E-Learning & Online Teaching

Google Documents (Fully Facilitated 5 Day Online Class)

Login as guest: Moodle Classroom

How much time will this take?

Plan for at least 5 hours of instruction (about an hour a day). It will be easy to put in more time than that. We hope you’ll find the information so interesting that the time will fly by.

Do I have to login at a specific time each day?

The course is completely time shifted. It’s designed so that participants can enter the online classroom 24/7 and still interact. This let’s you fit the class to your schedule. We’ll go Monday – Friday, with the following Saturday to wrap things up.

What will I learn how to do?

• Create a Google account
• Upload documents to Google docs
• Share a Google document with a colleague
• View the revision history of a shared document (a wiki like function of Gdocs)
• Publish a shared document as a web page that automatically updates when the source document is edited.
• We also have an optional independent study module on how to use Google Docs offline.

How is this course taught?

Instruction includes the use of illustrated webpages and video. Additionally Dennis O’Connor will be facilitating this class. (Dennis is a highly trained online teacher.) There are discussion forums where participants can share ideas. The instructor will also be monitoring the class for questions and be available for trouble shooting help.

What about teaching resources?

You will find many resources with ideas for teachers and librarians interested in using Google Docs in the classroom.

How long will I have access to this course?

The course remains open to you for at least three months so you can continue study and have access to the resources.

How do I register?

• First establish an account on http://21cif.mrooms.net. Note the graphic on the course home page. (Each person taking the class should create their own account.)
• Next login using your established username and password.
• Click into the Gdocs online classroom.(Found in the Information Fluency Category.)
• When you first enter you’ll be presented with a PayPal registration page.
• Click through to pay for the class by credit card.
• You do not need a Pay Pal account to use this secure system. (We do not store your credit card information.)
• Once you have paid you’ll be returned to the Gdocs class.
• The full course will open on October 27th.

We hope to see you online!

I’ve been researching and writing about Information Fluency since the turn of the century. My work is published on the 21st Century Information Fluency Portal: http://21cif.imsa.edu You’ll find modular online learning content including games, micromodules and assessments on the portal. (Free for all educators.)

I include information fluency training in all of my online classes. I introduce power searching and website investigation to the graduate students studying in the E-Learning and Online Teaching Certificate Program at UW-Stout ( http://www.uwstout.edu/soe/profdev/elearningcertificate.html ) because I believe that Information Fluency is a foundation skill for all online teachers and learners.

What continually surprises me is that most educators (including those with advanced degrees) lack formal training in this field. Unless I’m working with a Library Media Specialist, most have little experience in searching, evaluating, and ethical use of digital materials.

Curiously, most educators think they are competent searchers and evaluators, when they are really just beginners. Their disposition is to ask for help rather than search for answers. With simple instruction many radically improve their ability to search, and evaluate. This is empowering and greatly increases learner satisfaction. Instruction in copyright and fair use is also part of the program.

At the same time I push the idea that it is everyone’s duty to teach website evaluation and ethical use as part of any online curriculum. Too often educators assume someone else should have done the job by the time their students walk through the door. The application of information fluency to all curriculum areas is profound. Students given even rudimentary instruction in Information Fluency immediately benefit.

As online teachers and learners we work in a computer where information is just a few keystrokes away. I hope we can promote the disposition in all online teachers and learners that skilled use of Internet resources is the essential learning skill of our times.

Dennis O’Connor
Program Advisor
E-Learning & Online Teaching
School of Education
Online Professional Development
University of Wisconsin-Stout
Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University
oconnord@uwstout.edu
530-318-1145 (Cell)
Skype: wiredinstructor2

Search Help, Evaluation and Digital Ethics for School, Business and Home

Courses Starting Soon…

Need to create a back to school training?

Use our modular content to snap together your own unique training course.

Power Searching in a Web 2.0 World

Next session starts Aug 4 (4 Weeks $99)

Login as guest: Moodle Classroom| Course Description

Website Investigator: An Introduction to Information Forensics

Next session starts Aug 11 (2 Weeks $68) Login as guest: Moodle Classroom | Course Description

Receive 21cif newsletter for announcements about these and other courses. To subscribe to our newsletter, click here.

New Section Forming! April 28 – May 22.
Power Searching in a Web 2.0 World: 4 Week Online Course.

Searching, evaluating, and ethically using digital information. Activities include self-paced learning modules, online flash based games, and forum discussions.

To Register Online: Click Here (This Moodle based course begins April 28, 2008)

For information write doconnor@imsa.edu ~ 21CIF Team

UC Berkeley Video Lectures on Search Technologies.

YouTube based university channel: Playlist: SIMS 141 – Search Engines Description: Search Engines: Technology, Society, and Business.

(tags: video 21cif Search searchengine)

Here’s some serious content to absorb.  A great mix of content on issues involving search, google, and everything in between.

UC Berkeley (my alma mater) has established a YouTube Channel.  This allows the university much long video (hours and hours) than you typically see on YouTube.

Course fee: $99 (Includes 5 CEUs)

April 28 – May 23 (Four Weeks)

This proven four-week on-line course empowers participants to search efficiently, evaluate Internet and Web 2.0 information effectively and use it ethically incorporating the full range of 21st Century Information Fluency skills and resources.

