LITEhouse Award:
Library, Information, and Technology Excellence
Lighthouses are beacons that guide sailors to safe ports. Thousands of educators, librarians, and other information professionals spend endless hours developing resources to guide their students, patrons, and clients.
The LITEhouse Award is given to websites that exhibit Library, Information, and Technology Excellence.
| Task | Process | Product | Evaluation | Conclusion |
Task
Really cool animation... Tons of web links... Great online newsletters.
What makes a really good website? Cool graphics or easy navigation? Updated links or quality content? Many factors go into creating an effective website.
Your mission is to: (1) identify an exemplary library, information, or nonprofit website deserving of this award, (2) nominate this website for the LITEhouse award, (3) build a small nomination website, and (4) work with a committee to select the award recipients.
In order to make an informed decision about the LITEhouse Award, you'll need to learn about what goes into an effective website. In addition, you'll need to be able to evaluate both the content and technical aspects of potential award winners. At the same time, you'll learn about developing your own web pages.
Process
The process phase of this CourseQuest leads you through the course readings and required Skills Building Activities (SBAs), Discussion Requirements, and Quizzes.
A Skills Building Activity (SBA) is a short coding assignment that demonstrates your ability to perform a particular coding job. The web address (URL) for your SBA will be email directly to your instructor.
A Discussion Requirement (Hutmates) asks you to share your experiences and insights with your peers. These discussions will take place within a cohort group of your choosing.
A Quiz is a series of short questions administered through Oncourse. The quizzes are open-book and reflect your understanding of the course online readings.
For more information about the readings and assignments, go to the Requirements page.
The process for this CourseQuest contains four steps. Scroll through each of the steps below. Or, you can use the following links to jump down to each of the steps:
- Step 1: Explore School, Library, and Organization Websites
- Step 2: Apply Website Evaluation Criteria
- Step 3: Learn HTML Basics
- Step 4: Go Beyond the Basics
Step 1:
Explore School, Library, and Organization Websites
Spend some time exploring websites in your interest area. Your focus may be on school-related websites, school library websites, public and special library, or organization websites. If you're interested in another type of website, feel free to explore websites in that area.
Go to the Evaluation section of the course website.
Read School and Library Websites.
Read School Websites.
Read Classroom and Teacher Web Pages.
Read School Magazines and Newspapers.
Read
Project Pages.
Read Student Pages.
Read Library, Media, and Technology Web Pages.
Read Public Library Websites.
Read Academic Library Websites.
Read Special Library Websites.
As you read each page, be sure to read any online articles containing the 
.
If you see an 
, you should follow the directions to explore or try out the idea.
Step 2:
Apply Website Evaluation Criteria
What does a good website look like? What are some elements that should be a part of any effective, efficient, and appealing website?
Read Website Evaluation Criteria.
Read about each type of criteria:
Background information
Overall Impressions
Content Aspects
Design Aspects
Navigation Aspects
Technical and Usability Aspects
Maintenance Aspects
Content Enhancements
A good way to see quality examples is by examining award winning websites. Check out some of these sites and the criteria used to judge the winners.
Read Website Awards.
Be sure to explore the suggested websites looking for the criteria used for judging the winners. Do you agree or disagree with their choices?
Apply the criteria found in the Website Evaluation Criteria section to the three or more websites that you explored in Step 1.
Select at least three school, school-library, library, or organization websites that you think are good examples. Spend some time exploring these in-depth. Create an overall list of strengths and weaknesses of each website. Also, create a list of the "features" found at these websites.
Decide which website you would like to nominate for the LITEhouse award.
Hutmate Discussion 1 - Website Evaluation
Select and evaluate three websites including the information from the Website Evaluation Criteria pages. These websites may be school or library websites, but if your professional interests are in another area feel free to do your evaluations in that field. You may use my guiding questions or develop your own criteria for evaluation. Be sure to provide Background information and address the following general areas: Overall Impressions, Content Aspects, Design Aspects, Navigation Aspects, Technical and Usability Aspects, Maintenance Aspects, and Content Enhancements. You may wish to write up your evaluation in Word, then attach this document to your Oncourse message rather than trying to write directly in the Oncourse message area.
