Ed Tech Courses

Ed Tech Courses

Course Syllabus

EDTECH 501 – Introduction to Educational Technology

Welcome!

Welcome to EDTECH 501, the introductory course in the EDTECH M.E.T. program at Boise State University. This course is designed to instruct, inspire, and challenge you as a student and future leader in the engaging and ever-changing field of educational technology. This is an exciting time for educators. With a knowledge and appreciation of the benefits of educational technology, you can be the impetus and spark to inspire a new generation of teachers and learners.

Course Description

Overview of the field of educational technology emphasizing current issues, leadership in technology use planning, and evaluation/synthesis of research.

Course Information

  • Title of course: EDTECH 501: Introduction to Educational Technology
  • Semester: Summer 2016
  • Dates: May 9 – June 26
  • Credits: 3 graduate

Required Text

Recommended Text

Course Outcomes

In this course, you will:

  1. identify and apply effective technology tools and strategies to improve teaching and learning;
  2. curate and share an online learning log of artifacts;
  3. self-assess original learning projects (artifacts) through comparing and critiquing classmates’ work;
  4. demonstrate knowledge of professional ethics;
  5. analyze ethical issues in the field of educational technology;
  6. identify and assess current and future trends in educational technology;
  7. apply technology skills for research and analysis;
  8. analyze your school or business technology environment and compose a summary; and
  9. analyze the current definition of educational technology.

Course format

This course has been designed to facilitate a strong social and learner-centered environment, meaning that learning is active and requires participation from all students. You will be actively engaged in sharing, reading, reviewing, and commenting on your classmates’ work they post to their learning logs and through our Moodle discussion forums.

All course content will be visible, so you can work ahead. However, please be advised that the Digital Divide Presentation assignment is a group project, so you must follow the suggested due dates for that assignment.

Research on learner-centered teaching indicates that it helps students learn more and understand better (Felder & Brent, 1996). I believe that teaching is not something that can only be done by a professor. You will also need to be involved and participate in the process.

Additionally, in a learner-centered course, you will develop skills you can use in your current or future careers. Prospective employers prefer people who know how to take responsibility for their learning and can navigate social tools.

Your cooperation and support in this style of teaching and learning is essential to its success. If you adopt an active learning mode, taking responsibility for your own learning and providing helpful feedback to your classmates, you will help build a positive and sustainable environment for learning.

Felder, R. M., & Brent, R. (1996). Navigating the bumpy road to student-centered instruction. College Teaching, 44(2), 43–47.

EDTECH Learning Log

You will be required to create a learning log using WordPress.com in this course.

Stay Connected!

This is an asynchronous, online course. Should you plan on traveling during the semester, make sure you will have access to the Internet to complete assignments.

Course Location and Login Information

This is an online course delivered in Moodle (http://edtech.mrooms.org/). The Moodle login page explains how to login to Moodle. Contact Moodle Support at moodlesupport@boisestate.edu if you have problems accessing Moodle. If you have forgotten your password, click the link below the login box, “lost password?” and you will be able to reset it.

Course Assignments

In this course, you will create six artifacts that align with specific AECT Standards, as well as a Learning Log, where you will create your online website to organize and showcase your learning. You will also submit a Week 1 Self-Assessment.

For more details on assignments and due dates, click the links in the Activities block on the right-hand navigation bard of the course home page.

It’s important that assignments effectively meet the learning objectives stated in a course. In the table below is a list of all graded course assignments. Below each assignment name, you are provided with a summary of the assignment along with its purpose in this course. Feel free to contact your instructor with any questions or concerns about any of the assignments.

