Required Texts

     Shelly, G., Cashman, T., Gunther, R.E., & Gunter, G.A. (2002) Teachers discovering computers: Integrating technology into the classroom (2nd Ed). Course Technology: Boston, MA. (ISBN - 0789564920)

     To find out how to acquire this text, go to Textbooks.

     Texas Education Agency (2001). Chapter 126. Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Technology Applications. Retrieved May 11, 2001 from the WWW: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/ch126toc.html

     Microsoft In and out of the classroom: A practical guide for teachers. Office 2000. Retrieved May 11, 2001 from the WWW: http://www.microsoft.com/education/tutorial/classroom/o2k/default.asp

     Utah Education Network. (2000). Appleworks Basics. Retrieved May 11, 2001 from the WWW: http://www.uen.org/utahlink/tours/tourViewCategory.cgi?category_id=18610&tour_id=13811

     Technology Tutorials for tutorials on the remaining competency software.

     Useful Sites is a place I have added some useful web pages that can help you complete some of these assignments.

     Microsoft Office (2000 or XP [for PC], 2001 or OS X [for Mac]). This software is available at the SWT Bookstore if you don't already own it.

Required Software/Hardware:

You must have access to specific software and hardware to complete this course; you can use either platform (Mac or PC):

1. Specific software:
   • Either Microsoft Office Suite (v. OS X or 2004 for Mac, or 97, 98, or 2000, 2001, XP for PC) OR AppleWorks/ClarisWorks (v. 5 or higher);
   • a demo or purchased copy of Inspiration (v.7.6 or higher)
   • audio and video capture software (e.g., iMovie, OR QuickTime, Dazzle, RealAudio, RealVideo, Windows MovieMaker) some of which is shareware
   • animation editing software
2. Access to the WWW and Blackboard; you need a current SWT username and password (it's free for current students; see the professor)
3. Examples of educational software like, but not limited to, Sammy' Science House, Millie's Math House, Amazing Writing Machine, StoryBook Weaver, KidPix, the Imagination Express series, the Carmen SanDiego series, The Cruncher, TableTop, etc.
4. Informational CD-ROMs like Time-Multimedia Almanac; Grolier's Multimedia Encyclopedia; Encarta; etc.
5. Specific hardware:
   • Microphone connected to a computer,
   • digital scanner,
   • digital still camera,
   • video camera, either digital camera or digital video card

All of this software and hardware is available in the Reading Lab (ED 2051). Much of it and others is available in schools in your area. Find a way to get access to it as you will need it to complete the assignments.

Course Description

This course is designed to expand your understanding of the issues relating to the educational applications of technology and to offer hands-on experiences in various aspects of computer use. While there are prerequisite courses for this class, you will be expected to document your ability to use word processing, databases, spreadsheets, desktop publishing, multimedia editing, and the creation of slide shows using a variety of programs during this course.

Course Rationale

As a educator, you are expected to be able to be competent in the use of technology in the classroom. Two skills are necessary to learn to integrate technology into your classroom. First, how you as a teacher will be able to teach students how to use this technology. Second, how you integrate technology into your students' learning as they see the benefits and limitations of technology. This is best done through using a heuristic called G.A.P. (Caverly, 1998) which teaches you and your students to Gather data and information from a variety of sources, to Arrange that information by organizing it and thus create understanding and knowledge, and to Present that newfound knowledge to others to confirm understanding.

Instructional Goals

Upon completion of this course, you will learn how you can teach your students how to:

1. use an online telecommunications service (WWW and e-mail) to gather information,
2. operate a scanner, microphone, and digital camera to gather information,
3. evaluate CD-ROMS and other sources to gather information,
4. use tool software (word processing, databases, spreadsheets, graphic editors, organizational) to arrange that information into understandable units,
5. use desktop publishing software to construct a newsletter to present this newfound knowledge,
6. use e-book publishing software to construct an e-book to present this newfound knowledge,
7. use desktop presentation software to prepare a presentation to present this newfound knowledge,
8. identify and discuss current issues pertaining to computer literacy and the use of computers in public schools.

