|
Frequently Asked Questions
Participation
Q. May I take this workshop with other educators
from my school?
A. That's an excellent idea. Collaboration is an essential part of
professional development and should be modeled in this class. However,
each individual needs to turn in his/her own assignments. In fact, I
encourage participants to help each other on assignments. Peer feedback
is an important course component.
Q. Is this course available only to Iowa educators?
A. This course is available to educators worldwide who are
able to access the resources of the WWW and e-mail.
Q. What if I will be away from my computer for a few days?
A. If a participant will be out of town at a conference or
on vacation for a few days, it's not a problem. Each
participant should keep the instructor informed of
his/her plans. Also please include your progress on
the assignments, and plan to participate in the
online discussion via e-mail, to make up the
number of minimum postings per week.
[Top]
Class Materials
Q. How do I find the online class materials?
A. Each lesson is divided into sections:
Introduction and Objectives
Readings
Activities
Checklist/Rubric
Reading materials will be included within the text of each lesson and available
on the WWW.
I recommend that you read the Introduction and
Objectives and review articles of interest in the Readings section. Next, proceed to
the Activities section to review your
assignment.
The Checklist/Rubric section provides you a list of assignments you must
successfully complete prior to progressing to the next lesson.
Q. How do the navigation buttons on each page work?
A. The words at the top and bottom of each module page are hot, meaning if you
click on a word, you will open that section of the module. In this way you can easily
move from section to section within the class Web materials.
Clicking on Site Map will assist you in locating the correct lesson.
Notice how the navigation button changes to a gray color to indicate you are here.
Q. How many of the online readings are required reading?
A. No one has enough time to follow every link in the online modules and read
all of the information at each site. I recommend that folks only read what
they *need* to complete each module.
The references that are listed in the Intro and Readings section of each lesson
will generally be sufficient to
begin each assignment.
[Top]
Class Discussion
Q. What time of each day should I be online?
A. Basically, you set your own hours for when you participate in the
e-mail discussion on our workshop listserv (two postings per week) or
when you work on homework assignments.
Q. Will the time difference between countries affect my
participation?
A. No, the listserv environment is asynchronous. On weekdays I will be
online many different times of the day. The listserv will be available
and active seven days a week, 24 hours a day. So no matter where you
are, you can participate at a time that is convenient for you.
Q. Can I contact my instructor in any way other than email?
A. Your instructor will schedule "virtual office hours" periodically.
These office hours are in the form of online chats using MSN Messenger.
Messenger is a free download for both Mac and Windows platforms.
It allows real-time one-on-one conversations. You will also find
instant messaging very helpful during peer feedback activities.
The online chats are optional, since everyone is busy with
personal and professional activities.
You can download MSN Messenger at http://messenger.msn.com
[Top]
Hardware and Software Requirements
Q. Do I need special software to take this course?
A. The following software is needed to complete the course:
Netscape 4.0+ or higher or Internet Explorer 5.0+ or higher or AOL 5.0 or higher
Q. What are the minimum technology requirements?
Modem -
28.8 kbps or higher speed
Processor - 486 or Pentium (Windows)
68040 or any PowerPC, including iMac, G3, and G4 (Macintosh)
Operating System - Windows 95, Windows NT, Windows 98 or Windows 2000,
Macintosh System 7.6 or higher
Memory -
16 MB of RAM (32 preferred)
CD-ROM drive - for software installation
Q. How important is anti-virus protection?
A. VERY IMPORTANT.
Must-Read... article
The Skinny on Computer Viruses
Whenever in doubt, check out the warnings on the Computer Virus Myths Page.
Rob Rosenberg compiles and updates a list of the latest computer virus warnings and hoaxes.
- Update your anti-virus software on a schedule (minimum weekly) so new
viruses are detected.
- Run your virus software to scan *all files, regardless of type.
- Never open an e-mail attachment from anyone without virus-checking it
first.
- Turn on macro virus protection in Microsoft Word and beware of viruses
in Word documents.
- Update your Windows operating system with free security fixes from
Microsoft.
Symantec's Anti-Virus Research Centre
The best source of information about current virus information.
IBM's Antivirus Research Center
Q. Do I need a sound card? Will I need RealAudio to participate?
A. This course is designed for low bandwidth environments and is accessible
easily with a 28.8 modem. There are no multimedia files on the actual workshop Web pages,
however some of the linked resources may include sound or video files.
You can download RealPlayer.
This is not required.
[Top]
E-mail Communication
Q. How often should I check my e-mail?
A. You will probably need to check your e-mail every weekday in
order to keep up with class discussions, questions, and assignments.
You will receive a list of target due dates for assignments on the first
day of class.
Q. What day of the week should I post my postings?
A. You determine when and how many times per week that you post. The
minimum requirement is two postings per participant per week.
Q. How do I copy and paste a URL into an e-mail?
- Drag across the "location" line to highlight the URL.
- On the
upper tool bar click on Edit - then Copy.
- The URL is now saved in
short term memory.
- Go to your e-mail form.
- Click the cursor on the
position where you want to insert the URL.
- Click on Edit then paste
from the menubar.
If you are using Windows 95 or 98, here's a shortcut:
- Highlight the URL in
the browser location window.
- Hold down control and the "c" key or right-click your mouse and choose "copy". This
will place the highlighted URL in short term memory.
- Place the
cursor in the document where you want to copy the URL.
- Hold down
control and the "v" key. The URL will appear.
|
