State University of New York (SUNY) Potsdam
Department of Computer Science, Organizational Leadership, and Technology
IT 518: Computers in Education
Course Syllabus
Instructor: Dr. Anthony Betrus (betrusak@potsdam.edu)
Summer 2011

Credits: Three semester hours

Time: 8:40-Noon

Dates: May 31; June 1, 2; 6, 7, 8, 9

Course Description:
This is an introductory course for education graduate students. No previous computer experience is required. Emphasis
is placed on understanding the role of computer technology for integration and instruction in classrooms.
Instruction and projects will include the use of web based applications, presentation software, word processing, spreadsheet, presentaGon, and interacGve
whiteboard soSware.

Assignments:

Delicious Bookmarks and Network: Students will create a Delicious account, populate it with appropriate internet resources for their discipline, and provide tags and descriptions for each site.  In addition, students will create network of other users.

PowerPoint: Elementary Education majors will create a digital storybook.  This should consist of scanned images from an existing age appropriate book, or images created by students.  They will then place the scanned images into a PowerPoint slideshow (1 picture per slide), leave a space for students to input their own narrative text, and put a placeholder in for the audio recording of that narrative.  The slideshow should be 15-20 slides in total, with 5 completed slides (narrative text completed, audio recorded).  Secondary education students will create a PowerPoint introduction to a lesson, topic of their choice.  This will include a graphic on each slide, appropriate transitions and animations, and careful formatting (font choice, picture formatting, allignment).

Classroom Observations: Observation of Smartboard lessons in a classroom.  1-2 page report of observations.

Excel: Inquiry based assignment in which a lesson plan is created for students to use Excel to gather information and create appropriate Charts/Graphs/Tables to communicate information visually.  Students in 518 will create examples for students to refer to.  Emphasis is on creating high quality visual representation of data.

Digital Portfolio: Create a web site using Google Sites (sites.google.com).  Include lesson plans, projects, reports (in .pdf format). This is a supplement to a resume, and you should have a .pdf version of your resume linked.  Think "high quality."

Optional: Audio Projects: Students will produce a lesson designed for their students to ask questions, generate answers via recorded audio, and do basic editing to produce a short radio piece.

Resources:
Digital Storage: It is recommended that each student purchase a USB Pendrive or other USB storage device of
at least 4 GB.

Course Calendar:

May 31: Gathering  Internet Resources and bookmarking in Delicous.

June 1: PowerPoint (Digital Storybook for elmentary ed majors, introduction to content traditional PowerPoint for secondary ed majors).

June 2: PowerPoint 

June 6: Classroom Observations / Excel

June 7: Classroom Observations / Excel

June 8: Digital Portfolios / Audio Projects

June 9: Digital Portfolios / Audio Projects

Grading
Internet resource assignment: 25 points
PowerPoint assignment: 25 points
Classroom observation or Excel Inquiry assignment: 25 points
Digital Portfolio: 25 points
TOTAL: 100 points
90‐100 points ‐ 4.0
87‐89 points ‐ 3.7
83‐86 points ‐ 3.3
80‐82 points ‐ 3.0
77‐79 points ‐ 2.7
73‐76 points ‐ 2.3
70‐72 points ‐ 2.0
< 72 points 0.0