Towson University
College of Education
Department of Educational Technology and Literacy ( EdTL)
TSEM 102
Towson Freshman Seminar
Current Issues in Education
The Excitement and Challenge of Extreme Teaching
Section: 017
Fall 2012
(12-12:50 M/W/F) Hawkins Hall 207
Arnita Hicks McArthur, Instructor
Office Hours: by appointment
Office Telephone Number: (410) 704-2576
E-mail: arnitamcarthur@towson.edu
“ Life without examination in not worth living.”
Socrates
Course Description:
Welcome! This unique freshman seminar course will explore
current issues in education related to living and learning in a digital
society. The focus will be the search to find the most inspiring
examples of excellent teaching practices of our time. Extreme
teaching is a method of teaching that highlights the importance of
such values as feedback, communication, respect and courage. It
is also an introduction to effective strategies for gathering,
evaluating, and communicating information that will be applied to
producing both individual and group research projects. Emphasis
will be placed on using team collaboration and problem solving to
examine current issues in education. Topics may include testing,
bullying, homelessness and hunger and the impact on the education
of children, K-12 online education, nutrition, school violence,
English language learners and more.
The overall function of the seminar is to bring together small
groups for recurring meetings, focusing each time on some
particular topic. It is a place for assigned reading to be discussed,
questions can be raised and debates conducted. Emphasis will be
placed on intense readings and research followed by group
discussions in class as well as in the blackboard forum. Goals of
the seminar are mastery, method and community. This seminar
will be both a reading and research seminar. Students will
experience the argumentative/analytical side of every issue
researched.
Course Goals:
The goals in this course are aligned with the Maryland
Teacher Technology Standards *and the Essential Dimensions of
Technology Standards for Teachers developed by the International
Society of Technology Educators (ISTE). The ISTE standards can
be located at http://iste.org. In addition, the goals of this course are
guided by the 7 Integrated Themes of the Vision of the Towson
College of Education Conceptual Framework for Professional
Education
*The Maryland Teacher Technology Standards will be on a
separate handout
Students enrolled in TSEM 102- The Excitement and Challenge of
Extreme Teaching will master the following goals:
 Prepare and present a compelling substantive interpretation,
argument, and/or analysis of a problem or issues in a research
paper
 Gather and use academic resources effectively and according
to the standards and rules of academic integrity
 Understand and evaluate the nature and possible causes and
implications of events, behavior, problems, and issues from
an informed and intellectually balanced perspective
 Connect concepts and empirical evidence in logically
coherent, valid, and compelling ways
 Understand and appreciate social and cultural differences
among individuals, groups, and societies and to engage and
learn from others with different backgrounds and
perspectives
 Participate responsibly and effectively in group efforts to
address and solve problems, where appropriate within the
course format
Students will examine current educational issues and trends using a
variety of information resources and technologies. Some of the
course activity will take place online within the Blackboard
environment (http://bbweb.towson.edu)
Course Objectives:
Maryland Teacher Technology Standards of individual
objectives are in parentheses. Students will display competency in
essential skills required of a college graduate by:
 Writing clearly and persuasively for a variety of purposes and
for the different audiences, revising and improving such texts
(MTTS ll)
Individual research paper
 Making articulate, persuasive, and influential presentations
(MTTS II)
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Group presentation
Reading, interpreting, analyzing and evaluating written
discourse
(MTTS I)
Bibliography gathered must include at least five journal
articles, three webpages, one newspaper article and one
reference book
Integrating ideas and concepts in order to make judgments
based on evidence
Research paper will take a strong stance and be
supported with scholarly evidence from research
Research a topic, develop an argument and organize
supporting details
(MTTS I)
Groups will investigate a topic with attention to extreme
challenges in the teaching profession with emphasis on
innovative solutions
Using software as appropriate for writing, for spreadsheets,
for statistical analysis, for calculations, or for presentations
(MTTS II)
Emerging teaching tools will be used in class such as
interactive whiteboards and student response clickers.
Students will use Boolean logic to search library
databases. Students will organize their files on the
university server. Blackboard will be used for quizzes,
blogs and wikis. Word processing and presentation
software will be used throughout the course.
Required Resources:
Text: No textbook is required; however, you will be
expected to read from print and online resources.
 Flash drive
 Folder or section in a notebook to keep handouts
 College-level dictionary and thesaurus
 Grammar reference
Saving Data and Documents:
Safely storing and accessing your data from this course is of
the utmost importance. It is recommended that you do not save
data to the classroom computers. Therefore, you need to be
prepared each session with a method for saving your work. You
are required to bring your flash drive to every class. Please be sure
to back up your work! Virus alert! The computers in the class are
equipped with virus protection programs.
