Dr. Day Spring 2013
Liberal Studies LBST 75
Technology and Education
Spring 2013
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
Nelson Mandela
What are the pressing issues facing education today?
Can technology be leveraged to encourage greater intrinsic motivation and student achievement?
How do we discern the issues regarding the “appropriate” role of technology in education?
How do students learn? What does neuroscience tell us about learning?
What does the “ideal” citizen of the 21st century embody?
How has the technology of assessment shaped what we value in education?
What is the digital divide? How does it impact student success?
Could online, student-centric learning foster a more democratic society?
What can the educational system learn from the world of digital gaming?
Dr. Elizabeth B. Day
Office: Varsi #211
Email: ; phone: 408-554-2742
Class time: T/Th 8-9:45 am; Class location: O’Connor 105
This class fulfills the STS requirement for the university core. It can also count toward the following Pathways: Values in Science & Technology;The Digital Age; Design Thinking; Science, Technology and Society and the STS minor. More info at:http://www.scu.edu/sts/Education/students/index.cfm
Course Description
To what extent do popular culture, sociopolitical pressures, technological advances, scientific inquiry, personal experience, and reflective thought collide as methods of decision making regarding learning, knowing and teaching the children of the United States? Educational paradigms, flowing from radically different social, political, economic, scientific and philosophical orientations, lead in potentially irreconcilable directions with regard to what school and schooling are supposed to be in today’s “information-age” society. In this class, we will explore the ways technology, scientific inquiry, and critical thinking can best be maximized to meet the pressing educational needs of our society.
Pathway information
This course is associated with the Pathways: The Digital Age, Design Thinking; and Values in Society and Technology.
If you choose to declare this Pathway, you may use a representative work from this course in the Pathway Portfolio you will complete during your senior year. Therefore, keep electronic copies of your work. Students who began studies at Santa Clara in 2009 or 2010 will post their work for the Pathway on Camino; students who began studies at Santa Clara in 2011 or later will post their work on their TaskStream e-Portfolio."
You can find information about which Core requirements your course meets (including Pathways) by searching for the class on courseavail (http://www.scu.edu/courseavail/) and drilling down to the specific course via the course number link. Details will be visible next to the Core 2009 area.
You can find information about Pathways on the Core Curriculum site (http://www.scu.edu/provost/ugst/core2009/pathways.cfm), to include specific Pathways and all courses associated with Pathways; searchable by Pathway.
Learning Outcomes
LBST 75 is designed to meet the Learning Objectives of the Science, Technology and Society (STS) requirement in the Core Curriculum. The learning objectives are presented below, followed by the course objectives.
Science, Technology & Society: Learning goals and objectives
Goals: Scientific Inquiry, Science & Technology, Critical Thinking, and Complexity
Objectives: Students who have completed Science, Technology & Society will:
1.1 Recognize and articulate the complexity of the relationship between science and/or technology and society.
1.2 Comprehend the relevant science and/or technology and explain how science and/or technology advance through the processes of inquiry and experiment.
1.3 Analyze and evaluate the social impact of science and/or technology and how science and/or technology are themselves impacted by the needs and demands of society.
Course learning objectives
- Generate responses within discussions related to how science, technology and society interface within the American educational system
- Analyze and demonstrate engagement and understanding of the issues presented in the readings and lectures
- Demonstrate cognitive skills and dispositions toward critical thinking
- Illustrate succinct, accurate and balanced written expression
- Analyze educational issues and apply critical thinking to brainstorm solutions to meet current educational demands in K-12 education
- Produce an online lesson that clearly synthesizes best educational practices
- Demonstrate a love of learning and have fun!
To achieve the learning targeted in the objectives, class time will be used to:
- Conduct group discussions, engage in active learning experiences
- Practice those skills and habits of mind associated with critical thinking
- Present findings of individual and group inquiry
- Engage with guest speakers who bring their expertise to our class sessions
- Address questions that come up as a result of readings, group and guest presentations, current events, assignments, and in-class discussions and demonstrations.
Required Texts
Collins, A. & and Halverson, R. (2009). Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology. New York: Teachers College Press.
Recommended
McGonigal, Jane. (2011). Reality is Broken. Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World. New York: Penguin.
EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE- your projects may take between 5-10 GB of space. Please have a USB external hard drive or an adequate flash drive to save your projects as you move between labs.
