Flyer

Spring 2004
January 20 - May 10, 2004

Revised on 1/06/04 by Karen Murphy

Welcome to this advanced educational telecommunications course in offered by the Educational Technology Program in the Department of Educational Psychology at Texas A&M University. Dr. Karen Murphy is the instructor. The class orientation is on Sunday, January 25, 2004 from 12:00 noon - 2:00 pm in 603 Harrington on the TAMU campus or via streaming video and real-time chat. The course begins on January 20 and ends on May 9, 2004.

Class web page: https://webct.tamu.edu/

Instructor
Karen L. Murphy, Ed.D., Associate Professor Emeritus
Dept. of Educational Psychology
College of Education, Texas A&M University
622 Harrington Tower, MS 4225
College Station, TX 77843-4225

Voice: (979) 845-0987 (direct)
(979) 845-1831 (departmental office)
Fax: (979) 862-1256
Email: kmurphy@tamu.edu
Office hours: By appointment or online
Instructor page: http://disted.tamu.edu/

[ Course Description | Course Objectives | Texts | Dates/Times/Location | Notes | Delivery Mode ]

Course Description
This course focuses on instructional applications of telecommunications; the analysis of characteristics of varied systems, both dedicated and public networks; and the design of appropriate instructional strategies and methods using those systems. This Web-based course is designed for teachers, administrators, technology specialists, faculty and staff in higher education, and trainers to help them apply the latest developments in telecommunications technologies to specific education or training contexts.

We will discuss the instructional applications of varied telecommunication technologies (telecourses, audio teleconferencing, satellite communications, two-way interactive videoconferencing, and computer-mediated communication). We will also discuss issues relating to the rapid development of the Internet as an educational technology. The course is based on principles of constructivism and project-based learning and requires knowledge of instructional design. The primary focus is on online instruction and learning through group activities, collaborative development and publishing of an online course, and individual Internet stories. The course is designed for teachers, administrators, technology specialists, faculty and staff in higher education, and trainers, to apply the latest developments in telecommunications technologies to specific education or training contexts.

The course consists of an introduction unit, one instructor-facilitated and six student-facilitated activity units, and seven collaborative project-based online course development units. Individual Internet stories will be interspersed throughout the semester. Each unit begins on Monday and ends one week later on Sunday at midnight.

Course Objectives
At the end of the course, each student will be able to:

1. define telecommunications, identify the critical attributes of telecommunications technologies, and describe their applications to educational settings
2. incorporate successful interactive techniques (e.g., role-play, game, case study, evaluation, debate) in disseminating instruction via telecommunications
3. demonstrate an enhanced knowledge base and proficiency in participating in and facilitating online discussions and activities
4. work collaboratively, using constructivist principles, to design, develop, and publish on the Web an online course that solves educational problems
5. demonstrate an appreciation for resources available electronically and competency in retrieving, managing, disseminating, and sharing such resources

Text
No text is required. Obtain the course readings from Copy Corner (979-693-0640 or 979-694-COPY), 1404 Texas Avenue South, College Station (e-mail: info@copy-corner.com) and from Electronic Reserves in Evans Library.

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Dates/Time/Location
The course is Web-based, with one face-to-face meeting on Sunday, January 25, 2004 from 12:00 noon - 2:00 pm in 603 Harrington and a voluntary technical training / library session from 2:00 - 3:00 pm in 636 Harrington on the TAMU campus in College Station. These sessions are part of a weekend orientation for all educational technology online classes. See the Orientation Agenda at http://coe.tamu.edu/edtc/edtc/orientsched.htm

Students who are unable to attend the class session face-to-face in 603 Harrington Tower must log onto FirstClass and remain in a live chat while following the session via live streaming video. Follow the streaming video instructions, also in the Syllabus.

Notes

• The course actually begins on January 20, the first day of classes
• The course is an advanced course in the applications of telecommunications
• The course requires advanced Internet skills (email, attachments, chats, Web searches, installing software and plug-ins)
• The course requires as much time and effort as, if not more than, a traditional course (12-15 hours per week for 15 weeks)
• You should plan to log on to the class 4-5 days per week on average
• You are expected to participate in the January 25 Orientation session
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Delivery Mode
The course will be taught as a Web-based course using WebCT and FirstClass. No other course website will be used. Technical training / library orientation are optional and are part of an entire weekend devoted to the orientation of EDTC Web-based classes (January 24-25, 2004).

1. WebCT: This program will be used for the content, syllabus, units, assignments, Internet stories, calendar, and grades. You will access WebCT with your netID and password at https://webct.tamu.edu/ You will be entered automatically into the EDTC 668 WebCT system before the semester begins.
   
2. FirstClass: The client version of this computer conferencing program will be used for FirstClass practice labs, activity unit work, group project work, and all collaborative documents.

You are expected to have regular access to the Internet so that you may access the class throughout the semester. You may obtain this access through a university student account, a school district connection, or a private service. All students are eligible for a Neo account on the computer system at TAMU through the Computing & Information Services (CIS). You can also access software applications from the College of Education and Human Development applications server by using Internet Explorer. You will first need to establish your Claim account (and VPN account from off-campus) through CIS.

This course requires you to have access to the client version of FirstClass from your own desktop. To access and edit collaborative documents, you must use the client version of FirstClass. (You can access FirstClass from the Web for more limited access.) Follow the instructions for downloading and installing FirstClass onto your computer at http://fc.coe.tamu.edu/. Your FirstClass username is your first initial and last name (e.g., kmurphy), and your password is the last five digits of your student ID number. Contact FirstClass Help firstclass@coe.tamu.edu for all technical difficulties or if you can't see the EDTC 668 Spring 2004 conference on your FirstClass desktop.