Course Information:
Course Title: Foundations of Technology Online
Prerequisite: None
Course Credit: 0.5-1
Instructor: Kevin O’Neill
Dates of course: September 15th – November 13th
Instructor Information:
Email: Kevin_O’Neill@mcpsmd.org
Address: 2100 Wootton Parkway
Rockville, MD 20850
Telephone: (W) 301-279-8577
Virtual office hours: 7:00-8:00pm Tues, Thurs, Sun
Teacher will be online and can be contacted via course Instant Messenger.
Course Instructor will to do everything in his power to respond to e-mails within 24
hours, Monday through Friday and will provide feedback on assignments within 72
hours. Progress Reports will be provided weekly throughout the course.
Additional Supports Available:
For technical support: Contact Richard Jolles or Anne Chiasson at
Richard_Jolles@mcpsmd.org or Anne_G_Chiasson@mcpsmd.org or at 240-632-6940.
Course Description:
Students will explore and develop a deep understanding of the characteristics and scope
of technology, the influence of technology on history; along with the relationships and
the connections between technology and other fields of study. Students will develop an
understanding of the attributes of design while developing skills in using the design
process to solve technological problems. Students will develop a positive attitude about
safety and skills through researching, problem solving, prototyping, testing, and technical
presentations while working collaboratively with others.
Standards for Technological Literacy:
The International Technology Education Association’s list of standards and benchmarks
help direct instructors who teach Technology Education classes. The Standards for
Technological Literacy (STL’s) were created to provide uniform goals for all Technology
Educators nationally and internationally. The STL’s express what is most important for
students to learn in a Technology Education classroom. This class aims to cover as many
of the 9-12 grade STL’s and benchmarks as possible through research, experimentation
and hands on activities. For more information about the STL’s please visit ITEA’s
website and view the Standards for Technological Literacy.
ITEA - http://www.iteaconnect.org/
Standards for Technological Literacy - http://www.iteaconnect.org/TAA/PDFs/xstnd.pdf
Hardware and Software Specifications:
Your computer will need Microsoft Office or a PDF writer. A digital camera or scanner
is strongly recommended. If you don’t have either, speak with your instructor about
alternatives. Microsoft Draw, Paint or some other image editing software is
recommended. Familiarize yourself with some web searching tools for research
purposes. You will also need the following plug-ins. If you don't have them, click the
links to download the appropriate FREE browser plugins:
Flash player - http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/
Adobe Reader - http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
Materials List:
Required:
 Cups – Can be disposable or not
 Marble or other small ball
 Aluminum Foil
 Plastic Container or Medicine Bottle with Lid
 Chocolate, Marshmallows and Graham Crackers
Suggested:
 Foam Core or Poster Board
 Paper Clips
 Tape – Masking, Scotch, Packaging, Duct or other
 String
 Popsicle Sticks or Tongue Depressors
 Washers
 Rubber Bands
 Fabric
 Plastic Wrap
 Colored Pens and Pencils or Markers
 Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
 Construction paper
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Drinking Straws
Card Stock
Index Cards
Coffee Stirrers
Fan
Ruler or Yardstick
Scale
Foam Blocks
Cardboard
Elmer’s Glue
Plastic Bags
Mirrors
Academic Honesty:
By accepting a seat in an online course in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS),
you also accept responsibility to uphold the academic honesty and intellectual integrity
that MCPS has established. The word “cheat” is defined by the online Cambridge
dictionary as “to behave in a dishonest way in order to get what you want”. When
working online, students must maintain the highest level of academic honesty in order to
master the content and attain the intended level of intellectual development from the
course. Each individual student is responsible for his/her decision-making in regard to
academic honesty.
Method for Submitting Assignments:
In this online course there are multiple ways to submit an assignment. Some assignments
maybe be brought to and submitted at one of the face to face sessions. Most assignments
will be submitted through the course dropboxes or discussion boards. You can access the
dropboxes and discussion boards at anytime to submit and complete assignments but you
should be sure to submit them before the established due dates and deadlines. The typical
due date for this class will be two days after the lesson is assigned. Deadlines for most
activities are midnight Sunday of the week that they are assigned. Check the course
calendar for details and be sure to check the submission procedure for each assignment.
In compliance the with MCPS grading policy, assignments submitted past their due date
will be considered late and will suffer a 10% grade deduction and assignments will not be
accepted after the deadline.
Expectations for Participation:
Good time management skills are a must for online success. Different assignments will
require different levels of participation as well as different amounts of time. Staying up
to date and planning ahead will ensure you have plenty of time to complete your
assignments. Students are expected to visit the site daily during the week and are advised
to sign on during the weekend too. Keep up with the course calendar as well as the due
dates and deadlines for each assignment. Check e-mail often and respond to e-mail from
the course instructor promptly. You may also be required to work on assignments in a
group. You should respond to e-mails from your group members promptly as well. On
most group work assignments each group member will be assigned a role and
responsibilities. You MUST work with you group to complete any group assignments.
Attendance at all face to face sessions is mandatory.
Grading:
The FOT online course is divided into two semesters. Each semester grade is a
combination of the student’s class grade and exam grade. The class grade counts for 75%
percent of the semester grade and the final exam is 25%. The course gradebook is broken
up into 4 categories each accounting the following percentage of the class grade:
 Discussions 20%
 Assignments 30%
 Projects 30%
 Assessments 20%
Discussions are usually worth around 20 points for each discussion. They usually require
an original post made by each student and one or more reply post to a classmate.
Remember that in order to earn all available points, your responses need to be meaningful
and spark interest--do not simply say "I agree.” Some discussions may require
attachments to your posts. Rubrics should be provided for each.
Assignments each have their own individual point value. They maybe submitted to either
dropboxes or discussion boards. Follow the directions for each assignment closely to
earn full credit. Rubrics should be provided for each.
Projects are usually completed using a design folio and are submitted to a dropbox.
Design-folio templates are usually provided and include their own grading rubric within
the template. Follow the rubric and complete all steps of the project to earn full credit.
Assessments are quizzes at the end of each lesson. The quizzes test the students on the
information and concepts presented in the lesson and may refer to assignments in the
lesson.