EDTECH 597: Special Topics
Fall 2008: August 25 - December 12
3 Credit Online Course

Course Information

Instructor:
Name: Dr. Chareen Snelson
Location: BSU Education Building, Room 307
Phone: 1-208-426-2952
E-Mail: csnelson@boisestate.edu
Web Site: http://edtech.boisestate.edu/snelsonc/
YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/csnelsonbsu
YouTube for Educators Group: http://www.youtube.com/group/yteducators
Web-Based Video in Education Blog: http://web-based-video.blogspot.com/
Office Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 1:00 - 2:45 (Mountain Time)

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 Blackboard. Problems with user name or password not working should be directed to the BroncoWeb Help line (208) 426-BWEB (2932) or bweb@boisestate.edu. If you experience technical problems with Blackboard please send an email to blackboard@boisestate.edu to request assistance.

When you login to Blackboard look for a link to Fa08 - EDTECH597 - Special Topics. This link will become visible on Monday, August 25. This is the first day of the fall semester. If you are taking other online courses at BSU it is possible that those course links will appear earlier, later, or at the same time as EDTECH 597. It depends on when the instructor makes the course site available in Blackboard.

YouTube for Educators Course Description:
Produce educational video for YouTube using digital video cameras and editing software. Design and develop appropriate instructional activities that integrate online video. Examine the benefits and controversial aspects of YouTube in the classroom.

Course Goals: During this course students will

1. create a YouTube channel and customize its appearance;
2. explore YouTube or other similar sites and share findings through reflective Vlogs;
3. locate and subscribe to YouTube channels that have educational value;
4. use online search tools to locate video clips that are valuable for instruction;
5. identify common online video genres that have the most educational value;
6. create playlists of online video clips for instructional purposes;
7. record and edit instructional video clips suitable for YouTube using a variety of technologies;
8. upload video content to YouTube;
9. use the communication tools in YouTube to collaborate with other YouTube members;
10. use Test Tube features to develop an instructional activity;
11. write lesson plans that integrate video on YouTube;
12. evaluate other sites beyond YouTube that contain educational video clips;
13. identify and discuss critical issues and controversies associated with YouTube.

Course Materials

Required Course Text:
There is only one textbook for the course. This book provides some good background information about YouTube and video development for the Web. Please note that there may be some discrepancies between the book and what you actually see on YouTube. Web 2.0 is a dynamic and ever-changing landscape. We will be using online resources along with the text to keep track of the new changes.

How to Do Everything with YouTube Author: Chad Fahs Date: 2008 Publisher: McGraw-Hill ISBN: 9780071498654 Author's Website: http://www.chadfahs.com/index.html

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

The book for this class may be ordered online: Here are two suggested vendors who can take your order online and send your book 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. Of course, you are welcome to select the vendor that offers you the best price.

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

Software and Hardware Requirements:

Please make sure that the following are installed and up to date on your computer.

• Antivirus Software such as Norton Antivirus or McAfee Antivirus
• Adobe Reader: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
• Flash Player: http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/
• Video Editing Software: You may use any software you like as long as it will output in a format YouTube accepts such as: .WMV, .AVI, .MOV, or .MPG. As far as I know, YouTube will not accept .swf (Flash) files. Typically, Windows computers come with Moviemaker loaded on them and Macs come with iMovie. These should work just fine for this class.
• Screen Recording Software: You may use any screen recording software you wish. SnagIt (http://www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.asp) or Camtasia (http://www.techsmith.com/camtasia.asp) are both good choices if you are using a Windows machine. SnapZ Pro X (http://www.ambrosiasw.com/utilities/snapzprox/) is a good choice for Mac. Whatever you use must output files in a format that YouTube will accept.
• PowerPoint: This is part of the Microsoft Office Suite.
• Webcam: Please make sure you have a working Webcam attached to your computer. Logitech has a good selection if you need to purchase one: http://www.logitech.com/
• Computer Microphone: Obtain either a headset or desktop microphone for your computer. These are widely available in many stores that sell computer equipment. Logitech also has good microphones that are offered at a reasonable price.
• Portable Video Camera: Some kind of portable video camera is needed to record video away from your computer. If you do not own a digital camcorder, check your cell phone or digital still camera to see if they will record video. These might work for you, but the quality might not be quite as good. Otherwise, you might enjoy trying the Flip camera (http://www.theflip.com/). It is affordable, easy to use, and produces video that looks pretty good on YouTube.

