Fall - 2001

Revised on 8/25/01 by Sue Mahoney

Welcome to this survey course in educational technology offered by the Educational Technology Program in the Department of Educational Psychology at Texas A&M University. Dr. Karen L. Murphy is the instructor, and Sue Mahoney is the teaching assistant.

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Instructor 1:
Karen L. Murphy, Ed.D., Associate Professor
Dept. of Educational Psychology
College of Education, Texas A&M University
622 Harrington Tower, MS 4225
College Station, TX 77843-4225

Contact:
Voice: (979) 845-0987 (direct)
(979) 845-1831 (departmental office)
Fax: (979) 862-1256
Email: kmurphy@tamu.edu
Office hours: By appointment
Instructor page: <http://disted.tamu.edu/>  

Instructor 2:
Sue E. Mahoney, M.Ed., Graduate Assistant
College of Education, Texas A&M University
College Station, TX 77843-4225

Contact:
Voice: (713) 932-1993 (direct)
Email: sue@mahoney-associates.com
Office hours: By appointment

[ Dates/Times/Location | Course Description | Target Audience | Course Objectives | Texts | Delivery Mode ]

• something to share for a potluck lunch
• something warm to wear inside the building
• a digital photo (or be prepared to have your photo taken during the orientation)
• your student fee receipt to obtain a TexShare card for using libraries statewide
• all of your course materials including--

a. your textbooks
b. course pack from Copy Corner
c. printouts of all three parts of the syllabus, the calendar, and all units
d. the assignments due on Sept. 8

Please note:

• The course actually begins on Aug. 27, 2001.
• The course is an introductory course to the field of educational technology.
• The course requires at least intermediate Internet skills (e.g., email, email attachments, chats, Web searches) because it is Web-based.
• We will use FirstClass computer conference software for communication within the class and WWWBoard for communication externally.
• The course requires as much time and effort as, if not more than, a traditional course (approximately 12-15 hours per week).
• Plan to log on to the class 5 days per week on an average.
• You are expected to complete the assignments that are posted in the Introduction unit by the Sept. 8 Orientation.

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Course Description
This course is designed to provide a thorough overview of the history, theory, research and practice of educational technology. You will explore the many sub-areas of the field more fully in subsequent courses. The distinction is generally made between instruction and delivery. Instruction relates to a systematic way of designing, carrying out, and evaluating the total process of teaching and learning. Instruction may or may not involve educational media. Delivery relates to the media that make instruction accessible to learners and include audiovisual media, television, computers, teleconferencing, etc.

The course is a graduate seminar and therefore will require considerable reading and library research. An important goal of this course is the development of communication skills surrounding issues in educational technology. You will use some of the tools of educational technology.

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Target Audience
School teachers, administrators, and curriculum and technology specialists; and faculty and staff in higher education institutions.

Course Objectives

1. Identify and describe a variety of aspects of educational technology and how they interrelate
2. Explore and retrieve information about educational technology from a variety of resources, including the Internet
3. Review and critically analyze a variety of perspectives on the field of educational technology
4. Adopt a personal perspective on educational technology based on a rationale that is supported by external information
5. Summarize trends and developments in educational technology during the 20th century
6. Compare and contrast several prevalent learning theories and discuss how each influences instructional design decisions
7. Distinguish between different definitions of educational technology and develop your own definition
8. Identify the major leaders in the field and summarize their contributions to the field
9. Describe the major professional organizations and publications that directly or indirectly relate to educational technology

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Texts

Note: The two textbooks can be purchased from the Memorial Student Center Bookstore on campus (phone: 979-845-8681; email: textbook@books.tamu.edu)

• Ely, D.P., & Plomp, T. (Eds.). (1996). Classic Writings on Instructional Technology (Vol. 1). Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited. ISBN: 1563082306
• Ely, D.P., & Plomp, T. (Eds.). (2001). Classic Writings on Instructional Technology (Vol. 2). Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited. ISBN: 1563088541
• Course Pack from Copy Corner (979-693-0640 or 979-694-COPY), 1404 Texas Avenue South, College Station (e-mail: info@copy-corner.com)

Delivery Mode
The course will be taught as a Web-based course. In addition, we will explore applications of other delivery technologies.

You will use the Web to:

• obtain information about the course, post self-assessments, and contribute to WWWBoard discussions about occupations in the field

  - class Web site
  - WWWBoard discussions <disted.tamu.edu/classes/field01f/wwwboards.htm>

You will use FirstClass to:

• communicate with your classmates and with us <http://fc.coe.tamu.edu>
• do your coursework <http://fc.coe.tamu.edu>

You will have authorization to access both the class Web site and the FirstClass 602 conferences with your own identical login ID and password. Your login ID is the first letter of your first name followed by your last name (e.g., kmurphy for Karen Murphy, smahoney for Sue Mahoney). Your password is the last 5 digits of your student ID number. Use these when you're prompted for your ID and password on the Web site and in FirstClass.

FirstClass Computer Conference:
We will use the text-based conferencing system, FirstClass. This course requires you to have access to the client version of FirstClass from your own desktop so that you can use all of the functions of the software (i.e., email, conference messaging, chats, collaborative documents). Note that to use collaborative documents, you must do so from the client version of FirstClass. You can access FirstClass from the Web for more limited access. Follow the instructions for downloading and installing FirstClass onto your computer at <http://fc.coe.tamu.edu>. Contact FirstClass Help <firstclass@coe.tamu.edu> for all technical difficulties or if you can't see the EDTC 602 Conferences on your FirstClass desktop, once you have been authorized a FirstClass account.

You need access to an Internet provider to use FirstClass and Netscape (or another Web browser) via modem from home or work, or via ethernet. All students are eligible for an account on the computer system at TAMU through the Computer Information Service. If you expect to have difficulty in connecting to the University computer system via modem, we strongly encourage you to subscribe to an Internet Service Provider that offers a PPP or SLIP connection.

Pre-course Assessment:
Complete and submit the online assessment for online courses <http://disted.tamu.edu/classes/ReadinessAssessment.html> for us to assess your readiness.

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