Course Syllabus
CUIN 6397/8397:
Creating Educational Materials for Digital Storytelling
spring 2009
Instructor: Bernard R. Robin, Ph.D.
Personal Webpage: http://coe.uh.edu/~brobin/
Office Location: Room 343, Farish Hall
Office Hours: Wednesdays - 2:30p.m. to 4:30p.m, or other times by appointment.
Email: brobin@uh.edu
Telephone: 713-743-4952
Mailbox: Dept. of Curriculum and Instruction, 256 Farish Hall
Course Description
Creating Educational Materials for Digital Storytelling will deal with updating
the Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling website (http://www.coe.uh.edu/digitalstorytelling/)
and developing additional training materials for the site.
CUIN 6397 is being offered as an online course, which combines a few optional
face-to-face class meetings with online discussions and independent work.
Students will meet face-to-face on some Saturdays during the spring 2009
semester, with online activities and independent work scheduled each week.
Students in the course will explore the use of Digital Storytelling as a
teaching and learning tool as they help make the website a more useful
educational resource for educators and their students interested in this
technology.
During the course, students will participate in weekly topic-related activities
and discussions individually or in small groups. Students will complete reading,
research and online posting assignments each week as well as complete a final
semester project which will be due at the end of the semester.
Course Goals and Objectives
Upon successful completion of this course, students will gain:
Upon successful completion of the course, each student
will be able to demonstrate that they understand Digital Storytelling’s place in
education, research, problem-solving, and web-based product development.
Students will learn to design and develop projects that require critical
analysis and evaluation; and present the products they develop during for the
course.
In addition, students in this course will plan, lead, and participate in activities that encourage lifelong learning and will promote equitable, ethical, and legal use of computer technology. Students continually assess their own growth as they seek to create coherent representations of the knowledge, linking new information with existing understandings in creative, meaningful ways. Relevant, authentic learning tasks will be explored in a motivating, learner-centered environment. Learning will be facilitated through both face-to-face and online interactions among the classroom participants. To ensure that diverse student preferences for learning and expression are honored, a variety of learning modes and assessment strategies will be utilized, including whole-class discussions and debates, individual and collaborative group work. Students who successfully complete the course will gain new knowledge and skills through investigation, discussion, design, development, and evaluation of instructional materials situated in authentic contexts.
Prerequisites for this Course:
It is assumed that students entering this graduate-level course have some computer skills and are familiar with the process of designing instructional materials. Students who enroll in this course should have some basic familiarity with the web and web editing software. Experience designing and developing simple web pages is helpful, however advanced technical skills are not required for this course. Introductory or advanced skills in HTML are not the focus of this course. The focus instead will be on many of the associated skills that are needed to construct comprehensive, educationally-relevant online resources, such as organization of information, navigation, writing for the web, graphic design and page layout, accessibility and usability issues, and evaluating the educational value of web-based resources.
As mentioned, regular use of a computer will be essential for this course. Whether you have a computer at home or are planning to use a computer in one of the computer labs on campus, the most important thing is to have a place you are familiar with where you can use a computer, can install software, and save files. Windows computers will be used in this course and are available in the College of Education CITE computer lab and at other labs on campus. The computers in the CITE Lab, where our classes will be held, will have all of the software needed for this course installed and operational. You can find information about how to set-up an account that will allow you to access the computers in the CITE Lab by going to the College of Education's My Advisor system at: http://myadvisor.coe.uh.edu and selecting the Create/Reset Your Account link.
Required Course Materials:
A textbook
is not required for
this. Reading assignments for this course will come from articles published on
the web and occasionally, from handouts shared via email. To access the online
readings, students will need to have access to a computer that is capable of
connecting to the Internet, as well as a recent version of a common web browser
(such as Microsoft
Internet Explorer, Mozilla
Firefox,
Netscape Navigator,
Web browsers should be configured so that you can access multimedia content online. Below are links to some of the more popular browser plug-ins and helper applications that may be downloaded for free.
|
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Adobe Acrobat Reader (to view PDF files) |
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RealPlayer (to hear RealAudio and view RealVideo files) Be sure to look for the link to the Free Real Player, not the free trial version of the version of RealPlayer you must purchase. |
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QuickTime Player (to
view QuickTime movie clips) |
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Macromedia Flash Player (to
view Flash movies) |
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Windows Media Player 10 or Higher (to view Windows Media movie clips and hear Windows Media audio files) |
Weekly
Assignments:
Course activities will take place online, where students will
participate in virtual discussions via online discussion blogs. Students
will complete reading, investigation and posting assignments based on the
weekly topics, with two weeks of no online discussion, the week of spring
break and the week that Dr. Robin is attending a technology conference.
