About the Course

Course Description

This course integrates the advanced study of technology with the study of teaching English Learners and Special Needs students. Learners in support of a 5th year induction program.

This one-year integrated course is designed to build upon beginning teachers’ expertise in equitable assessment and instruction for English Language Learners (ELL) through and with equitable uses of technology. This one-year integrated course will also include the study of and field experience in methods and strategies of integrating technology into the curriculum to support all students. Candidates will explore a variety of electronic communication tools for use within the classroom as well as to expand the network of professional educators. Candidates will address the areas of information literacy, the digital divide, and using technology to create life-long learners.

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, candidates will be able to demonstrate the following knowledge and skills related to the integration of technology to support teaching and learning for all students:

• Appropriate use of a variety of technology based information sources, assessment tools, and applications for the manipulation of data related to the school environment;
• Skillful integration of technology to increase information literacy for all students;
• Ability to use available technology to increase communication with students, parents, and other community members; and
• Skillful use of technology to expand the community of learners outside the walls of the classroom.

Back to Top

Grading

42-38 pts A

37-34 pts B

33-30 pts C

below 30 F

Back to Top

Course Policies

Policy on Class Attendance:

This course is required for a State of California Teacher Credential. Completion of the course certifies to the State Board of Education that the student has mastered the required competencies for this area. Therefore, class attendance is necessary and no classes are optional. If a student will miss more than one class in the course of the semester, it is suggested that the student take this course in a different semester when s/he does not have conflicts. Please contact the professor individually to discuss this. A student who is absent more than once (except in cases of illness or an emergency), is late for class excessively, or leaves class early may receive a grade that is at least one grade lower than the computed grade (e.g. A minus becomes a B plus). A student with excessive absences cannot receive a grade of A or A minus at the end of the course. Class participation in small group and large group activities is necessary to pass the course. Students should come to class prepared to participate and should regularly participate in discussions.

Policy on Academic Honesty:

Loyola Marymount University expects honesty and integrity from all members of its community. All acts of cheating on assignments or examinations, plagiarism, forgery of signature, or falsification of data, unauthorized access to University computer accounts or files, and removal, mutilation, or deliberate concealment of materials belonging to the University library will be dealt with appropriately.

Students found guilty of any offense against academic honesty and integrity are subject to a failing grade in the course by the instructor. In addition, students may be suspended or dismissed from the University upon the recommendation of the Program Director, the Dean of the student’s college or the Chair of the Graduate Council.

In addition, students enrolled in credential or licensing programs may be suspended, dismissed, or denied recommendation for the credential or license for any violation of the published Code of Ethics for the professional group. Please review the University’s Academic Honor Code in the University Bulletin for any violation for the published Code of Ethics for the professional group.

(Graduate Bulletin, p. 15)

Course Evaluations:

Student feedback on this course provides valuable information for continued improvement. All students are expected to fairly and thoughtfully complete a course evaluation for this course. This semester, all course evaluations for the School of Education will be administered online through the Blue™ evaluation system. You will receive an e-mail notification at your Lion e-mail address when the evaluation form is available. You may also access the evaluation form on the MyLMU Connect (https://mylmuconnect.lmu.edu/) dashboard during the evaluation period.

Written Work:

Written work should be well written, grammatically correct, and conform to the American Psychological Association (APA) style manual, 6th edition. All assignments (with the exception of the study guides and any assignment submitted via email) should be typewritten and double-spaced.

Back to Top

Requirements

Place Course Requirements Here

Prerequisite Knowledge

Place prerequisite knowledge here

Technical Skills

Students must have proficiency with the following technical skills: Basic email, word processing, presentation skills

Back to Top

Netiquette

Netiquette, or network etiquette, is concerned with the "proper" way to communicate in an online environment. Consider the following "rules," adapted from Virginia Shea's The Core Rules of Netiquette, whenever you communicate in the virtual world.

Rule 1: Remember the Human

When communicating electronically, whether through email, instant message, discussion post, text, or some other method, practice the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. Remember, your written words are read by real people, all deserving of respectful communication. Before you press "send" or "submit," ask yourself, "Would I be okay with this if someone else had written it?"