Then, create a list of five ideas, features, or approaches you think are critical in a quality website. Discuss whether the three websites you evaluated met your high standards. Be sure to include the name and URL for all three websites you discuss.
DO NOT use the website you plan to nominate for Project 1.
Areas are available for posting your Discussion assignment on Oncourse. Post your assignment in ONE area.
Be sure to REPLY to a posting made by another student. Share a reply in ANY area. You should respond to a specific website evaluated by another student. Your reply should contain substance and an example, NOT just "cool site" or "I agree". You will receive up to 3 points for the Discussion activity: 2 points (2=excellent; 1=adequate) for your posting and 1 point for a quality reply.
Step 3:
Learn (X)HTML Basics
You'll be making a few web pages to post your LITEhouse award nomination. To create these pages, you'll be using raw (X)HTML coding. You may or may not already have background in (X)HTML programming. Use the following resources to learn or review the basics.
Introduction to Coding
Go to the Coding section of the website.
Let's begin with an overview to XHTML coding. Read the following pages:
Introduction (Castro Introduction, Chapter 1)
XHTML
XHTML Editors
Terminology & Tags
Deprecated Tags
XHTML Basics
We encourage you to complete all the activities on these pages as you create your own personal web page.
If you do not have experience with XHTML, you should complete ALL the exercises. As you explore the course web pages, you should also be reading the chapters from Castro's book HTML, XHTML, & CSS (Sixth Edition).
Look for the Try It boxes throughout this section. These will guide you through the development of your XHTML pages.
XHTML (Castro Chapter 2)
Declarations (Castro Chapter 3)
HTML tags
Head tags
Title tags
Meta tags
Body tag
Text tags (Castro Chapter 4)
Lists
Links (Castro Chapter 6)
Images (Castro Chapter 5)
You might also find it valuable to go to the Resources page for links to some great online resources and tutorials as well as print materials.
At this point you should try making a practice page using the skills you've learned. When you feel you've mastered these skills, you're ready to go on.
Cascading Style Sheets
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) are used to create an interesting "look and feel" for your page. You'll be able to layout the page, adjust the fonts, and make your page look more professional.
Go to the CSS section of the website.
Work your way through each of the additional pages:
Introduction (Castro Chapter 7)
Internal Style Tags
External Style Sheet (Castro Chapter 8)
Selectors (Castro Chapter 9)
Formatting Text (Castro Chapter 10)
Lists (Castro Chapter 15)
Layout with Styles (Castro Chapter 11)
Dynamic Effects with Styles (Castro Chapter 12)
Multiple Style Sheets
Resources
Spend some time practicing the creation of Cascading Style Sheets.
Web Hosting
You may be ready to try out your pages with the world. To share your successes, you'll need a place to host your web pages and a way to upload them.
Go to the Posting Pages section of the website.
Work your way through each of the following pages:
Web Hosting (Castro Chapter 23)
FTP
Formative Evaluation
As you work your way through the skills associated with XHTML and CSS you may wonder whether you're creating "good quality" pages. You need to begin applying techniques related to Formative Evaluation. In terms of technical quality, it's important to validate your pages.
Go to the Formative Evaluation section of the website.
Work your way through each of the following pages:
Procedures (Castro Chapter 22)
Validation
Try the validation tools on your practice web pages.
Skills Building Activity 1 - Basic (X)HTML (5 Points)
In order to complete the following activity, you will need web space. Go to Personal Website for suggestions.
