Education 245-02
Computers in Education
Fall 2014
Tuesday 1:00-2:15
Instructor: Dr. Matt Maurer
Phone - 940-9207
email:
Office hours (JH 180H)- Tuesday and Thursday 2:30-4:00
Class material on Moodle: http://moodle.butler.edu and http://blogs.butler.edu/mmaurer
Course Description: An introduction to the use of the technology in education. Students will learn both the use of the technology by teachers for management of instruction, as well as for instructional purposes. The class will include significant hands-on exercises in class, as well weekly homework assignments requiring students to apply what has been learned to the teaching and learning process. A variety of software ("tool" software and educational software) will be used in conjunction with a variety of web resources and apps.
Goal: Prepare students to turn "easily and naturally" to technology as powerful resource to support and enhance teaching and learning.
INTASC Standards addressed and COE Core Values:
2. Student Development
3. Diverse Learners
4. Multiple Instructional Strategies
5. Motivation and Management
6. Communication and Technology
This course involves all the COE core values as well as all the ISTE NETS-t standards.
Statement on Disabilities:
It is the policy and practice of Butler University to make reasonable accommodations for students with properly documented disabilities. Written notification from Student Disability Services is required. If you are eligible to receive an accommodation and would like to request it for this course, please discuss it with me and allow one week advance notice. Otherwise, it is not guaranteed that the accommodation can be received on a timely basis. Students who have questions about Student Disability Services or who have, or think they may have, a disability (psychiatric, attentional, learning, vision, hearing, physical, medical, etc.) are invited to contact Student Disability Services for a confidential discussion in Jordan Hall 136 or by phone at extension 9308.
Objectives: Students will:
1. Develop an informed perspective of modern media literacy (audio, video, images, social media, etc.) to support instruction and/or personal life-long learning.
2. Understand and be able to apply appropriate tools to support literacy and numeracy development.
3. Use modern technology to find/develop instructional content as well as support the development of critical thinking skills and reflective practice.
4. Demonstrate consideration of pedagogical and learning environment design.
5. Engage in rudimentary lesson planning including student academic and professional teaching standards with consideration of student assessment and self-assessment.
6. Develop and practice moral/digital citizenship (e.g., copyright/fair use, sharing ideas, plagiarism, creative commons, exploration of cultural diversity).
7. Model principles of universal design in the learning environment.
Requirements:
1. Attendance - the class will be highly experiential. Therefore attendance is required.
2. Reading material – Book chosen by the class from a list suggested by the professor, other readings will be assigned or distributed in class.
3. Assignments (including online discussions) - will constitute 100% of your grade.
Schedule
(To complete after class for next time) / Assigned material
(Read/view before class)
8/28 / Introductions and class expectations
What we need to learn – ISTE NETS-t standards
What we want to learn – class discussion
Using Moodle discussions / Find and read reviews of books on the book list. Come to class next time ready to select a book.
Assignment 1 what we want to learn Moodle discussion
9/2 / Introduce the 2 final projects
Follow-up on discussion – what we need to learn and what we want to learn
Schema and technology
Technology supporting non-linear learning
Planning tools – e.g., bubbl.us
Your philosophy of education / Complete Assignment 3 (your philosophy of education) / Find book reviews on the web
Read the ISTE Nets-t document http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/nets-t-standards.pdf?sfvrsn=2
9/4 / NETS-s standards
Student content standards
Common core standards
Brief intro to lesson planning
Book decision process / Assignment 2 – Lesson plan with standards / Read the short article at:
http://k6educators.about.com/od/helpfornewteachers/qt/edphil.htm
After reading, to yourself, answer the seven questions posed in the article and be prepared to discuss this in class.
9/9 / Digital Citizenship – what does it mean to me
Copyright issues
Global, regional and individual equity
The positive side of digital citizenship -- Sharing information and resources / Assignment 4 Moodle discussion – digital citizenship / Read the article “Nine Themes of Digital Citizenship found here: http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/Nine_Elements.html
Be prepared to discuss this in class
9/11 / Supporting writing with technology
Learning from blogging
Progressive writing / Begin reading class book, chapters to be determined soon.
9/16 / Using library data bases to find support information
APA style citation
Review the final two projects
Your two projects – groups and topic decisions / Read the article at:
http://www.greatschools.org/students/academic-skills/339-fourth-grade-writing.gs
from student presentation 1
9/18 / Project based learning and the connection to technology
Technology and
Video story starters / Complete assignment 6, project based learning paper
9/23 / Book Club meeting 1
Publishing on the web with WordPress / Assignment 7, WordPress Web Blog
9/25 / Student presentation 1
IPad Apps for learning / Assignment 8, IPad App worksheet
9/30 / Book club meeting 2
IMovie on the IPad
Digital storytelling / Assignment 9, digital storytelling and homework
Assignment 5, book discussion part 1
10/2 / Student presentation 2
Rubrics
Create grading rubrics
Screen design for presentation material and on-line material / Assignment 10, Discussion on book part 2
10/7 / Book club meeting 3
Creating Podcasts using garage band / Assignment 13, discussion on book part 3
10/9 / Student presentation 3
Supporting numeracy development with spreadsheets / Assignment 11, Math lesson plan using a spreadsheet,
10/14 / Book club meeting 4
Using Excel and Word together to create merge documents
Supporting assessment with technology / Assignment 12, merge letter,
Assignment 18, Final book discussion.
