|
 |
|
|
MEDT 7471 Course Description This course will cover the design and development of data networks for instructional settings. It will also cover current trends and issues, and students will explore how to use data networks for a variety of instructional contexts. Students will also learn basic network trouble shooting and repair. |
MEDT 7471 Course Assignments Assignment 3.1 Building A Course Portfolio This exercise is designed to demonstrate the student's basic ability to construct a working eletronic portfolio and website. I found this to be challenging because it has been a few years since I have used Dreamweaver to build my webpage that is currently hosted at UWG. After playing with it for a little while, the basics came back and I was able to put together my first page! Now I will have to experiment with it to make sure that my new pages are a little more exciting. Assignment 3.2 Creating a Virtual Computer I found this exercise to be very interesting. I have never seen a virtual machine set up this way and was so intrigued that I also set up a Windows 7 virtual machine to play around with. I can see the benefit of this as it allows you to install and try out software without the possibility of causing harm to your local computer. It would also provide a workspace for your students or children to use the computer without you having to worry about possible changes to the core physical machine. Assignment 3.3 Working With Ubuntu I have been playing around some in Ubuntu. I has explored the file naming and organization, and have looked at the various components that it offers. I like the open source office suite which, oddly enough, is the same one I have on my Android phone! I think this is a good open source operating system, especially if you are looking to be like a Mac and not as much like Microsoft. I will have to play around with the tools a little more to see if it is a real viable option though. The presentation tool is a lot like PowerPoint, but things are spread out a little more. Using the virtual machine in the classroom would allow you to expose students to different software that might not be available on Windows or Apple machines. It would also allow them to work in programming structures without having to worry about damage to the host computer. Assignment 3.4 XAMPP on Ubuntu As luck would have technology bit me square in the rear as I started working on this assignment. Once all the technical issues were resolved I was able to get XAMP installed and running well. This is my first foray into the realm of servers so I am having to feel my way around a bit. It was interesting seeing how this was set up and really how easy it was to manipulate the pages. I am not real familiar with HTML but will try and pick up some as we go. I could see using this to set up a virtual server on my home computer that could be accessed from school, bypassing some limitation of our network possibly, and being able to use more of the resources available on the web. It would also allow us to teach our students how to set up a server system. Assignment 3.5 Creating a Streaming Media Server I have really had to do battle with VM Ware and Ubuntu to get this assignment done. It seems that everytime I log onto my virtual machine some setting has changed. After a complete rebuild and several reinstalls and reboots, it is working again. I really like the idea of having the streaming media server to place interactive and other media on. This is a good way to differentiate, make web quests more exciting, and present information to students in a different way. Using this kind of machine it can be hosted virtually and not have to have the support of an actual physical server. Teachers could set these up outside the school server farm and have access to items that might otherwise be outside availability at school. I also think students would enjoy setting up their on media on sites like this to share projects and original works. Assignment 3.6 Build Your Own Blog After another extensive battle with Ubuntu and Xampp I have finally conquered the demon within and got this to work! I really enjoy working through these problems but it is really frustrating having issues each time. It does teach me some trouble shooting techniques though. I can see me using this in the future to set up blogs for my class to use for discussion outside the classroom and also to assist parents with the work we are doing in class. I can also see an application for this where students are assisted with their homework by others in their class through the blog. Knowing how it works on the back end will allow us to set up the parameters of the blog to only accept data that is appropriate. I like the idea of students and parents working together to solve homework and other issues that otherwise they might rely on the teacher for and it also provides and excellent opportunity for differentiation and expression outside the classroom! It is also clear that open source programs can provide an excellent resource for us because of the cost efficiency and the availability of help with issues that might arise. Assignment 3.7 Installing Moodle on Ubuntu I am so happy this week because I turned on my virtual machine, fired it up, and it worked perfectly. With that said I really like Moodle. I can see setting up an online course, using it for tutoring, or even using it to help students with homework. The fact that it is free and open source makes it even better. I am working on another course through Georgia Tech and NASA that is on a Moodle framework and it is great. There is so much flexibility that can be built into this kind of LMS that I can not see using anything you have to pay for or pay a subscription to get. Assignment 3.8 Installing Wordpress on Ubuntu I really was not sure about Wordpress until I had it installed and running. I really like the features and flexibility, and I also like the fact that this is free. Professionally I can see it being used to post homework, communicate with parents, have students blog about an assignment or complete an assignment there, and it is a good place to exchange ideas with other teachers. |
Assignment 3.9 Installing Tiki Wiki on Ubuntu Installing the Tiki Wiki onto my server, I was trying to figure out how this is really different than a really indepth blog or more functional blog. I can see the application in education for input from students, information sharing, homework help, and even debating complex issues. I have not played with it a lot, but I can see where its ability to allow upload of images and documents would be very helpful. It would also allow classes doing group work to exchange ideas and information within the class and then outside as well. I can also see professional development applications here as well. Assignment 3.10 Installing a Firewall on Ubuntu Installing the firewall turned out to be very easy and for once I had no technical issues! I really do see the need for having a firewall set up on a server, especially one where sensitive data is stored. It is also easy to see why we need to control traffic into and out of the server. I would set up exceptions and would like my school computers to allow access to some sites that are blocked now. It is good for teachers to know that there is a way to get them access to the sites they need with little trouble if managed properly. Assignment 3.11 Creating a DNS Entry on Ubuntu This was a really interesting assignment for me because I thought the only way to get a domain name for your website was to register it. Now I understand that this is not an "officially" registered web address, but you can name the pages on your own server and make them easier to access for those with permission to access them. I think this would really help out if you had your own server with your course material because you could name them and link them with names rather than IP addresses. Assignment 3.12 The Network Data Plan Whew, that was a marathon! I spent a lot of time reading and searching and reading some more...then searching some more. Finally, I have it all put together and am happy with what I have. I found this to be very difficult to pull together because I think in the real world there would be several people or committees working of the different parts of this plan. I did learn a great deal about what it takes to plan a computer system for just one school. The value in this is learning how many people and how much thought must go into planning and trying to consider all of the things that must be blocked or allowed within a school setting. I would love to recommend changes to our district policy based on this and on the requirements placed on the school by state and federal governments. Assignment 3.13 The Virtual Server I spent a great deal of time working on this project. I wanted to make sure to include many of the modules that I thought would make a course great. I really wanted to install a webconferencing server but just could not get it to work properly. What I ended up with was the Moodle LMS, TikiWiki, WordPress, and B2evolution blog software. I wanted to use Moodle to manage my course because I see the value and power in it. There are lots of modules to load into the system and it can be modified to meet the needs of many learners. I used TikiWiki because I wanted to build course knowledge bases that students could use to share and learn information from. This means that they will be uploading researched and documented information to build a database for learning and review. I also installed WordPress for the official course blog, this is where students will discuss class lectures, readings, and formulate plans for group work. I also installed B2evolution in order to provide a social networking resource that would be separate from our class discussions. This is an open forum the students to interact and share some more personal information and they will be given some assignments that will build team work and allow for student feedback free from instructor guidance. I think this will let me design courses for many age groups and learning levels. This page created and maintained by Richard White. Last update on 04/28/2011. |