will be able to enhance your course’s web
site. This can be a good thing, and it can also be not so good. Adding
components and extra “bells and whistles” to your web site should be
done as a conscious choice to support your educational objectives and
not just because the “bells and whistles” are there. 7.1.1.2.2 CGI
Stands for Common Gateway Interface and is the coding that allows the
information collected from forms on webs sites to be manipulated. This
can be as simple as allowing students to send specific assignments to
you, or can be as elaborate as on-line registration. 7.2 Components of
the Web Course Every Web-delivered course will have a number of
components. These will vary depending upon your needs, your style and
the degree of interactivity in the course. There are some components
that should be part of your site, in order to make the course appealing
to your customer. I feel that some components of a web-based course are
essential and others are optional. 7.2.1 Essential Components These can
be divided into static and dynamic. 7.2.1.1 Static Components These
components change very little. They can be put on your web site and only
updated as needed. 7.2.1.1.1 The Course Description This will often come
directly from your University calendar. 7.2.1.1.2 The Professor This can
be as informal or as formal as you like. What kind of first impression
do you wish to make? How much do you wish to add? Do you wish to link to
your own personal Web site (if you have one)? 7.2.1.1.3 Prerequisites
Again, this can often come from your university calendar. It is always a
good point to specify any particular computing hardware, software or
skills that will be required for students to be able to take your
course. 7.2.1.1.4 The Text Here is a nice place to put a scanned cover
of the text – along with the ISBN, the publisher and all of the
information needed for your potential students to acquire this text.
Here is a good place to put a link to your institute’s bookstore –
assuming it has a web site. 7.2.1.1.5 Communications This is where you
put as much information as you can about how students can reach you.
Will you have office hours? Virtual office hours? Can they reach you via
Email? How do they reach each other? Is there a listserv, a secure
server? 7.2.1.1.6 Grading Students all seem to want to know what they
have to do to get a mark. This is a good place to tell them about
assignments, quizzes, mid-terms and finals, and any other expectations
you have of them. 7.2.1.2 Dynamic Components These components may change
often. They might be updated, or supplemented once a week or every few
days. 7.2.1.2.1 Bulletin Board This gets used much more in the first
part of the class. As the class gets “into it” this seems to be used
less frequently. 7.2.1.2.2 Assignments These can be placed on the web
site before the class begins for all assignments, or can become readable
at given times or as new assignments are given. 7.2.1.2.3 Communications
Options These are the actual components of the web site that allow
interactivity in the course. The real power of the WWW is global
communication. And this is what makes web-based courses so exciting.
Your course’s communications may include any number of the following:
7.2.1.2.4 Closed Listservs These use standard Email to allow all members
of the class to send and receive messages from any other member of the
class, including the instructor. Messages are automatically sent to all
of the individual’s personal Email addresses. 7.2.1.2.5 Web Forums These
are places where people can interact. Student-to-student,
student-to-teacher and teacher-to-student or teacher to the entire
class. These are sections on the web that students go to and are able to
read messages and participate in on-line, asynchronous ‘conversations.’
7.2.1.2.6 Interactive ‘real time’ two-way audio or video There are
numerous pieces of software available now that allow desktop two-way
video and audio. These tend to require very high bandwidth, and because
they are ‘real-time’ they require the participating parties to all be on
the web at the same time. 7.2.1.2.7 Marks This is a place where your
marking scheme can be listed. It is also a place where you can post
marks or assignments in (if you have a secure server that only your
class can access). 7.2.1.2.8 Class Notes As each week progresses, or
just prior to each week’s work, students may need to have the equivalent
of lecture notes to supplement what is covered in the text book, or what
has been assigned on the web. Some web software will allow you to put
the all the notes on the web site – and as certain dates arrive,
students then have access to the notes. 7.2.2 Optional Components These
may be essential, depending upon your requirements. 7.2.2.1 Audio clips
These may be as sound files (.WAV or.AU), audio streaming (Real Audio,
Soundstream, Shockwave) or MIDI files. 7.2.2.2 Animations These may be
as animated.GIFs, QuickTime, Shockwave or Java applications. 7.2.2.3
Quizzes, especially “self-correcting” quizzes These may be as part of a
web educational software (WebCT) or can be developed by yourself or your
institution. 7.2.2.4 Case studies These may be as included as text pages
or may be referenced to other sites. This is one area where copyright
can really come into play. The cost of clearing copyright on a set of
Harvard business case studies can be out of the question. 7.2.2.5 Video
clips These may be as QuickTime© video or may be done with the new Real
Video that allows real-time video streaming. 7.2.2.6 Web Database Sites
These will allow you to maintain and provide access to databases over
the web. 7.2.2.7 Web Tutoring Sessions These may be as simple as
step-by-step instructions for any topic with branching provided to
additional sites. They can also be we intelligent tutorials with on-line
interactive testing. 7.3 Points to Ponder 7.3.1 Open Server An “open
server” will allow anyone, anywhere on the web to access your
information. 7.3.2 Secure Server A “secure server” will only allow
persons with some type of authorization code to access your information.

