Whether this is your first, fifth, or last online undergraduate course, I hope it will be enjoyable for you - and a little different from other classes you've taken. Educational technology can be a challenging topic to teach online - but I'm looking forward to the opportunity to learn with you.
Our semester is divided into 5 sections. Each section will take between two and three weeks to complete (see schedule below). You will be expected to complete all tasks for a section before the next section is assigned. This format helps to keep you on track but leaves our course flexible enough so that you can work around other courses, jobs, families, internships, and other obligations. Please keep in mind that this is a self-directed online course so it is easy to put things off and get way behind. This is not the time to procrastinate! If we were meeting face-to-face, we would meet twice a week for at least 2 1/2 hours and then you'd have several hours of work outside of class to complete each week. While we can certainly be more efficient in an online course, you will have to set aside several hours EACH WEEK, in order to keep up with this course. You will be overwhelmed quickly if you procrastinate. If you are not prepared to spend that amount of time, or if you were anticipating that an online course would involve less work than a face-to-face course, you may want to reevaluate your course plans. You will NOT be able to complete all of the tasks in a unit on the day before they are due.
A new set of tasks will be posted Mondays by noon when a new unit begins
Tasks are due at the end of the day Monday at the end of the unit (see schedule below)
Graded tasks are usually returned about a week after a unit's due date, grades available in eLC
Course updates, etc. sent via email eLC announcements
Individual messages about grades, etc. sent via UGA email to the instructor: gbthomas@uga.edu
08/18 - 09/01 Unit 1: Educational Technology Foundations (2 weeks - but you can turn it in on 09/02)
09/01 - 09/22 Unit 2: Technology to Facilitate Classroom Learning (3 weeks)
09/22 - 10/13 Unit 3: Technology to Support Student Collaboration (3 weeks)
10/13 - 11/03 Unit 4: Technology to Support Student Creativity (3 weeks)
11/03 - 11/24 Unit 5: Design Project (3 weeks)
*No Final Exam*
Gretchen Thomas
email: gbthomas@uga.edu
office hours by appointment (in person or via zoom)
I'll use eLC to post grades. Each task assigned will result in a grade in eLC. There are two types of grades: completion grades and rubric/checklist grades. Completion grades are exactly like they sound - do the work as described and receive full credit. Rubric/checklist grades will be graded based on your ability to create projects within rubric/checklist parameters.
This class is definitely not rocket science and my goal is certainly for everyone to have the opportunity to earn an A. However, "simple" is probably a better word choice than "easy." As an experienced teacher and instructional designer, I do my best to make the course tasks as simple as possible - but they will take time, effort, and creativity. My goal is for you to have an understanding of the role of technology tools in teaching and learning - specifically in K12 learning environments. That's going to take some reading, researching, writing, exploring, and creating.
As far as fitting into your busy schedule - yes, online courses have that advantage. You can be anywhere you want to be when you work on the course tasks. But you're taking a course that has extended deadlines (easy to forget about) and you're doing it all on your own. Most people would not consider that easier than what you might be expected to do in a face-to-face course. So - this course will be enjoyable and painless if you set aside time every few days to work.