COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
GRADUATE DEPARTMENTAL COURSE SYLLABUS
The following are the required elements of a Departmental Syllabus in the College of Education. This
syllabus should be representative of EVERY section of the course offered in the department. All MAT
programs; Ph.D. programs in School Psychology, Educational Measurement and Research, Guidance and
Counseling, and Educational Leadership; M.A. programs in Early Childhood Education, Elementary
Education, Secondary Education, Special Education, and Physical Education; and all programs that teach
courses for majors in the above listed programs need to include the following Conceptual Framework
statement at the beginning of the syllabus:
“The College of Education is dedicated to the ideals of Collaboration, Academic Excellence, Research,
and Ethics/Diversity (CARE). These are key tenets in the Conceptual Framework of the College of
Education. Competence in these ideals will provide candidates in educator preparation programs with
skills, knowledge, and dispositions to be successful in the schools of today and tomorrow.”
1.
Course Prefix and Number: SSE 7720
Credit Hours:4
2.
Course Title: Technological Innovation in the Social Studies
3.
Regular Instructor(s): Michael J. Berson
4.
Course Prerequisites (if any):
.
5.
Course Description:
This course will focus on issues regarding the efficiency and effectiveness of technology applications in
the social studies classroom, the barriers to integration, the unrealized potential of technology and the
overlooked consequences of technological development on children and youth with regard to their social
functioning, interpersonal interactions, and global understanding. Students will develop competencies in
current directions and research in the pedagogical application of various technologies, including Internet
and web-based resources, Web 2.0, mobile technology, data instruments, virtual worlds, and digital
networks. In addition to evaluating technology as a tool of instruction in the social studies, students will
focus on the significant effects that these resources have on the political, social, and economic functioning
of society.
6.
Course Goals and Objectives:
Following completion of the course students will demonstrate the ability to:
1. Explore the historical antecedents to technology in the social studies;
2. Examine the ISTE national technology standards for the social studies
[http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers.aspx] and the NCSS Position Statement on
Technology [http://www.socialstudies.org/positions/technology];
3. Critique policies and initiatives pertaining to ubiquitous computing;
4. Analyze implications of digital access on individual classrooms and society as a whole;
5. Discuss critical perspectives in technology;
6. Discuss ethical issues related to the use of technology in the social studies;
7. Describe safety concerns for children and youth online and identify strategies to promote socioemotional/physical well being on the Internet;
8. Examine technologically-based assessment techniques appropriate to the social studies;
9. Demonstrate skills needed for technology-assisted instruction through practical application as well
as select, evaluate, and use educational hardware and software for social studies;
10. Explain how critical thinking skills can be developed to enhance technology-based social studies
classroom learning activities;
11. Incorporate a global perspective through technology;
12. Explore the potential development of participatory citizenship through technology;
13. Identify potential sources of funding for technology-based applications in the social studies.
7.
Content Outline:
What is Innovation? & The National Education Technology Plan
Personal Learning Networks
Historical Foundations and Research Constructs
USF Digital Collections
Digital History
Digital Geography
CyberCitizenship and Global Connections
Social Studies Teacher Education and Technology
The Future of Technology Integration
8.
Evaluation of Student Outcomes:
Participation
IWitness Exploration Paper
simSchool Reflection
Cisco Quad Collaborative Project
Research Paper
9.
Grading Criteria:
94-100
90-93
87-89
84-86
80-83
77-79
74-76
70-73
67-69
64-66
60-63
Below 60
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
10.
Textbook(s) and Readings:
Boss, S. (2011). Resources for growing your professional learning network. edutopia: The
George Lucas Educational Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/resourcesgrowing-professional-learning-network
Diem, R., & Berson, M. J. (Eds.). (2010). Technology in retrospect: Social studies in the
information age, 1984-2009. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Lee, J., & Friedman, A. M. (Eds.). (2009). Research in technology in social studies education: A
volume in Research methods for educational technology. Charlotte, NC: Information Age
Publishing.
Burt, R. (2011). PLN Challenge #1: What the heck is a PLN? Retrieved from
http://teacherchallenge.edublogs.org/ (You will need to scroll down the page to find this
particular reading.)
U.S. Department of Education Office of Educational Technology. (2010). Transforming
American education learning powered by technology: National education technology plan
2010. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education. Available at
http://www.ed.gov/sites/default/files/netp2010.pdf
APA. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.).
Washington, DC: APA.
The Chicago Manual of Style. 16th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2010.
Blackboard @ USF https://my.usf.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp
USF Library Home Page http://www.lib.usf.edu
USF Library APA Style Guides http://guides.lib.usf.edu/CitingSources
Theory and Research in Social Education Digital Collection http://purl.fcla.edu/usf/dc/t1
11.
Academic Dishonesty:
“Plagiarism is defined as "literary theft" and consists of the unattributed quotation of the exact
words of a published text or the unattributed borrowing of original ideas by paraphrase from a
published text. On written papers for which the student employs information gathered from books,
articles, or oral sources, each direct quotation, as well as ideas and facts that are not generally
known to the public-at-large, must be attributed to its author by means of the appropriate citation
procedure. Citations may be made in footnotes or within the body of the text. Plagiarism also
consists of passing off as one's own, segments or the total of another person's work.”
“Punishment for academic dishonesty will depend on the seriousness of the offense and may
include receipt of an "F" with a numerical value of zero on the item submitted, and the "F" shall
be used to determine the final course grade. It is the option of the instructor to assign the student
a grade of "F" of "FF" (the latter indicating dishonesty) in the course.”
12.
Detection of Plagiarism:
It is very important to state in your syllabus that you plan to submit student assignments to
SafeAssignment.com in order to detect plagiarism. This will give you the legal right to submit
student assignments to SafeAssignment.com. If you pan to submit assignments to Safe
Assignment, use the statement below:
The University of South Florida has an account with an automated plagiarism detection service
which allows instructors to submit student assignments to be checked for plagiarism. I reserve the
right to 1) request that assignments be submitted to me as electronic files and 2) electronically
submit to SafeAssignment.com, or 3) ask students to submit their assignments to
SafeAssignment.com through myUSF. Assignments are compared automatically with a database
of journal articles, web articles, and previously submitted papers. The instructor receives a report
showing exactly how a student's paper was plagiarized.
13.
Web Portal Information:
Every newly enrolled USF student receives an official USF e-mail account that ends with
"mail.acomp.usf.edu." Every official USF correspondence to students will be sent to that account.
Go to the Academic Computing website and select the link "Activating a Student E-mail Account"
for detailed information. Information about the USF Web Portal can be found at:
http://www.acomp.usf.edu/portal.htm.
14.
ADA Statement:
Students in need of academic accommodations for a disability may consult with the office of
Services for Students with Disabilities to arrange appropriate accommodations. Students are
required to give reasonable notice (typically 5 working days) prior to requesting an
accommodation
15.
USF Policy on Religious Observances:
“Students who anticipate the necessity of being absent from class due to the observation of a
major religious observance must provide notice of the date(s) to the instructor, in writing, by the
second class meeting.”