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Null Summer14
Ed 377: Technology in Education for Secondary Educators

CRN 3# 40057
2 credits
Format: Seminar format with some blended components

Note: Information may be subject to change!

6/9/14

Instructor: Suzie Null
Class Times:TWTh 12:20-2:20
Classroom: EBH 030, but on some days we will meet in EBH 213 or in another lab. Those
days will be announced on Canvas.
Office Phone: 970-247-7671
Cell Phone: 970-799-5032
Office: EBH 258
email: null_s@fortlewis.edu
Office Hours: See the office hours schedule posted on Canvas and on the door of
Suzies office.

Preferred Contact Methods:
1) I strongly prefer email. I am pretty good about responding quickly, but it might
sometimes take 48 hours or longer if I am incredibly busy or not home.
2) Also feel free to call either the office number or cell number if you have questions.
Please use the cell number between 8 am and 11 pm. Im not a big texter, so I prefer
voicemail to a text.

Required texts:
Materials will be provided via Canvas, Google Docs, and other online sources.

Other required materials:

1. You MUST have access to a computer AND internet access outside of class.
If you dont have a computer and internet access, or if you only have dial-up
internet that is very slow, plan time to use the campus computer labs.

Some programs and resources we will be using will only be available
on campus in specific labs or classrooms. Those labs are sometimes
scheduled by other classes. If you miss class or need time out of class
to complete assignments, you will need to find times when the
necessary labs or classrooms are open, and then plan time to complete
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the assignments at those times. In other words, it will be very
inconvenient for you to miss class.


2. Assignments will be posted and submitted primarily on Canvas and Google
Plus. You will need a Gmail address. You will need to access and learn to
use these programs.

3. Bring earphones or headphones to class each day. Some programs require the
use of earphones.

Course Description from FLC:
This course requires demonstration of proficiency with technological literacy,
particularly the tools necessary for course management and instruction in
schools. Students will learn to use software and hardware independently, learn
instructional applications in their content area in secondary school settings, and will
analyze how and when various technologies are useful in helping students master
content objectives.

Goals for this Course:

Students will explore and apply the technologies that many schools currently expect
teachers to use. Each student will also become a specialist an additional technology
of her/his choosing and will share their specialty with the class. In the process,
students will explore what it means to integrate 21
st
century literacy skills into their
teaching practice, they will become critical thinkers about how to use technology
meaningfully when they teach, and they will gain the foundation to become lifelong
learners of emerging classroom technologies.

Essential Questions:
What does it mean to be literate in the 21
st
century?
How can we use technology to share content with students, encourage student
interaction, and help students create and share information?
What technologies can best help students reach learning objectives?

What you will leave with at the end of the semester:

An ability to use several of the technologies that you may need to know when you
teach.
A plan for using several types of technology to enrich a unit in your content area
and/or grade level.
Plans for showing students how to use video and other tools to share and
demonstrate their knowledge in your content area.
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Expertise in one or more additional technologies of your choice, which you will
be able to both apply in your own teaching and teach to your colleagues.
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Grading

Module or Category Percentage of Grade
Attendance and Participation 10%
Sharing Content 35%
Fostering Interaction 20%
Having Students Create 15%
Final Project 15%
Response to Final Projects 15%



Grade Scale:

93%-100% = A
90%-92.9% = A-
87%-89.9% = B+
83%-86.9% = B
80%-82.9% = B-
77%-79.9% = C+
73%-76.9% = C
70%-72.9% = C-
67%-69.9% = D+
63%-66.9% = D
60%-62.9% = D-
0%-59.9% = F

Course Policies:
Attendance

You are preparing for a profession in which you MUST be reliable in being at work
regularly, on time, and well-prepared. Therefore, 10% of the grade will be for
attendance, timeliness, and class participation. Due to the hands-on nature of the
course, points given for attendance cannot be made up.

This is not a good class to miss. It is organized like a lab class, with
demonstrations of how to use the technology followed by hands-on work in which
students make something with the technology themselves. On some days, the entire
assignment will be completed in a day. Other days, we will work on something for a
day or two, and then have it due in class the next day. Some of the hardware and
software is only available in certain labs or classrooms, and those are often booked at
other times by other classes or groups. If you miss class, there will be no alternate
form of instruction in how to use the hardware or software that we used that day, and
you will have to find times and places where you can use the hardware and software
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on your own if you want to make up the assignment. The availability of these tools
outside of class, at times that fit into your schedule, is not guaranteed.

3 absences will result in automatic failure of the class. This is because people who
are absent more than 20% of the time usually have too much trouble keeping up in the
course. In addition, the vast majority of work is done during class, and it is not
always possible to get a review of what was covered at other times, or to get access to
materials in other locations.

I will consider excusing an absence if the student provides documentation that s/he
was absent for one of the following reasons:
Documented illness
Death in the family
Severe accident
Other major emergency (NOT my car wouldnt start, my dog puked, and I
was tired from studying all night for another class).

Please note that even excused absences often adversely affect your grade.


