Page 1 of 8 The American University College of Arts and Sciences School of Education Syllabus - EDU 519 (Uses of Technology in Education) Summer 2011 – Session 2 (June 21 – July 29) Course Prefix, Number, Title, and Credit: EDU 519.001 Uses of Technology in Education 3 semester hours Location: Online Adjunct Professor: Jack A. Hyman Office Hours: As Requested Online Phone: 703.283.3820 (c) | 678-395-3830 (h) (Please call before 11pm) E-mail: hyman@american.edu AIM/GChat: JackHatAU/jahyman Facebook: Jack Hyman Course Description An introduction to educational computer literacy focusing on the effective use of technology in teaching and educational management. The course emphasizes criteria for evaluating software; using technology for effective teaching; and applying technology to strengthen management systems. Also provides students hands-on experience with a broad range of software and practical experience in applying technology to teaching and management. Usually offered every fall. REQUIRED COURSE TEXT None Philosophy of the School of Education: The faculty of the School of Education is committed to excellence in advancing educational theory and practice through the initial and continuing development of reflective, dedicated and proficient teachers, administrators and researchers. Graduates are equipped to meet the individual needs, to nurture the strengths and talents of students, community, diversity, equity, excellence of those individuals, and to initiate and provide leadership in classrooms, educational institutions, and in public policy arenas. The mission of the SOE is derived from the faculty's shared conviction that the fundamental task of schooling in America is the advancement of the welfare of children. The faculty of the School of Education wants our teacher education program to be known for preparing effective teachers who understand and model a commitment to excellence, equity, community and diversity. The School of Education faculty and staff are committed to celebrating diversity and building a community of learners. As we work in collaborating in and out of the classroom: We believe that respecting each other's differences and opinions leads to a positive and open environment, We believe that open discourse promotes reflective and thoughtful educators; 1 Page 2 of 8 We believe that equitable treatment of each other is necessary for a positive, sustained, and working community, and We believe that each and every member of the community can make a valuable contribution to the community. General Information for School of Education Courses Information about the University There are three University publications you will need to refer to for various academic issues: The University Catalog, 2010-2011 The Academic Regulations, 2009 (Nineteenth Edition) The Student Handbook, 2010-2011 Incomplete Grades [Regulations, p. 21] Faculty members may approve student requests for an incomplete grade in rare and extreme classes, and must do so before the end of the semester. Only students who are passing a course (with a C or better) are eligible for a grade of incomplete. Students must complete and submit an Incomplete Contract Form to the faculty member. Academic Integrity Code [Regulations, pp. 93-96] Students are expected to conform to the regulations of the University in regard to academic integrity, especially in regard to plagiarism, inappropriate collaboration, dishonesty in examinations, dishonesty in papers, work for one course and submitted to another, deliberate falsification of data, interference with other students' work, and copyright violation. Services for Students with Disabilities [Handbook, pp. 81-88] Appropriate modifications to academic requirements may be necessary on a case-by-case basis to ensure educational opportunity for students with disabilities, and individual faculty members may need to modify specific course requirements to permit equal participation by students with disabilities. Protection of Human Subjects Catalog, pp. 34-35 Any research involving interviewing, surveying, or observing human beings is subject to review and approval by the University Institutional Review Board (IRB) and information about the university’s IRB process is outlined at http://american.edu/provost/osp/IRB.cfm. The university IRB liaison is Matthew Zembrzuski and his email is zembrzus@american.edu Using Appropriate Documentation Formats The School of Education, Teaching & Health permits the use of two formats for research citations, footnotes, list of references, and layout, and all written work must adhere to those guidelines: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition, Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, 2009. Online guide at http://www.apastyle.org/manual/index.aspx OR The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th edition) Modern Language Association of America (2009). Online guide at http://www.mlahandbook.org/fragment/public_index Failure to use the format selected appropriately and accurately will result in a grade penalty. Attention students in all graduate degree programs Comprehensive Examinations [Regulations, p. 72] 2 Page 3 of 8 All students in masters programs must satisfactorily complete one or more comprehensive examinations. In the School of Education, Teaching & Health written comprehensive exams consist of oral comprehensives (for Health Promotion) or a series of one or two-hour essay responses completed in a 4 hour testing session each semester. Comprehensive examinations are based on the contents of the entire program, with the content