I. Read Me First

Introduction - Back

A Word to the Facilitator

Welcome to interactive distance learning instruction. By participating in this project, you are about to become a pioneer in education. And because we will be using the latest state-of-the-art technology, this class will probably be different from any other you have experienced.

Of course, in many ways, this class will resemble ordinary classes: Students will listen to instruction, take notes, work exercises, and ask questions; you will keep roll, do some grading, help students with their work, and keep order in the class. The differences will arise from the methods we will use to perform these tasks.

The major difference will be that I will not be physically present in the classroom. Using some of the newest Internet technologies, I'll get as close as I can however. To communicate with each other, we will use a telephone, and computers connected via the Internet.

These unfamiliar methods of interaction present a challenge-and make your role as classroom facilitator a pivotal one. There is no substitute for the presence of another human to convey warmth and concern. Therefore, in the absence of a "live" teacher, it is natural to expect students to look to you for guidance and assurance.

You will serve as the catalyst of this project. An honest belief in distance instruction, friendly and firm classroom management, and a genuine interest in the welfare of the students are the tools you will need to make this adventure a success. I hope it is an enjoyable and stimulating experience for you; I'm sure it will be for me.

-Chuck Duncan, Teacher

I. Read Me First

Materials List for the KET Physics Course - Back

Supplies that are provided by KET:

1. Facilitator Guide (this document)
2. Supplemental Printed Materials (in the second notebook)
3. Student Guide (included in Student Guide section of Facilitator Guide)
4. Graphical Analysis Manual (in the second notebook)
5. Technology Resource Guide videotape
6. Physics Facilitator Guide videotape
7. The Physics Companion CD-ROM (1 copy/3 students, PC format)

Supplies that should be available in the classroom:
(Books below may be any addition - 1992, 1995, 1999)

1. One copy for each student of Physics Principles & Problems (Student Edition)
2. One copy of Physics Principles & Problems (Teacher Wraparound Edition)
3. One copy of Physics Principles & Problems (Problems & Solution Manual)
4. A table such as a "cafeteria table" to do lab experiments on. A smaller table for each team of three students would actually be better.
5. A set of lab equipment as discussed below
6. Other equipment that I will ask you to gather up as the course progresses. It will include string, tape, balloons, etc.

Materials the students should have available:

1. Calculator with Trigonometric Functions
2. Metric Ruler
3. Graph Paper
4. Pencil
5. Notebook and Paper

Supplemental Printed Materials

These materials are most of the printed materials that you'll need for the the course. A few other documents will come to you via the Internet. Please make a copy of each item for each student as we come to the relevant assignment. Just check the agenda on the Physics web site to see what and when to print. For example, most chapters have an associated section in the Physics Companion CD-ROM. There is a printed version of the text in each PC section to provide to the students. You might print these out just before we start each new chapter. You may find that you really need just one copy for each group of students, that is, each team that works together at a computer.

There is a teacher's edition of each lab labeled KEY, so don't pass this around please. Also, please read the key version in advance to help you get ready to supervise the lab.

I've also included a practice test for each chapter to use as a study aid. Students should work with these on their own. They'll need these at the beginning of each chapter. Please note that tests will be sprinkled throughout the chapters and include segments more like the work in the PC.

Physics Lab Equipment

For approximately the first half of the course you will not need any special equipment. You will need a few everyday items such as a meter stick, string, a milk jug, etc. I will assume that all these items can be found at your school or home.

Students will spend much of their time in class working with the Physics Companion CD-ROM in small teams of 2-3 students. Each team will need a lab kit. You can order these kits through Arbor Scientific at the address below.

Although these kits will not be used immediately, you should order them soon so that Arbor will know how many kits to assemble. If you have one of the old lab kits used prior to the development of the CD-ROM, please han on to it. Several items in the kit are still usefull.

The list of items in the lab kit, with pictures, is provided on the Physics Web Site under Facilitator Information.

