Task+1+Group+4


 * This workshop material is adapted from On the Cutting Edge, a professional development program for current and future geoscience faculty. 

Teaching a course involves making choices about what you will ask your students to do and why. External factors such as context of the course, student demography, and support structure are significant and should influence the choices that you will make as you design your course. Consider the external factors that influence a course and explain why these factors are important to consider before you begin to set realistic goals for the students in your course. **Start by choosing a course or a portion of a course to work on.**  Answer the questions below. In addition to the facts, comment both on the **challenges to designing your course posed by each factor** and on the **opportunities presented by each factor that you could take advantage of in designing your course**.  Does your course serve as a prerequisite for a subsequent course or does it prepare students for a exam? If so, what? No Challenges: Teacher Resistance to new technology, available tech. in the classroom environment, IT support to ensure available tech is always working, keeping up with tech. change,  Opportunities: more focused, student centred learning, teaching in a 'language' or genre students understand, teachers to become confident in the use of tech. in the classroom environment, easy collaborative learning - not limited to the teacher driving it, or it happening in the classroom, streamlined school management and communication between administrative personnel and classroom teachers. Environmentally friendly (less use of paper), free up time spent face to face in meetings so that more IT training can occur to upskill teachers in staff meeting time as opposed to asking them to give up more time for training, ease of sharing information and tracking what has been shared  Does your course have prerequisites? If so, what are they? NO  Challenges: <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Opportunities: <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">How big is your course, and what kinds of rooms are available for you to teach in?
 * Part 1.1 What are the course contexts and constraints**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Task 1.1a: How will your course work? **<span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">

<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #00ff00; font-size: 12pt;">Intro is 45 minutes (wet the appetite), but this will be stepping stone to an ongoing training program for teachers. Program will run for the remainder of 2009 with approximately 20-30 minutes of training weekly. The rooms available are from fully set up computer lab through to small group discussion room data projection and internet facilities <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #00ff00; font-size: 12pt;">Challenges: <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> leading people who learn at different rates and supporting them staff as questions arise. Getting all teachers to utilise the Web 2 technologies not only in communication as staff but as a teaching/learining tool for the classroom. <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> Opportunities: Small presentation time frames allow teachers to explore the use of these technologies weekly between meetings, modelling use of IT equipment in the various rooms, Does your course have a lab and/or on-line component, and do you teach it? Yes, it is internet intensive - we have a lab and also internet access points in all classrooms to facilitate this project <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Challenges: Infrastructure (network), not wireless, addressing any technical problems within a reasonable timeframe, awaiting more powerful servers (possibly upgraded 2009) <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #000000; font-size: 12pt;">Opportunities: all teachers using the internet and Web 2 tech., Teacher can transfer newly learned knowledge to their class in the computer lab or alternatively provide a demonstration in their classrooms. Computer lab allows for collaborative learning with the whole class all at once, ability to use Heulab Campus <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">What are your options for frequency and duration of class/lab meeting times? Weekly, 20-30 minutes sessions during staff meeting time <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Challenges: All staff being there each time with their laptops Opportunities: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #00ff00; font-size: 12pt;">Collaborative learning opportunities for the age and skill spectrum we have in the staff community <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Answer the questions below. In addition to the facts, comment both on the **challenges to designing your course posed by each factor** and on the **opportunities presented by each factor that you could take advantage of in designing your course**. <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Are your students gifted & talented, middle-of-the-road, or learning support? <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #00ff00; font-size: 12pt;">Teachers all at different levels of computer understanding and use <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #00ff00; font-size: 12pt;">Challenges: Maintaining interest for all teachers . <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Opportunities: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #00ff00; font-size: 12pt;">The chance to look at teaching from a different perspective, mentoring and collaboration to build staff competency with the added benefit of staff community building, colleague support, opportunity to set up a buddy system for supporting each other <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #000000; font-size: 12pt;">In what way might your students use what they have learned in your course in the future? <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> Design and build teaching and learning activities for their classroom with increased collaboration, which will ultimately lead to less preparation time and a higher interest/motivation from students, personal management and organisation of tools available to make their job easier <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Challenges: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #00ff00; font-size: 12pt;">Personal resistance to change, sense of being overwhelmed <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #00ff00; font-size: 12pt;">Opportunities: opens a whole new world and way of teaching and learning - arouse personal interest in learning more, <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">What is the demography of students in your course in terms of age, race, gender, and ethnicity? Teachers from 23 - 60 <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Challenges: Older aged teachers may be resistant because they are soon to leave <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Opportunities: Colleague sharing across the age range <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">What percentage of students in your course have high-speed computer access outside the at home? <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> All have high speed internet access and individual lap-tops <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Challenges: <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Opportunities: <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> Personal exploration and discovery 24/7 <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Answer the questions below. In addition to the facts, comment both on the **challenges to designing your course posed by each factor** and on the **opportunities presented by each factor that you could take advantage of in designing your course**. <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Are you the default computer troubleshooter, or do students and staff have other support people to turn to if they run into difficulty with a computer problem related to your course? Presenters of the course will be main trouble shooters Participants will be encouraged to assist one another to work through problems Use the internet to solve problems
 * <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #000000; font-size: 12pt;">Task 1.1b: Who are your students, and what do they need? **<span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Task 1.1c: What is the support structure for your course? **<span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">

<span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Challenges: <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> availability of co presenters

<span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Opportunities: <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Peer assistance which increases learning discovery of new sites & technologies by seek assistance on the web

<span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Does your school have writing, quantitative literacy, or oral communications skills centres that can provide supplemental help/instruction for students? <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> A wiki will be provided as a reference and help point for participants with links to sites and web communities for support and assistance

Challenges: <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> learning how to navigate the wiki <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> Opportunities: personal growth/development allow 'writer' status on wiki so can add more helpful sites ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-no-proof: yes;">[[image:file:///C:/Users/ghughes/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif width="8" height="8" caption="http://c1.wikicdn.com/_/2009010800/i/bBL.gif"]] <span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> ||