WELCOME TO:   

EDUC 59715
      Designing K-12 Internet Instruction;
              Painless, Progressive Internet Integration
                                                 (Learn to Teach from Any Beach!)

Click here for the Course Flyer

Self-Directed Learning Format Opportunities:

In a self-directed class, what you get out of the experience will be in direct proportion to what you put into it. There is an implied contract between instructor and learner that you will put forth the energy and self-discipline to produce quality lesson submissions and to apply yourself toward your own learning for your own benefit.

This self-directed "constructivist" format allows us to keep costs down and to provide optimal convenience for the learner by allowing the learner to decide which lessons he/she will do and when within a one year timeframe from the date of registration for the course.

The very first thing you will need to do is decide on your timeline for completing the lessons and send a copy of your completed timeline to your instructor.  If one draws the class out over a full year, it typically becomes harder to remember skills and details from previous lessons if months have passed in between lessons. We strongly encourage participants to complete the lessons within a three month timeframe! Click here for the Timeline Template! NOTE: This is not an interactive form, use "cut and paste" to put an edited copy into a wordprocessor and/or your email message.

Class Format:

All participants are required to define their own schedule for completion of the lessons by sending the timeframe to their facilitator. While the lessons are already presented in the recommended logistical order, you are welcome to complete them in any order you wish. A 38 hour minimum of work is required for this course and suggested times are listed under all course activities. There are eight four-hour lessons, totaling 32 hours, plus a six hour minimum required for work on a special project.

Please note that recommended times are given for each activity in regards to the minimum time required for completion of this course. As many exemplary resources will be presented, you will have the option to spend far more time than the recommended minimum, learning on your own behalf.

Lesson Submission Guidelines

      Please put the Lesson number in the subject line of your messages when sending
        your completed lessons to the class listserv and/or the instructor.
        For example: SUBJECT: Lesson 1, part 3.

Please make a distinction between what is required for each lesson, which will be posted in a box at the top of each lesson labeled "Required Assignments" and the optional general resources offered throughout the lessons to support your ongoing learning beyond the finite requirements for this class.

Prerequisites:

The strongly recommended prerequisite for this course  is "Making the Best Use of Internet for K12 Instruction." This prerequisite course provides the necessary background for this current "Designing K-12 Internet Instruction" course; covering the basics of using the Internet, creating instructional web pages, project-based learning models and concepts, understanding the serious issues behind appropriate use of the Internet for K12 instruction, and the strategies for identifying the best Internet learning resources, without wasting precious time, on an ongoing basis.

You can review web-based curriculum created by educators during this prerequisite course at http://lone-eagles.com/teachercreated.htm

You may need to refer to content presented in this previous course if you're not already on top of these basic skills and issues. If you decide you need to establish this knowledge base as background for this immediate course, but choose not to take the prerequisite course for credit, you will find the prerequisite course lessons accessible without restriction at http://lone-eagles.com/asdn1.htm

You will need Internet access, your own email account (available free at http://hotmail.com, www.yahoo.com),
and use of a computer (Mac or PC).  An up-to-date browser is highly recommended such as Netscape Communicator or Internet Explorer. Web authoring software is recommended but not required.  Netscape version 4.7 - 7.0 and Mozilla have a "composer" web authoring component that is recommended as a simple easy free first program.  It is strongly recommended you identify, and make use of, any local technical support that may be available to you!

Prerequisite Checklist:

I Can:   

___ Create, edit, save, and move files, as well as create folders for storage of
        files.

___  I am comfortable with email, listservs and basic web conferencing.

___ I understand project-based learning and am familiar with Webquest,
       Thinkquest and Cyberfair models and resources.

___ I understand the key issues, and available resources, for child safety,
       privacy, Authorized Usage Policies, and dealing with risks of student
       access to inappropriate resources (porn, violence, and hate sites).

___ I am familiar with the extensive Internet resources presented in the
       Self-directed Learners' Internet Guide  http://lone-eagles.com/guide.htm
       from the prerequisite course "Making the Best Use of Internet for K-12
       Instruction."

___ I assume the responsibility for producing quality lesson submissions
       and for asking questions before letting frustration get the best of me!

___  I can easily create web pages with text, images and hyperlinks.
        (Optional but strongly recommended... and can post them on the
        WWW anytime, myself. )

Your Special Project:

Throughout the course you'll see how others have creatively used web page authoring to create instructional materials and resources for others. This "special project" is your opportunity to create online curricular units of interest and value to yourself and others. Before you begin your special project you are asked to describe what you'd like to do and get approval from your instructor. This allows an opportunity for the instructor to offer you suggestions and perhaps to refer you to similar work that has already been done such that you can build upon, or incorporate, the work of others. 

There is virtually no limit to what you can do as a project. Your project should clearly demonstrate the minimum time investment of six hours. You will need to submit documentation of your time spent on your project to your instructor as part of your project submission. It is important to choose a project you can get excited about; make it fun!

Here are just a few project ideas:

    1. Conduct a classroom web project, project-based learning unit, or
        curricular component of your own design.

    2. Design an online course and create the lessons for the first six weeks.

    3. Utilize an Internet collaborative tool with students, perhaps as part of a
        project-based learning activity.

To generate ideas, you might review the web-based curriculum created by
educators in the prerequisite course "Making the Best Use of Internet for
K12 Instruction"    http://lone-eagles.com/teachercreated.htm

Grading:

Grading for this course will be PASS/FAIL. Each of the eight lessons will be worth 15 points total. It is expected all required submissions will be sent for each lesson, from with a minimum of 70% of the points available will be needed to pass the lesson. 8 times 15 equals 120 points. 20 points for the special project bring the total to 140 points for 70% of the total available points for this class. The remaining 30% of the available points for this course, or 60 additional points, will be given for participation in the class listserv. 120 points for the lessons and 20 points for your special project, plus 60 points for listserv participation brings the grand total to 200 points, of which a minimum of 140 points will be required to pass this course.

