Course ICT 614: Technology in Education

Instructor Dr. Anthony Betrus (mailto:betrusak@potsdam.edu)

Meeting Times, Dates, and Location Jefferson Community College, Jules Center, 6-209.  Feb 5, 6; Mar 5, 6; April 23, 24

Overview and Purpose

This course is a survey of computer based and non-computer based technologies for use in instructional settings. Although no formal pre-requisite course is required, this course is designed as an intermediate level course, and is not an introductory course. Students should be comfortable working with technology, especially computers, and ready to explore intermediate technology topics including:

Course Goals

1) Students will acquire a working knowledge of various learning technologies, as well as appropriate theories for integrating these technologies into instructional settings.
2) Students will prepare a holistic plan for integrating technology (including, but not limited to, the topics covered in class) into an instructional setting.

SUNY Potsdam Education Unit Conceptual Framework
A Tradition of Excellence: Preparing Creative and Reflective Practitioners

This course supports the SUNY Potsdam Teacher Education Conceptual Framework in a number of ways. As "Well Educated Citizens" students will take part in a variety of presentations requiring organized thought and effective communication(CF 1.2) With a good deal of 'hands on' experience, appropriate use of technology will be discussed and used(CF 1.6) leading to becoming more comfortable with technologies such as 'PowerPoint', Digital Video, WebQuests, and Reviewing Software. Students will make extensive use of the Internet focusing on appropriate resources for Web Quests and a host of other projects. Through lesson preparation and Web Quests students will practice creating positive learning environments for all meeting the diverse learning needs of all(CF 2.3), (CF 2.7).Students will continue to develop their lives as "Principled Educators" as they behave professionally (CF 3.1), taking responsibility for their own actions (CF 3.5) as class expectations will be made clear allowing students to all do well if they so choose. In a group project of designing and building a Web Quest, a digital video presentation and use of other technologies group members will practice working well together (CF 3.4) and behaving in professional manner that maintains a high level of competence and integrity in their practice (CF 3.2).

Course Assignments

Identity Anecdotes - Post 4 anecdotes in the BlackBoard forum.  Respond to others' anecdotes as you relate to them.  Your anecdotes should include how your identity was changed or transformed.  Click here for the Identity Conceptual Framework.

PowerPoint Project (Individual project, due at the end of class, Feb 5)

  1. At least 12-15 total slides.
  2. Must be designed to be interactive. In other words, this must be designed for a student or a small group of students to use on their own(without the teacher), not for the teacher to present in front of the class.
  3. Project must be non-linear (as opposed to one slide, the next slide, then the next, and so-on).
  4. A minimum of 1 graphic per slide. (not Clip Art, Must be Imported)
  5. A minimum of 2 integrated sound clips. (not MS Clip Art, Must be Imported)
  6. A minimum of 1 integrated video clip. (Embed YouTube Video OK, click here for instructions; or Download Video)
  7. Appropriate transitions to slides
  8. Appropriate sequencing and timing of animations.

Click Here for a link to a Storyboard Explanation

Click here to see the Instructor's evaluation sheet for the PowerPoint project

WebQuest: (two-person project, due at the end of class Feb 6, with the link sent to me via e-mail, )

Find out just what is a WebQuest and bring ideas of how WebQuest techniques and storytelling can teach a lesson in your discipline. Come to class with at least three ideas. You can do an internet search to find some web quest examples. Here are two other examples, one of a teacher WebQuest, and another of a student WebQuest.

