The schedule below is being revised continually. The most recent version can be found at www.nvcc.edu/home/wpegram. Material listed under "other resources" is material on the topic not covered in class and the student is not responsible for this material. Material will be moved into and out of this category as the course progresses.

CTCH 603 - Schedule

SESSION 1: September 10, 2004 - Course Overview, Townhall Conferencing software, Classroom management software (SynchronEyes)
SESSION 2: September 11, 2004 - Course Management Systems - webCT
SESSION 3: September 11, 2004 - Office Software - Word Processors, Spreadsheets, Databases, Presentation Software
SESSION 4: October 1, 2004 - Instructional Software and Multimedia
SESSION 5: October 2, 2004 - Finding Material on the World Wide Web, Responsible Use of Technology
SESSION 6: October 2, 2004 - Creation of Material for the World Wide Web (Text Formatting, Links, File Transfer)
SESSION 7: Conducted online as distance education class at a TBD time - synchronous discussion in webCT, use of conferencing software such as Windows NetMeeting and Centra
SESSION 8: October 22, 2004 - Discussion of distance education session, inclass use of conferencing software
SESSION 9: October 23, 2004 - Creation of Material for the World Wide Web - Blogging, RSS Feeds
SESSION 10: October 23, 2004 - Images and Graphics Software
SESSION 11: November 12, 2004 - Use of HTML Editors to Create an Online Portfolio, Knowledge and Design Issues
SESSION 12: November 13, 2004 - Use of Technology in Assessment
SESSION 13: November 13, 2004 - Wrapup, Course Evaluation

SESSION 1: September 10, 2004 - Course Overview, Townhall Conferencing Software, Classroom management software (SynchronEyes)

Readings: Why Use Technology?

  1. Grabe & Grabe, Chapter 1-2
  2. Shirley Veenema and Howard Gardner "Multimedia and Multiple Intelligences", The American Prospect, Vol. 7, No. 29, November 1, 1996-December 1, 1996, available at www.prospect.org/print/V7/29/veenema-s.html
  3. "The Wizards behind the Screens: What are Online Teaching and Digital Degrees Telling Us about Learning" at www.gse.harvard.edu/news/features/wizards01012003.html
  4. Karlyn Morissette "Exploring New Learning Technologies: An Interview with Wirth Professor Chris Dede", March 1, 2003 at www.gse.harvard.edu/news/features/dede03012003.html

Assignments:

  1. View SynchronEyes demo at http://www2.smarttech.com/st/en-US/Products/SynchronEyes%2BComputer-Lab%2BInstruction%2BSoftware/

Other resources:

SESSION 2: September 11, 2004 - Course Management Systems

Today we will focus on learning webCT from the point of an instructor (designer) - webCT course site (http://webct38.gmu.edu, go to course CTCH603). Topics covered in class: - adding designers or students; adding pages, URL, and organizer folders to course; modifying an existing page; selective release of material, managing files, adding content modules, e-packs as content, page and student tracking

Readings:

  1. Widmayer, Sharon "The Convergence of Teaching and Design in WebCT", Inventio, Fall 2000, Issue No. 2, Vol. 2, available at www.doit.gmu.edu/Archives/fall00/swidmayer.htm

Assignments:

  1. You will need some place to post your online portfolio you construct this semester. The easiest way to do this is to activate your Mason cluster account at http://mason.gmu.edu by clicking on the link "Obtaining Your Mason Account". On October 2, you will learn how to transfer material to this web space.
  2. Write a 1-2 page paper on the ways you might and might not use a course management system in a traditional, face-to-face class. Due Sept 29

Other resources:

SESSION 3: September 11, 2004 - Office Software - Word Processors, Spreadsheets, Databases, Presentation Software

GMU students can get Microsoft Office Professional for $99 and Windows XP Professional (upg/new edition) for $89 through a special licensing arrangement with Microsoft called MS Student Select. Go to Patriot Computers in Johnson Center. By contrast, the boxed academic version of Office Professional is about $170. GMU faculty and staff can get Office Professional for about $30.

Student Presentations:

  1. Excel Formulas - Tom Hanlon
  2. Tips for PowerPoint Use - Linda Gill

Readings:

  1. Grabe & Grabe, Chapter 3

Other resources:

SESSION 4: October 1, 2004 - Instructional Software and Multimedia

Tutorials, simulations, drill & practice, games, exploratory environments, multimedia

Reading:

  1. Grabe & Grabe, Chapter 4

Assignments:

  1. Write a review of some discipline-specific software or create a webCT/Blackboard course. See my Guidance on Software Review. If a webCT/Blackboard course, the course should be utilize a number of features of the course management system -- it is not something you can just create in an hour or two. Due December 12.

Some examples of discipline-specific software are shown below.

