<> Fundamentals of Web Design

The Open Web

The web was built on the ideals of openness, sharing, and collaboration. How can we use these concepts to remix and create our own work?

Tim Berners-Lee’s History of the Web

Together let’s review Tim Berners-Lee’s “The World Wide Web: A very short personal history”. Do you think his vision of the web has held true?

Activity 1: A Game with No Rules

Supplies needed: several decks of cards (1 for every 4 students)

During the browser wars, web browser vendors created their own sets of rules for the web. How could this lead to a frustrating experience for users?

This activity is roughly based on the game of Mao where new players are not instructed the rules at the beginning of the game, each group of players (4-5 students) is handed a deck of cards.

The rules of the game are as follows:

  • Goal of the game is to discard all of the cards in your hand.
  • Each player is allowed to make up a rule on their own turn.
  • Each group is responsible for recording their rules for discussion after the activity.

After one round of cards, mix the groups up and ask the students to play again. This time each student must try to follow the rules from their original game, even though they may vary from the other players. (Sound confusing? It is!)

Tip: ask one student to record the rules for their group

Activity 2: Open Sourcing My Pizza Recipe

  1. Distribute index cards to each student.
  2. Describe a very basic pizza recipe and explain that you are distributing it with an open source license. (My “recipe” is below).
  3. Invite the students to fork the recipe and make it their own. Encourage students to be creative and stretch the boundaries of what this recipe could be. (Does it even have to be pizza?)
  4. Collect all of the recipes and read a few aloud. Discuss how allowing others to modify your recipe improved or (maybe) drastically changed the recipe.

My “recipe”:

  • Pizza dough
  • San Marzano Tomatoes
  • Mozzarella

Flatten and stretch the dough. Cover with tomatoes and cheese. Bake in the oven at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Activity 3: Trace the Outline of Net Neutrality

Using traceroute, find out who owns the fiber around you and the media you visit online. Unearth stakes for Net Neutrality in your digital neighborhood while learning about navigation and privacy.

Credit: Mozilla, James Bridle, and Chad Sansing

Activity 4: About Me Remix

In open source, “forking” is the idea of using someone else’s project as the starter point for your own (just like our pizza recipe). I’ve created a simple profile page page using Mozilla Thimble.

  1. Visit my sample profile page (https://d157rqmxrxj6ey.cloudfront.net/adamscott/24988).
  2. Click the “Remix” button at the top of the page.
  3. Though we haven’t yet learned and HTML or CSS, see how much you can customize the page. Make it about yourself, a person you look up to, or your own pet.