of specific courses included in the comprehensive exam cumulatively. Emergency Preparedness In the event of a declared pandemic (influenza or other communicable disease), American University will implement a plan for meeting the needs of all members of the university community. Should the university be required to close for a period of time, we are committed to ensuring that all aspects of our educational programs will be delivered to our students. These may include altering and extending the duration of the traditional term schedule to complete essential instruction in the traditional format and/or use of distance instructional methods. Specific strategies will vary from class to class, depending on the format of the course and the timing of the emergency. Faculty will communicate class-specific information to students via AU e-mail and Blackboard, while students must inform their faculty immediately of any absence due to illness. Students are responsible for checking their AU e-mail regularly and keeping themselves informed of emergencies. In the event of a declared pandemic or other emergency, students should refer to the AU Web site (www. prepared. american.edu) and the AU information line at (202) 885-1100 for general university-wide information, as well as contact their faculty and/or respective dean’s office for course and school/ college-specific information. Student Expectations: You are expected to participate in all aspects of the class: complete assigned readings before the dates on which they are to be discussed, participate actively and thoughtfully in class discussions, complete required writing assignments, and follow university regulations regarding academic and behavioral integrity. 3-hour courses at AU typically meet face to face over a 15-week semester for 37.5 hours. This does not include the additional time it takes to read and research for the course. Standards of academic conduct are set forth in the University’s Academic Integrity Code. By registering, you have acknowledged your awareness of the Academic Integrity Code, and you are obliged to become familiar with your rights and responsibilities as defined by the Code. Violations of the Academic Integrity Code will not be treated lightly, and disciplinary actions will be taken should such violations occur. Please contact me if you have any questions about the academic violations described in the Code in general or as they relate to particular requirements for this course. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Using another’s ideas and/or words as your own constitutes plagiarism. It is therefore critical that you cite all sources you discuss and consult. As a rule of thumb all sources (texts, photographs, music, internet materials, interviews, etc.) that are directly quoted, paraphrased, or consulted need to have a proper citation. If I suspect plagiarism, I will submit the case to the office of the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences as required by the Academic Integrity Code. The Dean’s office will then investigate the claim and determine the outcome. The following websites should help you with regard to what constitutes plagiarism and how to cite sources properly. The University Library’s “Information Literacy Tutorial” is helpful in conducting research. Please use MLA, Chicago or APA citation formats. Should you have any questions about how or when to cite, please ask me. Should you have further questions about writing in general, feel free to ask me or contact the university’s Writing Center in Battelle-Tompkins 228 at 885.2991. Citation software can be useful in documenting and formatting sources. The university supports the use of Endnote, offering tutorials throughout the semester in the library. Zotero is also a helpful, free web-based citation software system. You can watch various Zotero tutorials to learn how to use Zotero and its variety of features. 3 Page 4 of 8 All announcements for the course will be posted on the front page of the Blackboard site. Late work will result in a reduced grade. For each day an assignment is late (excluding daily postings), half a letter grade will be deducted from the assignment. Extensions will occasionally be graded for extenuating circumstances with documentation. If you experience difficulty in this course for any reason, please don’t hesitate to consult with me. In addition to the resources of the department, a wide range of services is available to support you in your efforts to meet the course requirements. Academic Support Center (x3360, MGC 243) offers study skills workshops, individual instruction, tutor referrals, and services for students with learning disabilities. Writing support is available in the ASC Writing Lab or in the Writing Center, Battelle-Tomkins 228. Counseling Center (x3500, MGC 214) offers counseling and consultations regarding personal concerns, self-help information, and connections to off-campus mental health resources. Disability Support Services (x3315, MGC 206) offers technical and practical support and assistance with accommodations for students with physical, medical, or psychological disabilities. If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please notify me in a timely manner with a letter from the Academic Support Center or Disability Support Services so that we can make arrangements to address your needs. Computer Accounts: Students may acquire computer accounts providing access to the email system and campus wide network at AU (Eaglenet) through Computer Accounts in the Office of Information Technology. All