Week 7
Blog Post Handout
Please prepare a 250-400 word blog post on one of the following topics or on a topic of your choice. Once you have decided your topic please post it as a comment to my "Week #7" blog post to avoid duplicates. Given that many of you teach in a diverse areas please feel free to choose the fourth option below to tailor your blog post to your specific area of expertise (it is difficult for me to try and write topics that would apply to all curriculum areas).
Please make sure to include links to resources you find helpful and try to make your blog post engaging (add pictures, movies, multimedia, etc). Remember that in addition to your own blog post you are asked to comment on at least two other student’s blogs throughout the week to share your thoughts and reactions. Please note that the blog is on a public server so anything you post is available to the entire internet!
WEEK 7 – Course Goal Explored:
6. To identify the responsible, ethical, and legal uses of technology, information, and software resources
Possible Topics:
1. Does your school have an acceptable use policy (AUP) for use of school/district computers? Please link to the policy if it's available online and evaluate the policy - does it need updating? If your school does not have one what you recommend it look like?
2. Do you teach students ethical use of software? Copyright? If so, please provide a quick overview of what you teach your students. If you do not currently include any instruction on the appropriate use of technology please create a quick lesson plan that you could use in teaching your students ethical use of computers and software. Feel free to use the guidelines from chapter 8 in the text.
3. Accessibility has always been an important part of web page design since the very beginning with efforts made to ensure web pages rendered correctly in specially adapted screen reader technology (p. 511, 6th edition). Does your school support accessible web pages? Is accessibility for special education students a priority for your school/district web page? Please provide an evaluation of your district's web page accessibility.
4. A topic of your own choosing. Please email me to make sure it will be appropriate for this week.
Blog Comments
Please comment on at least two other student's blog posts for the week. You are more than welcome to post more than 2 comments each week - especially if you are having a good online conversation with another student.
Note that only students enrolled in our class are able to comment on our blog. Additionally, please understand that the blog is available to anyone in the world with an internet connection so your comments are available to a world wide audience.
Please strive to keep comments concise. This is a credit/no credit assignment but if your comments are generally off track I may not give credit for the comments for that week.
If you have questions about the blog comments please see the comments on the previous course blog for an example.
Weekly Paper
None - please work on your final project/paper.
Week 6
Blog Post Handout
Please prepare a 250-400 word blog post on one of the following topics or on a topic of your choice. Once you have decided your topic please post it as a comment to my "Week #6" blog post to avoid duplicates. Given that many of you teach in a diverse areas please feel free to choose the fourth option below to tailor your blog post to your specific area of expertise (it is difficult for me to try and write topics that would apply to all curriculum areas).
Please make sure to include links to resources you find helpful and try to make your blog post engaging (add pictures, movies, multimedia, etc). Remember that in addition to your own blog post you are asked to comment on at least two other student’s blogs throughout the week to share your thoughts and reactions. Please note that the blog is on a public server so anything you post is available to the entire internet!
WEEK 6 – Course Goals Explored:
3. To develop computer literacy skills necessary to locate, evaluate, and use communication and information resources to support teaching and learning.
Possible Topics:
1. The 21 st Century Information Fluency Project (21CIF) http://21cif.com/index.html has a tremendous amount of resources regarding how teachers can evaluate online websites. Please pick a resource on the website and explain why you found it useful. Please make sure to post a comment to the Week 6 Blog post letting everyone know which 21CIF resource you plan on reviewing. For example, any of the links from this page: http://21cif.com/using-this-site.html would be appropriate.
2. H-NET is a similar site focusing on humanities and has a fantastic listserv and discussion boards to discuss ideas http://h-net.org/please review the site and identify the resource you think would be most helpful.
3.Barb has a tremendous delicious account with over 500 sites bookmarked for our class:http://www.delicious.com/BarbsEDG620/bundle:EDUC506_IntegratingTechnology Please go through and select a site you think is helpful and provide a review.
4. A topic of your own choosing. Please email me to make sure it will be appropriate for this week.
Blog Comments
Please comment on at least two other student's blog posts for the week. You are more than welcome to post more than 2 comments each week - especially if you are having a good online conversation with another student.
Note that only students enrolled in our class are able to comment on our blog. Additionally, please understand that the blog is available to anyone in the world with an internet connection so your comments are available to a world wide audience.
Please strive to keep comments concise. This is a credit/no credit assignment but if your comments are generally off track I may not give credit for the comments for that week.
If you have questions about the blog comments please see the comments on the previous course blog for an example.
Weekly Paper Handout
Weekly Papers/Reflections: Each week I will post on Blackboard and the Course Blog a number of discussion questions – some will be required questions while others will be your choice.