  1. Find a partner for this project. This project allows 2 people to work on the same WebQuest
  2. Negotiate topics for your WebQuest with the Instructor.
  3. Download the WebQuest Templates and rename them.
  4. Decide on your audience and what you expect them to learn from your WebQuest
  5. Write the story of your WebQuest. This will be used for reference when building the site.
  6. Search the Internet for images, sounds, etc.
  7. If you have not already registered for web space (you'll have a "web" folder in your helios space if you have), you will need to register for your web space.
  8. Build the student WebQuest and test it out.  
  9. Build the teacher WebQuest which instructs teachers on the appropriate use of your WebQuest.
  10. If you'd like to work from off campus, you can use NVU to edit your webquest.  CTS has instructions on transferring your completed files to your helios web space here.  You will likely use the free ftp client "Filezilla" which you can download free here.
  11. You can check to see what your web page will look like in a text only browser by using "Lynx"

Web Quest Submission Guidelines

Click here to see the Instructor's evaluation sheet for the WebQuest

Web Accessibility Checker

Student Created WebQuests Spring 2010 (To serve as examples for you to consider)
Civil War Dinosaur Dig Digestion Video Games / Video Games Statistics / Statistics
Solar System / Solar System Electricity / Electricity Animal Care / Animal Care Stress / Stress
Student Created WebQuests Summer 2009 (To serve as examples for you to consider)
Bryan Huntley
Sara Heim
Cori Wilhelm
Beth Todd
Morgan Pratt Neaves
Evan Rogers
Farren Hart John Hampton

Student Created WebQuests Summer 2008 (To serve as examples for you to consider)

Unmasking the Past
Phil Creighton
Josh Stokes

Adirondack Adventure
Shane Pickering


Assistive Technology Activities (A series of student directed activates to take place Mar 5)

Read this case study dealing with assistive technology at least twice before the Mar 5 class session. Be prepared to discuss the key players, their agendas, and how, if at all, the case could be resolved. 

Examples Organizational Charts and timelines visualizing the case study from:

Fall 2005 can be found here, here, and here.

Summer 2006 can be found here, here, here, and here.

The material to be covered on the test will come from assigned readings on accessibility, an in-class video on universal design, an in-class PowerPoint Presentation on universal design, as well as hands-on activities using assistive technology equipment (activities to take place during class on Mar 5). The assessment will be a series of tasks associated with particular assistive technology equipment (organized and prepared by the students).

Audio Podcast (Group project, due at the end of class, Mar 6)

  1. Audio storyboard, describing the project theme, as well as what sounds are to be captured (Due during class on June 3, before you capture audio).  Guidelines for the storyboard are here.
  2. Microphone capture of audio using either a camcorder without video, or a dedicated sound capture device. Captured audio must include voice and ambient sound.
  3. Digitization and organization of captured sound, along with music (if not digital already) into the computer.  You can use Windows Movie maker to capture your sound.  You will then need to strip the video from the file using a program like AoA Audio Extractor (select free version).  You will then have a .mp3 audio file.  
  4. Final Project will include voice, ambient sound, and music, mixed together at appropriate levels. The final sound file must be at least 30 seconds in length, but no longer than 2 minutes.  You will use Audacity to edit your file.  Tutorials for editing with Audacity can be found on YouTube.

Audio Projects from Spring 2010

Fast Food Nutrition Labeling Tiger Woods Sex Scandal Kate Gosselin Texting
Extended School Days Burning Barrels Communication Etiquette Soda Tax

Audio Projects from Summer 2009

Prescription Drugs - Bryan Huntley

Sara Heim

Should marijuana be legal or not?
John Hampton
Joe Heindl

Clifton-Fine vs. Hermon Dekalb Section X Championship - Derrick Daniels

Terrorism Today
Evan Rogers
Morgan Pratt Neaves

Potsdam Bears Women's Ice Hockey Off-Season Introduction

Selling Liquor and Wine in Supermarkets - Cori Wilhelm and Beth Todd

Audio Projects from Summer 2008

Tobacco Issues

Fraternities and Sororities in Potsdam

Going Green

Same Sex Marriage

Audio Projects from Summer 2006

Vending Machines in Schools

Wal Mart in Potsdam

Political Opionions

6-6-06 Superstitions

Instructional Video Project (Group project, due at the end of class or April 30)

Pre-production

1) Video Storyboard, with each shot given its own half-sheet of paper. An overview, with thumbnails sketches of each shot, will also be provided on 1 full-sheet of paper.
2) A site visit of locations where video shooting will occur is required prior to shooting.

