ELECTRONIC PORTFOLIO DISTANCE EDUCATION CLASS ©2003, HELEN C. BARRETT, PH.D.

Getting Started and Getting to Know You and the Course Management System

Objectives:

• Participants will prepare for the online learning experience by outlining their current technology experience, needs assessment, technology available, and dispositions for successful learning online.
• Become familiar with the Blackboard online course management system

Activities

1. Send an e-mail message to your instructor (afhcb@uaa.alaska.edu) with the following information:
   your name and why you signed up for the course. I would also like to know the following:
• what kind of computer you will be using for this course (Mac or Windows)
• the "productivity tools" software you will be using (AppleWorks, Microsoft Works, Microsoft Office, etc.)
• your prior experience using Blackboard
2. Read the documents that are listed on the first page: Course Overview and Topic Outline, Course Policies, Assignments.
3. On the Blackboard website, Log in with your username (if you don't know it, tell your instructor in the e-mail above).  Write down your Username and Password. Don't forget it!
4. Do the following activities on the BlackBoard website:
• Read the Student Manual (you can download it in PDF format and read it when you are not online - it will also be on the class CD-ROM) - it explains what you need to know to use Blackboard.
• Create a web page on the Blackboard website: go to Tools, select Edit Your Home Page, and complete the two fields (Intro Message and Personal Information) telling about yourself. If you post a picture, make it very small, please!
• Be sure to change your e-mail address on the Blackboard website, unless you use your university's e-mail account (which many of you don't). Otherwise, your class e-mail may be sent to the wrong address.
• To view other students' pages, Click on Communication -> Roster -> List All -> List All Button -> any student's name (whew! way too complicated!). Use the Back button to go back to select another student's name.
5. Purchase the course CD.

Textbooks

Required texts:
Dr. Helen Barrett's Electronic Portfolio CD: Standards-Based Portfolios Workshop Documents and Handouts
 

Revised 1/24/03