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Course Syllabus
Instructor: Bernard R. Robin, Ph.D.
Personal Webpage:
http://coe.uh.edu/~brobin/
Office Location: Room 343, Farish Hall
Office Hours: Mondays - 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
Important Note about this course:
CUIN 7358 is one of two linked courses. Students enrolled in CUIN
7358 (Class #18198) must also register in ELED 7325:History &
Development of Early Childhood Literature (Class #34122), taught by
Dr.
Richard Abrahamson. The two courses will meet back to back on
Mondays during the fall semester.
Course Description:
CUIN 7358 is a graduate level course in the College of Education's Department of
Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Houston. It is an applications
course in the Instructional Technology Program and may be taken by masters and
doctoral students, as either a required course or an elective.
The primary focus of the course is on the application of digital imaging in a
variety of educational contexts and combines hands-on experience using digital
cameras and computer-based digital imaging software with an investigation of
current research and the theoretical framework that informs instructional
practice. Students will gain experience with the entire range of digital
photography topics from image capture, manipulation and modification to data
management, storage, printing and distribution/delivery. Most importantly,
students will use photographs they take to create educationally-meaningful
digital stories that combine still images, computer graphics, audio, video,
animation, and Web publishing.
The Rationale for Digital
Storytelling:
Digital Storytelling can take many forms that result in exciting and
effective ways to engage students and has proved to be a powerful
educational tool that can be used in multiple content areas at all
educational levels. Educators can use Digital Storytelling in several
different ways. For example, an instructor could create a digital story
that would be used as an anticipatory set or hook for a lesson or to
enhance current lesson plans with the use of a digital story within a
larger curricular unit. Another effective use of this technology is to
teach students to create their own compelling digital stories. Students
who design and develop their own digital stories gain valuable skills as
they:
* Learn to use 21st
century literacy skills to research rich, deep content while analyzing and
synthesizing a wide range of information;
* Enhance their communications
skills by learning to ask questions, express opinions,
construct narratives
and write for an authentic audience;
* Demonstrate mastery and knowledge
with cross-curricular content through an authentic
context; and
* Increase their technology skills
using software that combines a variety of
multimedia components including:
text, still images, audio, video and web publishing.
* In addition, educators at both the
K-12 level and in higher education have found Digital
Storytelling to be a
valuable teaching strategy that:
* Meets diverse learning needs of
their students;
* Generates interest, attention and
motivation for the “digital generation” students in
today’s classrooms as
they learn to use multimedia technology in meaningful ways;
* Stimulates the creative talents
of students as they enhance their research skills as they
produce their own
stories; and
* Provides an opportunity to
publish student work on the Internet for viewing and critiquing
by others.
Goals and Objectives of
this Course:
This course, like all courses in the Instructional Technology
program in the College of Education, prepares instructional technology
professionals for diverse leadership responsibilities in Pre-K-12
settings, school district technology administration, higher education,
training in industry settings, and all levels of instructional design
and development. The IT program at the University of Houston is
distinguished from IT programs at other institutions through our strong
commitment to the broad representations of our community, individual
learning, and the collaboration that strengthens both.
The primary goal of the course is to introduce
students to the collaborative process of designing and developing a
community-based, educationally relevant web site. Students in this
course will gain an understanding of many of the critical issues
involved in working with local organizations to design and develop a
comprehensive method for disseminating online content that will be of
interest to students, teachers, administrators, and researchers, as well
as members of the general community. Students in this course will
explore a wide range of topics related to the design, production and
evaluation of large scale, educational web projects including:
* Designing and creating online
materials
* Choosing the best technological
tools to create educational web resources
* Information architecture and
design
* How multimedia content can best
be delivered online
* Managing project deadlines
* Testing for web site usability
* Understanding and planning for
web site accessibility issues
* Evaluating web sites as
educational resources
At the end of CUIN 7358, each
student will be able to demonstrate that they can effectively use
technology in communicating, collaborating, conducting research, solving
problems, designing and developing educational materials. In addition,
each student will use a variety of media, presentation, and authoring
programs; design and develop projects that require critical analysis and
evaluation; and present the products they develop during for the course.
Course Format:
The course is based upon a constructivist
learning approach in which students work collaboratively to develop creative
solutions to real-world design problems. During the course, a range of topics
will be explored that are related to the design and development of
multimedia-rich educational projects. A mixture of demonstration, discussion,
and hands-on experiences related to the weekly topics will take place in which:
* Students use prior knowledge they
bring to class;
* Knowledge is constructed uniquely
and individually, in multiple ways through a variety of
authentic tools,
resources, experiences, and contexts;
* Learning is both an active and
reflective process;
* Social interaction introduces
multiple perspectives through reflection, collaboration,
negotiation, and
shared meaning; and
* Learning is mediated by the
learner.
