INST 5280 Syllabus Spring 2006

From OpenContent Wiki

Facilitator

Name: David Wiley
Room: Ed 214
Phone: 435.797.7562
Email: david[dot]wiley[at]usu[dot]edu
iChat: educommons@mac.com
Face-to-Face Office Hours: Tuesday 3:00pm - 4:00pm
IM Office Hours: Throughout the day most days
Email Office Hours: I will try to respond within 24 hours

Purpose of the Experience

Innovation continues to occur on the internet at an extremely lively pace. What was once the realm of email, FTP, Gopher, and the Web is barely recognizable a mere 10 years later. Keeping up with the speed of innovation and maintaining a familiarity with the most recent tools and capabilities is handy in some professions and absolutely critical in others. This course is designed to help you understand and effectively use a variety of "web 2.0" technologies including blogs, RSS, wikis, social bookmarking tools, photo sharing tools, mapping tools, audio and video podcasts, and screencasts.

Required Textbook

There is no required textbook for this class. All materials are available online.

Meeting / Topic Schedule

This class is scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday meetings from 4:30pm - 5:45pm. Unless otherwise noted, new materials will be presented at Tuesday meetings, and attendance at these meetings is strongly recommended; Thursday labs are optional opportunities for you to get one on one help with assignments from either the facilitator or a teaching assistant.

Introduction / Relevance Day / Blogs - January 10, 2006
1. Why you should care about this course
2. What are blogs? http://careo.elearning.ubc.ca/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?BlogShop_MAPLE/IntroductionToWeblogs
3. Getting your own blog - http://wordpress.com, http://blogger.com, http://livejournal.com
4. Get the most out of blogging - http://careo.elearning.ubc.ca/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?BlogShop_MAPLE/SocialBlogging
5. ASSIGNMENT for next time - Get your own blog, customize it, make your first post, and be ready to show in the next class.
6. DUE TODAY - Nothing
RSS - January 17, 2006
1. What is RSS? Resources TBD Wiley
2. Using an RSS aggregator - http://bloglines.com/ (web), http://ranchero.com/netnewswire/ (mac), http://www.awasu.com/ (windows)
3. ASSIGNMENT for next time- Get an RSS aggregator and subscribe to at least ten blogs on topics of your own choosing. Track the blogs until our next class. Post your thoughts about using RSS, along with links to some of the best things you found using your aggregator, to your blog before class.
4. DUE TODAY - Brief presentation of your new blog
Wikis - January 24, 2006
1. What they are and how to use them - http://careo.elearning.ubc.ca/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?InsurgenceEmergenceConvergence/AdventuresInWikiland, [ BONUS - http://www.infotoday.com/searcher/apr03/mattison.shtml ]
2. Some examples - http://wikipedia.org, http://PBwiki.com/, http://www.communitywiki.org/odd/, http://jotspot.com/
3. The quality debate, or Wikipedia versus Britannica - http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v438/n7070/full/438900a.html
4. ASSIGNMENT for next time - Contribute to an article of your own choosing on | Wikipedia. Make a post to your blog describing your contribution. Update the INST 5280 Blog List (on this wiki) with a link to your blog.
5. DUE TODAY - Blog post about RSS
Bookmark sharing - January 31, 2006
1. Social bookmarking overview and uses - Resources TBD Wiley
2. Social bookmarking services - http://del.icio.us/, http://furl.net, http://spurl.net, http://simpy.com, http://de.lirio.us, http://www.citeulike.org/, http://www.connotea.org/
3. ASSIGNMENT for next time - Create an account on one of the social bookmarking systems and add several bookmarks to it. Post a link to your bookmarks on your blog.
4. DUE TODAY - Wikipedia contribution, blog post, update course wiki
Photo sharing - February 7, 2006
1. Photo sharing overview and uses - Resources TBD Wiley
2. Photo sharing services - http://flickr.com, http://zoto.com, http://shuttlebook.com, http://www.bubbleshare.com/, http://www.23hq.com/
3. ASSIGNMENT for next time - Create an account on one of the photo sharing systems and add several photos to it. Post a link to your photos on your blog.
4. DUE TODAY - Social bookmarks and blog post
Folksonomies and tagging - February 16, 2006 **THIS IS A THURSDAY**
1. Tools for finding / using tags, http://technorati.com, http://www.tagcloud.com/, http://www.getluky.net/freetag/, http://jade.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/feed/
2. [ BONUS http://www.uie.com/articles/folksonomies/, http://ideant.typepad.com/ideant/2005/04/tag_literacy.html, http://www.iskoi.org/doc/folksonomies.htm, http://www.adammathes.com/academic/computer-mediated-communication/folksonomies.html, http://ideant.typepad.com/ideant/2004/12/a_delicious_stu.html ]
3. ASSIGNMENT for next time - Add a tag cloud to your blog.
4. DUE TODAY - Photo sharing and blog post
GIS / Maps / Satellite tools - February 21, 2006
1. Mapping and satellite tools overview and uses - Resources TBD Wiley
2. Mapping and satellite tools - http://www.mapbuilder.net/, http://maps.google.com/, http://earth.google.com/, http://maps.yahoo.com/, http://opensourcegis.org/, http://frappr.com/, http://www.mapquest.com/
3. ASSIGNMENT for next time - Find three locations of interest to you that fit the theme of your blog. Use mapbuilder to create a map and post it on your blog.
4. DUE TODAY - Tagcloud on your blog
Podcasts - March 2, 2006 THURSDAY
1. What are podcasts, and how to find, subscribe, and listen to them - http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,69910-0.html, http://podcasting101.pbwiki.com/, http://podcasts.yahoo.com/, http://www.podcastalley.com/index.php
2. ASSIGNMENT for next time - Subscribe to at least one podcast and follow it until next class period. Post a link to the podcast's website and description of your favorite moments in the podcasts to your blog.
3. DUE TODAY - Links to three locations
Creating audio podcasts - March 9, 2006 THURSDAY
1. Resources, tutorials, and software - http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ and then http://www.libsyn.com/, (also http://www.hotwired.com/webmonkey/05/52/index4a.html, http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/beginners-guide-to-podcast-creation/, and http://www.wtvi.com/teks/05_06_articles/classroom-audio-podcasting.html)
2. ASSIGNMENT for next time - Create an audio podcast and make it available online (from your blog or another service). Post a link to the audio podcast on your blog.
3. DUE TODAY - Post about podcasts you listened to
Creating video podcasts - - March 21, 2006
1. Resources, tools, and software - http://opencontent.org/media/, http://opencontent.org/media/loudblog/ (upload your files here!), http://www.apple.com/quicktime/tutorials/videopodcasts.html, http://www.varasoftware.com/products/videocue/
2. ASSIGNMENT for next time - Create a video podcast and make it available online (from your blog or another service)
3. DUE TODAY - Link to your audio podcast on your blog
Creating screencasts - March 28, 2006
1. Resources, tools, and software - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screencast, http://myscreencast.com/forums/, http://donmc.libsyn.com/
2. ASSIGNMENT for next time - Create a screencast and make it available online (from your blog or another service)
3. DUE TODAY - Link to your video podcast on your blog
Video sharing - April 4, 2006
1. Video sharing systems overview and uses - Resources TBD Wiley
2. Resources, tools, and software - http://ourmedia.org, http://youtube.com, http://revver.com, http://vimeo.com
3. ASSIGNMENT for next time - Create an account on one of the video sharing systems and add your video podcast and screencast. Post a link to the videos on your blog.
4. DUE TODAY - Link to your screencast on your blog
Hacks, mash-ups, and genuinely new stuff - April 11, 2006
1. http://www.programmableweb.com/matrix, http://www.emilychang.com/go/ehub/ and stuff like http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,68071,00.html
2. FINAL PROJECT ASSIGNMENT - Choose a non-profit or civic group to work with. Design a new mashup of the tools we talked about this semester to meet an existing need this organization has. Write a paper describing the organization, your mashup, and how the mashup might be used to solve the problem. Final papers deemed interesting by the instructor may be eligible for implementation for Independent Study credits over the summer.
3. EXAMPLE of a final project proposal - Work with the Cache Valley Chamber of Commerce and Cache Valley Transit Authority to develop an more interactive "Things to Do in Cache Valley," use Google Maps for bus route overlays, Flickr for photos of local attractions, and Videocue / Ourmedia.org for videos of people talking about things to do in Cache Valley
4. DUE TODAY - Link to your section of the video sharing service on your blog
Old software in a new place - CANCELLED
1. Web-based office applications
2. Resources, tools, and software - http://www.writely.com/, http://www.goffice.com/, http://online.thinkfree.com/, http://numsum.com/, http://www.kiko.com/, http://gmail.google.com/, http://www.meyerweb.com/eric/tools/s5/, http://www.aypwip.org/webnote/
3. ASSIGNMENTS for next time - Create one document in each of the application types - word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, calendar, email, and notes (This will not be graded)
4. DUE TODAY - Draft ideas for final project paper
Work on final project papers - April 18, 2006 NO CLASS
1. DUE TODAY - Improved draft of final project paper
Presentations of final project papers - April 27, 2006 (NOTE THAT THIS IS A THURSDAY)
1. DUE TODAY - Make a 10 minute presentation of your project idea to the rest of the class (using technologies we reviewed this semester, as appropriate). Hand in your final project paper.

