web page design
The basics of designing your own web page. Tutorials
are given in each of three easy-to-learn web-design tools: HTML coding,
Netscape Composer, and Macromedia Dreamweaver. Principles of good design
are covered. Tutorials also include, among other skills, how to use the
webspace you have as part of your MASON account and how to make your webpage
public.
images
Visual images (pictures, charts, or maps) used in verbal
texts are not merely decorative; they are part of the exposition. A map
can enhance the specificity of geographical and historical references;
the reproduction of a painting, and especially of a detail, can focus
attention for analysis. This tutorial is intended to provide basic instruction
in capturing, manipulating (compressing or resizing), and exporting of
images into texts to be printed or used in websites. Some instruction
in the creation of simple images, including image labels, and images hyperlinked
to text are also included. Athough this tutorialmakes use of specific
software on PC and Mac platforms, including Macromedia Fireworks®
and Dreamweaver®, Microsoft Word® and NetscapeComposer®, the
instructions will be sufficiently generic so that they can be adapted to
most commonly used programs.
sound
In this tutorial you will learn how you can use your computer
to not only link to sounds on the web, but also record sound, edit and
compress sound, and deliver sound to the web.You will learn how to produce
a quality voice recording by using a microphone with a tape recorder or
by recording directly on to your computer. (You can also listen to the difference
in quality between "good recordings" and "bad recordings" and learn
to avoid the problems found in the "bad recordings".) You will also learn
how to transfer pre-recorded sound from a device like a walkman to your
computer.You will learn to edit your digitized sound and change the quality
characteristics. You will prepare your sound for web delivery and be able
to upload it to play on a browser. This tutorial also includes assignments
for poetry students and for linguistics students.
video
In this site, you will find instructions for video capture
and editing on Macintosh and Windows platforms. As you proceed through
this tutorial, you will learn how to Capture, Edit, and Save video using
a variety of approaches. Choose the method and equipment that best fits
your current knowledge, your needs, and your access to both software and
hardware. Keep in mind that we are only introducing you to the basics
of digital video. Mastering even one program requires time and practice.
There are many combinations of software and hardware available in the
marketplace and new developments occur all the time. After you have learned
how to capture, edit, and export digital video through using these tutorials,
you will be in a much better position to explore the wider range of options
available.
searching scholarly
databases
This tutorial introduces students to basic principles
for searching humanities databases by keyword and subject headings. It
demonstrates the differences between keyword and subject searching and
gives guidance on how to formulate effective keywords and to use them to
identify the subject headings employed by different databases. It also
covers basic principles involved in limiting searches with Boolean Operators
and Advanced Search capabilities.
text annotation
This tutorial on hypertext annotation will help students
to understand how the use of hypertext can enhance their critical understanding
and appreciation of a literary text. It takes students through the steps
of annotating a text, including providing definitions and examples of
various literary critical categories and concepts useful for close reading.
It also shows students how they can turn their annotations into an effective
hypertextual presentation of the text, including reader friendly layouts,
navigational structures, textual and visual effects, and connections to
other multimedia sources available on the web. It also includes a more
advanced unit on dynamic, interactive web design.
archiving
In this page we offer guidelines for instructors or students
who might want to build archives for scholarly purposes. We offer hints
on selecting data and on the preliminary work of seeking the permission
of people whose work or words or images will appear in the archive. Next
we offer suggestions for organizing your data and on numbering (and naming)
files that will figure in the archives. We follow with suggestions for
building thesauri that will help you search specific items or data in
your archives, along with prompts for coding. Finally we provide links
to other sites that will help you automate the ongoing elaboration of
your archive, if you so choose. Instructors will also find exercises that
might spark ideas for archive builders (and users) in classroom contexts.