Towson University
College of Education
The mission for Professional Education at Towson University is to inspire, educate, and
prepare educators as facilitators of active learning for diverse and inclusive communities of
learners in environments that are technologically advanced
Department of Educational Technology and Literacy (EdTL)
ISTC 301 – Integrating Instructional Technology

Fall 2012 - Tuesday, 8/30 - Tuesday, 12/11/2011
ISTC 301.003 – Tuesdays/Thursdays 11:00 – 12:15 pm – Hawkins Hall 209
Cheryl Wood, Instructor
Office: HH 010 (Lower Level) - Hours by appointment
Office Phone: 410-704-2687
E-mail: cwood@towson.edu – this is usually the most reliable way to reach me as I check into
e-mail several times a day. Please put ISTC 301 in the subject line of any correspondence
related to this course.
Course Description: Materials, devices, techniques and settings are presented in an overview of
the field of instructional technology. Laboratory experiences are provided in the operation of
instructional hardware and software programs.
Course Objectives: The purpose of the ISTC 301 course is to introduce pre-service teacher
candidates to the various forms of electronic and digital technology and to provide
opportunities for engagement and reflection on the role these technology tools can play in the
teaching/learning processes in the classroom. The students become skilled in some of the many
digital tools used in today's schools. In addition, students will be exposed to basic learning
theory and will be assisted in determining appropriate applications of these theories and
techniques in educational settings. This course is designed to use the Towson University
Conceptual Framework as a basis to meet the Maryland State Department of Education
certification and accreditation requirements.
Course Objectives
Applicable Standards
MTTS
NETS* T
InTASC
Assignments/Outcomes
Investigate, discuss and reflect
on the roles of
MTTS V; ISTE NETS*T 5 & 6; InTASC 3,4
electronic/digital technology in
teaching and learning
Personal philosophy on web page; inclass paired activity
Participate in meaningful
communication within and
outside of an electronic
learning community.
MTTS VII; NETS*T 5; InTASC 9,10
Classroom discussions, personal
reflections in blog postings
Develop skills in using a variety
of computer software and
media production programs
MTTS 1; NETS*T I; InTASC 9,10
Projects using a variety of software
applications and web utilities
Design and deliver a technology
enhanced lesson that is aligned
with the appropriate MD State MTTS V; NETS*T II & III; InTASC 3 - 8
Core Curriculum Standards for
content and grade level
Lesson plan development and delivery
(in class)
Develop an educational
technology portfolio that
supports specific academic
content.
MTTS VII; NETS*T V; InTASC 5
Student course website/portfolio
MTTS III; NETS*T VI; InTASC 9
Investigation of and reflection on
school district acceptable use policies;
plagiarism issues; fair use and
copyright guidelines
Examine the ethical use of
information with an emphasis
on materials obtained through
Internet sources
Investigate the uses of assistive
technology to support students MTTS VI; NETS*T VI: InTASC 8
with special learning needs
Review of various materials (DVD,
websites, software) and
reaction/position paper
Connect the classroom learning
with situations and experiences MTTS II & V; NETS* T I & II; InTASC 2 & 9
in the outside world.
Reflections of classroom observations
of technology use in teaching/learning;
technology-enhanced lesson
development
Demonstrate mastery of the
ISTE-NETS*T, MTTS, InTASC,
and Maryland State Common
Core Curriculum Standards
Viewing websites for standards
information; referencing of standards
in course assignments
Course Methodology:
Students will participate in the course using a variety of information resources and
technologies; some assignments will be individual, some will be paired or in small groups.
Some of the course activity will take place online within the Blackboard environment
http://bbwebnew.towson.edu
Course Topics:
 Examining and reflecting upon the impact of integrating technology in teaching and
learning
 Teaching and learning theories
 Using digital tools to design interactive multimedia lessons and presentations
 Using the interactive white board to present content and supplement learning
 Electronic Communication Tools (asynchronous and synchronous)
 Legal & Ethical Issues for the Digital Age
 Evaluation of Web Resources; Online references and resources
 Universal Design for Learning (UDL) (differentiated instruction)
 Assistive and Emerging Technologies and Web Accessibility issues
 Planning for and integrating technology into teaching (practical teaching experience)
Assignments and Course Schedule:
Descriptions, expectations and due dates for all course assignments, as well as course
materials, will be posted periodically to the online course site in Blackboard. Students should
check Blackboard frequently for course information and updates.
Required Resources:
Text – No text is required for this course. Online readings and multimedia presentations will
be assigned through Blackboard.
Students will be using the digital text to learn about Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
principles:
Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Learning
http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes/
Guidelines http://www.cast.org/publications/UDLguidelines/version1.html
David H. Rose & Anne Meyer, ASCD, 2002
Other Materials:
 Use of a “flash” drive or USB stick drive is highly recommended to save your
documents and data from class (see section below on Saving Data for more
information).
 A folder or section of a notebook in which you may keep course handouts, notes and
other information.
Saving Data and Documents:
Safely storing and accessing your data from this course is of the utmost importance.
The computers have floppy drives, CD write-able drives, and USB ports for “flash” drives. It is
recommended that you do not save data to the classroom computers as many students use
these computers on a daily basis and your data can easily be erased from them. Therefore, you
need to be prepared each session with a method for saving your work.
Plan to bring a flash drive or disk to each class session. You may also save files to your
folder on the Towson server “H” drive which is accessible from campus computers (you will
receive instruction on how to access your folder and save documents in class). You may also
upload individual files to your space on the :H drive from home by utilizing WebDisk
(http://tiger.towson.edu )
VIRUS ALERT - Be careful!! Computer viruses are easily transferred from computer to
computer especially when many people use the computers. The computers in the class are
equipped with virus protection programs. It is a good idea to use virus scanning software every
so often to make sure a virus won’t corrupt your files. If you are unsure how to scan, please ask
the instructor for assistance.
