Tips, web design book reviews, resources and observations for teaching and learning web development.
The You-Don’t-Matter Website is a look at usability and accessibility for some large brands.
Graphic Design Theory: 50 Resources and Articles is from noupe.
Apple’s attempt to wow the world with HTML5 flopped. Now Google is trying a similar thing with HTML5 Rocks. There are tutorials, Chrome developer tools, and the promise that the material in the playground and presentations is open source. Let’s see if Google can do it right.
What’s hot here on Web Teacher?
What about some of the other stuff that I write? A couple of items published as the TGB Elder Geek are worth a second look.
At eHow, these articles are getting some attention.
At BlogHer, these articles are hot.
One of many changes in forms that HTML5 is promising involves required form fields. In HTML 4 or XHTML, some scripting is needed to create a required form field.
With HTML5, there is a new attribute available for required form controls. The attribute is required. The browser or user agent will check on this and notify the user if the requirement is not met.
Here’s an example using an input element.
<label>Name: <input name="name" required></label>
Easy, right?
In HTML5, there is no need to use the syntax required="required". Dare I say it? In HTML5, all that’s required is required.
Apple announced a new HTML5 demo site. The site features all sorts of HTML5 demo projects, with the video demo coming right at the top of the list. There are demos on transitions, typography and more. Viewable in Safari, naturally. (Insert snark here.)
At the bottom of the page, there’s a subtly placed link to Steve Jobs’ article explaining why iPhone and iPad don’t support Flash—in case you didn’t make the connection to Flash from the rest of the page.
To me, the interesting part of this effort from Apple is the link to the developer information about the demos. You can pick up examples, instructions and code. There might be some gems useful to educators among the instructions.
Microsoft’s Networked Approach To Accelerating Social Change Through Technology at Beth’s Blog. Beth talked about a conference which revealed a side of Microsoft I’ve never heard about before.
I had an opportunity to attend Microsoft’s “Accelerator Summit,” a day of conversation with Microsoft employees, partners, academics, journalists, and bloggers about their corporate citizenship program. Their strategy focuses on technology and partnerships that can accelerate systemic on the ground social change and economic issues.
Textbooks may go the way of Netflix, with BookRenter starting up to loan students textbooks. This notion may change the way the world works on college campuses.
Some of the readers here may be interested in the No Bit, Sherlock competition. The contest lets you to come up with a progress control developed solely with SVG. This contest is from Web Directions North.
Web Directions North has a new web site and an announced lineup for the Atlanta, GA, conference September 21–25. This group includes a lot of people interested in web education, InterACT, and OWEA. You don’t see it on the agenda, but there will be plenty of people there who want to engage in conversation about web education. If you are a web educator, this might be the conference for you!
HTML5 Watch is a Tumblr blog collecting links to projects in HTML5. Not only can you find HTML5 projects that way, you can contribute links if you know of anything that isn’t already there.
“When compared with older users, young adults are more likely to restrict what they share and whom they share it with.” That’s according to the Pew report on Reputation Management and Social Media. The report also states, “Young adults, far from being indifferent about their digital footprints, are the most active online reputation managers in several dimensions.” Read the full report online here.
The InterACT Summit I mentioned a couple of days ago is already filled. If you wanted to attend, I hope you registered in time. (There is a waiting list, if you want to keep your fingers crossed.)
InterACT with Web Standards: a Holistic Approach to Web Design is available today.
This announcement is a BIG DEAL.
This book puts everything you need to teach a class in web design or development with web standards into your hands. The book is easy to use in connection with InterACT’s 17 courses in 6 learning tracks making it the perfect tool and resource for teaching or learning contemporary web design best practices.
If you are a student who wants to learn about building a web site with web standards, this book will lead you there.
For educators, your semester will be a snap to plan with this book. It’s all right there for you.
The book is published by New Riders (2010). There are 10 authors. The major contributor being Chris Mills, with additional expertise from Erin Anderson, Virginia DeBolt, Derek Featherstone, Lars Gunther, Denise Jacobs, Leslie-Jensen-Inman, Christopher Schmitt, Glenda Sims and Aarron Walter. I’m really proud to have been a small part of making the book a reality, because I think the book is going to be very important to students and teachers who are looking for the a reliable resource for web design best practices.
In addition to the writers, a number of other people worked to bring this book to life. They include Aarron Walter as project manager, Patrick Lauke as technical editor, Jeff Riley as development editor, Leslie Jensen-Inman as creative director and Jessi Taylor as book and site designer.
Many kudos go to Leslie Jensen-Inman and Jessi Taylor. When you see this book and hold it in your hands you will realize what a work of art it is from a design and typography point of view. It’s a beautiful book.
Take a look at the table of contents:
The InterACT with Web Standards book site has everything you need to know. There, you’ll find links to purchase the book, links to code examples from the book, links to bonus content, and links to the sample project. The site has links to information about InterACT, OWEA, and the Web Standards Project. You can take a peek inside the book, read some reviews, grab links to all the resources cited in the book, and MUCH MORE.
Buy now and take advantage of this limited time offer tweeted by @waspinteract.
InterACT With Web Standards, the first book from The Web Standards Project, is out. Save 35% on it with code INTERACT. http://cot.ag/9RS4rE
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