Semester 1, 2008
Prerequisite: none
Credit point value: 6
Introduction
Welcome to EDUC 114 - ICT Across the Curriculum. This is a compulsory unit in the Bachelor of Education award. In this unit we aim to develop skills in a wide range of software and we also require you to think about using computers as tools in learning. This undertaking will occur in the context of three projects that use ICT. We trust that you will enjoy your study of the unit and find it of benefit in both your personal and professional development.
Justification of Unit
In June 1997, the NSW Minister for Education and Training, released a report on Computer Proficiency for Teachers. In 2007 a new list was provided by the NSW Institute of Teachers. In this report a number of technology competencies required of beginning teachers are outlined. You will be made aware of these competencies in a variety of ways throughout this unit and the B.Ed program. You will need evidence of having developed these competencies before being eligible for employment as a teacher in NSW.
The NSW Institute of Teachers has developed Accreditation Support Documents to assist in the preparation and presentation of evidence to attain Professional Competence. Since January 2005 all new teachers must commence a process of accreditation. The level of Professional Competence must be met by all new teachers within three years of teaching in Government or non-Government schools. There will be mandatory competency checks - as graduates and over the first two years of your career. Teachers will be expected to document their achievements throughout their careers and may seek accreditation at four levels - Graduate, Competent, Accomplished and Leader. You are advised to visit the site
http://www.det.nsw.edu.au/employment/recruit/beginteach/implementation.htm
The Institute developed Professional Teaching Standards to guide teachers in preparing for accreditation at one of the four levels of competence. One of the elements in the standards is that teachers know their subject content and how to teach that content to their students. Within this element is the aspect of teachers’ knowledge of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). This unit is designed so that you may demonstrate many of the ICT competencies set by the NSW Minister for Education and Training that are included in the standards framework of the NSW Institute of Teachers.
The unit will not meet all the ICT requirements of beginning teachers. You will be required to integrate technology into each of the Curriculum units within the B.Ed. program and to demonstrate skills in using technology in the classroom during your practicums. It will be your responsibility to eventually document evidence of your knowledge, skills and attitudes in relation to all the standards. This unit will provide you with a possible framework for your portfolio and some evidence in the area of ICT.
Aim
As a student, and then as a teacher, in the Information Age you will need to develop information and communication technology skills so that they can be used optimally in your own professional activities and can be integrated into the school curriculum in meaningful ways. EDUC 114 - ICT Across the Curriculum provides an environment where you will have the chance to identify and develop technological knowledge, skills and attitudes. Mastery of these aspects will be assumed in other units within the B. Ed. program.
The unit will also provide you with opportunities to think about how to effectively integrate ICT across the primary curriculum. Opportunities will be provided to assist you in developing an approach to integrating technology in relevant ways in the classroom. It is hoped that the unit will provide you with the necessary foundation to become a confident and competent user of technology both personally and professionally.
Outcomes
As a result of completing this unit, you should be able to
| • |
Demonstrate a basic understanding of the underlying pedagogical assumptions of ICT, eg gender and ethnic bias, educational relevance, social impact, suitability for the classroom environment, for cooperative learning and for peer interaction |
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Demonstrate an understanding of the potential of ICT to enhance learning. |
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Effectively use ICT applications to support syllabus outcomes, content and processes, and design assessment tasks related to syllabus outcomes. |
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Use and evaluate software suitable for classroom use. |
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Evaluate, retrieve, manipulate and manage information from a variety of sources in order to construct multimedia presentations. |
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Appreciate ethical and legal requirements associated with using ICT and issues such as the verification of information, plagiarism, privacy, copyright and censorship. |
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Use the skills involved in academic literacies. |
Content and Organisation
Each week there will be two, two-hour workshops where project work is undertaken. In Week 1 a combined lecture will also occur. As a general rule, the four hours a week do not provide enough time to complete the projects so you will have to complete tasks outside workshop hours. As the two computer laboratories are in heavy use during lecture hours, you will need to work on your own/college computer or use the laboratories whenever possible. The computer laboratories in the Education building are available from 9am till 5pm. You may also wish to access the UNE IT laboratory. To obtain 24 hour a day access to the IT laboratory it will be necessary for you to have your ID card processed. See the Help Desk if you need access to the IT labs.
Students will be expected to complete three projects over the semester. The purpose of the projects is to give students skill in developing teaching resources across a variety of Key Learning Areas and to commence work on establishing a professional portfolio. Students will gain experience in using a wide variety of software applications. A further aim is to present to students different formats in which work can be presented and assessed. It is hoped that some of the skills gained will be carried over into other units of the B.Ed (Primary) programme.
During first semester you will be required to complete five dispersed
days of practicum. As a result there will be no workshops on the following
days.
Monday May 5, Tuesday May 13, Wednesday May 21, Thursday May 29, Friday
May 30.
Unit Structure
The unit will be divided into three distinct modules; one module for each project. The e-Portfolio module lasts all semester and the other two modules are 5 weeks in duration. For each project, sessions will be provided that introduce students to the project they will be undertaking and that give initial instruction on the software packages they will be using. The remainder of the module will be committed to project work. During work on the projects you will be expected to complete a Project Report, where you provide evidence that demonstrates you have acquired each of the skills listed in a matrix.
Project One: Marks 20
Project: Professional e-Portfolio
Aim: Use a Web Editor to create a proforma for a professional portfolio that demonstrates competence in the Professional Teaching Standards.
Tools: Dreamweaver, Safari, iPhoto, Digital Camera, Scaning.
