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Welcome to our course on the Instructional Technology Planning and Management. The course allows you to work on authentic planning and management tasks in an authentic context. We have created a hypothetical school district, Mustang ISD, that is based on real data and problems from other schools in the state. Planning is not a solitary activity. We are always working with other people - colleagues, staff members, administrators, teachers, parents, community members, family members -- to accomplish almost anything worthwhile, we work with others. Because we feel so strongly about the importance of collaborating with others, this course is organized around activities that are carried out in teams, along with other individual assignments. In fact, this course was created by a team. We know from research on cognitive learning that engaging in dialogue and working collaboratively with others facilitates learning and the development of deeper levels of understanding. You will learn about planning and management of instructional programs while you serve as a member of the Mustang ISD planning team. Whatever you are in real life -- whether a teacher or other member of a school district's staff or a parent -- just be yourself in this course. Your experience and knowledge are invaluable. You will have two assignments to complete in this module. In the first assignment, you will test your computer and software to see if you can access the course materials easily. In the second assignment, you will explore the planning tools that will be used in the course. |
