When students are learning HTML and CSS, have them make personal websites featuring their resumés and hobbies or websites about another topic they find meaningful.

  • Student website topics could include an ethical dilemma, their family tree, their future career, or an issue that impacts their community or the whole world.
  • Research shows that connecting the social and cultural worlds of traditionally underrepresented students’ further deepens their engagement with and learning in computer science.
  • Start this activity with showing students an example, preferably a simple page you made for them to emulate.
    • A lot of the time it is hard to figure out what something should look like at the beginning of a project.
    • Having something to work toward when you’re first getting started makes things a lot easier.
    • Remind them you’ve taught them all the skills they need to create their own pages and you are trying to set them up for success.
  • For personal websites, tell students to bring a picture of themselves to create a mix of a FaceBook and LinkedIn profile.
    • Give them some time to brainstorm about what they want to share, possibly it’s personal information or professional information.
    • You’ll be surprised by how many students already have an idea of what they want to put on a website.
    • Check out this tip to make turn the websites into professional digital portfolios.