Read Your Old Blog Posts

Once the class gets going, you will start commenting on your classmates' blogs. Additionally, someone from the EDM 310 staff will also be reviewing and commenting on your blog. It is important to go back and read through the comments because either one of these people could ask you a question that you need to follow up on. By responding to these comments, you help to build a relationship with your classmates as well as the EDM 310 staff.

Use Your Checklist

To make your way through EDM 310, it is essential to utilize the EDM 310 Checklist. This can be found in your Google docs. There is a generic form, so you will need save a copy to use. Once you complete an assignment, you highlight the cell in green. If you are turning in an assignment late, you need to highlight the cell in red. Using the checklist along with the course calendar can help you stay ahead of the game. As mentioned in an earlier post, you should check the class blog DAILY. There are additional assignments that are added throughout the course. These items will need to be added to your checklist as they are assigned.

How Much Time Does EDM310 Require?

HOURS A WEEK

If you aren't willing to put in the time, DO NOT take this class!

Comments

There are three different types of comments you have to do in EDM310.

Your assignments for commenting will be found in your Google Docs.

Comments for TEACHERS:

Each week you will be assigned a teacher who blogs regularly. You will find the teacher’s name and a link to their blog in your Google Docs as appropriate. You must read the most post that the teacher has made to his or her blog as long as that post is not a “housekeeping” post. Manual. Two weeks later you will comment on that teacher’s blog post again. After you have commented for the second time on a teacher’s blog, you must POST to your blog a summary of what the teacher covered in each of the posts on which you left a comment and you must also summarize your comments. In most cases it is easier to do immediately after you have read the blog post and commented on it. Write your required post after every comment but do not publish it until you have completed the second comment. Again, PROOFREAD your comments and your posts! And your comments must be substantive!

To help you keep track of the C4T assignment I have devised this numbering system: 2 C4T#1 means the second comment for the first teacher assigned to you. 1 C4T#3 means the first comment for the third teacher assigned to you.

To summarize, every second week you comment on a teacher’s blog as assigned to you. Every 4th week you publish a post which covers both of the teacher’s posts and both of your comments. Then you will have a different teacher assigned to you. 

Comments for CLASSMATES:

Each week starting you will have an assignment to comment on a classmate’s blog post due the previous Sunday. The specific student to whom you are assigned will be found in a Google Doc to which you have access. You will be assigned a different student every week. Your comment is due by the next Sunday midnight. If a student has not posted on time, send an email to edm310comments@gmail.com giving the name of the student and this message: Student’s name did not post last week. Then choose any other student that did his or her post on time and leave a comment on his or her post. We automatically get copies of all comments and will see the comment you leave for a different student. And your comments must be substantive! “I agree with you” is not enough. Tell why you agree, what concerns you have, what questions are raised by the post, how your reactions to the assignment were different (if they were). Read the comments we leave and use them as models. The first Sunday of every month you are required to post a summary of the comments you have left for kids the previous month. 

Comments for KIDS:

Each week you will be assigned a blog of a student (or a blog of a class in which the teacher posts a student’s work). You will be required to leave a comment no later than Sunday midnight. You will find the student to whom you are assigned and and instructions on how to find the post on which you are to comment in a Goole Doc to which you have access.

EDM310 Calendar

The EDM310 calendar is another helpful tool to look at. You should always have access to it to make sure when projects and other assignments are due.

Here is a link to the EDM310 calendar.

http://www.johnstrange.com/edm310/fall2010/Calendar.pdf

EDM310 Rules for SUCCESS

There are many things you will need to know and keep in mind if you want to do well in this course. Here I have copied a list of eleven rules you should KNOW!

1. Turn your brain to the ON position

2. Read all instructions FIRST

3. ASK FOR HELP. We are glad to help. We will NOT do it for you, but we will certainly help you learn how to do something. ASK EARLY AND OFTEN! Email edm310help@gmail.com or call 251-272-9023 (EDM310 Help Phone).

4. Approach this course like a Professional. BE ON TIME WITH ALL ASSIGNMENTS! ON TIME!

5. Be HONEST when you post your responses to assignments and when you evaluate your own performance. Remember, we know what you do, when you do it, where you do it, and who helps you do it. It’s the “miracle” of technology which provides us with this information. If you did not already know that there is no privacy anymore, you will after this course is over. (You do have a Facebook account, correct? So you of all people should know there is no privacy!)

