Syllabus for LTEC 4100.005

Spring 2008

Course Info:


Class Meeting Times: R 5:30-8:20
Matthews Hall 312
Instructor : Sherri Brogdon, PhD
Office Location: Discovery Park, Dpt of Learning Technologies
Phone: office - 940-565-2057
Email: sherrib3@sbcglobal.net
Course Website: courseweb.unt.edu/sbrogdon

Contact Expectations

Email is the best way to contact your instructor. I will check and respond to email twice a week: once to answer questions before assignments are due and once to download assignments mailed to me.
The phone number listed on the home page is for the office in Discovery Park. They will contact me as soon as possible. I also teach at a public school, so I cannot receive phone calls during school hours.

Course Overview/Objectives

This survey course will introduce pre-service educators to the extensive field of educational technology. Topics covered in this course will be areas that impact, or have the potential to impact, educators working in the classroom environment. Special emphasis will be placed on constructing relevant and appropriate instructional environments.
The objectives for this course include the opportunity for students to analyze computer uses in education, including simple applications programming in LOGO (MicroWorlds). In addition, students should gain knowledge in the selection of educational software, feel comfortable modeling an educational presentation system, and understand the integration of technology into the classroom and the use of other electronic sources for educational classroom resources. Students will develop a unit portfolio on a chosen topic that integrates technology.

Course Topics

How are Computers Used in the Classroom?
Technology Integration in the Classroom
Creating a Unit Plan Which Integrates Technology
Computer Ethics and Equity
Technology and Diverse Needs of Learners
Educational Software: How Should We Evaluate It?
Telecommunications and the Internet in the Classroom
Searching for Educational Resources
Copyright Laws and Educational Technology
Technology Applications (TA) Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)
National Standards for Teacher Competencies
National Standards for Student Competencies
MicroWorlds


Course Prerequisites

You need LTEC 1100 to take this course (may be taken concurrently with consent of department). It is possible that you may have acquired the required skills through other means. If you have not taken this course and do not have the required skills, it is your responsibility to make sure you learn the prerequisite skills outside of class time. The instructor is not responsible for helping you learn the required prerequisite skills. This course assumes you have these skills and will build on those skills.

Course Policies

Attendance and punctuality are professional behaviors expected of educators. Learning technologies is not about "doing computer projects"--it is much more. Hence, you need to be here for class discussions and learning activities.
Anyone who misses the first class and does not contact the instructor will be administratively dropped from the course.
Although attendance at the remaining classes will not be taken, in-class activities will be a part of each class and will count toward your grade. If you are unable to attend a night, you should check the website to find out what is due and get it turned in on time. All assignments can be turned in one week late for 75% credit.

Many assignments are explained and then started in class with the expectation that you will finish them outside of class. If you miss one of the classes where the assignment is explained in a hands-on fashion, the instructor cannot be responsible for helping you make up what you missed. If you were in class and participated fully in the hands-on portion of class, the instructor will answer questions about the assignment outside of class via email.

Having a classroom with technology in front of us is not the norm...yet. So to make our classroom environment more conducive to learning for everyone, there are a few suggested behaviors that would be appreciated. Students are expected to observe classroom etiquette and common courtesy to the instructor and fellow classmates. Pagers, cell phones, and other electronic devices should be silenced during class. If you receive an emergency communication, please excuse yourself from the room to take care of it.
Playing computer games, instant messaging, and checking email during class are considered rude. Refrain from being rude.

Surfing the Internet should only happen during class when in-class activities involve the computer.
While it is not only distracting to the instructor to see your face glowing green from the reflection of solitaire, it may be an annoyance to your classmates. It is my experience that students who are checking their email, making flight arrangements on the Internet, playing solitaire, IM-ing, or working on assignments for other classes miss important information. If in a lab, where this is possible, please turn off your monitors when class begins until you are instructed to turn them on. (BTW, we really can hear your keyboard and your mouse clicking.) The printer is very noisy. It is rude behavior to get up during class to walk to the printer. Please do not print anything during class except when we are working on in-class activities.

Assignments are due as stated in the course schedule. Keep an electronic copy and a backup copy of all assignments and projects for this semester. After the semester is over, you can delete the files, but during the semester you are accountable for having copies of every assignment and project.

Readings are to be completed before class on the assigned date so that you may actively participate in discussions, activities, and quizzes during class that are related to that chapter.

You are expected to conform to all policies of the University of North Texas and work within the honor code.

Requirements/Grading
You are responsible for the chapter assignments, even if they are not covered during class lecture.
Workload for CECS 4100: Expect to spend 2-3 hours outside of class for each hour spent in class. In other words, you should expect to spend 6-9 hours each week outside of class reading, completing assignments, and working on the computer in addition to the 3 hours you are in class. This is a 4000 level class.
--Any in-class exercises are to be turned in on the day they are assigned or no credit will be given.
--These requirements will be weighted as follows:  

Requirements
Percentage of Final Grade
Exams / Chapter Quizzes
15%
Unit Plan Activities
10%
Student Sample Publication (newsletter or brochure) and Rubric
15%
Website Supporting Your Unit
10%
Power Point About Your Unit
5%
Microworlds Projects
10%
Final Unit Portfolio
15%
Individual Learning Project (Your choice of technology)
10%
In Class Activities / Participation
10%

Important: Late assignments will receive a maximum grade of 75%. Late assignments are those that are turned in a week or less after the posted deadline. However, turning in a late assignment is much better than not turning in one at all.


Grades will be calculated by the following scale:
A = 90.0% or higher
B = 80.0% to 89.9%
C = 70.0% to 79.9%
D = 60.0% to 69.9%
F = Below 59.9%

Required Materials

Textbook: Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching. M.D. Roblyer. Fourth Edition.
Electronic Storage Media:

2 CDR-W's OR
1 USB jump drive (flash drive, pen drive, ....)
You must pick something that will work on all the computers you plan to use for this class (home, MH 309 lab, classroom, friend, relative,...)
Optional Materials
Software: MicroWorlds EX software is available at a discounted price in the bookstore. If you want a copy for your home computer for any reason, this is monetarily a good deal. If you have adequate access to the COE General Access Lab (GAL) in Matthews Hall 309 (the only place on campus with MicroWorlds EX software), you don't need this.

EEO/ADA Statement
EEO/ADA: The University of North Texas does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability or disabled veteran status in its educational programs, activities, admissions, or employment policies. Please see me outside of class to make any arrangements involving special accommodations.

Cheating: Plagiarism and cheating are serious offenses which may be punished by any of the following:
1. failure on the exam, project or paper
2. failure in the course, or
3. expulsion from the University of North Texas

For more information on EEO/ADA or academic dishonesty, please refer to your current Undergraduate Catalog.
University Policy Regarding E-Mail

"All students should activate and regularly check their Eagle Mail (e-mail) account. Eagle Mail is used for official communication from the University to students. Many important announcements for the University and College are sent to students via Eagle Mail. For information about Eagle Mail, including how to activate an account and how to have Eagle Mail forwarded to another e-mail address, visit https://eaglemail.unt.edu ."

Additional information concerning Eaglemail and student network storage can be found by clicking here.
Dropping A Class

If you need to drop this or another class, be sure to do so in a timely manner (there are deadlines) and be sure to do it correctly (you need to double check that it really worked).