Welcome to our class! Our focus this semester will be on the development of activities and tools to support learning goals for K-16 students. On this page, you'll find everything you need to complete the first few tasks for the semester. Information will be in text and video format. Please make sure to watch all videos and read all text before attempting each task. If you normally skim long passages of text (I'm always guilty of this), this is not the semester to do that. Should you have questions along the way simply email me at gbthomas@uga.edu
Two tips that will help you:
Make a checklist of everything that needs to be completed before you get started.
You have 2 weeks to complete all of these tasks. There are readings, several videos to watch, and a bit of writing. If you wait until the last minute - all the tasks run together and get pretty complicated.
This module lays the foundation for developing instructional activities that are directly applicable in real classroom settings. The concepts and tools introduced here will support your ability to create meaningful, student-centered learning experiences that align with real-world educational goals.
UNIT 1 TASKS ARE DUE MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1ST AT THE END OF THE DAY
(but that's a holiday so I'm happy to take Unit 1 by the end of the day on Tuesday, September 2nd)
A not-quite-short-enough video overview of our course. You may want to watch it a 1.5x speed. Also, there's absolutely no reason the thumbnail for this video should be so terrible. But there it is.
Go to our class Padlet. Click the + button on the bottom right of the Padlet screen to create your own post - you'll see a place to add a quick video to say hello and help us to pronounce your name correctly. You'll also see some required (and some optional) questions to answer.
Take a few minutes to view your classmates' responses using the same link.
Click here to access and complete the Student Information Sheet. Please make sure to let me know if your contact information changes at any time during the semester.
Before we jump into the main course content, I want you to take a few minutes to think about something important—how this course might be useful to you personally, academically, or professionally.
This reflection is not about how much you know right now. It is about what you think this course might offer you, based on what you know so far. It is a way to set your own purpose for being here and to start thinking about how what we do in this class might help you in the real world. Here is the link to this activity: [link].
Attention: If you signed the research consent form, your answers may also help us better understand how students think about course relevance in online learning. If you choose not to participate in the research, no problem. Your answers still count for the course, and you will receive full credit.
Grade value: 5% of total grade
You'll need a space to organize all of your work. We're going to use Google Sites to create a portfolio for you to keep all of your work. This is also how I will access all of your work in order to grade it.
**Important note - you can't edit a Google Site unless you are using Google Chrome or Firefox as your browser. But honestly, if you're not using one of these two browsers already - it's time for an upgrade (your life will be better for it, I promise). If you do try to create/edit a site using Safari or Explorer, you'll be sent to the "classic" version of Google Sites and none of my instructions will make any sense.
You likely already have a Google account. If not - please go to google.com and set one up (you'll need it for several things this semester). Once you're set up with a Google account, go to http://sites.google.com/new to create your site. Unfortunately, using your UGA email does not provide the same access to this particular Google tool so it works much better if you use your personal account.
**Important note - if you like to tinker with technology to figure it out, the instructions that follow should be sufficient for you to complete this task. If you prefer a tutorial, click here for an excellent overview on how to get started with Google Sites (then follow the instructions below).
Once you've named your site, you'll want to create 5 pages: About, Facilitate, Collaborate, Create, Design Project
Most of your pages will be blank for the time being. On your About page, include a photo of yourself and a brief biography that's about 2-3 paragraphs long. You can see an example of what this might look like here. (Make sure to check out the About page - it has a really cute dog on it.)
Click the Publish button when you are finished. Google Sites will save all of your work - but it won't be viewable publicly until you click the Publish button. If you'd like to see your website like others will see it, click the small arrow on the right side of the Publish button and choose View Published site. This will allow you to see what your actual website address is, too.
If it takes you longer than an hour to complete this activity, please text or email me (don't count the time it takes to pick out a picture and add 30 minutes if you're a perfectionist.)
Post your contact information, including your new portfolio address, to this form. Please note - your portfolio address will be similar to: https://sites.google.com/view/whateveryounamedyoursite
**Before you start on this task, you'll need to follow the instructions for purchasing access to our textbook (which is an online resource site). You can find those instructions on our Syllabus. If you have any issues accessing the text once you’ve purchased it, please contact me for assistance. You aren't using it yet - but I want to make sure you can access it before we start the next unit (when you will definitely start using it).
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It is always difficult to strike a balance between understanding how to use technology tools and understanding the role of those tools in teaching and learning. In order to ensure a balance and to establish a good foundation in educational technology, you really need to start with a few quick reads. The list looks long, but many of these are short reads. And make sure to complete the reading response form linked below when you finish all the readings (you may even want to view the form before you start reading so you know what you're being asked to do with the readings).
Reading 1: Howland, J., & Jonassen, D. (2012). Meaningful learning with technology (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson. You're just reading the first chapter. It's an excellent overview of the role technology can play in creating meaningful learning experiences in K12 classrooms and other learning environments. This reading will be a great resource for every single writing assignment you have for this course. As a long-time educator, parent, and lifelong learner - this quote from the chapter is incredibly meaningful to me and I try to use it as a guide in all of the courses I teach:
In order for students to learn meaningfully, they must be willfully engaged in a meaningful task. In order for meaningful learning to occur, the task that students pursue should engage active, constructive, intentional, authentic, and cooperative activities. Rather than testing inert knowledge, schools should help students to learn how to recognize and solve problems, comprehend new phenomena, construct mental models of those phenomena, and, given a new situation, set goals and regulate their own learning (learn how to learn).
Reading 2: Rose, D. H., & Gravel, J. W. (2010). Universal design for learning. In P. Peterson, E. Baker & B. McGraw (Eds.), International encyclopedia of education (pp. 48-56). Oxford: Elsevier. You just need to read Chapter 4: Universal Design for Learning. This goes into fantastic detail about what Universal Design for Learning really means.
**You will have to create a free account to read the chapter - but the web version has some nice accessibility features that might be useful to you. I particularly like the option to have any text that you highlight read to you. You're basically just reading all of chapter 4 - and there are videos included that you are not required to view but might help to explain UDL a bit better. To access the reading - use the link provided above and then follow these instructions (rather than create a new account you can just log in with your Google account, if you prefer:
1. Create a teacher or parent account (student accounts cannot access the book)
2. Go to the resources page
3. Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the resources page and click on the book
**Here's a quick video (with audio) if you're having trouble finding the book.
Reading 3: International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards for Students. This is the set of standards I use for this course. You'll use these standards to make connections among the many tasks you'll complete this semester. This is a good one to print out for later. You can read more about ISTE here.
Reading Response: Once you've completed the three readings, take a few minutes to answer these questions.
If you are currently enrolled in the Learning, Design, and Technology undergraduate certificate or you are interested in enrolling - please complete this short form.
Please make sure to call or email me if you have questions or concerns at any point in these tasks. No need to email me once you're finished. Unit 2 tasks will be posted by Monday, September 1st at noon and I'll get grades for Unit 1 posted as soon as possible.