Assignment/Activity Details

See Procedures for Assignments.

0. Searching for the truth

Often in school, or through various media, we learn shorthand statements that capture some aspects of the truth, but fall short in other ways, In most cases, if we understood why these statements fell short, we would have a much deeper understanding of the knowledge domain in question and would likely find the topic itself more interesting.

For example, we learn that "in 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue" and that he discovered America. But what did he really discover and in what sense did he discover it?

For Activity 0, choose one of the following commonplace statements (or come up with a similar substitute). Then use the web to see what you can learn about why it may be limited or false in some interesting way. If you already know a lot about the domain, keep searching until you come up with something you didn't already know. Can you trust what you've found on the web?

  • Columbus discovered America in 1492.
  • You should choose your food from the four food groups.
  • There are five senses: taste, smell, touch, sight, and hearing.
  • There are seven continents.
  • People in France speak French.
  • There are nine planets in our solar system.
  • Milk is the best treatment for an ulcer.
  • Benjamin Franklin discovered electricity.
Post a brief summary of your findings to the WebBoard Activity 0 conference.

Then, post the same as the first CTERbase assignment. (We'll use the first assignment space in CTERbase twice, once for this assignment and once for the ePortfolio. You'll see a "?" icon once assignment 0 has been reviewed.)

1. ePortfolio

Your ePortfolio should contain the following information:
  • Your name (linked to your personal homepage, if any)
  • The title: "ePortfolio"
  • A personal photo (not too large)
  • Name and location of your school/school district
  • Grade level(s) and subjects you teach
  • Clickable e-mail link to you
  • Short biographical paragraph
  • Link to your personal "curricular hot list" page (with an annotation for each link). One way to conceive it is in terms of links relevant to your project. That is, find a half dozen resources that might be useful for whatever project you're proposing and then add brief annotations of each.
  • A series of links to the activity summary pages that you create during this class. Your eportfolio then includes a compendium of all your assignments.
    • A few tips:
    • Feel  to show your individualities, but keep the pages easily navigable.
    • Make sure your links all work and check spelling. Most editors, including Netscape Composer will do the latter.
    • Check your eportfolio on at least one other machine. Sometimes backgrounds don't show up as you saw them, or the layout changes in weird ways.
    Announce your ePortfolio to the WebBoard Activity 1 conference, perhaps with any comments you have about what you'd like others to notice, or questions about curriculum resources.

    Then, post the URL for your ePortfolio as the first CTERbase assignment. Note that you'll be writing over the initial searching the web assignment.

    2. Project proposal

    During the first couple of weeks you'll lay the foundation for your major class project. Feel free to share your ideas with the class through WebBoard, but don't wait too long to commit your idea to "paper". Remember this is only a proposal; your idea can evolve during the course.

    See the Request for Proposals.

    Look here for some project ideas.

    3. Critiquing project proposals

    One important way to contribute is to share your thoughts regarding other's work. If you take the time to work for someone else's benefit, then more often than not they will reciprocate. Moreover, in critiquing another's work you may well gain insights in how to improve your own.

    Critiquing requires the resolve to actually read and understand what the other person means before responding. Start with the author's questions. As you critique, try to visualize how feasible, useful, and important the project would be. You all have experiences to share so share them. If you see problems, try to find constructive solutions.

    Provide feedback on at least two project proposals using the WebBoard Activity 3 conference. Some guidelines:

    • If you are not the first to respond, try to choose projects that have not received any response yet.
    • Don't worry that you don't know the area for a proposal well; the proposal should be understandable to people outside the field.
    • Be sure to specify which project you are responding to.
    • Put your responses together on your eportfolio.
    • You can use a target or a separate file.
    Then, post the URL as the third CTERbase assignment.

    4. Information Technology Tools

    The purpose of this activity is to help you develop better ways to analyze software and hardware resources -- information technology (IT) tools -- that you feel are appropriate for your area of interest. You already have a start on this with your curricular hotlist in your ePortfolio. You may expand on those web resources, but consider also software in other media, e.g., CD-ROMs, as well as standalone devices such as computer-based probes, graphing calculators, Lego/Logo, GPS, and videodisk.

    Investigate what IT tools are most applicable to your field using web searches, educational software catalogs, sites on educational software (e.g., TuCows), software outlets, etc. Identify at least five IT tools you would actually use or recommend for purchase, for example, a CD-ROM, a computer probe, and three good web sites. These could be tools already present in your school or work  which you haven't had the time to investigate thoroughly before.