  1. Week 1 Self-Assessment (50 points)
    • You will complete a self-assessment after Week 1, checking off items that you have successfully completed. Of course, if you have any issues with completing these assignments, please ask for help through the course discussion forums or contact your instructor immediately. As this is a fast-paced online course for summer, it is essential you stay on track.
  2. EDTECH Research (100 points)
    • In this assignment, you will create an annotated bibliography, researching a field or facet of educational technology that is of interest to you. You will apply APA style to a list of peer-reviewed journal articles.
  3. RSS in Education (100 points)
    • It’s essential you are aware of and know how to use various digital aggregators to collect and curate resources and artifacts. This assignment will help you use technology tools in an efficient and knowledgeable way, creating effective and meaningful learning resources for your students.
  4. Digital Divide Presentation (100 points)
    • Issues of Digital Divide are constantly in the news. You will participate with group members, addressing issues of digital divide and digital inequality, culminating in an original narrated Prezi presentation.
  5. TechTrends (100 points)
    • The field of educational technology is moving at warp-speed. You will be introduced to The Horizon Report, a fascinating annual publication of new technologies and challenges facing K-12 and higher education. After researching and exploring the various new tools and trends, you will create an artifact of your choice, using the tool or trend that interests you.
  6. School Evaluation Summary (100 points)
    • In this artifact, you will evaluate your school or business using a survey provided for you. After completing the survey, you will compose a short summary of your findings, identifying the current status of your school or business using the Technology Maturity Model. As always, your instructor will include options for other areas of interest, should you not have a school or business to analyze. Most students really enjoy this assignment and label it as an “eye opener.”
  7. EDTECH Definition Graphic (50 points)
    • You will finish the course by bringing everything together–by examining and analyzing the current definition of educational definition, creating an original graphical representation of your interpretation of that definition. This is a great time to revisit any of your existing artifacts to make corrections or revisions.

AECT Standards

Course assignments are aligned to the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) Standards, 2012 version.

Assignments are listed by number (based on the assignments list above) in the following table under the standard they are aligned to.

Standard 1

Content Knowledge

Standard 2

Content Pedagogy

Standard 3

Learning Environments

Standard 4

Professional Knowledge & Skills

Standard 5

Research

Creating

RSS in Education

Digital Divide Presentation

Using

EDTECH Definition Graphic

Assessing/Evaluating

School Evaluation Summary

Managing

Ethics

Digital Divide Presentation

Diversity of Learners

Collaborative Practice

Leadership

Reflection on Practice

TechTrends

Theoretical Foundations

Method

EDTECH Research

Letter Scores

Highest Lowest Letter
100.00 % 100.00 % A+
99.99 % 93.00 % A
92.99 % 90.00 % A-
89.99 % 87.00 % B+
86.99 % 83.00 % B
82.99 % 80.00 % B-
79.99 % 77.00 % C+
76.99 % 73.00 % C
72.99 % 70.00 % C-
69.99 % 67.00 % D+
66.99 % 60.00 % D
59.99 % 0.00 % F

Rubrics

Rubrics are associated with each assignment. To view an individual rubric, simply navigate to the assignment submission page.

Grading Cycle

Feedback and grades on assignments are usually posted within one to two weeks. To view assignments and points, click the Grades link in Moodle. To view feedback on rubrics in Moodle, click the Joule grader link and then View Rubric.

Late Work Policy

In order to receive the full benefits of social learning, it is critical you submit assignments on time. Assignments are posted at the beginning of each module. Due dates are clearly posted for each assignment, as well as discussion forum activities.

Please be aware that NO LATE ASSIGNMENTS ARE ACCEPTED. However, you will have 3 grace days after an assignment due date in which to turn in an assignment before the assignment closes for submissions. (There will be no grace days for the final assignment.)

Resubmissions

Due to the limited and short timeframe of this summer session, no resubmissions will be accepted for all assignments. Therefore, it is imperative you proofread carefully and obtain additional feedback from other students or colleagues BEFORE submitting your work for grading by your instructor.

Technical Difficulties

On occasion, you may experience problems accessing Moodle or class files located within Moodle, Internet service connection problems, and/or other computer related problems. Make the instructor aware if a technical problem prevents you from completing coursework. If a problem occurs on our end, such as Moodle or EDTECH2 server failure, then an automatic due date extension is granted.