Other Classroom Supplies:

1. Set of purchased videotapes.
2. In-classroom computer with Internet connection (minimum one per 3 students is suggested). The newest version of Netscape Navigator® is the recommended browser for using the Physics Companion CD-ROM. (See Technology section for more detailed requirements and information.)
3. Printer
4. Telephone
5. Television monitor

Each school is responsible for ordering textbooks and lab equipment. Following is a list of publishers, addresses, ISBN numbers, and prices.

Glencoe/McGraw-Hill
Attention: Order Department
P. O. Box 543
Blacklick, OH 43004
Phone: 800.334.7344 FAX: 614.860.1877

• Physics Principles and Problems (Teacher Edition)
  ISBN #978-0-078-45814-9 (2005 edition), $89.49 OR
  ISBN #978-0-078-25934-0 (2002 edition), OR
  ISBN #0-02-825-4740 (1999 edition), OR
  ISBN #0-02-826722-2 (1995 edition) OR
  ISBN #0675-17265-9 (1992 edition)
• Physics Principles and Problems (Student Edition)
  ISBN #978-0-078-45813-2 (2005 edition), $67.98 OR
  ISBN #978-0-078-23896-3 (2002 edition), OR
  ISBN #0-02-825-4732 (1999 edition), OR
  ISBN #0-02-826721-4 (1995 edition) OR
  ISBN #0675-17264-0 (1992 edition)
• Physics Principles and Problems (Problems and Solution Manual)
  ISBN #978-0-078-65893-8 (2005 edition), $29.97 OR
  ISBN #978-0-078-25936-4 (2002 edition), OR
  ISBN #0-02-825-502X (1999 edition), OR
  ISBN #0-02-826726-5 (1995 edition), OR
  ISBN #0675-17263-X (1992 edition)

Arbor Scientific
P. O. Box 2750
Ann Arbor, MI 48106-2750
Phone: ?800.367.6695 FAX: 866.477.9373
 
One kit for every 3 students:

• Order # KE-1000 Lab Kit, $144.00 plus shipping

• Order Part KE-1001 Lab Kit, $45.00 plus shipping

I. Read Me First Helpful Phone Numbers

Important Telephone Numbers/Contact People at KET - Back

Web Address: www.dl.ket.org

KET Distance Learning Office 1.800.333.9764

• to order tapes
  • Linda Hofacker
    e-mail: lhofacker@ket.org
• mailings, retrieving a document, e-mail, Internet
  • Linda Hofacker
    e-mail: lhofacker@ket.org
• Physics Teacher
  • Chuck Duncan
    e-mail: cduncan@ket.org

KET Fax 1.859.258.7390

My Mailing Address:
Chuck Duncan
Kentucky Educational Television
600 Cooper Drive
Lexington, KY 40502-2296

I. Read Me First

The Physics Web Site - Back

Nearly every part of this course is somehow connected to the physics web site. In this guide I will be referring to it a lot, so let's have a detailed look at it first. In the Technology Resource Guide videotape you will see how to set up the Netscape Communicator® program on your computer and how to get connected to the World Wide Web (Internet). After you run Netscape®, just enter the address: www.dl.ket.org in the space beside "Netsite:" and you will be connected to the KET Distance Learning Web Site.

Below is a snap shot of the web page you'd see if you were doing lesson 199 today. (There's no such lesson, by the way.) There is a lot of information on this page. There are also links on the page to 19 other places. The term link has a special meaning on the web. Various buttons, the oval-shaped images, and all the underlined words on this page, link you to other pages.

For example, if you put your mouse pointer over the words "Next Lesson" and click your left mouse button, the information on this page will be replaced with information for Lesson 200. In many cases the change will be more dramatic. For example, clicking on some links will make a test appear.

In the "Physics Facilitator Guide" and "Technology Resource Guide" videotapes that came with this Distance Learning Tool Kit, you will get to see how all this works. For now, just trust that different pages are linked to each other. Clicking on certain things sends you to new places. Let's see what the buttons on the Physics web page do.

