INST0800

Syllabus
Course Description	Goals	Mode of Instruction
Credit	Assignments	Bibliography
Prerequisites	Attendance	Standards
Instructors	Assessment and Support
Materials and Online location	Major Topics
Course Description
In this course, participants will gain hands-on experience using Web-based tools to develop collaborative, inquiry-based curricula. Participants will take an in-depth look at four Web-based curriculum formats including Hotlists, Treasure Hunts, Multimedia Scrapbooks, and WebQuests. Exemplary curricula in each format will be analyzed, critiqued and evaluated for applicability to participants' own classroom needs. Participants will leave the course with detailed plans for developing Web-enhanced lessons for their own curricula.
Credit
Upon completion of all course requirements, South Carolina educators applying for certificate renewal under Options 1 & 2 of the Credit Renewal Matrix will receive 40 renewal credits. The credit renewal matrix can be viewed at http://www.scteachers.org/cert/recert/pdf/matrix_dist_ent.pdf .
Prerequisites
Participants are expected to have regular access to Internet connected computers. In addition, participants should be proficient with using email, browsing the Internet, and navigating to computer files.
Instructors
Regional Technology Specialists http://ed.sc.gov/agency/offices/tech/rtc/techSpecialists.html South Carolina Department of Education Office of Technology
Materials and Online location
Computers with MS Word and a browser and Internet access. Adobe Acrobat Reader is optional but helpful to have. PDF (which stands for "Portable Document Format") is a popular format for distributing documents on the Internet. Several readings in this course are posted in PDF format. To view and print PDF documents, you need Acrobat Reader software, available free from Adobe's web site. If you do not yet have Acrobat Reader installed, go to the Adobe site at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html and follow the directions to download and install the software. The course is hosted online by eLearning South Carolina's e-classroom, https://elearning.ed.sc.gov. Login and password are required to access the course. The online materials are from EdTech Leaders Online and Education Development Center Since the inception of EdTech Leaders Online (ETLO) in the fall of 2000, educational organizations from across the country have become a part of a national learning community. ETLO has enabled them to add standards-based online courses to professional development programs, to prepare teachers to effectively integrate technology into their curricula, and to develop successful online courses for teachers and students. ETLO's programs offer high-quality content delivered by an expert staff, along with ongoing, individualized support. With over 350 projects around the globe, Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) is one of the world's leading nonprofit educational research institutions. Founded in 1958, EDC has long been a leader in curriculum development, professional development, educational research, and innovative uses of technology in education. EDC conducts research and develops programs in such areas as early childhood development, K-12 education, workforce preparation, learning technologies, and institutional reform.
Goals
This course will enable participants to: Learn about simple but powerful Web-based tools to help enhance curriculum activities Develop a personal collection of Web-based resources for curricular use Learn about Web-based activity formats that match curricular goals Plan a standards-based Web-enhanced lesson for classroom use
Assignments
This course is divided into six one-week sessions which each include readings, an activity, and an online discussion among course participants. The time for completing each session is estimated to be two to four hours. The outline for the course is as follows: Session One: Introduction - The Value of the Web Session Two: Formats for Web-Enhanced Lessons – Hotlists and Multimedia Scrapbooks Session Three: Formats for Web-Enhanced Lessons – Treasure Hunts and WebQuests Session Four: A Deeper Look at WebQuests Session Five: Planning and Evaluation of Web-Enhanced Lessons Session Six: Creating a Web-Enhanced Lesson In the first session, participants will explore some of the ways the Web can be used to enhance teaching and learning. In sessions two through four, participants will become familiar with different examples of web-enhanced lessons. In the fifth session, participants will spend time locating and evaluating online resources to include in a web-enhanced lesson. In the final session, participants will create a web-enhanced lesson using either a pre-designed template and/or the web-based activity tool, Filamentality. Final Product Template: As a final product, students will create a web-enhanced lesson using either a pre-designed template and/or the web-based activity tool, Filamentality. Course participants are expected to complete weekly assignments, including active participation in the online discussion board. In addition, participants will develop and share their ideas to incorporate tools and strategies presented in the course into their own curricula.
