Student+Orientation

=Introduction to Physics - grade 9/10= This course is geared towards high school students who want to learn about physics and projectile motion. The course will begin with a review of vector arithmetic before moving on to the application of equations of motion for projectiles in one and two-dimensions.

The initial course administration can take up to six hours and students should be prepared to spend between ten and twenty hours weekly on course work. This class will be challenging, but fun and rewarding as well. The course grading policy can be found below. Successful completion of this course will prepare students for more advanced course work in physics and kinematics.

This course will be taught by Professor Jane Doe, who is well known for her attention to detail, mastery of subject content, and charismatic style. A link to her teacher rating can be found here.
 * Course Preparation**
 * 1) Contact the teacher to discuss the course academic and technical prerequisites and make sure that it is appropriate for you.
 * 2) Scroll down to the "Student Directory" below and input your personal information
 * 3) Review any tutorials from the section below on topics that you may be unfamiliar.
 * 4) Create an avatar (links) of yourself.
 * 5) Sign-up at the web2.0 resources required for this course. See the Student Web Resources list. Upload your avatar at each website where your user profile uses a picture.
 * 6) Take the student orientation questionnaire below.
 * 7) Make the first entry in your Personal Learning Log (link) an explanation of your study plan for this course. A study plan is a discussion of how you will be successful in this course.

Student Questionnaire
media type="custom" key="5699647"

Student Tutorials

 * Using LaTeX in wikis (link)
 * Edmodo (posting, Turning in an assignment)

Student Web Resources
This course uses a wide range of web2.0 tools. As a result, you **__MUST__** create a personal document that contains the website address, your username and password. If this information is not readily available, it will slow down your progress. You will need an account at the following websites:
 * 1) Edmodo
 * 2) Moodle
 * 3) Engrade
 * 4) Google (Gmail and Docs)
 * 5) Doodle
 * 6) UserVoice
 * 7) Mindmeister

Student Directory
Please input your student information by clicking this link. media type="custom" key="5680879"

Student Progress
Keeping track of progress in an online course can be challenging because of the multitude of different websites and student pacing. We are using a Google Docs spreadsheet to maintain this information. The spreadsheet enables you to check off activities after you complete them. It is also a great mechanism for finding other students who are working on the same assignment. After you complete an activity or assignment, please input the approximate number of hours it took you to complete the task. __**This information is only for informational purposes only and will not affect your grade**__.

You are also required to keep a **Personal Learning Log** (PLL). The PLL is an online journal for answering questions for each unit. It should also contain notes when the unit contains only skeletal information. Skeletal notes are a way for teachers to provide significant portions of content and still ensure that students do not simply transcribe the information passively. Using the PLL is a three-step process. First, you enter your initial thoughts as directed by a "thought" or "review" question. After your initial thoughts, you may access other students' thoughts on the same question. Lastly, you can revise your initial thoughts and create a "final" thought. You will learn about concepts during the week it is introduced and at other times during the course. It may take a few weeks after a concept is introduced before it fully makes sense to you. This may be the result of subsequent concepts or discussion with classmates. You may revise your "final" thoughts at any time. Both your "initial" and "final" thoughts are kept so you can see how your thinking about a concept has evolved.

Student Writing
There are three types of online writing that you will be doing in this course.
 * 1) Personal Learning Log (PLL) - as discussed above, this is a structured journal for your own thoughts.
 * 2) Group Discussions - Group discussions are an online mechanism for conversing with other students. You can comment on an existing discussion, start a new discussion or comment on another student's comment. The ability to comment is what makes the discussion boards different from PLLs. PLLs only allow you to see other students' comments, you can't add comments on anything you read.
 * 3) Unit Summary - Reflection is an important part of learning. The unit summaries are for you to combine everything you have learned during a unit and summarize it in your own words.

Unit summaries are typically based on your collection of session summaries spanning the entire unit. Please find an example math class session summary below: Note the student's incorporation of links and graphics to help with retention. Include what you need to help you remember and apply the information.

Weekly Discussion Monitor
The discussion forums in Moodle and the informal conversations using Edmodo (class code: 2gncsa) are an integral part of this online class. They provide a forum for testing and confirming ideas, as well as, a sense of community for online students. Research has shown that discussions need to be actively monitored in order to remain lively and productive. Each week a different student will be responsible for (i) making sure questions get enough attention to be answered, (ii) making sure students are providing meaningful contributions (other than "I agree"), (iii) potentially reorganizing common threads of related topics, (iv) asking probing questions when the conversations goes off track or is getting stale. The teacher will assign students one or more weeks once the course registration is finalized.

Technical Knowledge
You will need to know how to do the following technical skills:
 * 1) Register at a website and verify your account
 * 2) Take a screen shot of a portion of the screen in either a JPG, GIF, or PNG file format
 * 3) Edit and share online spreadsheets

Getting Help
You can get help several different ways.
 * The first method of help is to post questions in the Moodle forum where they arise.
 * The second method is to ask a question in the Twitter-like conversation channel (Edmodo - class code: 2gncsa). See sample image below.
 * You are welcome to use traditional communications methods like e-mail and phone calls
 * Lastly, teachers have synchronous online office hours.

Grading Policy
Your grades will be available at Engrade and you will be graded on five academic criteria: At the end of each unit, student are given a 100 point graded assessment that covers all unit content. This test will be comprised of 50% teacher-generated questions, 25% student-generated questions, and 25% short answer questions. Students are required to complete a professor-approved individual project within the domain of physics and kinematics that speaks to their personal interests, goals, and talents. Students are required to maintain a log of responses to thought question presented through out the course. These questions ensure that students keep up with the reading and the opinions of their classmates. In addition to thought questions, students are required to contribute to weekly group discussions. Each session, students are required to submit three questions based on the content of the session. Fun //and// unique questions that demonstrate command of the subject matter are held in higher regard.
 * 40% - Graded Unit Challenges
 * 25% - Individual Project
 * 20% - Personal Learning Logs
 * 10% - Participation in Group Discussion
 * 5% - Question Submission