Welcome to EDC922---"eBooks and Digital Content"
Throughout these 10 weeks we will be covering a vast amount of information (but don't be too intimidated). Information and new developments about this content are exploding exponentially, so it's a challenge for even me to stay current.
New sessions will be posted once a week (by the end of business on Monday).
Please keep in mind that there are new developments and trends in online information every day, therefore we may have to be flexible when interpreting the syllabus. This may mean some modifications, changes and condensing of information. I've already made changes to our first session's content.
Throughout these 10 weeks we will be covering a vast amount of information (but don't be too intimidated). Information and new developments about this content are exploding exponentially, so it's a challenge for even me to stay current.
New sessions will be posted once a week (by the end of business on Monday).
Please keep in mind that there are new developments and trends in online information every day, therefore we may have to be flexible when interpreting the syllabus. This may mean some modifications, changes and condensing of information. I've already made changes to our first session's content.
To ensure that we are covering the most current skills and content, I will be assimilating and collating information right up until the moment I post a session. This means that each session's link (over in the left-hand margin) will not be accessible until its respective Monday. Even so, there may be times during a session when a cited link is dead. If that is the case, I will try to keep saved copies of all the information. Just email me (davefontaine1@gmail.com) and I will forward the data to you.
During the first few sessions we will be covering foundational skills. This is to ensure that we all have the basic essentials ‘down pat’. Once this is covered, we will pick up the pace and begin to delve into the mechanics, nuances, and meat of our course.
To ensure continuous accessibility to the information within these presentations I suggest you immediately download, and save the sessions, to your computer. Not every session will be downloadable, but many will be. I cannot emphasize this enough. Along the left-hand margin, there will be a link for each session. When you click on this link you may be prompted to 'save' or 'open' the session.
Always ‘save’ it to your desktop (or in a folder somewhere on your computer). Previous class participants have found it easiest to organize if they create a folder and store all the sessions in one place. Another option would be to right-click on the link and choose, 'save target as.'
‘Saving’ the sessions will decrease problems relating to your bandwidth. Also, although it may take a while for a presentation to download (up to 10 min. or more depending upon the speed of your connection) it will be much easier to toggle between a PowerPoint and the Internet if you have it saved to your hard drive. Weekly sessions will also become portable if you save them to a thumb drive, so if you want to take them from home to work, or vice-versa that will be easiest.
Additionally, you will need to have access to a computer that has PowerPoint version ’97 or above to view the presentations. (As a last resort I will also upload a copy each week's session to an online service where you can stream it live. You will find that link at the bottom of each weekly posting.) If you cannot hear the sound on them it is possible that the “wave” element of your volume is either on ‘mute’ or not turned up enough.
Some of you may have already noticed that I teach this course completely from a blog. This will help those of you who have little, to no, experience with blogs. You get to practice, participate, and maybe even create your own after this class is finished. I'll give you all 24 hours to practice with this a little and contact you Sat. night with our first official weekly session, so look for an email from me.
Please remember that we are all educators, and that this is a collaborative course. So, as you post your reflections and comments we will all be responding to you. Therefore, timely responses are imperative. After you have posted your weekly assignment, make an effort to return again later to read and comment about other participants’ assignments.
Once again remember that we are all perpetual learners; constantly growing. I hope to learn as much from you---as you will from me.
Now I would like you to try a practice download. Saturday evening I will update this page with information about our first session. Along the left-hand margin you will see the words "PRACTICE SESSION." Please try to download this session to your computer, strictly following the directions above.
Once you have been successful with this process, you may also download the syllabus, but truthfully, I will be updating it weekly, so it might be a better idea if you just save a shortcut to the live version. There isn't a required, purchasable text, but for those of you that want to more depth on blogs and wikis then I recommend Will Richardson's book. Don't worry if it takes a week to arrive.
You may order it from most online book sellers. Until then you may want to read it online (not ideal and you usually can't access the entire text), but here is the link: Wikis, Blogs, and Podcasts
You could also check your local library here.
If you run into problems, please review the directions again. It is not uncommon for participants to 'stumble' a little getting used to this forum.
If you run into any trouble after that, then please feel free to email me or call.
Thank you and please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have along the way.
Dave Fontaine
eBook, eLearning, and Digital Content Specialist, NBCT
DaveFontaine1@gmail.com
401-835-3782