KLAs: English, Science and Technology.
| Week 1 |
Week 2 - Week
11 |
Week 12 - Week 13 |
| Lecture 1 hour Set up website in Dreamweaver |
Building Links |
Provide evidence of your knowledge, skills and attitudes to relevant sub-elements in you portfolio based on information obtained from your dispersed days and Semester 1 units. Final update as a result of evaluation from lecturers. |
Project Two: Marks 40
Project: Paperless Classroom
Aim: To send students an email explaning their next assessment task. Use Inspiration to brainstorm criteria for assessing a text type. Use Word to create a Table to develop a rubric, create a Form to evaluate software, Track Changes to correct writing, use Comments to comment on the writing and use Drawing tools to create a certificate. Use Notepad to annotate changes to correct writing and comment on the writing. Use Excel to record marks, perform calculations and create charts. Use email to send files to students.
Tools: Word, Excel, Inspiration, Webmail, Notepad
KLAs: English, Mathematics, Science and Technology
| Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 |
|
Outline the scenario |
Read student response file |
Use Word to create a * Form to evaluate software-Inspiration * Rubric to mark a text type |
Use Track Changes and Comments in Word to provide feedback on
student writing. Use Notepad to create a teaching resource on writing
-annotate changes to correct writing and comment on writing. |
Record student marks in Excel. Create charts. Use Draw tools to create a certificate with linked chart and mail-merge from an Excel database file |
Project Three: Marks 40
Project: Visual Montage
Aim: Using iMovie students create a visual montage (integrating images and music) based upon an environmental theme, a country, or PDHPE topic.
Tools: iMovie, iPhoto, iTunes, Safari, iDVD, Quicktime, GarageBand.
KLAs: Creative Arts, Environmental Education or HSIE or PDHPE, Science and Technology.
| Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 |
iMovie operations |
Downloading music to iTunes/Creating music using GarageBand |
Using Titles - references Using Transitions Using Effects |
Creating QuickTime movies - burning to CD Creating a DVD using iDVD - burning DVD |
Timetable
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Attendance and Participation
You will be required to attend all of your scheduled formal classes. If you are absent from more than 2 of these sessions without an acceptable explanation, you will be asked to show cause why you should not be withdrawn from the unit and deemed to have failed.
Submission of Work
Task |
Marks |
Time |
| Project 1 | SR |
4:00 pm on Friday June 6 |
| Project Report 1 | 20 |
4:00 pm on Friday June 6 |
| Project 2 | 25 |
4:00 pm on Friday April 4 |
| Project Report 2 | 15 |
4:00 pm on Friday April 4 |
| Project 3 | 25 |
4:00 pm on Friday May 23 |
| Project Report 3 | 15 |
4:00 pm on Friday May 23 |
Your projects must be submitted by the due dates. You
must submit a School Cover Sheet with a signed plagiarism declaration
with each submission. This should be given to your lecturer.
The receipt portion of the Cover Sheet will be dated and signed by the
lecturer and returned to you. It is important that you retain this receipt
in case your work is misplaced and you need to produce evidence that you
did submit it as required.
Dispersed Days Activities
During first semester you will be required to complete five dispersed
days of practicum. You must use the dispersed days to find information
regarding many aspects of schools and education. One of these aspects
is computer management in schools. In your Professional Experience 1st
Year B. Ed. Handbook, under the Activities for Orientation to Teaching
Program, you will see a number of questions to which you should seek answers.
After completing the Professional Portfolio project and the dispersed
days you are required to make suitable entries on these aspects in relevant
areas of your portfolio. The computer questions are listed below for your
convenience.
Computers
What computers does the school possess? What other hardware is available?
How are the computers arranged - Classrooms v Laboratories? List the advantages and disadvantages of the school's computer arrangement.
Enhancing Student Learning
List the five most commonly used software packages.
How is each software package used to enhance student learning?
Learning Environment
How often are computers used?
What is the main focus of computer use within schools - computer skills, KLA concept development, computer competitions, computer skill assessment, etc.
What factors affect the frequency of use? If they are not being used at all, find out why.
Classroom Management and School Resources
What strategies are used when there are a small number of computers for class use?
If the school has a laboratory/library situation with a relatively large number of computers, what strategies are used?
What arrangements are in place for maintenance of hardware and network(s)?
Where is (are) the Internet access location(s) within the school?
How is access to the Internet managed?
Are there any issues with Internet use? Outline any Internet policies in the school.
How much use do students and staff make of the Internet?
Administrative Use of Computers
How are computers used for student profiling and reporting?
How are computers used in lesson preparation and school administration?
Issues
Describe any in-school computer related professional development.
Are there any issues with equity, gender, security, privacy and copyright? Are there any policies or rules in place to address these issues?
Prescribed Texts
There is no prescribed text.
UNE Academic Skills Office (ASO)
Useful website http://www.une.edu.au/tlc/aso
This website is packed with interactive activities for students to improve their academic/study skills, particularly their academic writing.
Student Load
As a guide to your workload in this unit, the following table shows the number of hours you should plan to spend on each component. This time allocation is made on the basis of 25 hours per credit point, making a total of 150 hours.
| Lectures/workshops |
55 hours |
| Project development and Project Reports |
95 hours |
Requirements to Obtain a Passing Grade
To be eligible for a passing grade in this unit you must have satisfactory attendance at lectures/workshops. You must have satisfied requirements with respect to the Professional Portfolio and obtain at least 50% of the marks available for each of the two submissions.
Written Submission Requirements
The format of all work should follow the Harvard System for referencing that is desribed at the UNE Academic Literacies site.
It is essential that written work is wordprocessed. If an assignment lacks editing or contains large omissions it will be failed.
Required Material
A CD-R or DVD-R to store your projects is needed.
A Flash Memory drive is recommended for backing up files.
