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Brian's Class Materials- Spring 2010 - SEYS 753

Queens College/CUNY

Education Unit

Queens College/CUNY
Education Unit
Spring 2010

 SYLLABUS

SEYS 753 - Computer Applications in Science Education

Section:  

 Thursday 7:10 pm to 9:40 pm

 Kiely Hall Room 115

Week 1 Week
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4		 Week
5		 Week
6		 Week
7		 Week
8
Week 9 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12 Week 13 Week 14 Week 15 Week 16
Week 17 Week 18





 INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION: 

Brian Murfin, Ph.D.,
Office:  Powdermaker Hall Room 150P,

Office Hours: 

Wednesday 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
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:

Phone:  631 223-8311

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:

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

  1. Students will acquire basic levels of technology and information literacy. Excellence
  2. Students will become acquainted with the history of computing, and the history of technology use in education. Excellence, Equity
  3. Students will have a basic understanding of how computer hardware and software work. Excellence
  4. Students will be able to critically review educational software and web resources. Excellence
  5. 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
  6. 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
  7. Students will be able to design and create a web site. Excellence, Ethics, Equity
  8. Students will be able to design and create a video or podcast that can be used to enhance science learning. Excellence
  9. Students will be able to set up and maintain a blog that will be used to enhance science teaching. Excellence
  10. Students will be able to locate and install open source software. Excellence, Equity
  11. Students will understand strategies for using technology to help reduce the “digital divide”. Equity
  12. Students will become familiar with the educational technology literature, especially with relation to science teaching and learning. Excellence, Equity, Ethics
  13. Students will become familiar with virtual learning environments such as Second Life and Croquet. Excellence
  14. Students will become familiar with open source course management software and other educational software. Excellence
  15. 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 – 1/28/2010 – Introduction to technology use in science education

Activities:  

Readings and Extension activities:
Useful links:

Week 2 – 2/4/2010 – Cloud computing, Web 2.0 and Open Source Software

Activities:

Readings and Extension activities:
Useful Links:

Week 3 – 2/11/2010 – Blogs and Science Education

Assignment #1 due – Web 2.0 app or Open Source app review

In-Class Activities:

Readings and Extension activities:

Week 4 – 2/18/2010 – NO CLASS - Classes follow a Monday schedule
 Week 5 – 2/25/2010 – Data and Science Teaching and Learning

Assignment #2 due – post link to Blog assignment

Readings and Extension activities:

Week 6 – 3/4/2010 – Videos, webcams, and science education

Assignment #2 due – post link to Blog assignment

In-Class activities:

Useful Links:

Week 7 – 3/11/2010 - Audio, podcasts and science education

Activities:

  • Discuss possible science activities that use Audacity and podcasting

Extension activities:

Useful Links:

Sound and Science

How personal audio devices work

Week 8 – 3/18/2010 – Online Class - Linux

Tonight's class will take place in ScienceMOO.  

Introduction to Linux

Class activities:

  • Work in small groups to answer the following questions using the links below:
    • What is linux?  How is it different from Windows and the Mac operating systems?
    • Who invented linux?  
    • What is the most common distribution of linux?
    • How might you use linux to enhance your science teaching?
    • How can you recycle computers using linux?
  • Download putty.exe (Click on this link and save the file to the desktop) and use ssh to connect to qcpages.qc.cuny.edu
    • 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)
  • Once you have logged into your account, you are now at the linux command line.  Notice that there is no graphical user interface.  Instead, you have to enter commands by typing them.  Try entering the following commands:  
    • 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

Read the following:

As a class, we will install a common version of Linux on an old, discarded PC (We will do this next week in class.  If you have an old computer, you can install Ubuntu on it.)
Week 9 – 3/25/2010 –Designing and creating web pages

Activities:

Useful Links:
Readings and Extension Activities:
Advanced topics:

Week 10 – 4/1/2010 – NO CLASS - Spring Recess

Week 11 – 4/8/2010 –  Web conferencing, Course Management Software and Science Education

Activities:

Useful links:

Assignment 3 due – Creation of a web site

 Week 12 – 4/15/2010 -  

Virtual learning environments in Science Education

Before class, please try and do the following:

Our class is online in the old ScienceMOO 10/29.  You can attend
from anywhere as long as you have a computer and compatible web
browser.  Please make sure to try and do the following BEFORE tomorrow's
class:

1)  Look through the following:

Beginner's Guide
http://www.accd.edu/sac/english/lirvin/4guide/BeginGuide.html

Quick Start
http://www.accd.edu/sac/english/lirvin/4guide/QuickStart.html

User's Guide for ScienceMOO
http://www.accd.edu/sac/english/lirvin/4guide/index.html

2)  Make sure that you can login to the old ScienceMOO using the
computer and web browser you will use tomorrow during class.  Some
versions of Internet Explorer and Safari have problems.  You can
always download and install Firefox for free and use it.

Here is the link for ScienceMOO and to download Firefox:

http://sciencemoo.org:7001/

http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/

3)  If you have a problem with your ScienceMOO account, please let me
know as soon as possible.  You can always login as a guest without a
password but you will not be able to do as much.

4)  I will send out the instructions and seating chart later on today,
so please check your email before class starts.  You will be working
on tomorrow's activities in groups by sitting at virtual tables.  I
will give each group a virtual tape recorder so you can record your
groups discussions.  We will be putting the results of our night's
work on a wiki and I'll send out the procedure soon.

If you have questions or problems, please email me at
brian.murfin@qc.cuny.edu before class starts.  I will also set up a
live video and audio stream at justin.tv and record it.

I am looking forward to having an interesting, fun and productive
lesson tomorrow night in cyberspace!  See you there!

Activities:

Browse through the following:

  • Today's main activity:
    • You are going to work in small groups in ScienceMOO to add new and fresh material to the fun science wiki!  
    • Procedure:
  • Post title and author of book you are reviewing on the Discussion Board in BlackBoard
  • Work in groups on your final project.  

Other useful collaboration tools and VLE's

Readings and Extension Activities:

Week 13 – 4/22/2010 –  NO CLASS - Science Education in Second Life, Virtual and Augmented Reality - Implications for Science Education

Outside of  class, please try to do the following:

Activities:

 Week 14 – 4/29/2010 –    Interactive multimedia development, Scratch and the scratchboard 

Activities:
Useful Links:
Week 15 – 5/6/2010 –Squeakland, EToys

Assignment 4 due – Review of Educational Technology book

Activities: (You can install this at home.  Unfortunately we do not have the new version installed on the computers in the lab yet.)

Readings and Extension activities:

 Week 16 – 5/13/2010 –  (Please continue working on your projects using all the tools at your disposal, e.g. google groups, ScienceMOO, DimDim, etc)

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

Useful links:

Assignment 5 Due – Grant proposal for submission to donorschoose.org

Please complete the course evaluation before the last week

 Week 17– 5/20/2010 – PLEASE NOTE CHANGED TIME:  WE MEET FROM 6:15PM TO 8:15PM - Presentations of group projects

 Assignment 6 Due – Science video or podcast along with lesson plan and web page

Week 18 – 5/27/2010 – NO CLASS - COMMENCEMENT

 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

2/11/2010

10

Assignment 2 – Create and maintain a blog related to an aspect of science or science education

2/25/2010

10

Assignment 3 – Creation of an individual web site to serve as an electronic portfolio to display all work in this class

4/8/2010

10

Assignment 4 – Critical review of an educational technology book from the list of recommended books

5/6/2010

10

Assignment 5 – Grant proposal to fund a project that makes innovative use of technology in science education, donorschoose.org

5/13/2010

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)

5/20/2010

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-spring2010.html