Computers in the Classroom and the Curriculum - EDU 553

Education Department,
School of Education and
Professional Studies disclaimer

EDU 553 - Computers in the Classroom & Curriculum - Wintersession 2000

also appearing as http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/553syl.html]
Past Syllabus: Summer 1999 Fall 1998

Instructor: Dr. David L. Stoloff ................Class Location: Webb Hall 407
Office: WH 129 Hours: (before class) Phone: (860) 465-5501

Wintersession Session 2000
6636 EDU 553 01 Comp/Clsrm&Curriculum Stoloff 01/03/2000 to: 01/21/2000 WH 407 M-R 04:00p-07:20p

If there is any student in this class who has any disabilities, additional accommodation needs, or any suggestions that would lead to enhancing this course's learning experiences, please talk with me before class, at the end of class, or during my office hours.

I also urge you to consider suggesting alternative learning assignments on this course's topic which may be more meaningful for your learning goals and educational setting. Please consult with me if you have an alternative project which you would like to explore within the context of this course.

Course Description: Provides a basis for use of computers in educational settings. (3 credits)

Recommended Texts and Materials:
1) An ECSU hermes account or other email access.
2) 3.5" diskettes - IBM compatible, high density (HD).
3) Kent, T. & McNergney, R. F. (1999) Will technology really change education?: From blackboard to web. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc.

Course Goals/Objectives

Goal 1.0: To develop proficient computer skills

Operate computers, related technologies, and software applications.
Identify current uses of computers in the classroom.

Goal 2.0: To develop skills in curriculum development and research using the Internet and the World Wide Web. Objectives: Students will:

Identify terms used on the World Wide Web - including search engines and homepages.
Use a variety of search engines to locate educational resources.
Create an electronic curricular unit for for use in the classroom.
Practice skills in the use of scanning software to place images on web pages.
Create a homepage for a particular educational setting and background.
Practice skills in the use of email for curriculum development.

Goal 3.0: To integrate the use of software in curriculum and instruction. Objectives: Students will:

Evaluate other software applications for potential curriculum and instructional use.
Create curricular unit plans and educational information integrating software/technology.

Goal 4.0: To plan for the use of other leading edge technologies in instruction and learning. Objectives: Students will:

Research and plan for the integration of leading edge technologies in their particular educational setting.
Develop and present either an educational technology plan for an educational setting or a grant proposal for educational technology initiative.

Course Topics:

Jan. 3 Introductions, syllabus review, Connecticut's Educator's Technology Competencies, email on competencies, class assignment - creating class gradebook (spreadsheets)

Jan. 4 Software categories and evaluation, lesson planning, class assignment - LOGO

Jan. 5 Applications of databases in education, class assignment - merging db into WP

Jan. 6 Educational resources on the WWW, class - electronic textbook using WORD, bibliographic references

Jan. 10 Use of scanner and digital camera, class - graphics on electronic textbooks

Jan. 11 Unit planning, class - presentation of lesson plans using databases, spreadsheets

Jan. 12 More development of curricular units, homepages, and electronic textbooks, class - article presentations

Jan. 13 PowerPoint and other authoring tools, class - unit presentations

Jan. 18 Online courses and distance learning, class - chatting and other online tools

Jan. 19 Educational technology planning, class - presentation of plan

Jan. 20 Culminating quiz, class discussion on quiz

Assignments

1) class - contribute to class spreadsheet (5), develop a spreadsheet with at least two formulas (5 points).

2) email a review of Connecticut's Educator's Technology Competencies to the instructor at stoloffd@ecsu.ctstateu.edu analyzing the competencies from the perspective of a Connecticut educator and from observations in regional classrooms (5)

3) review of 5 software programs for classroom applications (10 points), class - LOGO design with at least three embedded programs (5 points)

4) interview 2 PK-12 educators currently using computers in their classrooms (10 points)

5) develop a database (10 points), class - merging db into WORD (5 points)

6) develop an annotated electronic textbook of 10 educational resources for your subject matter and/or educational setting using Netscape Composer, saved on disk (10 points), class - electronic textbook using WORD (5, plus one point per annotated resource)

7) develop 2 lesson plans using educational software reviews (5 points per lesson), class - presentation of lesson plan using productivity tools (5)

8) develop a curricular unit for a week's worth of instruction (10 hours on in-class effort by your students and 20 hours of supplementary activities outside of class) using at least 20 links to educational resources, annotated into a curriculum guide, saved on disk (30 points), class- present unit (5 points)

9) develop a homepage to identify an educational setting with links to at least 20 other educational resources, saved on disk (20 points); class - incorporate at least two scanned graphics (5 points)

10) develop a PowerPoint presentation with at least ten screens, saved on disk (10 points);
class - 5 additional points if saved as a HTML file - i.e. http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/powerpoint.html

11) email the reviews of 4 articles or books on computer uses in your educational setting and/or subject (5 points per review), class - present an article (5 points)

12) class - collaborative presentation on developing an educational technology plan for an academic year based on at least three other plans found on the Web or in local resources (10 points)

13) Culminating quiz (5 points), class discussion on quiz (5 points)

Grading Policies

Students will earn points for assignments. The total number of points in assignments in the outline above is 210 points. Participants are encouraged to suggest other alternative activities related to the content of the course to earn additional or substitute points for the outlined projects.

By January 25, earning 180 points or more will result in an A in this course,

160 to 179 points a B,

140 to 159 points a C,

130 to 139 points a D,

and below 130 points a failing grade in this course.

Students may request an incomplete grade by contacting the instructor by January 24. Incomplete assignments must be completed within six weeks after the beginning of the first full semester following the granting of the "Incomplete." Incompletes will incur a late penalty of a loss of a letter grade (i.e. the maximum grade for an incomplete would be a B).

Grades will be posted at

http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/553/gradebookw00553.html

as the assignments are evaluated.

If you have any questions on this course, please contact Dr. David L. Stoloff before, during, or after class or at (860) 465 - 5501 or through his email address - stoloffd@ecsu.ctstateu.edu.