BACK UP YOUR WORK! – I cannot emphasize this enough as I have had plenty of experience
with students who have failed to do so and have lost hours of their work due to a saving error
or a corrupted file. When you are working at home, save a copy of your work to your hard
drive AND another device.
Important Class Requirements:
Each student is required to have an active TU e-mail account for the duration of this
class. You must obtain and use a Tiger e-mail account for your e-mail correspondence for this
class regardless of whether or not you have an existing e-mail account with an off-campus
ISP. As part of the requirements of the course, you will be expected to demonstrate skills in
using e-mail to communicate with the instructor and other students in the class. Using your
Tiger account for this purpose will allow the instructor to create uniform e-mail distribution lists
for each class, and should not pose a problem for you if you have access to the Web outside of
class. In addition, you will be constructing and maintaining your personal web page on the
Towson server, and you will set up your web files using your user information from your web
mail account. I use your Towson e-mail address ONLY – you should get into the habit of
checking your Towson e-mail account every day or you can forward your Towson e-mail
messages to your commercial account.
Class Attendance:
Regular and timely class attendance and participation in online assignments are
important elements that contribute to the final course grade. University policy on class
attendance and absences is outlined on page 14 of the 2012-2013 Towson University
Undergraduate Catalog.
You will be expected to participate fully in both f-2-f and online assignments and
activities – that includes any pair or group work that is assigned. If you know that you will be
absent from class or unable to access the Internet during your absence, it is your responsibility
to e-mail the instructor and/or any other individuals in the course to whom you are responsible.
You will be expected to make up any work you missed due to your absence.
Classroom Policies:
Technology etiquette – A few words about appropriate use of technology devices in this
course:
 Please set the ringer of your cell phone to “vibrate” or “silent” while you are in the
classroom. Unless there is an emergency, you should not be making or receiving calls
OR texting during the class sessions. If you violate this policy, you will be asked to leave
the classroom.
 The computers in the classroom are for academic use. Please refrain from using
applications such as Facebook to receive or send messages or browsing non-academic
sites (i.e.YouTube, Fantasy Football, E-Bay, etc.), and downloading MP3 files during the
class time. Points will be deducted from your overall class score if you frequently
violate these restrictions.
Classroom Computers Because many students use the computers in Hawkins Hall throughout the day, it is
important that you adhere to the following procedures to safeguard your personal accounts
and information:
 If you need to start the computer, use the proper login and password.
 If you are using the Internet during the class period, be sure to close the application
before you leave.
 If you access your account on Blackboard during the class period, make sure you logout
of your session and close the Internet browser. If you don’t logout, other students can
access your personal information, including your grade.
 Save any work to your personal disks – do not save work to the classroom computer.
 Scan your personal disks for viruses on a regular basis (once every week or two) to make
sure you are not carrying and transmitting viruses from one computer to another.
 Please do not change any of the wallpaper or settings on your classroom computer.
Leave the settings as they are or ask the instructor for assistance if you have difficulty
reading material from the monitor.
 Close all active programs before you leave the class session and logoff the computer.
Submission of Written Assignments:
Unless otherwise indicated, all written assignments for this course will be submitted
electronically through the Digital Dropbox in the Blackboard on-line supplement. Documents
should be saved in Word document format (.doc file) or, if you do not have Microsoft Word as
your word processing program (i.e. Microsoft Works, WordPerfect, etc.), save your files in a
Rich Text Format (.rtf file). Be sure to back up your files so that you will be able to print out a
copy in case electronic submission is not possible.
Course Scoring:




Class attendance and participation
Discussion/blog postings
Course assignments (assignments projects,
presentations)
Practical teaching development and
demonstration
(written and presentation elements)
15 points
25 points
160 points (total)
100 points
Total possible points for course = 300 points
Grading Distribution:
Grades are assigned according to the total of points a student has earned in the course.
Grading distribution for this course is as follows: The class grading policy is consistent with the
University regulations, which are found on page 14 in the 2011-2012 Towson University
Undergraduate Catalog.
The grading distribution for this course is as follows:
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
D
F
282 – 300
270 – 281
261 – 269
252 – 260
240 – 251
231 - 239
210 – 230
180 – 209
179 and below
No A+, C-, or D+ grades are awarded.
Academic Dishonesty:
“Because integrity is essential to the purpose of an academic community, the responsibility for
maintaining standards of integrity is shared by all members of that academic community.”
(Taken from the Towson University Student Academic Integrity Policy located online at
https://inside.towson.edu/generalcampus/tupolicies/documents/0301.00%20Student%20Academic%20Integrity%20Policy.doc )
All students are expected to read and abide by the University policy in submission of
any requirements for this course.
Disability Support:
Students in need of assistance with physical or learning difficulties may contact the
office of Disability Support Services (DSS) at 410.704.2638. A description of the DSS services
can be found in the 2012-2013 TU Undergraduate Catalog, p 28. Upon proper documentation
of need for accommodations, the instructor will work with students to make reasonable
accommodations for individual needs.
Illness Policy for Fall 2012:
“Students should not attend classes or other university events after 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.”
There are tissues and hand-sanitizing liquid available in the classroom for student use.
Remember that the classroom computers are used by many students throughout the day.
Therefore, it would be wise for you to wash your hands before and after you have used the
keyboard and mouse.
Please notify the instructor, via e-mail, of any absence due to illness or personal emergency. All
assignments are posted on Blackboard, so you can keep up with the class despite your absence.