The Make the Link Workshop (World Wide Web for Everyone) is an eight
week long distance learning workshop conducted entirely by e-mail. It
introduces the beginner to the World Wide Web (WWW), the Internet's
distributed hypermedia information system, and enhances the skills of
the somewhat more experienced user as well.
The WWW is a powerful hyper-textual medium for integrating all of the
resources of the Internet. You can read through a page of text, and on
the spur of the moment, link to related information anywhere in the
world. For example, after reading a short piece on twentieth century
abstract art, you can link to and view a collection of color prints of
paintings by Picasso, Klee, and Mondrian. High school history students
reading about Sir Winston Churchill can link to a page where, at the
click of a mouse button, recordings of his actual speeches can be
played. A business woman in Paris, France can check out the "home page"
of her counterpart in Montreal, Canada, complete with her picture and
professional vita. There are thousands of computers throughout the
world on the Web, and literally millions of interconnected WWW pages,
and all are easily accessible from your desktop computer.
The first graphical WWW browsers became available in 1993. Since the
introduction of the hugely successful Netscape Navigator in 1994, WWW
browsers have provided access to most of the main Internet functions,
including the WWW, FTP, gopher, telnet, USENET news, e-mail, and
real-time audio and video. The WWW, or simply, "the Web" has become
the Internet's "killer application" that integrates a variety of media,
including text, images, sound, video and small computer programs called
applets. For example, a chemistry student can view a three-dimensional
picture of a molecule, and view it from any direction or simply make it
appear to slowly rotate in space on the screen. New programming
languages, such as Java and JavaScript, have been developed for
creating a myriad of imaginative applets on the Web.
Online commerce has become a reality through the magic of HTML forms
and CGI (Common Gateway Interface) scripts. For example, you can view
an on-line catalog of CD-ROM games with Netscape, fill a virtual
shopping cart with CDs you have selected, pay for your order
electronically, and have your games delivered by express mail the
following day.
Having a WWW home page providing one's personal information has become
the 1990's version of the business card, resume, voice mail, and on
occasion, electronic recreation area, all rolled into one. In fact, the
WWW provides an opportunity to participate and collaborate with others
at many levels. It can be a great way to network with colleagues and
associates or even to reach potential customers concerning products or
services.
The Make the Link Workshop will focus on how to gain maximum advantage
from this simple to use, yet very sophisticated, Internet tool. During
the Workshop, you will learn:
* How to gain access to the WWW, including information on setting up a
direct TCP/IP connection to the Internet (SLIP/CSLIP/PPP).
* How to link to specific Web resources using Uniform Resource Locators
(URLs). This includes how to construct URLs for various kinds of
resources, such as WWW, gopher, FTP, telnet, etc.
* How to distinguish between various kinds of WWW browsers, including
Netscape Navigator, Microsoft Internet Explorer, NCSA Mosaic, Arena,
Lynx, etc. and the strengths and weaknesses of each.
* How to navigate Webspace and use various searching tools such as Alta
Vista, Infoseek, Inktomi, Wandex, CMU Lycos, WebCrawler, and others.
* To make WWW bookmarks and organize your bookmarks with Hypertext
Markup Language (HTML).
* How to effectively and efficiently design your own home page with
HTML, and how to install it on a server.
* The principles of good home page design, in order to project a
favorable image for you and/or your employer or business.
* The advantages and disadvantages of HTML editors, such as Hot Dog,
PageMill, HoTMetaL, and HTML Assistant, and related utilities.
* How to understand the multimedia formats used on the Web, including
those for images, audio and video.
Dates: In order to accommodate difficult schedules, three workshops are
planned. (Sessions I through VII were conducted earlier.)
Session VIII....... May 27 - July 21
Session IX......... June 17 - August 12
Session X.......... July 1 - August 25
The cost of the Workshop is $20 US.
Sign up for ONE session only unless you plan to take the Workshop more
than once. To sign up for one of the Make the Link Workshop sessions,
please send an e-mail message to the address:
and in the body of the message, include:
subscribe links8
to subscribe to Session VIII, or
subscribe links9
to subscribe to Session IX, or
subscribe links10
to subscribe to Session X.
This will automatically put you on the mailing list for more information
about the Workshop, and you will receive an acknowledgment with the
particulars about signing up, and unsubscribing, should you decide not
to participate.
If you have any difficulty with this procedure or fail to receive a
response, please send e-mail to this address:
In order to get the most from this Workshop it is helpful to have access
to a WWW browser program, either by remote access, or by actually
running one on your own computer directly connected to the Internet. If
you wish to run Netscape or another browser you will need to have a
computer with a TCP/IP connection, that is, a direct connection to the
Internet. Information will be provided during the workshop about how to
set up a TCP/IP connection. In order to participate in the Workshop you
only need access to e-mail. However, it is very desirable to actually
use a WWW browser.
The Workshop leader, Thomas P. Copley, Ph.D., taught the popular Make
the Link Workshop several times last year. During 1994-5 he taught the
Go-pher-it Workshop almost a dozen times. Go-pher-it was one of the
first Internet workshops taught entirely by e-mail. Dr. Copley is one
of the founders of the Electronic University in San Francisco, and is an
experienced instructor of distance learning courses via networks. In
addition to consulting for Apple Computer, Inc. on hyper-textual
distance learning software, Copley has served on the faculties of
Washington State University, Antioch College, and Armstrong University.
He is also the Editor of the electronic newsletter the TELELEARNING
NETWORK SYNTHESIZER.
________________________________________________________________
THOMAS P. COPLEY tcopley@arlington.com
Make the Link Workshop http://www.crl.com/~gorgon/