Production

3) Video shooting will be done on site, and must include the use of a leveled tripod and a microphone (wired or wireless).

Post-Production (Follow this link for help with Windows Movie Maker)

4) Editing of the video into a 3-5 minute video, including the use of voice-over, music, sound effects, transitions, superimposed text, and credits.

5) Submit your final  edited exported .wmv or ..mov to me via mailed CD or place the file in your web folder for me to download (be sure to e-mail me with the URL).

Final Project (50 Points) (individual)

Choose any of the following options so that your total is 50 points.

1) Accessibility Software Reviews (Individual project, due May 17) (25 points)

  1. One software review is required of each student. The software must be classified in the domain of accessibility.
  2. Students will take the time to thoroughly explore each piece of instructional software.
  3. Students will use the HTML template found at http://www2.potsdam.edu/betrusak/softwarereviews.html to create an html file for the software reviewed.
  4. Reviews should be as complete as possible, with significant detail provided for each criteria.
  5. Counts as 25 points towards the final project.

2) Multimedia PowerPoint (Individual project, due May 17) (25 or 50 points)

A) Choice 1 - A shorter, 'example' of what the larger project would look like. In this shorter example, the Candidates may do the actual scanning, narrative writing, recording, and compilation in PowerPoint (rather than actual students, which is a requirement of B below).

  1. Candidates will assist students in scanning in images from a picture-only age-appropriate book.
  2. They will then have students create a short narrative to go along with each image (approximately 1 image per student is ideal). The narratives may be dependent upon other students' narratives, or independent from other narratives.
  3. Candidates will assist students in recording their narrative into the computer via microphone.
  4. The scanned image, recorded voice, and narrative piece are all combined into a PowerPoint presentation (Music optional)
  5. 5 Slides Total, you can create these yourself. Counts as 25 points towards the final project grade.

B) Choice 2 - A more in-depth, full project, similar to choice A above with the the following differences:

  1. 15-25 slides, rather than 5
  2. Actual students are involved in the creation of these projects (scanning the pictures, writing the narratives, recording their voices, putting it together)
  3. This counts as the full 50 points towards the final project.

CLICK HERE FOR AT&T LABS TEXT TO SPEECH WEB SITE

3) Technology Integration Plan (Individual project, Due May 17) (25 or 50 points)
The activities described below constitute the full 50 points for the final project. Should you want to create an abbreviated 2-3 page classroom technology integration plan following the guidelines below, only in less detail. This will be worth 25 points toward your final project.

Step 1a) Sometime during the second and third weeks of the semester students will visit at least one instructional technology department at an educational institution (primary school, middle school, high school, college, BOCES., etc...). Students will ascertain what, if any, plan the institution currently has for technology integration. This is intended as an information gathering activity to observe how technology integration is handled in an authentic setting.

Step 1b) Simultaneously, the students will conduct research to determine how other institutions have designed and implemented technology integration plans. That means: a) Obtaining Technology Integration Plans or guidelines from other Technology departments (either from web sites, contacting the technology department via phone or e-mail, or live visits). You can also search appropriate research databases for suggested guidelines for integrating technology in various institutions. What the bottom-line is with this ?research? is that you obtain alternate perspectives on how technology is integrated into organizations that you now work for or might find yourself employed at in the future. If you find other materials that help to shed light on how this is done, yet don’t fit into the categories mentioned, please discuss this with the instructor.

Step 2) Revise or create an integration plan for the educational institution you've chosen. This may include both critiques of the current plans, along with changing components of the plan itself. Check here for an suggested outline for a School District Technology Integration Plan (compliments of the State of Arkansas) http://arkedu.state.ar.us/ade-guide/plan.html

Deliverables (what you're going to hand in):

1)      The existing Technology Integration Plan from the organization you visited. If none, explain why isn’t there an existing plan?

