Course Name: Internet in Instruction
Credit: Baker University offers 3 hrs graduate credit
Instructor: Gary Andersen, Coordinator of Instructional Technology,
625 Minnesota Ave., Kansas City, KS 66101 Phone 913-279-2211, fax 913-279-2278,
e-mail: gander@kckps.k12.ks.us
Access: Information and tools to access this on-line course are all available at http://www.kckps.k12.ks.us/course.html
Internet in Instruction is an on-line staff development course designed to assist Kansas City, Kansas schools and teachers in the development of curriculum and instruction utilizing the Internet as an educational communications tool. Topics addressed will be Internet tools, the World Wide Web (WWW), e-mail, mailing lists, development of WWW documents, development of on-line instruction, constructivism in on-line education, and the development of cooperative, integrated projects using Internet technology. The purpose of the course is to develop a cadre of teachers conducting joint in-district projects over the Internet using the WWW and e-mail. All participants will be provided with a district WAN login and an access to a computer and the Internet at school and preferably at home as well. A limited number of teacher, (12-24) can be accepted to this year-long, 6 credit hour experience. Interested teachers will be selected based on several criteria listed below.
1. Level of commitment of your school in providing hardware support. Part
or all of various costs
such as computer(s), network cards $70, room wiring costs $300, etc. will
be negotiated with the
school principal.
2. Any previous experience by the applicant in using computers as an instructional
tool.
3. Any innovative uses of computer technology by the applicant.
4. Any previous experience in using Internet technology.
5. Commitment of the teacher to the development of student centered, Internet
- based project.
Prerequisite Information :While
there are no prerequisite courses required for this course there are some
previous experiences which are necessary for students to be successful
in this course. Students in this course should have the following experience
and resourses:
 | A working knowledge of a modern computer operating system; Windows 3.11 or Win 95 or Mac OS. |
| An understanding of file and directory structures |
| Access to a computer at home. |
| A minimum of one and a recommended five Internet capable computers in the participants classroom. |
Course content and organization : The course will be broken into two semesters. This syllabus represents the first of those semesters. The first semester will be a planning and development phase. The second semester will be an implementation and assessment phase. During the first semester there will be three foci. First Internet tools will be introduced and added to the teacher repetoir of skills. Secondly, the KCKPS teacher will review current learning theories and the best uses of instructional technology. Thirdly, the participants will plan a unit experience for their students which shall be implemented during the second semester which incorporates the theory and practice . During the second semester the participants will engage in the final preparation and refinement of their units, implementation of their units and the assessment of their units as effective instructional experiences for their students. Semester one includes four units of study. These units of study are:
Below each of the four units is divided into respective lessons. Unit one consists of four lessons, unit two consists of three lessons, and units three and four each consist of four lessons each. A brief description of each of these lessons is given below.
Unit One: Internet Tools and their Use
Lesson 1-1 Title and Description: Using web browsers and search strategies - Students will learn the features of Netscape 3.1 gold as well as the kinds of services web servers provide. They will also learn how to best locate information they need using key word searching strategies. They will also learn about acceptable use policy and how to best manage student net behavior.
Lesson 1-2 Title and Description: Using E-mail and listservs - Students will learn the basic features of the Eudora e-mail program. They will also learn about listservs and how to find them, obtain information from them, subscribe to them, and unsubscribe from them.
Lesson 1-3 Title and Description: Creating web documents and utilizing the web server. - Students will learn how to use Netscape 3.1 gold to create web documents complete with images, links, and backgrounds. They will learn how to submit these documents to the KCKPS district web server.
Lesson 1-4 Title and Description: Advanced web features; Making presentations, audio and special files available on-line. - Students will learn how to place audio files, powerpoint presentations and software for downloading on the KCKPS server. They will also learn how to create web documents with frames.
Unit Two: Focusing on Instructional Theory, and Strategies Applied in Technology Based Instruction and on the Internet
Lesson 2-1 Title and Description: Contrasting Behaviorist Theory and Constructivist Theory in their Applications to Internet-based Instructional Design - Students will review the basic tenets of constructivist theory as well as behaviorist theory. They will contrast the two theories and identify features of Internet based instructional practice which are based on these two approaches.
Lesson 2-2 Title and Description: Other Learning Theories: Situated Cognition Theory, Component Display Theory, Minimalism Theory and Their Applications in Internet-Based Instruction - Students will examine these theories of learning related to Instructional technology and identify examples of technology -based instruction which are based upon them.
