INTERATIVE WEB EDUCATION

-------------------- Through Douglas County Career and Technical Education Centers ----------------------------------

Web Based Education (WBE) is starting to make a place for itself in our society but it is not quit as user friendly as we would hope it could be. This website is developing and applying "Interactive Based Education" (IWE) to offer our students (and teachers) a way to access an education that can be 1) completely self directed or 2) incorporated into a classroom environment where each student has his/her own computer individually.

1) For the motivated and self-paced student IWE is a perfect environment that includes all course content to read and research, all the lessons are interactive, all lessons are computer scored, each lesson will adjust to the students remediation needs, and all quizzes and tests to check for understanding. Similar to the correspondences courses of old IWE can be self-paced for the self-motivated (but with immediate feedback instead of weeks of waiting)

2) For the student who wants to learn a content but may need to see a real human face for guidance and moral support, IWE is the perfect solution to a high-tech world. The vast majority of the classrooms in use today still do not have complete computer access for each student but we are well on the way of do just that (and believe me they will be soon, it's inevitable). Once a classroom is equipped to have each student individually computer based a whole new world of opportunities and problems becomes available. Problems include; computer distractions such as web-surfing, emailing, online games, etc and Opportunities include up-to-date research options, interactive lessons, personalized differentiation for content dissemination or remediation.

IWE takes into consideration all of the above. Since the IWE website is self-contained and all navigation buttons are included you can lock down the computer to only display this site and alleviate many of the online distractions. IWE is made up of "dynamic" WebPages not "static". Dynamic WebPages are connected to databases that hold information that can be interacted with and modified as the student works through each lesson. These pages are also configured to force the student to work through the lessons in order and satisfactorially grasp the materials before moving onto the next concept. the continuingly adjusting remediation keeps the student engaged until "they've got it". This frees up the classroom teachers to actually apply themselves to meeting the needs of students in a more personalized and deeper level.

But wait there’s more!! Since this site is in beta construction its all free and open to anyone that is motivated to try it. So, go ahead and email the web manager and get setup for a website trial username and password and see for yourself..... Oh did I mention that I am really very interested in seeing how easy it is to take the curriculum you have right now and make it work here. I teach technical courses and so I am looking for teachers who teach main-stream academics that see the benefits of having their curriculum online and ready to use.. So email me.

--------------- The rest of this page is here to speak a little more about my particular IWE curriculum I teach. --------------

Computer technologies have been a part of K-12 education for a number of years now, but we seem to have kept it segregated from regular academic content. There are classes that teach computer usage, word processing and web-page design but we have been slow in actually using technologies as a tool to teach and apply traditional academic coursework. At this point it is fairly common to use computers to take attendance, add a projector and we can use computers as glorified overhead projectors, but only a select few are using technologies to actually help students interact with course content and improve their skills and understanding. In the development of this web-based curriculum we have worked to produce a web environment that will fulfill two fundamental objects:

1) Allow students to interact with a course content independently (makeup or self study)
2) Provide a framework where teachers can use these webpages to increase their efforts to
more clearly disseminate coursework information.

The Computer Aided Drafting and Design program proposed for Ponderosa High School is designed to expose and then provided training in the use of Computer Aided Drafting Software to help students to select and prepare for post high school careers related to the fields of Engineering and Construction Trades. Within a 4-semester course of study students will work through a curriculum that will earn them a certification from the Colorado State board of Community Colleges at two levels; Level 1 – Career Entry Level Drafting and CAD and Level 2- Advanced CAD Operator. Through this course of study students will learn about the Standard Drafting Conventions the Industry depends on to communicate technical information from one institution to another and how to apply those conventions to Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) software.

In the first course students are exposed to technical drafting conventions using a pencil and paper media to create the drawings, this way students become knowledgeable about Standard Drafting Conventions without learning a new computer system. A comprehensive content curriculum including topics such as technical sketching, isometric visualization, orthographic projections, and attention to precision will be covered.

The 2-semester course will cover a comprehensive introduction to CAD using the AutoCAD 2000i software. Students will work to create a full range of 2D and an introduction to 3D drawings using all of the fundamental AutoCAD icons and tools. By completing these first two courses with an 80% or better, student will learn enough about Standard Drafting Conventions and Computer Aided Drafting to earn the first level of certification; Level 1 – Career Entry Level Drafting and CAD.

Semester 3 will take students a step further both in drafting content and CAD skills. As students learn about Architectural and Structural Design they will also go deeper in CAD skills by applying even more 2D and 3D drawing tools. Students will create a set of Architectural plans that will communicate the complete design and structure of a residential home.

Semester 4 will finish off the course of study program with an advanced and in-depth look at AutoCAD 2000i while applying those skills to Engineering Solutions and Design Concepts. During this last semester students will be exposed to advanced AutoCAD configurations (e.g. macros, default settings, and customizations), 3D-modeling, and drawing interchange. By completing these final two courses with an 80% or better, students will learn enough about Advanced Drafting Applications and Computer Aided Drafting to earn the second level of certification; Level 2 – Advanced CAD Operator.

If students want to continue after they have completed the certificated coursework there are opportunities for Internships, Work-Study programs and, on an individualized basis, a Senior Project Independent Study program are available at Ponderosa High School.

Over View of Course Work

Semester 1 - Technical Drafting: Introduction to Technical Drafting and Concepts

Semester 2 – Introduction to CAD: Beginning CAD applications in 2D space w/ Auto CAD 2000i

Level 1 – Career Entry Level Drafting and CAD is awarded at this time

Semester 3 – Architectural CAD: Intermediate CAD applications through Architecture

Semester 4 – Advance CAD, Concepts of Design: Advanced CAD Applications in Engineering Solutions

Level 2 – Advanced CAD Operator is awarded at this time

Extension Courses

Interior Design Independent Study in CAD 3D Rendering

Internships CAD/CAM and Production Technology

Individual Course Overview:

Technical Drafting:

Technical Drafting students are exposed to technical drafting conventions using a pencil and paper media to create the drawings, this way students become knowledgeable about Standard Drafting Conventions without learning a new computer system. A comprehensive content curriculum including topics such as technical sketching, isometric visualization, orthographic projections, and attention to precision will be covered.

Introduction to CAD:

Introduction To CAD will cover a comprehensive introduction to CAD drawing using the AutoCAD 2000i software. Students will work to create a full range of 2D and an introduction to 3D drawings using all of the fundamental AutoCAD icons and tools.

By completing these first two courses with an 80% or better, student will learn enough about Standard Drafting Conventions and Computer Aided Drafting to earn the first level of certification; Level 1 – Career Entry Level Drafting and CAD

Architectural CAD:

Architectural CAD will take students a step further both in drafting content and CAD skills. As students learn about Architectural, and Structural Design they will also go deeper in AutoCAD skills by applying even more 2D and 3D drawing tools. Students will create a set of Architectural plans that will communicate the complete design and structure of a residential home.

Advance CAD, Concepts of Design:

Advance CAD, Concepts of Design will finish off the course of study program with an advanced and in-depth look at AutoCAD 2000i while applying those skills to Engineering Solutions and Design Concepts. During this last semester the students will be exposed to advanced AutoCAD configurations (e.g. macros, default settings, and customizations), 3D modeling, and drawing interchange.

By completing these final two courses with an 80% or better, students will learn enough about Advanced Drafting Applications and Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) to earn the second level of certification; Level 2 – Advanced CAD Operator

This is a sample of the certificate a student would be awarded. Each of the 2 levels would be signed and awarded at the time of completion.