Welcome to Week One . . .

 

 

A.  PRELIMINARIES

 

Change Must Include Technology!

 

Watch "Did You Know 2.0" and think about the implications of what you've seen. If we cannot be flexible, recognize inevitable change, and not only adapt but also lead . . . our students will be missing education that is critical to their success.

 

Also watch "A Vision of Students Today." We learn content, we learn pedagogy, but we must also be politically savvy and understand change effects and processes if we are going to be 21st century educators. Or, you might enjoy "Education Today and Tomorrow."

 

Watch "Medieval Help Desk" for a good counter-example: what you DON'T want to be!

 

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B.  PBWORKS

 

PBWorks is a wonderful Web 2.0 application that is two things:

 

a.          A launching platform for our text, videos, audio clips, and about anything you can imagine

 

b.          A collaboration site that allows multiple writers to work together to plan and complete projects

 

Here is a more elaborate description of what you can do with a PBWorks page. You can set up multiple free PBWorks pages and accounts and use it for colleague-to-colleague or student-to-student collaboration to include teacher tracking.

 

Watch this video that explains the power of this kind of web site.

 

Later in the class, I'll give you a template for use on your frontpage but, for now, jump in and play around with the PBWorks account you set up.

 

  If you haven't already done so, sign up for your own PBWorks account. I've created a picture tutorial if you would like a little help. Be sure to invite me as a reader at porr@stjoelive.com so I can see your site. (NOTE - if you invite me as a writer and there are problems with your site at the end of the course I can usually talk with you about problems and fix them from my end).

 

Here are all the PBWorks tutorial videos: how to create a page, insert a table, make links, etc.

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C.  PICK Tentative Problem Activity

 

Use the PICK activity to tentatively identify a teaching/learning problem you are interested in and follow the directions to post your results to your PBWorks account.

 

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D.  THE TEXT

 

 

The Text for this Course is The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (SOSR) by Thomas S. Kuhn. This book matches up well with the two primary focus points of this course: the issue of change and reading challenging texts.

 

There are powerful insights in this book concerning false assumptions society often makes concerning the objectivity of science. This is important to our time because science has achieved a position of power and authority concerning society and our lives. This needs to be deconstructed and analyzed. In addition, SOSR provides us with powerful insights into the change process as it relates to challenging reigning paradigms.

 

Check out "How to Read Difficult Text" if you are having problems digesting the reading. I'll also be available to read through passages with you to mentor how to process the material.

 

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E.  WEEK ONE TEXT ASSIGNMENT

 

 Read the Introduction (Chapter One) and Chapter Two. Thougtfully respond to the reading by completing SOSR Template 1.

 

When you've completed this assignment, either:

a.  copy and paste into a new page in your PBWorks site--one that you will create and then link from your frontpage, or

b. upload the Word file and then link from your front page

 

Consult the PBWorks videos for "Link to . . ." for help with linking.