Monday, August 29, 2011

A Tour of Vista

These videos are to help you complete the Overview Module and should be viewed before you take the Overview Quiz.

VISTA Tour - Part I



VISTA Tour - Part II




Saturday, August 27, 2011

Syllabus & Course Calendar


CTE576: Coordinating Cooperative Education Programs in CTE (Fall 2011)

General Information

Name of College: College of Education

Name of Dept: Educational Specialties

Course Prefix, #, and Title: CTE576 - Coordinating Coop Programs

Clock Hrs/Credit Hrs: Web class - 3 credit hours


Instructor Name: Deanna Hume-Cheatwood, M.Ed.

Instructor Address: For Mailing Assignments (943 Princeton Drive, Clarksville, TN 37042)

Instructor Phone: Cell 928-380-4156

Since I live in Tennessee, I have office hours via Skype (username: deanna.cheatwood). I am available from 8:30pm - 9:30pm Central Time (6:30pm - 7:30pm Flagstaff Time) Monday - Thursday and by appointment on the weekends. If you do not "see" me on Skype, you can call me on my cell phone (928) 380-4156 or just send me a text message. If you have any questions, please call. I also created a Facebook page for the class, click Like to stay on top of assignments and class goings-on!

Course Prerequisites

Graduate Standing or permission of instructor.

Course Description

Responsibilities of the coordinator, techniques in selection and improvement of training stations and relations with training sponsors. Students will gain an understanding of what a co-op program is and how they work, including developing classroom curriculum, integrating CTSO's, essential paperwork, and laws and regulations. In addition, this course will cover other types of work-based learning including definition, legal issues, and planning and marketing.

Course Objectives

- Student will be able to define cooperative education and other work-based learning programs and describe the differences and appropriate applications of each program.

- Student will demonstrate understanding of the classroom curriculum required in a cooperative education program by developing a detailed course outline and a training plan for a specific student.

- Student will learn the various student organizations and understand the importance of integrating the career and technical student organization activities into the cooperative education programs.

- Student will learn methods for selecting, securing, and improving training stations including developing the training agreement, training plan, and evaluation forms.

- Student will learn methods for creating, maintaining, and using advisory councils for work-based learning programs.

- Student will demonstrate knowledge of the State and Federal Labor laws that relate to work experience programs.

Course Structure/Approach

This course is designed in such a manner that you can complete the requirements at your time convenience. However, assignments are required to be completed within a time structure. There are many class discussions that will require participation during certain days - but not at certain times. Whether it is 6:00 a.m. or 2:30 p.m., or 1:00 a.m., you can complete classwork at your convenience. Learning on the web takes a lot of personal commitment to reading, research, and writing. As a graduate student, this typically occurs in a regular "traditional delivery" class. However, by taking this class, it takes a personal commitment. I encourage students to work ahead, but please save your discussions in Word and post them when it is time.

Textbook and Required Materials

All will be provided online: Arizona Work-Based Learning Guide, Cooperative Teacher Resource Guide, The Handbook, and additional instructional resources.

Course Outline

Course Overview Unit

Unit 1: Overview and Definitions of WBL and Cooperative Education

Unit 2: Cooperative Education Teacher Interview

Unit 3: Cooperative Education: A detailed overview

Unit 4: Planning and Marketing (including student selection, advisory committees, and training stations)

Unit 5: Training Agreements

Unit 6: The classroom component (including using your CTSO)

Unit 7: Required forms and paperwork

Unit 8: Legal Issues (labor laws, wage payment laws, insurance regulations)

Unit 9: Job Shadowing, Mentorships, and School Based Enterprises

The Course Outline is a detailed outline that includes timelines and assignment due dates. It is available in the Course Information section.

