English Language Arts Online Course Syllabus – Fall 2013

Santa Cruz County Office of Education, Alternative Education

Instructor: Elizabeth Shaw

Office Hours: M – F 2:00 – 3:00; Evenings and/or weekends by appointment

Course Objective:

In this literature intensive course, students will read, interpret, and discuss classical and contemporary literary selections to support development of the following skills: grammar, writing, oration, reading fluency and comprehension, technological literacy, personal and social integrity, metacognitive reflection and community development.

Most of the instruction, assessment, and communication in this course is delivered in an on-line learning environment utilizing internet-based tools multi-media applications. One in-person orientation session will be held at the County Office of Education at the start of the course, and the remainder of the course will be internet-based. Textbook and reference materials can be accessed via the Internet and the Haiku Learning Management System: haikulearning.com. Each student will be issued a username and password within the first week of the course.

Student Learning Objectives:

Through this course, students will:

• Improve their overall reading proficiency, with an emphasis on classic and contemporary literature

• Compare and contrast literature from various genres, time periods, and cultures

• Use literature to address thematic questions about human conflict, social justice, and individual empowerment

• Demonstrate competency in skills of inference, analysis and evaluation

• Engage independently in the highest levels of critical thinking

• Demonstrate the habits of a self-directed learner

• Participate effectively in large and small group discussions and other collaborative projects

Course Expectations:

Throughout this course, students are expected to:

• Read all assigned texts and view assigned media and resources

• Complete all assignments and activities on time

• Participate in weekly online discussions

• Work collaboratively and cooperatively with instructor and classmates

• Communicate with your instructor if you have questions, concerns, need additional instruction or assistance

Technical Requirements:

• Headset and microphone for discussion boards and some audio/visual activities

• Reliable Internet connectivity (Broadband, Cable or Dsl preferred)

• Current Internet browser

  • Chrome: https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/browser/

  • Firefox: http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

  • Safari: http://www.apple.com/safari/download/

  • Internet Explorer: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/internet-ex0plorer/downloads/ie

• Commonly used plug-ins for browsers:

  • Quicktime: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/

  • Windows Media Player: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/downloads/windows-media-player

  • Adobe Flash:

  • http://www.adobe.com/support/flashplayer/downloads.html

  • Adobe .pdf Reader: http://get.adobe.com/reader/otherversions/

• Acceptable File formats

  • doc or docx

  • pdf

  • Google docs

• Free online accounts for various Web 2.0 tools

  • Google docs: accounts.google.com

  • VoiceThread (user access will be provided first week of school)

  • Blogspot.com

Communication:

As this is primarily an online course, you will be connecting with me and your classmates in a virtual setting through various methods such as email, online discussion boards, VoiceThread discussions, Skype and telephone. My preferred method is email communication, or Skype during my online office hours. I will respond to your email within 24 hours.

Should you need technical support using the LMS, please visit the Haiku support site. Also, feel free to use the Water Cooler discussion forum in our class discussion section. If you have a question, chances are someone else in the class has, had or will have the same question! If you are unable to resolve your issue or need further support, send me an email or contact me during my office hours.

Course Policies

Assignments:

All assignments for this course will be submitted electronically through the Haiku LMS drop-box and WikiProjects. This class will have three components assigned each week, including a Reading Response journal and/or activity, discussion board and reflective essay.

• Reading Response Journal

You will be expected to post weekly blog entries responding to the week’s reading. The blog entries are due by Sunday at midnight. You will utilize blogspot.com to create and post your blogs. The blog entries must be 300 – 500 words and include a summary of the reading, as well as your response to it by answering two or more of the following questions:

- What is the most interesting thing you learned about the main character, and why does it interest you?

- If you could give advice to the main character, what would you tell him or her?

- What is the main conflict the main character must face?

- What are some of the main relationships in the selection? How and why are they important?

- If you were in the selection, what would your relationship be to the main character?

• Discussion Boards

Each week, you will participate in a collaborative online discussion with your classmates. The discussion boards are located in the Haiku LMS under the Connect tab. There will also be a link in the current week's assignment. You are expected to respond to the discussion prompt with your original posting by Wednesday at midnight. You are then expected to respond to a minimum of two classmates by Sunday at midnight. The idea with this discussion is to respond early and often in order to create a lively and interesting group dynamic. Be thoughtful and respectful in your replies, using consideration and courtesy to back up your thoughts and opinions.

Discussion Board Rubric:

• Reflective Essay

Reflective essays are due each week on Sunday by midnight. They will be submitted via the Haiku dropbox under the Connect tab. Each reflection assignment will be posted with the weekly assignments. Essays must be 750 – 1000 words, well-constructed, free of grammatical and spelling errors, and fully addressing the topic at hand.

Academic Integrity:

All submitted work must be your original work. Any work obtained from another source must be properly cited, as well as any media obtained or utilized in your work product.

Late Work Policy:

Assignments must be submitted by the given deadline or special permission must be requested from instructor before the due date. Late assignments will result in loss of points. Discussions will close at midnight on Sunday and late discussion posts will not be accepted.

Attendance:

As this is an online course, attendance will be tracked using a combination of student participation in weekly discussions and submitting assignments on time. Late discussion posts will not be accepted. Don't fall behind on work! If you are running into an urgent situation and need additional time, contact me prior to the assignment due date.

Grading:

The following letter grades will be given to each assignment and an overall grade for the semester:

And last but not least …

Remember, this course will be challenging in many ways. The literature content, critical analysis and comprehension as well as the online format can seem overwhelming at first. Don’t let yourself fall behind or get lost! Ask for help when you need it, and never feel your questions are insignificant. Communicate with me and your fellow classmates and support each other. If you don’t feel confident with the Haiku LMS, discussion boards, blogging or VoiceThread, don’t worry! Just try it out and you will find it isn’t that different from other types of communication methods you currently use. We are all in the same boat together, learning and growing as we go. This will be a fun, interesting and intense semester course; keep motivated and actively involved and you will make it through!

Personal Reflection

Creating an online syllabus was a task that required careful thought and planning, as well as a basic understanding of overall objectives and assessment strategies in an online environment. It was fitting that this was the last module in the LEC course, as it encompassed portions of the learning from each of the prior modules, and required a certain level of familiarity with the entire concept of blended online teaching. The module focused on the various roles of an online teacher, from instructor, social director, program manager to technical assistant, and provided practical self-assessment questions geared to identify strengths, weaknesses and areas of improvement for each level. The syllabus seemed to synthesize all roles together, requiring understanding of content, methods of communication, policies and procedures and finally the technical requirements needed to access and succeed in the course. As an artifact demonstrating mastery and readiness for online teaching, the course syllabus is an excellent measure of a teacher's ability to meet the challenges of blended online instruction.