Course Requirements
EDUC 421/621: Internet Technologies
This course is all about empowering you to make practical and effective use of Internet technologies. Thus, the course requirements revolve around you and the nature of the labs you want to complete.
In the sidebar is a list of the specific assignments and how much they count toward your grade in the course. You can think of these assignments as consisting of three major parts, each of which counts for a third of your grade. The first part is class participation. You create a goal statement and share it with your fellow classmates, with whom you communicate in the course discussion forum. The second major part of your grade is determined by your final project, which you submit at the end of the course. The rest of your grade is determined by three labs that you select from the labs printed at the end of each chapter. If you want to work on a different lab than the ones printed in the book, I will be happy to negotiate substitutes with you.
Assignment #1: Goal Statement
Your first assignment is to state the reasons why you enrolled in this course. Please tell why you decided to take this course and state briefly what you hope to get out of it. If you have only a general idea, go ahead and describe your goals in general terms. If you have more specific goals in mind, please enumerate them. I will use this information to help advise you and guide you through the appropriate course materials.
Assignment #2: Presentation Topic
During the course of the semester, you (individually or with a partner) will be responsible for presenting one of these Internet technology topics (or one of your choice if approved by the instructor). As you prepare your presentation, here are some things you need to keep in mind:
- Provide an overview focusing especially on the principles upon which your topic is based.
- If your topic is an app or a learning environment, identify the ed tech standard(s) with which the topic aligns, such as the ISTE standards.
- If your topic is a web development tool, identify the features or advantages that the tool claims to provide.
- Try to prepare an interactive presentation. For example, you can create some role playing activities for your classmates, pretend that you are introducing the resource to a group of teachers who are considering adoption, etc.
- Synergy with your final project is good, i.e., it is fine for you to use what you present as part of your final project.
- Your topic can be the same as one of your three labs that you will be submitting in this course. If you choose to present one of your labs, your fellow classmates will appreciate learning about how you chose to approach the topic of that lab.
In response to the Presentation Topic assignment, please indicate which Internet technology topic you would like to present, and give one or two preferred class dates when you would like to make your presentation. You are welcome to schedule a meeting with the instructor as you prepare for your Presentation. If you are taking the course online, you have the option of presenting remotely via the classroom videoconferencing stream, or you can come physically to class on the evening when you present.
Assignment #3: Weekly Discussion Forum
Every student in this class is required to participate actively in the course discussion forum. To enter the discussion forum, log on to the course and click the Discussions option. One of the first messages you write in the forum should inform your fellow classmates about the nature of the project you are hoping to create. The forum is an excellent place to network with your fellow students and help each other learn to use the Internet effectively and understand its impact on society. To earn all your discussion points, write a thoughtful message at least once per week during the course. Creating a new discussion post counts the same as responding thoughtfully to an existing post. Use the discussions to share knowledge with each other during the course. You can write about emerging technologies, societal issues, authoring tools, instructional design, computational thinking, accessibility, cybersecurity, or any topic related to helping your fellow classmates make effective use of Internet technologies.
Assignment #4: Web Site Project
Your major project in this course is the Web site that you will have developed while working through the Internet Technologies course materials. After you have published your pages to your Web site, you should submit them for a grade via the course assignments tool. Make sure you test your pages first, however, to make sure they look good, have no spelling mistakes, and link properly to the various pages in your Web. Remember that your résumé should contain a table of contents with links to targets that make it easy for the user to find the different sections of your résumé and return to the contents. If you substituted some other page instead of creating a résumé, I will be looking for similar features that make your site easy to navigate.
Assignment #5: Lab #1
This is the place where you submit the first of three end-of-chapter labs that you complete during this course. The deadline for submitting this lab is flexible, but in general, you should try to submit it by the middle of the course. In the text box, please identify the name of the lab you are submitting. Then upload the word processor file in which you answered the lab assignment. Each lab explains the things you need to do. In order to score all your points on this assignment, make sure your submission addresses everything the lab requires you to do.
Assignment #6: Lab #2
This is the spot where you submit the second of the three end-of-chapter labs that you complete during this course. The deadline for submitting this lab is flexible, but in general, you should try to submit it before the last week of the course. In the text box, please identify the name of the lab you are submitting. Then upload the word processor file in which you answered the lab assignment. Each lab explains the things you need to do. In order to score all your points on this assignment, make sure your submission addresses everything the lab requires you to do.
Assignment #7: Lab #3
This is the place where you submit the last of three end-of-chapter labs that you complete during this course. In the text box, please identify the name of the lab you are submitting. Then upload the word processor file in which you answered the lab assignment. Each lab explains the things you need to do. In order to score all your points on this assignment, make sure your submission addresses everything the lab requires you to do.
Assignment #8: Presentation Delivery
This is where your instructor will grade the presentation of your chosen Internet technology topic. Your grade will be determined as follows:
- Provides a clear description of the technology topic: 5 points
- Explains the underlying principles that inform the design of the presentation topic: 5 points
- Is coherent, organized and professional: 3 points
- Is interactive and involves the audience: 2 points
Assignment #9: Course Evaluation
Your final assignment in this course is to evaluate it. Use the Schedule tool in your online course to see when the course evaluation window is open. You must log on to the course evaluation system within this window of time. The Web address of the course evaluation system is www.udel.edu/course-evals. After you complete the course evaluation, your instructor will give you credit for completing it. The responses you give are completely anonymous. While your instructor will be able to see the ratings and comments, it is impossible for your instructor to identify the person who gave a certain rating or made a given comment. Once you complete the evaluation, your grade on this assignment will be an automatic A.
