🚀 go-pugleaf

At 12:21 PM 10/30/98 -0600, George wrote:
>Earlier this week I posted a query to Nettrain seeking input to a "rough
>draft" list of possible topics for a 40 hour workshop for K-12 teachers on
>Web Design and Development.  Thanks to the five or so that responded with
>their ideas.  I especially thank Margaret Gasperoni for her discussion of
>using "mind mapping."  Also, the critism of using FrontPage from Kathy Gill
>is acknowledged.  I agree, but providing a copy for participants will help
>"sell" the workshop.

I missed George's earlier inquiry but appreciate the summary of his plan.
Though I haven't taught a 40-hour workshop for k12 teachers on web
design, I have taught two 35 hour series of Internet workshops to the same
audience which included 9 hours of web design (the rest was on Internet
basics, Photoshop and PowerPoint). One of the pages I prepared for
the workshops is on web design for k12 teachers, and includes 100+
urls useful  for k12 web design:
http://www.webwinds.com/k12/wdesign.htm
These includes links to a lot of easy-to-use templates, as well as
basic web design and html guides for teachers and kids.

According to feedback, teachers also found the Online HTML
and Web Design Tools page very useful:
http://www.webwinds.com/k12/htmltools.htm
(Feel free to use the above resources pages)

Also, teachers became very aware that Front Page had too
high a learning curve and appreciated learning enough basic
html to be able to troubleshoot problems caused by the editors.
(Have been using Netscape's Composer, since it doesn't
require extra purchasing and downloading). They also REALLY
wanted to learn how to do images without having to master
a graphics program - at least those who weren't taking the
Photoshop segment did - so basic work on preparing and
optimizing images was essential.

I also learned that many k12 teachers, even those maintaining
school sites - are somewhat computer-phobic, and that it's
important to stick to the basics and give plenty of practice time.
But I've been teaching the regular teachers wanting to put up
pages for their classes or depts, as well as the tech coordinators.

Also, they appreciated the time spent at looking at and
critiquing school and student's educational web sites, because
it helped them generate their own ideas. I haven't had the time
available to do it, but my original plan had to been to pair up
each teacher with a partner teaching the same subject or same
grade level with whom they could exchange ideas throughout
the workshop. I always find that spending the first 20% of my
time in teaching web design needs to be focused on essentials
of DESIGN, not html, and on building the foundation/map for
a well-designed site. In fact, the page I've had them work on, as
they were learning html, was a page in which they recorded
their ideas as they were learning. I always find the combining
process and content enhances retention.

Finally, George, the amount you intend to cover astounds me.
Are these people computer whizzes? I, for example, spend at
least two hours with tables, and only after at least eight hours
with simpler html, and a week of in between practice time.
And even then, I need to repeat some of the tables lesson a
second time a few days later.

And even in 16 hour workshops, I would need to at least double
the time you provide for each item. Don't forget students will
have a lot of questions, will need time troubleshooting, and
you may encounter some technical problems that slow things
down. I really suggest that you pare down your syllabus,
and list some of the items as OPTIONAL in case you have
time to cover them. Unless your students have been doing
basic web design for at least six months already, I think you're
going to have to cut down what you intend to cover by 25-50%.

I also know from my degrees in education and 26 years of
teaching experience that people have to practice each skill
at least three times in order to learn it, involve as many
senses as possible, and verbalize what they are learning
in order to remember it. The brain can only learn a few skills
in a given time period and needs to keep going over the same
ones if they are to be remembered later.

I for one have taken far too many computer classes in which I just
kept following the instructor's exercises by rote, and went home
later, didn't remember a thing and had no idea to apply it. Personally,
I want to make sure that students will leave a workshop remembering
about 75% of what they learned, and able to apply it immediately.
But that's just my approach.....And I learn over and over again to
"keep it simple" and give plenty of time for practice, integration,
discussion and help.

As I see it, it's not how much you cover that counts, but how well
the students learn AND GAIN CONFIDENCE in using what you teach.....
And not many students, even teachers, go over their notes later and try
to re-teach themselves what they've forgotten. What counts is the time
they have at the workshop, and their ability to apply what they learned
soon after the workshop is done without feeling so overwhelmed that
they are too paralyzed to begin.....After all, you're not teaching
material, you're teaching PEOPLE, and dealing with the
limits of their brains, hands, backs....as well as their anxiety
and issues of self-confidence.

Don't mean to offend here. You obviously have high ideals in
regard to how much you wish to cover....and I certainly wish you
the best. Do let us know, George, what you learn from teaching a
40-hour intensive to k12 teachers, and how you alter your
syllabus in the process.

Also, anyone else want to comment on the process and speed
of teaching and how much content you choose to cover in
a given time? Of course, a lot depends on the level of expertise
of your audience, and their practice time between sessions.

Tracy Marks


_________________________________________________________________
Tracy Marks, M.A.   tmar@tiac.net   http://www.windweaver.com/
WINDWEAVER Web and Windows 95 Resources -  Web search and design
Webwinds Web Cameras  http://www.webwinds.com/
Webcards: Annotated Guide http://www.webwinds.com/cards/cards.htm
Figure skating photos http://www.webwinds.com/skating/skating.htm
K12 Resource site    http://www.webwinds.com/k12/links.htm