Queens
College/CUNY
Education Unit
Fall 2009
SYLLABUS
SEYS 753 - Computer Applications in Science Education
Section: E7R3
Thursday 7:10 pm to 9:40 pm
Kiely Hall Room 115
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INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION:
Brian Murfin,
Ph.D.,
Office: Powdermaker Hall Room 150P,
Office Hours:
Thursday 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
And by appointment
Please send me email to brian.murfin@qc.cuny.edu to arrange an online appointment using either:
- ScienceMOO, or
- DimDim
Phone:
718
998-5150
Email: brian.murfin@qc.cuny.edu
A. COURSE DESCRIPTION
SEYS 753. Computer Applications in Science Education. 3 hr.; 3 cr. Prereq.: Matriculation into the MS in secondary science education, an introductory course in computers, and/or permission of instructor. Science teacher candidates enrolled in this course will examine the fundamental issues, concepts, and best practices surrounding the use of multimedia computer systems in science education. They will learn how to use a multimedia computer system, courseware and Internet resources to support science instruction at the secondary level. Some of the teaching and learning activities will take place online.
Education Unit Conceptual Framework:
This course is being offered by the Secondary Education department which is part of the Education Unit at Queens College. The Education Unit seeks to promote equity, excellence, and ethics in urban education and is committed to preparing teachers and other education professionals who will:
- Build inclusive communities that nurture and challenge all learners (Equity)
- Demonstrate professionalism, scholarship, efficacy, and evidence-based and reflective practice (Excellence)
- Diversity, democracy, and social justice (Ethics)
This course is aligned with the Education Unit’s commitment to preparing educational professionals to work in diverse urban and suburban communities. Specifically, the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that candidates will development/demonstrate at the successful completion of this course are directly linked to the Education Unit’s seven principles: 1) discipline specific competencies, 2) learning and development, 3) families and urban communities, 4) diversity, inclusion, democracy and social justice, 5) language and literacy, 6) curriculum, instruction, and assessment, and 7) technology.
B. COURSE GOALS/OBJECTIVES
- Students will acquire basic levels of technology and information literacy. Excellence
- Students will become acquainted with the history of computing, and the history of technology use in education. Excellence, Equity
- Students will have a basic understanding of how computer hardware and software work. Excellence
- Students will be able to critically review educational software and web resources. Excellence
- Students will be able to teach students important ideas related to the safe use of computers, including cybersafety and RSI. Excellence, EthicsStudents will learn techniques to assess the credibility resources on the Internet and World Wide Web. Excellence, Ethics
- Students will be familiar with the different types of technology tools and how they can be used to enhance the teaching and learning of science. Excellence
- Students will be able to design and create a web site. Excellence, Ethics, Equity
- Students will be able to design and create a video or podcast that can be used to enhance science learning. Excellence
- Students will be able to set up and maintain a blog that will be used to enhance science teaching. Excellence
- Students will be able to locate and install open source software. Excellence, Equity
- Students will understand strategies for using technology to help reduce the “digital divide”. Equity
- Students will become familiar with the educational technology literature, especially with relation to science teaching and learning. Excellence, Equity, Ethics
- Students will become familiar with virtual learning environments such as Second Life and Croquet. Excellence
- Students will become familiar with open source course management software and other educational software. Excellence
- Students will learn basic principles of programming using Scratch and Squeak. Excellence
C. REQUIRED PURCHASES: TEXTBOOK(S) AND SUPPLIES
1. Textbook (required): None You will not be required to purchase a textbook for this course. Instead, each student will review a different educational technology book from a list provided by the instructor. Most of these books are available in the Queens College library.
2. Textbook (recommended): None
3. Supplies and/or tools: None
D. WEEKLY TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
Week 1 – 9/3/2009 – Introduction to technology use in science education
Activities:
- Login, access course in BlackBoard
- Sign up for gmail, access google docs. Email your gmail and qc addresses to qcscied@gmail.com
- Introduce self on Discussion Board in BlackBoard
- Complete Pre-Survey
- Introduction to the Smartboard
- Small group discussion of
- Complete the History of
Computing Scavenger Hunt
- History
of Computers
- The Internet Lesson
- The World Wide Web
Week 2 – 9/10/2009 – Web 2.0 and Open Source Software
Activities:
- Go over the History of Computing scavenger hunt
- Introduction to Web 2.0
- Introduction to Open Source Software
- What is Open Source software?
