| Course Professor: | Bruce Harris Dept. of Instructional Technology and Telecommunications (ITT) |
| Class Time and Room: | Friday Jan 30; Feb 13, 27: 4:30 - 9:30 p.m. Saturday Jan 31; Feb 14, 28: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. 63 & 70 Horrabin Hall |
| E-Mail: | B-Harris@wiu.edu |
| Office: | 91 Horrabin Hall, 298-2170 (or ITT Dept. Office, 298-1952) |
| Office Hours: | Tue and Wed: 9:00 - 11:30 am |
| Mailing Address: | 37 Horrabin Hall Western Illinois University Macomb, IL 61455 |
| Teaching Assistant: | Debbie Reese DD-Reese@wiu.edu |
The four-fold purpose of this course is to enable you to: 1) gain expertise in using several
computer applications for personal use and for use in the schools, 2) evaluate the worth and
merit of educational software programs, 3) use telecommunications software to communicate
electronically with other people and access information on the Internet, and 4) use
multimedia/hypermedia-based instructional programs. This is an introductory course to
educational computing. More than anything else, if you do not feel comfortable with
computers now, we hope you will by the end of the course.
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites. This course has been designed on the assumption that students
have had no prior experience with computers. Therefore, the pace of the course has been
adjusted to meet the needs of those students with no prior computer background.
Testing out: If you feel you have sufficient experience with computers and educational
applications of computers and do not feel this course would be helpful to you, ask the
professor for information on how to test out of the class.
Text & Materials
Text: Merrill, P. F., Tolman, M. N., Christensen, L., Hammons, K., Vincent, B. R. &
Reynolds, P. L. (1996). Computers in Education (3rd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, N.J.:
Prentice-Hall.
Workbook: Harris, B. R. (1996). Using Microcomputers in Education (2nd ed.). Champaign, Illinois: Stipes Publishing.
You will need to purchase at least two 3 1/2" Double Sided, High Density floppy diskettes for
this class. It is highly recommended that you purchase two additional diskettes to use as
back-up disks (if the term "back-up" disk doesn't make sense to you, don't worry because it
will be explained in class); however, it is not required--you are only required to have two disks
to complete this course.
Course Activities and Assignments
The course activities will include:
1. Complete assigned readings.
2. Complete several lessons (assignments) on the computers in the Horrabin Hall Computer
Lab.
3. Complete a final project.
4. Participate in class discussions and demonstrations.
5. Complete a midterm and a final exam.
The lessons are explained in greater detail in the workbook required for this class (Using
Microcomputers in Education). If you do not feel the course activities will help you learn what
is important to you, talk to the course professor about other activities that you feel would be
more appropriate. The professor encourages highly motivated students to design their own
curriculum for this course which is commensurate with the general instructional objectives.
