EDUC 0396: SEMINAR IN COMPUTERS IN EDUCATION
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INSTRUCTOR: Laurene M. Belisle, M.Ed, M.S. CONTACT INFO: email: lbelisle@wsc.ma.edu or lbelisle@rcn.com COURSE CATALOG DESCRIPTION: This course requires no previous experience with computers and will be comprised of three major components: (a) an introduction to online tools and software for teachers, (b) exposure to commercially available educational software and hardware, (c) an analysis of both practical and theorectical issues related to the use of technology in education. MATERIALS: There is no required text and all course content will be provided to students within the course. However you will need to have access to Microsoft Word for developing some of your assignments. COURSE OVERVIEW: This course will deliver the three course components through an understanding of the National Educational Technology Standards, the skills and theory underlying these standards and assignments that will assist you in implementing them in your classroom. Most of this coursework will be done in an online environment. Our first class which will be held on campus is an introductory session that will familiarize you with the nature and requirements of an online course. This class will be hands-on, where you will take an online tour of the course website and receive directions on how to navigate the course management system. The rest of the course will be entirely online with communication done through threaded discussions and email. Lecture notes, reading assignments and websites will be provided and all assignments will be handed in online. There is no text book to purchase. As this is may be your first experience with online coursework, I'd like to provide you with a few tips that will make this experience a successful one. The virtual classroom,as this online class in called, has much in common with its face-to-face equivalent. You will still have lectures, discussions, projects, papers and assessments of your work. One of the differences is that you now have the ability to complete you coursework whenever you are connected to the Internet. This gives you increased flexibility but also requires some planning and time management on your part. You will be required to participate in all parts of the coursework, especially the online discussions and readings, or risk falling behind. We will discuss this in depth during our first class meeting. You will be expected to meet submission deadlines and will have weekly assignments. I will be in contact with you often throughout the course by email and through the course discussion boards. You can also contact me by phone if you wish. This new experience can sometimes be overwhelming so please let me know if you are having difficulties as soon as problems arise. It is very important that we communicate as I am here to help you in any way that I can. COURSE EXPECTATIONS: General: Students are expected to participate in class, by reviewing the Unit Assignment Summary for each week and completing the assignments by the posted due date. Students are also expected to review the websites provided in the Unit Resources pages and select those that are relevant to the grade level and content area of their current or future students. They will also be expected to apply the information, in answering the posted discussion questions. In addition to the weekly discussions, students will expected to complete the activities that accompany some of the unit discussions. Meet Deadlines: It is a basic expectation that assignments and projects will be completed during the week that they are assigned. However, if you are unable to meet a deadline please email Me in advance. Otherwise there will be a 20% deduction on any late assignment. Communication: You will have two ways to contact me: Within the WebCT Course email and from the link above. Discussion Postings: Please sign your name at the end of each post. When responding to a particular post, please begin the post with the first name of the person to whom you are responding. File Format: When attaching files in the Discussion area, save your files as a .doc or .rtf as files saved in these formats can be read by all word processing programs on both platforms. I will review this during the orientation session. My Schedule: In general I will check into class after 11:00 a.m and throughout each day. If I will be out of town, I will contact you ahead of time. Announcements: It is important that you check the Announcement Section of the Course each time you log in as I will be posting any changes or additional explanations in that section. Grading Process: The grades are not automated as I need to read your assignments and discussions, grade them and put them into the course grade book. My intent is to have the grades done by the end of the day on the Tuesday after the end of the unit. If you complete the work early as some students do, you may see the grades earlier. Final grades will be posted in WSC Grading system as soon as possible. Grading Summary
for this Course: Good
grades are usually correlated with regular involvement and participation in
the course and with assignments completed on time. Your final grade is based on the sum of the
points of the weekly assignments throughout the course.
My primary role is to act as a facilitator of learning. I will participate in your discussions and will be monitoring this class daily. It is my intent to check my email during the day and get back to you as soon as possible. If I will be out of contact with you for any reason, I will email you ahead of time. Disability Notice: If you have a disability and require reasonable accomodations to enable you to participate in this course please contact me as soon as possible during the first week of this course. COURSE COMPONENTS: In Vista 4, you will have access to a number of tools that you will use thoughout the course:
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