The Agenda Screen

You will always find out what to do next in Physics by consulting the web page. The details of a given lesson, the agenda, are listed in the main body of the web page, the large, square box. The Agenda shows you the sequence of activities in a given lesson. This area is also used to make announcements and assignments. A more detailed discussion follows later; just be sure to note that a lesson does not equal a class day. Some lessons take several days. Some take less than a day.

The "Live Chuck Cam"

If I am sitting at my desk you will see me via the "Chuck Cam." If I am not there, I may be nearby, but just away from my desk. You and your students should feel free to contact me at any time.

Buttons

The Physics web page has a lot of buttons on it. There are 11 in a column on the left, and 5 across the top. Each of these buttons provides access to different areas on the Physics web site. You just click on them with your mouse and you will be sent to the corresponding page. The Back button (not shown) will take you back to where you were before. When you "go" to different areas, the column of buttons on the left usually stays visible. The new information appears in the area where the lesson is shown in the previous image. Here is a quick summary of what each button does.

Previous and Next Buttons:

At the top of the agenda screen you see three buttons which read Previous Lesson, Big Picture, and Next Lesson. These Previous and Next buttons just move you to the agendas of the previous and next lessons. The Big Picture button allows you to see the current lesson as well as the next three. This is useful for planning for coming class sessions. You might want to get in the habit of printing it out.

Set Current Lesson Buttons:

Below the Previous and Next buttons you see two lines that read:

On a given day your class will be working on a certain lesson. To let the computer and me know which lesson you are currently on, please click on "Set this as Current Lesson." The two lines above will be replaced with the single line:

If you move to a different lesson, the two lines will reappear. If you want to set this new lesson as your current lesson, just click "Set this as Current Lesson." If you are just temporarily visiting this lesson and want to return to the current lesson, click "Go to Current Lesson." This will jump you immediately back to your current lesson.

Important Note: These buttons are more than just a convenience. When you need to print out materials such as tests, the Physics web site software will just show you items related to the chapter associated with your current lesson. So if you want tests for chapter 6 and your current lesson is in chapter 10, you won't see the correct tests. Please keep the current lesson current.

The left-hand buttons:

• Home takes you to the KET Distance Learning web site.
• Physics takes you back to the Physics web site front page.
• Notes to Teacher lets a non-enrolled visitor leave a message for the Physics teacher. You and your students should use the Login button followed by the "Send messages" button for this purpose.
• Login takes you to a very important area. You will visit here a lot. This button lets you or your students identify yourself when you visit the web site. You will be given a unique password to enter when you go to the login page. Students and facilitators see different things after logging in. As facilitator, you will be able to print out tests and keys, enter and print out grades, and other things to which students have no access. When you or a student log in you will be able to exchange messages with the Physics teacher. Please use this method for sending me messages. It is much easier for us both if you use this message feature, instead of the regular e-mail that you might have through your Internet service provider.
• Type B homework problems are also accessed through the login area. You will come here to print out a copy of this computer-graded homework for each student. (Every student gets a different version of Type B homework.) Students will come here to enter their answers to these problems for automatic grading by the computer. Please note that they must be on an Internet connected computer to record their answers.
• Yearbook takes you to a page that lets you see pictures of students from your school and other schools. Only students, facilitators, and staff at KET, who have logged in with their password can view the yearbook. Please send in the photos with the information sheets. We will scan them to set up your school's yearbook page.
• Forum is not active for Physics at this time.
• Previous work lets you jump quickly from one lesson to another, If you need to move from one lesson to the next, or the one before, just click on Previous Lesson or Next Lesson at the top of the Agenda screen. (The Big Picture lets you see the next four lessons.) If you want to jump from lesson 6 to, say, lesson 12, Previous Work is the way to go. It lets you jump directly to any lesson.
• Search lets you search for things on the KET Distance Learning web site.
• Info lets you look at various documents, like this one.
• Staff lets you see mug shots of the people who make this course possible.
• Links lets you visit a number of interesting web sites.