Lesson 2-3 Title and Description: Theory as a Basis for Instructional Design of Internet Projects - Students will analyze the instructional dimensions of a variety of Internet-based projects and identify the learning theories that underlie them. Students will describe the learning theories which they would utilize in developing and Internet-based instructional unit.
Unit 3 Title: Examining Internet Based Projects and Instruction
Lesson 3-1 Title and Description: Taxonomy of Internet Based Projects - Students will examine the various genre of Internet-based projects and identify the characteristics which make them successful.
Lesson 3-2 Title and Description: Instructional Objectives and Curriculum Standards - Students will examine the national, state and local standards for various disciplines and understand how they are translated into Internet-based instructional units.
Lesson 3-3 Title and Description: Internet project protocols - Students will examine the needs for determining student protocols in an Internet-based instructional unit.
Lesson 3-4 Title and Description: Assessment of Instruction and of Programs - Students will review the features of a quality assessment in two contexts. First the formative and summative assessment of student knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Secondly the assessment of the success of the instructional unit.
Unit 4 Title: Designing an Instructional Unit Utilizing Internet Resources
Lesson 4-1 Title and Description: Selection of Curriculum and Instructional Objectives - Students will develop the general curriculum characteristics and the instructional objectives they will address with an Internet-based instructional unit.
Lesson 4-2 Title and Description: Defining the Tools and Specifications - In this lesson students will be guided along in choosing the technology and features they will incorporate into their Internet-based instructional unit.
Lesson 4-3 Title and Description: Design of Instructional Methods - Students will be guided in the development of the instructional protocols they will use in an Internet-based instructional unit.
Lesson 4-4 Title and Description: Design of Assessment - Students will design the student assessments for their instructional unit as well as the program assessment for their unit.
Lesson Schedule: While the course is offered primarily on-line, there will be some face to face meetings scheduled so that an orientation can take place as well as an oral presentation by participants equivalent to a small professional conference. Guest teachers will be invited to the final presentation meetings as an audience for the professional development which occurs during the course. Below is the schedule. All meetings are scheduled at McKinley Professional Development Center, 611 N. 14th St., Kansas City Kansas.
| September 8 - Orientation meeting. Required. 4:30pm. Participants will attend this meeting to provide a face to face introduction, take a class picture and obtain orientation information. Additionally Baker University will be present to conduct enrollment procedures. |
| October 27 - Mid term meeting. 4:30pm. Optional. Participants will gather informally to discuss the progress on their projects, provide feedback to the instructor about the course and obtain help if necessary. |
| December 8, December 15 - 4:30pm. Required. Final conference presentations. Participants will give oral presentations to the class and invited guests outlining their plans for Internet units to be implemented in the spring semester. |
Course Objectives:
List of skills and knowledge:
Participants will acquire skills, knowledge and hopefully some positive attitudes as a result of participating in the Internet in Instruction course. A few of these are listed below as examples.
Participants will be able to:
| use a web browser as an effective search tool in located instructional resources. |
| communicate the KCKPS acceptible use policy to their students and formulate strategies to develop students responsible behavior. |
| use an e-mail program to communicate with peers and subscribe to pertinent listservs. |
| use a web editor to create educational resources and tools for their students. |
| move web documents to the KCKPS web server. |
| create frame-based web documents. |
| create a web page with links to audio, video or powerpoint presentation files. |
| understand constructivist theory and identify instructional strategies which translate that theory to the classroom. |
| contrast constructivist and behaviorist theories and identify their applications in instruction. |
| identify the learning theory and instructional practices upon which an Internet-based learning unit is based. |
| compare two types of Internet-based learning projects from Judi Harris' list. |
| identify national, state and local curriculum and instructional standards that are addressed in an instructional unit found on the Internet. |
| evaluate the protocols in projects found on the Internet. |
| analyze an assessment process for a project found on the Internet. |
| develop the general curriculum characteristics and the instructional objectives they will address with an Internet-based instructional unit |
| develop the tools and technical features they will include in an Internet-based instructional project. |
| develop the instructional protocols they will include in an Internet-based instructional project. |
| design the student assessments for their instructional unit as well as the program assessment for their Internet-based instructional unit. |
Instructional Delivery Process for Internet in Instruction:
Orientation session - The course begins with an orientation session on September 8. At this session the participants will be introduced to the objectives, requirements, content and protocols of the course. Expectations will be communicated concerning time schedules, assignments, participant portfolios and final project. A class picture will be taken and posted with student information on the Internet in Instruction web site.
