Syllabus
it.coe.uga.edu/~mfitzger/6150slm/syllabus.html
EDIT 6150: Introduction to Computer-Based Education
Summer Semester Short Session II, 2004
Daily, 4:00-6:45
Updated 7-13-04

Building A, Room 1910, Gwinnett University Center

 Agendas | Instructors | Description | Assignments | Themes | Resources | Management | Bottom

Instructors
Dr. Mary Ann Fitzgerald
604C Aderhold Hall
(706) 542-4030; (706) 542-3810
mfitzger@coe.uga.edu

Buffy Hamilton, Teaching Assistant
Media Specialist, Cherokee County
 
 
 

Office hours: Dr. Fitzgerald will usually be available in the classroom from 1pm until class time.  Appointments are welcome.

This course introduces educational applications of computing technology. During this course, you will have the opportunity to design, develop, and critique computer technology designed for instructional purposes. This course employs a combination of readings, demonstrations, discussions, projects, and facilitated laboratory experiences.  In this particular offering of the course, special emphasis will be placed on the integration of educational technology into media center situations.

Each participant is expected to take an active role by contributing ideas and resources, posing questions, taking initiative, and helping other class members. The primary operating system is Windows XP, although Macintoshes are available through special arrangements. The course format is primarily hands-on lab work with frequent optional workshops and occasional mandatory discussion sessions.

Goals
As a learner, you will:

• Develop the belief that technology can play an important and central role in your classroom (or media center) as a medium of instruction, a tool for students, and a management assistant
• Acquire skills that enable you to use technology in these ways
• Learn to welcome new ideas and methods afforded by technology, and be willing to experiment
• Articulate your position on the use of technology in the the teaching/learning process, including what you perceive to be its most significant challenges and opportunities

1. Identify processes and strategies for the infusion of technology into instruction.
2. Design, develop, and evaluate media intended to support guided learning.
3. Utilize computers, peripherals, and networks for instructional purposes.
4. Establish a level of technology literacy that will empower professional activities and development.
5. Make progress toward competency on some or all of the Georgia Technology Standards for Educators, and on a list of basic tech competencies compiled by previous school library media (SLM) students.
6. Examine technical skills from the perspective of the teaching role; reflect about how you would teach all demonstrated technical skills to children and adults.

We will depend heavily upon Microsoft Office Professional in this class.  I highly recommend that you arrange to purchase or borrow (legally) a copy of this software.  All software used in class in available in the lab - you may use the computers there during lab operating hours.

You will need some form of removable media for use in this class. Options may include floppy disks, Zip disks, or "thumb" drives - we will check the available lab equipment for specifics.
 

Option A
This option contains 4 major assignments. The scheduling of class events will be arranged around these assignments.  I chose these assignments because of past experience - students have valued them and they tend to be the ones chosen when students have been given choices.   The due dates are designed to help you pace yourself through the projects.
 

Assignments for Option A	ID	Due date	Value
Class participation and attendance (includes homework) - graded by exception	A	-	15
Software Review and Demonstration	B	as  arranged	15
Electronic slideshow	P	7/15	15
Web Quest	C	7/26	15
Consideration File	Q	7/19	15
Professional Website (ideas: Media Center website; Pathfinder; your M.Ed. portfolio)	G	8/3	25
Total	.	.	100

Option B
This option allows you to identify your own areas of concentration.  A Class Participation score is required of everyone (Assignment A), and all students must present a Software Review and Demonstration (Assignment B).  The remaining points are open for negotiation.  In addition, the assignments outlined below may themselves be increased or decreased in scope and size, with an accompanying change in point value.  It will be up to you to propose the assignments and changes in the rubrics.  You must also establish due dates for all assignments.  On Showcase days (which correspond to the due dates under Option A), you must be prepared to demonstrate a current project under development.

Please note that there is an assignment option called "Dream Thing."  This option allows you to create an entirely new assignment.  Any project involving educational technology that requires you to learn and apply new skills is suitable.  You must, however, describe the project in advance and obtain approval.
 

Assignment Menu for Option B	ID	Due (fill in)	Points (as described)
Required: Class participation and attendance (includes homework)	A	.	15
Required: Software Review and Demonstration	B	as arranged	15
Web Quest	C	.	15
Web Evaluation (specific to The Gateway)	D	.	10
Electronic slideshow	P	.	15
Resource collection	F	.	15
Professional Web Site	G	.	25
Web evaluation assignment (general - you choose the sites)	H	.	10
Technology and education position statement (word processing)	I	.	5
Resume (word processing)	J	.	5
Electronic lesson (presentation software)	K	.	10
Database	L	.	5
Newsletter	M	.	?
Integrated lesson plan (final project)	N	.	15
Dream Thing (you create this and negotiate approval)	O	.	__
Total: Select among the above to total 100	.	.	100

