Course Requirements
EDUC 411/611: Introduction to Educational Technology
Educational technology is a vast and fascinating field full of exciting career opportunities. The field is so large that there are multiple associations and standards organizations devoted to the many professions making use of educational technology. In K-12 education, for example, ISTE is the premier association. In higher education, it's the AECT. Many professions have their own specialty associations for educational technology. In the airline industry, for example, it's the AICC. Even musicians have their own ed tech association called the Association for Technology in Music Instruction (ATMI). In a field this vast and varied, you need to figure out what your nitch will be. That's why the major project in this course has you create a Web portfolio in which you dream about what you hope to accomplish with educational technology. You create this portfolio using Web creation tools that are transforming the world's communications infrastructure. By learning how to use these tools, you not only empower yourself, but also, you prepare to help others take advantage of these powerful new technologies. Along the way, you will blog about what you learn as you read assigned articles in the educational technology knowledge base. Blogging makes thinking visible. Research shows that making thinking visible helps people learn because instructors can see what you are thinking and provide better scaffolding. In this course, both your instructor as well as your fellow classmates can read your blog. Thus, the course revolves around you and culminates in your plans and reflections about what you hope to accomplish with educational technology.
In terms of workload, participants will be expected to spend at least nine hours per week studying books and articles in the educational technology knowledge base, practicing ePortfolio Web techniques, and working on projects.
In the sidebar is a list of the specific assignments and how much they count toward your grade in the course. Detailed explanations of these assignments appear below.
Assignment #1: Goal Statement
Your first assignment is to state the reasons why you enrolled in this course. Please tell why you decided to take this course and state briefly what you hope to get out of it. If you have only a general idea, go ahead and describe your goals in general terms. If you have more specific goals in mind, please enumerate them. I will use this information to help advise you and guide you through the appropriate course materials.
Assignment #2: Weekly Discussion Forum
Every student in this class is required to participate actively in the course discussion forum. To enter the discussion forum, log on to the course and click the Discussions option. One of the first messages you write in the forum should inform your fellow classmates about the nature of the project you are hoping to create. To earn all your discussion points, write a thoughtful message at least once per week during the course. Creating a new discussion post counts the same as responding thoughtfully to an existing post. Use the discussions to share knowledge with each other during the course. The discussion forum is an excellent place to network with your fellow students and brainstorm ideas more powerful than what you can think of on your own.
Assignment #3: Presentation Topic
During the course of the semester, you (individually or with a partner) will be responsible for presenting one of these ed tech topics (or one of your choice if approved by the instructor). Educational technologies are continually evolving. The purpose of this activity is therefore twofold: First, it will enable you to enhance your skills by exploring a technology-enhanced learning environment or tool that you want to explore and maybe you haven't seen before. Second, it will help you develop your skills as instructor / trainer / leader. As you prepare for this activity, here are some things you need to keep in mind:
- Provide an overview focusing especially on the principles upon which your topic is based.
- If your topic is an app or a learning environment, identify the ed tech standard(s) with which the topic aligns.
- If your topic is a standards framework, identify tools and environments that claim to align with it.
- Try to prepare an interactive presentation. For example, you can create some role playing activities for your classmates, pretend that you are introducing the resource to a group of teachers who are considering adoption, etc.
- Synergy with your final project is good, i.e., it is fine for you to use what you present as part of your final project.
- Check the schedule to make sure nobody else has chosen your topic yet. If they have, you can perhaps talk with them about the possibility of working together and co-presenting. The presentation schedule is a link on your course home page in Canvas.
In response to the Presentation Topic assignment, please indicate which ed tech topic you would like to present, and give one or two preferred class dates when you would like to make your presentation. If you are taking the course online, you have the option of presenting remotely via the classroom videoconferencing stream, or you can come physically to class on the evening when you present.
Assignment #4: Presentation Delivery
This is where your instructor will grade the presentation of your chosen ed tech topic. Your grade will be determined as follows:
- Provides a clear description of the technology topic: 5 points
- Explains the underlying principles that inform the design of the presentation topic: 7 points
- Is coherent, organized and professional: 3 points
- Is interactive and involves the audience: 2 points
- If this is a group presentation, it has the participation of all group members: 3 points
If you are presenting about a tool or an app, actually use it during your presentation so the attendees can experience it in action. If you are presenting about a quizzing tool, for example, actually use it to quiz your fellow classmates.
Assignment #5: Final Project Idea
Although the course description says that the final project requires you to create a website, your professor is flexible regarding your choice of tools. If you do not want to create a website, therefore, you should feel free to use other tools that are appropriate for accomplishing your project's purpose. When submitting your final project idea, take these considerations into account:
- Think about what you want your final project to accomplish. Make it be something you feel passionate about doing.
- Before submitting this Assignment, prepare one paragraph that outlines your idea. Unless your project needs to be kept confidential, post your paragraph in the Canvas Discussions and invite your fellow classmates to comment and provide suggestions about your idea. Note: Posting this paragraph in the Discussions is only part of this Assignment. In addition to posting this paragraph in the Discussions, you must also respond to the submission prompt in the Assignment itself.
- Identify the professional standards that inform your project's design. Some popular standards are listed in the standards module but there are many others you can use, including your field's content standards.
- If you are an EDTC major, consider developing your project as a technology plan that can meet the requirements of your master degree program's Technology Planning Performance.
Assignment #6: Final Project
Final projects must be mounted on the Web for Dr. Hofstetter to review and grade. As you create your final project, be sure to take into account any guidance you received in response to your project's topic submission. Note: If you are an EDTC major, consider developing your project as a technology plan that can meet the requirements of your master degree program's Technology Planning Performance.
Assignment #7: Course Evaluation
Your final assignment in this course is to evaluate it. During the last couple weeks of the course, you will receive email at your udel.edu email address instructing you when the evaluation period begins and ends. You must log on to the course evaluation system within this window of time. The Web address of the course evaluation system is www.udel.edu/course-evals. After you complete the course evaluation, your instructor will give you credit for completing it. The responses you give are completely anonymous. While your instructor will be able to see the ratings and comments, it is impossible for your instructor to identify the person who gave a certain rating or made a given comment. Once you complete the evaluation, your grade on this assignment will be an automatic A.
