Week 1 Roadmap

Here is where each week you will see a checklist of things to do. It's your course "to do" list. It is a way of reminding you what is going on in the course, and also a way for you to recall what happened during each week. This week your tasks are to:

1. Read this entire page and follow the instructions
2. Read the course syllabus, policies, assignments, and schedule
3. Purchase the textbook and read chapter one
4. Peruse the guide to distance learning
5. Post your introduction on the Discussion forum, and read every person's introduction.
6. Start your own discusssion (optional)

Welcome to Week 1, and I'm glad to have you in this course. The page you are viewing now I call the "Roadmap" (main page) for Week 1. There will be a similar Roadmap each week for 14 weeks, so this format will become familiar to you very soon. Note the navigation links at the top and left of this and every page. These links will take you to the various parts of the course.

Right now you're reading the The Details for Week 1. Here I will have some general information to introduce the week. Continue on to see how this Roadmap page works.

Fun

Often I'll have some kind of fun activity or unusual website(s) to get the week off to a good start. These fun links are not a formal assignment. Instead I may just point out something interesting or unusual from the Web that you may want to visit.

For example, here is Make a Snowflake.

If you have a high speed connection, here's a site called Interactive Narratives, which features interesting multimedia and animated narrative sites from around the web.

This Week

In this space on the Roadmap each week I will have all the new learning activities for the current week. In other words, anything new will be here. The items from the above "to do" list will be explained in detail here.

There will be much for you to complete this week. You may want to print this page.

First, let me tell you that this course is going to move fast, and so must you. You must be prepared to set aside time to complete this course. We are all very busy working adults, often with significant work, family, and community responsibilities. Adding "graduate student" to your list of responsibilities is a major addition, with concomitant time requirements. Being a graduate student represents a significant life commitment.

You must check and respond to email every weekday, and read the web discussion boards at least three times per week and post at least twice per week.

Learning at a distance can be a very meaningful, intense, and engaging experience. It can be, however, potentially isolating. To help guard against this isolation and to reap the benefits of cooperative learning we will often interact in groups.

Note, this is an online course, but it is not a self-paced course. If this were a face-to-face course, we would be meeting approximately three hours per week in class, and then have homework activities. You should be prepared to spend at least twelve hours per week on this course.

So, if you are ready, willing, and can commit the time, let's hit the ground running full steam.

If you did not already, read through the entire website using the navigation links at the top left. Visit the Discussions page, and the Gradebook as well.

During this semester we will be using the WebCT course management system (CMS). WebCT is a fair tool for organizing course information. It's not perfect, but it's pretty good. You will note at the outer top left that there are

Those of you who are web savvy have already realized that my course is actually its own web site which is being displayed as a frame within WebCT. This structure allows me to host my course documents wherever I wish, while taking advantage of the good things WebCT offers, such as the discussion forums and gradebook.

The main reason I set this course up this way is that I don't want my course content to be password-protected. I want my course content to be available to whoever wants to see it, and not hidden behind a password scheme. I strongly support open and public access to educational opportunity.

Since our class discussions and roster information is truly within WebCT, only class members can see that part, so your privacy is protected.

We'll spend this week meeting each other, and learning about this course. Be sure that you completely read this entire page before you start working.

You cannot successfully complete the weekly activities in one sitting. The course is designed so that you must complete activities throughout the week. Be sure, however, that you complete your weekly activities by each Wednesday night by 11:30 P.M. Central Standard Time. Remember to be kind to your group members and complete any group activities early in the class week.

In the syllabus you saw the textbook for this course.

The book is available now in our bookstore, or you can order it from an online bookstore. We will use the text extensively and it is required. Order it today if you do not already have it in hand.

I will be sending you a greeting via listserv (e-mail list) this week. Check your UM email account every weekday. We will conduct our class discussions and interaction primarily via the web discussion boards, not via listserv and email.

Barry Willis in his "Guides for Distance Learning" presents a web tutorial, Distance Education: An Overview that is excellent. Visit this guide and spend a few minutes perusing it.

Resource of the Week

In this space each week I'll highlight some important resource from the world of instructional design and technology, or some emerging tool or trend. This week, it's our Resources page.

In a face to face class, I like to tell some stories and let you get to know me, so this space will be for that purpose online.

I'm looking forward to getting to know you, and we will interact very frequently during this course. Visit this introductory page from me. Then spend a half hour or so visiting my web site, where you can see what sorts of things I write about and am working on. There are also some related links there that will be useful to you in this course. Then read my short biography as a way of introduction.

In this space each week I will have some concluding remarks or reminders, or something of that nature to bring closure to the week. Class discussions are a part of this course. Be sure to log in several times over the course of each week to communicate with others in the course and to keep up with the course. I strongly encourage you to initiate discussion. We have virtually unlimited web space so take advantage of it.

Remember each week ends on Wednesday at 11:30 P.M., and any assignments for the week are due then. Take my advice. I have seen many students do well online, and some do poorly. Those that do well plan and begin their work early in the week, and stay well ahead of deadlines. This allows one to avoid procrastination stress. And this prevents any technical problems from becoming emergencies.

I'm very glad to have you in the course,

Dr. Trey Martindale