Tardies:

Class begins at the designated time. Teachers cannot be late to class it is a legal
supervision issue. Tardies are defined as not being in class at the time when class
starts. Each tardy results in a 70% maximum participation grade for that days class.
Coming more than 15 minutes late will count as an absence. Also, I usually go over
announcements, due dates, and other logistical information at the beginning of the
class and people who miss this often have trouble keeping up.

Leaving Class:
You are preparing for a profession in which you will need to be able to wait for 1-4
hours before you use the bathroom or take care of personal business. Students are
generally expected to be able to stay in the class for the duration of the class time.
Students who frequently leave will lose participation points. Leaving more than 15
minutes early when content is being presented or missing more than 20 minutes
during the class will count as an absence. If you have a medical or other reason why
you will need to leave class constantly, either throughout the course or on a particular
day, please communicate that to the professor.

If there is a medical or other reason why you need to miss classes, be late to classes,
or frequently leave classes, please bring documentation from a doctor or other source
(see Contingency Plans).

On Gadgets: You are preparing for a profession in which you will need to be fully
present when you are in class with your students. Please turn off your cell phone,
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smartphone, MP3 music player, etc., before you come into class. Please keep it
put away when you are in class. We will be using computers during class. Use
them at appropriate times for course assignments (such as to access Canvas or
the Common Core Standards App), but dont surf the internet or multitask by
doing other activities/work. No texting, surfing, checking messages, games,
using headphones, etc. during instruction or group interaction times. When
someone is talking, look up and listen. If you are using a cellphone, MP3 player, or
inappropriately using the computer, I will warn you once. If you continue, I will ask
you to leave class. If I have already warned you in one or more previous classes, I
will ask you to leave with no warning on that day.

Cellphone use is allowed if you are using it at designated times to conduct research.

If you have a compelling reason to use your phone, please communicate this need
with me in advance. Please leave class to take your call. Compelling reasons would
include:

Being a caregiver to small child or elderly person and needing to be available
for contact from the daycare, school, etc.
Having a medical need, such as anaphylaxis, which requires immediate access
to a phone.

Bringing Children to Class:
In general, parents will need to arrange for their children to have care outside of class.
If there is a child-care emergency, please ask for my permission in advance. I will
usually allow a persons child to attend class a few times as long as the following
conditions are met:
1) The child does not have a contagious illness (a doctors note may be required
to ensure this if the child is sick).
2) The child is able to sit quietly for the duration of the class and is not a
disruption to other students.

Getting Missed Work: Copies of powerpoints, assignments, and course handouts
will be available on Canvas and will usually be posted before class.

You will be responsible for checking your Canvas account and reading the
powerpoint, assignments, and handouts for any day that you missed. You will need
to see me for any or other information that you didnt receive.

Accessing Course Materials on Canvas: Being able to access and navigate school
sites, and being able to post work and communicate with others online, are essential
skills for 21
st
Century teachers. Assignments will be due via Canvas (or other sites
where noted). Most course readings, assignments, and other course information
(except where otherwise noted) will only be available through Canvas. This means
that you will also need to have access to a computer and a reliable internet
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connection. If you do not have access to a reliable computer or internet connection at
home, you will need to plan time to use computers and/or the internet at FLC, at a
library, or at other public locations.

Turning in Work: All assignments submitted via Canvas must be posted under the
assignment, and not as a message or in another assignment or discussion. Work
that is not posted correctly will not be graded until the student makes an appointment
to show me where they posted their work and gets a lesson on how to post it
correctly.

Work that is turned in via Google Drive must be in the correct folder. It must be
labeled with your Lastname_Assignment Title_Date. Work that is not turned in
correctly will be subject to the same policies as unidentified work, which means it
will only be graded when it is turned in correctly, and then there will be a 5% grade
reduction.

Turning in Work When You are Absent:
If you miss a deadline because you were not in class, you should still post the
assignment on Canvas. The submission must be time-stamped by the beginning of
the class period in order for you to receive credit.

Late Work: Please complete assignments by the day they are due, because we will
often be using or discussing what we did during class.

Assignments will receive a 10% grade reduction for every day they are late.

With the exception of up to two assignments with a Give me a break coupon
attached, I will not accept late assignments except possibly through prior
arrangement, or in order to accommodate a DOCUMENTED illness or problem (see
Contingency Plans).

Unidentified work (Work with no name, that is not clearly labeled, or that is
turned in incorrectly)

All submitted work must be identified with your name. If you submit your work via
email (by prior arrangement), or another digital source, it must be identified BOTH
with both your LastName_AssignmentTitle_Date as the document title, AND with
your name on the actual document.

All unidentifiable work will not be graded. Unidentifiable hard copies of students
work will be kept in a box in my office. Unidentifiable digital copies (such as those
sent through email) will remain ungraded until they are resubmitted in an identifiable
form. Work that needs to be graded late because it was unidentifiable will receive a
10% deduction. If you think you did not receive a grade because you might have
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forgotten to put your name on your paper, you will need to make an appointment to
come to my office and see if your work is in the box.

