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 Vermont Center
Professional Development
Outreach Center
Course Outline
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Title: Edu20 Pilot – Building a Platform for 21st Century Learning
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Rationale:
The use of edu20.org...
...Promotes the use of portfolio or performance-based assessments (Grad, Dept or Class)
- All student work is archived indefinitely.
- The integrated class-level and school-level e-portfolios are so easy to use that teachers can focus more on student learning and less on how to use the portfolio technology.
...Provides greater accessibility and communication
- Digitization of curriculum allows assignments and resources to be accessible anywhere & anytime the internet is available.
- Web-based gradebook with rubrics & comments and a special parent account feature allows for greater communication.
- School-wide use allows for students to access all of their assignments and resources in one spot, rather than six different websites, wikis or blogs.
...Allows for easier differentiation and a more media-rich learning environment
- Edu20.org allows teachers and students the ability to easily add videos, audio, images, slideshows and any other form of digital media.
- It is much easier to differentiate using digital resources.
...Allows greater efficiency and collaboration
- Every class, unit, lesson, assignment, rubric, quiz, quiz question, and any other resource submitted is archived indefinitely for future use.
- A school-wide library and groups’ pages allow for easy collaboration and sharing of school-wide resources like common assessments, policies, and media.
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Course Description:
This course will help teachers develop the skills necessary to fully digitize their curriculum using a web-based learning management system (LMS) - edu20.org. This LMS provides a robust platform for teachers to create a more media-rich learning environment and to encourage 21st century learning skills. The course is applicable for any teacher who wants to do the following:
- Make their curriculum available online 24/7
- Store lessons, assignments, quizzes, rubrics and any other digital media in a space that can be accessed anywhere 24/7
- Create a secure place for students to submit work 24/7
- Easily embed videos, slideshows, images, and any other form of digital media
- Manage a space where students can archive their work and reflect on their growth over time
- Deliver quizzes online and have scores automatically tabulated
The purpose of this course is to pilot the use of edu20.org - to gather evidence, pro and con, for its possible school-wide use in the future.
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Objectives:
- Make all major assignments available online for at least one year long course.
- Grade at least 50% of these assignments using edu20’s integrated gradebook.
- Provide an opportunity for students to use the integrated class portfolio to reflect on their growth over time.
- Populate the school’s edu20 library with at least one common assessment.
- Participate in dialogue and discussion about how to use edu20 in the most effective manner.
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Content Outline:
- Discuss Course Syllabus and Critical Friends Protocol.
- Presentation of edu20.org features and showcase of how it can be used for performance and portfolio-based assessments, digital differentiation, and extending learning opportunities beyond the classroom.
- Hands-On Workshop (Logging-on, Creating a class, Enrolling students, Using the HTML editor, Creating Assignments, Creating Lessons, Grading Assignments, Configuring the gradebook, Adding digital resources, Sending Messages & notes, Creating special groups, Using the calendar, Using the integrated wikis, blogs, chat rooms, debates, and threaded discussion forums)
- Pedagogy Workshop (Creating valid and reliable common assessment tasks & tools using guidelines developed by Understanding by Design (UBD) and Universal Design for Learners (UDL), assessing student work, calibrating common assessment tools, exploring effective instructional practices)
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Primary Methods of Instruction:
- During the summer days, participants will be taught using direct instruction in workshop fashion. Demonstration of a feature of the program will be followed up by an opportunity for participants to practice before moving on to the next feature. The expectations will be that all participants will have created a class, posted a description and syllabus, enrolled students, configured their gradebook, created their first lesson, and at least one assignment from each of the following assignment types (quiz, offline, freeform, discussion, survey).
- Our meeting times during the school-year will be spent showcasing additional, non-crucial, components of edu20 followed by practice, troubleshooting of problems, and exhibitions of effective assignments or lessons.
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Assignments:
1) Develop an entire course online using edu20.org
2) Grade at least 50% of major assignments using edu20.org
3) Develop a lesson that teaches and assesses our 'common skill' & showcase student work during our calibration session
4) Develop at least one highly differentiated, self-paced lesson using edu20.org (This can, and should be, the same lesson as above #3)
5) Create an assignment that requires students to reflect on their growth over time using portfolio artifacts as evidence
6) Be an active and constructive member of our group all year
7) Create a Jing Screencast Tutorial or Compare Edu20.org to another similar tool you are familiar with
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Evaluation/Grading:
1) Course creation assessed via performance checklist
2) Grading ability assessed via performance checklist
3) Lesson plan and student work assessed via performance checklist
4) Lesson plan, student work, and student reflections assessed via performance checklist
5) Assignment and student reflections assessed via performance checklist
6) Participation and collaboration assessed via performance rubric
7) Checklist
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