EDIT 2000 Day Three

Curriculum Standards
Technology integration aside, how do teachers know what to teach? How do they know what students should learn? Every state has standards and every content area has national standards. There are even standards for technology integration. Georgia is transitioning from Quality Core Curriculum Standards (QCC) to the Georgia Performance Standards. You'll want to become familiar with the state standards for your content area and grade level.

You'll also want to be familiar with the ISTE standards for technology integration -- this course, and all of your projects, are based on these standards.

Levels of Technology Implementation
Once you know what content you should address for your subject and grade level, how do you know what types of activities to inclue? Look inside of an elementary school that integrates technology into its curriculum. Using the Levels of Technology Implementation to quantify what is going on in a classroom is a good way to begin. You'll be referring to these levels, along with standards, in all facets of your project work.

For Wednesday

1. Print a copy of the standards for your subject area/grade level.
2. Based on your standards, type a response to the following questions. Bring a copy of your standards and your typed response to these questions to class on Wednesday.

*Why did you chose this content area/grade level?
*In general, what is the content focus for your grade level?
*What surprised you about your standards?
*What specific standards lend themselves to technology integration?What is it about them that causes you to determine this?
*If you were actually teaching this content area/grade level what would you want your students to know and be able to do? What would be your priorities? What would you want them to remember from your class?

Email me if you have trouble locating appropriate standards or with answering any of the questions.

EDIT 2000 Day Two

You read an article on Monday about "Weaving Technology into Teaching". What have you experienced as a K-12 student that would exemplify that weaving? What knowledge do you currently have about teaching and learning? About what technology integration looks like in a classroom? What technology skills do you already possess?
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We will be working in a "dual platform" lab this semester. You'll learn to use both Windows and Macintosh machines. You'll find that they are very similar - once you test drive them both.

It's important to set up an organized file structure on any storage device - from a 3-ring binder to your usb drive. We use two main folders in your usb drive for this course: an assignments folder and a portfolio folder. Everything you create in this course should immediately be saved to the assignments folder. If you are using your USB drive for other courses, you'll want to create folders for them as well. USB drives are easy to lose, so you'll want to make sure to have a Word document named "Open if found" saved to your usb drive - it should include all of your contact information.

For Friday's class, in order for Huaxuan to learn more about you (and to get a head start on one or our first projects) you will need to submit a professional resume. This is due at the beginning of class Friday - you should bring a printed copy to class and save a copy in the assignments folder on your USB drive. You'll want everything to look professional, so use a resume template .
Please remember that your resume must include:

• Objective
• Grade Level and Subject Area you want to teach
• Education
• Work Experience
• Honors and Awards
• Computer Skills/Special Skills
• Personal Interests
• Professional References

Please send me an email: gbthomas@uga.edu if you have any questions about the resume assignment.

Welcome to EDIT 2000!

The purpose of this course is to help you to explore the tools that can support teaching and learning in a P-12 classroom. As you learn about these tools you will focus on the educational processes that these tools support -- not the technical skills that you acquire. In other words, this is not a course about learning computer skills in isolation; it is a course that will encourage you to find appropriate uses for technological tools in the P-12 classroom.

In order to find and document these appropriate uses of technology, you will work independently, in partners, and in groups to prepare educational activities for specific curriculum topics. You will play the role of a classroom teacher and use your content knowledge, understanding of teaching and learning strategies, and your technology skills to develop real applications for the various tools explored during the semester. Your final product will be a web-based set of activities to teach specific curriculum objectives.

The instructor for your EDIT 2000 is Huaxuan Fang. Her email address is fhx@uga.edu. Your "temporary instructor" for the week of January 9th is Gretchen Thomas. My email address is gbthomas@uga.edu. You will want to become familiar with the syllabus for our course.




The only materials you'll need for this course are a key drive and a 3-ring binder to keep track of handouts. We use Macintosh and Windows computers in this lab -- so you'll need to become familiar with both operating systems.

So, what does technology integration look like?Harrison County High School in Gulfport, Mississippi is a wonderful example of students and teachers using technology tools for learning. If that's not enough, see how Mary Scroggs Elementary School in Chapel Hill, North Carolina integrates technology to help younger children learn.

It's time to get started -- there is a background article I would like for you to read that gives you a bit of history about technology in education. I hope reading it will help you to understand what I think about technology's place in P-12 teaching and learning.

If you have any questions, remember that we are always glad to help!