Course Instructions and Syllabus
Why should I take this course?
People in the education field - whether a student, a teacher or an administrator - often debate about the role that social media can play in education. This course will allow you to engage and reflect upon how one tool - Twitter - might be used not enhance not only student but professional learning.
What sort of background/knowledge do I need to participate in this course?
No particular background or experience is needed to participate in this course - just a willingness to learn! You will of course need access to high speed Internet and a computer, tablet or mobile device to participate in the course. You don't need any great technology experience - you will be helped through that in the course.
What is the schedule for this course?
This course officially begins on November 25, 2013 and is comprised of four learning modules. In addition to earning badges, a Google + Community has been started for participants to share their learning, reflect on their progress and share resources. This, as well as the connections on Twitter, will be available as long as people want to use them. However, badge submissions for professional development credit must be completed by December 31, 2013. NOTE: We have changed the length of the course to run until January 15, 2014!!
How is this course organized?
There are three main parts to this course:
1. The opportunities to earn badges,
2. Opportunities to have ongoing and informal sharing and connections around the course topics,
3. Opportunities for live events with the course instructor.
Opportunities to Earn Badges (Learner-Content Interaction)
There are four self-paced topical learning modules in this course. Each module has a theme and it provides you with an opportunity to earn a badge that represents your knowledge and skill with that theme. All modules are optional and self-paced. The one catch is that we will only be distributing badges during the five weeks in which this course is running.
Please take a moment to create a free account at Credly.com (a tool for verifying, managing and sharing badges). You will use your Credly login and password to earn badges in this course. This will also allow you to display your badges on Facebook, LinkedIn, or any number of other places. Participants from Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES component districts that participate in the Model Schools Coser (Coser 566) will also have the opportunity to obtain professional development credit hours. Please contact Theresa Gray for additional information.
To learn more about the badges available for this course, please visit the A-Twitter About Education Badge page.
Opportunities for Ongoing and Informal Sharing and Connections (Learner-Learner Interaction)
We invite and encourage informal discussion and collaboration with your co-learners in this course, your colleagues in your district, and others in your online network. For that reason, all of the course interaction will take place in public spaces on the web. We have set up two collaboration spaces set up for you, but we encourage you to set up your own as well.
Opportunities for Live Events with the Course Instructor (Learner - Instructor Interaction)
There will be two "virtual office hours" scheduled during the live portion of the course. These will be held via Google Hangout on December 2, 2013 and December 16, 2013 from 2pm - 4pm and are intended to help with any technical issues/questions that participants have, allow the participants to "meet" each other and to discuss the learning of the course.
Information on how to create a Google + account and participate in a Google Hangout is found in this handout.
1. The opportunities to earn badges,
2. Opportunities to have ongoing and informal sharing and connections around the course topics,
3. Opportunities for live events with the course instructor.
Opportunities to Earn Badges (Learner-Content Interaction)
There are four self-paced topical learning modules in this course. Each module has a theme and it provides you with an opportunity to earn a badge that represents your knowledge and skill with that theme. All modules are optional and self-paced. The one catch is that we will only be distributing badges during the five weeks in which this course is running.
Please take a moment to create a free account at Credly.com (a tool for verifying, managing and sharing badges). You will use your Credly login and password to earn badges in this course. This will also allow you to display your badges on Facebook, LinkedIn, or any number of other places. Participants from Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES component districts that participate in the Model Schools Coser (Coser 566) will also have the opportunity to obtain professional development credit hours. Please contact Theresa Gray for additional information.
To learn more about the badges available for this course, please visit the A-Twitter About Education Badge page.
Opportunities for Ongoing and Informal Sharing and Connections (Learner-Learner Interaction)
We invite and encourage informal discussion and collaboration with your co-learners in this course, your colleagues in your district, and others in your online network. For that reason, all of the course interaction will take place in public spaces on the web. We have set up two collaboration spaces set up for you, but we encourage you to set up your own as well.
- Join the A-Twitter About Education Google + Community. This is a public community, a place to discuss topics related to the course. Many of the course discussions will take place here. While some of the modules in the course will encourage use of this area, expect the conversation to be largely informal. You can share resources, ask questions of one another, and connect with others who share your interests. Our hope is that this will become a community that continues well beyond the six weeks of this course. If you are not familiar with Google +, this Getting Started tutorial may be useful. Additionally, we have created a handout to walk you through the creation of a Google + account.
- You will create a Twitter account as a part of the first learning module for the course. Follow and post messages on Twitter using the hashtag #a-twitter. You will learn more about both Twitter and hashtags when you start your badges.
Opportunities for Live Events with the Course Instructor (Learner - Instructor Interaction)
There will be two "virtual office hours" scheduled during the live portion of the course. These will be held via Google Hangout on December 2, 2013 and December 16, 2013 from 2pm - 4pm and are intended to help with any technical issues/questions that participants have, allow the participants to "meet" each other and to discuss the learning of the course.
Information on how to create a Google + account and participate in a Google Hangout is found in this handout.
How much time should I devote to this course?
That is entirely up to you. There are no formal or required assignments and no traditional grades. Everything is optional. To complete the readings and work necessary to earn badges, expect to spend between 1 and 3 hours per badge. The rest is up to you, whether or not you participate in the informal discussions online or watch and interact in the optional live sessions.
Who is facilitating the course? What do I do if I have questions?
Theresa Gray, Coordinator of the Integrated Education Services (IES) team at Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES will be facilitating the course and checking in on the learning at least three times a week. You are welcome to contact her via email or via Twitter (@theresagray).
Go back to the A-Twitter About Education main page or start to explore the badges that can be earned.