Each student should submit through email his/her response (@cune.edu). Please do not submit through Blackboard. The purpose of the weekly paper is for you, in 1-2 pages, to briefly summarize your impression of the week’s material. These will be private submissions.
WEEK 6 – Course Objectives Addressed:
f. Develop curricular activities that include computer applications and use hypermedia and multimedia programs.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
2 Required Questions:
1. Take any lesson/activity you used last year in your classroom that did not have a technology component. In what ways could you revise the lesson/activity to use technology next year? Please be specific about what technology you would use (ie, avoid saying "I would use a computer this time") - what programs/websites/technologies would you use and why?
2. Are video games an appropriate software selection for the classroom? Page 440 (6th edition) discusses the potential for video games to teach violence to students. Are there video games you think are appropriate for the classroom? What would be your criteria for whether or not a video game is appropriate in your class?
Choose 1 of the following:
3a. Chapter 7 lists Lesson and Project Plans for a variety of areas including Language Arts (p. 420, 6th edition), Social Studies (p. 421-422), Math (p. 423-424), Science (p. 425), Physical Education (p. 426), Art (p. 427-428), Special Education (p. 429-430), and two interdisciplinary (p. 421-432 & p. 433-434). Please select one of these that is closest to something you would do and provide an evaluation. What do you like and dislike about the lesson and project plan? What would you change to better suit your classroom?
3b. In the Digital Media Corner (p. 443) the text discusses peer evaluation of student projects. Do you use any form of peer evaluation? Would it be appropriate to adopt in your classroom? Why or why not?
3c. We have used a course blog for our class. Many other teachers also use a blog. Please find a classroom blog and provide a review of the blog. If possible, please find a classroom blog that is similar to your grade/subject area. What features do you think worked well on the blog and what features did not work? Would you use a course blog next year? Why or why not?
Grading Rubric
Concepts – 5 Points each = 15 total
___ 5 points - explained concept, connected it to course material
___ 4 points - sufficiently explained concept, sufficiently connected it to course material
___ 3 points - somewhat explained concept, connection to course material lacking
___ 1-2 points - missing concept or not connected to course material
___ 0 points – no answer
Week 5
Blog Post Handout
Blog Comments
Please comment on at least two other student's blog posts for the week. You are more than welcome to post more than 2 comments each week - especially if you are having a good online conversation with another student.
Note that only students enrolled in our class are able to comment on our blog. Additionally, please understand that the blog is available to anyone in the world with an internet connection so your comments are available to a world wide audience.
Please strive to keep comments concise. This is a credit/no credit assignment but if your comments are generally off track I may not give credit for the comments for that week.
If you have questions about the blog comments please see the comments on the previous course blog for an example.
Weekly Paper Handout
Week 4
Technology Tutorial
Course Goals Explored:
7. To evaluate software applications
This assignment is an opportunity for you to explore a particular educational technology that you think will be useful in your classroom. What you will need to do is create a tutorial for this technology for two audiences: fellow teachers and your students.
I would strongly recommend creating two different tutorials (ie, two different videos, or two different PowerPoints, or two different web pages, etc). That way it's clear how you focused on teachers using the technology and students using the technology. If you create a single tutorial for both audiences please make sure to differentiate between the two audiences clearly in your tutorial.
One of the pressing challenges facing many teachers is both learning new technologies and ensuring their students understand how to effectively use that technology. For example, one problem I’m facing right now in my classes is the use of Wikipedia as a resource for research papers. I spend a considerable amount of time teaching my students the effective use of Wikipedia as a research tool and the reasons why I do not consider it an appropriate source for college level work.
As with the blog posts please post your choice for your tutorial on the Week 4 blog post so we can avoid duplicating work. Beyond the basic goal of instructing other teachers and your students I would like to leave this assignment as flexible as possible. You may choose how you wish to present your tutorial (word document, web page, youtube video, power point, etc...). You may be able to take advantage of the technology reviewed on the blog or in your text so far in the class. Please review the grading rubric below and please let me know if you have any questions before turning your assignment. Please include at least 5 references for your audience to get more information about your technology. These references can be links, papers, newspaper articles, books, etc.. But not wikipedia!