The top buttons:

• Across the top of the screen you will see five buttons that only have images on them. When you put your mouse pointer over one of them, the gray box above will tell you what the button is for. Let's look at them from left to right.
• Agenda (the student at the desk). When you first visit the Physics page, the agenda will appear automatically. If you go to visit one of the other parts of the web page, this button will bring you back to the agenda page.
• Facilitator Information lets you see the daily Broadcast Schedule on a chapter-by-chapter basis. This tells you the calendar day on which a given Lecture is broadcast. Note that this is unrelated to Lesson numbers. Here's the system:
  • Lesson numbers are just sequential numbers assigned to groups of related activities. You will start on Lesson 1 on the first day of class and finish on perhaps Lesson 125 on the last day of class.
  • Lecture numbers are associated with chapters in the book. The first Lecture in Chapter 2 will be Lecture 2.1, the second one will be 2.2. These numbers appear on the lower left-hand corner of the screen during most of each lecture. This helps you find what you are looking for when you are fast-forwarding through a videotape.
  • Broadcasts are just videotapes of lectures, special programs, etc. Since I broadcast programs in advance of when you will actually use them, I can also use this time (8:10 - 8:55 a.m. ET) to rebroadcast programs that certain schools have missed. Unfortunately, this can be confusing when you find a program on your tape that you have already recorded. On the other hand, it is the best way of helping you when you have technical difficulties. The best way to deal with this is to keep an eye on the broadcast schedule, so you know that such repeats are on the tape, and help minimize the need for rebroadcasts by making sure you don't miss any yourself.
  • Pictures of each piece of the lab kit are also found on the Facilitator Information page.
• Labs and Activities will be used to provide copies of our labs and activities. These are also provided in your Supplemental Materials Notebook.
• Physics Companion - The Movie lets a visitor have a look at the Physics Companion. The PC is the CD-ROM that we use with this course. You should use the CD-ROM version rather than the one on the web page because it is much quicker.
• The Teacher's Lounge is a list of links that visiting teachers might enjoy. It isn't just about physics. Check it out.

I. Read Me First

Software for the Course - Back

Software & Installation

There are several pieces of software needed for this course. They, and the instructions for installing them, are all on the Physics Companion CD. If you are not handy with this sort of process I would recommend that you ask your local computer staff to help with the software installations. (I am sure you have a huge support staff. You may even be it!) Please get this software set up as soon as possible. Don't wait until class starts to do this, as the computers will be put to use starting on day 2!

The installation instructions are located on the insert inside the cover of the PC CD-ROM. Please follow these instructions, as well as the instructions in the "Before You Start" section of the CD-ROM.

A printed copy of all these instructions is also included in the Technology section of this guide.

I also go through all these installations on the "Physics Facilitator Guide" videotape. The "Technology Resource Guide" videotape will also provide some useful help with software and hardware. Be sure to watch it.

Please note that all the software included in the Distance Learning Tool Kit is designed for use on Windows 95/98 machines. It should run fine on Windows 95/98 machines, but not on Macintosh machines. (There is only one small problem standing in the way of making it available for Macs. Hopefully, this problem will disappear someday.) If you are running Windows 3.1, please get your machines upgraded to Windows 95/98.

You will need the newest version of Netscape® to run the CD-ROM, and to visit our web site on the Internet. This version is included on the PC CD-ROM. You cannot view these using a facility like America Online (AOL). Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher will also work, although I rarely test the PC on that browser. Please use Netscape® as your browser.

There is a program called Graphical Analysis in the GA directory of the CD. It has an installation program called "Setup.exe". (You may not see the .exe.) We will use this program extensively. Again, the installation instructions are on the CD-ROM.

Good luck!