Grading Policy:
Grades for this course will be based on a 100 point system as described below:
12 POSTINGS ON THE COURSE DISCUSSION BLOG (1 per week)
worth 2 points each - a total of 24 points possible
22 FOLLOW-UP POSTINGS ON THE COURSE DISCUSSION BLOG (2 per week)
worth 1 point each - a total of 22 points possible
7 POSTINGS ON
YOUR PERSONAL BLOG (1 every 2 weeks)
worth 2 points each - a total of 14 points possible
Each student should
use their personal blog as an online journal about the course. At
least one posting should be made every two weeks that serves as a
reflections on the work being done for the course during that two
week period. These personal blogs may also be a good place to ask
questions, share interesting web links, or for any comments about
digital storytelling in general or the course in particular. Also,
as was discussed during the F2F orientation meeting, follow-up
postings made be made to both the course discussion blog or any of
these personal student blogs.
MIDTERM
PROJECT (Due on March 22, 2009)
worth a maximum of 15 points
FINAL
SEMESTER PROJECT & PROJECT REPORT (Due on May 10, 2009)
worth a maximum of 25 points
TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE FOR THE COURSE: 100
Relationship to
the Instructional Technology Program’s Conceptual Framework:
Courses in the Instructional Technology (IT) Program in the College of
Education prepare instructional technology professionals for diverse
leadership responsibilities in Pre-K-12 settings, school district technology
administration, higher education, training in industry settings, and
instructional design and development of all levels of instructional
materials. The IT Program at the University of Houston can be distinguished
from IT programs at other institutions through our unique philosophy based
on a strong commitment to the broad representations of community, individual
learning, and the collaboration that
strengthens the two. This philosophy is in accordance with the College of
Education’s conceptual framework, Collaboration
for Learning and Leading.
Relationship to the College of
Education Conceptual Framework: Collaboration for Learning and Leading:
Collaboration is
cooperative activity, characterized by dialogue and shared effort.
Participants will collaborate with peers in classroom activities, projects,
and presentations.
Learning implies
knowledge, skills, and dispositions gained through systematic study, and the
modification of behavior as a result of training and experience. Learning in
this course is emphasized through the meaningful use of instructional
technologies and authentic assessment techniques. Participants will prepare
a portfolio demonstrating their learning in this course.
Leading involves
initiating and promoting positive change. Leading is highlighted in this
course as participants prepare and make presentations demonstrating how
technologies can be used to support learning. The design, curriculum, and
instructional flow of CUIN 7358 is aligned with the learner-centered
proficiencies and principles of the Conceptual Framework of the College of
Education. Students in this course will continually assess their own growth
as they seek to create coherent representations of the knowledge, linking
new information with existing understandings in creative, meaningful ways.
Relevant, authentic learning tasks involving the integration of technology
into the curriculum will be explored in a motivating, hands-on environment.
Learning will be facilitated through both face-to-face and online
interactions among the classroom community. To ensure that student
preferences for learning and expression are honored, a variety of learning
modes and strategies will be utilized, including whole-class discussions and
debates, face-to-face and online collaborative group work, and individual
readings and production.
* TF-I.B. Demonstrate
continual growth in technology knowledge and skills to stay abreast of
current and emerging technologies.
3. Model appropriate strategies essential to continued growth and
development of the
understanding of technology operations and concepts.
* TF-V.C. Apply
technology to increase productivity.
5. Use instructional design principles to develop hypermedia and
multimedia products to support
personal and professional development.
Addressing the Needs of Diverse Learners:
Developmentally-appropriate curriculum and best practices in Instructional Technology will frequently be addressed in class. In addition, the diverse learners in the class will discuss the balance between medical education and the exploratory nature of teaching with and learning to use technology tools.
ADA
Statement:
When possible, and in accordance with 504/ADA guidelines, we will attempt to
provide reasonable academic accommodations to students who request and
require them. Please call the Center for Students with DisABILITIES at ext.
3-5400 for more assistance.
Statement on Course Materials:
Some of the writings, lectures, films, or presentations in this course may
include material that conflicts with the core beliefs of some students.
Please review the syllabus carefully to see if the course is one that you
are committed to taking. If you have a concern, please discuss it with the
instructor at your earliest convenience.
Academic Dishonesty:
The University of Houston defines academic dishonesty as employing a method or technique or engaging in conduct in an academic endeavor that the student knows or should know is not permitted by the university or a course instructor to fulfill academic requirements. Students are expected to do original work, including class assignments, etc. Penalties include failure of the entire assignment and referral to the department chair for consideration of additional action.
Special Accommodations:
When possible, and in accordance with 504/ADA guidelines, we will attempt to provide reasonable academic accommodations to students who request and require them. Please call 713 743-5400 for more assistance.