Concordia actually has a fantastic blog for instructional technology that does technology tutorials available here:
http://cunetechnology.wordpress.com/
A great example from the last class is here on iMovie
http://educ506aug2010.blogspot.com/2010/08/imovie.html
Grading Rubric
Content – Instructor – 10 points
___ 10 points - explained concept, appropriate for instructor use, connected to classroom, included references
___ 6-9 points - sufficiently explained concept, appropriate for instructor use, few connection to classroom, included references
___ 1-4 points - somewhat explained concept, inappropriate for instructor use, no connection to classroom, missing references
___ 0 points – no answer
Content – Student – 10 points
___ 10 points - explained concept, appropriate for student use, connected to classroom, included references
___ 6-9 points - sufficiently explained concept, appropriate for student use, few connection to classroom, included references
___ 1-4 points - somewhat explained concept, inappropriate for student use, no connection to classroom, references missing
___ 0 points – no answer
Presentation – 10 points
___ 10 points – Easy to follow, sufficient visual aids, clear tutorial
___ 6-9 points - Somewhat easy to follow, may be insufficient examples, visuals helpful, sufficient tutorial
___ 1-4 points – difficult to follow, lacking examples and visuals, left confused on technology
___ 0 points – no answer
Weekly Paper Handout
Blog Post Handout
Please prepare a 250-400 word blog post on one of the following topics or on a topic of your choice. Once you have decided your topic please post it as a comment to my "Week #7" blog post to avoid duplicates. Given that many of you teach in a diverse areas please feel free to choose the fourth option below to tailor your blog post to your specific area of expertise (it is difficult for me to try and write topics that would apply to all curriculum areas).
Please make sure to include links to resources you find helpful and try to make your blog post engaging (add pictures, movies, multimedia, etc). Remember that in addition to your own blog post you are asked to comment on at least two other student’s blogs throughout the week to share your thoughts and reactions. Please note that the blog is on a public server so anything you post is available to the entire internet!
WEEK 7 – Course Goal Explored:
6. To identify the responsible, ethical, and legal uses of technology, information, and software resources
Possible Topics:
1. Does your school have an acceptable use policy (AUP) for use of school/district computers? Please link to the policy if it's available online and evaluate the policy - does it need updating? If your school does not have one what you recommend it look like?
2. Do you teach students ethical use of software? Copyright? If so, please provide a quick overview of what you teach your students. If you do not currently include any instruction on the appropriate use of technology please create a quick lesson plan that you could use in teaching your students ethical use of computers and software. Feel free to use the guidelines from chapter 8 in the text.
3. Accessibility has always been an important part of web page design since the very beginning with efforts made to ensure web pages rendered correctly in specially adapted screen reader technology (p. 511, 6th edition). Does your school support accessible web pages? Is accessibility for special education students a priority for your school/district web page? Please provide an evaluation of your district's web page accessibility.
4. A topic of your own choosing. Please email me to make sure it will be appropriate for this week.
Blog Comments
Please comment on at least two other student's blog posts for the week. You are more than welcome to post more than 2 comments each week - especially if you are having a good online conversation with another student.
Note that only students enrolled in our class are able to comment on our blog. Additionally, please understand that the blog is available to anyone in the world with an internet connection so your comments are available to a world wide audience.
Please strive to keep comments concise. This is a credit/no credit assignment but if your comments are generally off track I may not give credit for the comments for that week.
If you have questions about the blog comments please see the comments on the previous course blog for an example.
Weekly Paper
None - please work on your final project/paper.
Week 6
Blog Post Handout
Please prepare a 250-400 word blog post on one of the following topics or on a topic of your choice. Once you have decided your topic please post it as a comment to my "Week #6" blog post to avoid duplicates. Given that many of you teach in a diverse areas please feel free to choose the fourth option below to tailor your blog post to your specific area of expertise (it is difficult for me to try and write topics that would apply to all curriculum areas).
Please make sure to include links to resources you find helpful and try to make your blog post engaging (add pictures, movies, multimedia, etc). Remember that in addition to your own blog post you are asked to comment on at least two other student’s blogs throughout the week to share your thoughts and reactions. Please note that the blog is on a public server so anything you post is available to the entire internet!
WEEK 6 – Course Goals Explored:
3. To develop computer literacy skills necessary to locate, evaluate, and use communication and information resources to support teaching and learning.
Possible Topics:
1. The 21 st Century Information Fluency Project (21CIF) http://21cif.com/index.html has a tremendous amount of resources regarding how teachers can evaluate online websites. Please pick a resource on the website and explain why you found it useful. Please make sure to post a comment to the Week 6 Blog post letting everyone know which 21CIF resource you plan on reviewing. For example, any of the links from this page: http://21cif.com/using-this-site.html would be appropriate.
2. H-NET is a similar site focusing on humanities and has a fantastic listserv and discussion boards to discuss ideas http://h-net.org/please review the site and identify the resource you think would be most helpful.
3.Barb has a tremendous delicious account with over 500 sites bookmarked for our class:http://www.delicious.com/BarbsEDG620/bundle:EDUC506_IntegratingTechnology Please go through and select a site you think is helpful and provide a review.
4. A topic of your own choosing. Please email me to make sure it will be appropriate for this week.
Blog Comments
Please comment on at least two other student's blog posts for the week. You are more than welcome to post more than 2 comments each week - especially if you are having a good online conversation with another student.