Reasonable Accommodations

Any student who feels s/he may need accommodations based on the impact of a disability should contact the instructor privately to discuss specific needs. You will also need to contact the Disability Resource Center to schedule a meeting with a specialist and coordinate reasonable accommodations for any documented disability.

The Disability Resource Center is located on the first floor of the Lincoln Parking Garage, on the corner of Lincoln Ave. and University Dr. at Boise State University. They are available Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time.

Phone: 208.426.1583

Email: drcinfo@boisestate.edu

Website: http://drc.boisestate.edu/

Privacy Information

EDTECH courses involves online delivery and for some courses public display of assignments on websites or social media spaces. In the online course, your name, email address, and Moodle profile may be visible to others who have logged into Moodle. You are advised to familiarize yourself with privacy settings on Moodle or social media sites associated with the course. Privacy settings can sometimes be adjusted to restrict certain types of information. Please contact your instructor if you have questions or concerns.

Academic Honesty

Students are expected to create original work for each assignment. Students must follow the Boise State Student Code of Conduct as well as observe U.S. copyright laws in this course.

In the event of academic dishonesty, a complaint is filed with the Boise State Student Conduct Office with supporting documentation. This complaint remains on file and actions may be taken against the student (e.g., loss or credit, grade reduction, expulsion, etc.).

According to the BSU Student Code of Conduct: “Cheating or plagiarism in any form is unacceptable. The University functions to promote the cognitive and psychosocial development of all students.

Therefore, all work submitted by a student must represent her/his own ideas, concepts, and current understanding. Academic dishonesty also includes submitting substantial portions of the same academic course work to more than one course for credit without prior permission of the instructor(s).”

For this course, plagiarism will apply to three categories: Cheating, Non-attribution, and Patch-writing:

  1. Cheating: Borrowing, purchasing, or obtaining work composed by someone else and submitting it under one’s own name. The minimum penalty is an “F” in the course; the maximum penalty, suspension from the university.

  2. Non-attributions: Failing to cite passages or ideas from the work of another. First-time offense is review of source attribution and revision of the paper. Continued non-attribution in work will result in an “F” in the course and possible suspension from the university.

  3. Patch-writing: Writing passages that are not copied exactly, but have been borrowed from another source. First offense: review and revision of assignment. Continued patch-writing will result in an “F in the course and possible suspension from the university.

Important Note: Both citation and quotation marks are required whenever you copy exact words and phrases from a source. When you paraphrase or summarize but do not copy exactly, citation is still required. When in doubt, cite. Over-citation is an error, but under-citation is plagiarism. Your citations should follow APA style, 6th edition.

Policy for Incompletes

Incompletes are not guaranteed. However, when they are given incompletes adhere to Boise State University guidelines as follows:

Instructors can enter a grade of I—for incomplete—if both of the following conditions are present:

  • Your work has been satisfactory up to the last three weeks of the semester.
  • Extenuating circumstances make it impossible for you to complete the course before the end of the semester.

In order to receive an incomplete, you and your instructor must agree to a contract stipulating the work you must do and the time in which it must be completed for you to receive a grade in the class. The terms of this contract are viewable on my.BoiseState under Your Student Center To Do List. The contract time varies as set by the instructor but may not exceed one year. If no grade other than incomplete has been assigned one year after the original incomplete, the grade of F will automatically be assigned. The grade of F may not be changed without approval of the University Appeals Committee. You may not remove the incomplete from your transcript by re-enrolling in the class during another semester. A grade of incomplete is excluded from GPA calculations until you receive a final grade in the course.

Course Workload

Please note that you are expected to spend 9-12 hours each week on each EDTECH course during a regular academic session. The workload is approximately doubled during the compressed summer sessions.

