Instructors and staff are able to use FrontPage at Fullerton College to add Web2.0 effects to their instructor websites.
One way this can be accomplished is through the use of Spry from Adobe Labs. Dynamic HTML components and pages can be created using the Spry Javascript library that will degrade if Javascript is disabled on a client computer. The Spry Javascript library is a free download from adobe and depends primarily on well formed HTML and CSS with a sprinkling of Javascript. Instructors only really need to be able to make changes to the HTML files that they choose as long as they are happy with the styling. All the files are kept in the same folder and the functionality is automatic when the HTML file is deployed to the W drive as a Widget. Making styling changes to the existing Widgets will require that an instructor read the Spry library documentation and know a small amount of CSS. Pages can also be changed using Dreamweaver. Additionally for instructors that are more familiar with Web Technologies WordPad can also be used to make changes to existing Spry files and then uploaded to an instructor website in one of several different ways.

The internet started out with expert users posting pages on the internet that all of us could use. As the internet grew there was increased demand towards user interactivity and growing a "smarter" internet that recognized users and worked right on everyone's computer. HTML could not handle the demand and became a HUGE compendium of "tags" that layed out information that was expected to look good and have interesting effects. Pretty soon three technologies became standards that big internet players agreed use along specific guidelines. Today HTML , CSS ( cascading style sheets ) Javascript ( "dreamweaver" web behaviors) are standards in the web community, and are beginning to be tools that everyone uses in an agreed upon way. Of course nothing is perfect and there are differences between user agents (Browsers = Internet Explorer, FireFox, and Safari)! However the internet has come a long way towards being able to handle inputs from all users. Web2.0 in a way signifies that now it is a network of users all participating more or less equally. The internet is no longer a collection of expert materials. Now it is a publishing revolution where the majority of users have a voice and many different technologies ( Blogs, Wiki's, Streaming Video) are all being used to distribute information world wide. Instructors can use the microblog "Twitter" on their websites, and students can get up to the minute class messages on their cell phones.

 

 

 

A top priority for this Web Site is Accessibility and Universal Design for all users! Not simply for what is already established as "Accessible", but also what tools are going to be used on Accessible sites in the future. In this panel we will cover the basic premise of Web Accessibility. In the next panel we will cover some links for more information about Web Accessibility.   The Web Accessibility Initiative http://www.w3.org/WAI published the  WCAG 2.0 (Web Accessibility Guidelines) 3 November 2008. Final Publication of this document is expected in December 2008. There are three parts to Web Accessibility for instructors and staff at Fullerton College. First is to know - design with and Use the WCAG 2.0 guidelines so that our instructor and course websites are Accessible for ALL students. Secondly is the concept of "fixing" what we already have running on the internet. Said otherwise we want to Repair, Update, Fix or otherwise make Accessible materials used for the purposes of instruction. It has been reported to the Distance Education Advisory Committee DEAC that our campus materials are not at this time accessible and the intent is to correct this for Distance Education as a starting point. Finally there is the part of this entire process where instructors create web accessible which is being addressed by the working draft WAI-ARIA otherwise known as the Accessible Rich Internet Applications Technical Specification.

Accessibility issues are being considered by Distance Education in Campus Websites for Instructors, Channel broadcasting, and Classrooms using Web Technology. We reference our work according to The Web Accessibility Initiative ( WAI ) Web Accessibility Initiative. Also we use the technology training for accessibility available at WAI Training Distance Education also notes that online training is provided by the High Tech Center Training Unit Manuals from HTCTU . There is an accessibility training course running through @ONE http://www.cccone.org/selfpaced/index.php as part of self paced training. I have enrolled in this course twice and it is a helpful guide towards becoming more aware of accessibility issues. There is a web conferencing tool available through Palomar College - cccconfer.org - that is accessible see: CCCConfer . This state of the art video conferencing tool is available system wide to instructors at no charge and can be used to create accessible lecture content that can be sourced using both synchronous and asynchronous delivery modes. Confer offers free online training and the tool is often used for office ours, and can be used for tutoring. More information about cccconfer can be obtained by contacting Michelle Taramasco : Client Services Manager 760-744-1150 ext. 1542 Email Michelle Distance Education supports accessible web technology in advanced topics such as Asynchronous javascript and XML (Ajax) and Action Script (FLASH) according to the ( European Computer Manufacturers Association ) standard ECMA 262. While we do believe that all educational content must be accessible we also do not want to limit the creativity of our course designers. Distance Education is currently reviewing Adobe Captivate for creation of accessible multimedia course content including lectures and assessments.