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Frequently
Asked Questions
Class
Participation
Q. May I take this workshop with other educators
from my school?
A. That's an excellent idea. Collaboration is an essential
part of professional development and should be modeled in
this class. However, each individual needs to turn in his/her
own assignments. In fact, I encourage participants to help
each other on assignments. Peer feedback is an important workshop
component.
Q. Is this workshop available only to Iowa
educators?
A. This workshop is available to educators worldwide who are
able to access the resources of the WWW and email.
Q. What if I will be away from my computer
for a few days?
A. If a participant will be out of town at a conference or
on vacation for a few days, it's not a problem. Each participant
should keep the instructor informed of his/her plans. Also
please include your progress on the assignments, and plan
to participate in the online discussion via email.
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Class
Materials
Q. How do I find the online class materials?
A. Each lesson is divided into sections:
Introduction and Objectives
Readings
Videos
Activities
Evaluation
Reading materials will be included within the text of each
lesson and available on the WWW.
I recommend that you read the Introduction and Objectives
and review articles of interest in the Readings section.
Next, proceed to the Activities section to review the
list of assignments you must successfully complete prior to
progressing to the next lesson. The Evaluation section
provides an assessment rubric to help you understand exactly
how your assignments will be evaluated.
Q. How do the navigation buttons on each page
work?
A. The words at the top and bottom of each module page are
hot, meaning if you click on a word, you will open
that section of the module. In this way, you can easily move
from section to section within the class Web materials.
Clicking on Site Map will assist you in locating the correct
lesson.
Notice how the navigation button changes to a gray color
to indicate you are here.
Q. How many of the online readings are required
reading?
A. No one has enough time to follow every link in the online
modules and read all of the information at each site. I recommend
that folks only read what they *need* to complete each module.
The references that are listed in the Intro and Readings
section of each lesson will generally be sufficient to begin
each assignment.
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Class
Discussion
Q. What time of each day should I be online?
A. Basically, you set your own hours for when you participate
in the email discussion on our workshop listserv or when you
work on homework assignments.
Q. Will the time difference between countries
affect my participation?
A. No, the listserv environment is asynchronous. On weekdays
I will be online many different times of the day. The listserv
will be available and active seven days a week, 24 hours a
day. So no matter where you are, you can participate at a
time that is convenient for you.
Q. Can I contact my instructor
in any way other than email?
A. Your instructor will schedule "virtual office hours" periodically.
These office hours are in the form of online chats using AOL
Instant Messenger. AOL AIM is a free download for both Mac
and Windows platforms. It allows real-time one-on-one conversations.
You will also find instant messaging very helpful during peer
feedback activities. The online chats are optional, since
everyone is busy with personal and professional activities.
You can download AOL Instant Messenger at http://aim.com
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Hardware
and Software Requirements
Q. Do I need special software to take this
workshop?
A. The following software is needed to complete the workshop:
Netscape 4.5 or higher or Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher.
Q. What are the minimum technology requirements?
A. Please visit the following link for a list of hardware
and software requirements: technical
requirements.
Q. How important is antivirus protection?
A. VERY IMPORTANT.
Must-Read... article
The
Skinny on Computer Viruses
Whenever in doubt, check out the warnings on the Computer
Virus Myths Page. Rob Rosenberg compiles and updates a
list of the latest computer virus warnings and hoaxes.
- Update your antivirus software on a schedule (minimum
weekly) so new viruses are detected.
- Run your virus software to scan all files, regardless
of type.
- Never open an email attachment from anyone without virus-checking
it first.
- Turn on macro virus protection in Microsoft Word
and beware of viruses in Word documents.
- Update your Windows operating system with free security
fixes from Microsoft.
Symantec's
AntiVirus Security Response Center
The best source of information about current virus information.
IBM's
AntiVirus Research Center
Scientific papers on antivirus research.
Q. Do I need a sound card? Will I need RealAudio
to participate?
A. Yes. This workshop is designed for low bandwidth environments
and is accessible easily with a 56Kbps modem. There are no
multimedia files on the actual workshop Web pages. However,
some of the linked resources will include sound or video files.
See technical requirements for further
information.
RealAudio is not required.
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Email
Communications
Q. How often should I check my email?
A. You will probably need to check your email every weekday
in order to keep up with class discussions, questions, and
assignments. You should use the workshop calendar to keep
abreast of target due dates for assignments.
Q. What day of the week should I post my
postings?
A. You determine when and how many times per week that you
post. You are encouraged to share your discoveries and successes
with regular postings to the class Discussion list.
Q. How do I copy and paste a URL into an
email?
A.
- Drag across the "location" line to highlight the URL.
- On the upper tool bar click on Edit - then Copy.
- The URL is now saved in short term memory.
- Go to your email form.
- Click the cursor on the position where you want to insert
the URL.
- Click on Edit - then Paste from the menubar.
If you are using Windows, here's a shortcut:
- Highlight the URL in the browser location window.
- Hold down control and the "c" key or right-click your
mouse and choose "copy". This will place the highlighted
URL in short term memory.
- Place the cursor in the document where you want to copy
the URL.
- Hold down control and the "v" key. The URL will appear.
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