Note that only students enrolled in our class are able to comment on our blog. Additionally, please understand that the blog is available to anyone in the world with an internet connection so your comments are available to a world wide audience.
Please strive to keep comments concise. This is a credit/no credit assignment but if your comments are generally off track I may not give credit for the comments for that week.
If you have questions about the blog comments please see the comments on the previous course blog for an example.
Weekly Paper Handout
Weekly Papers/Reflections: Each week I will post on Blackboard and the Course Blog a number of discussion questions – some will be required questions while others will be your choice.
Each student should submit through email his/her response (@cune.edu). Please do not submit through Blackboard. The purpose of the weekly paper is for you, in 1-2 pages, to briefly summarize your impression of the week’s material. These will be private submissions.
WEEK 6 – Course Objectives Addressed:
f. Develop curricular activities that include computer applications and use hypermedia and multimedia programs.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
2 Required Questions:
1. Take any lesson/activity you used last year in your classroom that did not have a technology component. In what ways could you revise the lesson/activity to use technology next year? Please be specific about what technology you would use (ie, avoid saying "I would use a computer this time") - what programs/websites/technologies would you use and why?
2. Are video games an appropriate software selection for the classroom? Page 440 (6th edition) discusses the potential for video games to teach violence to students. Are there video games you think are appropriate for the classroom? What would be your criteria for whether or not a video game is appropriate in your class?
Choose 1 of the following:
3a. Chapter 7 lists Lesson and Project Plans for a variety of areas including Language Arts (p. 420, 6th edition), Social Studies (p. 421-422), Math (p. 423-424), Science (p. 425), Physical Education (p. 426), Art (p. 427-428), Special Education (p. 429-430), and two interdisciplinary (p. 421-432 & p. 433-434). Please select one of these that is closest to something you would do and provide an evaluation. What do you like and dislike about the lesson and project plan? What would you change to better suit your classroom?
3b. In the Digital Media Corner (p. 443) the text discusses peer evaluation of student projects. Do you use any form of peer evaluation? Would it be appropriate to adopt in your classroom? Why or why not?
3c. We have used a course blog for our class. Many other teachers also use a blog. Please find a classroom blog and provide a review of the blog. If possible, please find a classroom blog that is similar to your grade/subject area. What features do you think worked well on the blog and what features did not work? Would you use a course blog next year? Why or why not?
Grading Rubric
Concepts – 5 Points each = 15 total
___ 5 points - explained concept, connected it to course material
___ 4 points - sufficiently explained concept, sufficiently connected it to course material
___ 3 points - somewhat explained concept, connection to course material lacking
___ 1-2 points - missing concept or not connected to course material
___ 0 points – no answer
Week 5
Blog Post Handout
Please prepare a 250-400 word blog post on one of the following topics or on a topic of your choice. Once you have decided your topic please post it as a comment to my "Week #5" blog post to avoid duplicates. Given that many of you teach in a diverse areas please feel free to choice the fourth option below to tailor your blog post to your specific area of expertise (it was difficult for me to try and write topics that would apply to all curriculum areas).
Please make sure to include links to resources you find helpful and try to make your blog post engaging (add pictures, movies, multimedia, etc). Remember that in addition to your own blog post you are asked to comment on at least two other student’s blogs throughout the week to share your thoughts and reactions.
Please note that the blog is on a public server so anything you post is available to the entire internet!
WEEK 5 – Course Goals Explored:
4. To develop skills in integrating computers in different curriculum areas
Possible Topics:
1. Many of you in your weekly papers have described vastly different level of technology integration at your schools. Some schools have practically no computers available to students whereas others have tremendous resources. Your text describes a choice between classroom integration or computer labs. Please blog about what setup you have at your school (classroom integration, computer labs, or something else?) and what you think are the pros and cons of the technology integration with respect to curriculum.
2. Figure 6-12 on page 332 (6th edition) describes the Welliver's Instructional Transformation Model. Where do you think you are on the model? What can you do to progress to stage 5?
3.Figure 6-26 on page 344 (6th edition) describes the ASSURE model used by educators to develop technology-enriched lessons. Please explore the ASSURE model and develop an instructional method using the six steps.
4. A topic of your own choosing. Please email me to make sure it will be appropriate for this week.
Blog Comments
Please comment on at least two other student's blog posts for the week. You are more than welcome to post more than 2 comments each week - especially if you are having a good online conversation with another student.
Note that only students enrolled in our class are able to comment on our blog. Additionally, please understand that the blog is available to anyone in the world with an internet connection so your comments are available to a world wide audience.
Please strive to keep comments concise. This is a credit/no credit assignment but if your comments are generally off track I may not give credit for the comments for that week.
