IST 611: Information Technologies in Educational Organizations€¦ · 2. Incorporate Common Core Standards, AASL or IFC Standards, and academic language learning strategies into

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IST 611: Information Technologies in Educational Organizations

Course Instructor Arden Kirkland [email protected], 845-475-8777 online office hours by appointment

Section M401 (37676) Course begins March 29, 2019 Live meetings Thursdays 7-8:30pm (Eastern) April 4 – June 13

1.0 Prerequisite/Corequisite There are no pre- or corequisites for this course.

2.0 Description Information and communications technologies, ethical issues, knowledge management tools, collaborative learning technologies, education databases, etc. On-site project fieldwork constitutes a major portion of course requirements.

3.0 Additional Course Description In this interdisciplinary survey course, students will study issues related to information technologies used in educational settings and will gain experience with a variety of technology tools relevant to educational contexts. Emphasis will be balanced between knowledge about information technologies and the appropriate use of information technologies for achieving pedagogical goals in a range of settings. Students are expected to be self-directed and self-motivated in learning to use a range of information technologies. Students will be introduced to a variety of technologies used in education and training, such as web-based social software, mapping, webinars, coding simple games, screencasting, and virtual and augmented reality environments. While assistance in learning to use these tools is available, direct, hands-on instruction in specific information technologies is not included in the course content. Each week, students will be expected to complete technology-focused exercises as part of their participation grade in addition to contributing to discussions and/or blogs. It is important to maintain a steady pace and not fall behind to achieve successful learning outcomes. The course includes opportunities to work independently as well as collaboratively. The first assignment has students independently becoming experts on a technology tool while Assignment 3 provides an opportunity to collaborate with a school or education organization to gain practical experience. The webinar assignment has students training other students in this class on the technology they learned as part of their first assignment. Presentations by guest experts and practitioners may also be incorporated. A complete course schedule is included in this syllabus. 4.0 Credits IST 611 is a 3-credit course.

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5.0 Learning Outcomes The broad course goal is that students develop confidence in utilizing new and emerging learning technologies to appropriately deliver the most effective learning experiences for K–12 students and the school and/or public library community. The following table pairs learning outcomes by three broad categories with learning assessments for this course. You will notice that assessments of learning outcomes include online participation, relevant assignments, live teaching demonstrations using conferencing software, simple coding, a collaborative technology project, and graded quizzes. # Learning Outcomes by Category

By the end of the course, students will be able to: Assessments

A.

PEDAGOGY 1. Demonstrate knowledge of the impact of technology on

information services and instruction for diverse learning audiences including students with different abilities, learning styles, and needs in a range of learning environments.

2. Incorporate Common Core Standards, AASL or IFC Standards, and academic language learning strategies into technology-based lessons.

3. Synthesize and add value to knowledge gained from research and readings on the topic of technology in education.

4. Successfully complete evaluation of existing library websites and/or learning commons.

5. Create a top-level design for a digital library space.

Assignment 3; Participation Assignments 1 and 2, Quiz Assignment 5 Assignment 2 Assignment 2

B. TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION 1. Demonstrate competence in using a number of existing and

emerging technologies for educational use (e.g., screencasting, blogging, podcasting, coding, video recording, closed captioning).

2. Collaborate with other professional staff to assess technology needs of faculty and/or organizations in order to design, develop, implement, and evaluate technology solutions that solve problems, enhance instruction, or improve a process.

3. Use collaborative software and video conferencing as methods for team interaction.

Assignments 1, 3, 4, and 5, plus weekly technology exercises Assignment 3 Assignments 3 and 5

C. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN CONTEXT: Policy, Ethics, Intellectual Freedom, and Leadership 1. Recognize the importance of local, state, and federal policies,

standards, legislation, regulations, additional funding sources, and certification in providing guidance for planning and assessment.

2. Discuss specific legislation and its impact on school libraries and librarians including the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

Quiz Participation Participation

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3. Generate teaching ideas for promoting digital citizenship, social responsibility, and safety on the Internet.

4. Discuss the multifaceted role of the school librarian as a technology leader, defender of intellectual freedom, and partner in students’ learning.

Participation

6.0 Required Texts Please note that in addition to the required text, a list of assigned and recommended course readings and other learning materials will be posted on the course site on a weekly basis. Students will be asked to locate relevant readings and learning materials on topics covered in this course for class discussions, assignments, and other activities. Such readings will be available either online or from the electronic resources databases at Syracuse University Library. Only one text is required: Tucker, T. R. (2016). Creatively teach the Common Core Literacy Standards with technology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Publishers. The Tucker text was not written specifically for library educators, but it is the best text yet for integrating technology with the all-important Common Core Standards and was published in 2016, so it still current. It is just as relevant for librarians. You can order from the publisher, Corwin, for approximately $29, but I’ve also located it on Amazon.com for only $18.43. Recommended Texts (Not Required) Woodcock, J. (2016). Coding games in Scratch. New York, NY: DK Publishing, a division of Penguin Random House. (Approximately $13.50 on Amazon.com) The above book is appropriate for young audiences but also works well for adults with no prior programming experience. It will be valuable to you in preparing Assignment 4: Coding in the Library. Alternatively, you can access https://scratch.mit.edu/ and explore the site and follow a number of tutorials for your practice leading to Assignment 4. Additionally, all students must be familiar with the AASL Standards Framework for Learners released in November 2017. You can download the pamphlet from http://standards.aasl.org/framework/. The Empire State Information Fluency Continuum (IFC) is aligned to AASL Standards, and we’ll use this in this course, too, because it uses the Stripling Inquiry Model as its foundation. The lengthy document is also provided for download in the Week 1 Overview. Keep these documents handy as references throughout the course. NOTE: If you plan to work in NYS after graduation, you should know that the NYS Education Department has recently created a modified version of the Common Core State Standards called the New York State Next Generation English Language Arts and Math Learning Standards. They have developed helpful crosswalk documents that allow educators to read the text from both sets of standards side-by-side for comparison purposes. You can access these documents at: http://www.nysed.gov/curriculum-instruction/teachers/next-generation-ela-learning-standards-crosswalks. I try to keep textbook costs low as there are several small costs to download apps for use in the course. 7.0 Technology Requirements

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This course will use a variety of methods to deliver instruction including but not limited to instructor lectures, video guests, podcasts, discussion, and readings. Please make sure that your computer is loaded with several free applications that you will require for assignments. These include an editing program like Windows Movie Maker, iMovie, WeVideo.com, or other free software. You will also need access to a web camera (e.g., built-in laptop video camera, or use of other personal device with video and audio recording ability) and a headset with a microphone (Very Important). Using a microphone to record your podcasts and screencast narrations will make a huge difference in the quality of your recordings and requires an investment of around $20–$25. Lastly, you will need to download an inexpensive app for green-screen practice during the course; its cost is $2.99, and more information will be provided in the week it is required. These technology investments are why the textbook expenditures are kept to a minimum in this class. 8.0 Additional Course Requirements All students are expected to participate in all class and online activities, and to complete all course assignments and readings on time. Final grades of assignments submitted late will be lowered one half a grade point per day the assignment is late (e.g., one day late takes an A to A-). All written assignments must be submitted using Microsoft Word and preferably saved as a PDF document. Please include your last name in the file name followed by the assignment number (EXAMPLE: Arnone_Assignment 1). Below are course requirements related to course participation. Course participation contributes to the greatest percentage of your overall course grade.

8.1 Weekly Discussions in Asynchronous Materials and Live Sessions Contribute to the open response discussions in the asynchronous portion at your convenience, but please post 48 hours prior to Live Session 1; your responses to your colleagues’ posts are due 24 hours prior to your live session. Contributions should be well thought out, substantive, clear, and concise. Your participation in live sessions will also impact your course grade. Discussions in live sessions assume that you have reviewed the learning module, read the textbook chapters and/or assigned articles, and are able to relate that information to the topics discussed in the live sessions. You may include anecdotes from your experiences, completed assignments, things you've learned in other courses, or descriptions of relevant readings, etc. 8.2 Weekly Technology Exercises In addition to participating in weekly discussions (see 8.1), each week will also require a technology-based exercise or activity. These will be on a much smaller scale than an “assignment” but still mandatory (and will contribute to your participation grade). The asynchronous content has been built intentionally to give you time to work on your technology exercises. Examples of technology exercises include creating a 30- to 45-second podcast, writing and recording a video library announcement, closed captioning a short video, and coding exercises using Scratch. One week, blogging will represent the technology exercise, and you will place your response to an asynchronous open-response prompt in a blog that you create (or add to an existing blog if you already have one); some students find this exercise helpful in building their electronic portfolios. 8.3 Twitter

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We use Twitter in this course to develop connections and increase communication among students as well as to begin building professional networks. When students find relevant links to useful resources, they are requested to share these links with others by posting to the #IST611 Twitter hashtag. 8.4 Participating in a Webinar Conducted by a Colleague From This Class You will conduct a webinar on a technology tool for other members of the class. See Assignment 5 for details. You are expected to also attend at least two other webinars conducted by colleagues from this class. 8.5 Other Ways to Communicate and Share You may post general course-related questions to the wall for the course instructor. Questions related to your specific situation should be e-mailed directly to the instructor. There will also be a discussion area under Assignment 3, where students can share progress on this major assignment with colleagues, get feedback and ideas from others, and post ideas to help others. This will be optional for the most part, but there will be several weeks during the semester where students will be required to post progress updates on this assignment for instructor review. In these cases, the discussion thread will be labeled “Required.”

9.0 Syracuse University Policies Students should review the University’s policies regarding: Diversity and Disability https://www.syracuse.edu/life/accessibilitydiversity/; the Religious Observances Notification and Policy http://supolicies.syr.edu/studs/religious_observance.htm; and Orange SUccess - http://orangesuccess.syr.edu/getting-started-2/. 10.0 Disability-Related Accommodations Syracuse University values diversity and inclusion; we are committed to a climate of mutual respect and full participation. If you believe that you need academic adjustments (accommodations) for a disability, please contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS), visit the ODS website– http://disabilityservices.syr.edu, located in Room 309 of 804 University Avenue, or call (315) 443-4498 or TDD: (315) 443-1371 for an appointment to discuss your needs and the process for requesting academic adjustments. ODS is responsible for coordinating disability-related academic adjustments and will issue students with documented Disabilities Accommodation Authorization Letters, as appropriate. Since academic adjustments may require early planning and generally are not provided retroactively, please contact ODS as soon as possible. Our goal at the iSchool is to create learning environments that are useable, equitable, inclusive and welcoming. If there are aspects of the instruction or design of this course that result in barriers to your inclusion or accurate assessment or achievement, please meet with me to discuss additional strategies beyond official accommodations that may be helpful to your success. 11.0 Statement of Academic Integrity Syracuse University’s Academic Integrity Policy reflects the high value that we, as a university community, place on honesty in academic work. The policy defines our expectations for academic honesty and holds students accountable for the integrity of all work they submit. Students should understand that it is their responsibility to learn about course-specific expectations, as well as about university-wide academic integrity expectations. The policy governs appropriate citation and use of sources, the integrity of work submitted in exams and assignments, and the veracity of signatures on attendance sheets and other verification of participation in class activities. The policy also prohibits students from submitting the same work in more than one class without receiving written authorization in advance from both instructors. Under the policy,

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students found in violation are subject to grade sanctions determined by the course instructor and non-grade sanctions determined by the School or College where the course is offered as described in the Violation and Sanction Classification Rubric. SU students are required to read an online summary of the University’s academic integrity expectations and provide an electronic signature agreeing to abide by them twice a year during pre-term check-in on MySlice. For more information about the policy, see http://class.syr.edu/academic-integrity/policy/

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nf12.0 Course Calendarormation Technologies for Educational Organizations: Course Outline and Schedule

Week #

Topics by Category/Theme Required Readings and Technical Exercises Read and Do Prior to LIVE SESSION

Deliverables | Assignments Due | Quizzes

1 PEDAGOGY § Todays’ Digital Learners

§ Story in Today’s Digital World

§ Theoretical Learning Perspectives

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN CONTEXT § Net Neutrality

TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION § Using Technology to Introduce Yourself

Required Readings Tucker Textbook: Preface and Chapter 1

Optional Readings

The Power of Digital Story by Bob Dillon, Edutopia article (available

in this week’s Overview)

Tech Exercise (Note: All Tech Exercises are included in the module): Introduction Using Video: Create a 30-second message suitable for

an ePortfolio introducing yourself, using a technology tool such as

Animoto.com.

No Major Assignments Due (Start working on Assignment 1.)

2 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN CONTEXT § Intellectual Freedom

§ Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act

(CIPA) and eRate: Protection or

Censorship?

PEDAGOGY § eLearning, mLearning, Blended Learning

§ Connecting to the Common Core

Standards

TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION § Personal Broadcasting

§ Podcasting

Required Readings Tucker Textbook: Chapter 2 (BYOD and Mobile Devices)

Do you want kids to be safe online? Loosen those filters! By Mary Ann Bell (available in this week’s overview)

Common Core and the Role of the School Librarian (AASL) (available in this week’s overview)

Tech Exercise Create a Podcast: For this exercise you will plan/script a one-minute

podcast, then produce/record it and upload the link before our live

session. Instructions are in the Technology in Action section of the

module.

No Major Assignments Due

(Work on Assignment 1. Make

arrangements for collaborative

technology partner for

Assignment 3, which spans the

entire semester.)

3 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN CONTEXT § Fair Use and Technology

§ Creative Commons

PEDAGOGY § Libraries and Innovation Spaces

§ Fostering Team Collaboration

TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION

Required Readings Tucker Textbook: Chapter 3 (This is an important chapter for librarians as it discusses the Common Core Reading Standards.)

Tech Exercise Webinar Practice: For this exercise you will find one colleague from

this class and use your Zoom classroom to practice delivering a first-

draft webinar on the tool you selected for Assignment 1. Complete

instructions are in the Technology in Action section of the module.

Assignment 1 DUE: Individual Technologies Project

(submit before Live Session 3)

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§ Conducting a Webinar and ARCS Model

§ Technical Considerations for Webinars

4 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN CONTEXT § ESSA, Technology and Libraries

PEDAGOGY § Technology Tools and the Inquiry Model

§ Blogging as a Tool for Librarians

§ RSS

§ Blogs and Vlogs as Tools for Students

§ Using Stripling’s Inquiry Model to Help

Students Frame Interviews

TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION § The Concept of a Learning Commons:

Physical and Virtual

§ Exploring Library Sites

§ Introduction to the WebCHECK

evaluation instrument for Assignment 2

Required Readings Climbing to Excellence: Defining Characteristics of Successful

Learning Commons by Dr. David Loerchester (available in this week’s

Overview)

Tech Exercise Blog Post: For this exercise you will use the results of your

exploration of library websites and virtual learning commons to

create a blog post to report on features you feel are good examples

of sites that get users actively involved. Complete instructions are in

the Technology in Action section of the module.

No Major Assignments Due

(Start working on Assignment 2.)

5 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN CONTEXT § COPPA Legislation

§ FERPA Legislation, Privacy and the

Library

§ Design Research

PEDAGOGY § Social Media for Libraries and Librarians

§ Social Media for Student Learning

§ Accessibility of Materials You Produce

TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION § Closed Captioning Your Videos

Required Readings Herold, Benjamin. (2017, July 28). Issues A–Z: COPPA and Schools:

The (other) federal student privacy law, explained. Education Week.

(available in this week’s Overview)

Tech Exercise Produce and Closed Caption a Video: For this exercise you will

create an approximately 30-second message telling your

hypothetical library site visitors what’s happening in the library.

Complete instructions are in the Technology in Action section of the

module.

Assignment 2 DUE: Website Evaluation and Design

(submit before Live Session 5)

6 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN CONTEXT § ADA Legislation

PEDAGOGY § Exploring Transliteracy

Required Readings Tucker Textbook: Chapter 4 (Argumentative Writing) and Chapter 5 (Informative Writing) – Both involve research and use of technology tools.

No Major Assignments Due

(Continue working on Assignment

3 with your collaborative

partner.)

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§ Digital Mapping Including Geolocation

Games, QR Codes, and Their Curricular

Connections

§ Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR and

AR) in the Library

TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION § Tutorial on Creating AR

Tech Exercise Create Your Own AR Book Tease: For this exercise you will

download an AR app to your digital device and practice using this

technology with a 15- to 20-second book tease that you write and

produce. You will learn how to create an AR experience using a

trigger image, an overlay, and a physical object (the book about

which you create the book tease). You will find the complete

instructions in the Technology in Action section of the module. It’s

not hard; you’ll find this fun and a valuable asset for your tech

toolkit!

7 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN CONTEXT § Cyberbullying: A Growing Problem

PEDAGOGY § Teaching Digital Citizenship (We focus

primarily on social responsibility as a key

part of digital citizenship.)

§ Using Video to Trigger Tough Discussions

§ Lesson Planning: Creating a Lesson to

Address Cyberbullying

TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION § Introduction to Green Screen Technique

§ Tutorial on Green Screening

Required Readings Tucker Textbook: Chapter 6 (Narrative Writing) – Involves story building and online tools.

How Do Librarians Perceive Dispositions for Learning and Social Responsibility? by Marilyn Arnone Tech Exercise Create a Green-Screen Effect: For this exercise you will need to

download Green Screen by Do Ink for your iOS/Android mobile

device. It costs $2.99. You will find the complete instructions for

creating a green-screen effect in the Technology in Action section of

the module. You will be surprised at just how easily you can create

this effect and will undoubtedly think of many ways to use it in your

library.

Take Quiz on Textbook Chapters 4, 5, and 6. Quiz can be taken up until Live Session 8.

(Continue working on Assignment

3 with your collaborative partner.

Consider when you want to

present your webinar

[Assignment 5], which is a

flexible-date assignment.)

8 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN CONTEXT § BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) Initiatives

§ AUPs (Acceptable Use Policies)

PEDAGOGY § Making Sense of the Web: Taxonomies

and Folksonomies

§ Crowdsourcing for Teaching, Learning,

and Advocacy Efforts

§ Using the Many Google Tools for

Assessment (including the SAMR model),

Lesson Planning, and Data Analysis

TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION

Required Readings Ready to Code: Connecting Youth to CS Opportunity Through

Libraries by Linda Braun and Marijke Visser (ALA, 2017) (available in

this week’s Overview)

Tech Exercise Code a Game or Animation in Scratch: For this exercise you use

either one of the online Scratch tutorials (e.g., from

http://scratch.mit.edu) or the Coding in Scratch book (optional) to

practice coding and share your practice product with colleagues in

this class. You will find instructions in the Technology in Action

section of this week’s module.

No Major Assignments Due

(Continue working on Assignment

3 with your collaborative partner.

Work on your Coding in the

Library project [Assignment 4],

which is a flexible-date

assignment.)

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§ Computational Thinking and Coding

§ Demonstration: Coding in Scratch

9 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN CONTEXT § Misinformation, Disinformation, and

Fake News

PEDAGOGY § Teaching Evaluation Skills, Including How

to Spot Fake News

§ Using Digital Portfolios

§ Data Visualization, Infographics, and

Literature Connections

TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION § Infographics

Required Readings Tucker Textbook: Chapter 7 pp. 146 (infographics)–156; Chapter 8 pp. 164 (Flipped Classroom Model)–169; skim Chapter 9 (optional), Chapter 10 pp. 188-192.

Tech Exercise Create an Infographic: For this exercise you will go to

Pictochart.com or other infographic maker and create an infographic

for a group of your future students on the topic of evaluating web

resources. Instructions are in the Technology in Action section of this

week’s module.

No Major Assignments Due

(Start wrapping up your work on

Assignment 3.)

10 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN CONTEXT § Everyday Leadership With Evidence-

Based Practice and Advocacy; Using

Technology to Help Define Leadership

PEDAGOGY § Staying on Top of Professional

Development

§ The Concept of Open Education

(including open educational resources,

open pedagogy, and open access)

TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION § No new technologies this week

Required Readings School Librarians' Experiences With Evidence-Based Library and

Information Practice by Jennifer Richey from School Library Research

Professional Development: What's It to You? | Not Dead Yet by

Cheryl LaGuardia, 2014

State of the MOOC 2016: A Year of Massive Landscape Change for

Massive Open Online Courses, OCR Online Course Report. (All

readings above are available in this week’s Overview.)

Tech Exercise: NO TECH EXERCISE THIS WEEK!

Assignment 3 DUE: Collaborative Technology Project

(submit before Live Session 10)

11 LIVE SESSION ONLY NO ASYNC LEARNING MODULE

NO REQUIRED READINGS NO TECH EXERCISE

Assignment 4: Coding in the Library – Flexible Date

(submit before Live Session 11)

Assignment 5: Webinar – Flexible Date �(submit before Live Session 11)

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13.0 Assignments & Grading 13.1 Assignment Breakdown and Points at a Glance

Assignments Title Points Due 1 Individual Technologies Project 15 4/17/2019, 7pm ET 2 Website Evaluation and Design 15 5/1/2019, 7pm ET 3 Collaborative Technology Project 20 6/5/2019, 7pm ET 4 Coding in the Library 10 6/12/2019, 7pm ET 5 Webinar 10 6/12/2019, 7pm ET Reading Quiz Chapters 4, 5, and 6 in Tucker Text 5 5/22/2019, 7pm ET Participation Throughout Async and Live Sessions 25 Every Wednesday at

7pm ET TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS

100

13.2 Overview of Assignments and Expectations for Delivery All assignments must be submitted before the live session of the week in which they are due. Instructor will not accept late work with full credit unless there is a documented explanation provided (such as a doctor’s note). Please inform the instructor as quickly as possible if you must submit an assignment late and have a “documentable” explanation. Otherwise, late assignments drop one half of a letter grade each day they are late. PLEASE be cognizant of spelling and grammatical errors. While not everyone is a great speller, there are numerous means of receiving assistance that should practically eliminate any typographical errors. Instructor expects to receive high-quality work commensurate with that of a serious graduate-level student. All assignment submissions must be prepared using proper American Psychological Association (APA) format. If you do not own the latest edition of the APA Publication Manual, you will find an excellent resource at Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/. 13.3 Grading Scale The chart below shows how letter grades will be assigned based upon points earned for each assignment. Grades may include partial points such as 8.5 points of 10 possible points. Only exceptional and near-exceptional work will receive grades of A, A-, and B+. Rubrics with grading criteria will be provided.

POINTS EARNED LETTER GRADE 95–100 A 90–94 A- 87–89 B+ 83–86 B 80– 82 B- 77–79 C+ 73–76 C 70–72 C-

Below 70 F

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14.0 Ownership of Student Work In compliance with the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, works in all media produced by students as part of their course participation at Syracuse University may be used for educational purposes, provided that the course syllabus makes clear that such use may occur. This course may use student work for such purposes. It is understood that registration for and continued enrollment in a course where such use of student works is announced constitutes permission by the student. After such a course has been completed, any further use of student works will meet one of the following conditions: (1) the work will be rendered anonymous through the removal of all personal identification of the work’s creator/originator(s) or (2) the creator/originator(s)’ written permission will be secured. As generally accepted practice, honors theses, graduate theses, graduate research projects, dissertations, or other exit projects submitted in partial fulfillment of degree requirements are placed in the library, University Archives, or academic departments for public reference.

ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTIONS AND DETAILS FOLLOW

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ASSIGNMENT 1: Individual Technology Assignment [15 points]

NOTE: This assignment begins Day 1 of the class and is due before Live Session 3. Description/Overview: You will be given a list of possible technology tools to explore for teaching purposes. You may sign up on the course site for the technology of your choice. Go to the Assignments area to sign up under Individual Technology Project Choice. If there is one particular technology that interests you, please sign up as soon as possible – first come, first served. If there is a technology that you would love to learn but is not on the list, please e-mail me as it may be appropriate for learning activities. This assignment should result in your becoming an expert in a particular tool. The assignment will involve four tasks that are fully described below. Briefly, these tasks are (1) each student will describe and explain the online technology, (2) students will create a planning document using a provided template showing how this technology would support learning in a school or public library setting (Common Core Learning Standards and AASL / IFC competencies/indicators required), (3) students will create a video tutorial (screencast) to help others use this technology, and (4) students will post their work on Symbaloo.com to share with their classmates. You will be exposed to your colleagues’ tools during the webinars presented as a part of Assignment 5. DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS FOR EACH TASK Task 1 – Describe and explain your selected technology (2 points) This report should include the following sections:

• The title, URL, and description of the chosen online tool • Bulleted outline of the technology’s strengths, weaknesses, and special features • The title, URL to similar online tools, if any, that serve the same purpose with an annotation about the

similar tool and any advantages or disadvantages over the tool you selected The description should be written professionally and should be free of typographical, grammatical, and spelling errors. Points will be deducted for poor grammar, syntax, and incorrect format. Students with weak writing skills are encouraged to seek help from a friend or family member who can act as an editor. Task 1 should not be more than one single-spaced page. Task 2 – Link the technology to the curriculum (6 points) Write a single-spaced two-page report in Word (double space between headers) for two separate activities (1-page per activity). Each activity will include some background information such as a description of how the selected technology tool would support learning in an educational setting with at least one citation from the literature in education as support. Each activity must relate to one or two Common Core content standards (or other state standards if your state has modified Common Core standards for that state). These standards can be applied to any educational level (elementary, intermediate, etc.). Each activity should also meet one or two competencies from the Empire State Information Fluency Continuum (IFC) or the AASL Standards Framework for Learners. Be cautious to not overstate the standards that you can realistically address and assess in a single activity. Following the background information, you will describe the activity in which librarians could use the selected online technology to address the standards, competencies, and academic language goals. To put the above into concrete terms/expectations, I am providing the following which you may use as a template for your two-page report. Each page (i.e., one page per activity) should include the following:

• Title for your activity and the URL of the selected technology

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• Background Information for Each Activity o Core curriculum area (e.g., English Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Math, etc.) o Educational level o A brief description of where it fits within a larger lesson or unit o Role of the selected online technology (e.g., how it will support learning in your education

setting with at least one citation to support your statement) o Common Core Standard addressed (or the NYS Next Generation Science Standard, if approp.) o Competency from IFC/AASL Standards Framework for Learners that is addressed o Academic language (how it will be integrated; if you have not taken IST 612, please read this

brief article by Finley at the Edutopia web site: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/8-strategies-teaching-academic-language-todd-finley

• Activity Description: In paragraph form, describe what students will do; what you will do as the librarian; mention classroom teacher collaboration if planned and in a school setting. What makes this “active” as opposed to “passive” learning?

• Conclusion for Task 2 only – In one paragraph, discuss how digital technologies support inquiry learning, make these standards easier to address, and/or make the activities more interesting/meaningful than without a technology component.

• The report should be written professionally and, as mentioned earlier, it should be free of errors. You will not be down-graded if you run over the page count to provide your concluding paragraph.

NOTES: School librarians are called upon to teach information skills in the context of helping students meet learning standards in any core curriculum area. Public librarians will benefit, as well, when they can readily associate the activities they present as connecting to the school curriculum. This knowledge builds credibility for public librarians who want to partner with schools. Parents will also be aware that some youth services and teen services librarians have an edge when they are familiar with Common Core and information literacy skills their children need to be successful. Task #2 will give students experience in conceptualizing activities that could be included in larger lesson plans or units of instruction. You are not expected to write up a formal (detailed) lesson plan for these activities. You have the choice of grade level and content area. You could even decide to do one activity for elementary or middle school and the second one for high school level so this task affords students with a good deal of choice.

Task 3 – Create a Video Tutorial (7 points) Create a video tutorial on how to use your technology as if you were going to use it to train your future students or library patrons. Make the tutorial aimed at the same age level as those for whom you have designed the activities. The video should be narrated by you; do not use only text as narration is expected. The video tutorial can be created with a technology called Screencastomatic. You can access this free application at https://screencast-o-matic.com/. It enables you to quickly and easily capture any area of your screen as an image or video, add narration as you are demonstrating the technology, and then share it with anybody. A tutorial for Screencastomatic is presented in the Week 1 learning module. If you find you really love Screencastomatic after using it for this class, you can actually buy the Pro version for about $15 a year. It has more features. Jing is yet another free tool; it is not my personal favorite, but I want you to know that there are more options.

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The tutorial should include enough detail to enable the user with standard computer skills (for the target audience) to access and successfully use your technology. However, user attention is at a premium, which translates to brevity. Aim to keep your tutorial between four and six minutes, no longer. At a minimum, it should include the following information:

• How to access the technology • An explanation of the purpose of the technology • A tour of the technology’s features • Step-by-step instruction on how to utilize the technology

Task 4 – Post completed work in order to receive a grade Each of the tasks should be posted to your own Symbaloo (http://www.symbaloo.com) site by the deadline. (Symbaloo will be demonstrated in Week 1 to help prepare you for the assignment; each task will have its own tile, and it’s fun and easy to create.) Submit the completed Individual Technology Project on the Assignments page, providing both the name of your selected technology tool and the Symbaloo link where all parts of the assignment reside. To acquire the link to your Symbaloo webmix, look for the Share icon above your webmix, click on it and when the dialog box opens, you’ll see how to get the link. If you are confused, review the Symbaloo tutorial in Week 1, Section 1.6.5. After receiving all URLs for students’ projects, your instructor may post a class Symbaloo for quick and easy access to all your colleagues’ projects. NOTE: Your choices of technology tools for this assignment come from both previous and current winners of the AASL Best Websites for Teaching and Learning plus others deemed useful by the instructor. You will find these choices in the Assignments area of our course site. Make sure you sign up early for your selected technology tool. Assignment 2 starts on new page . . .

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ASSIGNMENT 2: FROM WEBSITE EVALUATION TO DESIGN CONCEPT [15 points]

Due before Live Session 5 This two-part assignment (submitted as one document) begins with an authentic task and ends with a hypothetical one. For this assignment, you will (A) explore school library websites and select one of them to evaluate using an automated online evaluation instrument, and (B) use the results of the exploration and evaluations to guide the design concept of your dream library website or virtual learning commons. If you do not intend to go into school libraries, you may choose to frame this assignment for a public library instead.

The Scenario

Imagine that you are in a school being renovated over the summer (your choice of urban, suburban, or rural as well as elementary, middle, or high school). You are in the spring semester and you’ve heard about something exciting. When the school opens in September, the principal would like to also unveil a new digital library space! (The old library site included little more than library hours, announcements, and access to a few databases students could use for assignments.) He or she assigns you to do some research and create a preliminary design document. The principal knows you have creative ideas and that you have also solicited different perspectives from other educators at your school; he hires you to work over the summer to design the new site and its features. You will have the school’s technology coordinator to assist you with any technical details so you can focus only on its design.

DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS FOR PART A:

PART A: Reporting the Results of a Digital Library Site Evaluation [7 points] DESCRIPTION: Your first task will be to find out what’s working and what’s not in terms of existing library sites to inform your own decisions for the design. Here is what you need to do for Part A:

1. Begin by exploring digital library sites. Consider at least three sites that you have visited before coming to a consensus on one site for which you will conduct an in-depth evaluation using the measure described below.

2. You will use the freely available Small and Arnone’s WebCheck Professional online evaluation instrument (http://webcheck.ischool.syr.edu/). The technical development of this automated online tool was supported in part by a grant from the Institution of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). This instrument will help you to pinpoint both specific and more general areas in need of improvement regarding your selected website and to evaluate the strengths of that site across two important dimensions: value and expectation for success as well as several subdimensions. Be sure to read the Notes for Educators when you visit the site. [The tool is based largely on expectancy-value theory and has evolved from the previous Website Motivational Analysis Checklist (WebMAC) – Professional Version and its counterpart, Arnone and Small’s Content Validity Scale. It was pilot tested, modifications were made based on results, and it is available now for librarians and other educators. An article about the instrument and its theoretical foundation will be provided along with these instructions; it should prove helpful.]

3. You will set up a WebCHECK for Facilitators account. Then you will need to get two volunteers to also evaluate the site. Give your volunteer evaluators the Group ID generated from the facilitators account. Then, each volunteer can simply click on “WebCheck Instruments” to get started. Enter Name, Website URL, and Group ID and select “Professional” as the “Instrument Type” before evaluating the site.

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(ASIDE: This will all make sense to you once you visit the WebCHECK resource.) It is from the facilitator’s account that the group data can be managed and a summary report with graphs can be generated. The graphs from the summary report will be the ones you use in Part A of this assignment.

4. Once you have evaluated your selected website using WebCheck Professional for Educators, you will synthesize the evaluation results and write an evaluation report (approximately four to five pages, single-spaced with double space between sections). In this report, you will summarize the strengths and weaknesses of the site as if you were writing an evaluation report to guide the design of your own future library site or virtual learning commons if you decide to go that route. You will use citations from the literature to support the importance of school/public library digital spaces in marketing the library or to make specific points. (The evaluation report should be written professionally and should be free of typographical, grammatical, and spelling errors. Points will be deducted for poor grammar and syntax.)

5. The evaluation report should be written as if you were submitting a journal article in paragraph form with headers for each section. Please do not simply provide bullet-pointed responses to what is below. I am using bullet points below to indicate what is required, not to imply the formatting.

• Title and URL of the site your team evaluated • Description of the site (including its purpose, intended audience, content provided, any unique

features, and your impressions of each site’s strengths and weaknesses based on results of WebCheck across the two dimensions of value and expectation for success and on the subdimensions.)

• Screen captures of the graphs produced of the aggregated data for the website site evaluated. You may want to weave these visuals into your discussion of strengths and weaknesses.

• Recommendations/suggestions (that will inform your own design of a library site) • Reflection on the evaluation experience

o Why is evaluating websites and digital learning spaces important? Or is it? o Did the experience and what you learned about evaluating sites give you any ideas for

how you might teach critical evaluation skills to your students? DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS FOR PART B: Part B: Design Concept for Dream Library Website or Virtual Learning Commons [8 points] Description: For Part B of this assignment, use your combined experience of visiting other library sites and conducting a detailed evaluation of your selected library site in Part A to help inform a creative design document to present to your principal (or public library director, if that is your future direction). You should include rationale on why you believe certain components would be successful, drawing on expectancy/value theory (the foundation of your evaluation instrument), other literature, and if appropriate, personal experience; naturally, use APA style citation within and include references at the end of the paper (references not included in page count). Specific details should include (in paragraph form, not bullet-pointed):

1. Abstract for Part B: A single page or shorter abstract that includes dream school/level, location, demographics, and brief description of report; place this on a separate page entitled “Part B: Library Site Design Concept” followed by the abstract.

2. Introduction and Rationale: Inform the principal (you can make up a name or insert the name of your instructor as principal) of your purpose and what you hope to accomplish with the new site (e.g., goals of the site). Will it be a library website, or will it take the form of what is referred to as a digital or virtual learning commons? Include support or evidence from the literature, as needed; what you see as differences between these two concepts of digital library spaces; and why you chose one or the other. Remember, there is no right or wrong approach, but your approach needs to be justified.

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3. Design Ideas: What features and functions will your site or virtual learning commons include and how will they address both perceived user VALUE and perceived user EXPECTATIONS for SUCCESS (these were the dimensions of the web site instrument you used in Part A)? Be creative with enough detail to allow the reader to visualize your concept. Do not just give me a laundry list. I want to know how things will work and how you believe they will affect the user experience especially along the dimensions of value and expectation for success but can also include other factors that you think are important and can be justified by empirical evidence. What will attract visitors and make them want to visit regularly? How will you establish and build community? How will the site be relevant to users? Graphical depictions or other visuals are welcomed and encouraged.

4. Assessment: How will you know if your site or virtual learning commons is successful? What evidence will you be able to provide to your principal or library director? Would evaluation be ongoing or occur at specific times?

5. Citations and References: You must include a minimum of five articles, two of which should be from refereed journals, not only articles from websites or blogs.

Please single space Part B with spacing and appropriate headers between sections. I find this easier to read. You should be able to accomplish Part B in five to six pages. Assignment 3 starts on new page . . .

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ASSIGNMENT 3: COLLABORATIVE TECHNOLOGY PROJECT [20 points]

(Choice: TEAM or INDIVIDUAL Assignment)

This assignment begins on Day 1 and is due before Live Session 10.

DESCRIPTION: Students collaborate with a school, public library, or youth organization. This assignment presents students with an opportunity to apply their newly gained technology-related knowledge and skills to a real educational context. (School media students are encouraged to combine this assignment with a fieldwork or practicum project whenever possible.) Students must identify a site-based practitioner (classroom teacher or school librarian for school media students; non–school media students have the option of working on this assignment with a trainer, manager, administrator, or youth services public librarian) to develop and implement technology solutions to an identified need in an educational setting. Students wishing to use their own K–12 educational workplace as the site of their collaborative technology project may do so. As mentioned above, you may also work on your own without another student from this class as long as you have site-based practitioners involved; with some students’ schedules, this latter option may be more workable. Some students may also simply prefer to work independently when given a choice. If two students decide to work on the same project, each student will also submit a team participation rubric to assess their own and their partner’s contribution. I will not match up students for this assignment. The choice of partner, if any, is your own. Most students choose to work independently with a library site partner. DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS For this almost semester-long assignment, each collaborative team (student(s) and site-based partner) should meet early in the semester in order to clarify the goal(s) and scope of the project, establish a timeline for completing the project, and assign team members specific project responsibilities. (This means meeting early on with your organizational partner or collaborator from your participating school, public library, or other organization.) Students are encouraged to use e-mail, telephone, videoconferencing, face-to-face communication, synchronous chats, wikis, and/or any other communication methods available to collaborate. As responsible project managers, students are expected to share the goals, timeline, and responsibilities with their contact(s) at their educational site. Specific tasks include:

1. Locating project partners (educational organization and team members) 2. Coming to consensus with organization on a need/problem/goal that can be addressed using a

technology tool 3. Identifying strategies to address the goal, creating timeline for completion, assigning responsibilities 4. Beginning work on creating the technology solution 5. Sharing your first status report in the Assignments area posted in the discussion thread Assignment 3:

Collaborative Technology Project (Status Report 1: Initial Plan). This brief progress report/message should include the title of the project, description, school or organization served, and project members with their roles.

6. Continuing to work on solution and updating progress with the site contact 7. Sharing second status report in the discussion forum Assignment 3: Collaborative Technology Project

(Status Report 2: Progress Report). A flexible deadline for sharing this report is provided; please post this second report anytime between the fifth and sixth live session so that every student may read

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about projects being completed for this class (and so that I may provide brief feedback in the forum). This more detailed report should contain the following information:

a. Title of collaborative technology project b. Names and responsibilities of project team members c. Goal and context of project d. Impact on educator/student learning e. Detailed timeline including tasks completed to date f. Accomplishments thus far on the project as outlined in the timeline g. Any issues, insights, or problems regarding the project. Remember, at this point in time, you

have only four weeks left to complete this major assignment. 8. Implementing project. Provide a final report to the class (via the Assignments Discussion area to the

thread labeled Share Final Project Report w/Class and to the instructor for grading by uploading the final report to the Submit Assignments area for Assignment 3 before Live Session 10. The final report should be written professionally and should be free of typographical, grammatical, and spelling errors. The final report should include:

a. Summary of the Overall Collaborative Technology Project and Collaborators/Library Partner b. Needs Assessment

i. How did you come to know there was a need for this project? c. Goals and Desired Learning Outcomes of the Project d. Target Audience e. Technology or Technologies Used to Complete This Project f. Challenges Faced g. Results

i. Students must include what went well and what students would have done differently. h. Reflection on the Experience

i. Students must include how their approach to collaboration and project implementation assisted educators and/or their students to learn and to use technology for learning.

ii. A pointer (link) to or inclusion of the Completed Technology Project. This means that your instructor is looking for evidence, not description only, of the final project.

Assignment 4 starts on a new page . . .

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ASSIGMENT 4: Coding in the Library [10 points]

(INDIVIDUAL Assignment – Flexible Submission Date)

This assignment has a flexible submission, which means it can be submitted at any time during the quarter up until Live Session 11. DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS

DESCRIPTION: Today’s students starting as young as 5 years old are being taught how to tell a computer what to do. That is what coding is, in simple terms. Please understand that you don’t have to be a programmer to complete this assignment. Its purpose is to alleviate some of the fear associated with coding by providing an introduction to its basic concepts through designing a simple coding game using Scratch, and then creating a brief plan and one- to two-minute video promotion/screencast for a coding day or makerspace library event. Please pace yourself on this flexible-date assignment; start early with the assigned readings and coding practice from the Coding Games in Scratch text and/or online tutorial from http://scratch.mit.edu, and begin exploring game creation and animation as soon as possible. DIRECTIONS: Here are the guidelines for this assignment:

1. Start reading the optional text on creating games or participate in online tutorials through the Scratch site.

2. Practice creating several games of your choice so you feel really comfortable about coding simple games.

3. Read the ALA News Release and the three brief School Library Journal articles provided in the Assignment 4 area, and visit the Hour of Code website to learn more about coding possibilities for the school library. Numbers 1–4 are the preparatory steps. Now, you are ready to tackle the submission portion of the assignment. Read on!

4. Create a one-page planning document for a coding event for your future library. Why is this important? What will it involve (i.e., activities)? Who will be your target audience? How long will it last? What will you need (e.g., materials, apps, staffing) to pull it off?

5. Use your understanding of coding from creating your own games, reading the articles provided, visiting hourofcode.com, and researching other library coding events to write and produce a one- to two-minute promo/screencast for the event. This will provide you with a second opportunity to practice creating a screencast. The screencast should promote the event by actually showing “in action” at least two of the games (or game and an animation) YOU have created. Convey excitement about the event through your narration!

6. Submit both the one-page planning document and the link to your screencast to the Assignment area for Assignment 4.

Assignment 5 starts on a new page . . .

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ASSIGNMENT 5: CONDUCTING A WEBINAR ON YOUR TECHNOLOGY TOOL [10 points]

(INDIVIDUAL Assignment – Flexible Submission Date)

This assignment has a flexible submission, which means it can be submitted at any time during the quarter up until Live Session 11. DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS

DESCRIPTION: This experience builds on the completion of Assignment 1. Each person should now be an expert in their selected online technology tool and be able to teach the tool to colleagues in this course. At any point during the semester after completion of Assignment 1, one webinar/discussion must be conducted by each student. Most students will want to conduct their webinars after completing the Week 3 learning module in which the instructor provides instructions for conducting successful webinars. Here are some guidelines for this assignment:

1. Choose a date for delivery of the webinar. 2. Decide on an agenda for your seminar (e.g., introduction, showing your tutorial, providing examples of

how to use in the context of a curriculum, having questions ready to pose to your audience, giving your audience time to ask you questions, your closing statements). Plan on the webinar lasting approximately 25–30 minutes.

3. Find at least two people (at least one person from this class) to attend your seminar who will commit to being a participant. Try to get more students, if possible, or even friends.

4. Advertise the date, time, and means of access to your seminar in the Assignment Progress and Discussions area under the thread entitled “Webinar Schedule” so that other students have the opportunity to attend if they wish.

5. Use your own 2U-provided classroom as your webinar delivery system. 6. Conduct the webinar. 7. Write a one- to two-page reflection on the experience of delivering the webinar, including your

webinar agenda, who attended, what went well and what didn’t, and lessons learned about conducting a webinar and handling the technology challenges. Organization of the reflection is flexible. This is a possible document that could be included in your electronic portfolio for potential employers to see, so make sure to indicate the features of the technology that you can now use.

8. Submit the reflection to the Assignments area. Indicate the technology tool you presented. NOTE: Each student in the class must attend at least two other webinars in addition to conducting their own. QUIZ: Textbook Readings (5 points) In addition to the five assignments above, there is one timed quiz based on several of the textbook chapters. The value of the quiz is 5 points. PARTICIPATION: Throughout the Course (25 points) Participation is evaluated based on (1) online individual participation throughout the semester including the completion of the asynchronous module activities and weekly technical exercises, which will be assessed for quality and regularity, and (2) quality and regularity of participation in live sessions. Please keep up with the pace of the class as I will only check asynchronous participation and the weekly technical exercises before the live session for that module. I will not be able to go back at a later date to review late submissions for participation credit.