Instructor: Dr. Neal Strudler
Office: CEB 341
Phone: Office 895-1306;
Email: strudler@unlv.edu
Office Hours: Monday 3:45 - 4: 15 PM (BDC 113); Tuesday and Wednesday, 2:30 - 4:15 PM (CEB 341)

Additional office hours are available.

Course Description: This course examines the potential of telecommunications to impact K-Adult education. Students will actively explore: (a) a wide variety of on-line informational, curricular, and interpersonal resources, (b) ways to successfully integrate on-line resources in teaching and learning, (c) how to create a web page for students and teachers to access and create educational resources, and (d) current issues, policies, and trends pertaining to global electronic networking.

Course Prerequisites: ICG 760 or permission of the instructor. Students must minimally have taken the equivalent of one course in educational computing and technology and:

• be comfortable using email, the World Wide Web, and managing files;
• be familiar with basic issues pertaining to teaching and learning with technology.
• have good access to the Internet, and
• have access to current versions of Netscape or Internet Explorer.

Standards: The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) provides Standards for Advanced Programs in Educational Computing and Technology Leadership that have been adopted by NCATE (the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education). The following ISTE Standards for Advanced Programs in Technology Leadership will be addressed in this course:

• Candidates will use telecommunications and information access resources to support instruction. (2.3)
• Candidates will use computers and other technologies in research, problem solving, and product development. (2.4)
• Candidates will effectively plan, deliver, and assess concepts and skills relevant to educational computing and technology literacy across the curriculum. (3.1)
• Candidates will identify and apply educational and technology-related research, the psychology of learning, and instructional design principles in guiding use of computers and technology in education. (4.1)
• Candidates will evaluate authoring and programming environments for use in the classroom. They will apply instructional design principles to develop, implement, and test interactive multimedia instructional products using authoring environments. (4.2)
• Candidates will develop curricular plans based on local, state, and national standards for the use of computers and other associated technologies. (5.1)

In addition, ISTE provides National Educational Technology Standards for K-12 students (NETS) and beginning teachers (NETS-T). A range of NETS and NETS-T are addressed in this course. All of the ISTE standards can be accessed at: http://www.iste.org/standards/.

Knowledge Addressed

• A basic understanding of technical aspects of telecommunications
• Hardware and software appropriate for classroom use of the Internet.
• Rubrics and other methods for evaluating student performance in telecomputing-based projects.
• Implementation issues and teaching strategies for facilitating Web-based projects.
• Future trends pertaining to the implementation of telecommunications technologies in schools.

Performance Expected
By the end of this course, it is expected that participants will:

• Demonstrate mastery of a variety of ways to access educational resources via:

--communicating via electronic mail;
--participating in group discussions via the bulletin board in WebCT;
--using various search engines on the Web;
--sending and receiving attachments via email;
--uploading and downloading files;
--creating a WWW home page.

• Critically evaluate existing educational Web sites for authenticity, applicability, authorship, bias, and usability.
• Actively participate in large and small group discussions pertaining to course readings.
• Facilitate online discussions for assigned readings.
• Design and create an inquiry-oriented WebQuest using Internet resources in selected curriculum area.
• Evaluate the current levels and effects of Internet connectivity in schools and the potential of telecommunications to enhance teaching and learning in the future.

Dispositions
As a result of participating in it is hoped that students will:

• Value the learning opportunities that the Internet can afford and the need to promote digital equity for all students.
• Embrace the opportunity to actively participate in a community of learners and seek to model that approach in future teaching situations.

Results
The student’s understanding of the concepts introduced in the course and their ability to demonstrate them will be measured through a combination of assessments. These include several class activities (knowledge), one Web Quest project (performance), and a final exam that will include knowledge and performance tasks. The discussion board dialogue will address dispositional goals of the course.

Texts and Materials

Required:
Education for an Information Age: Teaching in the Computerized Classroom (4th edition). Bernard John Poole & Lorrie Jackson (2003). Chapters 8 & 9. Available online at: http://www.pitt.edu/~edindex/InfoAge4index.html

A collection of readings--some of which will be available online, others will be distributed in class.

Supplementary
Integrating the Internet for Meaningful Learning (2000) by Grabe and Grabe. Houghton Mifllin. Used copies of this book should be around from prior students.

