In many cases, this even be your personal computer but this would add a degree of difficulty to your web project that is not justified for beginners. Some departmental computers are also capable of this task. In the first lecture, tell your students that there will be a website and class material will be posted there that will not be distributed in any other format. Assess students' initial comfort and competance levels with an in-class survey at the first class. Give them an opportunity to say that they are uncomfortable or untried in the computer arts.
Students appreciate being asked and the number of technophobes can be ascertained.
Attempt a calm and reassuring tone, remembering the cumulative stress of the beginning of the semester is working against you. DO tell them that they will learn yet one more skill from the class that will help them in the real world and that you will not let them fail. The ideal scenario would take the entire class to a microcomputer lab and let everyone log on individually at a computer. The use of a computer connected to a desktop projector or a LED panel on an overhead can allow you to show how the browser works, the layout of the site, etc., in the classroom. Either make certain that the web can be accessed from a jack in the classroom or prepare a number of files, either on disk or harddrive, so that the browser will operate off local files instead of server files.