Class News

Welcome to EDTEC 572!

Syllabus

Instructor

Minjuan Wang, associate professor, mwang@mail.sdsu.edu

619-5943878 North ED 293

Introduction

Although technology is becoming commonplace in schools and training sites, most instruction in most places is still delivered and managed by a single instructor working face to face with an intact group of learners. Given that reality, how can technology be used to enhance the design and delivery of instructor-led courses? That is the central question in this instructor-led course.

The purpose of EDTEC 572 is twofold: it will extend your knowledge of instructional design by showing you how to develop lessons for your classroom, and it will introduce you to some of the latest Web 2.0 tools for engaging your students.

This section of EDTEC 572 is specifically tailored for the COMET program. All examples, activities and assignments are designed to be relevant to the needs of California K-12 teachers.

Objectives

The overall aim of this course is that you'll be able to apply the instructional design and media design processes to prepare a program of systematically designed, aesthetically pleasing and wholly usable instructor-led, media-enhanced lessons. To live up to its name (technologies), we'll also sample the new and emerging technologies and delivery systems such as Adobepresenter, podcasts, youtube, iMovie, blended learning, mobile learning, video games, blogging, wiki, second life, and other technologies on the horizon. We'll discuss how these technologies can be used effectively in teaching and training. And we'll get hands-on with some of them. This course will also help you produce significant artifacts for your E-portfolio, a requirement for graduation.

As enabling objectives towards that end, you'll learn to:

• Analyze and evaluate instructor-led lessons and identify opportunities for lesson enhancement with technology.
• Define, explain and choose among instructional strategies dealing with problem-solving, declarative knowledge, concepts, principles, procedures, cognitive strategies, psychomotor skills, motivation, attitude and interest.
• Devise a search strategy and perform an on-line search of bibliographic data bases and World Wide Web sites to identify existing materials related to your project topic.
• Use current software to develop instructional materials which communicate effectively and are aesthetically pleasing.
• Use some of the new and emerging web technologies in the design of teaching and training materials.

Texts

Richard Pregent , Charting Your Course: How to Prepare to Teach More Effectively (the newest edition)

Frauenfelder, M. (2007). Rule the web: how to do anything and everything on the Internet- better, faster, easier. New York. Available via Amazon.

Free online: Orey, M. (ed.)(2001-present). Emerging Perspectives on Learning, Teaching and Technology Theory and practice of online learning: http://cde.athabascau.ca/online_book/

Free online: Theory and practice of online learning: http://cde.athabascau.ca/online_book/

Slides and handouts for each class session are available in Moodle.

Software Tools

In this course we'll be using various software tools. A few tools that you'll want to be able to access for sure, include:

• Microsoft PowerPoint (in which we'll design presentations)
• Web authoring tools like Google Sites
• RSS tools like Google Reader
• Apple's iMovie (or Windows moviemaker, or Photo Story 3 , or Jumpcut) for editing short videos; Check out the Guides for these software
• Adobe Presenter (Free) for recording a short presentation. Here is a short demo.

How Does This Course Fit the Curriculum?

• This course builds on what you've learned in EDTEC 540 by going more deeply into instructional design. The concepts of Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation are already familiar to you, and this course will give you experience in the full process.
  
• 572 builds on what you learned about message design and screen layout in EDTEC 541.
  
• 572 complements EDTEC 544 by providing another vantage point for thinking about and doing instructional design. What you create in 572 will be an instructor-led lesson, as opposed to a standalone product as in 544. The scope of your product will be larger in 572 than in 544, and as a consequence of that we'll have less time to do detailed analysis and design documentation.
  
• Finally, EDTEC 572 serves well as a precursor to EDTEC 570 that you'll take next summer. The lessons you design in 572 are mostly what would be categorized as instructor-led. That is, the teacher has a very active role to play during the progression of the lesson. In 570 we'll move towards more constructivist lessons in which the teacher becomes more of a guide and less the center of attention.

COURSE POLICIES

Course Format:

Moodle will be the backbone of our course. Everything that happens will be centralized via this technology.
Our course week will start on Mondays (dates listed on course schedule). Online students could either follow this schedule or work during any other days of the week.
For Online students: You may also refer to the Course Schedule and assignments grid for an overview of activities in the course.

Expectations:

As with any course, I will have expectations of each of you, and there are certain expectations you can have of me.
I expect all students to respond to my e-mail messages promptly, check and participate in our Moodle and Connect discussions at least 3X per week, turn in all assignments on time, treat your classmates with respect, and ask questions as needed.
In return, you can expect me to answer all questions and other e-mails promptly (typically within 24 hours unless I am traveling), and provide both formative (if requested) and summative feedback on your coursework in a timely manner. I think you'll find that I am a very fair instructor. I do set high standards for my students -- but nothing they can't reach.

Share:

Sharing is essential. Please don't be shy -- share what you know with your classmates. This should be a learning community -- not a monologue from instructor to students.
Have a problem? Let me know!
If something isn't quite right, please send a message and let me know. Best to send a personal e-mail in this case, as it ensures that I will see it right away.
If there are problems with the course materials (typos, something missing or something doesn't make sense) let me know.
If you don't understand the feedback or grade that you received ?I let me know.
If you think I've made a mistake? Let me know.
If you're having problems in the course ? Let me know.
All of these are situations in which I might be able to help, and would be happy to do so.

Ask, Ask, Ask:

I much prefer answering questions to having folks just not know something. So, if you have questions, please ask.
If you want a new discussion forum created, just ask.
If you need something else (within reason, of course) just ask.
ONE SIDE NOTE: Do try to help yourself, when possible. In other words, if you're looking for a due date, check course website first. The answer may be easily waiting for you online.