If you have questions about the blog comments please see the comments on the previous course blog for an example.
Weekly Paper Handout
The paper this week will be a bit different. One of the suggestions last semester for this class was to provide an alternative to the research paper final paper. A few students would have liked to have done a technology project for their final exam. As such, this semester I'm interested in each student creating their own proposal for the final paper/project. I would like to have this finalized this week to allow you a few weeks to work on the final.
For this week please propose what you would like to do for your final project/paper. I anticipate it will probably take a few emails back and forth until we can agree on the scope of the final paper/project you propose.
If you would prefer to do a traditional research paper please provide the question you would like to explore for the final exam. The paper should be in the 10-15 page range with at least 10 credible sources.
If you would prefer to do a technology project it should equate roughly to the amount of work a 10-15 page paper would require. The final project is roughly 25% of your grade in the class which may help in formulating the scope and size of the project.
Both the project and paper should build upon the entire class in one final culminating paper/project. You should think big themes and ideas. My goal is that this paper/project will help you further explore technology building on the ideas/concepts covered in the class. You can review the final papers from last semester at the blog:
http://aug2010educ506.blogspot.com
For this week please propose what you would like to do for your final project/paper. I anticipate it will probably take a few emails back and forth until we can agree on the scope of the final paper/project you propose.
If you would prefer to do a traditional research paper please provide the question you would like to explore for the final exam. The paper should be in the 10-15 page range with at least 10 credible sources.
If you would prefer to do a technology project it should equate roughly to the amount of work a 10-15 page paper would require. The final project is roughly 25% of your grade in the class which may help in formulating the scope and size of the project.
Both the project and paper should build upon the entire class in one final culminating paper/project. You should think big themes and ideas. My goal is that this paper/project will help you further explore technology building on the ideas/concepts covered in the class. You can review the final papers from last semester at the blog:
http://aug2010educ506.blogspot.com
Week 4
Technology Tutorial
Course Goals Explored:
7. To evaluate software applications
This assignment is an opportunity for you to explore a particular educational technology that you think will be useful in your classroom. What you will need to do is create a tutorial for this technology for two audiences: fellow teachers and your students.
I would strongly recommend creating two different tutorials (ie, two different videos, or two different PowerPoints, or two different web pages, etc). That way it's clear how you focused on teachers using the technology and students using the technology. If you create a single tutorial for both audiences please make sure to differentiate between the two audiences clearly in your tutorial.
One of the pressing challenges facing many teachers is both learning new technologies and ensuring their students understand how to effectively use that technology. For example, one problem I’m facing right now in my classes is the use of Wikipedia as a resource for research papers. I spend a considerable amount of time teaching my students the effective use of Wikipedia as a research tool and the reasons why I do not consider it an appropriate source for college level work.
As with the blog posts please post your choice for your tutorial on the Week 4 blog post so we can avoid duplicating work. Beyond the basic goal of instructing other teachers and your students I would like to leave this assignment as flexible as possible. You may choose how you wish to present your tutorial (word document, web page, youtube video, power point, etc...). You may be able to take advantage of the technology reviewed on the blog or in your text so far in the class. Please review the grading rubric below and please let me know if you have any questions before turning your assignment. Please include at least 5 references for your audience to get more information about your technology. These references can be links, papers, newspaper articles, books, etc.. But not wikipedia!
Concordia actually has a fantastic blog for instructional technology that does technology tutorials available here:
http://cunetechnology.wordpress.com/
A great example from the last class is here on iMovie
http://educ506aug2010.blogspot.com/2010/08/imovie.html
Grading Rubric
Content – Instructor – 10 points
___ 10 points - explained concept, appropriate for instructor use, connected to classroom, included references
___ 6-9 points - sufficiently explained concept, appropriate for instructor use, few connection to classroom, included references
___ 1-4 points - somewhat explained concept, inappropriate for instructor use, no connection to classroom, missing references
___ 0 points – no answer
Content – Student – 10 points
___ 10 points - explained concept, appropriate for student use, connected to classroom, included references
___ 6-9 points - sufficiently explained concept, appropriate for student use, few connection to classroom, included references
___ 1-4 points - somewhat explained concept, inappropriate for student use, no connection to classroom, references missing
___ 0 points – no answer
Presentation – 10 points
___ 10 points – Easy to follow, sufficient visual aids, clear tutorial
___ 6-9 points - Somewhat easy to follow, may be insufficient examples, visuals helpful, sufficient tutorial
___ 1-4 points – difficult to follow, lacking examples and visuals, left confused on technology
___ 0 points – no answer
Weekly Papers/Reflections: Each week I will post on Blackboard and the Course Blog a number of discussion questions – some will be required questions while others will be your choice.
