Fall 2007: August 27- December 14

3 Credit Online Course

Instructor:
Name: Dr. Chareen Snelson
Location: BSU Education Building, Room 307
Phone: 208-426-2952
E-Mail: csnelson@boisestate.edu
Web Site: http://edtech.boisestate.edu/snelsonc/
Skype: chareen.snelson
Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 12:30 - 2:10 (Mountain Time Zone)

Course Location: This is an online course supported by the Blackboard course management system. The login page is located at: http://blackboard.boisestate.edu

Use your BroncoWeb username and password to login to the course. If you have problems with Blackboard please send an email to blackboard@boisestate.edu to request assistance.

EDTECH 583 Course Description:
This intensive course provides the student with multimedia computer skills that can be applied in either face to face or virtual classrooms. Research-based principles of multimedia learning are explored and incorporated in various multimedia projects developed during the course.

Entry Level Skills:
We will be spending a considerable amount of time developing a multimedia enhanced web site this semester. If you have taken EDTECH 573, The Internet for Educators or EDTECH 574, Instructional Courseware Design within the last two years then you should have adequate entry level skills for successful participation in this course. If you have not taken either of these courses you may still do quite well as long as you have experience with web site creation and HTML coding. If you have never created a web site and have not taken either of the courses listed above this course might be frustrating for you. I would suggest completing EDTECH 573 first to gain the basics of web page development. If you are concerned please send me an email so that we can discuss this further. I really would like everyone to have a satisfactory experience this semester.

Course Goals: After completing this course students will

• understand the role of multimedia in schools and society;
• attain knowledge of multimedia authoring software;
• be able to compress digital multimedia files;
• be able to create and edit digital images, audio, and video;
• understand and be able to write HTML code to embed multimedia in a Web page;
• apply principles of cognitive psychology to the design of multimedia;
• use QuickTime to author original multimedia projects;
• develop text captioned media for learners with disabilities;
• adhere to copyright and fair use guidelines when developing multimedia projects.

Required Course Texts:

	E-Learning and the Science of Instruction: Proven Guidelines for Consumers and Designers of Multimedia Learning. Authors: Ruth Colvin Clark and Richard E. Mayer Date: 2003 Publisher: Pfeiffer ISBN-10: 0787960519
	QuickTime 7 User's Guide - - Download it for Free at: http://images.apple.com/quicktime/pdf/QuickTime7_User_Guide.pdf
	Adobe Fireworks CS3: Using Fireworks--Download it for Free at: http://help.adobe.com/en_US/Fireworks/9.0/fireworks_cs3_help.pdf

Please order your book immediately if you have not already done so.

Books for this class may be ordered online: Here are two suggested vendors who can take your order online and send your books through the mail. If it turns out that one vendor cannot get books to you in a timely manner please cancel your order and look for another vendor.

• Boise State University Bookstore: http://www.boisestatebooks.com/
• Amazon: http://www.amazon.com

Software Requirements:

Current software requirements for the EDTECH program include Dreamweaver CS3 and Fireworks CS3. See: http://edtech.boisestate.edu/hardware.htm

You may find that one of the Adobe Creative Suite packages is a better deal than buying titles separately. You get more for your money. For example, the Adobe CS3 Web Standard includes Dreamweaver, Fireworks, and Flash for less money than buying all three individually. It is expected that all three of these software titles will be used in the EDTECH program.

Please do not pay full price for your software!!! An academic discount is available for students and teachers with proof of eligibility. The academic price shaves hundreds of dollars from the original cost.

Here are two places where you can obtain the academic (lower priced) versions of the software:

• Boise State Bookstore: http://www.boisestatebooks.com/ (Click Technology/Software)
• Academic Superstore:http://www.academicsuperstore.com/ (Search for titles)

Hardware Requirements: You will need

• a computer with speakers;
• an external microphone that will hook up to the sound card on your computer or to the USB port. We will record digital audio narrations this semester using Audacity software. A microphone for your computer can be purchased for under 20 dollars. High end equipment is nice, but not necessary;
• a digital camera. Many cell phones and portable digital assistants (PDAs) now have cameras although the quality varies;
• a digital video camera. Web Cams, some digital cameras, cell phones or PDAs have this capability.

Internet Connection and FTP Capability:

Of course, an Internet connection is required to participate in this online course. If you have a high speed connection it is preferable to dial-up access. If you only have dial-up access you can still get by, but patience is a virtue when waiting for files to download.

We will be creating multimedia enhanced Web pages over the semester and it will be necessary to FTP files to a Web server here at Boise State University. Dreamweaver uploads and downloads files through FTP (File Transfer Protocol). If you plan to work from a school or business location it may be necessary to request help from your network administrator. Sometimes FTP is blocked. Please be prepared for this possibility so that you can either get help or find a different place to do your assignments.