Personal Page: (If you already have a "personal page" started you can use this page. Just be sure it includes the following elements) - DOCTYPE declaration for transitional XHTML, head tags, title tags, body tags, internal and external links, CSS of your choice, (X)HTML and CSS validations with links to validation sources, horizontal line at bottom of page with your name, creation date, and email link. Consider using this website as a place for your personal or professional portfolio. You could also use it to post assignments for other courses, share professional documents, or keep track of professional links and resources. In some cases, job applications provide a place for a URL, this would be a great time to get it started!
SBA1 A-C: Complete ALL Skill Builder three exercises below. Upload each file (i.e., HTM, graphics, CSS) to your web space. Create links on your personal page. This Skill Builder exercise is worth 5 points. Feel free to go beyond the 16 required elements, but you must include all required tags and CSS styles specified in order to get all 5 points.
Each exercise provides you with a list of (X)HTML and CSS tags to incorporate into the design of a simple web page(s). These directions are at the top of the text file between ** marks. The requirements change each semester so be sure to use the current topic text files (Chocolate, Ice Cream and Comets). Rather than just clicking each link, right-click on the link and save the text document on your hard drive. Then, open your text editor (such as Notepad for Windows or TextEdit for Mac). Open the document. Now, you can start coding using the directions in the Coding section of the course starting with the Declarion.
When complete, validate your page using a validator. Review the Validation page. It is suggested that you try different validators for practice. However you must use the W3C as one of your choices and include the validation code icon at the bottom of your page. If you are using Geocities for storage, validate your pages before you upload them. Geocities adds lines of code that may not validate. Or consider using another tool such as Google Pages.
You should complete four web pages:
A Personal Page (with links to SBA1-A, B, and C)
SBA1-A: Chocolate
SBA1-B: Ice Cream
SBA1-C: Comets
Post a message in Oncourse SBA1 area when you're ready to have your entire activity (SBA1) graded. Be sure to provide your personal URL so I can find your assignment. Double-check your link to be sure it works!
Special Note: For beginners, this activity will take a tremendous amount of time! Stick with it. For people with current coding skills, these activities should be a breeze. However, we all need to have basic skills to be successful with the core content for this course related to Information Architecture in CourseQuest 2.
Problems? I will email you my review indicating specific problems. You may redo if needed. 1 point will be deducted for resubmission.
Step 4: Go Beyond the Basics
Once you're able to create and upload a short page, you're ready to explore ways to make your web pages more interesting and accessible.
Spend some time experimenting with a personal page based on a topic of interest. Try out the exercises with a real-world example or problem. If you have trouble, use your classmates for ideas. Or, email your instructor for help. It's important that you spend the time NOW to feel confident with (X)HTMLbasics.
Multimedia and Layout Options
Beyond the basics there are some great ways to incorporate multimedia, documents, and data into your website.
Let's go back to working our way through the Coding section of the website.
Within the Coding section go to the XHTML page. Work your way through the following pages:
Audio (Castro Chapter 18)
Video
Documents
Flash
Tables (Castro Chapter 16)
Frames (know about them, but avoid them)
Use the Resources page for additional ideas and help.
Accessibility
It's important to be certain that your web pages are accessibles to all users.
Let's go back to the Formative Evaluation section of the website.
Read Web Accessibility.
Skills Building Activity 2 - Advanced XHTML (5 Points)
Go to the Video & Image Starter Resources page. Create THREE pages using one of the topics on the list. One page should be your entry page and the other two are supplemental pages. It's up to you to select content beyond the provided photos and media elements. You can incorporate any of the visuals and/or movies related to your topic.
If you have your own photographs and video clips you are feel to use any topic you wish as long as you meet the requirements listed below.
Incorporate navigation:
* Establish a navigation area for your mini-website. It should be consistent across the three pages.
* Provide an effective way to move between pages using links.
* Incorporate at least one link to an external website.
Incorporate at least five images:
* Use at least five graphics.