Grading Policy

• I expect assignments to be turned in on time according to established or negotiated deadlines. Please contact me in advance if you have a problem with meeting a particular deadline. A late assignment may not receive full credit.
• Collaborative option:  Most assignments can be undertaken as paired or group projects.  Please let me know if you want to exercise this option for any assignment.
• Format:  most assignment descriptions specify the form in which each assignment should be turned in. For example, I may request prints, email attachments, or a web address.  Please pay careful attention to this detail.
• Print and submit a copy of each rubric with each assignment.  Fill it out first yourself, assessing your own performance. Explain your deductions in writing on the rubric.  I will add my assessment to the same sheet of paper.
• Communication and writing skills are essential for educators. Therefore, all writing must comply with grammatical and spelling rules, and should look professional in a visual sense. Please use a word processor and laser or inkjet printer, and avail yourself of the spelling and grammar-checking tools provided by your software. Web sites and projected materials should receive the same level of proofreading and care that printed papers do.  If errors or appearance detract from the quality of an assignment, the score will reflect this problem.  Cite any resources that you consult.
• Resubmit option: I believe in mastery learning, a learning model in which students have the opportunity to keep working at a skill until they have accomplished it. If you receive less than a 90% score on any assignment, you may correct the problem(s) and resubmit up until the final due date (see calendar).  If you choose to use this option, you must resubmit the original assignment and scoring sheet/rubric along with your revised assignment.  You may deliberately turn an assignment in early to take advantage of the Resubmit option.
• Tracking: your final grade will not come as a surprise if you keep up with your scores.  You may ask me at any time to show you your scores, and I recommend that you do so several times over the course of the semester. I encourage you to keep track of your own scores as well.
• All policies of the University of Georgia regarding academic honesty apply to this class.

Also, there may be some demonstrations and workshops in this class that will not be of value to you.  A great deal of lab time is built into the schedule.  You need not attend demonstrations, workshops, or lab times that are irrelevant to your learning.  I trust you to be able to discern the difference between relevant and irrelevant parts of the class - given that you understand that you may be foregoing unexpected, informal learning opportunities.  I will be very clear about which parts of the class are required and which are not.  Attendance will not be taken during optional attendance periods.

In order to ensure that this class is about technology integration into education rather than strictly a skills class, we will use pedagogical themes.  These are "big ideas" from educational research and theory that are currently believed to be useful and sound.  They also figure prominently in the Georgia Technology Standards for Educators.  Every class, we will highlight a new "Theme of the Day" as one way of introducing these themes.  Readings illustrating the themes may also be assigned.  Most assignments in this class require that you consider and incorporate one or more themes into your project. A list of possible themes is provided below.  It is unlikely that we will address all of these themes, but you may choose from any of them to incorporate into your projects.

For example, let's say you are preparing a web site for a class as one of your projects.  You have chosen to emphasize the theme of independence for your students.  Within your web site, you might include a number of links to sites that provide opportunities for independent learning.  You might also construct a page of strategies that students could use if they need to increase their ability to learn independently.  You might also include a project or two that students could complete independently.

Themes

• Standards
• Constructivism
• Instructional design
• Literacy
• Real world learning, authenticity, and contextual learning
• Interdisciplinary topics and projects
• Learning for all students (individual differences, learning styles, disabilities)
• Teacher as facilitator
• Independence
• Collaborative learning and interdependence
• Relevance
• Motivation
• Active learning
• Diversity and multiculturalism; global learning
• Self esteem
• Learning connections and transfer
• Practice
• Inquiry
• Communication
• Reflection
• Classroom management
• Independence, learner self-appraisal and self-management, metacognition
• Problem solving
• Higher order thinking skills (critical thinking, analysis, synthesis, evaluation, creativity)
• Assessment
• Professional development
• Lifelong learning

Special Needs
If you need special assistance due to a physical or learning disability, please let me know.  I will be happy to accommodate you in any way that I can.
 

Ground Rules

• There are NO stupid questions.  As media specialists, one of your jobs is to empower students to find their own answers.  I will try to model this behavior - and so you may not always get direct answers.  Still, you should never be afraid to ask, if you follow the protocol below.
• There will be periods when people need assistance and the instructors are spread too thin.  If you have a question, you should  a) spend between 5 and 10 minutes looking at the "help" file, b) ask one other student, and c) ask an instructor.
• As a student in the class, it is your responsibility to help other students as much as you can.  We need an atmosphere of mutual learning and inquiry.  Also, troubleshooting and teaching another person to do something are very effective ways of bolstering your own understanding.  Do not take the mouse from the person you are helping.
• Participants must comply with all computer lab policies established by UCNS and the Office of Information Technology; including posted UGA and Gwinnett campus lab schedules, printing costs, and copyright policies.
• Food and drink are not permitted in computer labs.
• Feel free to interrupt with points and/or questions.
• In a computer lab class, it is tempting to multi-task by checking email, etc., while demonstrations and presentations are going on.  If a demonstration, talk, or presentation is under way, please refrain from doing  this.  Have empathy for the person who is in front of the group - your turn will come!  Clicking keys are an unmistakeable tattletale indicator.
• Two kinds of feedback will be provided in this class.  Each Showcase event will provide you with structured opportunities to receive feedback from peers, and vice versa.  Also, you will regularly receive feedback from me.  Because of the compressed nature of this class and the large number of projects to be graded, Buffy and other departmental grad assistants will help with this.  We will be applying the same rubric and standards. Also, we will confer on any assignment that scores below 90%.
• Try to leave perfectionism at home.  Conversely, present the cleanest, clearest possible English.
• A mid-period comfort break will be provided.  Feel free to take an extra comfort break if needed.
• Cell phones: please turn the ringer off during class, and leave the room if you need to take a call.

• We will use a folder system for papers: each student will have a folder which we will exchange each class. Pick it up at the beginning of class, and return it at the end.  I will distribute graded work through these folders, and you should place any printed assignments in the folder.  Your contract will be stapled in this folder. Also, check for any handouts that we might need as you pick up your folder.  You should track your scores in your folder, writing them in on the provided score sheet.
• One of our first class tasks will be to construct an assignment web page for each student.  Ideally, you will post your assignments on this page, and I will visit it for grading.
• Daily agenda: For each class, I will post an agenda for the day's events.  Please read the agenda first thing as you arrive at class.  You are responsible for details on this agenda even if you don't attend class.  I tend to link resources into this agenda.