Directions for participating in course - Teachers (limited to employees of KCKPS) interested in taking the course Internet in Instruction will need to fill out and return an application form. This form is mailed out to all district teachers and is also available as a html document on this server. (Click Here for Application). The course syllabus, materials and lessons will all be available at http://www.kckps.k12.ks.us/course.html. Applications should be e-mailed to Gary Andersen at gander@kckps.k12.ks.us or sent via regular mail or inter-school mail to Gary Andersen, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, 625 Minnesota Ave., Kansas City, KS 66101. All applicants will be notified by February 1 by mail if they are selected to be participants or if they are on the waiting list. Due to the work load on the instructor the course will be limited to 30 participants. Participants will be selected from applicants based upon the level of support from the school and the prerequisite information described above in the course description section and found on the application. Participants may take the course for graduate credit (3 hours) from Baker University or with Individual Development Plan (IDP) points from KCKPS staff development program. Selected participants will have their classrooms wired by KCKPS if necessary over the summer months so that they will have full classroom access by the time the course starts. Participants will attend the orientation meeting on September 8.
Technical requirements - Participants should have an Internet-capable computer in their classroom and at home. The computer should have a minimum of 16Mb RAM preferrably 32Mb RAM, a recommended 1.2 Gb hard drive, sound card, 28.8 baud modem speed or higher. Operating systems should be Windows 3.11, Windows 95 or Mac OS 7.x. Software requirements include Netscape Navigator Gold 3.01 or higher, Eudora Lite, Winsock FTP, Fetch for Macintosh.
Technical assistance - Technical support for the Internet in Instruction Course will consist of several options. Students may; 1.) send e-mail to the instructor, 2.) call the KCKPS district Technology Information Services help desk at 279-2330, 3.) send e-mail to the class list serve at idisc@busboy.sped.ukans.edu, 4.) call the instructor on the telephone at work 279-2211 or at home 432-9823.
Because of the lack of available staff, most of the technical support for Internet in Instruction in KCKPS will have to be provided by the instructor who serves as the Coordinator of Instructional Technology.
Course Features:
A. On-line web based lessons - Each lesson will have a web link which will provide instruction in the form of text, images and some audio support. Students will be able to complete the lessons using Netscape 3.0 Gold or later web browser and editor. They can use Netscape e-mail or Eudora Lite e-mail to send activities, article reviews, and project information to the instructor for feedback.
B. Activities - Each lesson will have one or more required activities which will be completed by the participant and e-mailed to the instructor. Students will have several opportunities to submit and refine ideas for project development during the course. Initial ideas will be emailed to the instructor for feedback. An e-mail link to the instructor will be constructed on the web site so that students can send e-mail from their web browser. Alternatively, students may choose to use a separate e-mail program to accomplish this task. Shorter development focus assignments will be given during the various units which will be e-mailed to the instructor for feedback.
C. Participant Presentations - Participants will be required to present at an ending conference held on Dec 8 and Dec 15. The presentation will include a tour of the project developed. Each project presentation should include a description of the instructional theories it is based upon, the instructional and curricular standards it addresses, the technological tools utilized, the instructional protocols followed, and the assessments used for students and on the overall project. The purpose of this work is to assist participants in actually preparing a presentation for a professional conference and all participants will be encouraged to follow up by applyingd and presenting at a local, regional or national educational or technology conference.
D. Web Server Support - Participants will be assigned a school directory on the web server. The expectations are that each student will maintain the following; 1. An introductory web page with personal information and links to the next two items. 2. A portfolio which documents learning and growth during the course. 3. A web site which details the required Internet-based project that each teacher is to develop for the course. Examples of the work of previous students may be found at http://www.kckps.k12.ks.us/course.html. The web site will be designed, implemented, and maintained by the teacher. This web site will include links to national, state and local curriculum standards upon which the project is based, background information, instructional objectives, a description of the instructional protocols, any instructional tools or software used by the project, assessment strategies utilized for students as well as the overall project and the summarized results of the assessments.
E. Article Reviews - Participants will submit via e-mail, two brief reviews of papers, chapters from books, journal articles, or on-line publications from the assigned or recommended reading list. Comments and formative feedback will be returned from the instructor via e-mail.
