The Basics of Web Development

I believe all students should learn the fundamentals of web development and have a basic understanding of how the internet works. I do not think everyone needs to become an expert programmer, but knowing how websites are created gives people more control over the content they create and consume online.

For this assignment, I completed the HTML and CSS beginner tutorials on HTML Dog. The HTML tutorial introduced the basic structure of a webpage, including headings, paragraphs, links, and images. The CSS tutorial showed how to change the appearance of those HTML elements. I was surprised how a few simple lines of code can completely change the way a webpage looks.

I am currently in intro CS and have been working with Python. I have only used it for class assignments where I had to write very basic programs. HTML and CSS were different because I could immediately see the effect that changing the code had on a webpage. For example, a simple CSS rule can change the appearance of text:

body {
    font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;
    font-size: 14px;
}

h1 {
    font-size: 2em;
}

h2 {
    font-size: 1.5em;
}

a {
    text-decoration: none;
}

strong {
    font-style: italic;
    text-transform: uppercase;
}

Cory Doctorow’s “Social Quitting” also made me think about why understanding the web is important. He writes, “For social media, the biggest switching cost isn’t learning the ins and outs of a new app or generating a new password: it’s the communities, family members, friends, and customers you lose when you switch away.” This shows how much control large platforms can have over users because people become dependent on the communities they have built there. Even if you are not capable of creating your own social media platform, knowing how something like the appearance of text is changed can create awareness and help internet users know a little more about what exactly they are using.

Learning HTML and CSS does not mean everyone needs to become a professional web developer. However, I think it gives students a better understanding of how the internet works and provides another way to create and share content outside of corporate-controlled platforms. Even a basic knowledge of web development can make someone a more informed and capable internet user.