English 479: The Internet for
English Teachers
June 23-29, Traverse City,
MI
Instructor: Dr. Steven D. Krause
Email: skrause@online.emich.edu
(the best way to get a hold of me)
EMU Phone: 734-487-1363 (I will occasionally check my messages
during the Spring term&emdash;email me if you want to get a hold of
me for sure)
Class Web Page: http://www.emunix.emich.edu/~krause/IET
Course
Description
As the title implies, this will be a
hands-on-the-computer-keyboards 3 credit hour workshop about the
Internet designed for English and Language Arts teachers K-12. This
means intensive training in how to use a wide variety of Internet
applications in present and future teaching-- email, listservs,
newsgroups, MOOs/MUDs, Internet chat, and so forth. You will build
your own web sites with HTML and web editing tools, and you will
learn more about the perils and possibilities of incorporating more
web-based writings and readings in your present and future teaching.
No previous experience is necessary. You only need to have a
willingness to learn and make use of the technology.
Required Text
A course pack will be available at Mike's Books, which is right
across the street from the tower in Ypsilanti. If you have any
problems getting this packet, please let me know as soon as possible
and I'll do what I can to help.
Course Rules and
Requirements
- Attendance: This is probably obvious, but just to be
clear: given that our class lasts only 6 days and that we are a
very small group, it is critical that you don't miss any of our
meetings.
- Try hard and work diligently during class sessions:
This class is unusual in that it is primarily a hands-on workshop
where the main work you will be doing is learning and exploring
the Internet on either on your own or with small groups of
classmates. Because of this, it's very important that you try your
best to learn as much as you can about computers, the Internet,
and how to use these tools to enhance your current or future
teaching. Computers can be frustrating things, especially for
those among us who feel more comfortable with things like books,
pens, and paper. Further, some of you will be much further along
in the process of learning about this stuff than others. All of
this is okay. I simply ask that all of you try to work through
whatever frustration you might have with the computers by trying
your best, keeping an open mind, and having a sense of humor.
- Pre-class assignment: There will be a short (5 or
fewer pages) writing assignment due on the first day of class that
asks you to reflect on what you already know about the use of
computers in teaching and what it is you want to know. See the
"pre-class assignment" on the web for more details.
- Contribute to the "Computer Teaching Tips (Second Edition)"
Web Site: This web site, located at http://www.emunix.emich.edu/~krause/Tips,
is designed to give elementary, secondary, and college teachers
ideas for using computers in the teaching of English classes,
particularly writing. We will be using this site as a text in the
class, but we will also be adding to this site in the form of
additional links and exercises.
- Create and revise a personal/professional web site: You
will first make a very simple version of a web site from "raw
HTML" and then revise this site with the help of the basic HTML
editing software that comes with Netscape Communicator. One of the
advantages of our intensive workshop format is we'll be able to do
all of this during our class meetings. Your web site will also be
where you will publish your post-class writing project.
- Post-class assignment: We will talk about this project
quite a bit this week. But basically, each of you will complete an
Internet-based exercise/project/lesson plan appropriate for either
the teaching that you do now or the teaching that you imagine
yourself doing in the near future. Besides the
exercise/project/lesson itself, you will also need to write a five
or so page essay explaining your rationale for what you create.
All of this material will need to be published on your
personal/professional web site. The post-class assignment will
need to be posted to your web site by July 20.
In order to pass the course, you must complete all of the
projects, regardless of your grade on any of the other components of
the course.
Grading
Given all this, grading is pretty simple:
Pre-class assignment: 15%
Trying hard, Teaching Tips, and web page: 45%
Post-class assignment: 40%
A=100-93; A-=92-90; B+=89-87; B=86-84; B-=83-80; C+=79-77;
C=76-74; C-=73-70; D+=69-67; D=66-64; D-=63-60; E=59-0