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EME 6405:
Assignments There is
literally a world of information available regarding educational
technology production and the tools used to design, create,
implement, and evaluate educational technology innovations.
Our tasks for this course include: discussing many of those
important topics, developing our own strategies for joining theory
and practice, and creating solutions for an authentic audience in
hopes of exploring the production process. Those
tasks are held in conjunction with the goals we have for you as
students in this program: to become professional and
scholarly developers and consumers of educational
technologies. Along with the 'real world' out there, we
expect you to graduate with skills in teaching, reading, writing,
evaluating, researching, imagining, creating, designing, and
publishing. With those
tasks and goals in mind, there are three main assignments for
successful completion of this course. Each of these tasks
require personal input and devotion of both time and energy.
There are no 'right answers' in this course. You each have
interests, and the structure of this course allows you to explore
those interests with the aim of furthering your professional and
scholarly experience and abilities. These
three assignments will become learning and teaching artifacts
placed in your electronic portfolio. Thus, I am making the
assumption that each of you has an electronic portfolio. For
those students new to the program, or those who have not taken a
course requiring an electronic portfolio, you will have to create
your portfolio outside of class. I, along with lab
assistants, will help you create your 'web presence.' Please
make an appointment with me to discuss this further. 1.
Intellectual Biography. Course instructors often
require students to read a book and then report on that book to
the rest of the class. Course requirements will often also
require an 'intellectual auto-biography.' The first
assignment is related to both of these concepts, and it is called
an 'intellectual biography.' Rather than just reading
one book, or writing about your own progress towards becoming an
intellectual, I am asking you to research a person or a concept
and then explore how that concept changes and scaffolds our
understanding of the production process. You
will be required to write a 6-8 page paper, and then present your
person or idea to class. The format of the presentation will
a 15-20 minute presentation followed by a student-led discussion
for 25-30 minutes. We will have one intellectual biography
per class, starting Sept 17/18 and ending Nov 26/27. The
sooner you sign up for a presentation, the quicker you will have
to do your research. However, the sooner you are finished
with your intellectual autobiography, the more time you'll have to
work on your other projects. I would like you to select an
idea or person that is new to you. Please note: intellectual
biography ideas must be approved by me prior to beginning your
research. Your 6-8 page
paper should be written in a professional and scholarly manner
(see: Publication manual of the American Psychological
Association, 5th ed., 2001. Washington, DC: APA). There is
not a set number of books or articles to be used for this
paper--it will depend on the person or idea you choose. For
some of you, it may be one or two books. For others of you,
you may decide to include 5-8 articles to really understand the
idea or person. However, you will be required to provide
some reading material for the rest of the class (normally a short
article) 1 week in advance of your presentation. Due to the
time differential between presenters, I will allow you to turn in
a draft of your paper on the day of your presentation, and then a
more finalized version at the end of the semester. You
should think about this paper as a possible conference
presentation or publication submission. Possible
examples (just examples) for this first assignment include:
- Cognitive Flexibility Theory
- Keiran Egan
- Nass & Reeves
- Visual Literacy
I am flexible about the format of
the paper. However, it should include a short history of the
person or idea, the impact of the idea on education, and the
potential or realized potential of the idea or person on the
design and production process. This paper and presentation
needs to be completed individually. 2.
Technology Teaching Lesson. I mentioned in the
introduction to this course, that hardware and software skills are
a byproduct of the learning in this course. Again, due to
the wide range of tools available, we will not be specifically
focusing on Product X or Product Z. We will learn that each
tool enables and constrains opportunities for learning (everything
is not a nail, and you have more than just a hammer in your
toolbox). As you work on
your main project (see below), however, we will discover and
discuss new, exciting tools that you can use to facilitate the
completion of the intended audience's goals. You will be
responsible for teaching your colleagues about a new and exciting
technological tool. Your 40-50 minute presentation will
include a presentation of the ideas as well as hands-on time for
the other students. You
will presumably have learned a lot about this tool during the
course of using it on your other project. The purpose of
this teaching session is to introduce the tool to your
classmates. You do not need to make your colleagues experts
by the end of the 50 minutes. There is no handout required
prior to the session, but your teaching artifacts should include a
handout and some record of your information to be included in your
portfolio (PowerPoint, HyperStudio, etc.). As
with the intellectual biography, the sooner you complete your
lesson, the more time you'll have to work on other things.
You may work on this with others, especially if you are using the
tool with your group project. However, the scope and
expectations of your presentation increase with the number of
people presenting. Thus, if two of you are presenting a
lesson, I will expect to see both people instruct, and I will
probably give you two slots to teach (depending on the tool
used). Please note: you will need to get approval
prior to deciding on a specific tool to teach. I am
available during office hours and other times (appointments only)
to brainstorm ideas as well as instruct you on specific
technologies. Examples
may include:
- web-based database design
- java programming
- advanced Premier or Final Cut
Pro design
- audio tools
3. Authentic
Audience Project. We will be discussing the process of
production design, implementation, and evaluation. Perhaps
the most important project in this class will be the opportunity
you'll be given to interact with a real audience to try out this
process. I want to provide you with the opportunity to work
with an authentic audience in the field of your choice, as long as
it is related to teaching and learning. You
may work on this project as a group or individually.
However, as with the technology teaching, I will expect the scope
of the plan and completed project to be greater based on the
number of individuals in the group. We will talk about
possible projects in the first and second class sessions, and your
final project plan is due on Sept. 10/11. About every two
weeks after that (see calendar), a project update is
required. This project update will be shared with the entire
class. However, an update should also be turned in
individually on these days, approximately one-half page in length. Your
final project will be presented to the other section of EME 6405
in the form of a poster session. An open invitation will be
given to the College as well. The date for this final
presentation will either be Dec. 10 or 11 (we'll decide that in
class). I want this project
to be useful to you and your professional career. Thus, if
you are a student pursuing an academic career, I will try to push
your ideas to include some opportunity for research and
publication. If you are a student who has an end goal of
entering business, I will try to set something up for you with a
local business. Again, the important thing for this project
is that it must be related to some aspect of teaching and
learning. Please note: your project idea must be
approved by me prior to beginning your work. Examples
of possible projects include:
- On-line training for a local
business
- PT3 Grant Website
- Ed-Tech department website
- Tools for local teacher
classrooms
- School websites for teachers,
students, and parents
It is my hope that your
intellectual biography and technology teaching lesson will both be
strongly related to your project.
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