This learning resource explores how the IDEA Web Ring serves as both a technical project and educational framework. We blend nostalgic web concepts with modern development practices to create meaningful learning experiences.
It's constructivist learning in action—where students build knowledge by creating real things and connecting with peers.
Discover the teaching philosophy behind my coding curriculum and how I make web development accessible to design students.
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The IDEA Web Ring revives a classic form of online connection — the web ring — as both a design experiment and a pedagogical tool. It invites students to experience how digital communities were once formed: by hand, with intent, and through shared curiosity rather than algorithms.
By recreating this early-internet tradition, students gain insight into the social history of the web while learning modern front-end development practices. This blend of old and new creates a space for exploration, reflection, and technical growth.
This course embraces a "teaching as code" approach—where lessons evolve in real-time based on class discussions, questions, and collective progress.
📖 Deep dive: Read Teaching as Code: Building a Living Curriculum for the full philosophy behind this approach.
💡 Why this matters: Just as the web itself adapts to user needs, our course content adapts to your learning journey.
This approach has evolved through 30 years of teaching web development—from chalkboards to overhead projectors to Dropbox—and represents the most effective way I've found to balance structure with flexibility.
✨ You focus on learning to code while I handle the infrastructure pain points that often derail beginners.
The web ring project is rooted in constructivist learning — students build knowledge by creating real things and connecting with peers. Rather than following abstract tutorials, every student’s site becomes a living example of experimentation, iteration, and visual storytelling.
💡 The goal isn’t just to make a website — it’s to understand how the web itself works, from HTML structure to hosting, linking, and version control.
This mirrors professional workflows, where design and development intersect. Students learn to work within a shared repository, make commits, and see how individual creative voices contribute to a collective online presence.
In IXD 108 – Coding for Designers, students explore the fundamentals of web structure and layout using HTML, CSS, and GitHub. The web ring integrates seamlessly into the course by giving these lessons a tangible, collaborative outcome.
Each student’s participation follows a simple but creative progression — from setup to reflection. It’s designed to build confidence in the core languages of the web before moving into complex tools and interactivity.
💡 This introductory course focuses on the fundamentals of structure, style, hierarchy, and responsive design using basic HTML & CSS. Advanced interactive components — like tabs, accordions, toggles, forms, or JavaScript features — are not recommended for beginners.
Understanding these fundamentals allows designers to make informed, intentional decisions — and to collaborate more effectively in future courses or projects.
The process builds both technical literacy and design sensitivity — skills essential to interaction design in the 21st century.
This initiative reflects the values of the Indie Web: creativity, autonomy, and connection. In an era of closed platforms and automated feeds, the IDEA Web Ring celebrates the slow, intentional web — one where designers shape their digital identities with purpose.
By participating, students don’t just learn web design; they contribute to a living archive of student creativity and community.