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CSE697 - Syllabus

Dates:
      Official start: no later than February 20, 2012
      Official end: March 16, 2012
      St Francis of Assisi only - January 21 and February 4

Course Description:
   This course will facilitate students' development of their Personal Learning Environment by creating connections to valuable educational resources and relevant content area experts. They will utilize tools such as RSS and aggregators to bring these resources directly to their desktops in an organized and timely manner. The students will develop skills for maintaining a constantly updated connection with breaking news within their disciplines and will learn to become active participants by sharing their own expertise.
Course Goals:
   Through readings, activities and class discussions, students will:

  • Define and visualize a Personal Learning Environment
  • Become familiar with RSS and online aggregators
  • Create a Personal Learning Environment that connects them to experts, resources, and tools specific to their discipline
  • Actively participate in discussions within their discipline using a variety of online tools
Activity Summary:
   During this course, the student will:
  • Define and explore the idea of Personal Learning Environments (PLE)
  • Explore different online aggregators (write a review of features and characteristics of aggregators and readers)
  • Research the use of aggregators and readers in education
  • Establish an aggregator/reader as a center for your Personal Learning Environment
  • Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of aggregators/readers
  • Compare the use of aggregators/readers for creating a Personal Learning Environment with options for doing this with other online communication tools
  • Use an aggregator to manage resources from this class
  • Create diagram of your own Personal Learning Environment--what resources, experts, tools will you connect with?
  • Develop your own Personal Learning Network using an online aggregator
Readings:
   Readings will a collection of sources including professional journals, Internet resources and blogs. The instructor and students will collaborate researching and identifying useful sources.
Assignments:
   Assignments will parallel the objectives and activities and will primarily be submitted through the use of blogs, typically blogs established by the students themselves. Unless otherwise stated all writings will be on the student's blog.
  1. Create a personal aggregator, typically in through Google.com such as iGoogle or Google Reader
  2. Write a review of the features of different aggregators and readers
  3. Research and write a review of how aggregators/readers are used
  4. Read and write a review on the use of aggregators/readers in the development of a Personal Learning Environment
  5. Participate in regular discussions, using the variety of forms of online communication tools connected to aggregators/readers by commenting on the use of aggregators and readers in the development of Personal Learning Environment
  6. Research, identify and connect to other related and relevant news
  7. Develop and write about a plan for utilizing an aggregator or reader for one's Personal Learning Environment.
Grading Criteria:
  • Setting up an aggregator -
  • Review of features of aggregators/readers -
  • Review of the use of aggregators/readers in general -
  • Review of the use of aggregators/readers in a professional learning environment
  • Participate in group discussions and activities -
  • Enhance your aggregator with additional features and gadgets -
  • Write a review of research on relevant news -
  • Design a visual plan of your PLE -
  • Write a plan or use an aggregator -
  • Write a final reflection on your understanding and future use of a PLE -
Each assignment represents about 10% of the total grade. Grading and deadlines have been used for decades for monitoring students progress. While Western Oregon University does not grant recognition of learning without fulfilling the requirements of a course, it is my opinion that first and foremost is the education of the individual. If the student completes all activities and assignments with conscientious effort, with my support and supervision all students will achieve the highest level of recognition and therefore the student should focus on learning and not on the score or grade.
Grade
  A   
  B  
  C  
  D  
  F   		 Scores
90-100
80-89
70-79
60-69
below 60