Grades
Grades will be based on your scores from the lessons, quizzes, the final project, and the final
exam according to the following point system:
| Assignment | Points | |
|---|---|---|
| Using Computers in Education Workbook Part 2: Telecommunications | ||
| Lesson 1: Learning to Use E-mail | 10 | |
| Lesson 2: Using Advanced E-mail Techniques | 15 | |
| Lesson 3: Browsing the Internet with Turbogopher | 25 | |
| Lesson 4: Browsing the World Wide Web | 30 | |
| Using Computers in Education Workbook Part 1: Computer Tool Applications | ||
| Lesson 1: Using the Word Processor to Print a Cross Country Race Notice | 10 | |
| Lesson 2: Using the Word Processor to Create a Vocabulary Quiz | 15 | |
| Lesson 3: Using the Word Processor to Write a Resume | 25 | |
| Lesson 8: Using Graphics Programs | 15 | |
| Lesson 4: Maintaining Student Records | 15 | |
| Lesson 6: Recording Student Grades | 15 | |
| Using Computers in Education Workbook | ||
| Lesson 1: Using Software Evaluation Checklists | 45 | |
| Lesson 3: Software Reflection Paper | 20 | |
| Using Computers in Education Workbook Part 4: Interactive Multimedia | ||
| Lesson 1: CD-ROM Evaluation | 20 | |
| Lesson 2: Interactive Videodisc Evaluation | 25 | |
| Lesson 3: Developing a Hypercard Stack | 40 | |
| Projects and Exams | ||
| Final Project | 125 | |
| Midterm | 100 | |
| Final Exam | 100 | |
| ________________________________________ | _______ | |
| Total Points Possible | 650 |
| __Points__ | __Percent__ | __Grade__ |
|---|---|---|
| 585+ | 90-100 | A |
| 520-584 | 80-89 | B |
| 455-519 | 70-79 | C |
| 390-454 | 60-69 | D |
| 389 or less | under 60 | F |
Unit 1: Getting Started
Unit 2: Telecommunications
Unit 3: Computer Tool Applications
Unit 4: Evaluating Educational Software
Unit 5: Interactive Multimedia
Unit 6: Microcomputers in Education
The requirements for each unit is described in more detail in the Unit Outlines, which are
located on the ITT 520 Website. Each Unit Outline includes three sections: the objectives of
the unit, the readings, and the assignments. The readings should be completed before the class
discussion on that particular subject. Some of the readings will be handed out in class. A
course schedule has also been provided at the end of the syllabus listing assignment due dates
and other important class information. The course schedule is subject to change.
Policies
This course will consist of class lectures/discussions presented in the College of Education
Electronic Classroom (HH 71) and lab sessions held in the Horrabin Hall Computer Lab (HH
63) for demonstrations and open lab time to complete assignments.
To make this class a positive experience, stay on schedule. The class is not meant to create high anxiety or stressful conditions for you. The key to doing well in this class is to turn in assignments by the due date. There is no penalty for absences.
There is a due date associated with each assignment; however, you can turn them in late. Each assignment has a "grace period" of one class period session. If you turn in an assignment after the grace period, you will lose 20 percent of the total possible points for each class session the assignment is late. This means that if an assignment is worth 30 points and you turn it in two days late, 12 points (40 percent of 30 points) will be deducted from the points you received on the assignment.
Once you turn in an assignment to the instructor, additional parts or components of the assignment will not be accepted if submitted in a later class period. If the instructor has not recorded a grade correctly for an assignment, it is your responsibility to bring it to the attention of the instructor as soon as possible.
If there is any student in this class who has need for test-taking or notetaking accommodations due to a disability, please feel free to discuss this with the professor.
Comments, Questions, Suggestions, or Complaints
If you have any comments, questions, suggestions, or complaints during this semester about
the class or the professor, please let the professor know about it. The professor revises this
class every semester based on the suggestions and comments received from students. If you
have suggestions to make, you can either talk to the professor directly or write your comments
and submit them in the same way you submit your assignments. You do not need to sign your
name to any comments you make, but if you do, you will receive a written response to your
comment or suggestion from the professor.
General Course Outline
| Unit | Topic | Readings |
|---|---|---|
| Getting Started | Introduction, General Issues of Technology, What is a Computer, Educational Applications, History | Chs. 1, 2, 3 |
| Telecommunications | Email, Internet, etc. | Ch. 9 |
| Computer Tool Applications | Word Processor, Spreadsheet, Database, Applications Graphics, Desktop Publishing, etc. | Ch. 7 |
| Evaluating Educational Software | Software Evaluation, Drill & Practice, Software Tutorial, Games, Simulations, Problem Solving | Chs. 4, 5, 6 |
| Interactive Multimedia | CD-ROM, Interactive Videodisc, etc. | Ch. 8 |
| Microcomputers in Education | Curriculum Integration, Social Issues, Future of Computers, Ethical Issues, Legal Issues, etc. | Handout articles Chs. 12, 13, 15 |
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