F. On-line Portfolio - Participants will create and maintain
an on-line, web-based portfolio representing the progress in knowledge,
skills and attitudes over the course. This portfolio should contain evidence
that the student has mastered some piece of knowledge or skill. The purpose
of the portfolio is to document growth and learning during the course.
It should not be just a collection of assignments. It should contain annotations
and explanations of what the various entries represent in terms
of personal learning.
Following are some ideas for items to enter into your on-line portfolio.......
| Checklists of skills mastered. |
| Annotated screen prints from class sessions. |
| Weekly logs or journal - diary type entries. |
| Annotated assignment entries. |
| Annotated articles you have read which relate to learnings in the class. |
G. Instructional Projects - Participants will design, implement and assess an instructional unit which utilizes Internet tools and resources. It should also involve collaboration with other students and teachers at remote sites. This project including, goals, objectives, description of protocols, instructional tools and assessments, shall be placed on the district web server as noted in section D. Web Server Support above. It should also be the subject of the conference presentations discussed in section C above. This project is essentially the main focus of the class. It is the "product" which participants will create over the course of an entire school year. It will, no doubt, consume the most time of all activities carried out during the class.
Instructional Resources
Required Readings - The two required textbooks (Netlearning) and (The Internet Roadmap) are available at Borders's books. For participants of the Internet in Instruction class the books are also available from the instructor. The books may be obtained at the orientation meeting. Additionally some readings are on-line and may be accessed through links in the course web page. Finally the readings from journals and papers that are not on-line are available for checkout from the McKinley Professional Development Center, 611 N. 14th, Kansas City, KS 66102 (ph 913-551-3648) or from Gary Andersen or Roxy Malone 279-2334..
Unit One Readings: Internet Tools and Their Use
Serim, Ferdi, Koch, Melissa. (1996). Netlearning: Why Teachers Use the Internet. Sebasopol, CA: Songline Studios, Inc. and O’Reilly & Associates. - Required Reading
Wilson, Elizabeth A. (1996) . The Internet Roadmap or Educators. Arlington, VA: Educational Research Service, 1996. - Required Reading
Unit Two Readings: Focusing on Instructional Theory, and Strategies Applied in Technology Based Instruction and on the Internet
Sushkin, Nick. (1996). Learning Theory, WPI Seminar in College Teaching Homepage. [Online]. Available: http://www.wpi.edu/~isg_501/nsushkin-th.html. - Required Reading
Kearsley, Greg. (1997). Explorations in Learning & Instruction: The Theory Into Practice Database. [Online]. Available: http://www.gwu.edu/~tip/theories.html. - Required Reading
Strommen, Erik F. and Bruce Lincoln. (1995). Constructivism, Technology, and the Future of Classroom Learning. [Online]. Available: http://www.ilt.columbia.edu/ilt/papers/construct.html. - Required Reading
Zahorik, John A., (1997). Encouraging - and Challenging Students’ Understanding, Educational Leadership. Vol 54, No 6, March 1997 pp 30-32. - Required Reading
Secules, Teresa, Cottom, Carolyn, Bray, Melinda, Miller, Linda. (1997). Creating Schools for Thought. Educational Leadership. Vol 54, No 6, March 1997pp. 56-60. - Required Reading
Pool, Carolyn, R., (1997). Maximizing Learning, A Conversation with Renate Numella Caine. Educational Leadership. Vol 54, No 6, March 1997. pp 11-15. - Required Reading
Unit Three Readings: Examining Internet Based Projects and Instruction
Cardellichio, Thomas, Field, Wendy. (1997). Seven Strategies that Encourage Neural Branching. Educational Leadership. Vol 54, No 6, March 1997. pp 33-36. - Required Reading
Antonietti, Alessandro, (1997). Unlocking Creativity. Educational Leadership. Vol 54, No 6, March 1997. pp 73-75. - Required Reading
Carter, Carolyn J. Why Reciprocal Teaching? Educational Leadership. Vol 54, No 6, March 1997. pp. 64-68. - Required Reading
Harris, Judi. (1997). Judi Harris’ Networked-Based Educational Activity Structures. [Online]. Available: http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/Activity-Structures/Harris-Activity-Structures.html
Harris, Judi. (1997). Mining the Internet columns from The Computing Teacher/Learning and Leading with Technology. [Online]. Available: http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/Mining/Overview.html
Suggested Readings
Steen, Douglas R., Roddy, Mark R., Sheffield, Derek, Stout, Michael Bryan. (1995). Teaching with the Internet. Bellevue, WA: Resolution Business Press Inc. - Suggested Reading
Classroom Connect. Lancaster, PA. Summer 1997, Vol 3, No. 9. - Suggested Reading
Institute for Learning Technology . (1997). Readings, Technology and School Reform. Teachers College Columbia University [Online]. Available at: http://www.ilt.columbia.edu/k12/livetext/readings/index.html -Suggested Reading
Course Support Features
A. Course List Serve (idisc): A course list serve (idisc@busboy.sped.ukans.edu) has already been established for Internet in Instruction in Kansas City Kansas Public Schools. This list serve will continue to serve for future on-line versions of the course. The list serve is known as idisc and is established on the busboy server at the University of Kansas. Users may subscribe by sending subscribe idisc in the body of a message to majordomo@busboy.sped.ukans.edu. This list serve is utilized by members of the current class to discuss class issues, share ideas and resources, and hold a public discussion on various topics. In order to establish an on-going learning community in Kansas City Kansas Public Schools, past participants in the class from previous years are encouraged to stay subscribed to the list and interact with the current class. Additionally the list is maintained as a public list so that anyone interested in promoting the goals of the course may particpate. The role of the list serve is to establish a diverse learning community interested in the development of Internet based learning resources for students (primarily K-12).
