Initial IT Course for
Preservice Elementary Education Teachers at the University
of Oregon
Most teacher education program requires some IT
coursework for their preservice teacher education majors.
There are significant variations in these courses. This is a
topic that OTEC will address. Here is an example of one such
course.
Educational Studies 114: Communication Using
Computers
(University of Oregon: 4 quarter hours of credit)
Introduction to
information-age issues; communication among people
and information sources; design, editing, and use
of messages that are represented, stored, and
processed digitally.
This course is required of all students seeking admission
to the Integrated Teaching preservice education program at
the University of Oregon. The Integrated Program is designed
to prepare elementary school teachers in a combination of
regular education and special education. During their fifth
year, students do their student teaching and also do a
specialization in one of several different areas. One of the
areas is IT. Here is a listing of the Skills and Concepts
that students learn in Educational Studies 114:
Communication Using Computers.
Conceptual
- Students have a conceptual model of the Internet and
of how information flows from site to site.
- Students understand that the design of documents --
both electronic and printed -- affects the quality of
communication of the documents.
- Students understand the difference between typing and
word processing.
- Students understand when to use a word processor and
when to use a graphics application for page layout.
- Students understand the difference between a paint
and a draw application and when to use each.
- Students understand the purpose of a database and the
purpose of a spreadsheet and have an entry level
understanding of when to use a database and when to use a
spreadsheet to solve a problem.
- Students understand the difference between linear
documents and hypermedia documents and can distinguish
which format is best for presenting particular
information.
- Students have an understanding of the effect of
technology on society in general and on education in
particular.
- Students understand that they are moving into a world
where change brought about by technology is dramatic and
that in order to keep up professionally they must
continue to learn about technology and the changing world
of information interchange
Telecommunications
- Fluent use of email. Students learn the current mail
program and learn to read, reply to, forward, and manage
their mail. In addition, they know how to print email
messages and work with attachments.
- Familiarity with the World Wide Web. Students learn
to use the current Web browser. While everyone will not
have examined the same sites, they will be familiar with
the College of Education web site and will have had
experience "surfing" outside of the University. They also
know how to use search engines and how to do "advanced"
searches.
Word Processing
- Sophisticated skill using a word processor. All
students have learned how to use word processor rules
rather than typing rules. They also know how to use such
tools as Spell checkers. Note that AppleWorks is the
software taught in this course.
- Inclusion of graphics. Students learn how to
incorporate graphics into word processing documents.
These graphics include student-created graphics, clip
art, graphics from the Web and graphs and charts.
- Style sheets. Students learn how to use Style Sheets
in AppleWorks. Style sheets are a way of naming the
formatting -- typeface, paragraph settings, margins, etc.
-- in a document so that it can be used over again both
in the same document and in other documents. All modern
word processors and high level spreadsheets and graphics
programs include style sheets.
Graphics
- Ability to use Paint tools. Students learn how to use
paint tools in AppleWorks to create their own graphics or
to modify clip art.
- Ability to use Draw tools. Students learn how to use
draw tools in AppleWorks to create such items as labeled
drawings, posters, signs, or advertisements. They know
how to incorporate pain images into draw documents.
Databases and Spreadsheets
- Familiarity with databases. Students learn to use
AppleWorks to explore existing databases and to create a
simple database of their own. They also learn how to
create simple reports using a database.
- Familiarity with spreadsheets. Students learn to use
AppleWorks to manipulate simple spreadsheets and to
create a spreadsheet of their own. They learn to use
simple formulas and to create charts and graphs from
spreadsheet data.
Hypermedia
- Students understand the concept of a storyboard and
how to use it to plan a hypermedia presentation.
- Students understand the concept of hypermedia and
have developed simply hypermedia documents using
MicroWorlds Pro.
Design
- Students understand the use of type to create
professional-looking documents, including the use of en-
and em-dashes, smart quotes, italics to replace
underlining and correct spacing after punctuation.
- Students understand the use of type as a design
element. They know what kinds of type to use for what
purposes and understand how to use type to make documents
that are readable.
- Students understand the importance of creating
documents that are clear, easy to read, appealing to the
eye and communicate effectively.
- Students understand the basic principles of design
used by professional designers. They know how to enhance
communication by applying these principles to documents
containing text and graphics.
- All students have designed a significant document
such as a newsletter. They understand the steps involved,
the necessity of feedback to improve a design, and the
importance of frequent redesign to create effective
documents.
Reference
Communication Using Computers: EDST 114
[Online]. Accessed 12/9/00: http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~skyoder/classes/classes.html.
Top of
Page
Integrating IT into Non-IT
Courses
What follows is a sample assignment that can be
integrated into almost any preservice teacher educatoin
course. It is designed to introduce students to OTEC.
The Oregon Council for Technology in Education
and Educational Technology (OTEC) is grassroots
organization of people dedicated to improving both formal
and informal education at all levels in Oregon through
the appropriate use of Information Technology (IT). It
has a special focus on preservice teachers and on
beginning teachers.
