Getting ready for the on-line EDIT 6150 course

EDIT 6150 Introduction to Computer-Based Education
Summer Semester May Session, Online course, June 5- July 1, 2008

Notes from Ike on getting ready for this course (first class is on June 5)...

I strongly recommend you come to Athens for a face-to-face meeting on the first class on June 5 : We will meet at 5:15 pm in Room 618 Aderhold Hall. I will demonstrate the technology that we will be using in the course and provide a good thorough orientation to the course. Email me through the WebCt to confirm whether you will be coming to this meeting.

This course will be offered online. An online class is a very different learning experience from a traditional on-campus class. The flexibility inherent in an online class is balanced by the need for individuals to have a positive attitude toward learning at a distance, coupled with good personal time management skills.

This course will use asynchronous (any time, any place) technologies. This means that much of the work you will do will be completed independently. There will be many resources to assist you with your work (electronic, print and human-based), but you will need to put in considerable time on your own in order to meet the instructional objectives of this course.

We may also use synchronous (same time, any place) technologies if necessary. When we use asynchronous technologies, you must be available for a certain time. The time will be determined in class.

You must already be proficient with a set of necessary skills and have the required hardware and software on a Windows computer. You must also have access to that computer whenever you need it.

Skills you must already have: 1) able to send and receive e-mail (with attachments); 2) able to use an Internet Browser (e.g. Internet Explorer, Foxfire, Safari); 3) Proficiency with Microsoft Word (and at least some familiarity with PowerPoint); 4) able to change basic system configurations and control panels (such as adjusting audio and screen size); 5) able to download and install software components from the Internet as needed; 6) able to troubleshoot basic computer problems (especially those common with Internet connections); and 7) able to work independently. If you do not already have all of these skills, it is recommended that you take the on-campus face-to-face version of this course.

Attitude you need to have and maintain : 1) positive; 2) not willing to give up at the first sign of trouble; 3) sees this course as a unique opportunity to learn about distance learning by experiencing it; 4) able to keep in check the inevitable frustrations that are bound to crop up in an innovative course like this. If you do not have this attitude or do not think you can maintain it when the "going gets a little rough", it is recommended that you take the on-campus face-to-face version of this course.

The Add/Drop period at UGA: June 5-6

If you have questions about this course, please do not hesitate to contact me at UGA via email (ichoi@uga.edu) or telephone (706-543-0794).

Software Requirements

You will need the following software:

Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Access)
Macromedia Dreamweaver CS3 or Google Pages.
Internet Explorer web browser (java-enabled with Flash and Shockwave plug-ins installed).
Email Program

Some more notes about Dreamweaver vs Google Pages...

We will teach and support Dreamweaver and "Google Pages" in this class, you may use whatever tool you wish to create and maintain your web-based portfolio.

Google Pages is a free tool offered by Google for creating a web site. It is very easy to learn and use. This tool will be sufficient for participants who do not want or need to know how to create and maintain a Web site using file transfer protocol (FTP) concepts and principles. Dreamweaver is not free. It is a web editor, and a powerful one at that. It is used by professional web designers. Though easy to learn, it requires you to learn and master FTP concepts and principles. If you are going to take advanced multimedia courses in instructional technology, such as EDIT 6190, you will be expected to know a Web editor such as Dreamweaver along with the FTP concepts and principles on which it is based.

Some more notes about Dreamweaver...

A good place to get Dreamweaver CS3 at a good price is the following:
http://www.academicsuperstore.com

They have Dreamweaver CS3 for about $198. They also offer some good deals on some of the Adobe "Bundles", such as Macromedia CS3 Web Standard , which comes with Dreamweaver, Flash, and Fireworks for about $389 (a good deal if you will be taking some of our department's courses in multimedia development, such as our Studio courses)

BTW, you can download a 30-day trial version of Dreamweaver CS3 from Macromedia (http://www.macromedia.com/software/dreamweaver/).

