Teacher Information: Teacher (Karah Parks) availability: Available onsite: Tuesday Friday, 10:30am 4pm Available online: Monday Friday, 9am 9pm *I respond to e-mails within 2 business days.
Troubleshooting appointments: *If you are experiencing a specific issue, feel free to contact me and, if it cant be resolved online, we can set up an appointment.
*You may also visit the general discussion board on the course website, iPaducateme.weebly.com to gain community insights.
Training Course Information: Online Learning Expectations: In order to complete this training, you will need a basic knowledge of Internet use, including Internet search, uploading, downloading and saving files, both documents and images. You will also need have access to and understand how to use e- mail.
Course Teaching Methods & Meeting Times This is a self-paced, as needed training. All materials are free for educational use only and designed to be used as guidelines for self-critique.
Course Description: This course is designed to give teachers hands-on experience with iPad technology, commonly used applications in education and EF-designed applications (For EF teachers but all teachers can use the basic functionalities!). In conjunction with practical application, this course aims to create a space of discussion and idea-generation on best practices of iPad use in the classroom and collaboratively expanding ways this technology can enhance the learning community.
Learning Objectives: At the end of this course, you will:
1. Have a working knowledge of basic iPad functions and troubleshooting 2. Understand and demonstrate best-practices practices regarding on how to integrate iPad technology in your classroom 3. Know how to access help and share development ideas within our online community
Resources: All class resources are online. You will need an iPad. EF Teachers will need EF iPads to access the ElektraClass application. The training takes place on an iPad 2, but any iPad 2 or beyond should function in the same manner.
You may want to download your own versions of some of the applications mentioned on the course website many are also offered on Android platforms.
Assignments and Requirements: Requirements for Course Completion:
Attendance: Generally: As this is professional growth training and self-paced, there is no grade. For EF teachers: Online attendance is judged by the time timely submission of assignments and discussions by the given due date in each module. If you can complete of the assignmements above, you are considered iPad literate for classroom purposes.
Absences: N/A
Late Work: N/A
Plagiarism: Using or sharing someone elses work without giving credit is a very serious offense, and it is important, as academic instructors, to be aware of model correct online copyright compliance. Please do give credit where you use images or writing from sources other than yourself.
Course Policies: Role of the teacher: The nature of online learning, our busy training environment and the constant change within technology means that I will not be the center of all knowledge for the class, but a lead collaborator as it were of building understanding around the topic. My main role is as a facilitator of information, helping you build your own practices around integrating technology in a way that suits your individual teaching style.
Role of the student: Online Participation Guidelines: This class relies heavily on student discussion and effort. Participation includes putting your own thoughts on the discussion boards but also engaging with others opinions online. It also means being respectful of others work & opinions, and having a positive, engaged attitude. Giving thoughtful feedback on discussion boards constitutes good participation and respect for your colleagues time and efforts. Failure to abide by this policy may result in your removal from the training/site.
Content & Posting Guidelines: For each module, you will be asked to participate in one threaded discussion. Your content should be thoughtfully developed and on the given topic, ranging from 100 200 words. You will also be asked to respond in the same way to two of your colleagues posts (you may of course respond to more than two!) by a deadline given by the academic director at the start of the training. If you are unable for any reason to meet these requirements, contact me via the contact information above.
Writing Guidelines: This is a professional development course for Teachers of English Speakers of Other Languages. Grammar, usage and punctuation are our bread and butter, and should not be neglected in written assignments and discussion boards. If you have a question or need guidance on a finer grammatical issue, please visit the Purdue Writing Lab: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
Nettiquette Policies: 1. Be respectful in tone and language: remember, there are real people contributing to this discussion who come from a variety of backgrounds.
2. Be open: if someone presents a viewpoint you disagree with, give it some thought before your respond. If you have a strong emotional response, you may want to give yourself more time before responding. Others will give you the same courtesy.
3. Be safe: only give out information that is on the topic and please don't share others comments without asking first.
4. Be professional: this is an academically oriented discussion board, and good grammar and punctuation usage count.
5. Be succinct: like any conversation, give your thoughts in 100-150 words and then let others give input.
6. Be clear: we can't see your face or hear your tone. Try to avoid sarcasm and do use emoticons or put feelings in [brackets] if it helps your point.
7. Be thoughtful: the more authentic and meaningful your posts are, the more the community benefits.
8. Be flexible: Technology doesnt work the way we want it to for any number of mysterious reasons. Maintain your sense of humor. Pretty please.
Lesson is organized in an interesting, cohesive manner. Lesson objectives are clear and all elements clearly support objectives. Lesson is organized in a logical order. Lesson objectives are mostly clear, and most of the elements support objectives. 1-2 elements seem out of place. Lesson is somewhat organized, but some elements feel forced or are off- point of the indicated objectives. Objectives are present but not Major elements of the lesson do not sync, or are over/under planned. Objectives are either non- existent or unclear.
very clear. Integration iPad use, including selected applications, within the lesson is seamless and clearly engages on lesson objectives. Variables taken into account. iPad use, including selected applications, is mostly integrated with the lesson, but some elements may be forced/off- topic/over-planned. Various constraints are mostly taken into account iPad use is limited, but where applied, somewhat supports learning objectives. There are some larger issues with over-planning or inappropriate application selection. iPad use is forced and applications used make little to no sense with the learning objectives, if present.
Posts well- developed response that fully addresses and develops the given topic or task. Posts well- developed assignment that addresses all aspects of the task; Lacks full development of concepts. Posts adequate responses with superficial thought- preparation; doesnt address all aspects of the task. Posts no assignment.
Follow-up Postings Demonstrates analysis of others posts; extends meaningful discussion on previous posts. Participates 4 5 times throughout the assignment window. Elaborates on an existing posting with further comment or observation. Participates 3-4 times but postings not evenly distributed throughout the assignment period. Posts shallow contribution to discussion (e.g. agrees or disagrees); does not enrich discussion. Participates 1-2 times on the same day. Posts no follow-up responses to others.
Grammar and mechanics Grammar and mechanics are flawless. Entry is within the prescribed 100 200 words. Grammar and mechanics have a few minor errors. Entry is over or under the prescribed 100-200 words. There are some errors in grammar or mechanics that impact clarity. Entry is under 100 words. Posts a long, unorganized or rude assignment that contains multiple errors.
Total:
Adapted from Discussion Board Grading Criteria Rubric by Joy Lopez, University of San Francisco, 2014
FAQs: How do I know when my assignments are due? Generally, there is no due date however, for EF teachers, the Academic Director may set a deadline.
How much time should I expect to spend on each online module? This course is designed to accommodate a busy teacher schedule, so 1-2 hours per module is the time commitment for the online component.
If this is a self-paced, professional development training, how am I evaluated? For the general audience, you can self-assess using the above rubrics. For EF Teachers, you will agree on a method of evaluation with the Academic Director.
EF Teachers: Will my standing as a teacher at EF be compromised if I fail to complete the course? No. This is an at-will training, and is meant to enhance your skill-set. EF has placed a lot of value on teaching with iPads, so it is encouraged, but not required as part of your good standing as a teacher.
What should I do if I cant complete an assignment correctly? Feel free to contact me (karahparks@yahoo.com) for troubleshooting help, or to post your concern to the community discussion board.
You are welcome to e-mail me at anytime with questions, comments or concerns throughout the training. I will gladly respond within 2 business days.
