Return to Top
Description and Rationale
This course offers educators and librarians a hands-on experience in electronic literacy. POP mail, discussion groups, online learning, search strategies, e- resource evaluation,  multimedia resources, and web site construction will be covered. The course is organized around four objectives:
  • advance electronic learning in schools
  • critically appraise e-resources
  • use the Internet for professional growth and development
  • examine the pedagogical, legal, social, ethical, and economic issues embedded in electronic learning.
    • Special Features:
  • connections to the Maine Department of Education's learning outcomes
  • an online web site packed with practical resources, projects, and advice
  • a course design that supports constructivist learning
    • online tutorials to accommodate individual learning needs
     multi-layered course design: focus questions, electronic readings, online tutorials, links to related sources of information, homework exercises, and online conferencing
    interactive learning
    collaboration
    Goals:
    Conceptually, students will:
  • better understand the vocabulary of the Internet
  • improve the use of electronic literacy in teaching and learning
    • design classroom activities and procedures for facilitating electronic learning
    assess the impact of electronic literacy on children's learning
  • evaluate controversies in electronic literacy and learning
    • privacy
    internet safety
    freebies
    value of electronic literacy in teaching and learning
    Specifically, students will learn how to:
  • utilize online tutorials and other resources to develop and refine electronic literacy skills
  • use Netscape's Messenger mail system
    • basic and advanced features including how to edit, organize into folders, delete, set up and use address books
  • participate in long distance discussions via the Internet
    • message boards
    live talk
    weblogs
    USM conferencing system( WebBoard)
    list serv groups
    read/write to news groups
  • improve search strategies
    • categories of engines
    search strategies and tips
    comparisons
    stream searches
    locating people
  • find  e-resources
    • commercial sites
    comparison shopping and auctions
    maps and travel
    academic sites
    reference libraries
    encyclopedias
    virtual museums
    full text resources
    online journals and newspapers
    specialty search engines
    on-line experts
  • critically evaluate e-resources
    • develop protocols to appraise electronic information
    evaluate the reliability and validity of electronic information
  • use new hardware and software to enhance graphic and multimedia experience on the web
    • plug ins
    audio and video clips
    movies
    MP3s
    digital cameras
    web cams
    scanners
    CD burners
  • design and publish a web site
    • use  Netscape's Composer to manipulate and align text, link urls, use anchors, frames, and tables, find, save and insert images, and change  source code.
  • teach students to:
    • critical appraise  electronic information
    link to and use vast stores of information to solve complex problems
    improve study skills, vocabulary , second language competence, and recreational literacy via the world wide web.
    construct web sites to share information
  • model collaboration on a local and a global scale

    •  
    Ground Rules
  • classes will be held in 304 Bailey Hall, a Mac lab on USM's Gorham Campus
  • students need access the Internet at home or at school
  • minimal computer literacy is recommended
    • Grades:
    Weekly Postings (60% of your grade evaluated on comprehensiveness.): For each posting, please:
  • do one tutorial
  • read and react to required articles
  • do the homework assignment
  • evaluate links
    •  Post your work to our conference space. The posting should summarize the tutorial,  homework, assigned readings, etc. Be sure to answer the focus question. Title it with the heading found in the syllabus. For example, the heading for January 24 is: Electronic Mail.
    Design and Publish a  Web Page ( 40% of your grade evaluated on pass/fail basis).
    Readings:
    All readings are electronic.

    Syllabus

    January

    Readings:

    Required (Choose One)

    Recommended Links: (Review Five)

    Straight and Narrow

    Slightly Different
    A Bit More Entertaining Homework: (Choose 0ne)

    1. Familiarize yourself with Netscape's menu bar and buttons. Experiment with basic and advanced features including Preferences.
    2. Use the following criteria to evaluate a K-12 web site: See sample below:

    31 Workshop: Conferencing Over the Internet
    February
    07 Conferencing Continued
      Artworkby Louis Fishauf,used with permission March April
      MAY