First, you need to have a Web Page Editor. A web page editor is the application you use to create a web page. We will use Netscape Composer. Using Netscape Composer is a lot like using a Word Processing Program.

• Do you know what a word processing program is?
• Do you know the names of any word processing programs?

Look at the pictures below. These are pictures you will find on the Tool Bar when you are using Netscape Composer.

• Can you guess what happens when you click on each of those buttons?

Let's create our first Web Page.

• Go to the File menu and choose New > Blank Page.

Let's start typing words on to your web page.

• Can you figure out how to underline, bold, and italicize words?
• Can you change the color of the text or the font style?
• Can you change the size of the text?

Time to save your work!

• Go to the File menu and choose SAVE.
• Make a folder and give it an original label like dianeweb
• Important Tip: don't make spaces between words, use capitalization, or use punctuation when you save anything for web pages
  - smoosh everything together!
• Save your web page with the name index.html inside your Web Page folder.

Next, you can change the color of the background. To do that, follow these steps:

• Go to the Format menu, and select Page Properties
  
• Choose Custom Colors, and double click on the rectangle box next to the word Background
  
  

• Choose a color you like, from the color wheel or from the crayon box.

After you type some information, you might want to add some pictures to your web page. You can get pictures from other web pages to put in yours. Let's try putting the picture below into your web page. If you can do that, you can do anything!

• Click and HOLD on this picture of a frog.
• When the window opens, choose "Save this Image as"
  
• Save the picture to your web site folder.
  
• To put the frog in your web page, click on this picture
  
• Click on the words "Choose File" then click on the word OK.
  
• Then choose frog.gif, and it will go right into your picture.
  
• Important Tip: Don't change the last part of the graphic (.gif or .jpg) this tells the web page what format the graphic is.
  
• Important Tip: If you want to change the first part of the graphic name because it is something weird like, "gr1435bld.gif" - go ahead, but don't make spaces between words and don't use punctuation or capitalization.
  
  • For example: stevesdog.gif is okay ---- Steve's dog.gif is wrong
    

Awesome Clip Art for Kids

Kid's Domain Clip Art

Barry's Clip Art and Animations

See if you can download some of these pictures, and put them in your web page.

If you know of other places to get pictures, go ahead. But, don't take too much time!

The last thing you need to learn to do is make Hyperlinks. Hyperlinks are what you click on to make. They are like the buttons above that took you to different web sites to find clip art.

To make words into a Hyperlink:

• Select the words or picture you want to make a Hyperlink
• Click on the Insert Link button
• Type or paste the entire address of the Web site you want the link to go to, and click OK.
  
  
• You will have a Link!

Opening your Web Page - If you closed your page or quit Netscape, you are going to need to open your Web Page to work on it. Follow the directions below, or you will have problems because just double-clicking on the file icon will open it in Netscape - NOT Netscape Composer (which is where you want to be).

• Go to the File menu and choose OPEN > Page in Composer...
• Select and open your page.

1. Make sure you NEVER put your whole name, phone number, where you go to school
   or other information about you in a web site. Can you guess why? It's not safe.
2. Don't steal pictures or clip art. Use only from places that say FREE, or Permission to use.
3. Be creative! Try lots of colors and text and designs. Use some of your own writings, poetry in your site.

• Creating Classroom Web Pages - This was the site I created to teach teachers on how to create web pages. There are lots of resources here from sample sites, clip art, text tools, and other important tips. The two links below are also found on this page, but they are critical, so I put them here so you can use them faster!
• Planning a Web Site - This is a one pager to help you think about what you want to do before you get started.
• Netscape Composer Cheat Sheet - After spending nearly four years training kids and teachers how to use technology, I discoverd that tutorials were a waste of time, unless they are VERY SHORT, like the one for this lesson. People just want to go and do. Thus, I created this "Cheat Sheet" for that reason. I've used this Cheat Sheet successfully with 6-8th graders and teachers. When my learners ask a question, I just POINT to the page on the sheet and make them read it. This also helps with technical reading and following directions!!!