    Evaluate these tools for usability and usefulness. If you find an evaluation checklist that you feel is particularly well-designed or relevant to this task, please share that information with your classmates. One framework you might find useful is a taxonomy Jim Levin and I developed that attempts to shift the focus from technical features to pedagogical goals. See the paper itself, "Educational technology: Media for inquiry, communication, construction, and expression," or a realaudio overview (poorly delivered, I must confess). But you don't have to use any formal checklist or taxonomy. The key thing is to be clear about what you see as the special strengths and limitations of the tools you have chosen.

    Write a brief (100-200 words) description for each tool you identify. You may use any format you choose as a means to organize your comments. This analysis goes beyond the brief annotations you di for the curricular hotlist and should show that you're able to evaluate strengths and weaknesses of different approaches,

    Post your analysis on your ePortfolio in the resource area.

    Share a highlight of what you learned with the class on the WebBoard Activity 4 conference, with a URL pointing to the complete set of your descriptions. Then post the URL for that WebBoard message in CTERbase.

    5. Critically reading the web

    There is an immense amount of information on the web. More and more organizations and individuals are rushing to put information on the web and it is often unclear who the author is or whether anyone else has vetted the material. Very often, apparently archival information is opinion, misinformation, advertising, or half-truth, not to mention the problems of transcription errors and out-of-date pages. These issues are not new to the web, but rather highlight the importance of critical reading in any media.

    How can students evaluate the information they find on the web? Should they have different standards for the web versus print encyclopedias, journal article, newspapers, television? What criteria should they use?

    Below are just a few resources on critically reading the Web that you should become familiar with. There are many more resources available on the Web that you may also wish to explore. If you find new ones in your searching, share them with the group.

    In WebBoard conference 5, discuss how you might approach validating web-based information with your students (and post the WebBoard URLs in CTERbase). Then, with other students in this class, discuss (on WebBoard) ways that you might develop a unit to teach students about this issue.

    6. Open Source

    "Open source" is a concept about how knowledge is constructed and shared, with implications for whether it is seen as intellectual property or collaborative inquiry.

    Review the resources in the Open Directory category: Computers/Open_Source.

    You might also look at "The Cathedral and the Bazaar" by Eric Raymond, including a brief look at some of the commentaries posted there. If that article seems too technical, "The Future of Music" by Ram Samudrala is probably more accessible. Look at "About Open Directory" as well.

    Discuss in webboard the implications of these ideas for education (and as before, post a link to your work in CTERbase).

    7. Exploring Emerging Technologies

    Whereas the curricular hotlist in assignment #1 and the information technology tools in assignment #4 focused on the here and now, this assignment allows you to look to the horizon and beyond to consider what might be. Of course, things are changing so rapidly that the list below, made two years ago, included some commonplace technologies.