At the risk of confusing everyone, I like to point out that participants can learn *any* web editor of their choice. Dreamweaver is one of many choices (others include FrontPage and Adobe's GoLive). Of all the choices, I feel Dreamweaver is a superior product and is also relatively easy to learn. If you are already using a web editor that you are comfortable with, there is no need to learn Dreamweaver just to learn it. You will not be evaluated in your Dreamweaver skills, but in your ability to design, develop, and maintain a web site. The other important point, from an instructional point of view, is that Dreamweaver CS3 is the only web editor that I will demonstrate and support, so if you are using another editor and run into trouble, you are necessarily on your own (of course, if I can help, I'll will do so). Dreamweaver CS3 is also the web development tool that we teach in our "studio courses" here at UGA (EDIT 6190, 6200, 6210).

Finally, many people who enter the course have already been using Netscape Composer, probably because it is free (and pretty easy to use). I will be encouraging these folks to learn a more powerful editor in this course. Netscape Composer is a great place to start, but it has serious limitations. And, if you have not done any web development so far, you might as well start with a product like Dreamweaver. Again, DW is pretty easy to learn and is much more powerful.

Hardware Requirements

Students will need:

Windows or Macintosh computer with Internet Explorer, Foxfire, or Macintosh Safari. You must also have access to that computer whenever you need it.
Access to the Internet with at least a 56K modem, though a high-speed Internet connection (e.g. DSL or cable modem) is strongly preferred.
Computer headset or speakers with microphone and earphones (even the cheapest should work, just make sure you buy this from the computer section of a store such as Best Buy, K-Mart, etc.). If we need to use Horizon Wimnba, then you need to have a computer headset with microphone.
Also, you need access to a scanner and/or digital camera (some way of getting images into the computer).
Your computer must be able to view pre-recorded "Impatica" presentations: You need to view pre-recorded presentations of each of the topics covered in this course. These pre-recorded presentations have been designed and narrated by Lloyd Rieber. These presentations have been produced with a commercial tool called "Impatica", hence we will refer to them as "Impatica presentations". These presentations will work on both Windows and Macintosh computers. The main technical requirement is that you must have an Internet browser that is "java enabled". To test whether your computer is able to view these, click here to view a sample Impatica presentation that about creating online professional portfolios. If you are having problems viewing this Impatica presentation, click here for some troubleshooting suggestions.
If we need to use synchronous technologies, your computer must be compatible to use the "Horizon Wimba live classroom": This is one of synchronous technologies used in the course. It will allow us to meet as a group to discuss the various course topics and participate in other activities, if we decide to use it. To find out if your computer system is compatible with the Horizon Wimba technology run the following wizard (note: if you are missing a component, this wizard will guide you through the steps in downloading and installing the component; and almost everyone will need to install at least one component enabling two-way audio):

Click here (or anywhere on the graphic) to run the wizard.

If your system does not pass all of the tests conducted by the wizard, you should contact UGA's Student Technology Support (STS) for assistance. They provide special support to students enrolled in classes that use the HorizonLive classroom. Students may get assistance by e-mailing hlive@uga.edu or calling STS at 706-542-3333. (If you are unable to resolve the technical problems, you will need to wait and take the on-campus version of this course.)

Some schools have very fast data connections, but they are behind a firewall. So, be sure to run the Horizon Wimba wizard discussed above on the computer you intend to use in class far in advance of the first day of class to be sure you will be able to use it in this class.

Portable file storage. Although you will undoubtedly store all of your computer files on your personal desktop computer, almost all students will need to move their projects from one computer to another from time to time, such as those times when you are having difficulty and choose to come to Athens for individual help from the instructor. You will find that a floppy disk will be woefully inadequate for your projects in this course -- it will fill up quickly and it can be an incredible exercise in frustration to somehow divide one project between 4-5 floppy disks. Therefore, all participants are required to buy a USB Flash mini-drive, an expensive device the size of a keychain that plugs into any computer via the USB port. There are many on the market (two good online sources are http://www.academicsuperstore.com and http://edu.warehouse.com). These usually start with 32MB and go up to 512MB and typical starting prices are around $25.

This page last updated on May 29, 2008 .