ITC 5320: Course Description

Summer 2010

| Objectives | Requirements | Outline | Evaluation |
 | Start Page | Goals, Activities and Dispositions |

Class Schedule:

Summer 2010 - ITC Fall 09 1, ITC Fall 09 2, ITC Gaston III

with Dr. Paul Wallace

The exploration of telecommunications in the learning environment, including attributes of learning activities that take advantage of telecommunications facilities, establishing and running learning activities using telecommunications technologies, types of technologies and networks available, setting up telecommunications connections, and maintaining telecommunications facilities.

Course Objectives:

1. Students will demonstrate knowledge of research in educational applications of telecommunications technologies and distance education and its implications for developing good instructional practices.
2. Students will demonstrate knowledge of using various Internet resources and tools for instructional applications and be able to apply it to the development of learning activities.
3. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the secure operation and maintenance of local area and wide area networks that are being established in schools.
4. Students will demonstrate knowledge in creating telecommunications projects for classroom use which integrate subject area content with computer technology competencies.

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Class Requirements:

1. Participate in class demonstrations, discussions, and activities.
2. Successfully complete all projects and activities as outlined in the evaluation section of this class.

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Content Outline:

Basics of networked computing

• Types of networks
• Hardware and software
• Administering a network for learning settings

Introduction to learning environments using telecommunications

• Types of telecommunications services available
• Basic terms and procedures
• Distance education learning environments
• Educational resources

Research on the educational uses of telecommunications technology and distance education

Developing telecommunications activities

• Asynchronous
• Synchronous

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Evaluation: 

Evaluation will be based on the successful completion of the following activities.

Participate in class discussion and activities: (40%)

Discussions and activities include, but are not limited to, participation on the Discussion Board for this class, reading various resources on telecommunications/distance education technologies and their uses in learning settings (found in the buildings around the Telecom Tech Court in AppEdTech), posting ideas, perceptions, or summaries on the forms provided or in the appropriate discussion area and reacting to what others have posted in any of the topics that appear in the discussion area. As a group, you will read, discuss, and post major ideas from one book related to Telecommunications.

Also included are online activities related to readings about online safety and identity that are located on the second floor of the Telecommunications Technologies Building in AppEdTech (Also, check out the Supplementary Experiences option).  These are group activities. 

There should be no more than five members of a group.  This can be the same group that carries out one or more of the Telecommunications Technology projects listed below if you wish.

Projects: (60%)

Each student will participate in the completion of two projects, one a cross-program activity and one selected from the Teaching with Telecommunications options.

Projects are group* activities.  Make sure you form your groups early in order to plan and complete your projects.  *Note: Project 1 will have assigned group members.

Project 1: Vision of a 21st Century Educated Person - Cross-Program Activity: This activity will begin June 14 and end the week of June 28. You will be assigned to a group made up of instructional technology peers, curriculum specialists, library science professionals, and school administrators. Your groups will be made available to you the week of June 7.

This semester, cross program teams of students will be responsible for collaborating to develop a vision of a 21st century educated person. As you begin this activity consider the following questions:

• What’s happening now in schools, businesses, jobs, populations, and demographics?
• How are these changing?
• What resources will you need in order to be able to create this vision?
• How will you work as a team?
• What added value does each member from the respective program areas bring to the team?
• How do professional teams operate successfully to accomplish tasks?

In addition to the overall vision, your group's presentation must, in some way, address the role of telecommunications in the life of a 21st century educated person -- this is a primary part of your "expert role" within your group. You may wish to address this within the framework of education, with networking technology issues in schools (needs, access, safety, etc.), technical and instructional support needed, and the type of training required for today's teachers and students. More information on this project can be found here.

Project 2: Teaching with Telecommunications Options: This project will be presented during the last meeting of the semester.

There should be no more than five members of a group.  This can be the same group that carries out activities around the readings if you wish, and you are encouraged to work with members of different cohorts.

• Option 1:  Develop and use (if possible) learning activities that employ a telecommunications technology to help students learn some content or skill.  Include a summary of the results of your project that contains a discussion of the issues, problems, and successes experienced (or, if you cannot implement it, that you expect to experience) in planning and delivering the instruction; also note the results of your instructional effort and what you would change if you were to use the same technologies as part of an instructional effort in the future.
  
  
• Option 2:  Develop a distance education course (web-based, video conference, or a combination of web, video, and face-to-face) that incorporates the best of what we know about distance education.  Include a summary of the results of your project that contains a discussion of the issues, problems, and successes experienced (or that you expect to experience) in planning and delivering the instruction; the results of your instructional effort and what you would change if you were to use the same technologies as part of an instructional effort in the future.

Project #2 will be presented in the form of a poster session in theAET Zone. Your group will be given a wall space where we will embed your presentation file for others to view. One option is to use SlideShare.net and add an audio file to make a “slidecast”.

• Examples: See the "Telecom Poster Garden" in the Commons area of the AET Zone
• Deliverable: Each group submit a URL to your project presentation (must be an online file with audio narration)
• Due: On or before July 23, 2010, through a link on the AsULearn site for this course
• Activity:
  • Poster Session: Your group's poster will be on display from July 26th to 30th in the "Telecom Poster Garden" in the Commons area of the AET Zone
  • Comments: As an individual, you all must post a thoughful comment (or reply) on at least 3 other groups' posters

There is a short reflection paper due at the end of this course.

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