The Assignments

There are 12 assignments (marked DUE TODAY in weeks 2 through 13) that must be completed as directed before the beginning of Tuesday class. Each of these assignments is worth 10 points for a total of 120 points. The two drafts of your final project paper are worth 20 points each for a total of 40 points. Your final project paper and presentation are worth 40 points. 200 points are possible for the course. See below for information on grading, the honor code, late work, and incompletes.

Grading

Final grades will be assigned based on the proportion of points earned to points possible as follows:

1.0 > .95 A
.95 > A- >= .9
.9 > B+ >= .875
.875 > B >= .85
.85 > B- >= .8
.8 > C+ >= .775
.775 > C >= .75
.75 > C- >= .725
.725 > F

USU Honor Code

For information about the USU Honor Code, please see the USU Student Code Article 6 Section 5.

Late Work Policy

Late work may or may not be accepted and may or may not be harshly penalized at my completely subjective, mood-influenced, and possibly biased discretion. If this makes you uncomfortable, turn in your work on time.

University Policy on Incomplete Grades

Students are required to complete all courses for which they are registered by the end of the semester. In some cases, a student may be unable to complete all of the course work because of extenuating circumstances, but not due to poor performance or to retain financial aid. The term "extenuating circumstances" includes: (1) incapacitating illness which prevents a student from attending classes for a minimum period of two weeks, (2) a death in the immediate family, (3) financial responsibilities requiring a student to alter course schedule to secure employment, (4) change in work schedule as required by employer, or (5) other emergencies deemed appropriate by the instructor.

In other words, the odds of you being able to take an "I" for thise course are "extremely low."

Students with Disabilities

Any student in this course who has a disability that may prevent him or her from fully demonstrating his or her abilities should contact me personally as soon as possible, so we can discuss accommodations necessary to ensure your full participation in the course.