Syllabus
Instructors
- Dr. Elizabeth Cloude, cloudeel@msu.edu
- Minnie Lin, linqiyan@msu.edu Office hours: By appointment; please email us to arrange.
Overview
In CEP416, we will explore classroom technology integration. The goal of this course is to help you learn and reflect on how to teach with technology. Technology changes over time, and policies governing its use in schools tend to vary. As a result, this course focuses on pedagogical skills that you will be able to apply to multiple educational contexts; you will have many hands-on opportunities to evaluate and use popular classroom technologies. You will complete CEP416 with a better understanding of how to implement technology in your classroom; over the course of the semester you will develop an electronic Web Portfolio showcasing your growing skills and knowledge in this area.
What to Expect
Required Texts
There is no required text. All readings and videos will be provided.
Self-assigned Readings: Students are expected to independently find and read texts (e.g., articles, books, websites, other media) related to course topics.
Schedule and Organization
- The class is organized into weekly activities and assignments.
- The week begins on Monday, 8:00 am and ends Sunday, 11:59 pm.
- You should check the weekly assignment every Monday.
- You should not wait until the mid-week or weekend to begin your assignments. Although we have due dates (see below), we recommend the following routine:
- Monday - review overview, begin readings
- Tuesday - continue readings, work on assignments
- Wednesday - complete readings
- Thursday - post to video discussion, if assigned
- Friday - turn in assignments
Saturday & Sunday - you’re free!
- Due dates
- Written assignments are usually due on Sunday.
- Discussions: One-post discussions are due on Sunday. For post-and-reply discussion, the post is due Thursday, reply by Sunday.
Time Commitment
You can expect to spend a minimum of 10 hours per week on the course. This includes participating in group discussions and completing the course activities. As a rule, plan to check in on the course web site daily.
Major Assignments
Course readings
You will have many course readings throughout the semester.
- Instructor-assigned readings
- Self-assigned readings
Creative Media & Reflection (65%)
It is important for teachers to know how to use technology to communicate with students and parents. The Creative Media & Reflection assignment is an opportunity for you to use various popular technologies to communicate to your future students and their parents.
In addition, CM&R projects will also include a discussion of the implications for teaching and learning. These discussions are opportunities to engage in deep, critical thinking about the meaning and implications of what you’ve learned. Your discussion should connect to clearly and productively to things you’ve read. Readings should be both course assigned (given to you) and self-assigned (you found on your own).
Discussions and small assignments (25%)
Putting your thoughts into words and sharing them with others is an important means of refining your ideas and developing better understanding. The goal is to encourage honest and authentic participation, risk-taking, the critical examination of ideas, generation of questions, and creative thinking.
On occasion, there may be small assignments.
Educational Technology Portfolio Website (10%)
The individual assignments you will complete in this course will result in the completion of a web portfolio. Your portfolio will contain all of your assignments during the semester. For this project you will design an interactive website that will allow you to communicate your knowledge of educational technology with future students and parents. This project will be graded in a holistic manner that considers the overall body of work, the aesthetics of the portfolio, and the substance of your work. If you already have an active website, we encourage you to continue building it by adding a page specifically dedicated to this course. The rubric that will be used to evaluate your portfolio at the end of the semester is available here.
Note: Most web assignments in this course are usually open to the public by default. If you are uncomfortable with making your website or other assignments on the Web public, please email your instructor for alternative options or tips on how to make them private. We are happy to accommodate your request.
- 30% - Website Portfolio - Beta version
- 70% - Website Portfolio - Final version
Grading and Evaluation
Grading scale
Final grades will be calculated based on the total number of points obtained for the assignments using the University’s grading scale of 4.0 - 0.0 according to the following scale:
- 93-100: 4.0 A
- This represents outstanding and exemplary work. The student uses and integrates class materials, classroom discussions, and teaching experiences (where appropriate) to inform his/her work. The student meets all the requirements of the assignment, is deeply thoughtful, and provides many details and examples to support the produced work.
- 88-92: 3.5 B+/A-
- This represents high quality work. The student uses many class materials, classroom discussions, and teaching experiences (where appropriate) to inform his/her work. The student meets all the requirements of the assignment, is thoughtful and provides some details and examples to support the produced work.
83-87: 3.0 B *This represents quality work. The student uses some class materials, classroom discussions, and teaching experiences (where appropriate) to inform his/her work. The student meets all the requirements of the assignment, and provides some details and examples to support the produced work.
- 78-82: 2.5 B-/C+
- This represents work below expected level of quality for the class. The student does not meet all requirements of assignment. The student’s work represents a limited attempt to engage with the purposes of the assignment, few details and examples to support the produced work.
- 73-77: 2.0 C
- This represents work significantly below expected level of quality for the class. The work shows little evidence of having read class materials, or of classroom discussions. The student demonstrates a shallow attempt to engage with the purposes of the assignment, no details or examples to support the produced work.
- 68-72: 1.5 C-/D+
- 63-67: 1.0 D
- 0<63: 0.0 Fail