8.0 RESOURCES (This list does not constitute an endorsement on anyone’s
part. These resources are a jumping off points to help you get your
course on the web.) Please do not overlook the many resources on your
own campus. 8.1 My resources page This site has links to courses,
resources, helper sites that aid you in choosing which type and format
of media to use, sites that check your HTML for errors or
idiosyncrasies, and much more.
http://www.unb.ca/web/wwwdev/resources.html 8.2 Conferences, on-line or
face-to-face NAWeb ’98 – The Virtual Campus (October 3-6, 1998). This
international conference is in its fourth year. It is intended solely
for those developing courseware for delivery on the WWW or for those
delivering courseware over the WWW.
http://www.unb.ca/web/wwwdev/naweb98/ 8.3 Books, listservs and
associations Badrul Khan’s Web-Based Instruction (Englewood Cliffs, NJ:
Educational Technology Publications, 1997) is quite good. I host the
WWWDEV listserv. This listserv hosts the NAWeb conferences, and has 1400
members from around the world – developing for delivery over the WWW or
actually delivering courseware over the WWW.
http://www.unb.ca/web/wwwdev/ The DEOSNEWS listserv is involved in all
aspects of distance education. You can join that one by sending this
message SUBSCRIBE DEOSNEWS your name to [email protected] This is
who and what they are: DEOS-L is a service provided to the Distance
Education community by The American Center for the Study of Distance
Education, The Pennsylvania State University. Opinions expressed are
those of DEOS-L subscribers, and do not constitute endorsement of any
opinion, product, or service by ACSDE or Penn State. The Canadian
Association for Distance Education (CADE) can often help
http://www.cade-aced.ca/ The Association for Media and Technology in
Education – Canada (AMTEC) is another favorite of mine.
http://www.camosun.bc.ca/~amtec/ Use every and any resource you can.
Join groups for support, and support others in similar projects. This is
a rapidly emerging field, and it is evolving and growing just as fast as
it is emerging. 8.4 Other Here is where you add ideas you pick up at the
conference.

“Beam me up, Scottie.” This popular line from Star Trek was a
demonstration of the advanced technology of the future. Though it was a
fictional story, Star Trek became the universal vision of the future. As
always reality tends to mimic fiction. Though our society has not quite
resulted to living in space, we have made life easier with technology.
Economic survival has become more dependent upon information and
communications bringing forth new technology of which was never thought
possible. Just a mere thirty years ago a computer occupied a whole room
compared today’s palm sized computers, which are faster and perform more
functions. Cellular phones, now light and compact, were bulky just ten
years ago. The most incredible invention, the Internet, is bringing
infinite amount of information to your desktop. In the world of the of
the Internet there exist a world blind to skin color and other physical
appearances. The Internet while still young in age has grown rapidly,
spreading to countries world wide and connecting 50 million users. With
its popularity, it is incumbent upon our society to recognize how the
Internet works and to be aware of its advantages as well as
disadvantages. While seemingly high tech the Internet concept is rather
simple. Computers speak to one another and send information. This is
accomplished by sending and receiving electronic impulse, and then
decoding them into a message. In order to communicate with one another
they are linked up in a network. They are then able to access
information from thousands of other computers. The network acts like one
large computer storing information in various places, rather than in one
physical structure. Users tap into the Internet to access or provide
information. Internet technology allows one to surf the World Wide Web
or send e-mail. The vision of the Internet that would revolutionize the
computer and communications belonged to JCR Licklider of MIT (Leiner n.
page). In August of 1962 he envisioned a globally interconnected set of
computers which would allow everyone to quickly access data and programs
(Leiner n. page). A government sponsored project at Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency (DARPA) started in October (Leiner n. page).
