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Course Description
The push towards curriculum integration of technology has created a need for teacher training in particular content areas. Teachers now need to understand the techniques of teaching reading and language arts and more importantly, how to incorporate the use of technology into these literacy areas. Additionally, teachers will need to understand the technical requirements for teaching in a technology-enhanced classroom.
This course is designed to provide teachers with a variety of ways that technology can promote the development of reading, writing, spelling, and mechanics of English language. The rationale for integration of technology into the reading and language arts classroom are explained and translated into actual classroom practice.
This course will guide teachers through a series of research activities through which they can learn the basics of use of the Internet and other electronic tools to support literacy, word processing and the publishing of student's works. Additionally, the role of the teacher as a facilitator of learning will be examined.
Teachers will complete the course by designing and completing a multimedia integration project, ready to use in their teaching.
Goals & Objectives
Upon completion of this course, teachers will be able to:
Time Requirements
This course will be offered over a 13-week period. Modules 1-13 will be completed one per week.
Skill and Hardware Requirements
Students are expected to have a very basic knowledge of how to use an Internet browser such as Netscape Navigator, Microsoft Internet Explorer, or America Online (AOL). Students should also be familiar with e-mail and have an active e-mail account and Internet access. In addition, students should possess basic word processing skills. Students should also have access to and a basic knowledge of Microsoft PowerPoint.
Students may use either a Macintosh computer or a PC with Windows 95 or higher. Teachers may use either Netscape Navigator, Internet Explorer, or the latest version of AOL as their browser. Teachers may download Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer at no cost.
Course Readings
The required textbook for this course is Using Technology in K-8 Literacy Classrooms, by Rebecca Anderson, & Speck, Bruce ISBN:0-13-936337-8 © 2001, Merrill Prentice Hall. The textbook, course materials, and an extensive Recommended Reading List will be provided for all students. In addition, online readings and Web site reviews (including journal articles and best practices from the body of educational research) will be assigned during the course to enhance learning. These readings will be presented as annotated Web sites within the course content.
Introduction Exercise
Objectives: The instructor will send a welcome message to the class and all participants will reply to the e-mail adding their own introduction. The students have this first week to acquaint themselves with the format of the course, the textbook, and the methods of communication.
Content:
Culminating Assignment: Upon receipt of the instructor's introduction e-mail, students will reply to all recipients with a brief introductory paragraph explaining their current teaching position and reasons/goals for participating in this course.
Module 1: Reading, Writing, and Technology
Objectives: Students will become familiar with theoretical and practical reasons for using computers in today's reading, language arts classrooms. Through their readings they will be able to identify with other reading professionals who are struggling to answer the questions regarding methodology as well as keeping abreast of the advances in technology applications in curriculum.
Content:
Culminating Assignment: Write a 300-500 word reflection of the reading material reviewing the linked Web sites and noting researched links, as required. This should not be a summary of the sites but rather a discussion of how the student would actually use this new information to modify their current teaching practices.
Module 2: The Role of the Literacy Teacher Using Technology
Objectives: Students will identify the variety of roles that teachers must play when using technology in the reading language arts classroom. From facilitator to designer and evaluator teachers are expected to know and be able to do it all. Students will examine these roles and how to meet them electronically.
Content:
Culminating Assignments: Write a 300-500 word reflection on the reading material reviewing the linked sites and 25 -50 word reflection on each assigned Web site. This should not be a summary but rather a discussion of insights into the relationship of the material to the student's own teaching situation. Students should begin to identify ways that they would modify teaching behavior as a result of their course readings.
Module 3: The Internet and Learning
Objectives: Students will examine the research on using the Internet in a classroom environment. Issues such as achievement, safety, and management will be explored. An introduction to the theories of how use of the Internet supports literacy growth will also be explored.
Content:
Culminating Assignment: Write a 300-500 word reflection of the reading material reviewing the linked sites and including a 25-50 word reflection on each assigned Web site. Researched sites should not be summarized, instead students should discuss insights into the relationship of the material to the student's own teaching situation. This reflection should focus on appropriate use of at least three of the identified ways to use Internet sources in teaching of literacy.
Module 4: Using the Internet to Promote Reading, Writing, and Spelling Growth K-8
Objectives: Students will be introduced to ways to use computers and the Internet to teach writing, reading and communication skills. Students will be able to find and use effectively authors' Web sites to enhance literature based reading instruction. Through reading and comparing the various sites students will develop a set of principles for evaluating appropriateness and usefulness of Internet sites.