Writing support

Boise State maintains a Writing Center, which is an excellent resource to help you in proofreading and improving your writing. You may submit writing through email and receive support. For more information, go to the Writing Center website: http://writingcenter.boisestate.edu/email/

Graduate Level Writing

The following principles of writing can be considered “graduate level.” By adhering to these principles and ensuring that these guidelines are met, your writing is much more likely to be considered graduate-level:

  • Separate and identify your beliefs from that of your research – One major difference between graduate and undergraduate writing is that, at the graduate level, writing assignments are rarely expected to be just a rehashing of previous research. Instead, graduate-level writing is meant to be an exercise in critical thinking and personal analysis on the part of the student. Be sure to state very clearly your own ideas and beliefs on the writing topic, and separate them from those found in your research. Even if they happen to be identical, you must still differentiate them within the writing.
  • State the reasons for writing – It is important that the reader understand what the writer is trying to accomplish early on. Do not spend too much space building up to a thesis statement. Rather, state your purpose early on and use as much space as possible solidifying that statement.
  • Define all ambiguous or potentially confusing terms – Whether this applies to a difficult word or technical jargon that can only be understood by experts in a specific field, make sure to define all terms that your reader may have difficulty with. Assume that the reader has zero knowledge on the subject, and that it is your job to make sure he or she walks away from reading your paper with a full understanding of the topic.
  • Use quotes strategically – Too many academic writers depend far too heavily upon quotations to flesh out their writing and make their points. This is a sure sign of undergraduate-level writing. Graduate-level writing uses quotes in such a way that they enhance the writing, not carry it. When using quotes, be sure to state your own ideas in relation to the quote, introduce the person who is being quoted and what qualifications make his or her quote worth considering, and document the quote in whatever academic style of writing you are using.
  • Include powerful transitions – A graduate-level piece of writing should flow smoothly from start to finish. To achieve this, the writer must use transitions to connect ideas together and also to connect each paragraph to the one that follows it.
  • Finish with a strong conclusion – This should really go without saying, but the writer must form a strong conclusion for the writing to be considered anywhere near graduate-level.

Research support

Boise State’s Albertsons Library is another excellent resource. We have a designated librarian who helps our EDTECH students. For more information, go to our EDTECH Library Guides: http://guides.boisestate.edu/edtech

APA style resources

There are many helpful online resources, should you have trouble learning how to use and apply APA formatting. An excellent online resource is the Purdue OWL guide: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

Counseling/Consultation

Please feel free to contact any of our excellent EDTECH support staff for counseling and other support services:

Boise State University Academic Calendar

Please refer to the Boise State University Academic Calendar for University dates and deadlines: http://registrar.boisestate.edu/academic-calendar.shtml

Graduate Catalog

Graduate Catalogs for present and prior academic years can be found online at: http://graduatecatalog.boisestate.edu/

College of Education – The Professional Educator

Boise State University strives to develop knowledgeable educators who integrate complex roles and dispositions in the service of diverse communities of learners. Believing that all children, adolescents, and adults can learn, educators dedicate themselves to supporting that learning. Using effective approaches that promote high levels of student achievement, educators create environments that prepare learners to be citizens who contribute to a complex world. Educators serve learners as reflective practitioners, scholars and artists, problem solvers, and partners.

Department of Educational Technology Mission

The Department of Educational Technology is a diverse and international network of scholars, professional educators and candidates who:

  • Lead research and innovations in online teaching and learning
  • Model, promote, manage, and evaluate digital-age work and learning resources in educational environments
  • Inspire creativity and expertise in digital media literacies
  • Design and develop imaginative learning environments
  • Empower learners to be evolving digital citizens who advocate cultural understanding and global responsibility
  • Promote and pattern participatory culture, professional practice, and lifelong learning
  • Forge connections between research, policy, and practice in educational technology

Subject to Change Notice

The instructor reserves the right to change this syllabus. You will be notified of any changes immediately through the EDTECH 501 Course News Forum.

Copyright 2016, Dr. Barbara Schroeder

Last modified: Monday, April 18, 2016, 4:25 PM