Alaska Pacific University gives you one year from the date you register to complete the class. A N/C will go on your transcript if you do not complete the class, but this doesn't impact your GPA. You can extend this one year deadline for a $90 re-registration fee, *only if you re-register within 90 days of your one-year deadline.

While not absolutely required to pass this course, it is strongly recommended you make a genuine effort to expand your online collaborative confidence, and skills, by interacting with the other participants through the listserv and web conferencing system!

One big advantage of self-directed instruction is that as an educator you could potentially help hundreds, even thousands of students learn, worldwide, with maximum flexibility and choice regarding conducting their own learning. Unmotivated students are those who most need a classroom teacher to help them attain a "love of learning" so they will become self-directed lifelong learners, one day, themselves! Learning to be a self-directed learner, using the Internet, is an important survival skill for the constantly changing information age. We all have different learning styles, and self-directed learning (SDL) is not necessarily intuitive for everyone. Follow the instructions carefully, step-by-step, exercising patience and perseverance, and feel free to ask questions of your instructor, and other class participants, at any time!

One serious benefit of this course is you will learn first hand about issues related to self-directed Internet learning, which you'll find invaluable when you design online learning for others.

Our Class Listserv and Web Conferencing System:

        We'll have two options for online communications for this course;

                1. Private email to/from anyone we wish; this will be used
                primarily for asking questions that don't need to be shared
                with the other participants.

                2. Public messages via the listserv to/from class participants,
                and instructor, only; This will be used to informally ask
                questions which might be of value to others in the class,
                to share your lesson submissions, and to share ideas, humor,
                and resources.

* All listserv messages will be automatically archived on the listserv archive web page, viewable by anyone at any time at http://netpals.lsoft.com/archives   (Select DESIGNING-L to view.) You'll be asked to enter your email address and give yourself a password in order to gain access to the archives.  Remember your password for next time.) 

You can join the class listserv by using your browser to go to http://netpals.lsoft.com/archives/ and selecting the designing-l listserv. Just follow the instructions to subscribe. PLEASE NOTE: The listserv will first send me a message requesting authorization, so you'll have to wait until I receive this message and respond before you'll be able to post messages to the listserv. You'll receive a message from the listserv once this process is completed! Usually, this takes less than a day unless I'm on the road.

Once you've received an email message telling you you've successfully subscribed, you'll be able to post messages to the listserv for all class participants and the instruction to read. Be sure to save the instructions on how to unsubscribe to this listserv for when you finish the class and wish to unsubscribe! 

To post a message to the listserv after you've subscribed, just send it to designing-l@netpals.lsoft.com

Important: When you post a message to the listserv you'll know you've been successful when you receive a copy of your message with DESIGNING-L  in the subject line. If you also receive one or more error messages stating your message could not be delivered - ignore them. These are usually related to individual mailboxes which are full or email addresses which are no longer active. You're welcome to forward any error messages to your instructor for interpretation.

The Internet Guide at http://lone-eagles.com/guide.htm includes links to tutorials about using listservs, if you need more background on using listserv. Look in the Handbook's Table of Contents for "Mailing Lists Handout" and "Ten Collaborative Internet Tools."

Subscription to the listserv is required, with the understanding if the volume of messages is high, you may only be able to scan the messages for relevant resources. The listserv is your opportunity to interact and share resources and ideas with peers. This is usually considered to be one of the best features of this course; peer sharing of high quality resources. A minimum of participation is required and constitutes 30% for the points for this class.

Interactive reading and writing is a new communications medium which has never existed before. It’s importance for building reading, writing, and thinking skills is only beginning to be appreciated!

Required Textbook:
         The required textbook for this course is "Virtual Architecture" which is
         only partially online offering listings of articles related to each chapter at
           http://virtual-architecture.wm.edu/

         It is required that you purchase this wonderful resource from
         http://amazon.com, where a used copy costs under $10. A new version is anticipated early in 2008 from
         http://www.iste.org at  800-336-5191

The online Self-directed Learners' Internet Guide referenced throughout this course was required for the prerequisite course "Making the Best Use of Internet for K-12 Instruction" and is optional, but highly recommended, for use with this course, "Designing K-12 Internet Instruction. This handbook is divided into four successive levels for the Internet Style of Learning. The handbook is online at http://lone-eagles.com/guide.htm allowing you to conveniently click through the various Web Tours and online activities. A printed copy of the handbook is available for $15, plus shipping costs of $5. For additional options, such as reprinting this guide with customized covers for district workshops, or resale for fund-raisers, see; http://lone-eagles.com/services.htm    Lone Eagle Consulting's Web site is http://lone-eagles.com

Your instructor, Frank Odasz, frank@lone-eagles.com, will regularly post new resources to the listserv, and will respond to any and all questions, will maintain the lessons web-based resources, and will continually scout for new resources. This course is presented in a mastery learning format and the instructor guarantees success. He won't give up if you don't. Don't hesitate to ask questions BEFORE letting frustration get to you.

Frank welcomes messages of any type, from anyone, for any reason! All messages will to and from you and Frank will be saved for future reference.

Professional Resume: http://lone-eagles.com/articles/frank.htm

Alaska Staff Development Network's Role:

Send a message to asdn@ptialaska.net  if you have questions regarding registration or administration of this course, or call 907-364-3802. The course flyer is at http://www.asdn.org/distance_education/ed_597_064/index.html  and the home page for the Alaska Staff Development Network is http://www.asdn.org