Attendance and Late Assignments Policy
• Attendance will be determined by completion of weekly online assignments. Assignment due dates are midnight of the last date of each session. • BlackBoard’s time stamp given within the DigitalDrop Box and the Discussion Board will determine if the assignments were completed on time. • Late assignments will not be accepted without prior arrangement with instructor. • An assignment Calendar and rubric for participant use can be viewed or downloaded online via the eLearning South Carolina course navigation button, after registered participants have entered the course.
Assessment and Support
The Digital DropBox and the GradeBook feature accessed by the User Tools Button on the course homepage within eLearning South Carolina's e-classroom, https://elearning.ed.sc.gov will serve as the participant’s portfolio and provide assessment feedback. Course participants will be assessed throughout this course by the assignments they complete and return to the facilitator via the Digital DropBox. The GradeBook will be used to provide participants with weekly assessment of assigned exercises, original applications and readings and discussion. 80% of the possible grade for each session must be achieved in order to pass the course. These are the criteria to be used for evaluating successful participation in and completion of this course for 2 hours/40 renewal credits. Each session includes readings, an activity, and a discussion assignment, which participants are required to complete. Course Products As a final product, students will create a web-enhanced lesson using either a pre-designed template and/or the web-based activity tool, Filamentality. Discussion Participation Participants will be evaluated on the frequency and quality of their discussion board participation. Participants are required to post a minimum of two substantial postings each session, including one that begins a new thread and one that responds to an existing thread. Postings that begin new threads will be reviewed based on their relevance, demonstrated understanding of course concepts, examples cited, and overall quality. Postings that respond to other participants will be evaluated on relevance, degree to which they extend the discussion, and tone. Ongoing Support is provided within eLearning South Carolina's e-classroom, https://elearning.ed.sc.gov./by a guided discussion forum used to discuss and share strategies, challenges, and resources.
Major Topics
Session One: Introduction - The Value of the Web Participants will read Working the Web for Education by Tom March, which provides an overview of using online activities in education. As an activity for this session, participants will explore and familiarize themselves with the Web by utilizing several search engines geared towards educators to gather web-based resources centered on a topic of their choice. Students will keep a record of the valuable resources they find. Session Two: Formats for Web-Enhanced Lessons – Hotlists and Multimedia Scrapbooks Participants will preview several pre-selected examples of both Hotlists and Multimedia Scrapbooks. http://www.edtechleaders.org/documents/wel/hotlistsandscrapbooks.doc http://www.edtechleaders.org/documents/wel/hotlistsandscrapbooks.pdf As an activity for this session, participants will review and evaluate the examples listed for both the Hotlists and Multimedia Scrapbooks, pick one of the examples from each category and consider how a teacher using each activity might answer the following questions: · What is the particular topic/lesson the teacher is teaching? · What will students learn from this activity? · How do these formats limit what students learn about the topic? Participants will also make a Hotlist relevant to one of the topics they teach using the Eduhound Hotlist builder. Session Three: Formats for Web-Enhanced Lessons – Treasure Hunts and WebQuests Participants will explore several examples of both Treasure Hunts and WebQuests. As an activity for this session, participants will compare the four formats: Hotlists, Treasure Hunts, Multimedia Scrapbooks, and WebQuests. They will consider the different reasons they would use each as a classroom activity to help students learn about the subject matter and they will begin thinking about topics that could be enhanced by these web-based activities. Session Four: A Deeper Look at WebQuests Participants will learn more about the design of WebQuests by examining several WebQuest Design Patterns on the Bernie Dodge website. They will view several examples and templates for WebQuests that can be modified to fit specific learning goals. As an activity, participants will begin to think about how they might organize students and include WebQuests into the curriculum. Session Five: Planning and Evaluation of Web-Enhanced Lessons In this session, participants will learn how to plan and evaluate an effective web-enhanced lesson. They will learn what to look for in selecting web-based resources and participants will view rubrics that will help them to evaluate a WebQuest before using it in class. As an activity, participants will begin planning their own lessons using a template provided within the course. Session Six: Creating a Web-Enhanced Lesson Participants will read the following which will introduce them to an online tool that will help them create a web-enhanced lesson. · Guide to the different Filamentality activity formats http://www.edtechleaders.org/documents/Core/wel_filamentality.pdf · Filamentality Instructions Sheet http://www.edtechleaders.org/documents/Core/wel_filamentality_instrux.pdf As an activity for this session, participants will use the templates to finalize their lesson, and then make it accessible on the Web.
