Using the Web to Teach Mathematics - Tools

• Computer Setup Guide   (you can link directly to this at http://www-math.cudenver.edu/w4t/ComputerSetup.html).

• Materials from the Consortium for Mathematics and its Applications (COMAP). The Department has subscribed, so you can obtain anything available from their online catalogue. (See the Web4Teaching Director for the password or for help.)

• Signup ... extended version   (look, but don't Submit). The extended version creates a list for your information when you run signupx.ex to update the class list. To have these in your site, download signup.tar. When this is in your math subdirectory for the course, enter   tar xvf signup.tar,   and you will have the following files:

  Basic	Extended	What it's for
  signup.html	signupx.html	What the student sees (and fills out).
  signup.out	same	Sample output file (make sure it has write permission).
  signup.cgi	signupx.cgi	The program to store entries.
  cgi-lib.pl	same	A program library needed by the main cgi program.
  signup.ex	signupx.ex	A program that produces the class list (on math).
  signup.f	signupx.f	The (fortran) source in case you need to compile for someplace other than math
  class_list.html	+ mylist.html	Initial files that just need to have read permission; they are formed by executing signup or signupx.

  Then, edit signup.html and signup.out for your course.

• Course page design, using standard heading and background. To have this as a beginning for your course page, download course.html, and edit the obvious. You might want to include these instructions for students to setup their own computer at home to have the capabilities you want them to have. (Remember to copy this to your course web site, and list yourself at the bottom of the page as the person who maintains it. Do NOT link directly to this file at w4t.)

  Here are some other aids for building up your site.

  1. A Very Short Introduction to HTML, by Harvey Greenberg at CU-Denver.

     You will want to print this (and the source) to see how it works. This is followed up by a Mini-Workshop on Style.

  2. Crash course on writing a web page, by Eamonn Sullivan at PC Week Labs East.

     This is a succinct introduction to get started.

  3. Colormaker, FrameShop and TableMaker, by Sam Choukri at University of Missouri.

     These companion aids will make it easy for you, but be careful how you use them. Not every browser supports frames, and some do not support tables. Colors come out differently on different browsers.

  4. Graphics - be sure to read the caveat.

  5. Guide to good practices, by Sue Cunningham at University of Manchester.

     This is one of the guides for web page design; you might seek others. Choosing colors, fonts, etc. are an art form, just as tasteful decoration of a house. It says something about you.

  6. Professional Web Design, by J. Barta at APK Net.

     This has excellent tutorials on frames, tables and forms.