Each student should submit through email his/her response (@cune.edu). Please do not submit through Blackboard. The purpose of the weekly paper is for you, in 1-2 pages, to briefly summarize your impression of the week’s material. These will be private submissions.
WEEK 4 – Course Objectives Addressed:
d. Plan and design effective learning environments and experiences through the integration of technology resources and technology-based methods into everyday curriculum
e. Select software and instructional media for use in classrooms
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
2 Required Questions:
1. In what ways have you used computer-based training (CBT) and/or computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) (p. 277, 6th ed)? The text only talks about the advantages of using CBT AND CSCL - but what could be some possible disadvantages?
2. Please compare and contrast your experience in this online class with a comparable traditional setting class. What have been some of the benefits? What are some of the challenges? Do you think your students would receive the same education if you taught your classes online?
Choose 1 of the following:
3a. The text lists ten strategies to help you manage today's digital students in your 21st century classroom (p. 301, 6th ed). Which of these do you think you could implement? Why?
3b. If you could send your students on a virtual field trip (p. 304 - Teaching Today section, 6th edition) where would you send them? Please provide a website and a rational for why the field trip would help your students.
3c. Digital software can help students with special needs learn classroom material. Have you used technology to assist students with special needs? Your text (p. 309 - Assistive Technologies Corner) describes two software options - VREAL and Clicker. Do you think you could use either of these in your classroom?
Grading Rubric
Concepts – 5 Points each = 15 total
___ 5 points - explained concept, connected it to course material
___ 4 points - sufficiently explained concept, sufficiently connected it to course material
___ 3 points - somewhat explained concept, connection to course material lacking
___ 1-2 points - missing concept or not connected to course material
___ 0 points – no answer
Week 3
Blog Post Handout
Please prepare a 250-400 word blog post on one of the following topics or on a topic of your choice. Once you have decided your topic please post it as a comment to my "Week #3" blog post to avoid duplicates. For questions 1-3 please indicate which question and which standard you will be reviewing.
Please make sure to include links to resources you find helpful and try to make your blog post engaging (add pictures, movies, multimedia, etc). Remember that in addition to your own blog post you are asked to comment on at least two other student’s blogs throughout the week to share your thoughts and reactions. Please note that the blog is on a public server so anything you post is available to the entire internet!
WEEK 3 – Course Goals Explored:
WEEK 3 – Course Goals Explored:
5. To understand the concepts and skills outlined in the National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers
Possible Topics:
1. The National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS•T) is available from the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) on their website. Please pick one of the five standards to explore and summarize. Provide at least one way (assignment, project, etc) you are already or planning on implementing the standard in your own class.
2. ISTE also publishes the National Educational Technology Standards for Students
2. ISTE also publishes the National Educational Technology Standards for Students
(NETS•S). Please pick one of the five standards to explore and summarize. Please provide at least one assignment or project a teacher could use to explore the standard with a student.
3. Finally, ISTE also publishes the National Education Technology Standards for Administrators (NETS-A). Please pick one of the five standards to explore and summarize. Evaluate your own school's administrators on the standard and provide an assessment if the administrators are meeting or failing to meet the standards.
4. Present an introduction to the National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers. Who is ISTE and why should we listen to them? Are there other resources on the ISTE website that can be useful? Note that this topic should not explore the specific standards as that would be covered in question 1. This is a more broad approach.
5. A topic of your own choosing. Please email me to make sure it will be appropriate for this week.
Blog Comments Handout
Please comment on at least two other student's blog posts for the week. You are more than welcome to post more than 2 comments each week - especially if you are having a good online conversation with another student.
Note that only students enrolled in our class are able to comment on our blog. Additionally, please understand that the blog is available to anyone in the world with an internet connection so your comments are available to a world wide audience.
Please strive to keep comments concise. This is a credit/no credit assignment but if your comments are generally off track I may not give credit for the comments for that week.
If you have questions about the blog comments please see the comments on the previous course blog for an example.
Weekly Paper Handout
Weekly Papers/Reflections: Each week I will post on Blackboard and the Course Blog a number of discussion questions – some will be required questions while others will be your choice.
Each student should submit through email his/her response (@cune.edu). Please do not submit through Blackboard. The purpose of the weekly paper is for you, in 1-2 pages, to briefly summarize your impression of the week’s material. These will be private submissions.
WEEK 3 – Course Objectives Addressed:
a. Describe the fundamentals of computers and educational technology
WEEK 3 – Course Objectives Addressed:
a. Describe the fundamentals of computers and educational technology
e. Select software and instructional media for use in classrooms.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
2 Required Questions:
1. Should students be able to use digital note taking software in your class? What would be some of the advantages and disadvantages of students using the software?