You will produce an electronic portfolio of basic computer technology skills to demonstrate your competency. This portfolio will include:

1. create a word processed document (2 points) (using Microsoft Word) demonstrating your ability to use different font sizes and styles; hanging indents; underlining, italics, and boldfacing; inserted date; tab markers; page, section, and column breaks; page numbering; text aligned left, center, and right; tables; style sheets; inserted multimedia; inserted spreadsheet; and macros; create a database (2 points) (using FileMaker Pro or Microsoft Access) demonstrating your ability to create a database to store information gathered from WWW education sites, textbooks, novels, and other printed sources; CD-ROMS like encyclopedias, databases, and informational disks; audio CDs, video tapes; people you or your students might know; and locations you or students might know. This database must include fields for text, number, date, calculation, container, summary, and global fields; present value lists in the form of pop-up lists, pop-up menus, checkboxes, and radio buttons; create auto-entered fields, navigational, and procedure buttons; create at least two different layouts; add graphics via the drawing tools and clip-art; align the fields and left, center, and right justify the text within the fields; and sort the database. At least 10 records filled in; create a spreadsheet (2 points) (using Microsoft Excel) demonstrating your ability to create a grade book including cells for student names, assignments, weighting for each assignment, unit and semester grades, and totals. Then, that you have entered either real or fictitious grades into the grade book for a class of 20 students; create a mapped document (2 points) (using Inspiration) to demonstrate your ability to produce a semantic map of which software would support gathering information, which software would support arranging information, and which software would support presenting information; create a desktop published document (2 points) (using Microsoft Word, Microsoft Publisher, or PageMaker) demonstrating your ability to create a newsletter or a brochure which include a banner; an auto-entered date; volume and issue number; multi-columns; at least three multimedia including clip-art , scanned, and digital images; and wrapped text around the multimedia; create a multimedia slide show document (2 points) (using Microsoft PowerPoint) to demonstrate your ability to produce one slide shows that include text, graphics, audio, and video; transitions, building, and hyperlinks
2. create a multimedia enhanced document (2 points) (using Microsoft Word; Word Art; Photoshop, or Macromedia Fireworks; as well as other graphic, audio, and video editing software; e.g., iMovie, QuickTime, Dazzle, RealAudio, RealVideo, or MovieMaker) to demonstrate your ability to use a digital scanner, digital still camera; video camera, as well as CD-ROMs and MP3s to capture a graphic, audio, and a video image/file, edit it, and insert it into a word processed, database, slide show document, or video document
3. an electronic book (e-book) (using Microsoft Word) to demonstrate your ability to create an e-book narrative or expository piece of text. This e-book must include a title page, author page, publication date, at least 5 pages of text, graphics, and multimedia; 2 pointsa portfolio in the form of a word processed or multimedia slide show document with links to each of the 9 documents above, explanation of each document's purpose, and an educational context where all these documents could be used; 4 points
4. submit this portfolio to your professor in the form of an attachment to an e-mail message

If you cannot create this portfolio, teach yourself using the Technology Tutorial site listed above

• Read articles on learning from technology
  • Bruce and Levin (2000)
  • Caverly, 1998
  • Caverly & Peterson (2000)
  • Caverly et al. 2000)
• Summarize and critique your understanding of GAP and how it fits into education; e-mail this to your professor.

• Create a unit plan where students learn how to Gather information from a variety of sources. These must include these information sources:
  • the Internet
  • audio made by others
  • video made by others
  • multimedia made by others
• Discuss how this unit plan includes separate lessons where students are learning to use sources like:
  • the WWW to search using search engines and Boolean logic
  • critical reading to determine the validity of the sources and the location of these sources; understand copyright, safety issues on the internet, adjusting for diversity
  • textbooks, novels, and other printed sources;
  • software;
  • informational CD-ROMS like encyclopedias, databases, and informational disks;
  • audio CDs,
  • video to gather text and graphics information and then document the location of these sources;
  • capturing and editing their own information through scanning, audio input, and video input.
• Organize this unit plan to manage goals, objectives, instructional procedures, timeline, materials, and assessment procedures in both a classroom and a computer lab setting.
• List which TEKS objectives (by number; e.g., are being met by this unit.
• Summarize Chapters 1, 2, 7 in Shelly et al. and discuss its impact on this unit.
• Send all this to your professor via attachments to an e-mail.
• Summarize 1 article from the research literature where multimedia gathering has been used with students. Send this summary (including complete APA citation) to your professor.