students MUST read their AU email, and are strongly encouraged to forward their AU email to the account they read most frequently. All AU email accounts are issued free of charge and will expire when you graduate from AU (or shortly thereafter). Green Teaching This is a Certified Green Course. This means, for example, that I will not hand out any printed materials, but I will use Blackboard extensively to post handouts, collect assignments, and provide you with feedback on assignments. To help make our class as green as possible, I encourage you to buy used books, minimize paper use by submitting assignments electronically as instructed, and read course readings online rather than printing copies. If you choose to print, please print double-sided, and recycle the paper after the end of the semester. Assignments All assignments will be submitted to the appropriate drop boxes on Blackboard or Emailed To Professor Hyman at hyman@american.edu. Assignment due dates indicated on the schedule below. Pedagogical Focus Technology is only as good as the content it supports. Alone, technology is useless to educational endeavors, particularly the learning process. Teaching about technology in isolation has limited value, although some experiences that allow the learner to explore the technology for its own sake are necessary. 4 Page 5 of 8 My goal in teaching this course is to immerse you into experiencing the day in the life of an educational technology expert. The class trains you on pertinent topics that are essential for being a subject matter expert in instructional technology, with particular emphasis on Web-based learning. Through case studies and module based learning, you will gain the knowledge to complete a capstone project. Through the use of projects and literature reviews/seminar based discussions, an exploration of technology-oriented subjects will be examined. Projects are collaborative in nature while social networking/blog based discussions are more individually focused. Together, we will explore the capabilities of how technology can be leveraged to help you teach in your native environments. Course Objectives Students will gain advanced knowledge of computer applications and functions, including web-editing software, multimedia authoring applications, educational and instructional software, and operating systems. Students will apply knowledge of learning theories to the development of technology-based instructional products and environments, such as websites, e-learning tools, digital classrooms, and multimedia presentations. Students will become acclimated with best practices for supporting educational technologies in the classroom, from a hardware/software and networking perspective including issues related to Internet and Information Security. Students will identify practices in which technology can enable educators to develop communities that are culturally, economically, and socially diverse and equally open to both genders and to persons with exceptionalities. This includes through the use of information retrieval tools and knowledge systems available for educational and commercial use. All projects and discussions that are components of this course are expected to meet criteria for excellence for technical elements and instructional design. EDU-519 GROUPS (as of 6/20/2011) Three of the four assignments you will be completing are to be done with the groups assigned below. I expect that everyone will use the tools on Blackboard under the link EDU-519 Groups to complete a majority of the communication if you do not meet in person. Except for the online lesson plan, I have specified the topics each group will be completing their assignments on. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to speak up sooner rather than later. TEAM 1 Blackwell, Joshua Cantor, Julie Cruz-esquea, Indira Stuart, Matt TEAM 2 Briggs, Clair Campbell, Lincoln Delaloye, Lauren Dohmann, Gregory TEAM 3 Collazo, Eric Dunn, Beth Dwivedi, Anamika Frigolette, Marie TEAM 4 5 Page 6 of 8 Garcia, Kristine Glick, Michelle Kansal, Ankit Keo, Kamellia TEAM 5 Kirk, Chelsea Kolling, Jessica Marek, Miriam Mceldowney, Heather TEAM 6 Swain, Emily Washington, Amanda Whitesides, Keenan Williams, Jennifer TEAM 7 Meserole, Callie Pandolfo, Teresa Payne, Tiffany Pernell, Sean Rippe, Carolyn COURSE REQUIREMENTS Online Lesson Plan (25%) – GROUP ASSIGNMENT You are being create an interactive lesson plan based on a concept or topic relevant to professional development, parental education, or a subject that could be taught in the classroom. The end goal is to integrate a variety of tools into a single Website. You can complete this by building an online assessment, a Webquest using an online educational resource provider, building a Website, an interactive video presentation on a Website such as YouTube or Vimeo, or even a podcast. The sky is the limit with the format. The goal here is to write a 3-5 page paper based learning script (Webpages for all purposes) which outlines learning objectives that integrate web-based tools such as web-search, video, audio, and relevant artifacts to enhance the learning experience for the student using a multimodal approach. This assignment will be graded using the following criteria: o o o Content (10 points) Format (6 points) Integration of Multimedia and Web 2.0 (9 points) Blogs (20%) – INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT You are expected to write five journal entries aimed at helping develop a classroom resource for your students or parents to augment a lesson plan, communicate with your students