2. If you were in charge of buying hardware for your classroom with a budget of $50,000 what would you buy ? Why?
Choose 1 of the following:
3a. Chapter four discusses different hardware concepts such as motherboards, adapter cards, etc. Do you think a teacher should have to know the material covered in chapter 4? Or is it sufficient to rely on Information Technology staff? Please provide your honest response!
3b. In the education issues section of your text it covers the One Laptop Per Child plan. Do you agree that schools should supply students with laptops? Why or why not?
3c. In what ways has your school/class incorporated assistive technologies for students with special needs? In the "Assistive Technology Corner" different specialized hardware options are presented with a brief summary of each.
Grading Rubric
Concepts – 5 Points each = 15 total
___ 5 points - explained concept, connected it to course material
___ 4 points - sufficiently explained concept, sufficiently connected it to course material
___ 3 points - somewhat explained concept, connection to course material lacking
___ 1-2 points - missing concept or not connected to course material
___ 0 points – no answer
Grading Rubric
Concepts – 5 Points each = 15 total
___ 5 points - explained concept, connected it to course material
___ 4 points - sufficiently explained concept, sufficiently connected it to course material
___ 3 points - somewhat explained concept, connection to course material lacking
___ 1-2 points - missing concept or not connected to course material
___ 0 points – no answer
Week 2
Blog Post Handout
Please prepare a 250-400 word blog post on one of the following topics or on a topic of your choice. Once you have decided your topic please post it as a comment to my weekly blog post to avoid duplicates. Note that students may do the same suggested topic as long as the subject of the blog post is different.
Please make sure to include links to resources you find helpful and try to make your blog post engaging. Remember that in addition to your own blog post you are asked to comment on at least two other student’s blogs throughout the week to share your thoughts and reactions. Please note that the blog is on a public server so anything you post is available to the entire internet!
WEEK 2 – Course Goals Explored:
2. To understand and use Web 2.0 technologies
2. Web 2.0 integration in the classroom: Many Web 2.0 technologies involve extensive user generated content. As such, content may or may not be appropriate for classroom use. Does your school district have a policy on accessing Web 2.0 technologies? Do you think this policy is appropriate or should it be changed? If you think changes are in order, what would you propose?
3. Explore a Web 2.0 technology and provide a general overview of the technology/website. Some examples would include Wikipedia.com, Facebook.com, Twitter.com, Linkedin.com, Youtube.com. Additional examples can be found on this webpage: http://www.udel.edu/fth/courses/web2resources/examples.html
4. In December 2009 DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency ) held a contest to try and locate 10 weather ballots randomly placed in American cities:https://networkchallenge.darpa.mil/Default.aspx The contest was designed to "a competition that will explore the roles the Internet and social networking play in the timely communication, wide-area team-building, and urgent mobilization required to solve broad-scope, time-critical problems. "
As it turned out a team from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) won the project faster than anyone anticipated. Please explore how MIT won the project so quickly. : http://web.mit.edu/press/2009/darpa-challenge-1210.html (NOTE, only one student should cover this topic - if it's been "claimed" please choose a different topic).
5. A topic of your own choosing. Please email me to make sure it will be appropriate for this week.
Blog Comments Handout
Please comment on at least two other student's blog posts for the week. You are more than welcome to post more than 2 comments each week - especially if you are having a good online conversation with another student.
Note that only students enrolled in our class are able to comment on our blog. Additionally, please understand that the blog is available to anyone in the world with an internet connection so your comments are available to a world wide audience.
Please strive to keep comments concise. This is a credit/no credit assignment but if your comments are generally off track I may not give credit for the comments for that week.
If you have questions about the blog comments please see the comments on the previous course blog for an example.
Weekly Paper Handout
Weekly Papers/Reflections: Each week I will post on Blackboard and the Course Blog a number of discussion questions – some will be required questions while others will be your choice.
Each student should submit through email his/her response (@cune.edu). Please do not submit through Blackboard. The purpose of the weekly paper is for you, in 1-2 pages, to briefly summarize your impression of the week’s material. These will be private submissions.
WEEK 2 – Course Objectives Addressed:
c. Use the World Wide Web as a repository of the latest information and as an educational resource and learning tool for K-12 education
e. Select software and instructional media for use in classrooms
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
2 Required Questions:
1. In what ways has your school district incorporated different types of networks (ie, LAN, WAN, Wireless)? Do you think your district could incorporate network technology more effectively?
2. One reason many argue that the WWW grew so much faster than previous internet technologies like gopher is because of its rich multimedia interface. Your text describes how web pages incorporate "graphics, animation, audio, video, and virtual reality" (p. 83). In what ways have you incorporated multimedia in your own teaching? In what ways do you wish to incorporate multimedia more in your class?
