ISTC 201
USING INFORMATION EFFECTIVELY
Fall 2012
Instructor:
Dr. Fran Luther
315 Hawkins Hall
410-704-4537 (office)
410-704-4733 (fax)
Email: fluther@towson.edu (Put ISTC 201, the section number and your
name in the memo line of your email.)
Office hours: By appointment
Course Description: An introduction to gathering, evaluating and communicating
information. Emphasis will be on using team collaboration and problem solving to
examine current issues in education.
The students will engage in:
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Defining current issues in the field of education;
Developing team building and problem solving skills;
Compiling strategies to locate information from a variety of sources;
Explore how to critically evaluate the validity and usefulness of information;
Examine the ethical use of information;
Report information in written reports and oral presentations; and
Consider the future of information in education.
Maryland Teacher Technology Standards and Their Corresponding Numbers to be
Addressed in this Class:
I. Information Access, Evaluation, Processing and Application.
II. Communication
III. Legal, Social and Ethical Issues
V. Integrating Technology into the Curriculum and Instruction.
Course Methodology: The course will examine issues in education through cooperative
teams using problem-solving techniques and a wide range of information sources and
technologies. It will focus on educational issues through written, oral and electronic
communication tools and skill building.
Prerequisites: This is a web-enhanced course, so you will be expected to know:
1. How to use a pc and a word-processing program (preferably Word)
2. How to use a web browser
Required Text:
Liu, L. & Li, W. (2012). Fundamental technology skills for teachers. Boston, MA:
Pearson Publishing.
Recommended Texts:
 A reference guide to the Internet
 A college-level dictionary and thesaurus
 A grammar reference (e.g. Hacker, D. A writer’s reference, 3rd. or 4th ed.)
Rose, D. H. & Meyer, A. [Eds.]. (2006). A practical reader in universal design for
learning. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
APA Tutorial:
http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=apa_exposed
Course Requirements:
10%
20%
15%
20%
20%
15%
Class attendance & participation
Assignments
Individual PowerPoint presentation
Research paper
Team PowerPoint collaboration
Final exam
Other Requirements:
 E-mail account: All students are required to have a university account by the
second week of class. You must go to Computer and Networking Services
(CANS) at Cook Library and request an account in person. The first time you
activate the account (log on) you will be asked to change the password, read and
agree to the university computing policy. All e-mail sent to me must have your
name, course and section number on the memo line.
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Library number: Students must have a valid user number (bar code) on the back
of their TU One Card. Register on the third floor of Cook Library at the
circulation desk. If you have a library card with a bar code from a previous
semester, find out if it needs to be reactivated. This must be completed by the
second week of class.

Computer disks: Every student will need a USB drive formatted for IBM
compatibles. You must bring the disk(s) to every class with you. You will save
your class work to disk and it is very important for you to back up your work.
Files that disappear or are inaccessible are not an excuse for handing work in
late, or failing to complete an assignment.
Attendance
It is your responsibility to attend all classes and complete course work as outlined in the
schedule. Only three valid absences are allowed. Validated absences require
documentation from doctors, university officials, etc. Accommodations for make-ups are
granted only for exceptional circumstances and require validation. You must sign your
name in the sign-in notebook provided. If you do not, you will be considered absent,
even if you are in class. Special Note: “Students should not attend classes or other
university events from the onset of flu-like symptoms until at least 24 hours after the
fever subsides without the use of fever reducing medications. Such absences will be
considered excused absences; however, students are responsible for the material covered
during the period of their absence.”
Punctuality
Since class time will involve collaborative activities, it is essential that you arrive in class
on time. Course assignments in the syllabus are due by midnight of the date due (unless
otherwise indicated in the syllabus) will be considered late if turned in later. Late
assignments will loose 1 point per day for each day it is late.
Academic Dishonesty
"Academic dishonesty in any form is unacceptable at Towson University. If a faculty
member has evidence that a student's class related behavior constitutes academic
dishonesty, the faculty member may determine the course related sanction to be imposed
against the student, up to and including the failure of the course. [The first infraction will
result in a zero for that course work. The second will result in an (U)nsatisfactory for the
course.] A letter must be sent to the student stating the imposed sanction and informing
the student of his/her right to appeal. A copy of this letter should be sent to the Director
of Judicial Affairs. The route for a faculty imposed sanction is [Coordinator of Program],
Department Chairperson, College Dean, Student Appeals Committee, Provost and Vice
President for Academic Affairs."
Disabilities
If you have a documented learning disability, please contact me the first week of class to
discuss accommodations in the class.
OVERVIEW OF EXPECTATIONS FOR THE RESEARCH PAPER
TOPIC:
History of education in the U.S.
Notes: Get approval of your topic from Dr. Luther. The topics
may include such things as specific laws passed, educational
movements, or world events such as the Sputnik that impacted
education in the U.S.
TREATMENT OF THE TOPIC: Give an overview of the topic. This may
include societal events that led up to laws being introduced,
movements being started, etc. You should also describe the
impact this law, person, movement, event, etc. had on education
in the U.S.
See matrix for other expectations:
Rubric for Research Paper ISTC 201
General Requirements:

