XHTML:
Authoring
and Design Techniques
Frequently asked questions and instructor notes
All our courses assume that each student has a personal computer to use during the class. Our hands-on approach to learning requires they do. This topic gives information on how to set up the classroom to teach this course. It includes minimum requirements for the students’ personal computers, setup information for the first time you teach the class, and setup information for each time that you teach after the first time you set up the classroom.
Student computer requirements
Each student’s personal computer should have:
· A keyboard and a mouse
· A Pentium 150 or faster Processor for Windows 95/98/NT/ME/2000, or a Pentium 233 or faster for Windows XP.
· A minimum of 64 MB RAM for Windows 95/98/ME/NT, or a minimum of 128 MB RAM for Windows 2000/XP
· 80 MB of available hard disk space
· A CD-ROM drive
· An XGA color monitor set to a minimum resolution of 1,024´768
· The latest version of Microsoft Internet Explorer (A minimum of version 6, SP 1 is required. Any later browser version is preferred.)
· Opera 7 or later
· The TidyGUI utility
· The Macromedia Flash player
· Internet access
IMPORTANT: Because XHTML is platform independent, you can also teach this course in a Macintosh environment. Please note, however, that the activities in this course have been verified only for Windows users, and only with the specified computer setup. If you plan to teach this course to Macintosh users, you should go through the entire course beforehand, noting any procedural variations. Use the latest version of Internet Explorer and/or the Safari browser.
Classroom requirements
· A white board or flip chart and markers
First-time setup instructions
The first time you teach this course, you will need to perform the following steps to set up each student computer.
1 Install Windows 95, 98, NT, ME, 2000, or XP according to the software manufacturer’s default settings. The computer should be protected by a hardware or software firewall. Then, install the latest critical updates and service packs from www.windowsupdate.com. (You can use other operating systems; however, the screen shots in this course were taken using Windows XP, so students’ screens might look somewhat different.)
2 Install the latest version of Microsoft Internet Explorer according to the software manufacturer’s default settings, with one exception: set the home page address to about:blank.
3 Download Opera, version 7 or later, from www.opera.com/download/. Accept all default settings during installation. (This is a free download. Opera is used in only one activity in this course.)
4 Download TidyGUI from
the following Web address:
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/ablavier/TidyGUI/TidyGUI-exe.zip
(This is a free download.) Place the executable anywhere on the hard drive, and create a link to it on the desktop. You might find alternate download sites if you perform a Web search on “TidyGUI”.
5 Download and install Macromedia Flash player from http://www.macromedia.com. (This is a free download.)
6 Make sure that every student computer has Internet access.
7 Create a directory called Student Data on the root directory of the hard drive.
8 Display file extensions:
a Start Windows Explorer.
b Choose Tools, Folder Options and select the View tab.
c Clear the check box for Hide file extensions for known file types. Close Windows Explorer.
9 If necessary, download the student data files for the course. You can download the student data directly to student machines, to a central location on your network, or to a disk.
a Connect to www.courseilt.com/instructor_tools.html.
b Click the link for HTML to display a page of course listings, and then click the link for XHTML: Authoring and Design Techniques.
c Click the link for downloading the student data files, and follow the instructions that appear on your screen.
Setup instructions for every class
Every time you teach this course, you will need to perform the following steps to set up each student computer.
1 If necessary, reset any defaults that have been changed in previous classes.
2 Delete the contents of the Student Data folder, if necessary. (If this is the first time you are teaching the course, create a folder called Student Data at the root of the hard drive.)
3 Copy the data files for the course to the Student Data folder. (See the instructions in the preceding section about how to download the data files.)
Topic B: Frequently asked questions
There are no frequently asked questions for this course at this time.
Topic C: Course notes
There are no notes for this course at this time.
Topic D: Additional information
There is no additional information for this course at this time.