Course Format: Instructional or learning activities used in this course will be:

• Lecture/Demonstration/Group Activities in face-to-face session
• Hands-on Activities and Online Discussion

Lab Access : Information about computing on campus can be found at: http://www.unlv.edu/main/computing.html

Internet access can be obtained in all of UNLV open labs. Check posting for current lab hours at: http://cfo.nevada.edu/ If there are any other problems or questions please let me know. Questions about the university computing labs can be directed to support@nevada.edu or 895-4585. Questions about labs in the College of Education should be directed to Mitch Au (mau@nevada.edu).

It is assumed that you have good access to the Web so that you can explore the vast resources available. The more time you have to do this, the richer your learning experience will likely be.

Course Assignments/Exams

1. Exploration on online resources and their application in educational settings.
Learning activities will include:

(a) evaluating content and design of educational Web sites;
(b) evaluating inquiry-based learning activities (WebQuests);
(c) using various WWW search engines;
(d) transferring files via email attachments and downloads from the web;
(e) creating a basic Web page and installing it on a web server;
(f) creating a WebQuest and installing it on a web server.

2. Participation in Class Discussions: The goal of the class discussions--both online and face-to-face(f2f)--is to facilitate communication throughout the class. Full participation is expected of all students. There will be several whole class and small-group forums for these discussions. All questions of general interest (i.e., questions in which others might benefit from the answer) should be posted to the WebCT bulletin board. Then, the instructor or class members may provide answers and help. Personal questions may be sent to strudler via WebCT private mail.

3. A Final Exam will cover basic concepts and operations introduced in the course consisting of hands-on activities and some short essay type questions.

Students' Responsibilities for Assignments
You must keep copies of all assignment done throughout the course and should be prepared to resubmit at any time in the event that an assignment is misplaced. All assignment should be labeled as instructed in the assignment.

You must check the WebCT bulletin board regularly for course announcements and revisions. Some problems may arise and adjustments may need to be made. The instructor holds the right to modify assignments or procedures as needed. The official assignments are those posted on the web. Please note: Be careful when printing out assignments from the web. Sometimes there are links that are part of that assignment that may not be included if you simply print the assignment.

Course Evaluation
A = 94-100% A- = 90-93% B+ = 87-89% B = 83-86% B= 80-82% C+= 77-79%
C = 73-76% C- = 70-72% D+= 67-69% D = 63-66% D-= 60-62% F = 59% or below

University/College of Education Policies

Disabilities: If you have a documented disability that may require assistance, you will need to contact the Disability Resource Center for coordination in your academic accommodations. The DRC is located in the Reynolds Student Union Complex in Room 137. The DRC phone number is 895-0866 (TDD-895-0652).

Academic Integrity: UNLV and the College of Education demand a high level of scholarly behavior and academic honesty on the part of students. Violations by students in exhibiting honesty while carrying out academic assignments, and procedural steps for dealing with violations of academic integrity are delineated within the HANDBOOK OF REGULATIONS GOVERNING PROBATION AND SUSPENSION WITHIN THE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION. This publication may be found in the Curriculum Materials Library, Curriculum and Instruction Department Office (CEB 354) or the Office of the College of Education Dean (CEB 301).
Sometimes the subject matter of classes overlap and an assignment can meet the requirements for more than one class. If this is the case, standards of academic honesty require that you inform your instructors of your intentions and get approval before pursuing the assignments.

Religious Holidays: Students have until February 1 to notify the instructor of anticipated absences for religious holidays.

Food and Drinks: Food is not allowed in the computer labs. Drinks must be in a covered container and kept on the floor away from the computers.

Cellular Phones: should not be used class during whole class presentations or discussions unless there is an emergency situation that warrants it,

Collection of Student Assignments for Accreditation Purposes: Assignments completed for this course may be used as evidence of candidate learning in national, regional and state accreditation reports of COE programs. Names and other identifying elements of all assignments will be removed before being included in any report. Students who do not wish their work to be used for accreditation purposes must inform the instructor in writing by the end of late registration. Your participation and cooperation in the review of COE programs is appreciated. Thank you.

Revised Course Schedule