- Other terms for free software
- Introduction to Stellarium (open source planetarium software)
- Sourceforge.net
- Select the software application you will review.
- Four components of a computer
- How computers get input
- How computers store information
- How computers process information
- How computers deliver information
- Which is smarter?
- List of general open source software applications that will be useful in this class. Please feel free to install these at home.
- Computer Hardware
- Software
Week 3 – 9/17/2009 – Blogs and Science Education
Assignment #1 due – Web 2.0 app or Open Source app review
In-Class Activities:- Bats, Bats, Bats!
- What is the origin of the term "blog"? Answer: The History of Blogging
- Instructions for the blog assignment
- Brainstorm ideas on how blogs can be used to enhance science teaching and learning, one person in group post on BlackBoard
- Look at some science and science education blogs
- Pick a target audience and theme for your blog
- Take the Quick Tour at blogger.com
- Sign up for a blogger.com account
- Create, name a customize your blog
- Add your first post
- How to add youtube videos to your blog
- More info on adding videos to your blog
- Sharing youtube videos
- Post the url to your blog on the Discussion Board in BlackBoard
Readings and Extension activities:
- The language of machines
- What is binary code?
- A bit of this and that
- How computers work with pictures
- Binary numbers
- Adding binary numbers
- ASCII an alphabet for computers
- Can you go to the movies
Assignment #2 due – post link to Blog assignment
In-Class activities:
- The Power of video - View "The Mom Song Sung to William Tell Overture with Lyrics"
- Brainstorm ideas for using webcams, and video in science teaching and learning, post ideas on the Discussion Board in BlackBoard
- Science Education videos
- Science webcams
- Check out the QC Science Education Webcam
- Download a science video clip (Source: HHMI web site)(right click, and then "save link as"), and edit with MovieMaker
- Demonstration of video creation and editing with Windows MovieMaker.
- Small group activity
- Pick a paper plate science activity
- Write script and instructions
- Record a video, save, edit. You can use the Flip Mino or Quickcam to record a short video
- Sign up for a youtube account or you can sign in with your gmail account
- Upload your video (at home you might want to install the Google Desktop Uploader)
- Post the url on the discussion board in BlackBoard
Useful Links:
- CamStudio - This allows you to record your computer screen
and edit it later.
http://camstudio.org/ - Windows MovieMaker tutorials
- Video Editing Tools
- http://eyespot.com/
- http://www.jumpcut.com/
- http://www.motionbox.com/
- http://photobucket.com/
- http://www.cuts.com/
- Science videos
- Science webcams
- How to set up a webcam
Readings and Extension activities:
- Big ideas (pdf), important concepts in computer science
- Construct a concept map to illustrate the relationship between computers and humans
- Write your first program using C++ or Java
- C++
Week 5 – 10/1/2009 – Audio, podcasts and science education
Activities:
- The Power of Technology - Read article and view youtube video "In My Language"
- What technology tools were used and why were they so important?
- Digital versus analog sound
- In small groups, brainstorm ideas for how digital sound can be used to enhance science teaching and learning. Post your group's ideas on the Discussion Board in BlackBoard
- Earliest sound recording (mp3) (picture of the phonautogram) (phonautograph)
- Introduction to Audacity, a free open source sound editing application
- Pick a sound from the links below, download it, and play around with it using Audacity
- Sounds from the web
- Australian pygmy owl (Right click and choose "save link as" (from Mangoverde.com bird guide)
- Free sound effects
- Bird songs
- Animal behavior recordings
- Free music
- Demo: Volunteers set up an ipod using the smartboard
- Work in small groups to develop a short science podcast.
- Write a script, record a simple podcast and edit using Audacity. In general, use the same planning process as you did for your youtube video. Remember, it must be related to science! Please note: Audacity on the computers in our lab, does not have LAME installed so you won't be able to export your sound files in mp3 format. You can export the file in .wav format and then email me (qcscied@gmail.com) the file using gmail, I can convert it and send it back to you. Also, for this first attempt at a podcast, just use voice, you don't need to include a music track.