* Choose a photograph. Resize the image in any graphics software (Windows has a program called Paint in Accessories. GIMP is another free option.). The image should be 72dpi, 250 pixels high, and saved as a JPG.
* Link a thumbnail of an image (small version of the image around 50-100 pixels high) to a larger image file (250 to 400 pixels high)
* Add horizontal and vertical space (padding) around an image
* Align at least 2 images
* Incorporate at least one image label link
Incorporate a tables:
* Create a table
* Include a border on a table
* Change the background color of a cell(s)
* Add cell padding
Incorporate other features:
* Incorporate a multimedia element such as a slide show, audio, or video (you don't need to copy movies into your server space, just link to them)
* Create bars (such as colored section headings) with padding around text
* Set margins
Incorporate CSS features:
* A single, external CSS should control styles on all three pages.
* Set a color for the link to something other than blue.
Make your web page accessible:
Conduct a web accessibility test using HiSoftware® Cynthia Says™. Your page should be at least Section 508 accessible. If you have trouble meeting the requirements, discuss the specific errors you were not able to correct. For help in interpreting the results, go to the Formative Evaluation: Accessibility page.
* Include an icon from the validator and a link on the icon to the validator website
* All images must have alternative text
* All tables must have summary text
Conduct a HTML and CSS validation:
When complete, validate your page using at least 2 validators. Review the Validation page. List the validators used at the bottom of your page. Conduct a W3C validation for HTML and CSS. Use the validator page for help.
Include icons from the validators and a link on the icon to the validator website.
Upload the three files and your external CSS to your web space. Create a link to your personal page. This Skill Builder exercise is worth 5 points. You must use all the tags and CSS styles specified in order to get all 5 points. You may redo if needed. 1 point will be deducted for resubmission.
Post a message in Oncourse SBA2 area when you're ready to have your entire activity (SBA2) graded. Be sure to provide your personal URL and SBA2 links so I can find your assignment. Double-check your links to be sure they work!
Quiz 1
When you've read all the assigned readings, it's time to review what you learned and take a quiz.
Go to OncourseCL, select CourseQuest 1 Quiz. Check the Calendar for the dates when this quiz will be available.
Your Quiz is worth 5 points.
Product
Choose a website you wish to nominate for the LITEhouse award. Then, construct web pages for your nomination. Your web project should contain at least three pages (i.e., entry page, technical review, content review). Your web pages must be created in raw XHTML and use a single, shared CSS. All assignments are to be posted on the Web by the due date.
To see our class page, go to LITEhouse Award.
The basic requirements include:
- Page BASIC Requirements: At least three pages containing nomination background information and an INDEPTH technical and content review of your nominated website. Your entry page should be linked to at least two additional pages focusing on specific aspects of your evaluation. For example, you might have a content evaluation page and a technical evaluation page.
- Page Contents: Your pages should include a detailed evaluation of the website you're nominating and follow evaluation criteria you've developed or found in course resources. Be sure to provide an overview of the selected library website’s purpose and contents. Describe the web site’s organization and structure. Also, describe the usability of the website. Discuss any general strengths and/or weaknesses. Be sure to use many, very specific examples and links to specific pages within the site. Talk about how the website’s design supports and/or hinders its usability. Use the supplemental pages to focus on specific examples of how the website reflects quality content, design, or service. Be sure to link to specific pages within the nominated website to support your perspective.
- Internal Links: Your pages should include effective navigation to move among each of your pages.
- External Links: Include at least three links including the LITEhouse page (http://eduscapes.com/arch/course/guide1.htm), evaluation criteria (http://eduscapes.com/arch/evaluate/arch7.htm), and your selected website page.
- Table: Include at least two tables. Be sure to include alternative text description in the table for web accessibility.
- Images: Include at least eight images. Be sure to include alternative text description for each image for web accessibility.
- Cascading Style Sheet: Use CSS (external .css document that controls all three pages) that designates at least the following: two font styles; two text options (i.e., bold, italics), two colors and/or a background; and use of box, block, or margins/padding.
