Course Requirements

This page provides a review of the basic requirements for the course. Go to the Course Guide for specific assignments and the Course Calendar for specific due dates.

This page includes the following areas: Getting Started, Course Updates, Oncourse Overview, Discussions, Scout Groups, Personal Web Space, Course Readings, Trail Blazer Assignments, and Projects.

Getting Started

This class is intended to be a practical approach to the skills needed by today's information technologies, media specialists, librarians, and educators. Whether you're interested in the role of the school media specialist, public librarian, or another type of information technologist, this course is designed to be flexible enough to address the varied needs of anyone interested in resources for children and young adults.

Keep in mind that this class contains students with a wide variety of educational, work, life, and technology experience. Try not to compare yourself to other students. Instead, focus on your own strengths and weaknesses. Be sure to email your instructor if you have questions or concerns about the specific projects and how they can better fit your professional needs.

One way to apply what you're reading is through the development of realistic, practical projects. Each student comes to class with a unique set of educational background and professional experiences. These projects are intended to help you expand your professional skills. Of course, you could select an "easy" topic that you've done before. However, if you're really interested in professional development, choose a challenging topic in an area where you have fewer skills.

Course Updates

Your instructor will be sending out periodic class updates to review important course information and assignments. Please read these carefully. If you have questions, please reply to these updates for clarifications or questions. If you think you've missed one of these communications, check the Course Email Archives.

Oncourse Overview

Since this is an online course, much of the sharing and discussion will happen using the Oncourse online learning environment. However since you'll be experiencing many different technologies in this course, be sure to read the activity guidelines carefully to determine where projects should be shared.

Use the following documents if you have questions about Oncourse:

Oncourse contains a menubar on the left side of the screen for easy navigation. Use the following instructions to help you use the resources for this course:

The SYLLABUS links to all of the course materials.
The ROSTER shows the class list. You may wish to include a personal profile and photo so we can learn a little more about you.
The GRADEBOOK is a place where you can track your progress. If you lose a point, I'll provide a comment indicating the problem.
The MESSAGES area contains a place to send and receive e-mail messages. You might want to check the settings. You can have these messages sent to your personal email if you wish. For class updates, I'll use your regular email address.
The FORUMS are the area for posting general information and class introductions. We'll also use this area for our project postings and discussions. This is where you'll share your projects with peers in your interest area. I've created separate areas so the discussion areas doesn't get so full.
The CHAT area can be used by anyone who would like to share in "real time" with anyone in the class. There are no required course chats.

Below you'll find your first assignment. This will get you starting making Oncourse postings. Required course assignments can be found in yellow boxes.

Introduce Yourself

Let's get to know each other. These introductions will help you get to know all of your classmates.

Your first assignment involves posting some information about yourself and getting to know your classmates. Some people like to share photographs, personal websites, favorite movies or books, family information, or other tidbits that will help the class get to know you. This is important because you'll be involved in lots of online discussions. This is all done in Oncourse so "outsiders" won't be able to see the information.

Enter the Oncourse materials, choose the class page. Click FORUMS from the navigation bar on the left. Click the Introduce Yourself discussion. Read the directions. Click REPLY TO TOPIC found at the bottom of the Introduce Yourself directions. Be sure to include your name in the Subject Line and write your message in the space provided. Using the tools above the message area, you may wish to insert a photo or a link to a favorite website. If you need help, check the "Help" discussion for the directions. Click ADD REPLY to post your message.

Posting Directions - Introduce yourself to the class. Put your name in the subject of the message. Include your name, a little personal and professional information about yourself. This will be a good chance to share a little about your interests and expertise with inquiry. Are you a life-long learner?

For some people, personal inquiry is an important part of their life. They simply love to learn. That's how the 42explore project at eduscapes got started. Sometimes we investigate heavy topics such as Nuclear Age and other times fun topics like Scrapbooking. Choose one of the 42explore topics from the Index. Then, explore. Don't worry about the time or answering specific questions. Instead, wander and enjoy. Be sure to include the URL of the 42explore you examined. What drew you to this topic? Describe the experience of "browsing through information". What information was most useful or interesting? Discuss whether this open exploration experience is a common or rare activity for you. Why? Keep in mind that some of the topics are dated, but they'll be a place to start exploring.

