Introduction

Learning objectives

The learning objectives for this session are that by the end of it you should:

1. understand the specification for the 'on-line tutorial' section of Assignment 1.1 well enough to be able to complete the task;
2. be able to relate this part of Assignment 1.1 to an 'A' level specification;
3. understand some of the key issues involved in producing on-line tutorials.

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About this session

Increasingly, teaching material and resources are being put 'on-line', so a familiarity with the main issues involved in on-line learning and the provision of on-line resources (not least the distinction between the two) is important for an IT teacher. In this session we will concentrate on identifying the needs of the audience for a given tutorial and considering how these affect the design and content of the material produced. Although this session can only provide a brief overview of the main things to be considered, the aim is that by the end of it, you should have enough knowledge to be able successfully to produce your own on-line tutorial to teach children aspects of HTML.

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Products of the session

The (eventual) product of this session will be the on-line tutorial submitted as part of Assignment 1.1. A draft of this should be handed in by the end of the Christmas vacation.

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The task

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The timetable

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Links to other sessions

The 'exchanging and sharing' aspect of this session relates most directly to the one in which you consider an audience for your personal web page.

The issue of providing alternative paths through a topic is considered in the session in which you use both HyperStudio and PowerPoint to produce multimedia material.

The issue of targetting activities at learning objectives is a theme of all the sessions on lesson planning - but particularly planning a scheme of work for KS 3.

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In the classroom

Syllabi

The AQA, Edexcel and OCR examination boards all include coursework as part of their GCE specifications - AQA and Edexcel in units 3 and 6 and OCR in units 2513 and 2516.

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Teaching point

There is an important distinction between on-line courses and resources. For example, in this course all the teaching and resource materials are on-line. However, no claim is made that this is an 'on-line course' - it is not. It is designed to be used by a group with a tutor and then provide accessible resources for you when you are in school. You will come across many on-line 'courses' and 'tutorials' which are not - they are simply instructional books or instructions put on-line. When writing on-line material (as with its printed equivalent) you need carefully to consider what (if any) the role of the teacher is - and how the material will engage the learner to achieve the learning objectives - and how evidence of this will be obtained. Just as lecturing to pupils or getting them simply to read books is not generally thought of as a good way to help them learn - so 'electronically lecturing' is not good either.

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Other Resources

Books/Papers

See the 'pre-sessional readings and session notes' for the module Design and Use of Interactive Multimedia, which is part of the MA in ICT in Education at the Institute.

See also 'Reading for learning : aims and strategies', Educational Publishers Council (Institute library reference Maw BOO OVERSIZE).

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