Using Hot Topic Pages to Improve Student Writing
by:  Rachel Harrison and Bob Cole
Questions/comments?  Contact Rachel or Bob
Last updated:  8/9/00

Process:

1)  Pick a subject/topic you teach in your classroom instruction (i.e. The First Amendment, Chesapeake Bay resources, Shakespeare, word problems).  Go to the resources section to view one Hot Topic page and one WebQuest example.  With your computer buddy, compare and contrast how each tool can be used to improve writing to inform skills.

• Click here to download Compare/Contrast form (Microsoft Word)

2)  Search the Internet using Netscape Navigator to find 5-7 Internet sites relating to your topic­sites you would want your kids to see relating to your topic.

• Forgot what search engines are available?  Click here.

3)  Have your “computer buddy” evaluate your sites using these helpful evaluation tips.  Report back to your buddy using the P-Q-P method (write down something you would praise, something you question, and something they could polish about the sites they picked).

• Click here to download P-Q-P form (Microsoft Word)

STOP where you see the stop sign!!!

4)  As a group, we will walk through the steps in creating your "Hot Topic" page.  First, select Composer from the Communicator Menu at the top of the toolbar (or press Ctrl-4).  You should get a blank white screen with a gray toolbar at the top.

(NOTE:  Netscape Composer is used to CONSTRUCT, EDIT, or MAKE CHANGES to an existing page.  Netscape Navigator is used to view the page- the links will become active here.  You CANNOT MAKE CHANGES to the page in Netscape Navigator.)

5)  Type in a title for your Hot Topics page like you would with any word document you use (i.e. WordPerfect, Microsoft Works, Microsoft Word, etc.).  Format the title- make it bold, colored, italicized, or underlined.  These tools can be found on the toolbar.

6)  Underneath the title, type in "To contact me CLICK HERE."  Highlight the words CLICK HERE with your mouse. Go to the toolbar at the top and click "Link". 
A dialogue box will appear.  Type in "mailto:" followed my your e-mail address (no spaces in between) in the space provided.  Click OK.  This will create a link for kids or parents to ask you questions via e-mail.  All good web pages have this feature.

7)  Underneath the e-mail link, type in "Last updated" and then the date.
All good web pages have this feature.

8)  Bars are commonly used to separate areas of the web page.  Insert a bar, or horizontal line, below the last updated line.  Select the "H. Line" icon  from the toolbar.  Double click on the horizontal line that appears.  We suggest a line between 4-8 pixels in height.  You can also change the justification and shadowing effects.
(for this line, height= 6 pixels)

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9)  Now you are ready to create your links.  You have collected 5-7 sites that you would like your students to use for the activity.  Below the line, type in a name for the first link on your page.  For example, if the link you wanted to create was www.whitehouse.gov, type in "White House" on your web page.

10)  After you have typed in all of your link names on the page, use the same strategy you used to create the email link (see #6 above).  With your mouse, highlight the link name and click the "Link" icon on the toolbar.  A diaglogue box will appear.  In the white box, type in the URL address for that link (in my example, I would type www.whitehouse.gov).  Click OK.   The link name will be highlighted and underlined automatically on your page.

11)  Next we should preview our page and check to see if our link works.  Before previewing the page, you must save your work.  Select "Save As..." from the FILE menu.  Before you save your file to disk, you will be prompted to "title" the page.  This name will appear at the top of your webpage.  Look at the top of the screen and tell the instructor the name of this page.  Give your page a meaningful name and then save it to disk.

12)  Click on the "Preview" icon   to preview the page in Netscape Naviagator.  Although most of the page will look the same, there many be slight changes in the format.  Can you edit your page in Navigator???  Of course not!

But if you click on your link, it should now be active.  If your link is active proceed to step 13, if not, go back into Composer and try to configure your link again.
(see #10 above)

13)  Congratulations!  Your link works.  Continue to create the rest of your links using the same procedure used in #10.  If you and your buddy have time, you can expand your list here or test out each other's page and make suggestions.

14)  If you need additional instruction with any of the above commands, please visit the tutorial resource.

• There are many things you can do to enhance your Hot Topics page, and although we will only cover a few here, we will provide an advanced design resource for you to go to once you are ready to add your own graphics and images.

15)  Continue to make additions and changes to your Hot Topics webpage.  Once you have completed and previewed your work, save all of your work to disk and visit the evaluation link.  With your buddy, read over the rubric and evaluate each other's Hot Topics page.  You can upload your Hot Topics webpage or store in on student computers.
 
 

rcole/rharrison, created 8/00