Syllabus

Computers in the Classroom 

LTEC 4100.001 Fall 2010

University of North Texas

(Last Revised 23 September 2010)

Instructor:  Wesley Fryer

Office: Discovery Park 163

Office Hours: By appointment on Tuesdays, and a half hour after class as time permits

Phone: 405-562-6175

Email: wesley.fryer@unt.edu (Except in an emergency, all course communication should be sent via our course Moodle site)

Course Website: http://wiki.powerfulingredients.com/Home/cic

Course Overview/Objectives

This survey course will introduce pre-service educators to techniques for integrating technology into daily classroom activities. 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 experience as well as analyze integrated uses of computer technology in education. This will include simple applications programming in Scratch. In addition, students should gain knowledge about the selection of educational web-based tools and software, feel comfortable modeling an educational presentation system, understand the integration of technology into the classroom and the use of other electronic sources for educational classroom resources. Students will develop a professional portfolio of technology integration options and sample projects, to pro-actively create (if desired) a positive digital footprint.

Course Topics

• How are Computers used in the Classroom?
• Technology Integration in the Classroom
• Technology Integration
• 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
• Simple Software Logic and Programming (using free Scratch software from MIT)

Course Prerequisites

CECS 1100 (may be taken concurrently with consent of department). If you have not taken this course, it is your responsibility to make sure you learn the prerequisite skills to be successful in CECS 4100.

Big Ideas

As a result of your successful completion of this course, I hope you will be better equipped, empowered, and motivated to:

1. Share ideas
2. Create media
3. Collaborate with others
4. Craft and maintain your own professional digital footprint

Course Policies

Attendance and punctuality are professional behaviors expected of educators. Appropriate educational technology use DOES involve the active use of computers to create projects which demonstrate knowledge and skills, but this course involves MORE than “just” computer projects. Hence, you need to be IN CLASS for discussions and learning activities. Attendance will be taken during class sessions and will count for a significant part of your grade. You will not be allowed to make up missed attendances. You are expected to conform to all policies of the University of North Texas and work within the honor code.

Classroom Etiquette

Having a classroom with technology in front of us is not the norm in most teaching environments, although 1:1 learning (where every student and teacher has access to their own laptop computer) is becoming more common. Many of you went through elementary and secondary school with little or no experience in this environment and therefore expectations for proper behavior in computer-enhanced classroom environments vary widely. Probably the most important rule of thumb to remember is that your classroom is not a computer lab. The laboratory is 309, across the hall.  As a result, in our classroom activities such as printing when someone else in the room is talking, taking leave and returning at your leisure, and focusing on individually important behaviors such as homework for another class -- are rude behaviors and will be pointed out as such.

In order to make our classroom environment more conducive to learning for everyone the following behaviors are expected:

1. ELECTRONIC DISTRACTIONS: Students are expected to follow appropriate classroom etiquette and demonstrate consistent courtesy toward the instructor and fellow classmates. Cell phone voice calls, text messaging, checking Facebook, viewing unrelated YouTube videos, game playing, checking/sending email, surfing the Internet, and using other electronic devices are not allowed during class except during classroom activities that may involve these activities under instructor guidance. Your instructor and fellow classmates can be easily distracted by these activities. Often students who are on Facebook, checking their email, playing solitaire, finishing an assignment that was due at the beginning of the class, etc. -- miss the most important information stated during class (and ask the same question that was just answered -- only a few minutes later).
2. ELECTRONIC TURN IN: All graded course assignments will be submitted electronically in this course. No printed or paper-based assignments will be accepted for credit. We are ten years into the twenty-first century, it is high time we all acted like it. Turning in assignments electronically is one characteristic of digital and blended learning we will model together in this course. Assignments are due by the beginning of the class period and should be submitted electronically on our course section Moodle website before coming to class. Note assignment turn-in date and time is logged by Moodle: Assignments turned in late during class will NOT be accepted for credit.
3. LATE WORK: If your assignment is not ready to be turned in when due, please complete it after class and turn it in as a late assignment after class.
4. PRINTING: The printer should rarely, if ever, be used during our class or for our class. The printer should NOT be running in our classroom after class begins, except when we are working on in-class activities. It is impolite and distracting behavior to get up during the middle of class to walk to the printer, especially when someone (the instructor or another classmate) is speaking.
5. EMERGENCY PHONE CALLS: Cell phone calls should only be taken during class in case of an emergency. In those situations, please quietly take your phone call in the hallway outside of class and try to minimize the disruption your departure makes on the class.

Privacy / Confidentiality

Students are encouraged, but NOT required, to use their real first and/or last name when publishing information on public websites and creating accounts / profile pages on websites utilized during this course. If desired, a screenname can be used for online accounts and “open web” publishing which is not publicly connected in any way to the identity of the student. All confidential student information will be shared on our secure, Moodle-based course website which requires password authentication for access.

