Course Description

Teachers Discovering Computers (TDC–PD) — Integrating Technology in the 21st Century Classroom is a six–week introductory technology and digital media professional development (PD) course for educators. This course is intended for novice and experienced technology users that aspire to learn how to do more with technology and digital media in their classroom or job function. The National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS–T) and the National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS–S) developed by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) are integrated throughout the TDC–PD course curriculum. The curriculum also addresses the National Educational Technology Standards for Administrators (NETS–A) as developed by ISTE.

Participants will experience a wide variety of learning activities that are designed to increase their technology and digital media literacy, information literacy, and most importantly, their literacy integration skills. Participants will learn the characteristics of today’s digital students and will learn how to modify their teaching strategies to teach and, more importantly, reach today’s digital students. Participants will learn about the economic realities and associated impact on PreK–12 education during this second decade of the 21st century or the “Changing Face of Education.” Topics covered include blended learning, netbooks, digital textbooks and vbooks, and many other related topics.

Participants will learn how to create out–of–class supplemental kid–specific content or how to incorporate blended learning into the classroom. Each participant’s final project is the creation of out–of–class online supplemental content (including videos) to foster increased student achievement and communication among students, parents, and teachers about curricula, assignments, and assessments. Participants also will learn how to integrate curriculum–specific video screencasts using both teacher–created and student–assisted/created screencasts. Finally, participants will learn how to increase parental involvement in a variety of ways, including multilingual and multicultural parental involvement.

Course Objectives

• Characteristics of the Digital Generation and Digital Kids
• Becoming a Digital Teacher
• Introduction to the Basics of Camtasia
• The Changing Face of Education
• Teacher–Created Supplemental Content
• Blended Learning
• International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) NETS–T, NETS–A, and NETS–S
• Creating Screencasts Using Camtasia
• Editing and Adding Music to Screencasts Using Camtasia
• Your DSL Accent and Digital Textbooks
• Downloading Camtasia
• Student–Centered Learning, Leveling, and More
• Uploading Screencasts to Screencast.com
• Technology, Digital Media, and Curriculum Integration
• Learning Theories
• Global Competitiveness

Course Procedures

Weekly Activities:
Each week will present online content with a corresponding assignment. Assignments are generally due the same day each week and will be e–mailed to your instructor.

Participation:
In a distance learning environment, it is critical that each student interacts one–on–one with his or her instructor, each and every week. The objective is to ensure that students are always providing an indication of engagement and learning. Successful completion of the weekly reflection and application assignments will satisfy this objective.

Late Assignments:
Each week has a required assignment. Assignments must be e–mailed to the instructor by midnight of the assignment due date. No late assignments will be accepted. Contact your instructor via e–mail prior to an assignment due date for exceptions.

Honesty Policy:
Students are expected to exhibit honesty and competence in their academic work. Intellectual honesty is a requirement for this course. If your instructor suspects any breach of academic integrity, your grade will be impacted and you may be removed from this course.

Evaluation and Grading:
Students will have the opportunity to demonstrate evidence of their knowledge of the course content. The evidence will include written and online activities that are both application– and reflection–oriented. Students’ grades are based on the weight and grade of each assignment. All requirements are evaluated by the instructor.

Keeping Your Coursework

You will have access to the course from the course start date until two weeks after the course ends. After this time, you will no longer be able to access the course or related materials. We strongly recommend you retain copies of all your completed coursework and create a list of all the Web sites referenced in the course, so that you may access them on future occasions as desired. You will always have access to the textbook Web site and may visit that as often as you wish.

Week–by–Week Schedule

The schedule below lists course topics, reading assignments, and activities for each week of the course. Use this Schedule and the Grade Sheet (provided online on the course home page) to keep track of assignments due each week.