Course Announcements and Email Archives

Welcome to the course! You'll find links to the course materials on the left side of this page.

Start by reading the Course Syllabus and Calendar. Be sure to examine the Course Requirements page. Then work your way through The Guide (Course Guide).

Be sure to let me know if you have questions about the course. I'm always happy to help. Email me at larrjoh@gmail.com

Email Archives

Below you'll find the archives of the course updates and other email communications.

August 21, 2008
Hello Everyone,

I bet you recognize that this is the first time that Teaching and Learning at a Distance has been offered as a class. Annette and I have previously conducted much of this content as a multi-day workshop, but this is the first time to bring all of this together. And I think that the final improvements are now in place (It did involve a little more time than expected!). Again, thanks for your patience, and let me know if you see any problems that I overlooked - I hope not (fingers crossed). (8-)

The entry point for all the online material is Teaching and Learning at a Distance http://eduscapes.com/distance/index.htm
Index page for content is Workshop Materials (S603 classes are all workshop courses) http://eduscapes.com/distance/workshop_materials/index.htm
Workshop Content (An Overview) http://eduscapes.com/distance/workshop_content/index.htm

FINAL CHANGES
There have been some changes made to the contents of these webpages:
(1) The Guide http://eduscapes.com/distance/workshop_materials/guide.htm
This webpage is intended to be your main guide through the content and activities
The assignments call for posting an Introduction (2 pts.) and completing seven Deep Discussions (Forum postings, 2 pts. each plus 1 pt. possible for response / reply), and one final project encompassing both content and technology components (27 pts.).

Note: As you revisit these webpages, be sure to refresh / reload the screen once you reach the site; this will insure that your computer loads the updated version and replaces what was archived in your browser.

(2) The Requirements page has also been changed so that it is aligned with the assignments / point values.
http://eduscapes.com/distance/workshop_materials/requirements.htm

(3) Finally the Course Calendar has been added to the Syllabus http://eduscapes.com/distance/workshop_materials/syllabus.htm

With the delay of these final changes, let me know if there are any problems with meeting the scheduled Due dates. I feel comfortable allowing a little extra time here in the first few days - as long as we get up-to-speed and on-schedule by next Wednesday?

Next task for me is to complete the remaining Forum structure at Oncourse - - followed by the gradebook.

THE TERM "COURSE"
Note that throughout the course materials, I often use the word "course." This is not to be confused with your class (also the course); but usually the term is being applied in a generic fashion to a unit of study - - in this instance, a unit of study that is to be conducted at a distance. A course can be formal or informal in nature; for example, a book club, a library orientation, a seminar on cultural diversity, etc. The possibilities are almost endless.

ONLINE READINGS
Yesterday's message started you out with assigned readings; here is the full listing for this week (Reading assignments made each Wednesday):
Skim through / become familiar with The Guide, Requirements, Workshop Materials, and Workshop Content pages (Listed above with URLs)

FORUM POSTING - DEEP DISCUSSION
Once you have completed the online readings, you are ready to complete the Deep Discussion 1: Learners and Learning http://eduscapes.com/distance/workshop_materials/guide.htm#d1
In your Forum posting for this activity, attend to all the listed criteria in the assignment - - however, you do not have to limit yourself to only those items.

The due date for posting your Introductions is tomorrow, but don't fret if you need another day . . . I will accept them until Sunday night.

Deep Discussion One is due next Wednesday, August 27th. Excerpted and updated from the last update message: Two points are available for your original posting and one point for a reply / response.. Replies are due within 5 days from the posting due date. For the Deep Discussion 1, your reply should be posted by Wed Sept 1. Replies should extend or add to ideas and information of original posting - - must be more than positive feedback, agreement, etc. More specific details are provided on The Guide.

Have a good weekend - - jump into the reading; you can work ahead of schedule if you wish.

I'll be around and online every day.

Larry

August 20, 2008
Hello again,

Back with you and thanks for your patience. Now its time to get going. For the record, the calendar for the class is August 20th to October 10th.

I will be sending out periodic email messages like this. I call them course updates. Recommend that you read through each of them carefully. They will be archived in the course materials so that you can go back and revisit whenever needed. Make sure that you understand the information and directions that each contains. If not, email me with your questions, ask for added explanation. I will do my best to make things clear and understood.

STARTING POINTS
There is no textbook, all readings will be online. First off, take time to get acquainted with the course website materials; suggest that you begin with exploring these sections:

Syllabus http://eduscapes.com/distance/workshop_materials/syllabus.htm
Requirements http://eduscapes.com/distance/workshop_materials/requirements.htm
The Guide http://eduscapes.com/distance/workshop_materials/guide.htm
Note: I am in process of making a few changes on the course guide (online later today); goal is to reduce number of Deep Discussions to total of 6. At the same time, the point value associated with assignments will be adjusted.

ASSIGNMENTS
A basic component of any Lamb / Johnson Web course has always been discussions posted in the forum sections of Oncourse. Same here. As a participant, each of you share so much more added information and unique ideas that add to the richness of the course. It's essential that you fully participate.

