Technology lessons, guides, rubrics and DVD yearbook how-to’s for grades K-8 by David Hall

How-To Create Webpages with MS Word

To create web pages you will need an HTML editor. If you are inexperienced, I recommend using Microsoft Word as an HTML editor for two simple reasons: you probably already have Word installed on your computer and you probably are already familiar with Word. MS Word is considered to be a terrible HTML editor because its code is extremely bloated. Word webpages work surprisingly well in all major up-to-date browsers, however. Considering that even young children can easily make web pages in Word, I think it is a great choice as a introductory HTML editor.

Key Concepts in Creating Web Pages with Word:

(Most of the points below are general for any version of Word. Specific examples and pictures are from Word 2007)

* Keep the zoom at 100% so that you see things at their actual size.

* Keep all pictures, tables and WordArt elements under 10 inches or 1,000 pixels.

* Leave all pictures “In line with text” . Other layouts will position pictures one way in Word, but they will scatter about in a web browser.

* Do not use text boxes.

* Check your work in your default browser regularly! Simply double-click on the web page file to open it in your browser.

* To edit your web page, right click on the HTML file and choose > Open With > Microsoft Office Word.

* Word stores pictures in a “same-name_files” folder; LEAVE THIS FOLDER ALONE! Never rename or delete this folder. Do not drag your webpage into the _files folder. .

* The icon for the HTML file will be the icon for your default web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc.).

* Never right-click-rename a Word web page; resave the page with the new desired name and then delete the old version.

* Keep it simple! Insert a picture and type a caption underneath if desired. Add a space and repeat. You may continue with dozens of pictures.

* If needed, organize items with tables.

* Center tables by right-clicking on a table and then choose > Table Properties > Choose the “Table” tab. Look for the “Center” button. Leave text wrapping on “None”.

* While saving in Word, look for “Save as Type” under the file name. Choose the drop down and choose: Web Page

* Keep file names short and simple. Only use lower case letter, numbers and underscore _. Watch out for spaces.

* Resize pictures in Word from the corners only. Resizing from the sides or top/bottom will cause distortion.

* Many less common fonts that are available in Word will not be recognized by all web browsers. In this situation a web browser will substitute a default font.

* The screen-shot movies below were created to help students create their personal pages for the yearbook. If you are creating a sport, club or event page you do not need to follow all of the layout conventions indicated below.

	The guides below will play in Windows Media Player or your default media player
	Part 1 (2 minutes – 2.3 MB) Create a folder and use Word to create a webpage file.
	Part 2 (3 minutes – 4.3 MB) Open your webpage with Word for editing. Insert a table, fill the table with a color, and change the line color and page background.
	Part 3 (3.5 minutes – 6.9 MB) Insert WordArt and a picture.
	Part 4 (1 minute – 1.5 MB) Apply picture effects. Advanced – Not essential.
	Part 5 (3.3 minutes – 5.6 MB) Trick Firefox and other browsers into viewing picture and WordArt effects properly. Advanced – Not essential.