- Upload your mp3 file using freedrive. Please place your file in a public folder, and then post the url to your folder on the Discussion Board in BlackBoard.
- Discuss possible science activities that use Audacity and podcasting
Extension activities:
- At home or school install RavenViewer
- RavenViewer Docs
- then visit http://animalbehaviorarchive.org/
- Pick an education or science podcast from the link below and add it to your blog, OR install Juice on your home computer and add the podcasts and newsfeeds you are interested in.
Useful Links:
- Juice (a nice aggregator to organize your podcast and rss feeds)
- Recording a podcast
- How to make a podcast
- Recording an audio podcast with audacity
- How to make a podcast with audacity
- Audacity tytorial for podcasters
- Itunes Tutorial for Windows
- How to create a podcast on Windows
- Podcasting for Itunes tutorial
How personal audio devices work
Week 8 – 10/22/2009 – Designing and creating web pages
Activities:
- Demonstration of how to create a web page and upload it to qcpages.qc.cuny.edu (Using Kompozer and WinSCP)
- http://www.webmonkey.com/tutorial/Make_an_HTML_Document
- Post the URL of your QC web page on the discussion board in BlackBoard
- Create a simple web page using Kompozer and upload to your qcpages.qc.cuny.edu account using WinSCP. (help creating web pages)
- The Educator's Guide to Copyright and Fair Use (PLEASE READ)
- Fair use and intellectural property on the web
- How to author a web site using Kompozer
- Webmonkey.com
- Kompozer site
- Kompozer tutorials
- How to design and publish your web site with Kompozer
- Graphics and Web Design based on Edward Tufte's Principles
- Top Ten Mistakes in Web Design
- Usability 101
- Complete HTML tutorial
Week 9 – 10/29/2009 – Virtual learning environments in Science Education
Assignment 3 due – Creation of a web site
Activities:
- Visit some virtual learning environments:
- ScienceMOO 2
- login as a guest and explore
- login with your builder account and create some objects
- login as a teacher and create and share educational objects
- Dryad
- Croquet
- Post title and author of book you are reviewing on the Discussion Board in BlackBoard
- Try out DimDim
- Work in groups on your final project.
Readings and Extension Activities:
Week 10 – 11/5/2009 – Web conferencing, Course Management Software and Science Education, Science Education in Second Life
Activities:
- What is moodle?
- The pedagogical principles of Moodle
- Take a look at the old Science Moodle
- Login as a guest and take a look at the Moodle demonstration course
- Play around and create a new course in Science Moodle
- Small group activity using DimDim, an open source web conferencing application
Week 11 – 11/12/2009 – Interactive multimedia development, Scratch and the scratchboard
Activities:
- Create a Scratch project that illustrates a science concept
- Share your project on the scratch web site and upload to BlackBoard
- Scratch site
- Connect real-world sensors to scratch projects
- simulations and modeling software
Week 12 – 11/19/2009 - Squeakland, EToys
Activities: (You can install this at home. Unfortunately we do not have the new version installed on the computers in the lab yet.)
- Squeak if you love GUI
- Authoring
- School Squeaking
- Features of EToys
- Showcase of Science Squeak projects
- Go through screencasts of lessons or
- Brainstorm possible ways you might use Squeak in science teaching and learning
Readings and Extension activities:
Week 13 – 11/26/2009 – THANKSGIVING RECESS - COLLEGE CLOSED (MOVE ::>Introduction to Linux
Class activities:
Read the following:
- What is linux?
- Common linux distros
- Useful linux commands
- Volunteers will install ubuntu on a discarded (and rescued) desktop computer
- launch putty
- hostname is qcpages.qc.cuny.edu and click open
- login as: INSTR\username (for students)(Note: this is case-sensitive)
- or login as QC\username (for faculty) ( Note: this is case-sensitive)
- enter your password: (remember this is case sensitive)
- commands to try:
- ls
- ls -al
- ps -aux
- pico (this is a simple text editor, you press the ctrl key with various letters to carry out commands)
- help
- man
- exit
- How might you use linux to enhance your science teaching?