Also, tell us what makes you laugh and how you like to spend your spare time (like you have spare time)

During the first week of class, read the messages posted by classmates. If you want to share something you have in common or ask a question, click REPLY TO TOPIC. You should post at least one response or observation. This area is also a place to go if you have questions. Find someone you think shares your interests, email them and introduce yourself personally. This contact may be helpful later in the semester as you have questions about the course.

Discussion Areas

In addition to the Introduce Yourself area, two other forums are provided at the top of the Discussion list.

Practice Area. If you're new to OncourseCL, you might be a little nervous about posting assignments. This area is a place to practice. No one is monitoring this space. It's just a place to practice using HTML coding, making attachments, or trying out ideas. If you're not sure how your posting will look, use this area to create a sample posting.

General Discussion. The General Discussion area is intended for anything you'd like to share with the class. Do you have a question about the profession? How about a concern about the class? Maybe you're looking for a ride to Indianapolis next semester. These are just a few of the topics you could discuss in this area.

Scout Groups

The biggest drawback to an online class is the lack of face-to-face communication with your instructor and your peers. I'll be sending out weekly course updates that will hopefully help you feel connected to me. I'll be reading your assignments which will help me feel connected to you. We can email personally whenever you have something you'd like to share or discuss. I LIVE on email... in the motorhome our living room, dining room, bathroom, and bedroom are all within 38 feet, so I'm always available. When I'm "on-the-road" I'll usually provide information in the weekly update. In this case, it should still take less than 24 hours for a reply.

In addition to your instructor, a course is more valuable when you can bounce ideas off your peers. Rather than making formal requirements, I prefer a more informal cohort group organization. You'll be asked to join one of our class cohort groups. These will be based on professional interests. You'll be able to find these areas within the discussion forum in oncourse. These aren't meant to be "top secret" meeting areas, instead they're intended to provide an area where you can discuss class issues, share ideas for projects, and review the ideas of others.

The scout cohort groups are designed to assist you in making class and professional connections. You are professionally responsible for completing the activities. In other words, they are a required component of the class, but I won't be counting postings, replies, or interactions. I will check my oncourse log to be sure that you've been to a cohort group area, but there's no evaluation. I may drop in now and then to make sure the conversation is running smoothly, but don't expect many comments from me. This is your place.

Some students find it extremely valuable to get to know their classmates. Think of these activities as the replacement for face-to-face classroom interaction. The quality of the interaction is up to you.

I've provided you with a few required activities. Otherwise feel free to use the cohort group area for open discussion to share issues and concerns about topics both inside and outside the course. You will also be posting your projects in the cohort groups.

The scout groups are listed in the forum section of Oncourse. The groups are based on professional interest areas, but feel to choose any group you wish.

Complete each of the following cohort group activities:

Project Posting

When you're ready to submit a project for grading, make a posting in the Scout Group area. Be sure to make it clear that the project is ready for grading.

Personal Web Space

You will be sharing many projects during the semester. Sometimes I'll indicate where they should be stored. At other times, you'll have a choice. The course materials also provide links to free storage space for resources such as videos. Rather than relying on university space, it's a good idea to start thinking about long-term storage of assignments that you might eventually wish to place in your professional portfolio.

You may wish to share your projects and get feedback from classmates before submitting to your instructor. Classmates can help identify typos and missing elements that can impact your grade. By reading the projects of others you can often find ideas that might enhance your own project. Remember this is not a competition, all projects are graded with the same checklist.

Use the following resources to explore sources of web space.

1. Oncourse. Provides space to store assignments. Use the following readings to learn more about this space:

Here are directions to help you upload to this space and ensure that projects can be viewed by others on the web.

Enter OnCourse. Go to the MY WORKSPACE option in the red banner across the top of the new OncourseCL.

To Upload files:
Click Upload-Download Multiple Resources and follow the directions for Mac or Windows.
You can upload any kind of document including web pages, Word documents, PowerPoint documents, graphics, video, audio, etc.

