Friday, March 27, 2009

WCAG 2.0 Resources

Check out Patrick Lauke's presentation, "What you need to know about WCAG 2.0" for an overview of how WCAG 2.0 differs from WCAG 1.0 and, well, what you need to know about WCAG 2.0. :) The ATRC Web Accessibility Checker is now available — it's an online testing tool that checks for WCAG 2.0 compliance. The tool conducts a number of automated tests and also notes areas that must be checked manually.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Microsoft Expression SuperPreview

Wouldn't you like a convenient way to test your web pages in multiple versions of Internet Explorer on the same machine?  Try Microsoft Expression Web SuperPreview  — beta version available for free download. This stand-alone application provides a way for you to test your pages and easily compare the rendering of the various flavors of IE — a productivity boon for web developers everywhere. Of course, we wouldn't need this tool if Microsoft could have just followed web standards to begin with!  

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Web Standards Project InterAct Curriculum Framework

WaSP Interact
The Web Standards Project (WaSP) recently announced a new web design curriculum framework, InterAct, intended to be a living curriculum to help schools, colleges and universities bridge the gap between educators and industry best practices. There is a wealth of course materials that educators can adapt or adopt as best meets their needs — including assignments, projects, exam questions, resource links, and even learning modules.

It was a great experience to work with my fellow WaSP Education Task Force members during 2008 and 2009 as the curriculum framework took shape. Web Development & Design Foundations is one of the recommended reference books for the Web Design 1 course. Also check out the Accessibility course — I spent many hours developing this course and organizing materials for it. A shout-out of thanks goes to course reviewers Glenda Sims, John F. Croston III, Virgina DeBolt, Mark DuBois, and Jon Gunderson.