- Contact Line: Include your name (or alias), an email link, and the creation date at the bottom of each page.
- HTML and CSS Validation: Use a validator such as W3C to check your code. Include a line at the bottom of the page stating that your code is valid and the validation tools you used. I will be checking your validations.
- Accessibility Test: Conduct a WebXACT test. Your page should be at least Section 508 accessible. If you have trouble meeting the requirements, not the specific errors you were not able to correct. Include an icon and a link on the icon to the website.
- Superior Projects: Outstanding projects must contains exceptional technical and content elements. In other words, it's not enough to have a functioning page, it should be effective, efficient, and appealing. It should also contain a very detailed evaluation of the nominated website.
Evaluation
The following criteria will be used to evaluate your website nomination web project. Be sure to carefully check your website before submitting for evaluation.
The total project value is 10 points.
Basic Requirements - required, no points
- Web project contains at least 3 pages.
- Entry page provides an overview.
- Two secondary pages provide more detailed information.
- Entry page provides an overview.
- Web pages are clearly marked up by hand (no web development tools).
Content Aspects - 5 points
- Overall (1 Point)
- Entry page clearly states the purpose of the pages
- Content is logically organized
- Website is free from spelling, grammatical, and other typographical errors
- Writing is clear and appropriate for the professional nature of the nomination
- Background information about nominated website (i.e., name, URL, location, type, system/browser used, date of evaluation)
- Overall impressions, a summary, or general review are provided
- Entry page clearly states the purpose of the pages
- Specific criteria and evaluation discussion is provided in the following areas (2 Points):
- Site purpose and structure
- Content aspects
- Design aspects
- Navigation
- Technical and Usability
- Maintenance
- Content Enhancement or Special Features
- Site purpose and structure
- Specific examples relate to the quality of the nominated site (1 Point)
- Links to specific examples within the nominated site (1 Point)
Design Aspects - 2.5 points
- Pages have a standard, consistent "look and feel" throughout
- Site makes appropriate use of fonts
- Site makes effective use of colors
- Layout is effective and visually appealing
- Images contribute to rather than distract from web page
Technical Aspects - 2.5 points
- Pages load properly and contains a title
- Internal and external links work properly
- Content and navigation elements are well-labeled
- Email link works properly
- Table works properly and alternative text provided for tables
- Images load properly and alternative text provided for images
- Cascading style sheet functions properly
- Contact information provided including name, date, email address
- HTML and CSS validation information accurate and included
- Accessibility test information accurate and included
Go to the Course Activity Checklist for a checklist of all the course requirements.
When your project is ready, post the URL in the Hutmate Discussion 2 - Awards Discussion area.
Conclusion
It's time for your committee to get together and select an award winner.
Hutmate Discussion 2 - Awards Discussion
Awards will be given in a number of categories. Join a committee in one of the areas listed below. Or, feel free to work on multiple committees if you're interested. You'll find a Discussion Forum on Oncourse for each Committee.
1. School, Classroom, or School Library Websites
3. Public Library
4. Academic, Special Library, Museum, or Other
You should use the discussion area to share the URL of your nomination. Then, examine the other website nominations within your category. As a committee, select a Gold, Silver, and Bronze winner. Discuss content, design, technical, and usability aspects that might be unique to your committee’s area and finalize your committee's selection.
Many of you will be asked to serve on professional committees in the future. This is great practice. It's important that a few people emerge in each group take leadership roles to get the job done. Your group needs to decide how you will vote. Select one committee member should post the final results in the forum.
A quality website is much more than HTML code and pretty pictures. The LITEhouse award recognizes the hard work of devoted web developers who excel in providing quality materials from both technical and content perspectives.
This is a REQUIRED discussion worth 1 Point.
Maybe someday your website will win this award!
| Task | Process | Product | Evaluation | Conclusion |