INTC 3610: Technology for Educators

Spring 2010

Class: Tuesday and Thursday, D-019 10:30 – 12:20 (4 Credit Course)

Instructor: Douglas M. Harvey, D.Ed.
Office: F-136
Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday, by appointment
Phone: 609-652-4770 (O)
E-mail: harveyd@stockton.edu

Course Description

According to the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21):

Learning and innovation skills increasingly are being recognized as the skills that separate
students who are prepared for increasingly complex life and work environments in the 21st
century, and those who are not. A focus on creativity, critical thinking, communication and
collaboration is essential to prepare students for the future.

Groups such as P21 and the International Society for Technology in education (ISTE), as well as
the major stakeholders in the education system (administrators, teacher’s unions, state
departments of education) all agree that technology integration is a key tool to meeting the goals
we have for the 21st century student. It is with this in mind that the Technology for Educators
course has been designed.

This class is designed for prospective schoolteachers to integrate a wide variety of technologies
into their curriculum. This course provides hands-on experiences with the possibilities and
potentials of technology for education. Instead of teaching about the technology, it focuses on
how teachers can apply technology effectively to promote students’ learning including problem
solving, communication and critical thinking skills. Through projects, prospective teachers
develop lesson plans that they will include in an electronic portfolio demonstrating their
understanding of effective technology infusion. They can then take this portfolio out into their
own classrooms.
Course Objectives
After completing this course, you will be better able to meet the ISTE NETS*T standards for
teachers:
1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to
facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation
2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessments
incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to
develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S as necessary for the 21st
Century.
3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning
Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative
professional in a global and digital society.
4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility
Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital
culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices.
5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership
Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit
leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the
effective use of digital tools and resources.
Copyright © 2008, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education),

Required Textbook/ Materials

 There is no required textbook for this class. However, based on your needs, you may want to
use guides and tutorials found on the World Wide Web or in books.
 Readings will be assigned as needed, as will web sites.
 Storage devices (flash drives) for storing your work
 Loki account to post Web pages. If you haven't activated this account, or have forgotten your
account number and/or password, contact Computer Services at 609-652-4335.
 Throughout the course we will be using quite a few Web 2.0 tools – several of these will
require you to create login accounts – be prepared to make these by having your email
account information readily available.

Class Format
Classes consist of instructor’s presentations, discussion, hands-on activities, and field
experience. Active participation in the class is the most important thing for your success. You
are expected to have access to computing resources including software outside of class in order
to complete assignments.

Special Needs
If you need accommodations for any sort of documented physical or learning disability, please
speak to the instructor by the second week of class.
Grading
Throughout the course, you will create a series of projects that are meant to fit together to
showcase your ability to integrate technology in to your teaching. Your final grade will be based
on the totality of your work, so make sure you always keep a back up copy of your work as you
go.

Attendance and Class Participation

Attendance is extremely important if you are to learn the variety of material being covered. If
you must be absent, it is your responsibility to notify the instructor prior to class starting, and to
catch up on the missed class content (hand-outs, class exercise, assignment, etc.). Also note that
there are absolutely no extensions for late assignments, and no incompletes or extensions will be
given for the course. However, assignments may be resubmitted for possible grade changes up
until the final day of class, provided the original assignment is turned in on time.

You are also expected to participate in class discussion and activities, and communicate with the
instructor as needed. Professionalism is expected at all times in your treatment of others in the
class, and especially on site visits to schools and conferences. You are asked to dress in casual
yet professional attire for such visits, out of respect for our hosts and to make a good impression
9never know who might be interviewing you someday!). As per strict college policy, no food or
drink is allowed in the computer lab.

Mini-Projects (70%)
There will be seven (7) mini-projects due. You are required to turn these projects in on paper
and on disk (where appropriate) and they are due on the date listed in the syllabus (no
extensions). Note: Resubmissions are allowed in order to correct and earn more points for a
project only if original submission on time, and may be resubmitted up until the final class
meeting.

These mini-projects are meant to show your grasp of the concepts covered in class, and assess
your application of those concepts to educational settings. In each case the mini-projects should
be relevant to the context to which you aspire to teach – if you want to be a history teacher, the
projects should relate to teaching history; if you want to be an elementary school teacher, the
projects should be for that grade level. The mini-projects work best if they are inter-related, such
as pertaining to a large theme-based instructional unit (such as the study of local ecology, or
regional geography).

