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dIntroduction: What Is An Online Learning Module And Why Should I Design One?

 

1. What is an online learning module?
An online learning module is a website that presents and interprets educational material for the general public. Each of the completed modules in this course should meet the following requirements.

a. It should present a complex and multifaceted American history topic in an engaging manner.
b. It should be based on primary and secondary research.
c. It should discuss the larger historiographical issues with which it is concerned.
d. It should conform to the citation rules specified in the Chicago Manual of Style.
e. It should be targeted, coherent, informative, and effective.

2. What can I learn from designing an online learning module?

a. Students can become active participants in digital learning.
Members of this class will both use and create digital learning environments, as they plan, research, write, and develop their own online learning modules, which may house video interviews, audio clips, maps, charts, census records, newspaper articles, political cartoons, photographs, and other forms of digital media that are often overlooked by history students.

b. Students can master “Twenty First Century Skills.”
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) defines these skills as:
The ability to be proficient in the use of advanced technology;
The ability to communicate information and ideas using a variety of media and formats;
The ability to access, exchange, compile, organize, analyze, and synthesize information;
The ability to draw conclusions and make generalizations based on information gathered;
The ability to know content and be able to locate additional information as needed;
The ability to evaluate information and sources;
The ability to construct, produce, and publish models, content, and other creative works;
The ability to become self-directed learners;
And, the ability to collaborate and cooperate in team efforts.

c. Students can become active historians.
Students will become intermediaries between untapped historical sources and the communities in which they live. Class members will complete sound historical research and use it to develop online learning modules that are authentic, relevant, and meaningful.





dSample Modules

 


The Brown Decision in Norfolk, Virginia | link

Lord Dunmore and the Ethiopian Regiment | link

Vivian Carter Mason: Civil Rights Activist and Educator | link

The Underground Railroad in Virginia | link

Television News of the Civil Rights Era | link

 




dBeginning Your Research Project

 


1. Choose a topic
Choose a person, event, development, or idea that is relevant to our course.

2. Begin your research effort.
Once you've chosen a topic, begin your search for sources.

3. How to Research a History Topic | link
This site includes directions for finding, researching, and noting sources in a history paper.

 

 




dSam Houston State University Library Resources

 

List of Library Databases | link

Databases for secondary journal articles are:
Academic Search Premier
American HIstory and Life
Article First
JSTOR
LexisNexis Academic (legal reviews)
Project Muse
Social Sciences Full Text
World History Collection

For book reviews
Book Review Digest Plus

For primary source material by era
Civil War Newspapers
Dallas Morning News
Early American Imprints
LexisNexis Academic (court cases)
New York Times (Pro-Quest Historical Papers)
Newspaper Source

Secondary book and media index
World Cat

 





dWriting a Research Paper

 


1. The next step is writing.
Once you've done a fair amount of research, you are ready to move to the writing stage of your project.

2. How to Write a History Paper | link
This site includes directions for organizing, quoting, and footnoting in a history paper.

3. Paper Guidelines
a) Your paper should be 6 to 8 double-spaced pages in length.
b) Your paper should be based on primary and secondary sources.
c) Your paper should present a clear thesis statement that is supported by relevant facts.
d) Your paper should be well-organized and free of stylistic and grammatical errors.
e) Your paper should contain footnotes that are formatted in accordance with the Chicago Manual of Style.
f) Your paper should contain a bibliography formatted in accordance with the Chicago Manual of Style.

4.Citation Guide, Chicago Manual of Style | link
This site presents the documentation style that you should use to format your footnotes and bibliography.

 





dDesigning Your Module: Using Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004

 


1. Once you have completed and revised your research paper, you are ready to begin your website.

2. Beginning your website design
To begin the design process, ask yourself the following questions.

a) What is the main point of my site?
b) What are the principle sub-points of my site?
c) How should I organize the site so that users can easily understand the main point?
d) What images, graphics, and documents will support my site? Are my supporting materials specifically related to the main point of my site, or are they general and often times unrelated?

3. The Design Software: Dreamweaver MX 2004
For assistance using Dreamweaver see the following sites:

Training Tools: Dreamweaver | link
Learn That: Macromedia Dreamweaver Free Courses/Tutorials | link
Dreamweaver Showcase | link

 





dDeadlines For Your Online Learning Module

 

All materials should be submitted to Dr. Littlejohn in class on the following dates.

Please follow the schedule listed on your syllabus.