Alternative Web Site Space:

Typically, we provide Web site space for students on the EDTECH2 server. However, sometimes things go wrong with the server or students are unable to FTP to it. This has sometimes been an issue for students who are outside of the United States. Please be prepared to obtain alternative Web site space if necessary. You may already have a Web site space as part of the Internet Service Provider subscription you are using. Free, or inexpensive Web site hosting is also quite easy to find.

Assignments:
Detailed information about assignments will be posted in Blackboard. After opening the course site click the Assignments link in the left hand navigation panel to access this information. The course schedule has been set up so that new assignments will be posted on Wednesdays. Due dates are always set for Tuesdays. Please check at least twice per week to read announcements since these can be posted at any time. Also, check your BSU BroncoMail (email) at least once per week for course related correspondence. The default email address in Blackboard is your BSU email address. You can set up BroncoMail to be forwarded to another email address if desired. For information about the BSU student email system (BroncoMail) please visit: http://helpdesk.boisestate.edu/students/broncomail/getting_started.shtml

The following table contains a list of the assignments to be completed in EDTECH 583. We will be working on micro-level multimedia design, so the projects are small-scale. The goal is to learn skills and principles that can be integrated in multiple contexts.

Standards:
The assignments in this course have been aligned to the Standards for the Accreditation of School Media Specialist and Educational Technology Programs: http://www.aect-members.org/standards/standards2004.doc

Grades:
You can check your grades in Blackboard to track your progress. Grades are updated as assignments are scored throughout the semester. Grades at the end of the course will be determined by the point scale shown in the table below. Please note that Boise State University switched to a plus/minus grading system at the beginning of the fall 2006 semester.

Academic Honesty:
It is expected that students in this class will create original works for each assignment. We will follow the BSU Student Code of Conduct and also observe U.S. copyright laws in this course. Several great links to copyright information are available on the BSU Academic Technologies site at: http://itc.boisestate.edu/resource.htm

In addition to this please adhere to the following guidelines:

• Please do original work for each project. Projects that were created for other classes may not be submitted for credit in EDTECH 583. Each project may only be submitted for credit one time by the person who created it. The BSU Student Code of Conduct states: "Academic dishonesty also includes submitting substantial portions of the same academic course work to more than one course for credit without prior permission of the instructor(s)."
• All project text should be original text written by the student who is creating the project. The exception to this is the use of small amounts of quoted material that is properly cited. Copying and pasting from other Web sites or projects (including the instructor's examples) is not allowed.
• Images and sound clips used in projects should be original, or used with permission of the owner, or come from the public domain. Please check terms of use on sites containing these items.
• Please cite the source for materials that are obtained for your projects unless they are created by you. If permission is granted for use of copyrighted materials please post a statement explaining that near those materials.

In the event of academic dishonesty a complaint is filed with the BSU Student Conduct Office with supporting documentation. This complaint remains on file and actions may be taken against the student (e.g., loss or credit, grade reduction, expulsion, etc.).

Late Work:
Please be advised that the following late work policy will be enforced in this class:

• Only one assignment may be submitted late. This one late assignment can be no more than one week late or it receives zero points. All other late work receives a zero.
• Due dates falling within the last week of class are final and those assignments may not be submitted late.
• All assignment due dates fall on Tuesdays. Assignments must be submitted by midnight Mountain time on scheduled due dates. For time zone information please visit the World Clock Web site: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/

It is a good idea to schedule specific times to work on your assignments each week and keep the appointment with yourself. Plan to spend 8 - 12 hours per week on this class. The amount of time actually needed will depend on entry level skills. It is in your best interest to start early on each assignment to give yourself time to fix technical problems or get help before the due date passes.

Advanced Copies of Assignments:
Please understand that I am continually adding new materials and multimedia to my course assignments. Although I applaud students who wish to work ahead it is not feasible for me to prepare advanced copies of assignments. Full assignment details will only become available at the beginning of each new assignment week (Wednesdays). An outline of topics and reading assignments is available in the course schedule below. The reading assignments are all listed so they may be completed in advance if desired.

EDTECH Web Site: http://edtech.boisestate.edu

Our Mission
The Department of Educational Technology supports the study and practice of facilitating and improving learning of a diverse population by creating, using, managing, and evaluating appropriate technological processes and resources.   Believing technology is a tool that enhances and expands the educational environment, we promote the use of current and emergent technologies for teaching and learning in a dynamic global society. Educational technologists are leaders and innovators, serving in institutions of higher education, public or private school settings, federal, state or local educational agencies, community organizations, and the private sector.