2) Existing Technology Integration Plan from other organizations you've referenced (or other materials that help inform you of how technology is/should be integrated into instruction).

-either- 3a) A critique of the existing plan with your suggestions for improvement.

-or- 3b) Create your own technology integration plan (justify your technology choices). You may also choose this option even if a technology plan currently exists. In this case, you'll be working within the guidelines of that plan. If you make suggestion that change or go beyond the scope of that plan, please explain why you've made those changes.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Question1) What goes into a plan if I have to create it from scratch?

Answer: If you’re creating a plan from scratch, keep your plan limited to either the classroom or grade level. If you are choosing an elementary classroom/grade, be sure to include technologies for each subject area you teach. If you are secondary, include only technologies for your subject area or cross-curricular technologies.

Question 2) What do I do with this plan when I'm done, what's the point?

Answer: As a teacher or instructor, if you have a plan for what technologies you'd like to integrate into your teaching (this means more than just a notion), you are much more likely to gain support from your school or organization for these activities.

Question 3) How many pages should this be?

Answer: No less than 5 (not including your cover page or reference page)

4) A Multimedia Job Aid) (due May 17)  (25 or 50 points)

 - Must Teach Something.  Identify the need for the training.  

- Use any of the following in combination or in separate pieces: Web + Images + Audio + Video.  In other words, use the technology that bests suits your training need. In your page to develop a web page that meets the need.

- Depending on the scale of your project, it can be worth 25 or 50 points.

- Submit a Proposal to me.  In general, the more media that will be represented in your training, the more likely it would be a 50 points project.

The multimedia training project can take any of the following forms: (but it not necessarily limited to these):
1)  A screen captured video, in which case you would use something like Camtasia, Cam Studio, Adobe Captivate to capture your screen activities and verbal instructions. 
2) An instructional video
3) A web page
4) A printed document (desktop published)
5) An instructional PowerPoint

Grading Policies
PowerPoint Project - 30 Points
Web Quest - 30 Points
Assistive Technology Activities - 30 Points
Audio Project - 30 Points
Video Project - 30 Points
Final Project - 50 Points

200 points max
180 (90%) = 4.0
174 (87%) = 3.7
166 (83%) = 3.3
160 (80%) = 3.0
154 (77%) = 2.7
146 (73%) = 2.3
140 (70%) = 2.0
Below 40 = 0.0

Digital Storage
Each student is required to purchase a USB drive (thumb drive, passport drive, etc...). My suggested size: no less than 4 gb.

Attendance Policies
Missing one Friday class session is the equivalent of missing 5 consecutive classes in a typical m/w/f course format. Missing one Saturday class is equivalent of missing 8 consecutive classes. As such, daily attendance is required of all students. Your grade may be reduced up to two full grade points (3.7 to 1.7 for example) for each unexcused absence.

In the case of an emergency or unavoidable circumstance, please notify the instructor via phone AND e-mail as soon as possible. In the case of serious emergency (in which the concerns of this class are obviously secondary in nature), please contact the instructor at your earliest convenience.

Plagiarism Policy
Plagiarism: This course adheres to the College's policy on academic honesty as stated in the Graduate Catalog. Plagiarism may lead to grade reduction, course failure, or expulsion from school.

Links

Sound Effects to download (opensource): http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/03/08/top-four-instant-sound-effect-sites/

Students with Disabilities
Any student with a disability needing academic adjustments or accommodations should speak with the professor as early as possible. Students with disabilities should also contact: Sharon House, Coordinator of Accommodative Services at 267-3267, Sisson 112, or e-mail her at housese@potsdam.edu for further assistance. All disclosures will remain confidential.

This page created Feb 5, 2010 by Anthony Betrus. Last updated April 24, 2010.