Mode of Instruction
Theory Hands-On Practice Peer Review and Collaboration Independent Research and Project work Feedback and Coaching The entire course will be delivered online via eLearning South Carolina's e-classroom, https://elearning.ed.sc.gov.
Bibliography
A Resources button on the course homepage within eLearning South Carolina's e-classroom, https://elearning.ed.sc.gov, contains the bibliography for this course. A limited bibliography is included in the major topics section above.
Standards
ISTE Technology Standards This course will help participants meet the following ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) for Teachers: • II. PLANNING AND DESIGNING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS AND EXPERIENCES. Teachers plan and design effective learning environments and experiences supported by technology. Teachers: o A. design developmentally appropriate learning opportunities that apply technology-enhanced instructional strategies to support the diverse needs of learners. o C. identify and locate technology resources and evaluate them for accuracy and suitability. o D. plan for the management of technology resources within the context of learning activities. o E. plan strategies to manage student learning in a technology-enhanced environment. • III. TEACHING, LEARNING, AND THE CURRICULUM. Teachers implement curriculum plans, that include methods and strategies for applying technology to maximize student learning. Teachers: o A. facilitate technology-enhanced experiences that address content standards and student technology standards. o B. use technology to support learner-centered strategies that address the diverse needs of students. o C. apply technology to develop students' higher order skills and creativity. o D. manage student learning activities in a technology-enhanced environment. • V. PRODUCTIVITY AND PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE Teachers use technology to enhance their productivity and professional practice. Teachers: o A. use technology resources to engage in ongoing professional development and lifelong learning. • VI. SOCIAL, ETHICAL, LEGAL, AND HUMAN ISSUES. Teachers understand the social, ethical, legal, and human issues surrounding the use of technology in PK-12 schools and apply those principles in practice. Teachers: o B. apply technology resources to enable and empower learners with diverse backgrounds, characteristics, and abilities. o D. promote safe and healthy use of technology resources. (See: http://cnets.iste.org/ for details on ISTE NETS Standards. Standards listed here are taken from http://cnets.iste.org/teachers/t_stands.html and have been developed by the International Society for Technology in Education, http://www.iste.org/) 6. Effective professional development is based on knowledge about adult learning and models this understanding in all activities. a. The learning climate is collaborative, informal, and respectful. The providers of all professional development are credible. b. Professional development emphasizes how the learning can be used/applied. c. Professional development relates the learning to the learners’ goals and allows the learners to make choices linking their individual growth plans with school goals. NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS View all National Professional Development standards: http://www.nsdc.org/standards/index.cfm Staff development that improves the learning of all students: Organizes adults into learning communities whose goals are aligned with those of the school and district. Requires resources to support adult learning and collaboration. Provides educators with the knowledge and skills to collaborate. Prepares educators to understand and appreciate all students, create safe, orderly and supportive learning environments, and hold high expectations for their academic achievement. Deepens educators' content knowledge, provides them with research-based instructional strategies to assist students in meeting rigorous academic standards, and prepares them to use various types of classroom assessments appropriately.