Introduction

Welcome to Applications of Technology! In this first week, you will be introduced to course-related policies and procedures in order to become familiar with overall expectations. There will also be an opportunity to introduce yourself to the group using two different Web 2.0 technologies. The week will conclude with an activity that will begin your familiarization with the topic of copyright.

Learning Outcomes

• Locate, review, and be able to describe course requirements;

• Become acquainted with your classmates and instructor;

• Become familiar with the subject of copyright, particularly as it relates to the electronic environment. 

Reading 

 This week, you will read:

• week 1 module
• the course syllabus (be prepared to discuss in seminar - week 2)
• Web 2.0 is the future of education (be prepared to discuss in seminar - week 2)
  
• Copyright Crash Course (designated areas)

Discussion 

Research has shown that a sense of community plays in a key role in academic success and persistence, particularly in higher education (Shea, Sau Li, & Pickett, 2006). This is accomplished through sharing and collaboration within social networks that are formed. A successful community is based upon five fundamental elements:

• a sense of shared purpose;

• establishment of boundaries regarding membership;

• agreement regarding community behavior;

• interaction; and

• a level of trust, respect and support (Vesley, Bloom, & Sherlock, 2007).

However, online learners frequently express feelings of isolation and disconnection.The power of establishing a sense of community in online classes has been demonstrated by LaRose and Whitten (2000) who found a statistically significant relationship between students’ sense of community and the positive achievement of learning outcomes in the online setting. In addition, the establishment of a professional network is one of many ways to keep up in rapidly advancing fields such as technology.

This semester, you will have opportunities each week to connect with your fellow students in this course as well as to your instructor. While these will be assigned (and therefore graded), you are strongly encouraged to expand upon these opportunities both within the context of this course as well as outside this classroom.

This week, you will introduce yourself to the class using the following two Web 2.0 technologies:

1. Wordle
2. Wallwisher

Wordle 

Wordle, by its own definition, is a “beautiful word cloud.” Watch the video below—

To do:

1. Create a Wordle about yourself. Include a minimum of 30 words. Customize it any way that you wish. Save it within the program.

2. Save the Wordle as an uploadable image. (Because Wordle is Java-based, it will not allow you to save it as a .jpg. If you are not sure how to do this, read these instructions.)

3. Open a Photobucket account and upload your photo there. (While there, copy the "direct link." You will need the URL later!)

Wallwisher 

Wallwishers are electronic stickies or “words that stick.” Watch the video below—

To do:

1. Sign up for a Wallwisher account.

2. Check out my wall!

3. While you are there, add two sticky notes –

          a. One with an upload of your Wordle (use the direct link) with a message telling us where you work and your position.

          b. One with a link to a Wall you have created.

     4. On your wall, complete the following (at minimum)-

• Post your photo.
• Ask an open-ended question to stimulate conversation.

     5. Visit at least two other classmates' walls. Leave an appropriate comments. (If you see several stickies, visit another wall and leave a message there. Let's make sure everyone is included!)

Seminar

Access to the Meeting of the Minds will be through the Blackboard coursesite. However, we will not be meeting this first week. You are strongly encouraged to use this time to be sure that you have "set up" Collaborate to run on your computer before the first scheduled meeting. A sandbox (test room) has been set up for you to check out.

Weekly assignment

 Copyright is an important aspect of intellectual property creation and use. Great Britain enacted the first known copyright statue in the world in 1710. Not to be outdone, Congress enacted the first copyright law in America in 1790. However, a couple of centuries later, the stakes were raised considerably after ARPANET went live in 1969.

The Internet consists entirely of user-created content that is shared, either privately or publicly. But the keyword is shared. Most of this content can be used, re-used, and re-shared and is done so quite easily most of the time. However, creators should have control and consumers should have permission. That is where copyright comes in.

 This week, you will be introduced to the ins and outs of copyright law. You will spend time investigating what it is and how it is applied. As a technology-using educator, it will be up to you not only to teach this generation about copyright, but to model appropriate use in the classroom. In addition, you may find yourself in the role of school resource for other educators concerning the use of other-created materials on the Web. There are many other important reasons for becoming copyright savvy which will become clearer as you work your way through this assignment.

(Note: This unit will focus upon the use of other-created content. How to own, manage, and share will be covered next week.)

To do:

1. Go to Copyright Crash Course written for the University of Texas by Georgia K. Harper.

2. Read the section Building on each others' creative expressions. (Exclude Creative Commons the flipside and Accessing and using your library's tens of millions of dollars of licensed resources.) Be sure to follow all hyperlinks in order to review the complete collective of information. 

Your grade will be predicated upon the following:

Resources:

Shea, P., Sau Li, C., & Pickett, A. (2006). A study of teaching presence and student sense of learning community in fully online and web-enhanced college courses. Internet & Higher Education, 9 (3), 175-190.

Vesley, P., Bloom, L., & Sherlock, J. (2007). Key elements of building online community: Comparing faculty and student perceptions. Journal of Online Teaching and Learning, 3(3). Retrieved from http://jolt.merlot.org/vol3no3/vesely.htm

Congratulations - you have just finished week 1!

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