Rule 2: Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life

While it can be argued that standards of behavior may be different in the virtual world, they certainly should not be lower. You should do your best to act within the laws and ethical manners of society whenever you inhabit "cyberspace." Would you behave rudely to someone face-to-face? On most occasions, no. Neither should you behave this way in the virtual world.

Rule 3: Know where you are in cyberspace

"Netiquette varies from domain to domain." (Shea, 1994) Depending on where you are in the virtual world, the same written communication can be acceptable in one area, where it might be considered inappropriate in another. What you text to a friend may not be appropriate in an email to a classmate or colleague. Can you think of another example?

Rule 4: Respect other people's time and bandwidth

Electronic communication takes time: time to read and time in which to respond. Most people today lead busy lives, just like you do, and don't have time to read or respond to frivolous emails or discussion posts. As a virtual world communicator, it is your responsibility to make sure that the time spent reading your words isn't wasted. Make your written communication meaningful and to the point, without extraneous text or superfluous graphics or attachments that may take forever to download.

Rule 5: Make yourself look good online

One of the best things about the virtual world is the lack of judgment associated with your physical appearance, sound of your voice, or the clothes you wear (unless you post a video of yourself singing Karaoke in a clown outfit.) You will, however, be judged by the quality of your writing, so keep the following tips in mind:

Always check for spelling and grammar errors

Know what you're talking about and state it clearly

Be pleasant and polite

Rule 6: Share expert knowledge

The Internet offers its users many benefits; one is the ease in which information can be shared or accessed and in fact, this "information sharing" capability is one of the reasons the Internet was founded. So in the spirit of the Internet's "founding fathers," share what you know! When you post a question and receive intelligent answers, share the results with others. Are you an expert at something? Post resources and references about your subject matter. Recently expanded your knowledge about a subject that might be of interest to others? Share that as well.

Rule 7: Help keep flame wars under control

What is meant by "flaming" and "flame wars?" "Flaming is what people do when they express a strongly held opinion without holding back any emotion." (Shea, 1994). As an example, think of the kinds of passionate comments you might read on a sports blog. While "flaming" is not necessarily forbidden in virtual communication, "flame wars," when two or three people exchange angry posts between one another, must be controlled or the camaraderie of the group could be compromised. Don't feed the flames; extinguish them by guiding the discussion back to a more productive direction.

Rule 8: Respect other people's privacy

Depending on what you are reading in the virtual world, be it an online class discussion forum, Facebook page, or an email, you may be exposed to some private or personal information that needs to be handled with care. Perhaps someone is sharing some medical news about a loved one or discussing a situation at work. What do you think would happen if this information "got into the wrong hands?" Embarrassment? Hurt feelings? Loss of a job? Just as you expect others to respect your privacy, so should you respect the privacy of others. Be sure to err on the side of caution when deciding to discuss or not to discuss virtual communication.

Rule 9: Don't abuse your power

Just like in face-to-face situations, there are people in cyberspace who have more "power" than others. They have more expertise in technology or they have years of experience in a particular skill or subject matter. Maybe it's you who possesses all of this knowledge and power! Just remember: knowing more than others do or having more power than others may have does not give you the right to take advantage of anyone. Think of Rule 1: Remember the human.

Rule 10: Be forgiving of other people's mistakes

Not everyone has the same amount of experience working in the virtual world. And not everyone knows the rules of netiquette. At some point, you will see a stupid question, read an unnecessarily long response, or encounter misspelled words; when this happens, practice kindness and forgiveness as you would hope someone would do if you had committed the same offense. If it's a minor "offense," you might want to let it slide. If you feel compelled to respond to a mistake, do so in a private email rather than a public forum.

Adapted from The Core Rules of Netiquette Shea, V. (1994). Core rules of netiquette. Netiquette (Online ed., pp. 32-45). San Francisco: Albion Books.

Greta Steber . (1994 - 2012). Core Rules of Netiquette. Learning@CSU. Colorado State University. Available at http://learning.colostate.edu/guides/guide.cfm?guideid=4.

Back to Top

Course Syllabus