Grading

The grade for the course will be determined as follows:

Type

Title

Total Points Possible

Class Participation

Overview Module Email (+5), Blog (+10), Discussion (+5), Assignment (+5), and Quiz (+5)

30

Assignment/Project

Unit 1 – Homework

20

Assignment/Project

Unit 2 – Interview Assignment (10 Pts for Teacher Information; 50 Pts for Final Project)

60

Discussion

Unit 3 – Blog Posting (Reflection/Critique)

25

Assignment/Project

Unit 4 – Marketing Assignment

25

Assignment/Project

Unit 4 – Student Application

15

Discussion

Unit 4 – Training Station Blog Posting (Reflection/Critique)

25

Peer Edit/Critique

Unit 5 – Training Agreement Peer Edit/Critique

20

Assignment/Project

Unit 5 – Training Agreement FINAL Draft

25

Assignment/Project

Unit 5 – Blank Training Plan

20

Peer Edit/Critique

Unit 6 – Curriculum Outline Peer Edit/Critique

20

Assignment/Project

Unit 6 – Curriculum Outline FINAL Draft

25

Assignment/Project

Unit 6 – Completed Training Plan

15

Assignment/Project

Unit 7 – Reports (5 Reports, 10 Pts Each)

50

Assignment/Project

Unit 8 – Blog Posting

25

Discussion

Unit 9 – Blog Posting (Reflection/Critique)

25

Assessment

Final Exam

50

Total Points

475

A - 90-100% of all possible points

B - 80-89% of all possible points

C - 70-79% of all possible points

D - 60-69% of all possible points

F - Less than 60% of all possible points

Course Policies

1. Please submit your written assignments as Word attachments and include your name in the header of the document. Since late assignments are not accepted, please see the "Pass" policies below.

2. For all written assignments writing errors, such as spelling, punctuation, grammatical errors, etc. will affect your grade. All assignments should be professional in appearance; such as you would submit to your principal or other employer. All papers must use APA formatting.

3. This course requires professional and ethical behavior. Plagiarism or any form of cheating violates this principle and will not be tolerated. The University regards acts of academic dishonesty as very serious offenses. Students charged with academic dishonesty are subject to the Arizona Board of Regents Code of Conduct and procedures established by NAU. The complete policy on academic integrity is in Appendix G of NAU’s Student Handbook http://home.nau.edu/studentlife/handbook/appendix_g.asp. At a minimum, the student will receive a zero on the assignment. Plagiarism is defined as presenting the work of another as one's own. More than four consecutive words from a source other than the writer constitute plagiarism when the source is not clearly identified in appropriate documentation format. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, the use of paraphrase or direct quotation, of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgement. It also includes the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling of term papers or other academic materials. In addition, assignments submitted as a requirement for another class should not be submitted for this class. All assignments should be the original work of the student completed for this class.

4. Keep a copy of every assignment before you submit it to the instructor. It provides a backup copy if for any reason technology fails us.

5. We will have several online discussions as assignments in this class. This is to allow students to interact during class and cannot be 'made-up'. Non-participation will result in a 0 for that assignment. The "pass" cannot be used for a discussion in this class.

6. Web courses require self-discipline. There are due dates for assignments and it is important to keep up on the course material. This course is being offered during a condensed format; we only get seven weeks of instruction. If we were meeting in person, it would be for 6.5 hours per week. And students would spend about 7-10 hours of time beyond class on the course in a week. Expect to spend, on average, 12-14 hours per week on this class. Incomplete's or special accommodations will only be given in extreme circumstances (i.e. documented medical or personal emergencies). If you find that you cannot complete the work this semester because of work or other circumstances you will need to withdraw from the course by the deadline date and reregister another semester. Deadline to add = 5 days (9/2/10), drop = 9 days (9/7/10), drop with a W = 20 days (9/19). Petition and fees applicable thereafter.

7. Review all of the information in the Introduction/Overview of Class document. It provides details on the class structure. This document can be found in the Course Information area.

8. Class related email should be sent from within the WebCT VISTA email feature. Please check this email on a regular basis for all relevant class information.

9. Each student will receive one virtual "Pass Card" -- it is visible in the My Grades area of VISTA. Prior to using your card, the column will say "available." Once you have used your card, the column will say "used." There is no penalty for using your card and no reward for not using your card. The card can be used once to turn in a written assignment after the due date and have it be accepted. When you want to use your, card send me an email with the subject line "Use Pass Card" and describe the assignment for which you want to use your card, you must notify me before the due date. Once I receive the email, I will describe the process for getting the assignment completed and I will change the status of your column to "used." Please note that for Fall 2011 ALL assignments must be received by 11:59pm on Wednesday, October 12, 2011 to be considered in your final grade - even if a pass is used.