Once you've uploaded files return to MY WORKSPACE, you should see the new items on the list.
Click the REVISE link next to the file you uploaded.
You'll see choices.
Under ACCESS, choose DISPLAY TO NON-MEMBERS (PUBLICLY VIEWABLE).
Near the bottom of the page you'll see the web address such as
https://oncourse.iu.edu/access/content/user/anlamb/newlamb.jpg

Your address will be your user name instead of ANLAMB
If you uploaded folders, your address will include the name of that folder after your username such as
https://oncourse.iu.edu/access/content/user/anlamb/project/index.htm

Remember NOT to use spaces in folder or file names.

You can use this URL to tell others about this document, file, movie, sound, graphic, or whatever kind of file you uploaded. You can also use this as a link on a webpage or blog.

2. IUPUI Space. Go to Publishing Pages on Mypage to learn about setting up your own university web space.

3. Personal Space. Use your own personal or work web space. Most local service providers provide space for personal pages.

4. Free Web Space (BEST CHOICE). Use free services such as Google Sites for your own personal site. If you need additional ideas of locations for free space, contact your instructor. You might also wish to use Weeby, wikispaces, Google Docs, or other types of web posting options.

Course Readings

A CourseQuest will guide you through the materials. You should systematically work your way through the CourseQuest. It begins with an introduction and course task, process, projects, and conclusion.

The most time-consuming aspect of this course will be the exploration of materials. Unlike a book that contains a clear beginning, middle, and end, the course materials are much more flexible.

Read the following section carefully.

Read

This website is designed to be read like a textbook. You should read the introduction and general contents of each page. Sometimes words or phrases within paragraphs are highlighted. These are links you can use for additional information. They are not required, but may be helpful in your learning.

Read. In some cases you'll find links to off-site articles. If it says to READ. This means that you should literally read the article or web page. You aren't required to read the links associated with the article, but you should read the article itself. The details are probably not as important as the overall issues presented. In many cases, reflective questions or activities have been provided to guide your reading. Then, ask yourself: Why did she have us read this? What are the key ideas that I should add to my "professional bag of tricks"?

Skim. Sometimes you'll be directed to skim an article. In this case, the details of the article aren't important. Instead concentrate on identifying the key ideas. In many cases, these are alternative sources or other views on issues already presented in the text or other articles.

Explore. In many instances, websites are provided on a single topic. Many of these websites contain multiple pages and links. Rather than examining all the items in-depth, spend a few minutes with each resource and determine the personal and professional value.

Try It!

Some pages contain paragraphs begin with a . They may start with the suggestion to EXPLORE, EXAMINE, or TRY IT! These areas ask you to go to another website and explore a sample resource such as a tutorial, WebQuest, or project. You don't need to examine the entire resource. Instead, concentrate on the directions provided. For example, it might tell you to notice something or reflect on an issue.

Learn More

At the bottom of most pages, you'll find a heading marked LEARN MORE with a list of additional readings and websites. You aren't required to read these, however they may be useful as you complete activities and projects. Many of the course assignments ask you to cite professional resources and these are good resources of information.

Off-site vs On-site. You'll notice that some readings refer to on-site versus off-site materials.

On-site materials are those housed at this website. They are sometimes marked with a red arrow symbol.

The off-site materials are linked to the work of others. If you can't get to an off-site article that says READ, notify your instructor so it can be update or removed. In addition to the Electronic Materials pages, Teacher Tap, escrapbooking, and Multimedia Seeds are three other areas within the eduscapes website that are used frequently used for course content.

In most cases, off-site links are not marked. For example, you might be reading a sentence and notice a hot link. This hot-link is probably an off-site article that expands on the idea presented in the sentence. You may or may not use the link depending on your interests. Lists of off-site links with supplemental materials are also not indicated as on or off-site. If you're not sure, just look at the URL and you can see whether it's an eduscapes address or not.

Final Thoughts

Some people new to the web-based learning environment underestimate the importance of spending time with the course materials. Think of the readings as a substitute for the traditional class lecture. The time you would normally spend attending class and reading the out-of-class textbook materials, should be used exploring these pages. Enjoy! Remember, you could be driving to class every week!

Trail Blazer Assignments

The Trail Blazer Discussions will give you a chance to share what you're learning. Rather than a single discussion area for the entire class, a series of options have been provided for each topic. First, explore the possibilities for each Trail Blazer topic. Then, choose ONE discussion forum within the Trail Blazer that you find personally and professionally meaningful. The numbers and topics will match forums set up in OncourseCL. These can be found in the MESSAGE CENTER area of Oncourse.

