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Useful Tip of the Month
Dr. Sheryl Beller-Kenner © November, 1998

Are your students wandering the Web in class? If so, use bookmarks to get them to their destinations safely and quickly. No fees or HTML required!

What's the problem?

When I first used the Web in class, not everyone in the class was travelling at the same speed as I was. When I wanted them to go to a new destination, I had them start their Web browser and type the address (URL) into the rectangular window, called Location, at the top of the browswer screen (In this case, I was using Netscape Navigator.). I wrote the address on the blackboard so that they could see exactly how to type the address, punctuation and all.
 

Many problems arose, most of which putting the URL onto paper didn't solve either:

 
  • I wrote the wrong address on the board.
  • The students count see the board.
  • They didn't believe that the URL was case-sensitive.
  • They ignored the punctuation marks.
  • They put spaces between words.
  • They didn't know how to type the tilde ( ~ ).
  • They didn't press [return] to enter the URL.
 
I didn't want the students to waste time typing the URL, I wanted them to spend their time exploring the English they found there. As a result, I came up with a few different ways to make traveling from one site to another easy for student and teachers.

What are some solutions?

Type a hot-list of URLs by:

using a word processor OR

using the Bookmarks File of your Web Browser

So, how do I do them?

using a word processor

(Microsoft Word 95 used as an example.)
  1. Open a new WP file.
    1. Under the File menu, choose New.
  2. Save the File.
    1. Under the File menu, choose Save As.
    2. Give it a descriptive name (eg: Activity3Bookmarks. html).
    3. Save file as type html; Make sure to add the .htm or .html suffix if your computer doesn't automatically do so.
    4. Press [the Save button].
  3. Type the activity directions and/or description.
  4. Type the first address (URL).
    1. The word processor recognizes anything that follows http:// to be a part of a URL. So, at the first space, the WP will change the color of the address to blue, and it will underline the address. The address is a "hot" or "active link.
    2. Type the other URLs in the same way.
  5. Save your file again.
    1. Under the File menu, choose Save. (It already hasa name and an html format.)
    2. Press [the Save button].
  6. Use the hot links to have students go directly to the site whose address you've given.
    1. If your WP can access the web directly, students can double-click anywhere on the address, and the WP will open the Web Browser and take your students to the chosen destination.
    2. Alternatively, In your Web browser, under the File menu, choose Open File, and open the file with the bookmarks. Then, have the students double-click on the address, and they will be transported to your destination.

using the Bookmarks File of your Web Browser

(Netscape Navigator used as an example.)
  1. Start up your web browser . Save your current bookmarks.
    1. Under the Window menu, select Bookmarks.
      1. You will open a new window called Bookmarks.
    2. Under the File menu, choose Save As.
    3. Name the file bookmarks1.html and move it to your desktop.
  2. Find sites to bookmark.
    1. Under the File menu, choose New Web Browser.
    2. In the box following Location:, type the site address.
    3. Press [the Return button].
    4. After the site has finished loading, under Bookmarks, select Add Bookmark.
  3. Format your bookmark list.
    1. Under the Window menu, select Bookmarks.
      1. You will open a new window called Bookmarks. It will contain the new bookmarks that you have just saved.
      2. The menu bar will change.
    2. Edit individual bookmarks. (Sometimes the authors don't give their files names, or sometimes the name are too cryptic for your students. In those cases, you will want to give the URL a more appropriate name.
      1. Under the Item menu, choose Edit Bookmark.
      2. Give the bookmark a clear name and description. Teaching Tip from Deborah Healey: Instead of just a description of the site, you can put the tasks you want your students to do there [in the description box].
      3. Press [the Okay button].
      4. Do the same for any other bookmarks that you want to modify.
    3. Organize your list in one of the following ways:.
      • Non-Hierarchical Lists - URLs in one long list.
        1. Single-click and drag items into desired order.
        2. Under the Item menu, choose Insert Separator.
        3. Single-click and drag separators wherever you want them.
      • Hierarchical Lists - URLs within folders, organized by topic.
        1. Under the Item menu, choose Insert Folder.
        2. Give the file a clear name and description.
        3. Press [the Okay button].
        4. Single-click and drag appropriate items into folder.
  4. Save the File.
    1. Under the File menu, choose Save As.
    2. Give it a different name (eg: Activity1Bookmarks. html).
    3. Make sure to add the .htm or .html suffix.
    4. Press [the Save button].
  5. Put Your Bookmarks Back. (Bookmark files can be changed frequently and easily in this manner).
    1. Under the File menu, choose Import Bookmarks.
    2. Select your initial bookmarks file (we called it bookmarks1.html.)
    3. Press [the Okay button].
  6. Make the new file available to your students.
    1. Copy & lock the file:
      • to a file server
      • to the desktop of your machines
      • to a floppy disk
    2. Have the students load the Bookmarks File into the Web Browser.
      1. Start up the web browser .
      2. Under the File menu, choose Import Bookmarks.
      3. Select your new bookmarks file (we called it Activity1Bookmarks. html )
      4. Press [the Okay button].

 

These are just 2 of many ways to direct your students to the sites you intend for them to explore. If you have any other ways that work, without the instructor having to see html cod
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