10. Check your NAU gmail email account on a regular basis - this is done by navigating to Student Webmail under the Quicklinks on the NAU homepage. You can set-up your account to forward your NAU mail to another preferred account. The help desk can assist you if needed. If there are any technical issues with VISTA, the University and instructor will communicate with all web course students using their student email exclusively. If there are technical issues with VISTA during the semester you should check your student account directly from the NAU hompage -- even if you have set-up mail forwarding -- just in case the technical issues affect the forwarding capability of the server.

11. If you have any issue with the grading of any assignment, you must submit a written appeal via VISTA email within one week of the graded assignment being returned to you. This request must specifically outline what your concern is and provide justification for an alternative grade. I will consider your appeal and provide my response within one week. My response will serve as a final decision - any further appeal must utilize the formal University grade appeal policy at the end of the course.

Disability

If you have any concerns or questions or need assistance for services for students with disabilities, please contact (520) 523-8773 or visit http://www.nau.edu/dss

Other Applicable University Policies

Be familiar with policies related to Safe Working and Learning Environment, Students with Disabilities, Institutional Review Board, and Academic Integrity policies. The policies are available for review at: university policies.

Be familiar with the following NAU policy. In the distance learning environment this policy applies to all electronic communication including email, discussion postings, chat rooms, etc. Note the WebCT maintains a detailed log of all communications and all communications can be viewed by administration.

Membership in the academic community places a special obligation on all members to preserve an atmosphere conducive to a safe and positive learning environment. Part of that obligation implies the responsibility of each member of the NAU community to maintain an environment in which the behavior of any individual is not disruptive. It is the responsibility of each student to behave in a manner, which does not interrupt or disrupt the delivery of education by faculty members or receipt of education by students, within or outside the classroom. The determination of whether such interruption or disruption has occurred has to be made by the faculty member at the time the behavior occurs. It becomes the responsibility of the individual faculty member to maintain and enforce the standards of behavior acceptable to preserving an atmosphere for teaching and learning in accordance with University regulations and the course syllabus. At a minimum, students will be warned if their behavior is evaluated by the faculty member as disruptive. Serious disruptions, as determined by the faculty member, may result in immediate removal of the student from the instructional environment. Significant and/or continued violations may result in an administrative withdrawal from the class. Additional responses by the faculty member to disruptive behavior may include a range of actions from discussing the disruptive behavior with the student to referral to the appropriate academic unit and/or the Office of Student Life for administrative review, with a view to implement corrective action up to and including suspension or expulsion.

Course Evaluations

Formal course evaluations are conducted towards the end of the semester in an online delivery system. They will be available at http://www.nau.edu/course_evals/ You will receive an official email from NAU requesting you to complete evaluations once they are available. You will need to use your account login and password to use the evaluation system.

Lastly, and probably most important, I view this class and all the classes that I teach as learning opportunities for both my students and myself. I want to "practice what I preach" by creating assignments and opportunities that you can use with your own students. I understand that there are always better and more efficient ways to do things. With that in mind, I ask that you provide me feedback to areas that you see need improvement. At the end of the class, I will send out an informal evaluation that allows me to modify or change the class based on student feedback. Also, I need everyone to fill out the course evaluations. As a teacher I cannot tell you how important they are!

We have a Facebook page!

"Like" our Facebook page to get information and up-dates on our class.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

About Me...

Greetings from Tennessee! And welcome to CTE 576!

I am an adjunct faculty member at Northern Arizona University and an educational consultant/administrator for High Desert Educational Consulting. Both my BA and MA are from Northern Arizona University in Career and Technical Education. My background is at the high school level as a business teacher. I taught: Beginning and Advanced Web Design, Interactive Multimedia and Computer Applications and was the website administrator for our school. I loved being in the classroom and working with my fellow teachers.

My passion is adult education, which includes teaching at the post-secondary level and as an educational consultant. I am also a self-proclaimed computer nerd (internet and software).