• Project 1 (10%): Blog or Wiki – Using Edublogs or Wikispaces, you will

begin and maintain a blog or wiki related to technology and teaching relevant to your
discipline or expected grade level. You will be expected to maintain your blog for
two weeks, posting new entries on a daily basis, and read and comment on two of
your classmates’ blogs weekly.
• Project 2 (10%): Web Quest – Develop a Web Quest style activity for students to
follow in order to find specific information regarding a topic.. We will be using the
newer process for creating webquests, about which you can learn more by visiting
http://bestwebquests.com/what_webquests_are.asp and
http://ozline.com/entry/2010/08/agqtp-wq2/ )
 • Project 3 (10%): Data – Based upon your Webquest, take the information
collected and build a spreadsheet, database, presentation, or concept map as an
example of what your students would produce as part of the Web Quest assignment.
• Project 4 (10%): Visual – select from one of the following technologies to
produce a set of visual materials for use in a lesson: Glogster, concept map, Flickr, or
Google Earth. It is expected that you will create a lesson that incorporates those tools
in such a way that your students will utilize the tools to gain knowledge about the
topic. This lesson should be used as part of your Interactive Whiteboard project.
• Project 5 (10%) Student Response Systems and Google Tools – Incorporate into a
lesson the use of Google tools (such as a custom search engine) and the use of a
Student Response System (“clickers”) to support student learning.] of a topic relevant
to your grade level and subject area.
• Project 6 (10%): Interactive Whiteboard– We will have the opportunity to
visit the Stockton home of the Southern Regional Institute (SRI) and Educational
Technology Training Center (ETTC). For 3 class sessions we will travel to the SRI in
Mays Landing for class. There you will have the opportunity to learn and use
interactive whiteboard technology. You will be asked to create a short learning
activity that utilizes the technology and present it to the class as if we were your
students.
NOTE: No extensions for this project. If you are absolutely unable to travel to
the SRI, an alternative method for completing this project will be provided.
• Project 7 (10%): Audio or Video – Create a Voicethread, podcast or vodcast, or
post a movie to your blog or a hosting site that should be done as part of a lesson and
an example of what your students might create in response to your lesson.

Assessment of these projects will be based on how well the project extends key components of
the P21 goals and the NETS*T standards (see Assessment Pack for details). Assessment criteria
will relate to what degree your projects support students’:

Learning and innovation Skills (50% of grade)

• Creativity and Innovation
• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
• Communication and Collaboration

Information, Media, and Technology Skills (50% of grade)

• Information Literacy
• Media Literacy
• ICT (Information, Communications & Technology) Literacy
PLN Plan (5%)

One of the most powerful things about Web 2.0 is its emphasis on social connections. As a
teacher, creating an interconnection of various social connections (a Personal Learning Network,
or PLN for short) can be a wonderful source for ideas, professional development, and support.
Your PLN works in conjunction with your more traditional professional connections, such as in-
building colleagues and district provided training, but allows you to access a much wider array
of resources than you could without using the Web.

You will be asked as part of this class to draw up a plan of how you would go about creating
your PLN to help you stay current with technology integration, and I hope you will follow
through on that plan. The plan should include answering the following questions:

1. Which web based community site will you join and why? General teacher communities
include Classroom 2.0 or the Educator’s PLN; some communities are specific to a
discipline, (such as the English Companion Ning or Art Education 2.0). These
communities are a wealth of resources and tend to be more formal in their organization.
2. Which tool(s) will you use for a smaller group of colleagues that you can turn to, such as
Twitter or Facebook. These tools are more for fast exchanges or answering specific
questions that require short answers.
3. Which professional organizations will you join, and which conferences will you target
for annual attendance? ISTE or AECT (association for Educational Communications and
Technology) are international groups; NJAET or NJECC are statewide organizations;
and conferences range from large international conventions (NECC, ISTE’s annual
conference, is in Philadelphia this coming June!) to smaller state affairs (such as My
Classroom to Yours here at Stockton each spring). Often you will find other educators
with a shared interest via this route.
4. Which websites, blogs, wikis, and podcasts will you follow regularly? This may include
the use of an RSS reader that tells you when new content is added to a blog or a new
podcast is made available.
5. Will you continue your blog/wiki or start a new one as part of your PLN? You could also
start a podcast, or create a YouTube channel, or any other sharing site related to your
professional interests. Remember that you can’t just take from your PLN – you need to
share too.
6. What does your PLN “look” like? You should also include a graphic representation of
your PLN - see http://edtechpost.wikispaces.com/PLE+Diagrams#stewart for examples.
Technology in the Classroom Experiences (10%)

There are several opportunities for you to hear and see what teachers are using technology for in
their classrooms on a regular basis, as well as learn more about 21st Century Skills and the role
of technology. You are required to do the first option, and may choose between option 2 or
option 3 to complete the requirements for this assignment.
1) You will be required to participate in the Cyber Summit on 21st Century Skills
Readiness, an online event running from September 20th to October 5th . Go to
http://www.p21.org/ and register to participate – there is no cost. You will be required to
post your thoughts on each webinar session you “attend” (you must participate in at least
3 of the 11 offered).