and parents, or review an educational worthy topic extensively discussed in your classroom. In the past, some student have infused educational theory using web-based research tools such as those provided by Aladdin, Google Scholar, or academic literature. It is expected that you will write well-structured 3-4 paragraph entries. For example, if you were completing a lesson on quadratic equations, you would present the entry as follows. Each entry would be graded in the same manner listed below (totaling 4 points per entry) 6 Page 7 of 8 a. b. c. d. e. Name of Entry (0 point) Goal of Instructional Unit (1 point) Basic Description of Assignment or Discussion Theme(.5 point) Educational Theory Applied and Messaging Details (1.5 point) How your students performed in completing this activity and what you will do to augment the learning in future instructional units. (1 point) Upon submission of all five entries (minimum), you will have a score of a maximum of 20 points. Multimedia Presentations (25%) – GROUP ASSIGNMENT Using PowerPoint, you are to create an instructional unit for your intended target audience given the topic assigned in Lecture 3. It should be substantive in content, rich in graphics, integrate audio/video (videocast/podcast), and provide some form of end of unit assessment. This should focus on how to use these Websites, Social Media Tools, or Content Creation platforms for a classroom/professional development purpose. Using the rubric (provided in Lecture 3), the format is specified. Mobile Technology Research Report (15%) In a seven (7) to ten (10) page well written single spaced research report, which is formatted using APA, you will write on one of the following topics. This assignment must be researched using peer reviewed literature and industry-based publications only. Blogs and unverified sources will not be accepted. You will submit the final paper as part of a Blackboard thread so that others can learn about the topic you have selected. Selection of a topic is on a first come first serve basis. Each topic can only be written twice (at most). Each team has been assignment a topic below. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Contextual Aware Digital Content (Team 1) Gaming, Simulation, and Augmented Reality (Team 2) Mobile Applications (Selection, Design, Implementation) (Team 3) Multimedia Delivery (Podcast/Videocasting) (Team 4) Search Capabilities (Team 5) History of M-Learning (Team 6) Mobile Usability and M-Learning (Team 7) Participation (15%) Active participation is necessary. Attending class is as well. You will receive up to 15% of your grade for attending and actively participating. Each week you will be required to do the following: 1. 2. respond to one question in our discussion on Blackboard respond to two of your peers, and Each week, the discussion forum is worth 3 points of your total grade. Overall Grade Breakdown Course Grade A AB+ B BC+ C % Value 100-93 92-90 89.9-87 86.9-84 83.9-80 79.9-77 76.9-74 7 Page 8 of 8 CD F Date 6/21-6/27 6/28-7/4 7/5-7/11 7/12-7/18 7/19-7/28 73.9-70 69-60 Below 60 CLASS SCHEDULE, SUMMER 2011 – SESSION 2 These details are subject to change at the discretion of the professor. Topic Assignment Due Introduction & Mobile Learning None Blogging, Vlogging, and WIkis Mobile Learning Research (7/5) Educational Presentational Media Online Blog (7/12) Online Assessment & Web 2.0 Online Presentation (7/19) Designing an Online Lesson Plan Online Lesson Plan (7/28) Additional Information for students from the: American University Academic Regulations http://www.american.edu/american/registrar/AcademicReg/index.html The Student Handbook http://www.american.edu/handbook/StudentHandbook.pdf Incomplete Grades Faculty members must approve student requests for an incomplete grade, and must do so before the end of the semester. Students must complete and submit an Incomplete Contract Form to the faculty member. Incompletes are given only in cases of severe emergencies, or special, well-documented circumstances, etc. Academic Integrity Code Students are expected to conform to the regulations of the University in regard to academic integrity, especially in regard to plagiarism, inappropriate collaboration, dishonesty in examinations, dishonesty in papers, work for one course and submitted to another, deliberate falsification of data, interference with other students' work, and copyright violation. Services for Students with Disabilities Appropriate modifications to academic requirements may be necessary on a case-by-case basis to ensure educational opportunity for students with disabilities, and individual faculty members may need to modify specific course requirements to permit equal participation by students with disabilities. Protection of Human Subjects Catalog Any research involving interviewing, surveying, or observing human beings is subject to review and approval by the University Institutional Review Board (IRB). In the School of Education, the teaching unit liaison to the IRB is Professor Sarah Irvine (Dean of the SOE), and inquiries about policies and procedures may be directed to her. Using Appropriate Documentation Formats The School of Education permits the use of two formats for research citations, footnotes, list of references, and layout, and all written work must adhere to those guidelines: American Psychological Association, (2009) Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition American Psychological Association Washington, D.C. Failure to use the format selected appropriately and accurately will result in a grade penalty. 8