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Because we are starting a week late, please read the primer "Layering for learning" before our first class on Sept. 5.
My approach uses a period of time usually early in the class to have students respond to an item that will appear in the course discussion board. You may not see this discussion strand until class time because that is when I will post the question. The question is always based on the assigned reading material. Students unable to attend class should let me know and I will send them the question earlier in the day of a class. This will be our normal routine and hopefully it can be implemented immediately to compensate for the lack of an introductory class period.
The tasks associated with the first week will have to be completed after class rather than before. There are two specific things I want you to do. First, I will start a discussion thread for personal introductions. I want you to provide information about your work and specific interests in the application of technology to education. I find this helpful in understanding your background and to consider any adjustments I might make given the makeup of the entire class. A picture would be helpful, but is not required.
Second, if you do not already have a Google account, I would like you to create one. This account must be a personal account and not part of a "Google for Education" program so that we can share with each other using Google tools. The tools we explore will not be limited to what Google makes available, BUT Google does offer a free tool in several important categories we will consider and it is convenient not to have to register with many different companies. Email me your gmail address once you have created your account. This address will be shared within the class and is necessary for me to do several things (e.g., Insert Learning ).
This unit is intended as an advance organizer for the course. Many of the concepts introduced here will be examined in greater detail throughout the course, but I thought this material would give you model or structure for how many of the issues I want you to explore fit together.
Explore the two videos describing Insert Learning linked from the content I have generated to support the Primer. It is my intention to make some use of Insert Learning later in the course so the videos and the description in the text should help you understand what to expect. If any of the other layering tools were interesting, this page links to videos of the other tools described in the Primer. Note - DocentEdu changed its name and now goes by Insert learning. I understand that I added this expectation at a very late date. If you can't get to it before class on Sept. 5, I will understand. I do want you to take a look at the Insert Learning videos as I will make use of this service in our class. Taking a look at the videos should help you understand what it is like to create layered lessons with this service. I am paying $8 a month to use this service in IDT 540 so the price should be reasonable for K-12 classrooms. Both the capabilities of this service and the online content it can be used with will be part of our discussion.
To participate in an Insert Learning course as a learner, you need to go to InsertLearning, create a student account using the code 9hsgkk for IDT 540, and add the Insert Learning extension to a Chrome browser so you can add your own personal highlights/annotations to primary sources I link. We will check this site in class to make certain you can create an account.