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Lesson
1: At a Glance
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Learning at
a Distance
Welcome to our online class.
For most of you, this is probably your first distance learning class. Learning at a distance
can be a very different environment for some of you. You will not miss the class just
because you have to be out of town as long as you can access the Internet; you will set your own
schedules, participate in class activities at your convenience, and work at your
own pace. It is a new experience for all of us.
Are you Ready for
Online Learning?
This week's lesson aims to
help you get ready for using online technologies by giving you a
self-appraisal checklist of issues to consider. It also contains a number
of useful strategies and helpful hints that I summarized from the article
I found at the WebCT web site.
The three main issues to
be considered for readiness are:
Briefly, what is
Online Education?
'Online' education is all about using
computer networks for learning. The main computer network in use for
online learning is the Internet.
Learning materials are stored online (on
computers attached to the Internet/intranet) in a special format called
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). These files are viewed with a Browser
(see below for examples). HTML pages displayed in a browser may contain
text, images, sounds and video.
Other online methods include the use of
Electronic Mail (often called email), Bulletin Boards and Chat.
Using online education is easy when you
get used to it, but there are some issues you need to address first.
Personal Issues
Learning styles
There are different learning styles. Some
examples are learners who prefer to:
- interact with a group and learn well
through discussion
- listen to 'experts'
- work at their own pace
- take a more structured approach
- read printed materials and take notes
- look at pictures and videos
- work on real tasks in a working
environment
- participate in 'role plays'
What's the best way for you
to learn? Do you absorb more information from a lecture than a book? Would
you rather watch a demonstration or do it yourself? Educators agree that
people learn in different ways, including auditory (hear it), kinesthetic
(do it), and visual (see it). Several "tests" have been designed
to evaluate a person's learning style, such as the Group Embedded Figures
Test (GEFT), Felder's Index of Learning Styles, and Kolb's Learning Style
Inventory.
What is your learning style? Later
on in this lesson you are going to take
a quick inventory of your learning style by connecting to
www.howtolearn.com/personal.html.
Goal setting - where are you
going?
- Does technology and online learning
interest you?
- Where do you want to be in two years
time?
- Can you see yourself using technology
daily in your learning and work?
Time management
- Do you have a flexible approach to your
time management?
- Can you see yourself checking your
internet courses daily for contact from your instructor and
classmates?
Top of
the Page
Technical
Issues
Hardware for online learning
- You will need a connection to the
Internet in order to work online. You will usually need to be
connected to a network first and then have Internet access set up on
your machine. If you are not sure whether you already have access to
the Internet at work, ask your IT Support Area.
- If you plan to work from home you will
also need an Internet connection at home. You will need a modem and
access to the Internet provided by an Internet Service Provider (ISP).
Software for online learning
- Internet Browser - A browser is a
program that allows you to display pages that are located on the
Internet. Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer are examples of
commonly used and available browsers.
- Email program will be an essential tool
for on-line work. You will need your own email account. Examples of
email programs are Eudora, Pegasus, MS Exchange or Outlook, Netscape
Messenger. You can also get free email service from Hotmail, Yahoo,
and lots of other places.
- Text editor program (Notepad is
included with Windows).
- WinZip or equivalent file compression
utility.
Top of
the Page
Skill Issues
Basic computer skills
- Start the computer
- Mouse skills - be able to click,
double-click, drag and drop
- Start and use Windows programs
(including using menus and online Help)
- Use Windows Explorer to find and to
save files, manage directories and to rename, copy and move files
- Use a word-processor (e.g. Microsoft
Word) or text editor (e.g. Notepad) to enter text.
- Use a file compression program (e.g. WinZip)
Using a browser
You will need to know how to use the basic
features of a browser - these include:
- the ability to enter URLs in the
location bar
- how to move back and forwards between
pages
- how to refresh or reload pages
- how to use links
- how to save bookmarks
- how to download files and save them
Configuring browsers
- enabling Java and JavaScript
- how to configure a proxy server if
necessary
Top of
the Page
Where to Now?
Now you have found your readiness for
online learning. If you feel confident with your skill level in the
above areas, you are ready for online learning! Here are some tips to help you make this course a fun learning
experience for you:!
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Set yourself a schedule and log
in to the course website on a regular basis. --
check the course site every Monday morning to see what tasks you'll need
to work on for the week. Each week's lesson will be activated at 12:00
a.m. on Monday.
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Do a little bit each day and
don't wait till the last minute to do the assignment. Waiting until the last minute almost
guarantees that you won't be able to complete your assignments by
deadline. WebCT will mysteriously be down right before you are ready
to hit the submit button or 5 minutes before midnight on Sunday.
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Become very familiar with the
course web site and WebCT. Different tools in WebCT, such as chat,
threaded discussions, and
email are used to help you learn!
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Get to know
your classmates. Taking online class does not mean that you are on
your own. You can team up with your classmates to
discuss class assignments or any questions you might have.