    Select one emerging technology to investigate. Consider its

    • What it does
    • Potential educational use: How might it change teaching and learning?
    • When and how it could be obtained
    • Cost today, and in the future
    • URLs for more information
    • Hardware and software requirements
    • Whether needed resources are available in typical schools
    Below are some technologies you may wish to check out for this activity. Also, look at the Open Directory category: Computers for ideas (pick a subcategory you've never heard of).
    • JavaScript - JavaScript is an authoring language for Netscape browsers, which extends HTML with more interactive features. Authors add JavaScript code directly to their pages. Microsoft browsers can understand Jscript, a similar but not identical language.
    • Java applets - Java is a full-fledged programming language, similar to C++ or Pascal. An applet is a Java program which runs directly within a web browser, rather than as an independent program. Creating Java applets is a specialized skill, beyond the scope of this course. However, many Java applets suitable for education are available free across the Internet.
      • One excellent source is the Educational Object Economy. The EOE website links to thousands of Java applets, each reviewed by an educator; site visitors may add their own comments to the reviews.
    • Filemaker Pro Web Companion - Database programs let teachers and other information providers organize information (text, numbers or graphics) into records and fields which can be sorted, combined and otherwise manipulated. Filemaker Pro, from Claris Corp., is available for both Windows and Macintosh operating systems. The latest version, 4.0, can function as a web server, making it possible to write to and from databases via specially coded web pages. (Developers may add database coding to their pages by hand, or make use of a separate product, Claris HomePage 3.0, to assist them.) Limited but usable demos of both programs are available for downloading from the Filemaker website. The Educational Object Economy website, mentioned under Java applets above, is a fine example of a Filemaker-enabled site; EOE even makes its source files available, for educators who want to use them as a template for their own sites.
    • VRML (Virtual Reality Markup Language) - VRML allows web page users to navigate "three dimensionally" around a web page, using the mouse or keyboard commands. The way of moving around a VRML page is somewhat like what's used in computer shoot-em-up games like Doom or Quake. Educational uses for VRML might involve 3-D modeling of chemical or physical structures. (A keyword search for "VRML" with any of the major search engines (e.g., AltaVista, Yahoo!) will turn up many interesting sites; for best results, combine "VRML" with keywords relating to your area of educational interest.)
    • Macromedia Shockwave  - Shockwave is a browser "plugin" available in versions for both Netscape and Microsoft Internet Explorer. It allows web users to work with programs created with Macromedia Director and Authorware, two high-end authoring environments. Director and Authorware have many features useful to educational programmers, but are rather expensive and difficult to learn.
    • HyperStudio  - HyperStudio is a stand-alone product which permits users to create their own multimedia programs incorporating pictures, sounds and animation. It is used by pupils in many schools around the United States. There are browser "plugins" available from the developer which enable HyperStudio stacks to be displayed across the web.
    • RealPlayer - RealAudio and RealVideo are "streaming" protocols which compress audio and video files to a small size and allow them to be transferred to a web browser a little at a time. Streaming is something like pulling a long rope toward you, an arm's length at a time: the first few seconds of the file come across the Internet and begin playing, while the next few seconds are being brought in. (Browser plugins are free. So are server versions which permit only a few connections at a time. More powerful versions cost money.)
    • CU-SeeMe - CU-SeeMe software allows two-way audio and video communication across the Internet, even at modem speeds. Miniature digital video cameras such as QuickCam can  be used. There are both free and commercial versions of CU-SeeMe available, for both Macintosh and Windows operating systems. Configuration can be difficult, but the payoffs for connecting distant classes may make it worth the effort.
    • You can also check out neat sites like these for more ideas:
    • Advanced communication features of browsers. Web browsers and portals now include emailers, newsgroup readers, chat (by typing or by using a microphone and/or digital video camera), electronic whiteboards, calendars, and collaborative browsing. See also the Netscape plugins page.


    Discuss in webboard one from the list, or propose a different one if you wish (and as before, post a link to your work in CTERbase).

    8. History

    Use the web or other sources to locate an event in the history of educational technology that is worth noting on an Educational Technology Timeline. Some examples include:
    • the development of LOGO
    • the first use of time-sharing in education
    • the first widely-used children's word processor
    • the PLATO system
    • the first programmed instruction (in book format, not computer)
    • the first use or various major uses) of networking by teachers
    • the first microcomputer-based probes in education
    Try to pick a topic that no one else chooses, but that won't always be possible. Create a (HTML) timetable entry with your name, a title, the date of the event (including month and day, where possible) , a paragraph about the event, and links to other relevant events.

    Then, add  to that same page an imagined future event (be inventive!), with a title, date, a paragraph about the event, and links to other relevant events. The two events, past and future, do not have to be directly related.

    Use the targets (or anchors), "past" and "future" so that we can link directly to each write-up (e.g., <http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/students/chip/ePortfolio/timeline#past> and <http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/students/chip/ePortfolio/timeline#future>).

    Share your discoveries in WebBoard and post in CTERbase.

    9. Literacies

    Search on the web to see what you can find about the idea of new forms of literacy developing through new information and communication technologies. You could also look at some of the columns in the Technology Department of the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy:
    New literacies
    Mixing old technologies with new
    Learning through expression
    Electronic publication: Writing for the screen
    or at this chapter,
    The disappearance of technology: Toward an ecological model of literacy
    What would this postulated change in literacy practices mean for education, quite aside from any specific use of new technologies for teaching?
    1. Find at least one additional web source dealing with these issues.
    2. Go to the Literacy in the Information Age site in Open Directory and add the URL you found plus a description, using the Open Directory Project format.
    3. Discuss these issues and the site you found in WebBoard.
    4. Add your work to your eportfolio.
    5. Post a link to your work in CTERbase.

    10. Access

    Excellent technology resources are of little value without meaningful access to those resources. There are many factors limiting access, including financial, political, linguistic, knowledge, and disability barriers.

    For this activity, first check your existing Web pages for accessibility using Bobby, and make corrections to those pages as needed. Then, locate and read at least two articles or web sites pertaining to educational technology access issues.

    Discuss the classroom implications of these issues on webboard, including appropriate URLs. Consider the implications that computer-based instruction has for democratic education. Link what you've written to your eportfolio and post the URL in CTERbase.