The race for discovery of such technology raged between the Soviet Union
and The United States of America. Both countries wanted control of the
possibly powerful tool. Then in 1968, The National Physical Laboratory
in Great Britain set up the first test network, which prompted the
Pentagon’s ARPA to fund a larger project in the USA. (Sterling n. page)
However the race was not limited to just nations but also companies. In
1965, working with Thomas Merrill, Lawrence G. Roberts created the first
wide-area computer ever built. These experiments proved that computers
could work together running programs and retrieving data as necessary on
remote machines. Roberts put together his plan for ARPANET, published in
1966. At that time he learned of Donald Davies and Roger Scantlebury of
NPL and Paul Baron and others at RAND. Research at MIT (1961-1967), RAND
(1962-1965) and NPL (1964-1967) while parallel had no knowledge of one
another. In August of 1968 an RFQ, a refined model of ARPANET was
released for the development of one of the key components, the packet
switches Interface Message Processors (IMP). Bolt Beranek and Newman
(BBN) installed the first IMP at UCLA and the first host computer was
connected. By the end of 1969 four host computers were connected
together into the initial ARPANET and the Internet was off the ground.
In 1977, electronic mail was introduced. (Leiner n. page) As the
Internet quickly grew, changes were necessary. The Internet’s
decentralized structure made it easy to expand but its NCP did not have
the ability to address networks further down stream than the destination
IMP. Bob Kahn decided to develop a new version of the protocol which
eventually became known as the Transmission Control Protocol / Internet
Protocol (TCP/IP). Compared to the NCP which acted as a device driver,
the new protocol was more like a communication protocol. In order to
make it easier to use, Host were then assigned names, replacing numbers.
A group of scientist then set out to show that a compact and simple
implementation of TCP was possible. They succeeded, allowing it to run
on desktop computers. (Leiner n. page). Original uses of the Internet
included government communications and a forum for scientist to share
ideas and help one another in research. In the 1980’s the Internet grew
beyond its primarily research roots to include a broad user community
and increased commercial activity. In present day it has become a tool
for conducting research and finding information, as well as
communications with others. Electronic mail, amazingly popular, with
chat rooms and discussion groups makes the Internet a popular place for
meeting new people. (Leiner n. page). Perhaps the largest shift is in
the profile of Internet users. In the beginning users were scientist and
government officials: those highly educated and well trained. However
today’s 50 million users are all ages and from all backgrounds (Why use
the Internet? n. page). Access to the Internet is no longer limited and
can be found just about everywhere including schools, colleges,
libraries, and at home. In 1992 the Internet had a growth of twenty
percent every month (Why use the Internet? n.page). A developer of the
Internet said, “If the Internet stumbles, it will not be because we lack
for technology, vision, or motivation. It will be because we cannot set
a direction and march collectively into the future.” (Leiner n. page)
Clearly the Internet has brought many conveniences. Businesses and
students benefit from the technology as well as those who use the
Internet for personal uses. Over 50 million people used the Internet in
1995 and by the year 2000 the number is predicted to be over 150 million
(Why your company should be on the Internet n. page). Fortune Magazine
said, “The Internet is the biggest and earliest manifestation of the way
business is going to be conducted from now on.” Companies are embracing
the Internet and those who do not will be left behind (Why use the
Internet? n. page). The Internet opens a wider audience to companies
providing customers valuable information via mailing lists. Space on the
Internet is inexpensive compared to paper, radio and television
advertisements, therefore companies reach a broader community with
little cost (Why use the Internet? n. page). Most web users are well
educated Americans with professional or technical jobs with median
annual salary of $69,000, making them a prime target group. Opening a
storefront online gives the advantage of always being open. The Internet
is a fair playing field for large and small companies alike. Computer
networks track inventory and consumer demand resulting in increased
profits (Why Minnesota Students Need Access to the Internet n. page).
Remote video conferencing and Internet phones allow companies to conduct
live chat sessions with clients around the world. Data bases are
available for public or private uses. Companies can transfer files,
bulletins or e-mail via the Internet, and it is all very affordable.(Why
use the Web? n.page) Students as well as commerce is benefiting from the
Internet. Students need more information than is offered by school
libraries. The Internet gives students access to resources from around
the world. They are also more willing to sit and browse the Internet
then to use the library. Information can be found, selected and
retrieved faster on the Internet. Entire books can be transferred in
minutes (Sterling n.page). Students find the Internet to be a viable
educational tool which makes them aware of the globalism of the world
rather than sheltered in the realm of the classroom. They have the
option of writing to pen pals in other countries and getting to know
other cultures. (MRP-Discussion n. page) The Internet also serves as a
preparation tool for the future. The world is moving towards
electronics: in today’s market being competitive means knowing how to
get information, and more and more, it is traveling by wires. The
Internet allows children to get hands on experience, and helps them
develop intellectual skills and problem solving. It allows children to
research information that interest them. For example, a child interested
in baseball can find information on the latest statistics and read about
the history of the sport. By educating themselves it opens their minds
to technology. (Why Minnesota Students need access to the Internet
n.page) The Internet is a popular place to socialize. Exchanging
information with those far away take only seconds using the Internet.