Geometer's Sketchpad (dynamic visualization software)

(many of the links for Sketchpad are taken from Stanford University Professor Roy Pea's syllabus for Visualizations in Learning)

Other Math software

Astronomy software

Statistical software

Visualization Software

Language Software

Exploratory Environments

Multi-User Virtual Environment Experiential Simulators (MUVEES) - www.gse.harvard.edu/~dedech/muvees/documents/AELppr.pdf www.gse.harvard.edu/~dedech/muvees/animations.htm

Session 5: October 2, 2004 - Internet as a Tool for Communication and Inquiry, Responsible Use of Technology

Student Presentations:

  1. Instant messaging - Laura Ellsworth
  2. Plagiarism-detection tools - www.turnitin.com - Frost McLaughlin

Reading:

  1. Grabe & Grabe, Chapter 5-6, 10

Other resources:

Session 6: October 2, 2004 - Creation of Material for the World Wide Web (Text Formatting, Links, File Transfer)

HTML Skills - Creating and revising a web page, text formatting, creation of links
Software Skills - downloading and installing software, using FTP Program

Reading:

  1. Web Page Design Introduction
  2. FTP Instructions
  3. Default Documents and Directory Browsing

Assignment:

  1. MERLOT (www.merlot.org) is a free resource designed primarily for faculty and students in higher education. It provides links to online learning materials and peer reviews of that material. Register for MERLOT and write a 2-4 paragraph review one of their materials. You can choose from any area you like. Your review can be saved as a Word document or you can create it in Notepad as a web page. You are required to post the review on your web site (see below); doing so on Merlot is optional.
  2. Create a homepage in Notepad. Create a relative link from your home page to your review. Make sure your review includes a link to the website you reviewed.
  3. Download an FTP client program, install it, and configure it at home or elsewhere for your Mason or other account. FTP the document containing the review and your home page to your website. If you are hosting somewhere other than at Mason, email the URL to the instructor. Due October 16.

Other resources:

Web sites for learning HTML and related technologies:

SESSION 7: Conducted online as distance education class (Oct. 10)

Other resources:

SESSION 8: October 22, 2004 - Conferencing Software, Distance Education, and Hybrid Courses

Reading:

  1. Lever-Duffy, Judy "The Evolution of Distance Education", Chapter 8 in Milliron & Miles

Student Presentations:

  1. Learning Styles - Abby Hassler
  2. Blackboard - Donna Gaughan
  3. Science Tutorials in Online and F2F Education - Kathryn Brilakis
  4. Interactive TV Distance Learning - Linda Gill
  5. Quia (Quintessential Instructional Archive) - Michael Oblinger

Distance Education

Hybrid courses:

SESSION 9: October 23, 2004 - Creation of Material for the World Wide Web

SESSION 10: October 23, 2004 - Images and Graphics Software

HTML Skills - Using images in web pages. Alignment of Text and Images
Software Skills - Using a graphics program to resize and crop images, exporting to web (setting quality or number of colors) - Paint (comes with Windows), Irfanview (free)
Technology Skills - Use of digital camera and scanner

Reading:

  1. Grabe & Grabe, Chapter 7-8

Student Presentations:

  1. Digital cameras - Laura Ellworth
  2. Publisher - Carolyn Jordon

Assignment:

  1. a) Using a picture that has been taken with a digital camera, transfer the file to your computer, resize it with a graphics program so that it is an appropriate physical and file size for a web page, insert the file into a web page, and FTP the web page and image files to your website.  If you do not use a digital camera photo, you can use another image in which case you should provide a link to the image before it was resized.  You can do this as a thumbnail (the smaller image serves as a link to the larger image) or in another way.
  2. Write a short (1-2 page) paper that examines whether there is a connection between a) learning styles and teaching with technology, and b) learning styles and distance education.  Email me the paper as an attachment.

Other resources:

Video Technology

SESSION 11: Using HTML Editors to Create an Online Portfolio, Using Other Tools to Create Web Page - November 12, 2004

Using an HTML editor (Netscape Composer, Dreamweaver, FrontPage, etc.) simplifies the construction of web sites. This will simplify the creation of the online portfolio of all your work in the class.

Softchalk Lesson Builder also allows construction of web pages without knowing HTML. VCCS has a system license, so VCCS faculty can download a copy as follows: go to your Blackboard site, log on, and see the box on the right marked, My Organizations, Organizations of which you are a member, VCCS Faculty Help Site, and Click on the VCCS Faculty Help Site where you can find directions for downloading and for using Lesson Builder.

Reading:

  1. Grabe & Grabe, Chapter 9

Student Presentations:

  1. Video cameras - Tom Hanlon
  2. Videoconferencing tape - Linda Gill
  3. Reference Point Software APA Style Template - Michael Oblinger
  4. Encouraging Student/Technology Interaction - Kate Brilakis

Presentations:

  1. Centra Virtual Classes
  2. SoftChalk Lesson Builder

Other resources:

SESSION 12: November 13, 2004 - Use of Technology in Assessment (omitted due to lack of time)

Reading:

SESSION 13: November 13, 2004 - Wrapup, Course Evaluation -

Student Presentations:

  1. Tables in web pages - Stephanie Vaughan
  2. Frames in web pages - Stephanie Vaughan
  3. Sitemaps in web pages - Stephanie Vaughan
  4. MyPsychLab.com - Cherr Hester

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Material not covered in course:

Assignment (Never assigned):

Use an online learning resource to learn a technology skill and critically assess the online learning resource and suggest specific improvements. This assignments has four goals:

Create a home page for yourself in webCT with a photo of yourself (if convenient), your email address and 2-3 paragaphs of information about you (what areas you include are up to you). This assignment has two goals: (a) Give you some experience with webCT, and (b) Provide some information to your classmates to help build community in the class.

Revised: November 12, 2004. Comments to William Pegram, wpegram@gmu.edu