EDU 521: K-12 Students Using Technology

Overview

The proven best practices in education transform classrooms into exciting learning environments. Best practices for all ages and all subjects include teachers challenging students with authentic problem-solving tasks, providing the tools and resources to pursue the tasks, and then training children to work collaboratively so that students find possible problem solutions. Technology can support these best practices.

In this course you will become familiar with the characteristics of technology that support teachers in the challenge of designing activity-based instruction that encourages the active mental behaviors so necessary for meaningful learning and critical thinking.

The hardware and software many schools already have or can acquire at a reasonable cost can be used to involve students in active learning tasks focused on many of the same topics they would otherwise encounter by listening to teacher presentations or reading textbooks. Technology allows even very young children to collect data and contribute to problem-solving alongside experts who are leading real-life research studies or conducting experiments.

Students may communicate with pioneers and explorers as they make discoveries in the remote corners of the Earth or even in space. Technology is a key to connecting students with other children and adults who share their interests and passion for learning.

Assignments in this course will provide you with opportunities to use a variety of software applications and online tools as you create your course project. Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to demonstrate the efficient use of technology to engage students actively in a collaborative, problem-solving project in one of the traditional areas of K-12 instruction.

Links to Inappropriate Content

The content of this course includes discussion of the risks and dangers of Internet use by children. However, the course author assumes that adult students in this course are already familiar with examples of pornography, hateful expression, and pedophilia on the Internet and in other media. There are no links in this course to pornography sites, hate sites, or sites that promote the abuse of children in any way. In the interest of a respectful, academic environment, students are expected not to provide links to dangerous or offensive sites in their course papers or in the Forum.

Websites that are a unique problem to educators, such as sites that promote plagiarism, invite students to post personal information, or purport to educate while blatantly advertising to children, may not be familiar to students in this course. Examples of these websites are provided, and students may include more examples in their papers and on the Forum. These sites are not blatantly illegal or offensive, but their content is inappropriate to the ethical use of the Internet for education.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

Instruct K–12 students on how to use technology and technology tools in age/developmentally-appropriate ways to:

• Design developmentally appropriate standards-based instruction, based on current research of teaching and learning with technology, to support learner-centered strategies such as collaboration, higher order thinking, solving real-world problems, and informed decision making.
• Evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on developmental appropriateness and suitability for specific tasks.
• Utilize a variety of technologies and resources to enhance learning, promote creativity, conduct research, evaluate sources, and produce creative works.
• Employ a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.
• Create and model instructional technology-based activities that build upon students’ previous knowledge to meet age-appropriate technology standards as defined by ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education).
• Discuss the importance of teaching Internet safety and tools available to assist schools and parents in keeping students safe.

Course Requirements

• PowerPoint
• Inspiration. (You will download a free version. The instructions will be available in the class for a 30-day free trial version.)

Required Texts
EDU 521 texts are available from the JIU/MBS bookstore