Dr. Sarah Lohnes

office: Hawkins Hall 203

email: slohnes AT towson DOT edu

AIM: sarahclohnes

 

office hours: Wed, 2-4 pm; and by appt

 

 

Course Description

Materials, devices, techniques and settings are presented in an overview of the field of instructional technology.  Laboratory experiences are provided in the operation of instructional hardware and software.

 

 

Rationale

The purpose of the ISTC 301 course is to introduce preservice teacher candidates to the various forms of electronic and digital technology and to provide opportunities for engagement and reflection on the role these technology tools can play in the teaching/learning processes in the classroom. The students become skilled in some of the many digital tools used in today's schools. In addition, students will be exposed to basic learning theory and will be assisted in determining appropriate applications of these theories and techniques in educational settings.  Finally, over the semester, the students will examine their own trajectories as technology users, including factors that shaped their experiences and attitudes toward technology as college students and future teachers. This course is designed to use the Towson University Conceptual Framework as a basis to meet the Maryland State Department of Education certification and accreditation requirements.

 

The following is a guide to the Standards that the Utilization of Instructional Media (ISTC 301) course is designed to meet; the Codes associated with the Standards; and the Assessment tools used to measure the candidates’ abilities to demonstrate mastery of these standards.

- ISTE NETS*T-International Society for Technology in Education-National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers 

- MTTS Maryland Teacher Technology Standards

- Towson University College of Education Conceptual Framework. 

 

 

Course Objectives

By the end of the course, the students will be able to:

 

Course Objectives/Outcomes (Standard/Assessment)

 

1. learn how to use a variety of technology and media resources (ISTE-NETS*T IABC, IIBC; MTTS 5, 7/Online portfolio; PowerPoint presentation; digital image manipulation; Inspiration activity; digital storytelling project; blogging; wiki; Learning by Teaching

 

2. gain experience in planning to integrate technology into the classroom curriculum (ISTE-NETS*T II ABDE,

III ABCD, IV ABC;  MTTS 5,7;INTASC #1,3,4,5,6; MSDE-VSC./Practical Teaching Experience; software evaluation project)

 

3. develop an educational technology portfolio that supports specific academic content. (ISTE-NETS*T IIC; MTTS 1,2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7; INTASC#1,2,7;MSDE-VSC/Online portfolio)

 

4. design a multimedia project to present curriculum information (ISTE-NETS*T IIAB; MTTS 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7; INTASC#1; MSDE-VSC/PowerPoint presentation)

 

5. participate in meaningful communication within and outside of an electronic learning community.              (ISTE-NETS*T VABCD;  MTTS 2, 3, 5, 7; INTASC #9,10 /Blogging, wiki)

 

6. prepare to use technology independently throughout their education and their careers. (ISTE-NETS*T VABCD; MTTS 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7; INTASC#9; MSDE-VSC/Software evaluation project; Practical teaching experiences)

 

7. connect their classroom experiences with situations and experiences in the outside world. (ISTE-NETS*T VIABCDE; MTTS 2,5; INTASC #2,9; MSDE-VSC/blogging; Practical teaching experiences)

 

 

Suggested Materials

 

Textbook

Roblyer, M.D. & Edwards, J., (2006). Integrating educational technology into teaching (4th Edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. 

[Companion website for this text: http://www.prenhall.com/roblyer]

 

 

Required Materials

 

Textbook

Rose, D., & Meyer, A. (2002). Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Learning. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Retrieved August 7, 2008 from

http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes/

 

Readings

to be distributed online via Blackboard 

 

Technology resources

•    Access to your H drive and WWW folder

•    A Tiger email account.

o    email accounts are available at no charge from Computing and Network Services (CANS)  in Cook Library.

•    Internet access through the TU computer labs or on your own.

•    Access to computers with word processing capacity.

•    Enroll in the course in Blackboard

 

We will be examining the instructional potential of various technologies by using them ourselves, throughout the semester:

 

•    Blackboard, the TU course management system, will be used primarily as a place to store and retrieve electronic readings, and to turn in papers [https://bbweb.towson.edu/]

•    a class wiki will be used to house pertinent course information, as well as for collaborative work within the class community [http://integratingtech301.pbwiki.com]

•    a course blog for inquiry group reflection on our own trajectories as technology users [http://istc301tth.blogspot.com/ OR http://istc301m.blogspot.com]

 

 

Policies

 

Attendance

Given that this is a lab course with a significant amount of hands-on instruction, attendance is critical in this course.  You are expected to be present for every class  and to arrive on time.  Missing more than two course sessions (not including excused absences) will result in a 5% deduction of one's final grade.  You are responsible for all content/instruction you miss, including turning in assignments at their scheduled times.  If you cannot attend class, you may turn in the assignment via email prior to the beginning of class.

