T1L2

IST 250 - New Media and the Web

Introduction

The World Wide Web. A vast domain open to your explorations. Like an explorer, if you enter the domain properly equipped, you will not only survive; you will prosper. This course will provide you with opportunities to equip yourself for this new realm.

The designers of this course want you to learn two things:

  • How to develop an excellent storyboard (blueprint) for a web site.
  • How to implement a working prototype of a web site.

Because this is an introductory course, you will learn many facts and concepts surrounding web design. This course will not make you a web programmer, but it will enable you to accomplish some basic web programming. More importantly, it will enable you to make the decisions that a programmer must implement. Not only will you learn the terminology, you will learn to make intelligent decisions concerning the inclusion of media and supporting technologies in a web site.

This course is driven by a set of real-life cases. This may be quite different than the type of instruction you are used to. In traditional instruction, a series of lessons are first covered, then you are expected to apply your new knowledge to a problem or set of problems that are usually quite small and simple. In this course, that sequence is not only reversed, but the problems are much larger in size, and answers to these problems can only be reached by interactions within a group.

In this course, you are first introduced to a problem. It is up to you and your group (assigned by the instructor) to solve this problem. To do so, you will have to acquire new knowledge. Most of that knowledge is available to you in the form of course lessons. Some of it you will have to seek on your own, via the world wide web or your local library.

The four problems in this course are like building blocks. You will be able to take whatever you develop for solutions and put them together to form a final project.

You will communicate with the other members of your group electronically. Your instructor will provide you with more information on this, as well as many other items. In particular, pay close attention to the course syllabus. It contains a great deal of information that will assist you.

Good luck, and remember, you have plenty of resources (the lessons, the instructor, and your group) to call upon if you feel overwhelmed!

Tips on Surviving an Online Course

  • You need ready access to computers and the internet.
  • Have a technology backup plan! If your main access to the internet is unavailable, know how to access it another way.
  • To reach your learning goals, you'll need discipline. Unlike a classroom situation, no one is "looking over your shoulder" to ensure to complete your work. You are responsible for your learning.
  • Successful distance learners know how to manage their time.
  • You need to quickly determine how you will reach the learning goals for the course in the time allotted.
  • Establish a daily schedule and stick to it.
  • Complete your assignments on time! Research shows that students who complete initial assignments on time are more likely to finish the entire course.
  • Establish a study area where you have privacy and is free of distractions.
  • Familiarize yourself with the resources (on and off line) that are available to you as soon as possible.
  • Know when and where help is available to you. Look for instructor(s) office hours, when you can contact them, etc.
  • Don't be shy! Contact your instructor(s) and fellow students when you have questions or concerns.
  • Trouble reading online text? Try this:
  • Maximize the size of your browser,
  • Change the fonts your browser is using, or
  • Print out a copy. Almost everyone prints out longer pieces for leisurely reading.
  • Read in shorter time segments, looking away from the screen periodically.
  • Pause to reflect on what you are reading.
  • Reading from a screen is a skill that can improve with practice.
  • Keep your screen clean! Some researchers claim that up to 20% of online reading difficulty is associated with dirty screens.
  • When surfing the web for learning, don't follow links randomly. Rather adopt a pattern (hitting links top down or bottom up) to help you keep your place.

Online courses ARE different from traditional, face-to-face lectures. Not only is the medium different, the teaching philosophy is different as well. Here's a comparison table:

Traditional Method / New Method
Teachers lecture - learners listen. / Teachers guide, coach, motivate and facilitate. Learners are the active "doers," presenting, analyzing, solving & constructing.
Working as an individual is the standard. Working together is discouraged and may be considered "cheating." / Working together is prized because it emulates the way people most often work in real life, within a team. Individual work is given less importance, though is still considered important.
Curriculum is organized into "subjects" that are treated with little or no connection to other subjects. Learners have no clear idea of relationships between subjects such as history and science. / Subjects most often are integrated, to provide different perspectives on skills and issues, assist in solving problems or help learners relate to their interest in one subject to another (e.g. sports & statistics, art & measurement, gardens & biology).
The curriculum is fact-centered. Learners often memorize facts and concepts in isolation from the real world and from other subjects. / The curriculum is problem-centered. Learners engage in tasks related to the real world in which they must collect and assess information to solve problems (e.g., creating a business or running one
Teachers are regarded as the primary source of knowledge / There are many rich resources for learning. Teachers help learners access and interpret many sources, including traditional print materials, the Internet, electronic encyclopedias, on-line lessons & dialog with experts.
Teacher's words and print media are the primary means of communication. Reading and writing are the essence of curriculum. / There are ample opportunities to explore concepts using a variety of media including video, graphics, sound and speech, as well as print. Learners not only master reading and writing, but also gain experience in other media and in "multimedia."
Learning success is attributed to learners who remember what teachers and books say and can report it back. / Learner success most frequently is presumed when learners solve problems, communicate ideas, present information & learn how to learn. Completion of a task is the assessment.
Schools are separated from the rest of the community. / Learning is everybody's business and takes place throughout the community. Computers connect the world to the classroom and the classroom to the world.

In addition, you may want to Take This Quick Web Instruction Compatibility Exam to judge if you are ready for online instruction.

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