Despite the fluidity of most websites, it is still important to understand what goes into the fundamentals of web languages and web design. Learning the HTML and CS languages can provide students with an understanding of the web as an open system process instead of the finished product that hides the complexities behind the code.
Watching and completing the HTML tutorials helped me understand how simple web pages are designed. HTML defines the different parts of a web page, such as the headings, paragraphs, lists, and sections. This provides a ‘hierarchy’ to your content. CSS controls the presentation of the web page, separating it from the actual content being transmitted. CSS defines things like colors, fonts, text size, and other decorative aspects of the already applied HTML elements.
Because most web users aren’t aware of the behind-the-scenes effort that goes into making the web page that appears on screen, they lose that sense of urgency and appreciation for this side of content creation. This correlates with Tim Berners-Lee’s critique of today’s web environment. In “Tim Berners-Lee Invented the World Wide Web. Now He Wants to Save It.” Berner warns that “platforms had lulled users into complacent dependency, revealing themselves as extractive monopolies…” This argument highlights how users are now encouraged to consume and create content without understanding the systems that go into the presentation and data use. Learning the specifics behind the finished and accessible web page avoids the dependency and privilege by giving users partial control over how data is structured and presented.
Before this lab I had no coding experience. I had obviously seen web designs before and some other people working on JavaScript but never had the chance to play with web design. Working with HTML and CSS made me realize how much goes into website builders. Here is a simple example of the HTML and CSS code that helped me create a structure for a heading and the beginning of a paragraph: https://jsbin.com/caqaqojone/edit?html,output
-Daniel Lugo
I agree with your thought. Most users tend to consume the outputs of digital tools without understanding the system. If users learn the web and realize what is actually built behind the code, I believe the web can be a better place for everyone. Working on code was definitely harder than I expected. It also made me realize there should be more recognition and appreciation for the content-creating side! Nice work on your code.