Cohort Collaboration 1 - Introduce Yourself, Due Friday, Aug 22:
Go to Oncourse, locate our course, choose Forums, locate the Introduce Yourself forum, and share the following information in a a message.
1 - Introduce yourself to the class. Include your name in the subject of the message. Provide a little personal and professional information about yourself.
2 - Share something you've done that you don't think anyone else in the class has experienced.
3 - Also tell us about your online experiences. Have you taken online courses before? If yes, what did you like and dislike about this approach? If not, tell us about your other online activities. Do you surf, use Facebook, or maybe avoid the computer outside class?
4. What experiences have you had with distance learning (Not restricted to Web or online activities)? Summarize some of your thinking of the potential of distance learning for libraries.
5. Share the topic of the online course you plan to work on during this workshop.

Post your message. Then, go back and skim the introductions. Comment on someone else's experiences or information; add to / expand from their ideas. Reply to at least one person who is working on a topic of interest or expertise.

Two points are available for your original posting and one point for a reply / response - scored as to completeness in meeting criteria assigned. Replies are due within 5 days from the posting due date. For this Cohort Collaboration 1, your reply should be posted by Wed Aug. 27th. Replies should extend or add to ideas and information of original posting - - must be more than positive feedback, agreement, etc.

ONLINE READINGS
Notice on The Guide that the content for this course is grouped into three sections. Begin with Part 1 - Course Content, Organization, and Web Development. Now that you have completed your introduction, read the following materials:
Start at The Basics webpage http://eduscapes.com/distance/the_basics/index.htm
The Definitions http://eduscapes.com/distance/the_basics/definitions.htm
Eight Elements of Effective Online Courses http://eduscapes.com/distance/the_basics/elements.htm
Note: You are also welcome to skim through the webpage on Dreamweaver for Course Development. However be assured that this is not a class requirement (Only provided as supplemental information). You can use online resources such as a Web hosting site like Googlepages http://pages.google.com/

Later today the course calendar will get uploaded, the revisions made to course guide. But meantime, I wanted you to have this startup information.

Lastly someone asked how I should be addressed. I'm pretty flexible here; comfortable with you using my first name or if you prefer to be more formal - Mr. J or Dr. J (That last one dates me to the Seventies) will also do fine. Similarly I start with the name given on the roster or your emails; let me know if you have another preference or I mis-keyboard your name (8-).

Have a great day, and I will be back with you in a few days.

Larry

August 19, 2008
Hello everyone,

Almost ready to get started with the Distance Learning course (29850 S603, August 20 - October 10).

There is no required textbook for the course; all readings will be online. I will be working today to finish up final touches on the course materials. Sit tight, relax another day and we will get started tomorrow.

E-mail COMMUNICATION
I see several familiar names and a few new ones: I have received email from several of you. If you have not emailed me about this semester - - please send a brief note confirming that I have the correct email address that you would like me to use.

If you have a preferred email address (Instances where I am emailing two locations) or name / nickname, etc., let me know. If you have not previously emailed me confirming that you are enrolled in the class, please do so. Kinda like the 'email me if you do not receive this message' thing (8-).

Note that I respond to email sent to my main address at larrjoh@gmail.com

I check and read that mail daily. Throughout the semester, I will mail out direct communications like this to you. These periodic email updates are to keep you informed on details directly related to the class, and I may include some personal stuff once in a while (where we are, what we are doing, etc.).

YOUR INSTRUCTOR
A little background (For those few who have taken a course from me before, please excuse the repetition), I have been a classroom teacher, a school library media specialist at a junior and senior high school, a district wide media administrator, a media administrator at a community college and a university, and have taught at a few universities. I've been doing web development for over ten years. My wife, Annette Lamb, and I maintain an award-winning website for educators (http://eduscapes.com) that has thousands of pages and receives over ten million hits each month. We also co-author the Info-Tech column in the Teacher Librarian.

I believe that all of you have some degree of library experience and several are already working in libraries. We also have several teachers and teacher librarians. Our backgrounds and academic preparation are varied; together we can bring different perspectives into the online class discussions. I look forward to getting better acquainted and learning more about you during the semester.

I enjoy teaching web-based / online courses and exploring and learning new things. I'm a relatively new kind of professor - - I teach classes for IUPUI, but do not live in Indiana. This summer, Annette and I changed our residence from Texas to Utah (for voting and snail mail). For ten years, we have lived and traveled in our motorhome (RV) - - spending quite a bit of time out West. Learn more about our lives and lifestyle at http://www.eduscapes.com/lamb/

Don't worry about being able to keep in touch; as I hinted, I'm online most days / every day using a high-speed satellite system installed on top of the motorhome - - or using a land line or wireless network if away from the RV. E-mail works . . .

Back with you tomorrow. If you have questions and or concerns, do not hesitate to get back in touch.

Larry

Photograph of Larry Johnson