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Participate in chat sessions and
threaded discussions to make
learning fun together! Ask questions when you need
answers. Particularly, if you have technical problems,
contact your instructor as soon as possible! We will find the answer
and solution together.
Here are more tips on Learning at a Distance:
Top of
the Page
Course
Objectives
After completing this course, you
will be able to:
- Define the Internet.
- Explain how Internet is changing the world.
- List and define the eight basic Internet services of e-mail, listserv, newsgroups, chat, FTP, telnet, Gopher, and the World Wide Web.
- Find ISP in your local area.
- Get connected to the Internet.
- Communicate over the Internet though email, listserv, newsgroups, and forums.
- Use Internet search engines.
- Choose the proper tool for creating Web pages.
- Lay out Web page elements effectively.
- Publish documents on the Web.
- Use multimedia on the Internet.
- Make a waveform audio recording.
- Link sounds , movies, and animations to Web pages.
- Discuss the societal issues of equity, privacy, security, protectionism, censorship,
decency, copyright, and fair use.
Top of the Page
What
You Will Learn This Week
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Chapter 1: Definitions
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What
is the Internet?
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Who
is using the Internet?
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How
fast is the Internet growing?
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What
are the Internet services?
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Electronic
Mail
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Listserv
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Usenet Newsgroups
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Chat
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videoconferencing
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FTP
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Multimedia
streaming
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World Wide Web
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Client-server computing
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What
are domains and subdomains?
Top of
the Page
Activities
for This Week
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Mandatory Orientation -
Please attend one of the following orientations in Building 21, Room 2146, Academic Computing
Center, Pensacola Campus.
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Tour the course web site
- Syllabus, Calendar, Assignments, Resources, and FAQ. You can find
your weekly lesson from the Calendar page by clicking on the date of the
week.
You can't access WebCT if Internet is down at PJC. Fortunately,
the course content is hosted on two different servers, one at PJC and the
other one at UWF. You should be able to access the weekly lesson
except that you may not be able to post your assignments since WebCT server
is located at PJC. Please bookmark both sites and hope that there is
always one site that is up and running while the other site is down.
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Email your instructor the result of
your Learning Style Inventory Test
- Take the
learning
style inventory test to assess your learning styles.
Use WebCT to email your Learning Style Inventory test results (scores and percentages on Visual, Auditory, and
Kinesthetic) to your instructor. You can either type your scores and percentages on Visual, Auditory, and
Kinesthetic in your email or simply copy and paste it to your email.
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Bulletin
Board -
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Biography &
Photo - Let's get to
know everybody in the class. Please tell us something about you. For
example, tell us who you are, what you do, why you are taking this online
class, what you expect to learn from this class, anything that you'd like to
share with the class. Also, we are going to make a course homepage. Please
send a digital picture of yourself as an attachment with your biography, if
you didn't have your picture taken at the orientation. Remember, this is a part of class participation.
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Personal
Email Address and AOL Instant
Messenger Screen Name - Get a screen name from
AOL Instant Messenger and post your personal email address
and your AOL Instant Messenger screen name with your biography on the Bulletin Board
in WebCT.
Assignment 1 -
Business, Advertising, and Online Shopping. Value equals 3 points
toward your grade in the course.
Shopping on the Web has grown rapidly
and you can now buy almost anything online. Go to the
Internet Literacy Web
site to visit the shopping sites. Which of these sites make shopping
easier? Are you more comfortable buying some products on the Web? If so, which
ones? Why? If not, Why not? Post
this
assignment on the threaded discussion in WebCT.
Assignment 2 - Regional and Local Networks and User Satisfaction.
Value equals 3 points toward your grade in the course
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With the larger national online
services available, why would you choose a regional/local network? Are there
features available from these vendors that make a regional/local provider more
appealing?
-
Who is your Internet Service
Provider? Are you satisfied with your Internet connectivity? Which factors are
most important to you in selecting an ISP?
Top of
the Page
Conclusion
At the end of this lesson, you have learned:
All about this course
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Syllabus
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Grading
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Calendar
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Assignments
Different features in WebCT
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Create
an account
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Login
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E-mail
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Chat
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Threaded
discussions
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My Record
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Change Password
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Course Resources
What the Internet is and
how it is changing the world.
How to get connected to the
Internet and to surf the Net.
Assignments
After completing
this lesson, you will submit the following assignments in WebCT:
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Use WebCT Email to email your learning style inventory test results
to your instructor. |
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In
WebCT Threaded Discussion, post your answers to the
Assignments 1 and 2 by replying to your instructor's main
message. |
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In
WebCT Threaded Discussion, click
on
Week 1
- Introduction: Let's Get to Know Each Other in the Class posted by your instructor and post your messages by replying
to your instructor's main message. Remember to include your
biography, personal email address and your AOL Instant Messenger screen name
in your reply and send your
digital photo as an attachment. |
What we will do in next lesson: Understanding the Internet
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