Developed by the 21st Century Information Fluency Project, this course is open to all adults who desire to become fluent in searching and evaluating on-line resources. Anyone who intends to teach 21st Century Information Skills to students and staff should complete this training.

For more details or to register online click here!

We hope to see you online!

Dennis & Carl

• Search Behavior Patterns – Boxes and Arrows: The design behind the design

  Fascinating article written by John Ferrara . Info on search persona relates to 21cif site design

  (tags: information-fluency webdesign Search information-architechture)

• I Love Search Suggest « World Wide Intertubes

  Google search suggestions from John Ferrara. “By now, you’ve probably seen this: it’s a list that drops down from a search box as you type, showing query strings similar to the one you’re typing.”

  (tags: Search blog google)

• 931C Personal Search Engines

  (tags: pseSP2008 UW-Stout spring08)

• Papers Written by Googlers

  Google archive of research papers on search technology and concepts.21

  (tags: 21cif Search)

• Google Co-op Tutorial Video… (Built in 2006…)

  keywords Google Co-op tutorial . The Co-op software has evolved and may not match the video exactly. This is a solid overview of how to go through the entire process. It helps you understand the steps and explains most of the features you’ll need

  (tags: pseSP2008)

• Google For Educators – Custom Search Engine

  This page is dedicated to the use of PSE’s for educators. This is Google’s attempt to explain how this tool can be used. Worth a visit.

  (tags: pseSP2008)

• Swicki Tutorial- Learn How To Make Your Own Swicki

  This is a tutorial from About.com a how-to website that employs content experts to provide directories of information about a huge variety of topics.

  (tags: pseSP2008)

• swicki – Internet TV Search Engine swicki – powered by eurekster

  This is a swicki that contains some swicki resources and tutorials. (Is that like a zen koan?) Interesting to explore as a swicki example…

  (tags: pse)

• PowerSearching in a Web 2.0 World online course announcement and registration link(tags: moodle 21cif)
• Login as guest: Moodle Classroom

We’ve redesigned our website. Please drop by 21cif.imsa.edu and check out the changes?

You’ll no longer have to login to access our resource kits.

We’ve added a direct link our Information Fluency Group on the Teacher Librarian Ning to our main menu.

We’re developing an integrated blog and wiki.

We’ve added an online store that will streamline Moodle course registration.

The conversion process to our new server has been a long and interesting road. We’ve still got a few bumps to smooth out. If you notice a problem let us know.

In the meantime, take a look and them let us know what you think of the new design?

Dennis & Carl

Mahalo is a human-powered search engine that creates organized, comprehensive, and spam free search results for the most popular search terms. Our search results only include great links.

Visit the Mahalo FAQ page for more detailed descriptions of just how this all works!

Help us polish the latest edition of our Evaluation Wizard!

Evaluation Wizard

Carl Heine is rewriting our Evaluation Wizard; a ten step process for website evaluation. This tool will step you through the evaluation process, offering criteria for 10 different elements of evaluation.

As a student evaluates the site, they are guided to write their evidence for each step of the process. Once three criteria areas have been used, you can choose to print your evaluation. They system gathers all of your writing into a single page that can be copy/pasted to a word document or printed directly from the screen.

No log in required (the system does not store your data)

Please offer us feedback. Are we missing something? Are the criteria clear? Will you use this with your students?

Classes Forming: Register Now!

This popular four-week on-line course empowers participants to search efficiently, evaluate Internet and Web 2.0 information effectively and use it ethically incorporating the full range of 21st Century Information Fluency skills and resources.

This course, developed by the 21st Century Information Fluency Project is open to all adults who desire to become fluent in searching and evaluating on-line resources. Anyone who intends to teach 21st Century Information Skills to students and staff should complete this training.

Details:

• Instructor: Dennis O’Connor
• Time commitment: login at least four times a week
• 2.5 CEUs are available for the 25 online contact hours
• Course delivery: 21CIF Moodle (view the course — log-in as a guest)
• Assignments include readings, interactive learning games, discussion groups and practical projects you can use in your work
• ISTE NETS (for teachers) addressed: I, II, III, IV, V, VI
• ISTE NETS (for students) addressed: 2, 3, 5
• ISTE NETS (Refreshed for students 2007) 1,3,4,5
• $99.00 course fee

Online Registration is Now Open! If you would like to be added to our interest list, send us an email with your name and preferred email address. If you’d like to register, click here!

Objectives:

• Participants will increase skills and efficiency in searching world wide web
• Participants will become reliable evaluators of digital information
• Participants will become successful integrators of digital information

Next Registration Deadline: Nov 12. Please alert us to any special accommodations you may need.

Cancellation Policy: Any registration cancellation must be received 48 hours before the scheduled date for a refund to be issued. Because attendance is limited, persons registering and not in attendance will be charged the full registration fee. 21CIF reserves the right to cancel any session due to insufficient enrollment. Participants will be notified by email or phone if a cancellation occurs.

• ReadWriteThink: Lesson Plan: Propaganda Techniques in Literature and Online Political Ads

  important element of evaluation

  (tags: 21cif evaluation)