Course Syllabus

Description

A major responsibility for professionals involved in Instructional Technology, Learning Sciences, and other related education and human services fields is the design and development of materials for communication, instruction, and training. This course is an introduction to some widely used media authoring and editing applications that can support the development of such materials.

During the course we'll examine technology within the following categories: Social Media Tools (e.g., Wimba, Blogs, Wikis, Google Apps, Podcasts/Audacity), Digital Media Tools (e.g., MPEG Streamclip, iMovie, Movie Maker, Picasa), Desktop Publishing and Presentation Tools (e.g., InDesign, Prezi).

Course Objectives:

1. Explore technology and consider how it can be used in instructional settings.
2. Practice and demonstrate competence in basic skills for emerging software and technology tools in professional and informal environments.
3. Apply skills to professional training contexts, with emphasis on technology as a curriculum tool, not a topic.

ITLS 5205/6205 Course Evaluations and how they Map to Course Objectives:

Course materials

There is no textbook required for this class. Assigned materials and readings will be provided through the Canvas class site.

Technical Requirements

Access to and use of certain software tools will be helpful in the completion of course requirements. All required software is available in the Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Department computer labs as well as at regional campuses.  With the exception of Adobe InDesign, software and other resources used and described within this course are free, meaning you will have access to them without purchasing anything “extra.”  InDesign is also available as a 30 free trial if you do not want to purchase the software.  The main technical requirements are a reliable Internet connection, a computer or laptop that is currently running at least Mac OS X or Windows XP, an up-to-date browser (such as Firefox), and Flash player 10 or greater.

A note about purchasing Adobe software:

As a student you may eligible for special student pricing on Adobe products.  Adobe InDesign is available for purchase by students for $199.00 from Adobe (see adobe.com website for more information).  If you are interested in other Adobe software such as Photoshop, consider purchasing one of the Creative Suite bundles.  These bundles represent an amazing value.

Requirements

Online Discussion and Participation (10%)
Weeks in which readings are assigned you will be strongly encouraged to post messages to corresponding threaded discussions on Canvas.  Note that adequate participation in the online environment is worth a full letter grade, so please do not take this too lightly. If the online discussion is particularly lackluster, I reserve the right to change this to a graded assignment. However, I don’t expect to exercise that right. Take this opportunity to talk to your classmates about questions or thoughts you have or to receive help on assignments. Part of participation includes your investment as to participating on a weekly basis. “Checking-out” for weeks at a time is not acceptable. Therefore, if you do not turn in anything for any particular week, expect to have your participation points reduced.

Assignments (60%)
You’ll be responsible for completing assignments that demonstrate your understanding and application of tool(s) and/or concept(s).  Full descriptions of each assignment can be found on the course Canvas site. Please schedule at least 2-3 hours per assignment in your weekly schedule, as many of these tools will be new to you. 

Weekly Response Assignments (30%)
Every week you will be required to write a half-to-one page paper reflecting on that week's activities.  This response paper will cause you to think about your experiences using a new tool or concept and applying it to the classroom.  Be sure to be thoughtful in your responses because the purpose of this class is to help you see the value of technology in the classroom.  Details for what should be considered in each refection assignment can be found on the course Canvas site.  Finally, this is not an English class, but good grammar and spelling is expected.  Please be sure to proofread your responses before you submit them.

Assignment Submissions

Assignment submissions will be made online through links to the class website and are due on the date posted on Canvas. Note that Canvas closes the opportunity to turn in assignments at the deadline. I highly recommend that you do not wait until the last minute to turn in assignments, as Internet connections can be unreliable. If you plan on being in an area without reliable Internet, you absolutely must make arrangements to turn in assignments ahead of time. Because you can turn in assignments many weeks ahead of the their due date, only rarely will lateness be excused, and only if the instructor gives specific permission to do so.  Requests for turning in late work generally falls under the same guidelines as the “incomplete” policy (see below) and is subject to the instructor’s discretion as to whether or not it will be accepted.

Evaluation Criteria 

Each of the assignments will have specified and supplied evaluation criteria. Throughout all assignments, however, timeliness will be crucial. See the addendum at the end of this syllabus for all evaluation rubrics.

Grading Scale