Saving Work in the Digital Age:

You are responsible for keeping backup copies of all work you submit via Canvas or
via any other method in class. Back up your work in at least 3 places:
1) On your own computer if you have one
2) On a hard drive of flash drive
3) In the cloud in a program such as Google Drive, Dropbox, etc., OR on your
FLC M Drive.

I do not have my work because my laptop died/ I lost my flash drive/ I couldnt
access my files/the computer ate my homework is NOT a valid reason for not having
your work. Work which is late for these reasons will be subject to the late work
policy outlined above. Computer issues is also not a valid reason for missing class
or for coming late. People who are late or absent for technology reasons will be
subject to the late and absent policies outlined above.

Revisions and Extra Credit: For the sake of fairness, I do not allow students who
are behind to do extra credit or make-up work to make up assignments after the due
date. But keep an eye out for opportunities extended to the whole class!

Disabilities:

Fort Lewis College is committed to providing all students a liberal arts education
through a personalized learning environment. If you think you have or you do have a
documented disability which will need reasonable academic accommodations, please
call, Dian Jenkins, the Coordinator of Disability Service, 280 Noble Hall, 247-7459,
for an appointment as soon as possible. Please see me if you need help contacting
Disability Services.

Academic Integrity:
Candidates of the Teacher Education Program are required to adhere to professional
standards and ethics in their academic work and field study experience. Professional
behaviors and actions include but are not limited to the following examples:

Candidates academic work must reflect integrity and honesty (see Academic
Honesty below).
Candidates are expected to come to all classes and school placements in a
physical and mental state that allows them to participate. Please remember that
not all medications (legal or otherwise) are appropriate to take before an academic
course or a field study in a school.
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Candidates should practice collegial and professional communication during their
classes and placements (i.e. using appropriate language, listening to and valuing
other points of view, no put-downs, gossiping, etc.)
Particularly during field studies, candidates are expected to dress appropriately for
the professional roles of the teachers they are becoming. When you are in a
school, dress as well or better than the teachers you are working with.
The candidates field study logs must be an accurate, valid, and concise
representation of the time spent participating in field study experience.


Academic Honesty: Plagiarism is defined as using other peoples words or ideas
without citing them as a source. Please remember that among other things,
plagiarism includes using fragments from other works, replacing words with their
synonyms, calling other teachers lesson plan ideas your own, and using images,
drawings, logos, styles, designs, or any other form of intellectual property without
citation. Plagiarism can also involve inappropriate collaboration, such as turning in
work that uses words, ideas, images, etc. that are taken from classmates without
citation when the assignment calls for individual work. At the college level,
plagiarism can have serious consequences, including course failure or expulsion from
the school. In this course, the first plagiarized student work will receive a failing
grade for the assignment. The second will result in failure of the course. Any
plagiarized assignment will be reported to the FLC Office of Academic Affairs,
which may consider a range of consequences including failure of the class and
disciplinary hearings within FLC. If a students assignment seems to have
similarities to another work that most likely go beyond coincidence, I will ask the
student to discuss her/his work with me, and all or part of the grade may be based on
this oral defense.

There are easy ways to avoid plagiarism:

1) For work such as reading questions, do your own work. Do not loan it to
other people, let them look at it, or leave it in a public place.
2) When youre writing a paper or a lesson plan, cite your sources! Include
parenthetical or footnote and works cited list citations for anything you use
from anywhere else, including images, methods, ideas, phrases, and
quotations. Teaching is a collaborative profession, and it is common to
borrow methods, ideas, and materials from other teachers. But document
when you borrowed something and where you borrowed it from. And clearly,
a lesson plan that is entirely borrowed from another source wont be
acceptable if a lesson plan communicating YOUR ideas was required by the
assignment. If you need help learning how to cite sources, please come get
help from me.

Allergy request: I have a severe allergy to fish. Its a contact allergy, which
means the reaction happens if fish is even in the room or nearby! So please do not
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bring anything with fish in your breakfast/lunch if you want to eat it in class. OK
fish: shellfish (shrimp, crab, lobster, scallops, etc) and tuna. Not OK fish: anything
else, particularly salmon and trout. Even calamari. This means no sushi (except
vegetarian), lox, fish sticks, salmon burgers, salmon chunks in a salad, trout fillets
from your fishing trip. . . you get the idea. I know its weird, and sometimes a pain,
and I really appreciate your help.


Contingency Plans:

If you experience or anticipate any emergency during the term that will affect
your course work or attendance, please arrange a personal conference with me
so that we can determine necessary accommodations. Please bring
collaborating documentation, such as a note from your doctor, to provide
evidence of your extenuating circumstances.
If you are having personal problems with me, the course, other people in the
course, or life problems that affect your course work, please dont suffer in
silence. Be a proactive communicator and come discuss the issue with me so
that we can make the course a positive learning experience for you. If you are
unable to discuss the issue with me, you can contact Richard Fulton, the
Teacher Education Department Chair, at 970-247- 7150 or
fulton_r@fortlewis.edu

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