At the end of Chapters 1 through 7 you will find a set of questions ("Things to Think About") that relate to the chapter readings. Pick one question from each list to answer after you have read the chapter. Include your own experiences with your answer. Your answers should be thorough, however half of a page should be fine. They must be typed and submitted electronically. Do not include real names or identifying details of other people in your answers since they will be posted to the Web.

Rubric:

Answer to the question

Question was thoroughly answered – 3 points
Most parts of the question were covered – 2 points
Only part of the questions was covered – 1 point

Personal experiences

Personal experience was reflected in the answer – 1 point
No personal experience reflected in the answer – 0 points

Total points –28 points (4 points each chapter)

Complete a 1-2 page newsletter including the following articles with headings:

1. An article about you and your philosophy of technology.
2. An article summarizing Constructivism.
3. An article outlining problems schools face concerning technology.
4. An article describing a success you have had with technology.

In addition, the newsletter must include at least one graphic or image, a headline, and columns. Please do not include any last names (a last initial is fine such as John D.) since we may post your newsletter on the Internet! Your newsletter should make effective use of whitespace and be "easy to read." Turn in the printout of your newsletter. If possible, submit a copy printed in color however a grayscale copy is acceptable.

Rubric:

Content

The newsletter includes all required articles – 3 points
The newsletter includes most required articles – 2 points
The newsletter includes 2 or fewer required articles – 1 point

Layout

The newsletter contains all required elements – 3 points
The newsletter includes most required elements – 2 points
The newsletter is missing most required elements – 1 point

Design

The newsletter demonstrates good design (arrangement, white space, interesting) – 3 points
Most elements of design are present but could be improved – 2 points
The newsletter is crowded and difficult to read – 1 point

Quality of writing

Each article fully addresses its topic – 3 points
The articles touch on the topics, but more information is needed – 2 points
Much more depth is needed to properly address the assigned topics – 1 point

Total points – 12 points

Using the World Wide Web search engines, find three sites in each of the following areas:

• Personal interest
• Educational – find sites that you could use as instruction in your classroom or that serve an educational purpose
• School sites – find sites that have been constructed by K-12 schools
• Sites that support your unit

Note that you must find a total of 12 sites. For each site, list the exact URL and a brief description of the site (3 - 5 sentences.) Also, rate the site for "usability" on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being poor and 5 being outstanding. You must decide what factors to consider regarding usability. Turn in a typed hardcopy printout of your list of sites and their descriptions.

Rubric:

You will earn 1 point for each site if you include the URL, the description, and the rating.

Total points – 12 points

Design an educational Web site of a home page and 2 or more secondary pages. If possible, make this site part of your unit. Submit the printouts of your Web pages (color version is preferred but grayscale is acceptable.) Also, bring the files on a floppy or Zip disk to our last class so that the instructor may copy them to his disk. The site must include the following elements:

• Text
• Color
• Graphics or Images
• Internal hyperlink(s) - You must have a link from your home page to your secondary pages.
• External hyperlinks - You must have a link to another Web page created by someone else.
• a "mailto" link to your email address on the home page

Rubric:

Text & Fonts (5 points)

• The font is appropriate for the topic and easy to read - 5 points
• The font detracts from the topic but is easy to read - 3 points
• The font detracts from the topic and is difficult to read - 1 point

Choice of color for text and background (5 points)

• Color choices do not clash, are appealing to the eye, and attract the readers attention to important facts and links. - 5 points
• Color choices are not appealing, but highlight important links and items - 3 points
• Important links or text are not highlighted - 1 point

Page Layout & Design (5 points)

• The page layout incorporates good spacing with a design that’s appealing to the reader and makes the site easy to use - 5 points
• The page layout is somewhat well-spaced but lacks organization - 3 points
• The page layout is cluttered and detracts the reader -1 point

Number of Required Pages (5 points)

• There are the correct number of assigned pages - 5 points
• There are fewer than the number of assigned pages - 2 points

Graphics and Images (5 points)

• At least 3 graphics/images appear and are appropriate for the content of site - 5 points
• Graphics/images do not reflect content of site - 3 points
• No graphic or image is included - 0 points

Internal & External Hyperlinks (5 points)

• The pages have good hyperlinks and are easy to identify - 5 points
• The pages have hyperlinks but are difficult to identify - 3 points
• The pages do not have the required number of working hyperlinks - 1 point

Total points – 30 points

Not applicable this semester.

Total points – 10 points

Create an educational PowerPoint presentation with at least 5 slides. It can be used as a standalone tutorial or a presentation of lesson material. If possible, make this site part of your unit. Submit the printouts of your Web pages (color version is preferred but grayscale is acceptable.) Also, bring the file(s) on a floppy or Zip disk to our last class so that the instructor may copy them to his disk. It must include the following elements:

• 5 or more slides
• use of slide transitions
• appropriate use of graphics
• appropriate and effective design & layout

Rubric:

You will earn 25 points in each of the above areas.

Total points – 25 points

Design an instructional unit for a subject that is appropriate to your teaching area. This should cover a narrow unit. The unit must include 2-3 lesson plans that are supported by the technology demonstrated in INSYS 400. You may use any lesson plan format that you are familiar with. Staple and submit the two or three typed lesson plans and the handout (if applicable). Specifically, two or more of the following technologies must be skillfully used where one technology must be your Web site and/or your PowerPoint presentation:

• Appropriate Web sites like those identified by your Web Site Search Reviews
• Your educational Web site and/or your PowerPoint presentation
• a handout that includes text and graphics and that was created with Word, AppleWorks, or another word processing or desktop publishing application
• Internet search engines such as Yahoo or Google

Rubric:

Scope of Content

Unit topic is narrow enough to be accomplished in 2-3 lessons – 10 points
Unit topic is too broad – 0 points

Use of Technology
Includes all of the required technologies – 30 points
Missing one required technology – 20 points
Missing two required technologies – 10 points

Lesson Plan Content

Objectives are clearly stated – 20 points
Objectives are stated, but are not complete – 10 points
No objectives are stated – 0 points

Technologies support the objectives – 30 points
Technologies are present but have minimal impact on the objectives – 20 points
Technologies are present, but have no impact on the objectives – 10 points
No use of technology – 0 points

Total points – 90 points

Students must participate asynchronously in our class’ online learning environment. You must initiate class discussion of topics related to our class study and you must reply to your classmates’ submissions. You must participate on the discussion board and in the mailing list. The instructor will view the discussion board and the archive to grade this assignment. No printouts or files must be submitted.

Rubric:

Level of participation

You appropriately initiated and replied to your fellow classmates 10 or more times – 8 points
You appropriately communicated with the whole class 5 to 9 times – 5 points
You appropriately communicated with the whole class 1 to 4 times – 2 points
You did not communicate with the class or your communication was abrasive or inconsiderate and generally unsupportive of the learning environment – 0 points

Total points – 8 points

Answer the questions on the INSYS 400 Self-Evaluation form in paragraph form. Answer the questions after reflecting on the scope and activities of the course. Please be fair and honest in your self-evaluation. As long as you meet the elements of the rubric below, your grade will not be affected negatively. Email your self-evaluation to the instructor (mrminich@minich.com) by our last class. Bring a printout of your self-evaluation to the last class in case the email was not received by the instructor.

Rubric:

Answer to the question

Question was thoroughly answered – 4 points
Most parts of the question were covered – 2 points
Only part of the questions was covered – 1 point

Personal experiences

Personal experience was reflected in the answer – 4 point
Little personal experience was reflected in the answer - 2 points
No personal experience reflected in the answer – 0 points

Total points – 8 points