Content:
Culminating Assignment: Write a 300-500 word reflection of the reading material reviewing the linked sites, including a 25-50 word reflection on each assigned Web site. This should not be a summary but rather a discussion of insights into the relationship of the material to the student's own teaching situation. The focus of this reflection should be how students would incorporate strategies into their daily classroom instruction. Students should also at this time begin to think about the topic for their final project.
Module 5: Using Other Technology Tools in Teaching Reading and Language Arts
Objectives: Students will be introduced to other technologies that will help to design and support literacy instruction. Students will be introduced to using hypermedia, databases, spreadsheets, presentation software, CD-ROMs, and DVD technology that will help write, manage, and track lessons in reading and language arts.
Content:
Culminating Assignment: Students will identify a topic and select between a hypermedia project such as HyperStudio or a PowerPoint presentation to begin designing a literacy lesson for their own classroom use. This will become a part of their final project for this course. They will select two reading or language software packages to evaluate using a checklist or method identified in this course. These two will be submitted to the course instructor via e-mail.
Module 6: Writing and Computers in Literacy Classrooms
Objectives: Students will learn how to use computers to create authentic learning opportunities to help young learners develop writing skills and habits. They will be introduced to theories and practices that will help learners develop thinking, organizing, and production skills. Methods of the process approach to writing will be explored.
Content:
Module 7: Publishing Students' Work Electronically
Objectives: Students will be introduced to the concepts of traditional publishing of student work and electronic methods available today. They will learn to choose between these two formats based on purpose for their use. They will be introduced to organization structures that will help develop and manage publication.
Content:
Module 8: Developing Literacy for Special Needs Students with Technology
Objectives: The current trend of the inclusion of special needs students into regular education classrooms requires that all teachers know how to instruct and challenge learners individually based on their levels of expertise and needs. This module will explore ways that computers and Internet resources may be used to help in this process.
Content:
Culminating Assignment: Write a 300-500 word reflection of the reading material reviewing the linked sites, including a 25-50 word reflection on each assigned Web site. This should not be a summary but rather a discussion of insights into the relationship of the material to the student's own teaching situation. The focus of this reflection should be how students would incorporate strategies into their daily classroom instruction.
Module 9: English As Second Language (ESL) Learners and Technology
Objectives: The ever increasing diversity of today's students makes it necessary for teachers to understand how to meet the needs of students whose first language is different from English. Many teachers in the United States only speak English and find it difficult to communicate with their students who may speak Spanish, French, German or many of the other world languages. This Module will explore the concepts of teaching ESL students in the regular classroom using technology. Resources that would be helpful to both the teacher and learners will also be identified and explored.
Content:
Module 10: Accomplishing the Various Roles of the Literacy Technology Teacher K-8
Objectives: To explore the various roles that teachers of literacy instruction have to play. An examination of how to meet those various roles through organization and use of resources will also be conducted.
Content:
Module 11: The Planning of Your Technology Enhanced Classroom
Objectives: Students will use the information learned in this course to write a plan for how to incorporate the use of computers in their literacy instruction in their own classroom. This plan should include statements of the kind of computer equipment that they currently have available to use in their classroom or what they would request to be placed in their classroom. The students will write their rationale for including computers into their literacy instruction. Next, a prospectus of what they will include in their class Web page will be completed.
Content:
Culminating Assignment: Submission of the above written plan.
Module 12: Your Classroom Web Page
Objectives: Students will use Netscape Composer, Microsoft Word, or a Web editor of their choice to create the Web page they outlined in Module 11. Students will include at least six annotated links to resources appropriate to their classroom setting. Students will post their Web page on their school, school district, or an Internet site.
Content:
Module 13: Final Integration Project
Objectives: Students will complete the final integration project.
Culminating Assignment: Based upon sound educational research principles and best practices that you have learned in this course, create a lesson plan to demonstrate your knowledge on how to integrate educational technology into the reading and language curriculum. The lesson plan must be tied to state standards and reference research articles and best practices in the field of educational technology. Create a curriculum page to support the lesson. You may also modify your Web page to support the lesson plan.
Grading Criteria
| Introduction | 2 |
| Chapter/Online Reflections | 52 |
| Software Evaluations (2) | 6 |
| Rubric | 5 |
| Classroom Writing Project/Action Plan | 7 |
| Integration Plan/Web Page Prospectus | 7 | Web Page | 6 |
| Final Integration Project | 15 |
| Total Points | 100 |
Grading Scale
| 93 - 100 | A |
| 85 - 92 | B |
| 77 - 84 | C |
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