On a personal note, my husband is in the US Army and we have a one year old little girl named Betty. There are also two four-legged family members that make up our happy family; Boone, a 4 year-old chocolate Lab and Lucy, a 8 year-old Australian Sheppard. We are currently stationed at Fort Campbell, KY, but we are both originally from Arizona. My husband is currently home (back from Iraq this past spring) so we are enjoying lots of family time and traveling through-out the South. In our spare time we enjoy camping, hunting, hiking, running and cooking!

Looking forward to working with you all and getting to know you!


JD's Homecoming - April 2011


Betty Faye - Nashville, TN

Monday, August 22, 2011

How to Set Up Your Blog

There are several great blog sites that you can choose from. To make it easy for anyone not comfortable, I have chosen Google to create some "how'to" guides.

If you do not have a Google account:

1. Go to www.google.com/accounts and click on “Create an account now” on the left hand side of the screen. Follow the instructions for creating an account.

After you’ve registered for a Google account or if you already have a Google account:

1. Go to www.blogger.com , sign in with your Google Account and click on the orange tab that says ”Create a Blog.” (If you are having difficulties, Blogger gives you the options to “Watch a video tutorial” to help you set up your blog. If you already have a blog with Blogger, please create a new one just for this class. Please make your username something containing your actual name such as your first name and last initial. Also, please title your blog your first name and our course name (i.e. Deanna's CTE 576 blog).

2. As you are going through the steps to create your blog, you will already be personalizing it by Choosing a Template, for example. However, you will be able to personalize it even more later.

3. Add your blog’s url to the discussion area in VISTA.

Why Use Blogs?

As educators we all look for new ideas, new ways to engage our students with rigorous and relevant classroom content and activities. With the fast-changing evolution of technology and our growing global society it is our job as educators to prepare students for their future. We may not be exposing them to the exact software and technology that they will be using in 10 years but we are striving to expose them so they can explore and experiment themselves. The following video is explores higher level thinking, changing technology and engaging students.

Please watch the video and comment below. Does this video inspire you? Do you challenge your students as much as you can? What more can you do? If you are not an educator, what do you think? Do college professors prepare students for what they will encounter?


Creating a Webcam Video

Friday, August 19, 2011

What Makes a Successful Blog Post

Okay, so there has to be some reason we would use blogs in class instead of simply submitting reading responses in Word Documents, right? Sure. There are a few advantages to blogs:

#1 Your classmates can see your work and comment on it. Since we aren't in class together (but even if we were) being able to "converse" about what we are reading is beneficial. If you are having difficulties formulating and clarifying your ideas about a reading, you might find some guidance from one of your classmates. Of course, you need to come up with your own ideas, but just like in a classroom, some of those ideas may be sparked by something a classmate says.

#2 You can keep your blog forever. You might love blogging and continue to use your space to write book reviews, or keep a journal, even after the course is over. Or, you might realize that blogging isn't your cup of tea, but even then, if you want to show someone the work you've done in class, or return to it later for whatever reason, it will be there (until you delete it, of course).

#3 We could just use the VISTA discussion area but I wanted to show a way to use the concept of virtual discussions in the classroom. Meeting the needs of 21st Century learners can be a challenge and blogging is an excellent tool to use.

#4 Blogs are a great place to make your work more than just words on a paper. With all of the technologies and resources available on the Web these days, we have unique opportunities to enrich our learning by making our work multimedia. Different students have different learning styles. Some of us learn best by reading and writing or by listening to a lecture; others learn by doing or by watching a demonstration. Using a blog, your writing can appeal in different ways to different readers. You can go beyond the words on the page to include things like visuals, videos, slideshows, audio clips, surveys and links...

...which leads us into the topic of this post, which is: What makes a successful blog post?

You want to be sure that each time you post a response to your blog, you are taking advantage of the possibilities that the medium offers. So, you don't just want words on a paper. I suggest that you compose what you want to say in Microsoft Word first to check for spelling and grammar. Then, copy and paste into your blog post and begin to add other elements. Your classmates will be reading and commenting on your posts, it is important to always read what is being posted on your page and to respond. The only way that I will know if you have read the responses is by commenting on them.

Each post on your page should contain:
1. At least one link
2. At least one visual (video or image)



One thing you need to remember is that many images on the web are copyrighted, so be sure to cite your sources if you are using something like an original work of art. One great place to find images and audio that you can use is the Creative Commons.