Requirements / Grading

You are responsible for the chapter assignments even if they are not covered in lecture, and for weekly assignments even if you are not present in class.

1. Workload for CECS 4100: Like all college courses, 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 completing readings, assignments, and hands-on computer time in addition to the 3 hours you are in class.
2. There will be 3 exams plus 6 assignments and a final project (portfolio). Several in-class and/or take home practice exercises/activities will also be included. I will keep your highest 2 exam grades (20 pts total). No makeups or late exams will be allowed, so schedule your attendance accordingly.
3. Keep track of your in-class practice exercises and activities as proof of the quality of your class participation in the event your letter grade is borderline at the end of the course. Plan to have your electronic student portfolio completed with links to your finalized work products by the day of your final presentation, since it is usually that day when class participants look at their scores to date and decide whether or not to take the final exam.  Class participation is expected (possibly including debates) and will count for 10% of your grade.
4. Homework assignments are due on the dates posted on the schedule and should be submitted to Moodle PRIOR to the beginning of class.

Class requirements will be weighted as follows:

Important: Late assignments will receive a maximum grade of 80%. Late assignments are those that are turned in after the beginning of class on the day in which they are due. However, turning in a late assignment is much better than not turning in one at all. No late assignments will be accepted more than 3 weeks late and none will be accepted after the end of dead week (last week of classes prior to final exams). Assignments beyond these late submission deadlines will receive a grade of zero (0).

GRADES

Grades will be calculated by the following scale:

 A = 90% or more

 B = 80 to 89.4%

 C = 70 to 79.4%

 D = 60 to 69.4%

 F = Below 60%

Required Materials

Textbook: Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching (5th Ed.), by M. D. Roblyer and Aaron H. Doering, Prentice Hall. (Also available as an eBook.)

A USB pen / thumb / jump drive - Bring one with you every week.  

Recommended Materials

USB microphone to record audio for projects: Free web-based phonecasting services can be alternatively used for audio recording for projects, but access to and use of a microphone can be very helpful in completing assignments.

Cell phone: We will utilize a SMS-based messaging service for course updates and announcements in this course throughout the semester. While not required, if you have access to a cell phone with text messaging (SMS) your free subscription to our text updates channel can facilitate your completion of required assignments for this course. SMS channel access will also permit you to receive periodic reminders about course deadlines as well as schedule changes.

Personal laptop computer: While all course assignments CAN be completed using UNT-provided lab computers, access to and use of a personal laptop computer can be very helpful in this course. A relatively new, wifi capable laptop is recommended, with the following FREE software programs installed:

1. Scratch: scratch.mit.edu/download
2. Audacity: audacity.sourceforge.net
3. Google Earth: earth.google.com
4. iTunes: www.apple.com/itunes/
5. Picassa: picasa.google.com
6. PhotoStory3 (Windows XP/Vista/7 only): from Microsoft
7. iMovie (Apple/Mac only): www.apple.com/ilife/imovie

You are welcome to bring and utilize your own laptop computer during class each week in this course. Technical support for your personal laptop computer is NOT available from your course instructor. Assistance may be available for your needs from the UNT Student HelpDesk: www.unt.edu/helpdesk.

Home high speed Internet access: With the exception of our dead-tree based textbook, all resources and assignments for this course will be shared and collected electronically using the Internet. Access to a high speed Internet connection at home is NOT required, but can be very helpful in this course.

iOS or Android Mobile Device: iOS (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IOS_(Apple)) is the name for the operating system powering Apple mobile devices including the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Android (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_(operating_system)) is the operating system developed by Google and openly licensed for mobile devices. While not required for assignments in this course, access to an iOS or Android mobile device can be helpful in completing assignments and provide extra credit opportunities during our weekly “Mobile App Sharing” time.

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 the current UNT Undergraduate Catalog.

Eagle Connect Account

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

Dropping a Course

To drop a course, follow these instructions. It is the student's responsibility to initiate procedures for dropping a course (either with or without instructor consent) before the deadlines outlined in the Schedule of Classes.

Copyright: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License by Wesley Fryer. Learn more on powerfulingredients.com.

Attribution: This document is adapted with permission from a syllabus created by Dr. Gerald Knezek, based on course materials created by Dr. Rhonda Christensen. Ideas are also adapted from the T4T Spring 2010 syllabus by Wesley Fryer, the LTEC 4100 Syllabus of Garry Mayes, and course materials from EDTEC470 at SDSU. During the semester I’m collaborating with Curby Alexander and borrowing ideas from his CiC course website.

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