2) Public School Visits: Linwood and Absecon

This is your chance to see technology in action, as on two separate dates we will have the
opportunity to go into classrooms and observe teachers using technology. Both the
Linwood and Absecon school districts have made technology integration a priority, and
are excellent examples of how technology can enhance the curriculum. In order to get the
full credit for this assignment, you must attend both visits.

3) NJAET Conference Attendance:

The 2010 Fall New Jersey Association for Educational Technology (NJAET)
Conference, Riding the Tech Wave, will be held on Tuesday, October 12, 2010 at
Georgian Court University in Lakewood, New Jersey. New this year is a special
registration for undergraduate students of only $30! If you wish to attend, speak to Dr.
Harvey and he can help arrange your trip. Info at www.njaet.net. Realizing that this trip
will take your entire day, I will speak to your other instructors to give you permission to
miss class.
Final Portfolio (15%):

Develop an instructional unit which utilizes all of the things you learned in class to teach your
current or future students. You should do all assignments such that they are on the same topic,
and include lesson plans and a rationale supporting why you are using the chosen technology
tool. For example, develop a unit with lesson plans for your class that entails:
• Blogging about their views on Presidential elections.
• Completing a Webquest about Presidents of the United States that ends with students
making a database to compare the traits, characteristics, and contributions to the country
while in office of various US Presidents.
• Make a Google map of the campaign trail of the primary elections, with pictures of the
candidates and links to news stories about the campaign relevant to each stop.
• Do an interactive whiteboard lesson in which students must match electoral votes to the
fifty states using an interactive map.
• Make a video or podcast that is meant to sway an undecided voter to vote for the
candidate of their choice.
If done correctly, each of your mini-project assignments should fit into your unit plan. The unit
plan will be presented to the class, and when presented should use one of the technologies
covered to connect all the lessons together. In the Assessment Pack there is a rubric to help guide
your portfolio development and insure you touch upon all parts of the NETS*T.

In presenting your portfolio, you should graphically show and link how your portfolio pieces
meet the NETS*T standards. For example, you might make a PowerPoint page that uses the
NETS*T graphic (see below) and by clicking on each of the standards takes you to a slide that
shows each project that you feel relates to the standard.
Schedule
Class Date Topics Assignment Due
1 9/7 Introduction: Why use
Technology?
P21 Skills and the ISTE NETS*T
2 9/9 Blogging and Wikis: Prepare
3 9/14 Blogging and Wikis: Finalize Blog/Wiki Due
4 9/16 WebQuests - Prepare
5 9/21 WebQuests - Finalize WebQuest Due
6 9/23 Working with Data: Prepare
7 9/28 Working with Data - Finalize Data Project Due
8 9/30 Graphics and Visuals - Prepare
9 10/5 Graphics and Visuals - Finalize Visual Project Due
10 10/7 Open Class – Catch up and
Revisions
11 10/12 NJAET Conference
12 10/14 Student Response Systems
13 10/19 Google Docs and Tools
14 10/21 Linwood Visit
15 10/26 NO CLASS -Advising
16 10/28 Absecon Visit
17 11/2 NO CLASS
18 11/4 NO CLASS
19 11/9 Interactive Whiteboards –Prepare SRS/Google Project Due
20 11/11 SRI-ETTC
Interactive Whiteboards –Prepare
21 11/16 SRI-ETTC Interactive Whiteboard Lesson
Interactive Whiteboards - Present Due
22 11/18 Audio and Video: Prepare
23 11/23 Audio and Video: Prepare
24 11/25 NO CLASS - Thanksgiving
25 11/30 Audio and Video: Finalize Audio or Video Project Due
26 12/2 Personal Learning Networks
27 12/7 Open Class – Catch up and
Revision
28 12/9 Final Portfolio – Bringing it all PLN Plan Due
Together
29 12/14 Final Portfolio Poster Session Final Portfolio Due
Upper G-Wing