Internet Connection and YouTube Access:
During this course you must have access to both the Internet and also YouTube (http://www.youtube.com). High speed Internet access will provide you with a better experience than dial up access. YouTube is blocked at some locations, so please make sure you have a way to access YouTube from home or somewhere else to complete course assignments.

Assignments and Grading

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 (http://broncomail.u.boisestate.edu/) at least once per week for course related correspondence. The default email address in Blackboard is your BSU email address. For help using your BroncoMail account please see: http://boisestate.edu/helpdesk/email/broncomail/howto.shtml

The following table contains a list of the assignments to be completed this semester. You may track your progress through My Grades in Blackboard. All of the assignments are listed in My Grades and points will be added as we progress through the semester. Announcements will be posted when assignments have been graded.

Standards:
The assignments in this course have been aligned to the AECT-NCATE Standards for the Accreditation of School Media Specialist and Educational Technology Programs: http://www.ncate.org/public/programStandards.asp?ch=4#AECT

Class Policies

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

Please adhere to the following guidelines:

• Do your own original work for each project. Projects that were created for other classes may not be submitted for credit in this course. 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 projects and other assignments should be composed in original text that is written by the student who is submitting it. 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 permitted.
• Images or other media 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. If in doubt, don't use it.
• 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:

• Due Dates: Please note that 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/
• Point Deduction for Late Work: Ten points are deducted for each day an assignment is late. For example, an assignment that is two days late will lose 20 points as a late penalty.
• Emergency Pass: If you have a major event such as a death in the family, illness, hospitalization, or you are out of town without Internet, you may turn in one assignment under the emergency pass. This assignment may be up to one week late and still quality for full credit. After the one week extension has passed ten points per day will be deducted until the assignment is no longer worth any credit.
• Your Responsibility with Late Work: If you will be late for any reason please email the instructor at csnelson@boisestate.edu on or before the scheduled due date.. When the assignment is completed you must send a follow-up email to let the instructor know it is ready to grade. This is how we calculate the number of days for the late work penalty. Failure to notify the instructor could lead to a grade of zero.
• Please Avoid End of Course Late Work: Please note that we work under University deadlines for submitting grades at the end of the semester. If you have an assignment that is late at the end of the semester there is a chance that it might not be in on time to make the deadline. In this situation, I have no choice but to grade whatever I have at that time and submit grades regardless of the late policy above. Please try to avoid this situation.
• Plan Your Time: It is a good idea to schedule specific times to work on your assignments each week and keep the appointment with yourself. A three credit graduate course requires about 9 to 12 hours per week of work (This doubles during summer session.) 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 updating and revising my course materials. Therefore, it is not feasible for me to provide 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 chapters from the required course text is available in the course schedule below.

Grading Cycle:
All assignments are graded together as a group to maintain a higher level of consistency. Grading begins on the first day after a due date and is completed before the next due date.

Instructor E-Mail Response Time:
I respond to e-mail twice per day Monday through Friday. Sometimes, I respond to e-mail on the weekends, but this is less predictable. If you send an e-mail during the week you should have a reply within 24 hours unless it is late Friday or the weekend. I catch up on weekend e-mail on Mondays. If you do not received a reply to your e-mail within a reasonable period of time please send it again. Sometimes e-mail is captured by SPAM filters or just simply does not make it through. Also, check your own e-mail filters that screen out junk mail. In the past, my replies to students have sometimes been filtered out and they did not receive them until they checked the junk e-mail box.

The EDTECH Program

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

EDTECH Mission Statement: http://edtech.boisestate.edu/web/edtech.htm

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, and educational organizations in the private sector.

BSU College of Education Conceptual Framework: http://education.boisestate.edu/teachered/framework.htm

© 2008 Dr. Chareen Snelson