    A good place to start your inquiry is Access.Edu  as well as by searching Yahoo or Open Directory. Also, be sure to look at the CTER white papers on these issues, including, but not limited to the one labeled "access". See also the column, How worldwide is the web?

    11. Policy

    [The written part of this activity can now be skipped.]

    In addition to access, a host of other social, ethical, and legal issues need to be reframed in the context of new information and communication technologies, including:

    • Credibility and Web Evaluation
    • Free Speech vs. Censorship
    • Privacy
    • Commercialism
    • Intellectual Property, Copyright, and Plagiarism
    • Unauthorized entry/security issues
    • Commercial fraud
    Select from among the topics listed above or propose other, perhaps a subcategory of one of these. Then, locate at least two resources (using the CTER white papers on these issues, if you wish, and some of the references they suggest). Consider your topic in light of school and/or district Acceptable Use Policies. If your district does not have an AUP or you do not have access to it, you can look at Champaign's AUP, Urbana's AUP, or find some on ISBE's Web site. How would you evaluate the current AUP approach in schools?

    Discuss the classroom implications of this issues on WebBoard, including appropriate URLs.  Link what you've written to your eportfolio and post the URL in CTERbase.

    12. Evaluation

    Review the resources in the Instructional Technology/Evaluation site in Open Directory.

    How do these issues apply to evaluation of your own project? Without necessarily conducting a full evaluation, what issues should you consider? Does your project bring up any evaluation challenges? You may also want to refer to the sources we have read earlier, especially those in Activities 5, 10, and 11.

    Evaluation should be part of any project, but the term "evaluation" refers to many different things, and that can be quite confusing.  For an educational technology project, it could mean at least any of these:

    1. Evaluation of the learning of students who participate in the project. This is often called "student assessment."
    2. Evaluation of the project materials.
    3. Evaluation of instructional program implied by the materials.
    4. Evaluation of your own learning as project developers.
    The final projects do not require elaborate evaluations, but you should pay some attention to the evaluation issues. Although what kind of evaluation you do is highly dependent on the particular project, there are some general guidelines.

    First, student assessment (#1) is usually a good idea, and developing rubrics for the project activities is a useful aspect of an overall project. But for some projects, assessment rubrics are premature at this stage.

    It may be even more valuable to consider what evaluation issues pertaining to #2 and #3, which your project brings up. That is, based on the development of your web pages and any work with students that you have done, what might be issues as you implement the project further? For example, at this point you may have an interesting web site for students to use. You may not have had time to see how different students respond, but you could identify key issues, maybe that you used a lot of text, and you need to find out whether that becomes a barrier for some students.

    The final notion of evaluation is to evaluate your own activity as a developer. What did you learn? Did you create something you'd like to continue working on? This can also appear in the Activity 14 (Reflections).

    1. Find at least one web source dealing with the evaluation of instructional technologies that is not already included in the Instructional_Technology/Evaluation site in Open Directory. You may use examples you found in previous activities.
    2. Go to the OD Evaluation site and add the URL you found plus a description, using the OD format.
    3. Discuss the issues above and the site you found in WebBoard .
    4. Add your work to your eportfolio.
    5. Post a link to your work in CTERbase.

    13. Final project

    Complete a final draft of this project and submit it for feedback. Once completed, these assignments should be linked from your ePortfolio page. If you feel that your project includes some inquiry-based learning, please consider submitting it to the Inquiry Page. Math and science projects might also be submitted to the MSTE database.

    Post your project to the WebBoard final project conference, providing a URL plus a 100-200 word summary.

    For the online section: Respond to two of your classmates' projects in webboard.

    Then, post the same as a CTERbase assignment.

    14. Reflections

    Finally, reflect on what you have learned during this course and where you feel there is potential for further growth by writing a paper (~1500-2000 words) describing your experiences. Use the following questions to organize your reflections, but go beyond them as you deem appropriate.
    • Information technologies: What have you learned about tools to access, manipulate and generate data? What additional features or tools do you feel you need to learn?
    • Communication technologies: What have you learned about communication tools? What additional features or tools do you feel you need to learn?
    • Curriculum: What have you learned about curriculum, teaching, and learning?
    • Policy: Briefly discuss what you have learned about legalities, special needs, and computer ethics surrounding computer use in the classroom. (I realize we skipped the specific activity, but these issues pervaded much of our work.)
    • Evaluation: What have you learned about evaluation of web pages, software, student work with technology, or technology-based curricula?
    Once again, post this as a CTERbase assignment, and, if you wish, share it or portions of it, with your classmates through WebBoard.