Important Class Requirements:
All students are required to have an active TU e-mail account
for the duration of this class. All e-mail from your instructor will
be sent to your Tiger account. It is the student’s responsibility to
check Tiger account e-mail on a regular basis. Enter only your
section number (017), first initial and last name in the subject line
of all e-mails.
A key tool and component for your success in this course will be
your use of the online course supplement supported by Towson
University, Blackboard. Simply go to http://bbweb.towson.edu
and log in using your Towson username and the password you set
for your e-mail.
Technology Skills:
Assignments and activities for this course will require the
student to develop and or refine a variety of technology skills.
Students are encouraged to use the resources of the Student
Computing Skills Center (SCSC) for training and answers to
specific questions regarding technology on the Towson campus.
Listed below are the required skills for TSEM 102. These skills
are aligned with the Maryland Teacher Technology Standards.
 Formatting documents
 Creating folders for organized file storage
 Copying and pasting text from one document to another
 Saving files in various formats
 Attaching documents to e-mail messages
 Saving images from the Internet to use in PowerPoint and
Web applications
 Posting messages to the Blackboard discussion board and
submitting replies
 Using a scanner to scan documents and images to save as
computer files
 Using a digital camera to capture images
 Simple photo editing of digital pictures
Class Attendance:
Regular and timely class attendance and participation in
online assignments are important elements that contribute to the
final course grade. There will be a sign-in book at the front of the
classroom. It is your responsibility to sign in as soon as you enter
the classroom. If you do not, you will be counted absent, even if
you are in class. Tardiness and early departure from class are
unacceptable. University policy on class attendance and absences
is outlined on page 22 of the 2008-2009 Towson University
Undergraduate Catalog.
Class Discussion and Participation:
A major portion of this class is based on weekly readings of
relevant articles and viewing of pertinent video clips that feature
important educational issues. You are expected to carefully read
the assignments and view any video material for each week and be
prepared to participate in classroom discussions and activities.
Your participation in this course is vital. In addition, I encourage
you to share items that you think might add to and improve the
quality of the class. This includes bringing in or uploading
relevant articles and web sites to Blackboard. You will be
expected to make up any work you missed due to absence.
Classroom Policies:
Students are expected to adhere to the Towson University
policies for responsible computing which can be found online at
the following locations: TU undergraduate catalog:
http://www.collegesource.org/displayinfo/catalink.asp and OTS
University Guidelines for Responsible Computing:
http://wwwnew.towson.edu/adminfinance/ots/res.comp.policy.asp
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Set the ringer of your cell phone to silent or vibrate
Use the classroom computers for academic use
Use the proper logon and password to start your computer
Close all applications before you leave
Be sure to logout of Blackboard at the end of class
Save all work on your personal flash drive
Assignments:
All assignments must be complete before class. Late
assignments and hand-written assignments will not be
accepted. This means, if any assigned work is to be computer
generated to be handed in, it must be ready to hand in before class
begins. No one may make copies in the classroom unless
permission is given.
Course Scoring:
Grades for this course will be determined from two areas—
personal assignments and cooperative (paired or group)
assignments. To achieve the maximum number of points for the
course, students must demonstrate quality work on their own as
well as active participation in two group projects.
Personal Assignments
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Class Participation and attendance
20 points
Issues in Education Response Sheets 60 points
PowerPoint Collaboration
20 points
Creative Project
10 points
Research paper-rough draft
40 points
Research paper-final product
100 points
250 points
Group Participation
Personal grades will be awarded according to each student’s
contribution to the group assignments and by evaluations
from fellow group members.
 Participation in group research and presentation
points
50
Grading Distribution:
The class grading policy is consistent with the University
regulations, which are found on page 23 in the 2008-2009 Towson
University Undergraduate Catalog. Grading distribution for this
course is as follows:
A
AB+
285-300
270-284
261-269
B
BC+
C
D
F
252-260
240-251
234-239
210-233
189-209
188 and below
Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism:
Towson University’s policy on academic dishonesty can be
found in the most recent Towson University Undergraduate
Catalog. Cases of cheating or plagiarism on assignments or
examinations will result in a score of zero for the particular work,
+++the possibility of failure for the course or dismissal from the
university.
Disability Support:
Students in need of assistance with physical or learning
disabilities may contact the Office of Disability Support Services
(DDS) at 410-704-2638. Upon proper documentation of need for
accommodations, the instructor will work with the student to make
reasonable accommodations for individual needs.
Ethics and Conduct:
Disruptive behavior, as defined by the instructor, is not
acceptable under any circumstances. Any student who is
disruptive will be dismissed from the course.