Course activities will take place
both in class, where students will participate in face-to-face
discussions and conduct topic-related activities, as well as online,
where students will participate in virtual discussions via an course
blog. Some students may work in small, collaborative groups
while others will work individually to complete reading, posting, and
hands-on assignments throughout the semester. Each face-to-face class
session during the semester will include a web page that presents the
information covered in that week's class, a description of a hands-on
lab activity, and the assignments for the next class.
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 resources. Other courses in the
Instructional Technology program are offered for students who wish to
gain beginning and/or advanced web design skills. Please contact the
instructor for more information or to discuss which additional courses
may be best suited for you.
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 CUIN
7358. Reading assignments for this course will come from articles
published on the web and occasionally, from handouts given out in class.
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,
Netscape Navigator, or
Mozilla Firefox).
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.
Required Hardware and
Software:
Digital cameras will be
used in this course and students may use their own cameras, or
they may check out a camera from the CITE Lab.
Software for transferring images from the cameras to the
computer, for editing digital images and creating digital
stories will be available on the computers in the CITE Lab. In
addition, students will be able to choose from a large number of
free software programs that will be discussed in class.
Data Storage:
Due to the large size of the projects
created in this course, some files you work with may be quite
large. Storage space on a College of Education server will be
available for students in this course; however you may also want
to have your own back-up copies of files you are using this
semester. It is recommended that students transfer their
critical work to either recordable CDs or other reliable
large-capacity storage options, such as portable external hard
drives.
Students are also encouraged to purchase a
USB Flash memory device, which make it easy to move files from
one computer to another. A minimum of 1 gigabyte is suggested,
although having more storage space is always preferable and
prices for Flash drives continues to drop as storage capacity
increases.
Time
Requirements:
Course topics will be demonstrated and discussed in class;
however, additional time outside of class is required to
complete weekly assignments and the final semester project. A
good rule of thumb is that students should expect to spend
approximately 1 to 2 hours outside of class for each hour spent
in class. Since the class meets for 3 hours per week, students
should plan to spend approximately 3 to 6 hours per week
completing the reading, posting, and hands-on assignments for
that week.
Attendance:
Regular class
attendance and participation in class discussions is expected. Because
of the collaborative nature of this course, some students will work
within a team environment where each participant contributes to the
development process based on their individual areas of expertise.
Students are expected to actively participate "virtually" in online
discussions both with members of their own team and with other students
and the instructor in the course.
Weekly
Assignments:
Course activities will take place both in class, where
students will participate in face-to-face discussions and
conduct topic-related activities, as well as online, where
students will participate in virtual discussions via an online
discussion forum. Students will complete weekly reading,
posting, and hands-on assignments throughout the semester. Each
class session during the semester will include a web page that
presents the information covered in that week's class, a
description of a hands-on lab activity, and the assignments for
the next class.
Final Semester Projects: more
information will be added soon...
Grading Policy:
Grades
for this course will be based on a 100 point system as described
below:
-
10
DISCUSSION POSTINGS ON THE COURSE BLOG:
worth a maximum of 1 point each - a total of 10 points
possible
-
10 POSTINGS ON A PERSONAL BLOG:
worth a maximum of 1 point each - a total of 10 points
possible
-
10
WEEKLY HANDS-ON ASSIGNMENTS:
worth a maximum of 2 points each - a total of
20 points
possible
-
MIDTERM ENGINES OF OUR
INGENUITY PROJECT:
worth a maximum of 20 points
possible
-
FINAL
SEMESTER PROJECT:
worth a maximum of 25 points
-
FINAL
SEMESTER PROJECT REPORT:
worth a maximum of 15 points
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.
In addition, CUIN 7358 is being offered as half of a 6-semester
hour block that is being offered in conjunction with ELED
7325: History & Development of Early Childhood Literature, Class
#34122, taught by
Dr. Richard Abrahamson.
Students will use content from ELED 7325 as
the basis for digital media projects that will include writing
scripts, developing storyboards and creating digital stories.
Alignment with National Technology Standards:
Specific competencies for this course are aligned with the
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)
Technology Facilitation Standards (outlined at
http://cnets.iste.org/currstands/cstands-netst.html).
Activities and assignments in this course attempt to meet the
following standards:
* 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.
About the Instructor:
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Bernard R. Robin, Ph.D.
office phone: 713 743-4952
email:
brobin@uh.edu |
Office Location: Room 343, Farish Hall
Hours: Mondays - 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Other times and telephone calls may be scheduled by appointment.
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