Home Page projects can tell many things about Clarion students

What's your name? What's your major? One other question might also be appropriate when you want to know some Clarion University students. "What's your home page address?"

Just take a look at Donna Dehner's home page. You'll discover she likes to be "adventurous," owns a Honda 300EX and Ninja 600 and, as one of the images on her page indicates, loves to water ski (slalom, of course) and wake board.

Donna, a 27-year old undeclared major, created her home page as part of an assignment in an introductory computer course at Clarion University. "I took the course because I had just bought a computer and was clueless on how to use it.

"It was really fun to learn how to access the Web and to look at the home pages out there. That's how I got a lot of the ideas for the one I created. The professor gave us a basic template with headings on it. We were to fill in the information. Then if we wanted to add links or graphics, we could do so."

Like Donna, many of the students who create home pages aren't computer science majors. Amy Celzheiser, who'll be a sophomore this fall majoring in business, also developed her home page as part of class requirements.

Amy's page reveals her interests (playing tennis and volleyball) and the many campus activities in which she's involved, including the University Activities Board Concert Committee and the Student Life Section of the Sequelle Yearbook. And if there's one message Amy wants to be conveyed on her page, it's noted in boldface: "Hire Me," followed by her resume.

"I had done something similar using AOL (America On Line) in which you take a format and fill in information. But for the home page I created in class, I decided to be a little more creative," says the Pittsburgh native.

"We could go into the computer lab and access different graphics on web sites, save them on a disk, and then load them into the home pages we created. So I found a background of clouds that I really like and used that.

"I think creating my own home page has been a good way to get more familiar with the Internet. Plus, I know that as a business major, it's important to understand how home pages can be used in business to market products, convey information about your company, even recruit employees."

Some enterprising Clarion students have already discovered just how easy it is to turn home page creation into a business enterprise.

"I'm from Punxsutawney, a small town that didn't have local access to the Internet," explains Ed Charles, a computer science major. "Once it became available, I begged my mom to let me have it. I started playing around with it and used examples I found on the Internet to create a home page.

"I've been getting a lot of experience creating web pages outside of my classes at Clarion. I did one for Punxsutawney that I'm still working on, and I'm a 'webmaster' for the Chamber of Commerce. That means I maintain their site as needed. I've even had some of the Chamber's members ask me to create pages for them."

Ed has found that even in developing his own page, he's learned something valuable about business. "When you create a page, you not only have to gather the appropriate information you want to include, you have to consider what is going to be the best format to present that information and what you're going to do to catch someone's attention as they're surfing the Internet. There's so much out there right now competing for your attention."

To help distinguish his page, Ed has included information on his genealogy, something he's researched since he was 12 or 13.

"I've had people look at the genealogy information page and write me to say we're related."

Looking at other people's work usually isn't acceptable behavior in completing assignments in college. But according to Jason Gallo, a junior computer science major from Monroeville, sharing ideas and learning from what other people have done is the best way to create home pages.

"Web page creation is a lot easier to learn by looking at other people's work because it's such a visual medium. You get ideas and you learn how to make things work. The World Wide Web itself is about building on other people's work. That's why it just keeps evolving."

That's also one of the reasons Joe Wyatt, assistant professor of computer science, requires students in many of his computer science classes to create web pages in lieu of writing papers.

"One of the requirements I have in my computer architecture class is for the students to create a web page in which they select two computer terms, define them, and then provide links to related information. They can research the terms and develop links by looking at other web pages. Because the pages are published in an accessible arena, the World Wide Web, other students can easily access the information, add to it, learn from it, share it. It's truly an interactive learning experience."

Mike Hug, a computer science major from North Canton, Ohio, has his resume linked to his personal home page.

Mike, who hopes to secure a position in computer programming, not only has created his personal home page, but he's also created web pages for his artificial intelligence and computer architecture classes as part of the required assignments. "Once you start doing it, creating a home page is easy. But when it comes to the classroom assignments, the main web page is based on the content, not on the flashy graphics," Mike explains. "But I think it's good being exposed to HTML (the language used in creating home pages) and learning how to use his medium. You learn to investigate, to explore. The web is an important communication tool. And if you've got the time, it can be a lot of fun."