Course Syllabus

INSTTECH 1031—Educational Technology & Design
Spring 2012, sec 01—06

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Course Description

Educational Technology & Design is a basic course involving the selection and use of various educational technologies within an instructional design framework. Course activities include the planning, design and production of media and the operation of hardware and software for Pre-K-8 educational use. Students will be exposed to various ways of thinking about educational media and technology. The course provides students with experiences that enable them to integrate technology resources to support clearly defined learning objectives.

Outcomes

Course outcomes are aligned with standards from the Interstate New Teacher Assessment Support Consortium (INTASC). These are used by teacher preparation programs in Iowa and were selected based on their general application to teachers of all subjects in grades PreK-12. For more information see: www.uni.edu/teachered/standards

Students will...

(Related INTASC+1 standard number, K = Knowledge; P = Performance; D = Disposition)

• explore various ways of thinking about media and the messages they convey (6, P)
• demonstrate how to use a variety of multimedia tools to enrich learning opportunities. (6, P)
• identify guiding principles to promote students’ safe and ethical use of the Internet. (1, P)
• apply copyright law, fair use guidelines, and creative commons regulations to the ethical development of electronic multimedia  to support learning. (10, P)
• use the ASSURE model to plan the integration of technology into a unit of instruction (4, P)
• write behavioral learning objectives to support instructional goals. (4, P)
• identify appropriate teaching methods and electronic media to support objective-based lessons. (5, P)
• design learning experiences that engage students in individual and collaborative learning activities (5, P)
• create electronic multimedia to support specific learning objectives. (4, P)
• apply principles of visual design to the development of electronic multimedia to support learning. (9, K)
• use graphic organizers to represent topics or concepts in a static or interactive format. (1, P)
• develop an online collaborative inquiry-based learning activity to support a thematic unit of instruction. (7, P)
• develop an assessment strategy to evaluate student work within a collaborative inquiry-based learning activity (6, P)
• design and develop a digital video to support an objective-based lesson. (4, P)
• create a web-based resource center to support an objective-based lesson. (4, P)
• reflectively evaluate how projects align with INTASC+1 standards. (8, P)
• organize and present class projects in a portfolio format. (8, P)

Expectations

1. Attendance is required. Attendance will be taken at each lecture and lab. Points will be deducted for nonattendance, partial attendance, or recurring tardiness. In the event that a student is absent from more than 1/3 of the course (14 or more absences, excused or otherwise), he/she will not receive a passing grade in the course.
2. Students will actively collaborate with a team of their peers and will earn a group grade for two collaborative projects during the course.
3. Excused absences require documentation. Excused absences include: UNI sponsored functions, illness, or a death in the family. In the event of flu symptoms, students are required to contact their instructor prior to missing class.
4. Assignments submitted electronically (via eLearning) are due by 10:00pm. Assignments submitted in print are due at the beginning of class. Follow all submission instructions precisely. Assignments will not be accepted via e-mail.
5. Late assignments will lose 10% of points possible per day. Quizzes may not be submitted late. Late assignments will not earn full credit except in the event of a documented excused absence.
6. Students will complete weekly assigned Readings, Watchings, Listenings, and Doings (RWLDs) prior to lecture.
7. Students should bring laptops and other mobile devices to class to be used constructively. Handouts are provided in eLearning, and students are encouraged to print these or view them electronically during class.
8. Students should remain on-task during lectures and labs. Off-task behavior such as texting, checking sports scores, or working on homework for other classes may result in the student being marked as absent.
9. Students should regularly access eLearning and access all course materials there–do not Google them.
10. All e-mail correspondence should be sent via eLearning to your primary course instructor.
11. Computers will be used extensively both in and out of class. Individual support is provided during regularly scheduled office hours. All course software is available in IRTS computer labs, and most software is available online. See the Software & Plug-ins page in eLearning for more information.
12. Most assignments require broadband internet access. Students may complete activities from off-campus. However, in the event that students do not have sufficient access, they will be expected to use the labs provided on-campus or make alternate arrangements (e.g., public library, friend or family).
13. Lost work or forgotten passwords are not acceptable excuses for failing to meet a due date. Students are expected to regularly backup their work and always maintain at least two copies of important files in two separate locations (e.g., USB drive, network folder, personal computer, etc.) to avoid data loss in the event of hardware failure or user error. Record all usernames and passwords created for various services during in the class for your reference.
14. Plagiarism is not tolerated. Evidence of plagiarism will result in no points earned for the assignment. All assignment submissions are subject to the use of plagiarism detection systems.

Theme

Students will select a theme and plan an interdisciplinary thematic unit of instruction aligned with Iowa Core or other standards and benchmarks. Using knowledge and skills developed in the course, students will then integrate technology to support the learning outcomes stated in their unit. Students will use the same theme throughout the semester.

Required Text

There are no required textbooks, but students will be assigned weekly Readings, Watchings, Listenings, and Doings (RWLD). Comprehension of these and their corresponding lectures will be assessed via online quizzes throughout the course. All due dates are clearly indicated on the course schedule and in eLearning.

Projects and Assessments

See also: Course Schedule

Grading Scale

Academic Support Services

UNI is an Affirmative Action Equal Opportunity Institution. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) provides protection from illegal discrimination for qualified individuals with disabilities. Students requesting instructional accommodations due to disabilities must arrange for such accommodations through the Office of Disability Services (ODS) located at 213 Student Services Center. Visit www.uni.edu/disability or call 319-273-2676 for more information.

Students are encouraged to use the Academic Learning Center’s free assistance with writing, math, reading, and learning strategies. The center is located in 008 ITTC.  Visit www.uni.edu/unialc or call 319-273-2361 for more information.