6. Consult the Class Blog DAILY

7. Look at the materials in the Class Blog archive to get a glimpse of the class last semester

8. Look at some of the student blogs from last semester. The link to Student Blogs is on the Class Blog.

9. Check out the EDM310 Alumni Blog

10. Plan ahead. You should start projects far enough in advance to allow time for doing them well and on time. Begin dates have been provided for most projects. Start earlier where possible.

11. NEVER use Internet Explorer as a browser for this course

LINKS to Activities and Other assignments for EDM 310

Here is a LINK to all the other activities you will need to complete for EDM 310.

http://johnstrange.com/edm310/fall2010/activities.pdf

AND remember... THESE 3 things (blog assigments, projects, and other activities) make up the INSTRUCTION MANUAL. These posts just provide a DIRECT link to all 3 of these things.

LINK to blog assignments for EDM 310

Here is a link to all your blog assignments.

As always, remember to add pictures to your posts AS WELL as ALT and TITLE modifiers.

http://www.johnstrange.com/edm310/fall2010/blogmasterfall2010.pdf

AND remember... THESE 3 things (blog assigments, projects, and other activities) make up the INSTRUCTION MANUAL. These posts just provide a DIRECT link to all 3 of these things.

LINK to Project assignment for EDM 310

Here is a link to the projects PDF.  These are all the PROJECTS you will be responsible for. Happy learning! MAKE sure that you always read the instructions carefully. It is ALWAYS easy to miss something important.

http://www.johnstrange.com/edm310/fall2010/projects.pdf

AND remember... THESE 3 things (blog assigments, projects, and other activities) make up the INSTRUCTION MANUAL. These posts just provide a DIRECT link to all 3 of these things.

Add ALT and TITLE modifiers to all IMAGES

Ok, students- so here is the 411.. You have to add ALT and TITLE tags to all your pictures.. which should be in ALL of your posts for EDM 310. So Let's make sure you get this right:

1. You HAVE to add a picture to EVERY blog post.
2. You HAVE to add ALT and TITLE tags to every picture in EVERY post.

Make sense? Here are some step-by-step instructions to add them:

To complete the ALT Modifier in a Blogger Post:

1. Edit the post in which you have placed the picture.
2. Make sure that you have clicked on the Edit HTML Tab
3. Look for <IMG You may gave to scroll right or left to find it. Then look for alt= "" inside the
<img ...> tag. If you do not find alt="", type it in after the space after
instruction my code would look like this: <img alt="" NOTE: The MUST be a space after the g
in <img )
4. When you have found ALT="", or after you have typed alt="" into the code, click between the
quotation marks and type the text you want read to a blind person. You do not have to write This
is a picture of because that is already known to the blind person.

To complete the TITLE Modifier

5. Click after the second " and add a space
6. Type TITLE="
7. Type the source of your image. For example, if I were using a picture that I had
taken I would use Source: John Strange. If you are unable to determine the source
use Source: Unknown
8. Be sure to end with the closing "

Must Add Pictures To All Blog Posts!

We are adding this because a lot of students this semester (Fall 2010) went almost the whole semester without realizing they were supposed to be putting pictures into their posts.

 So students, do you get it?

YOU HAVE TO ADD PICTURES TO ALL YOUR BLOG POSTS.

This comes hand-in-hand with ALT and TITLE tags. Not only do you have to add pictures to every post, you also have to add ALT and TITLE tags.

Here are the instructions VIA Dr. Strange:

You must add IMAGES to all your blog posts and include ALT and TITLE modifiers.

Must learn to add ALT and Title tag modifiers to IMG tags. Use this technique for all images placed on your blog throughout the course.

To understand how to put in ALT and TITLE modifiers go to the next post called "Add ALT and TITLE modifiers to all IMAGES".

The purpose this Blog

This blog is designed to help you, the student, make it through this required course with as little confusion as possible! This blog is an attempt to put everything you need to know in one place so that you can get rid of the headache already. We hope that this blog makes EDM310 a good experience, rather than a frustrating one! Good luck students, let your intellectual journey begin!