- Go to the Oregon Technology in Education Council
Website at http://otec.uoregon.edu/. On the homepage,
read the paragraph that begins with "The Oregon
Technology in Education Council (OTEC) is a grassroots
organization …" Join both the general OTEC Email
Distribution list and one of the discipline-specific
lists.
- Over a period of one week, send at least two email
messages to the discipline-specific list that you have
joined, and cc your course instructor on your
messages.
- Browse the OTEC Website until you find some
component that seems particularly relevant to your
interests in education and to the education course
that has made this assignment. Briefly summarize the
information you have found, why it is of interest to
you, and why it is relevant to the course you are
taking. Send this brief report to your course
instructor via email.
Here is a more advanced assignment, suitable for
preservice or inservice teachers who have a good start on
integration of IT into curriculum, instruction, assessment,
and their own person professional work.
There is a steadily growing research and
practitioner base of knowledge on how IT can be used to
improve the education of students and the professional
lives of educators. The sense of direction of the field
of IT in education is to make effective higher-order uses
of IT in curriculum, instruction, and assessment, and in
the professional work of educators.
The Oregon Council for Technology in Education and
Educational Technology (OTEC) is grassroots organization
of people dedicated to improving both formal and informal
education at all levels in Oregon through the appropriate
use of Information Technology (IT). It has a special
focus on preservice teachers and inservice teachers.
- Go to the Oregon Technology in Education Council
Website at http://otec.uoregon.edu/. On the homepage,
read the paragraph that begins with "The Oregon
Technology in Education Council (OTEC) is a grassroots
organization …" Join both the general OTEC Email
Distribution list and one of the discipline-specific
lists.
- Develop (or, develop and implement) a lesson plan
that effectively integrates higher-order use of IT
into curriculum, instruction, and assessment. This
should be in a specific discipline, and it should be
discipline-specific. In your write-up of this lesson
plan, provide solid evidence from researchers and
practitioners to support the design and content of
your lesson plan.
- Share your ongoing work (and, collaborate in a
manner that seems appropriate to you) with people in
the specific-purpose Email Distribution list mentioned
in (1) above. Make your final product available to the
people on this list.
Top of
Page
More Advanced IT
Courses (Example from the University of Oregon)
Students in the Integrated Teaching (combined regular and
special education) elementary school preservice education
program at the University of Oregon complete a bachelor's
degree during their first four years. The program of study
includes core courses (such as the EDST 114 course
Communication Using Computers), a number of Methods course,
three field placement practicums, and a variety of other
courses. During their fifth year, students do two field
placement practicums, one term of student teaching, a
Capstone Master's Project, and miscellaneous other
coursework. They also do a Specialization in one of five
possible areas. select one of five different areas for a
Specialization. One of the options is a 16-credit Technology
Specialization.
Here are brief summaries of two of the 2-credit courses
required in the Technology Specialization .
Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age I
[Online]. Accessed 12/5/00: http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~moursund/DigitalAge1/
This is the first term of a fall quarter and
spring quarter (Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age
II) 2-term sequence. In this 2-term sequence students
will gain a broad understanding of information technology
in instruction and how information technology is changing
and will change the world's education systems. They will
learn to plan for change and to be change agents. They
will learn to be leaders in IT in education. The course
is balanced between theory and practice. It is primarily
intended for students in the Integrated Teaching teacher
education program, although others can be admitted with
the permission of the instructor.
Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age II
[Online]. Accessed 12/5/00: http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~moursund/DigitalAge2/.
Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age (II) is
the second term of a fall quarter (Teaching and Learning
in the Digital Age I) and spring quarter 2-term sequence.
In this 2-term sequence students will gain a broad
understanding of information technology in instruction
and how information technology is changing and will
change the world's education systems. They will learn to
plan for change and to be change agents. They will learn
to be leaders in IT in education. The course is balanced
between theory and practice. It is primarily intended for
students in the elementary school Integrated Teaching
teacher education program, although others can be
admitted with the permission of the instructor.
Technology Products and Practices: ELTA 610 (4 credits
Fall, 4 credits spring): [Online]. Accessed 12/9/00:
http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~skyoder/ http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~skyoder/.
In the Fall term you will:
- improve your overall personal productivity
skills;
- learn to program in Logo (MicroWorlds);
- develop products that can be used in future lessons
that may be used in your practicum or
- elsewhere;
- gain an understanding of a number of high end
software products;
- master one piece of sophisticated software;
- In the Spring term you will:
- Further develop your skills using the Web;
- Learn to write Web-based instructional material;
- Learn to use Adobe Go Live to author Web pages;
- Learn the basics of networking;
Throughout both terms you will:
- Gain an understanding of hypermedia development and
instruction
- Develop skills in technical writing;;
- Understand choices in storage media;
- Learn to use disk repair and machine diagnostic
software;
- Develop skills for keeping up to date with
ever-changing technology;
- Develop skills in troubleshooting hardware and
software;
- Gain a better understanding of computer
architecture;
- Gain an understanding of both the Macintosh and the
Windows operating systems;
Top of
Page
|