Instructor may refuse to grade papers that do not
meet these requirements (grade=zero)
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General format: APA documentation style
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The narrative potion of the paper is a minimum of
five complete pages and a maximum of eight pages.
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
All verbatim quotes of 3 words or more must be
set apart from your own words with quote
marks or a blockquote. All paraphrased
statements are cited. Cases of plagiarism will be
penalized according to TU policy
Paper is submitted following the instructor’s
directions
Student selfscore
APA STYLE
General
 12-point Times New Roman or Calibri font used
throughout, including the running head
 Entire paper is double spaced
 Margins are 1" on all sides
Title Page and Abstract
 Title page formatted correctly
 Abstract is page two, titled Abstract - it is centered, not
underlined, not bolded, and not italicized
 Abstract is 150 - 250 words, a summary of the paper
including thesis statement and main points
 Paragraph is not indented
Body
 Narrative begins on page 3, title of paper is centered and
bolded
 Descriptive section headings (left aligned, bold) are used for
each section
 Narrative is a minimum of 5 FULL pages and a maximum
of 8 pages. Pages are counted excluding graphics or long
quotes.
 Running header (left aligned, all caps)and page number
(right aligned) on every page
In-text Citations
 All reference sources and citations match. For example, if a
source appears on the Reference page, it must be cited
properly in your narrative, and vice versa.
 Proper APA style
 Page or paragraph number included for direct quotes
 Blockquotes used for 40+ word verbatim quotes (double
spaced, indent all lines ½ inch, no quote marks, cite at end)
References Page
 Page is titled References (centered, not underlined, not
bolded, and not italicized) and appears at the end of the
paper
 References appear alphabetically
 Hanging indents and double spacing used
Reference List
 References are cited in the correct APA format for the type
of citation they represent (newspaper, book, journal,
webpage, etc.)
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Instructor
score
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Total for APA STYLE
Total for
APA Style
General
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Total for
APA Style
References
____/11
CONTENT
Student selfscore
Instructor
score
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Source Types (minimum) All sources must be cited in the body,
or no credit
 1 book from the REFERENCE section of Cook Library (not
stacks)
 5 journals (peer reviewed) academic or scholarly
 1 newspaper article
 3 webpages (scholarly)
Source Depth and Accuracy
 All sources relevant to topic
 Source variety reveals the complexity of the issue
 Sources are appropriately current
 Correct in-text parenthetical citations provide accurate
evidence for statements
 Citation for anything NOT common knowledge
Total for
Content Sources
____/30
Thesis Statement
 Clear, correct, concise
 Appropriate for audience of educators with specific details
(not vague generalizations)
 Forecasts all main points of paper
 Clear and strong opinion, goes beyond stating the obvious
(someone could argue against it)
Body/Narrative
 Introductory paragraph opens the paper and includes thesis
statement in italics
 Headings are descriptive of paragraph discussion
 Transitions and topic sentences are used
 Definitions are handled quickly, thoroughly and accurately
 Conclusion paragraph summarizes paper
Grammar and Mechanics
 Sentence structure
 Paragraph structure
 Spelling
 Punctuation

Appropriate vocabulary
___/10
Critical Thinking and Synthesis
 Goes beyond the book-report stage to explore controversy
 Goes beyond simply restating facts or quotes, sources are
synthesized to provide evidence for statements
 Analysis or interpretation of the sources is shown
 An informed opinion is clearly based on the sources cited
 Depth of understanding of the source is evident
 Issue explored fully, adequately presented and discussed
Total for CONTENT
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Total for Paper ___/100 ___/100
Total for
Content body
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Total for
Critical
Thinking
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INDIVIDUAL PRESENTATION
TOPIC:
Your individual class presentation content
material should be the same as the information
presented in your research paper.
ORGANIZATION & TREATMENT: The same organization
should be used for your individual presentation as
for your research paper. An outline should be
presented on PowerPoint or whiteboard slides to
coincide with your oral presentation.
LIMITS: Maximum ten minutes for oral presentation.
Minimum of five original PowerPoint slides.
HANDOUT: No hand out is required.
EVALUATION: The same criteria that were used for the
group presentations will be used for the
individual ones. These criteria include
organization, content, presentation skills and
added value. Evaluation of the PowerPoint or
whiteboard aspect of the presentation will be
included as part of the major criteria. On your
slides, pay attention to contrast between text and
background, size and choice of type and other
aspects of design as outlined in class presentation
on using PowerPoint.
DATE DUE: To be decided in class.
PEER REVIEW SHEET
for
GROUP WORK
Student being evaluated:
Student doing evaluation:
Group topic:
Please indicate how well the person you are evaluating
accomplished the following:
1) Attended group meetings:
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F
2) Was active in research and other assigned tasks:
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F
D
D-
F
3) Maintained a positive attitude:
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
Please add comments if you want: