| Volume 3, Number 2 | Making a Difference in Education with Technology Today | June 2007 |
Greetings Educators,
As my work in Algeria winds down and we begin the final reports, I’ve begun to reflect on my experiences and the role that technology plays in education. Keeping in mind that Algeria is in the early stages of technology adaption whereas in the United States we began infusing technology many years ago, we set standards for students and teachers, and created a large base of research and experiences. In other countries, particularly developing countries, they’re in the very early stages and can learn lessons from our success and our failures. And we’ve made many mistakes over the past 10 plus years.
Although many issues related to technology use in education are important, what strikes me as one of the most important is how teachers infuse technology into their practice of teaching. In other countries I work with, including Algeria and Lebanon, teachers using technology means a fundamental change in the way they approach education. Although many teachers in these countries are adopting new instructional strategies based, as in Algeria, on education reform initiatives, the use of technology may not be affecting a significant change.
A body of research has shown that teachers who adopt a more constructivist model for using technology as a teaching and learning tool may find better outcomes. In our Certificate Program we’ve focused heavily on “change with a difference” in order to help teachers make changes to their instructional strategies when integrating technology. Unfortunately many teachers just adapt the technology to their current instructional strategies thus, it’s “change without a difference.”
Change is a key word here. The million dollar question is what impacts change with a difference? A great deal of research has addressed this issue and, from my perspective as a graduate program director, the key element is professional development.
Professional development programs such as the MSU Educational Technology Certificate and Endorsement Program (I’m always looking for ways to make a plug) must focus not only on technical skills but also on instructional strategies necessary for infusing technology into teaching. Without doing so teachers learn to use technology but only as an aid in their current practice.
As we at MSU explore this topic in greater detail we also look back at our program and how it has evolved over the past 12 years. When we first started we did indeed focus on the technical skills. But as times change and we learn more about the effective uses of technology our program has changed.
This fall, we’re rolling out an updated and new version of our Certificate Program. While we use the lessons we’ve learned over the past 12 years and use the most recent version of our program as a foundation, we’ve also included a greater emphasis on instructional strategies and understanding how many of the new technologies available can enhance learning rather than just support teaching. As technology keeps changing and evolving so must our program.
If you would like to learn more about our programs and how, in particular, our program can help teachers successfully integrate technology into the classroom, give us a call. We’re always interested in talking with teachers and educators about teacher professional development. You see – that’s what we do!
Best Regards,
Joseph Codde
Professor and Director
Educational Technology Certificate ProgramContact us at: 517-432-9259
http://edutech.msu.edu
Certificate Program Changes
It has been a year of change for the Certificate program at Michigan State. Our first big change was getting approval to offer the Educational Technology Endorsement in September. Since offering this new endorsement, Michigan's Dept of Education has made some changes to all endorsements that has affected how we offer ours. Please read the article under College News for more details on these changes.
Another big change that ocurred was the updating of both the Certificate and Master's websites. Both have a new look and added content to make it easier for educators to navigate. We are continuing to make updates and changes to keep the website fresh and full of the latest information.
Our next big change was to put the Certificate classes online. Kathryn Dirkin, a graduate of the Master's program and a PhD student, worked with a team to put both the 1st year and 2nd year classes online. Our first online class was offered successfully in January and we are finishing up the third class in the series. The feedback we received regarding these courses has been very positive. Ana Urian, a student in CEP 812, said:
"This course is incredible! I certainly made the right decision to take ed. tech. courses for my prof. renewal. I cannot believe the amount of synapses that are connecting in my brain! I can even feel them at this point!"
While developing the online courses we made a few changes to our curriculum that we will be launching in our face to face classes this fall. We have added a large component of Web 2.0 technologies and web-based collaboration tools. Teachers will learn about how to create a blog, how to edit a wiki and how to create a podcast along with learning about other web-based collaboration tools such as Google Apps and Zoho.
In another big change we will be moving all of our courses over to the Angel course management system. We will continue to utilize our own portfolio and calendar system but they will now be integrated into Angel. Michigan State University just finished successfully upgrading Angel to the newest version providing our courses with an up-to-date course management system.
As the 2006-2007 school year comes to a close, I am amazed at the amount of changes that have ocurred in our program. As technology keeps changing and evolving so must our program. We are committed to offering the best courses in the field of educational technology and will work hard to keep our program fresh and relevant to all educators. If you haven't signed up for our program yet, this is a great time to check us out.
--Carrie Albin, Outreach Coordinator and Co-Editor
State of Michigan Endorsement Changes
The Michigan's Department of Education has made a change to all endorsements effective immediately. All endorsements are now required to be 20 credits rather than 18 credits. Due to this change our Educational Technology Endorsement has been changed to meet this new requirement.
Originally the Educational Technology Endorsement at Michigan State was 18 credits, 6 courses. It has now changed to be 21 credits, 7 courses. Currently anyone that is pursuing the Endorsement will need to add a 7th course from the Master's in Educational Technology program.
In order to learn more about the Educational Technology Endorsement please visit the Endorsement page of the Master's website.
--Carrie Albin, Outreach Coordinator and Co-Editor
Creating a Blog in Edublogs
Blogs have become a great way for teachers to share information about their classes to students, parents, and other educators. They are also a great way of having students produce work to be seen by a wider audience. Students can post their writings and get feedback from other students, experts, even from the authors of the works they are studying.
This new way of sharing information doesn't come without some issues that need to be addressed. Protecting students and their privacy is required by every school as part of the Children's Internet Protection Act. It is important for educators to learn not only about how to create and use new Web 2.0 technologies such as blogs in their classroom, but how to use them safely in order to protect their students.
In our Educational Technology Certificate Program we show educators how to create a blog using Edublogs. Edublogs uses the free open source software called Wordpress and allows teachers to create a blog for their classroom for free. Our tutorials not only cover how to create a blog but also how to moderate it in order to better protect the students that will be using the blogs.
You can check out Edublogs: Part 1 to learn more about creating your own blog in Edublogs. You also get a free Wiki at Wikispaces.com by signing up with Edublogs.
Some other resources that may be helpful are:
How To's
http://edublogs.org/videos/ (Great video tutorials)
http://maetshowcase.educ.msu.edu/year2/EdublogTraining/bridge.htm
http://freidhof.fts.educ.msu.edu/Tech_Handouts/tech_handouts.htm
Article on Blogging Guidelines
http://www.edtechmag.com/k12/issues/november-december-2006/blog-rules.html
--Carrie Albin, Outreach Coordinator and Co-Editor
REGISTER NOW FOR STUDENT TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASE
SEPTEMBER 26, 2007 AT STATE CAPITOLThe seventh annual AT&T/MACUL Student Technology Showcase will be held on Wednesday, September 26, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the State Capitol Building in Lansing.
The Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL) extends an invitation to K-12 schools throughout Michigan to participate in the event, which last year drew students and teachers from more than 50 schools. The Student Technology Showcase is free and open to the public.
Student groups set up computers and other peripherals to show Michigan state legislators how technology is being used in the classroom to facilitate learning during one of two separate demonstration sessions in the morning and afternoon. The projects this year are expected to cover a wide variety of learning areas including distance learning, computer programming, e-commerce, and other curriculum integration concepts. Student demonstrations also are expected to include video production, web authoring, handheld technologies, robotics, digital imaging, multimedia and student broadcasting.
The Showcase is sponsored by AT&T and the Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning, an organization dedicated to bringing educators from all levels together to share their knowledge and concerns regarding educational uses of computers and technology.
To register for the event, or for further information, visit the MACUL website at www.macul.org.
Do you have a great website you use for teaching? Send us an email at info@edutechmsu.org with the full link, a description of the website and the educational applications. We will select 5 websites to highlight each quarter. |
Web Sites Worth Visiting
Website Description and Educational Applications Go2Web20 is a comprehensive index of the latest Web 2.0 applications and services. By mousing over the logo of an application you will get a brief description of what it does. By clicking on a logo of an application you will get a detailed description and the web site address.
The Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL) is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization established in 1975 dedicated to bringing educators from all levels together to share their knowledge
and concerns regarding educational uses of computers and technology. MACUL offers many workshops and conferences throughout the school year with their annual conference being held every March. They also produce several publications including the MACUL Journal and their online newsletter.
http://www.readingrockets.org/
Reading Rockets offers a wealth of reading strategies, lessons, and activities designed to help young children learn how to read and read better. Their reading resources assist parents, teachers, and other educators in working with struggling readers who require additional help in reading fundamentals and comprehension skills development.
(Submitted by Susan Wright, instructor of the Educational Technology Certificate program)
Picnik is an online photo editor that lets you quickly edit all your photos online in one place. It is currently in beta version and is free to use. Users must register in order to begin using the web application. Because it is an online photo editor there is nothing to install or download.
At W3Schools you will find all the Web-building tutorials you need, from basic HTML and XHTML to advanced XML, SQL, Database, Multimedia and WAP. The tutorials are listed on the left side of the web site. It has several ads but we have come to expect it with items that are "free".
Our courses are taught by an outstanding team of MSU adjunct faculty, many of whom are:
- K-12 classroom teachers themselves who have experience using educational technology in the classroom
- Graduates from our certificate program
- Exceptionally skilled in educational technology
- Winners of awards such as technology Teacher of the Year from the Michigan Association of Computer-Related Technology Users in Learning (MACUL) and the national award of the International Society for Technology in Education
This quarter's instructor spotlight is . . .
Kathryn Dirkin , Lead Course Designer for the MSU Educational Technology Certificate Program and Endorsement courses, PhD student at MSU and a faculty member at Central Michigan University starting this fall.
Kathryn has been teaching in the Masters program since 2002. She has taught at all three cohort sites. She was so excited about working with teachers around the state as well as around the world as they implement technology for meaningful learningKathryn graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in American Culture, and received her teaching certificate from Michigan State University. She is also a graduate of the Masters in Educational Technology program here at State. She is currently in the process of completing her dissertation and will begin a position as a faculty member at Central Michigan University in the fall. Kathryn lived in Pennsylvania for four years where she taught second and fourth grade elementary students. During that same time she was a building technology coordinator. As a technology coordinator she planned and implemented workshops for teachers, served on a district wide committee for distance learning, and engaged in a national project to connect teachers across the U.S.
Since her work in Pennsylvania Kathryn has had a special interest in online education. She has had teaching assistantships helping faculty build online courses. She has also co-taught CEP 816: Technology, Teaching. & Learning Across the Curriculum and CEP 894: Action Research. She is dedicated to understanding and developing new and innovative online courses. In 2006 she was hired to convert the first and second year of the masters program into online courses. She has found it extremely rewarding to work with a group of people so dedicated to making MSU’s courses a great experience for teachers around the state and the world.
Ask the Experts! Do you have a question about teaching with technology and don't know how to find the answer? Submit it to info@edutechmsu.org to see if we can help. Each quarter a new question will be selected to include in our newsletter. |
The following question came from one of our graduate students working on the E3Link Project that connects students in Algeria with students in the United States. It is applicable to anyone that has tried to compare two versions of the same document.
Question: How can I tell what changes have been made between this document that you sent and the previous one that I was working on?
Answer: Word 2003 has included two new or updated features called Compare and Merge Documents and Compare Side By Side. Either of these tools is great for anyone that is working on documents as a team. If more than one team member sends you the same document with changes you can now compare them side by side or compare and merge these documents into one. Below are instructions on how to use both of these features.
Compare Documents:
- Open the two versions of the document you want to compare and select Window > Compare Side by Side.
- Word will fit both documents on the screen with each document fitting in one half of the screen. Scroll through one document and the other document will scroll as well, making it possible to browse through two documents at the same time.
Compare and Merge Documents:
- Open the original document and go to Tools > Compare and Merge Documents
- A dialog box will appear. Select the other version of the document you want to compare and merge. (Note: there is a drop down arrow on the Merge button. If you click the arrow you will get three choices: Merge, Merge into current document, or Merge into new document. The Merge option opens the other version of the document indicating the changes between the two versions. The Merge into current document option has the changes show up in the file you already have open. The last choice, Merge into new document, creates a new document that you can save leaving your original and modified documents untouched.)
- Any changes between the two documents will be displayed. You can accept or delete each of the changes individually or as a whole using the Track Changes toolbar or by right clicking on each of the changes.
--Carrie Albin, Outreach Coordinator and Co-Editor
Are you a teacher interested in MSU's Educational Technology Certificate Program? Check out the list below to see if the program is being offered in your area. If not, email Joe Codde to get your district started with the program.
Summer 2007
CEP 810 Traverse City* Jun 21, 22, 25, 26, 27, 28 CEP 811 Durand Jun 15, 16, 22, 23, Jul 13, 14 Traverse City* Jun 29, Jul 2, 3, 6, 9, 10, 11 CEP 812 Birmingham/Seaholm Jul 19, 20, Internet Sessions, Aug 2, 3 Durand Jul 20, 21, Internet Sessions, Aug 3, 4 Traverse City* Jul 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 Fall 2007
CEP 810 Alpena Oct 12, 13, Nov 2, 3, 30, Dec 1 Allegan Oct 19, 20, Nov 9, 10, 30, Dec 1 Birmingham Oct 5, 6, 26, 27, Nov 16, 17 Cadillac Oct 5, 6, 26, 27, Nov 16, 17 Durand Oct 5, 6, 26, 27, Nov 16, 17 Traverse City Oct 5, 6, 26, 27, Nov 16, 17 Wayne RESA Oct 19, 20, Nov 9, 10, 30, Dec 1 *Participants in the summer program at the Traverse City must take all three courses due to the accelerated format.
Online Sections*
Summer 2007 CEP 811 July 9 - August 25
Fall 2007 CEP 812 October 22 - December 8 CEP 810 Online @ MSU October 22 - December 14 *Students participating in the online courses will have the opportunity to meet to share their projects at a time and place determined by the participants. Please contact Brook Thompson at 517-432-9259 if you are interested in registering for the online courses.
Interested in learning |
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Norman Bell and Carrie Albin
Newsletter Editors
@ 2005 Michigan State University
Board of Trustees
MSU is an affirmative action, equal
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For More Information
Joseph Codde, Ph.D, Professor and Director,
Educational Technology Certificate Program
440 Erickson Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824
http://edutech.msu.edu, 517-432-9259, joecodde@msu.edu
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