Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
in order to satisfy new state competency standards for certification as Educational
Technologists and School Library Media Specialists. The course development process,
course objectives, course content and activities, and the results of a formative and
summative evaluation conducted by the researchers are included, as well as
recommendations for future implementation, including distance delivery.
INTRODUCTION
This evaluation study focuses on the design, development, and implementation of an
interdisciplinary course in which students gain knowledge about and discuss issues related
to the selection, management, and use of information technologies for teaching and learning
in a wide variety of settings (e.g., schools, colleges, businesses). The survey course, offered
for the first time in Fall 2001, was based on the following assumptions:
•
Technology literacy is fundamental to the education of citizens of the 21
st
century.
•
Technology integration is fundamentally a human-oriented issue, in the sense that the
point is to integrate technology in meaningful ways into the life and work of people;
this is especially true with regard to using technology in teaching and learning.
•
Technology can provide unique and powerful opportunities to enhance learning and
teaching.
•
The adoption of information technology will change the way teachers teach and
students learn.
In this chapter, the collaborative course development process, course objectives,
course content and activities, and the results of a formative and summative evaluation,
conducted by the researchers, are described. Recommendations for future implementation,
including distance delivery, are included.
BACKGROUND
Collaborative Course Development
The development of the new course began as a response to the need to revise and
update two master's degree programs at Syracuse University, one in the School of Informa-
tion Studies and one in the School of Education, in order to satisfy current New York State
certification requirements for School Library Media Specialists and Educational Technolo-
gists in schools. These requirements emphasize collaboration among educational profes-
sionals to enhance the learning of all students, including those with disabilities and special
needs, and specifically, collaborative projects that support the use of instructional and
information technologies for teaching and learning.
The objectives for developing the new course were to:
•
Create an innovative approach to teaching and learning about information technology
use in education.
•
Encourage collaborative planning and teaching in the areas of information and
technology literacy.