• Create a unit plan where students learn how to Arrange information they have gathered in Assignment #3 into a variety of organizational schemes
  • semantic map (using Inspiration) of ideas they would use to compose a writing assignment or document understanding from reading a chapter in another class;
  • database (using FileMaker Pro or Microsoft Access) where they create a relevant database for your workplace and:
    • create fields for text, number, date, calculation, container, summary, and global fields;
    • present value lists in the form of pop-up lists, pop-up menus, checkboxes, and radio buttons;
    • create auto-entered fields, navigational, and procedure buttons;
    • create at least two different layouts;
    • add graphics via the drawing tools and clip-art;
    • align the fields and left, center, and right justify the text within the fields;
    • and sort the database.
    • Add at least 10 records filled in the database
  • spreadsheets (using Microsoft Excel) where they create cells for managing a classroom budget including cells where they much use addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division (for a K-8 based unit) or algebra (for a 9-12 based unit);
  • multimedia editing (using Microsoft Word; Word Art; Photoshop, or Appleworks; and graphic, audio, and video editing software (e.g., iMovie, QuickTime, Dazzle, RealAudio, RealVideo) where students capture and edit graphics, audio, and video via a digital scanner, digital still camera; video camera, as well as CD-ROMs and MP3s.
  Organize unit plan to include goals, objectives, instructional procedures, timeline, materials, and assessment procedures in both a classroom and a computer lab setting. List which TEKS objectives are being met by this unit.Summarize Chapters 3, 5, 6 in Shelly et al. and discuss its impact on this unit.Send all this to your professor via attachments to an e-mail.
• Summarize 1 article from the research literature where multimedia arranging has been used with students. Send this summary (including complete APA citation) to your professor.

• Create a unit plan where students learn how to Present information they have gathered in Assignment #3 and arranged in Assignment #4 into all of the presentation venues including:
  • a multimedia word processed document or a multimedia newsletter or brochure (using Microsoft Word or Appleworks); this document must show evidence of different font sizes and styles; hanging indents; underlining, italics, and boldfacing; inserted date; tab markers; page, section, and column breaks; page numbering; text aligned left, center, and right; tables; style sheets; inserted multimedia; inserted spreadsheet; and macros which teaches some content to other students; desktop publishing (using Microsoft Word, Microsoft Publisher, PageMaker, Amazing Writing Machine, or Appleworks) to produce a multimedia newsletter or brochure which include a banner; an auto-entered date; volume and issue number; multi-columns; at least three multimedia including clip-art , scanned, and digital images; and wrapped text around the multimedia which teaches some content to other students; a multimedia slide show (using KidPix and Microsoft PowerPoint, Hyperstudio, or Appleworks) which include text, graphics, audio, and video; transitions, building, and hyperlinks;e-book (using StoryBook Weaver or Imagination Express) that contains a title page, author page, publication date, at least 5 pages of text, graphics, and multimedia, and teaches some content to other students;video document (using iMovie, QuickTime, Dazzle, RealAudio, RealVideo, or MovieMaker) which contains a title screen, author credits, and teaches some content to other students;
  • web document which contains a cover web page, internal links within a page, external links to other student constructed pages, external links to other resource pages, graphics, color, text and teaches some content to other students.
  Organize this unit plan to manage goals, objectives, instructional procedures, timeline, materials, and assessment procedures in both a classroom and a computer lab setting. List which TEKS objectives are being met by this unit.Summarize Chapters 4 in Shelly et al. and discuss its impact on this unit.Summarize 1 article from the research literature where multimedia presenting has been used with students. Send this summary (including complete APA citation) to your professor.
• Send all of this to your professor via attachments to an e-mail.

• Summarize and critique Chapter 8 in Shelly et al. discussing all of the following: ethical issues of security, copyright, plagiarism, censorship, and the digital divide; e-mail this to your professor.
• Summarize 1 article from the research literature where ethical issues has been implemented by school districts or by teachers. Send this summary (including complete APA citation) to your professor.

     Bruce, B. C., & Levin, J. A. (2000). Educational technology: Media for inquiry, communication, construction, and expression. Retrieved July 7, 2005, from http://www.isrl.uiuc.edu/~chip/pubs/taxonomy/

    Caverly, D.C. (1998). GAP, A reading strategy for multiple sources. Journal of Developmental Education, 22(2), 38-39.

     Caverly, D.C., Collins, T., DeMarais, L., Otte, G., & Thomas, P. (2000). Bridging the GAP between information and knowledge: Integrating technology into developmental education. In D. B. Lundell & J. L. Higbee (Ed.) Proceedings from the 1st intentional meeting on future directions in developmental education (pp. 34-36). Minneapolis, MN: Center for Research on Developmental Education and Urban Literacy, University of Minnesota. Retrieved June 20, 2001 from the WWW: http://www.gen.umn.edu/research/crdeul/publications.htm

     Caverly, D. C., & Peterson, C. L. (2000). Technology and college developmental reading. In R. F. Flippo & D.C. Caverly (Eds.) Handbook of college reading and study strategy research (pp. 291-320). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum and Associates, Pub. (Access this by going to Alkek Library catalog, clicking on E-books from NetLibrary (entering your TxState Username and Password), entering "Flippo" in the Basic Search box and checking author, clicking on View this e-book, and selecting Chapter 11 in the Table of Contents).