Welcome!
Media and Web Development
ICOM-101-01 / MTEC-617-01
Max
He / Him
mfishman@calarts.edu
Software Developer @ Karmetik
SYLLABUS
Welcome to our class syllabus page! Here, you can find all the information you need to know about our course, including the schedule of topics, reading assignments, and evaluation criteria.
CANVAS LMS
Here you can find the grading portal for our class. This is where you will be able to view your grades and track your progress throughout the term.
SLIDES
Here, you will find all the slides and presentations from our class sessions. We recommend reviewing the slides before and after each class to help reinforce your understanding of the material.
What are we building?
Sites that act as a hub for content, but don't always host the content themselves.
For now, we are less interested in building fully featured, rich media browsing portfolios, and more concerned with creating useful directories linking to content around the web.
For now, we are less interested in building fully featured, rich media browsing portfolios, and more concerned with creating useful directories linking to content around the web.
Visiting a Website
You type an address into the browser and hit ENTER.
You type an address into the browser and hit ENTER.
Your ISP makes a request to a Domain Name Server (DNS)
Visiting a website is a lot like calling someone on the phone. Every website on the internet has a unique IP Address, like a phone number, that points to the server where that website is being hosted.The DNS acts like your address book and maps website names to website addresses.
The DNS resolves your request.
The DNS looks up the domain name you have requested, and returns the IP address of that website to your ISP. Your ISP then forwards your request to the IP address returned from the DNS
The website you have requested receives your request
Once a web server receives a request, it is expected to generate a response.
A server at Twitter might dynamically generate your custom homepage and return that as the response.
An API endpoint might calculate some data and return it in a machine readable format.
A server hosting a static site may just return a prewritten chunk of html ( this is what we are doing! ).
Your ISP returns the response to YOU
The response might be a webpage, a media asset, or some data for the webpage to render.
A server at Twitter might dynamically generate your custom homepage and return that as the response.
An API endpoint might calculate some data and return it in a machine readable format.
A server hosting a static site may just return a prewritten chunk of html ( this is what we are doing! ).
Some key terms...
SERVER
A server is the computer that hosts your website. Servers make the internet work, but in this class we will avoid dealing with them directly wherever possible.
HOMEWORK
Choose three websites to explore. These can be websites for businesses, organizations, or
personal blogs.Spend at least 5 minutes on each website, taking note of the elements that you
like and dislike. Consider the following questions as you explore:
personal blogs.Spend at least 5 minutes on each website, taking note of the elements that you
like and dislike. Consider the following questions as you explore:
- What is the overall design of the website? Is it visually appealing?
- Is the navigation intuitive? Can you find what you're looking for easily?
- Is the content organized in a logical way?
- Are there any interactive elements, such as forms, videos, or games?
- Is the website responsive, meaning does it adjust to the size of the screen it is being viewed on?
- Is the navigation intuitive? Can you find what you're looking for easily?
- Is the content organized in a logical way?
- Are there any interactive elements, such as forms, videos, or games?
- Is the website responsive, meaning does it adjust to the size of the screen it is being viewed on?
After exploring each website, write a short summary analyzing the elements you liked and
disliked, and explaining why. Be sure to include specific examples from the websites to support
your analysis.
disliked, and explaining why. Be sure to include specific examples from the websites to support
your analysis.