B. Class Roster: The class roster will again be found on-line as occurred last year. A group photo will be taken the first night of class and a class picture will be displayed on the course roster page. Students will certainly be given the option of not appearing in the photo but it has been my experience that they enjoy having themselves in the picture. Other information appearing in the class roster will be their school, grade level taught, and the content area in which they work. An email button will allow others to send the students email from this page. Additionally the students’ portfolio and their project work will be made available here linked off of their name. As part of their course project assignment they will create and maintain their own web site which will provide an open look at their work. The idea behind this is again to create an open, learning community where the work and creativity of participants is shared with others.
C. E-mail to Instructor: As described above, e-mail will be used extensively by the instructor to receive student assignments and provide feedback to students. All e-mailed student assignments, correspondence and teacher responses and feedback will be archived by the instructor. It is recommended that students use and annotate appropriate portions of their assignments and correspondence as material for their personal portfolio required by the class.
D. Web server access: Each student will receive an account on the District web server. They will be able to utilize disk space on this server for project and portfolio information.
Assignments
a. Article reviews - Each student will select two journal articles or two chapters from a text from the reading list or suggested readings list. This review should include an overview of the main points of the article or chapter and some statements of reaction and application from the student's point of view. This review should be submitted via e-mail to the instructor.
b. Lesson assignments - Each lesson will be accompanied by at least one assignment. These assignments will be detailed within the lesson on the web server. Students will complete the assignments according to the instructions given and send them via e-mail to the instructor.
c. On-line portfolio - Each student will be required to maintain a personal portfolio documenting learning and growth over the period of the course.
Essay writing, logs or journal entries. Both narrative or expository writings would be appropriate. Collections Surveys of knowledge, skill or attitudes. Reflections Assessments Documentation Photos or drawings. Concept maps or webs. Time lines. Flowcharts. Bullet Charts. Checklists of skills mastered. Reviews of literature read or studied. Peer Reviews Notes from class, meetings, interviews, or conferences.
Most all items in a portfolio should be accompanied by annotations which explain to the audience the significance of the entry. Simply placing a document by itself may not communicate to the examiner of the portfolio why that document is evidence of some significant learning..
d. Project - Each student should create a detailed unit lesson or project which utilizes Internet resources in an effective way. This is a long term assignment and will take the entire semester to complete. This project should be quite comprehensive and include the following components;
| Abstract |
| Purpose |
| A description of the learning theories upon which the project is based. |
| A description of the national, state, and local curriculum standards upon which this project is based. |
| Learning goals and instructional objectives for students. |
| A complete description of protocols and instructions for teachers to follow in completing or participating in the project. Include all the resources with which the students will interact. Include all the implementation activities. |
| A description of how students will be assessed in the unit or project. Include all assessment instruments. |
| A description of how the project itself will be assessed. Include all assessment instruments. |
Course Performance Evaluation
a. Article or chapter reaction papers. - Two brief reaction papers will be required. (10 % each), (20% total)
b. Lesson Assignments - (20%)
c. On-line Portfolio - a description of the on-line portfolio required. (20%)
d. Project - a description of the final project. (40%)