Choose 1 of the following:
3a. Google is the undisputed king of search engines with roughly a 65% market share. Is there a risk for teachers and students to be so reliant on a single search engine? Try an education related (such as "smartboard classroom") search on Google and at least one other search engine. Did you get different results? Why or why not? Which search engine do you think was "better" ?
3b. Have you embraced Web 2.0 in your teaching? How? Why?
3c. In the "Education Issues" section at the end of chapter 2 (p. 101 6th edition) there is a discussion of Virtual High Schools. Do you think a virtual high school is appropriate? Why or why not?
Grading Rubric
Concepts – 5 Points each = 15 total
___ 5 points - explained concept, connected it to course material
___ 4 points - sufficiently explained concept, sufficiently connected it to course material
___ 3 points - somewhat explained concept, connection to course material lacking
___ 1-2 points - missing concept or not connected to course material
___ 0 points – no answer
Week 1
Blog Post Handout
Please prepare a 250-400 word blog post on one of the following topics or on a topic of your choice. Once you have decided your topic please post it as a comment to my weekly blog post to avoid duplicates. Please make sure to include links to resources you find helpful and try to make your blog post engaging. Remember that in addition to your own blog post you are asked to comment on at least two other student’s blogs throughout the week to share your thoughts and reactions. Please note that the blog is on a public server so anything you post is available to the entire internet!
WEEK 1 – Course Goals Explored:
- To create effective learning environments and experiences supported by technology
2. Have you created an effective learning environment supported by technology? What technology did you use? Please explain why you felt it was effective.
3. In Chapter 1's "Software Corner" (page 38 of the sixth edition) there are five software titles recommended for classroom use. Please provide your own analysis of the software title (or any other comparable software you use in your own classroom). Note that the online companion site (http://scsite.com/tdc6) has the software corner online with more direct links.
4. Complete any of the assignments listed under the "In The Lab" section of chapter one (pages 41-43). However, instead of creating the assignment in word please post it to the course blog (ie, create a blog post instead of a flyer). After the digital flyer please provide 250-400 words explaining what was easier or harder creating the blog post flyer compared to one in Microsoft Word.
5. A topic of your own choosing. Please email me to make sure it will be appropriate for this week.
GRADING RUBRIC
Content - 10 points
___ 10 points – explained topic, explored connections to course material, included links, met length requirement
___ 8-9 points – explained topic, limited connections, 1 link, met length requirement
___ 5-7 points – topic a bit confusing, no real connections, no links, a bit short or long on content
___ 1-4 points – no explanation, no links, no connections to course material, very brief or much to long
Presentation - 5 points
___ 5 points – Easy to read, integrated graphics, used space effectively
___ 3-4 points - Easy to read, few graphics, flow might be hard to follow
___ 1-2 points – Presentation a bit confusing, flow confusing, distracts from point of post
___ 0 points – Presentation detracts from message, no graphics, no effective use of space
Blog Comments Handout
Please comment on at least two other student's blog posts for the week. You are more than welcome to post more than 2 comments each week - especially if you are having a good online conversation with another student.
Note that only students enrolled in our class are able to comment on our blog. Additionally, please understand that the blog is available to anyone in the world with an internet connection so your comments are available to a world wide audience.
Please strive to keep comments concise. This is a credit/no credit assignment but if your comments are generally off track I may not give credit for the comments for that week.
If you have questions about the blog comments please see the comments on the previous course blog for an example.
Weekly Paper Handout
Weekly Papers/Reflections: Each week I will post on Blackboard and the Course Blog a number of discussion questions – some will be required questions while others will be your choice. Each student should submit through email his/her response. The purpose of the weekly paper is for you, in 1-2 pages, to briefly summarize your impression of the week’s material. These will be private submissions.
WEEK 1 – Course Objectives Addressed:
a. Describe the fundamentals of computers and educational technology
b. Articulate why computers are essential components in society, the business world, and K-12 education
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
2 Required Questions:
1. Why are computers an essential component in K-12 Education?
2. Explain the concept of “Digital Students.” How will you connect with Digital Students in the classroom?
Choose 1 of the following:
3a. What do you think a technology free classroom would look like?
3b. Have you had a teacher that effectively used technology before? How?
3c. Why do you think it’s a standard that: “a teacher uses knowledge of effective verbal, nonverbal, and media communication techniques to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the classroom”?
Grading Rubric
Concepts – 5 Points each = 15 total
___ 5 points - explained concept, connected it to course material
___ 4 points - sufficiently explained concept, sufficiently connected it to course material
___ 3 points - somewhat explained concept, connection to course material lacking
___ 1-2 points - missing concept or not connected to course material
___ 0 points – no answer