- Ubuntu
- Download Kubuntu and burn on CD-ROM
- Change boot order on machine
- Boot up with CD-ROM, install Kubuntu
- Configure Kubuntu and install software
Assignment 4 due – Review of Educational Technology book
Week 14 – 12/3/2009 – (Please continue working on your projects using all the tools at your disposal, e.g. google groups, ScienceMOO, DimDim, etc)
Week 15 – 12/10/2009 – E-waste, other important topics related to educational technology, Work on projects,
Class activities:
- Carry out a personal E-waste inventory
- Work in small groups to develop E-waste plans
- The Digital Divide
- Cybersafety - How can we keep students safe on the web?
- Student misbehavior and technology - What can teachers and parents do?
- Health aspects of technology use
- RSI, eye strain, Internet addiction, obesity and others
Assignment 5 Due – Grant proposal for submission to donorschoose.org
Useful
links:
Week 16 – 12/17/2008 – FINAL EXAMINATIONS
Assignment 6 Due – Science video or podcast along with lesson plan and web page
Week 17 – 12/24/2008 – COLLEGE IS CLOSED Presentations of group projects - IMPORTANT - WE WILL MEET FROM 4PM TO 6PM
E. ASSIGNMENTS, DUE DATES, AND GRADING PLAN
Procedure for submitting assignments:
1) All assignments that include text:
- Post a copy on the Discussion Board in BlackBoard
- Submit an electronic version (a Word document) using the Digital Dropbox in BlackBoard
- Upload your document to docs.google.com and share with qcscied@gmail.com
2) Video or podcast assignments:
- Upload your video to Youtube.com (or other site) or podcast to Itunes. Post the link to your video or podcast on the Discussion Board in BlackBoard. Burn a copy of your video or ipod on a CD-ROM and hand in.
3) Web site and blog
- Post the URL to your blog and web site on the Discussion Board in BlackBoard
Assignment Description |
Due Date |
Possible Points |
Assignment 1 – Review of a web 2.0 application OR Review of an open source software application for possible use in science education |
9/10/2008 |
10 |
Assignment 2 – Create and maintain a blog related to an aspect of science or science education |
9/17/2008 |
10 |
Assignment 3 – Creation of an individual web site to serve as an electronic portfolio to display all work in this class |
10/22/2008 |
10 |
Assignment 4 – Critical review of an educational technology book from the list of recommended books |
10/22/2008 |
10 |
Assignment 5 – Grant proposal to fund a project that makes innovative use of technology in science education, donorschoose.org |
12/3/2008 |
10 |
Assignment 6 – Group project 1) Create, edit and post an educational science video on youtube.com and teachertube.com OR Group project - Create, edit and post an educational science podcast on itunes, 2) web page with a lesson plan and, 3) explanation should also be provided. 4) Presentation (10 points each) |
12/10/2008 |
40 points |
Participation – Active participation in all class activities. |
|
10 |
F.
FIELDWORK REQUIREMENTS -
None
G.
CUNY POLICY ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Academic
Dishonesty is prohibited in The City University of New York and is
punishable
by penalties, including failing grades,
suspension, and expulsion as provided at:
http://qcpages.qc.cuny.edu/provost/policies/index.html
H. ADA
Statement
Students with
disabilities needing academic accommodation should: (1)
register with and provide documentation to the Special
Services Office, Kiely 171; (2) bring a letter to the
instructor indicating the need for
accommodation and what type. This should
be done
during the first week of class. For more information about
services available
to Queens students
contact: Dr. Mirian Detres-Hickey, Special Services Office;
171 Kiely
Hall; 718 997-5870 (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.). E-mail
address: mdetres@yahoo.com
or to mirian.detreshicky@qc.cuny.edu
I. USE OF
STUDENT WORK
All teacher education programs in New York State undergo periodic
reviews by
accreditation agencies and the state education
department. For these purposes, samples
of students’ work are made available to those professionals
conducting the review. Student anonymity
is
assured under these circumstances. If you do not wish to have
your work made
available for these purposes, please let the professor
know before the start of the second class.
Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
J.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
K. RECENT BIBLIOGRAPHY
http://qcpages.qc.cuny.edu/~bmurfin/classes/fall2008/seys753/readinglist-seys753-fall2008.html