You will receive up to 3 points for each of the 8 Trail Blazers. Two points will be awarded for the posting. The postings will be evaluated based on the following scale: 2 points = excellent; 1 point = adequate. One point will also be awarded for providing at least QUALITY one reply. The reply is due one week after the posting is due.

Participate in one discussion within each of the eight trailblazer areas.

Assignments will focus on building specific skills essential in developing effective projects. You are required to complete and share each of these assignments.

You'll find yellow boxes which contain the requirements for the Activities within the CourseQuest. These activities are intended to help you analyze and apply the course content.

Assignment Formatting

It is recommended that you write your assignment in a text editor such as Notepad or TextEdit, then paste it into an Oncourse posting. Oncourse has been known to crash, so it's a good idea to have a back up of your text.

DO NOT submit projects to the following formats because many students do not have access to this software: Publisher, Word Perfect, Works. Also, DO NOT use the Web Archive (.MHT file extension) option in Word. It does not work with all versions. If you use these packages, please export as a Word file, a web page, or as a PDF file. This project would be a great addition to an online professional portfolio. Use a tool such as CutePDF or PDF Creator so people without Publisher can read the file.

In many cases, it's useful to have a "screen shot" to demonstrate how a software package is used. Here are the directions for making a graphic that can be pasted into Word or attached to an assignment.

Macintosh Screen Capture. If you have Mac OSX, it's easy to use the built-in key commands for grabbing a screen.

Press Command (Apple)-Shift-4. The cursor turns into a cross.
Select the area of the screen you wish to capture. The screen is captured and saved as a PDF file called Picture 1 on your hard drive.
If you hold down the Control key in addition to the Command (Apple)-Shift-4 and select an area of the screen, the image is stored on the clipboard.

If you have Mac OSX, you can also use the Grab Utility. This allows you to capture windows that are open.

Open Grab (located in Applications/Utility).
Choose Capture > Timed Screen.
When the Timed Screen Grab dialog opens, click Start Timer.
Click the menu you want to capture and keep the mouse button pressed until the Timer Screen Grab dialog closes and the picture appears.
Use the Grab preferences for option options such as showing the pointer.

Windows Screen Capture. The PRINT SCREEN key allows you to capture the Desktop or individual windows. You'll have to look for this key on your keyboard, it's placement varies with the type of keyboard.

To capture the entire screen:

Press the PRINT SCREEN key. The image will be placed on the clipboard.
Open an application such as Microsoft Word, pull down the Edit menu and choose Paste. Or, press Ctrl-V to paste.

To capture the current window on your screen:

Press the ALT + PRINT SCREEN key. A screen shot your the currently selected window will be placed on the keyboard.

Replies

In some cases you will be asked to provide a "high quality reply" to at least one of your peers.

Below you'll find examples of the kinds of "responses" that will be counted. Feel free to "get into" the discussion with as many comments to your peers as you'd like. However to receive your 1 response point, be sure that your response is insightful and will help others in their learning.

Provide technical support or suggestions. You might provide a tip or suggestion related to Flash that might help a student expand their project or solve a technical problem.
Act on a suggestion. For example, after reading a comment from a peer, you might decide to add an example, suggest a website address or other resource, or answer a question.
Provide feedback to others such as a specific comment or idea along with an example, expansion, or suggestion. In other words, "way to go Susie" is a good start, but won't get you a point. You could even start with "that's crap Susie", however the key is providing positive, constructive criticism or helpful and encouraging advice. Healthy debate is fine, but let's discourage mean-spirited comments.
State an opinion and provide supportive evidence or arguments. This can be fun because it can really get a discussion going. For example, you might point out why you think a particular project is effective or ineffective. Be sure to be specific.
Add an insight. If you've had an encounter with the topic being discussed, it would be valuable to hear your thoughts and "real world" experiences. This should be more than "I'll use the idea in class." How and why will you use the idea? Would the idea work in another area? How or why?

Projects

One way to apply the information and ideas that you're reading about is through the development of realistic, practical projects. Each student comes to class with a unique set of educational background and professional experiences. These projects are intended to help you expand your professional skills. Of course, you could select an "easy" topic that you've done before. However, if you're really interested in professional development, choose a challenging topic in an area where you have fewer skills.