 

Class Discussion and Participation

A major portion of this class is based on weekly readings.  You are expected to carefully read the assigned readings for each week and be prepared to participate in classroom discussions and activities as an active contributor the class learning community.  

 

Your participation is vital to this class.  You are encouraged to share items that you think might add to and improve the quality of the class.  This includes, bringing in or uploading relevant articles to the course wiki, web sites, new technologies, software, or anything you think might be appropriate.

 

Cell phones

Part of being an active member of our class learning community involves being fully present in the space of the classroom.  Please keep your cell phones off and stored during class time (i.e., don’t leave them out on the desk or peeking out of your bags).  The only exception is for a family emergency; if that is the case, let me know before class, and please leave the phone on vibrate.

 

Professional Dispositions Expected in this Class

To prepare you for life as a professional educator, I expect that you will display the following dispositions in your interactions with students and professors in our classroom community.  

 

Professional Dispositions	General Indicators
1. Commitment to Teaching	Demonstrates and articulates an interest in and a commitment to teaching
2. Responsibility	Keeps appointments and adheres to policies and deadlines.  Meets attendance requirements and is prepared for class.
3. Overall Enthusiasm	Engages in the learning process.  Demonstrates a strong desire to become a member of the profession.
4. Maturity and Professional Demeanor	Personal issues do not interfere with the candidate’s performance in a professional environment.
5. Interpersonal Skills	Relates well with others.  Models tact, sensitivity, respect, and acceptance of others.
6. Professionalism and Professional Judgment	Demonstrates and models appropriate appearance, behavior, and attitude when interacting with members of the school community.
7. Group Participation	Collaborates well with others and contributes to group performance.
8. Reflective Practitioner      9. Ethical Conduct	Seeks and accepts feedback and incorporates suggestions into practice.  Is able to reflectively analyze and interpret information.   Shows integrity and demonstrates ethical conduct as determined by the professional codes of ethics (e.g., National Education Association)

 

Assignments and Grading

All assignments are due at the beginning class (if your class meets twice a week, assignments are due at the beginning of the first meeting of the week, unless otherwise noted). This is almost entirely a paperless classroom; all assignments will be turned in electronically (see specific assignment descriptions for details).  I will send you an email acknowledging receipt of the assignment.

 

Unless specific circumstances have been discussed on a one to one basis at least 24 hours prior to the due date, late projects will not be accepted.  If you have an issue, please contact me in advance, and we may be able to work something out.  Remember to back up copies of all of your work. See me immediately if you have questions about how to make and keep backups.

 

In addition to regular readings, there are a number of projects plus a final project assigned throughout the course of the semester.  Please be advised that some of these projects require the use of software that may not be available on your personal computer; be aware that you may need to make time to use Towson computers that have the necessary software available.

 

Each of the components and the corresponding points are outlined here, and discussed in specific detail on the projects page.

 

Component/ Points

 

Attendance/ Required

Assigned reading/ Required

Reading Discussion Questions/ 15

Blogging/ 40

Online portfolio project/ 70

Learning theories project/ 50

Content area software evaluation project/ 40

Content area software evaluation presentation/ 10

Digital storytelling project/ 40

Final project: practical teaching experience/ 40

Class participation/ 40

Total/ 345

 

The grading scale for this course is as follows:

A = 100-94%;         A- = 93-90%

B+ = 89-87%;         B = 86-83%;         B- = 82-80%

C+ = 79-77%;         C = 76-70%;

D+ = 69-67%;     D = 66-63%;         D- = 62-60%

Students will receive a failing grade for score percentages lower than 59%. 

 

Academic honesty

You are responsible for maintaining the highest standards of honesty and integrity in every phase of your academic careers. The penalties for academic dishonesty are severe and ignorance is not an acceptable defense. For definitions and examples of what constitutes plagiarism, and how to avoid it, see http://cooklibrary.towson.edu/avoidingPlagiarism.cfm

 

Computing policies

You are expected to adhere to the Towson University policies for responsible computing, which can be found online at the following locations: TU undergraduate catalog and OTS University Guidelines for Responsible Computing

 

Disabilities

If you have a documented learning disability, please contact me as soon as possible to discuss accommodations in the class. The following is Towson University's policy on disabilities taken from http://www.towson.edu/dss/index.asp:

 

Towson University is committed to providing equal access to its programs and services for students with disabilities, in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.  Disability Support Services is the office designated to provide reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities.  Students seeking accommodations must identify themselves to DSS, request an appointment to discuss their needs, and provide DSS with up-to-date and complete documentation of their disabilities.  DSS determines what accommodations are reasonable on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the student’s disabilities and needs, nature of their learning task, course standards and essential requirements of the program of study, and educational environment.  Students are encouraged to register with DSS as soon as possible after admission to the University to ensure timely provision of services.