[Yr11 Information Technology] Do we really need CSS?

[George Ciotti]

My year 10¹s are now using Notepad with a view to hand coding HTML and CSS.
The plan is to learn the essential html tags, start writing inline CSS and
then progress to separate the CSS code into an external link. This provides
them with a foundation which assists them in any progression to DW. They can
then utilise DW in a manner of their choosing, if they choose to do so. Some
use it to write snippets of code they then cut and paste into their own
creations in Notepad (or any text editor) or start using DW with a more
informed point of view.
I also introduced them to iWebKit which took them one step further in the
use of HTML and CSS ­ introducing some of the HTML5 and CSS3 elements.

Regarding the article though, tables, whichever way you look at it are still
essential in learning html. Moreover learning html and css together is
essential. This is because tables are now styled with css. So, whether in a
conventional xhtml site or a CMS site like that of Joomla, tables, when they
are used, are now inextricably linked to CSS. And then of course where they
are replaced by divs, students have a better understanding of why this
occurs.

Taking a fundamentals approach with my year 10¹s has allowed us to
understand the building blocks of websites such that changes, when they
occur due to progressively new code, which is inevitable, are seen within a
broader context. Students are now armed with the necessary knowledge to see
how progress affects older code as well as the efficiencies it brings to the
newer ways of building websites. And this, by and large can in some respects
avoid the pitfalls of hardware and software deficiencies that occur in most
schools in one way or another. Well this is my plan. We¹ll see how these
students utilise this knowledge in Year 11IT.

Cheers
George






On 10/30/10 12:42 PM, "Bill Oldham" <billo at kew.hotkey.net.au> wrote:

> Hi everyone,
>  
> As my classes are finishing using tables for page layout and moving into CSS,
> I came across this one article that made me think about the two ways to layout
> a page in a different light.
>  
> http://1stoptutorials.com/CSS_and_Tables_The_Trends.html
>  
> What do you think? Should we continue to teach both or only use CSS?
>  
> Any comments would be appreciated!
>  
> Regards, Bill Odham
> (Sessional teacher at Vic Uni and RMIT)
>  
> 
> 
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