10/16 / Fall Break / Relax!
10/21 / Book club meeting 5
Student Presentation 4
10/23 / Student Presentations 5
Issues of universal design
10/28 / Student Presentations 6
Considering Students with special needs – Assistive Technology / Assignment 14, Sound and Fury discussion
10/30 / Student Presentations 7
IPad Apps for students with disabilities
11/4 / Student presentations 8
Group work on consulting activity
11/6 / Consulting activities
Additional topics as needed
11/11 / Consulting activities
Additional topics as needed
11/13 / Consulting activities
Additional topics as needed
11/18 / Consulting activities
Additional topics as needed
11/20 / Consulting activities
Additional topics as needed
11/25& 27 / Thanksgiving Break / Eat turkey
12/2 / Consulting activities
12/4 / Consulting activities
Evening panel discussion
12/9 / Consulting activities
12/11 / Debrief Consulting Activity
Course feedback / Assignments 16 and 17 due
Assignment Description
We will have several on-line discussions throughout the semester. Each will be conducted over Moodle and each will be worth 5 points. You will get 3 points for a thoughtful contribution that uses the resources required for each discussion. You will get 2 points for a serious, substantive response to one of your classmate’s posting. The required details for each discussion will be found on moodle.butler.edu under the ED245 link.
1. Discussion 1 – what you want to learn, drawing in the ISTE NETS-t standards as a basis for making your decisions (see Moodle).
2. Review the Indiana Department of Education K-12 content standards for the students you wish to teach. Think of a lesson you might want to teach (about an hour of instruction). When you come up with a lesson, make sure that the lesson uses technology of some kind as an integral part of the learning. Look through the common core standards (math and language arts), or the content standards (all other subject areas) to find the standards that you will address in this lesson (between 3 and 5 standards). Then look through the ISTE NETS-s standards to find technology standards that will be addressed in the lesson (at least 2 technology standards). Fill in the form provided for this assignment (see the class WordPress site on http://blogs.butler.edu/mmaurer). (10 points).
3. Use Bubble.us to create a diagram of your primary issues in the field of education. From this document, write about 5 sentences that summarize your philosophy of education. When creating your brief philosophy, keep in mind that when I ask for something short like 5 sentences, I am not talking about the first 5 sentences that come to mind, but the best 5 sentences that you are capable of creating. Spend time making a few words say a lot about your beliefs about the field.
4. Discussion 2 – Digital citizenship (see Moodle).
5. Discussion 3 – Book discussion 1(TBD).
6. Look at the material provided on project based learning (PBL) from the class WordPress site. From this information and at least one additional source that you find yourself, synthesize your beliefs about PBL and its connection to technology. Include in this synthesis, a brief description of PBL, and your beliefs about how PBL might be superior or inferior to other approaches to learning. Also include how technology can support project based learning. This synthesis should be no less than two pages and no more than 4 pages double spaced. Cite your sources using APA style and include a reference list at the end. Cite all the sources, the ones assigned in class as well as the one you find yourself. (10 points)
7. Create a basic web page that could be used in a classroom to organize instruction and facilitate learning. This will be started in class and more detail on requirements will be given in class (10 points).
8. Find at least one IPad app that you believe can enhance your teaching. Fill out the worksheet on this app. Find the worksheet on the class web blog.
9. Use the digital storytelling tools and techniques to create a short digital story about yourself. This should serve as a “getting to know you” video for new students and their parents. Upload the video to YouTube, making it public so anyone can see it. Then add a link to that YouTube video on your WordPress site along with an explanation of what it is and how it should be used (5 points).
10. Discussion 4 – book discussion 2 (TBD).
11. Use the class lesson plan template to create a lesson plan that uses a spreadsheet. Post both the lesson plan and an example of the completed spreadsheet to your WordPress blog. The spreadsheet must use the calculation capacity of the tool (not just rows and columns). That means that you must do calculations within the example. Add enough text to your web blog so a student would know what the material is and what to do with it (10 points).
12. Create a simple merge letter that could be sent home to parents (2 point in-class assignment).
13. Discussion 5 – Book discussion 3 (TBD).
14. Discussion 6 - “Sound and Fury” video discussion – cochlear implants (see Moodle).
15. Choose a topic that you wish to teach to the class. The lesson must include some new technology as a central element of the lesson. The lesson must be approximately 20-30 minutes long. More will be discussed about this in class and a rubric will be developed by the class (20 points).
16. Panel discussion paper. Rubric to be provided (20 points).
17. Consultation project: Find a faculty or staff member at Butler who would like to learn something new about technology. Choose someone with a need that you believe you can meet. Research the topic and create a learning presentation for that person that fits their needs. Material will be provided to you on what you need to hand in for this project. Consult with your professor during each stage (selection of people and topics, identification of learning needs, preparation of learning material, and presentation of that material; 50 points).
18. Final book discussion assignment (TBD).
** a note on assignments and group work – as you work through your assigned work, I encourage working together to support learning. I do not support working together to avoid work or to avoid learning. When completing assignments, if you are working in a group, you must do your own work. That means if two people hand in identical work, neither will get credit for that work, unless group work is explicitly expected for that work.