Grading Policy
You will receive feedback on your performance throughout the quarter through comments on your work, both oral and written, as well as team conferences with the instructor to track the progress of your design project. You will be expected to attend class regularly; more than two absences will be reflected in your overall grade.
- Attendance and active participation 40
- Reading Reflections (Camino Dropbox)(10x25pts)250 pts
- Mid-term exam100 pts
- Partner presentations100 pts
- Persuasive letter100 pts
- Design team project200 pts
Total: 790pts.
Late work will not receive credit.
Disability Accommodation Policy
To request accommodations for a disability, please contact Disability Resources located in The Drahmann Center, Room 214, 408-554-4111.
Statement of Academic Honesty
Plagiarism and other forms of cheating are violations of academic honesty and of University policy. Any student found cheating will receive an “F” for the course and the case will be referred to the University authorities for appropriate further action. Included in the category of plagiarism is any un-cited borrowing from the Internet. If you have doubt about what constitutes plagiarism you are advised to discuss the question with me before turning in any work. There will be no exceptions to this rule.
Course requirements
Attendance and active participation
Class time will emphasize discussion, interaction, and hands-on learning—techniques that have been linked with critical thinking and deep understanding. Success is characterized by active participation in group discussion, analysis of readings, and problem solving. Initiative to engage in collaborative work, discussion, question asking and question answering are the keys to one’s own learning. Quality participation enriches the entire class, thereby increasing everyone’s opportunity to learn. Hence, quality participation is one’s responsibility within a learning community.
Unexcused absences will result in a lower grade. If you are sick, please bring a note from your doctor or from Cowell Health Services.
Reading Reflections- See Reading Reflection Questions
You will be writing reflections based on several readings and turning theminto Camino’s DROPBOX prior to the class period where we’ll be discussing the reading. Please come to class prepared to discuss the reading. (You may want to bring a copy of what you wrote to reference.) The purpose of the reflections is to ensure you are keeping up with the readings as well as gauge your level of understanding. It is an opportunity to synthesize the material with your own experience, discover what possible comprehension gaps may exist and proactively ask questions to seek greater clarity. Please turn in your work on time prior to class, otherwise it will be late and you will not receive credit. Strive to be both thorough and succinct. Thanks! (STS Obj. 1.1, 1.2, 1.3)
Partnered presentations (Teams 1-10)
You and your partners will be assigned a topic to present to the class. You should plan on a 40-45 minute presentation. This could involve a Powerpoint/Keynote/Prezi and interactive activities that get us talking, thinking and moving. Your team needs to create a lesson that will get across the main learning objectives of the topic, readings, videos and then take us to the next level of critical thinking and understanding.
Midterm exam
Your midterm exam will be an opportunity for you to share your insights and understandings regarding the readings during the first half of the quarter. This is an opportunity to think critically and creatively about course themes. Be especially prepared to articulate, through multiple examples, the complex relationship between technology and society.(STS Obj. 1.1, 1.2, 1.3)
Persuasive essay/letter
How do you think we should reform education in the United States and what is technology’s role? You will be researching and writing a 1200-1500 word persuasive essay/letter to the Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, arguing for your proposed changes. In order to bolster your argument, you will need to cite at least 4 research-based articles or books, as well as 2 other sources (minimum of 6 sources altogether). Choose six NEW resources to bolster your argument. Using required readings and videos from class will not count as part of the six. You will conduct a literature search using available electronic resources provided by the SCU Orradre library as well as information publicly available on the Internet.
The purpose of this assignment is to develop an appreciation for the complexity of the issues related to educating K-12 students in an age of accountability and the role of research in educational reform decision-making. It builds on the reading reflections and our discussions in that it asks each of you to demonstrate your growing ability to critically analyze and evaluate a specific topic in terms of the literature review you have conducted. Within your topic, you will alsoarticulate the complex relationship between technology and society.(STS Obj. 1.1, 1.3)
Design team project
Teams of 1-3 students will work together to create a technology-based, learning module that addresses a particular CA state standard or Common Core State standard.
The project will include a 1-2 page overview explaining the rationale behind your lesson’s curricular and instructional choices.
You will present your 8-10 minute online lesson the last week of class. The purpose of this assignment is to develop an appreciation for the complexity of the issues related to educating K-12 students in an age of accountability and the role of research in educational reform decision-making. (STS Obj. 1.1, 1.2)
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