While postal mail can take days, electronic mail, or e-mail, takes
seconds. Many companies offer e-mail services for free to those with
access to computer with a modem. Unlike phone system and postal system
there are no charges for long distance service or communication with
foreign countries. E-mail and instant messages (found in programs such
as America Online and ICQ) can be used to send images and software.
(Sterling n. page) Internet technology has gone as far as to allow
people to make new friends without any physical contact. One way to meet
new people is to join an Internet discussion group. In such a group
people with a common interest ask and receive advice and exchange
information. Another opportunity to meet new people is in Internet chat
rooms. In such rooms one can speak freely to anyone as if they were at a
party. America Online users refer to relations charter though the sever
as “AOL luv”. Those in discussion groups and chat rooms are not limited
to just Americans but open to people all around the world. The Internet
is a world wide tool filled with many cultures, and different people. In
this world, race is not a factor since there is no physical contact.
Everyone is equal and has the freedom to express oneself. It is an
institution that resists institutionalization. It belongs to everyone
and yet no one, everyone sort of pitches in and it evolves on its own.
There are no censors, bosses, board of directors or stockholders. The
Internet is unregulated and uncensored. However, the Internet being so
free and uncensored presents many problems. Acknowledgment of children
using the Internet has fueled a fight for regulation. Parents can not
always monitor their children, therefore the Internet needs to be a safe
place for the children. Children have access to the Internet in schools,
libraries, and just about everywhere. In schools it is nearly impossible
for a teacher to watch all the children, and in libraries it is not the
librarian’s job to monitor them. Computers and the Internet are for
everyone, including children, thus it has become an immense problem.
Access to pornography has been one of the greatest concerns among
parents. Surprisingly, pornography is easy to access and children will.
Children are naturally curious and love to explore. Minors are also
targeted by advertisers. Just like on television advertisers try to lure
children in with pictures and web sites which include games and chat
rooms. However the biggest danger is not what they find on the Internet
but who they find. The information they access is not as dangerous as
the people they meet. There have been many cases of molesters and
kidnappers searching for pray on-line. Nicknames are used to protect the
identity of the children but can also be used to mask adults. They enter
children’s chat rooms and coax the children to trust them. Nonetheless,
denying the children access to the Internet is not the solution, perhaps
software is. However software limiting children’s access to web pages
have not been successful. In some case the software does not filter out
all inappropriate pages but filters out non-objectionable pages. (Should
children be kept off-line? n.page) Molesters and kidnappers are not the
only people with access to the Internet we should fear. Those
mischievous thinkers also pose a threat. Known as hackers or crackers,
they search for vulnerable computer systems then strike. Businesses can
lose trade secrets, and the damages can be a disaster. In 1996 Dan
Framer, a security consultant, tested 2,000 computers networks, and of
those 65% had security holes large enough for an intruder to enter
(Freedman 280). Government computers are just a vulnerable as teenagers
have recently demonstrated. Teenagers working out of their home with
guidance from a 18 year old broke into government classified
information. Though they were caught, it bought alarm to the possible
dangers of information leaks. The United States’ enemies could have
access to military codes and top secret files. Although the average
person is not targeted by hackers they are in danger of fraud and
con-artists. Stolen credit card numbers have been rumored to be a major
problem. The chances of it happening are not as great as the media makes
it to be, but nevertheless it is a problem. The criminals easily get
away with such a crime. They get the number of a credit card and charge
ridiculous bills, but by the time the bill comes they have moved on to
the next victim. Many schemes come in the form of junk mail. They offer
deals that sound too good to be true and chances are they fake. They
only ask for a small sum of money up front, next they cash the check and
move on. (Anarchy Online 98) Secure passwords can prevent hackers from
accessing computers. Passwords should consist of numbers, letters and
symbols: an example “P11++69.” No matter how secure and high tech the
computer security system, all it takes is a simple, stupid password like
“hello” to render the whole system worthless. (Freedman 279) Though the
Internet has its advantages it also has disadvantages, therefore users
should educate oneself on the revolutionary tool. With over 50 million
users the Internet is rapidly growing and is to the ‘90’s what the
personal computer was to the 70’s. New usage’s are springing up
everyday, making it impossible to predict the future of the Internet.
One thing certain is that the Internet has revolutionized the computer
and communications. “The Internet is a world wide broadcasting
capability, a mechanism for collaboration and interaction between
individuals without regard to geographic location.”

Bibliography

1. The Virtual Campus (October 3-6, 1998). This international conference
is in its fourth year. It is intended solely for those developing
courseware for delivery on the WWW Association for Distance Education
(CADE) / The Association for Media and Technology in Education – Canada
(AMTEC).

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