Index: Educational Technology
101 Considerations About Technology
Joseph P. Martinez, Ph.D.
February 2001
This is a draft list of discreet skills, knowledge, strategies, issues, and perceptions that students should consider as they develop technology-related competencies in education. The list is not complete.
Page Contents
About these contents
Note to students in this class: As you know, this list is to help satisfy the interests of those students who wanted either 1) a list of skills and topics pertaining to technology in education or 2) a list of some of the discreet parts of lessons and discussions which have taken place in this class. It's easier just to give you the whole enchilada. Please include in your portfolio each element that pertains to the type of product you are submitting for the final.
   
General Tasks
Student demonstrates that s/he can:
1. Format a disk
2. Create and save a new document, in a new folder, on any available disk, using any application
3. Cut and paste data across various applications
4. Give the file an appropriate filename (e.g. dated with appropriate suffix for file type)
5. Navigate through folders and files to find documents and open applications
6. Open and use templates in several applications
7. Manipulate objects such as buttons, fields, windows, toolbars, rulers, menus, and palettes
8. Manipulate files (move, copy, name/rename, protect, and dispose) and file organization (folders, trash/recycle bin)
9. Use and create templates in multiple applications
10. Identify, describe, disinfect, or block some common software viruses (before they damage files)
11. Print and make adjustments for printing of documents according to page formats, quality, and for select pages and sections
12. Describe an awareness of some various health-associated risks and questions of using various technologies, and of using technologies in various ways
Word Processing
Use a modern word processing application to produce a SINGLE formatted document containing the following elements
1. A "front matter" section containing a cover page (without a page number showing), a self-generating Table of Contents, Table of Figures, and a Preface.
2. Front matter containing page numbering in lower-case Roman Numerals
3. Front matter containing headings which do not generate in the Table of Contents
4. A body section containing elegantly formatted styled text, figures, headings (that generate in the TOC) and all pages numbered in Arabic numerals
5. An elegantly formatted table with at least a 4 x 4 matrix of cells, with a labeled a row as the category row, and/or an appropriate column as a category column; and a caption above the table formatted in a caption style
6. A chart generated from a table of data with elegantly manipulated design elements for the chart (no default or template colors and backgrounds)
7. At least one figure depicting the entire contents of the document "data organizational structure"
8. An indented logical list of bullets related to the topic
9. An indented logical numbered list related to the topic
10. An appendix with differently formatted elements such as at least one landscape formatted page, appropriately numbers in uppercase letters
11. Appropriate use of headers and footers
12. Spelling and grammar precise contents (that is, using the spelling, thesaurus, and grammar checking tools)
13. Appropriately styled text using defined styles. For the purpose of the class, you can not use the style "normal."
14. A basic understanding of using form elements and producing templates
15. A basic awareness of using merge elements for managing form letters
Databases and Spreadsheets
Create a Single Formatted Database or Spreadsheet project containing all of the following elements
1. A workbook that is formatted as a presentable document, and can be elegantly printed (using page breaks)
2. A workbook with appropriately styled and formatted cells, columns and categories
3. Appropriately labeled columns and placement of data
4. At least two related worksheets appropriate to the content
5. At least one self-generating calculation/formula
6. A single Formatted Presentation Package that contains all of the following elements
7. The entire document is formatted in appropriately styled text and contains not spelling or grammatical errors
8. An introductory level of awareness for the uses of research-based software for analyzing complex data sets.
Presentation Software
Create a Single Formatted Presentation Package appropriate for presenting to classrooms or audiences
1. An elegantly designed cover screen/page that summarizes the topic/subject
2. Several subsequent pages that present adequately outlines and labeled components of the content
3. The use of graphical figures to represent the content
4. At least one page that contains multimedia elements such as audio (voice or music), animation, and/or video
5. At least one page that contains a button function that accurately performs the function
6. An elegant use of consistent design elements, including pictures and colors
7. Formatted in appropriately styled text and contains no spelling or grammatical errors
Graphics
Create graphics: Elegant drawings and pictures of real content pertaining to a topic of interest to the student
1. An elegant drawing representing the juxtaposition, sequence, or reduction of related ideas with text using a combination of shapes, colors, and/or patterns
2. An elegant color painting representing aesthetic composition, using a combination of tool elements such as brushes filters/distortions, airbrushes, and gradient color.
Telecommunications and the Internet
Use Telecommunications and the Internet:
1. The use of email software to access one's own email account, and if necessary obtaining an email account
2. Email messages containing appropriately formatted text (or non-distorted text), appropriate salutations or tone, and attachments containing real documents formatted in other applications. (Note: do not send a Mac user PC ".zip" files, nor a PC User ".sit" files)
3. A functional understanding of connecting new computers to the internet through the use of internet service providers (ISPs), phone lines, and/or other means
4. The use of internet browsers for navigating web pages, accessing search engines, and culling data from research.
5. Data collection techniques for copying and pasting between internet applications and strategically storing data in elegant databases or appropriate documents
6. A conceptual awareness of the internet structure and web page development
7. A basic awareness of the HTML markup language
8. An introductory awareness of CGI (Common Gateway Interface) and scripting on the internet
Instructional Software
Make decisions based on a general understanding of instructional Software
1. The capability to analyze instructional software for use in classroom instruction, based on standards, objectives, or other instructional uses
2. A basic understanding of evaluating instructional software for student engagement or enhancing student affective disposition for learning
3. A basic understanding of the differences between drills and practice, tutorial, and problem-based or problem-solving instructional programs.
4. A basic awareness of the elements of multimedia that affect student learning, emotions, and attitudes
5. A basic understanding of the principles of student design and development of software programs, the benefits of this learning to the student, and of authoring applications available to students as an introduction to computer design and development
6. A fundamental understanding of evaluating software for biases in gender, ethnicity, or other status
Other productivity tools
1. An awareness and generic understanding of the wide range of productivity tools available
2. An awareness of how to acquire freeware, shareware, and demo-ware
3. A fundamental understanding of how various software applications mostly have consistent structural elements, objects, and protocols
4. An generic awareness of research-based software
Classroom Management Applications
Classroom Management: Student demonstrates
1. An basic understanding of the uses of grading software
2. A basic understanding of how find and/or create one's own classroom management templates and/or software
Hardware
Hardware: Student demonstrates
1. An introductory understanding of various operating systems, and their related hardware
2. A basic awareness of peripheral devices and how they are interconnected
3. A basic awareness of the operation of imaging devices
4. An introductory understanding of high capacity storage media, and recording devices
5. A basic awareness of simple troubleshooting strategies and techniques.
6. A conceptual understanding of how networks are connected and interconnected to distribute data.
7. A fundamental understanding of how to get adequate and efficient assistance for various technical needs.
Educational Uses
1. Educational Uses
2. A fundamental understanding of the potential benefits and detriments associated with using computer technology for classroom purposes
3. An introductory understanding of how computer capabilities for distributing large amounts of information, and the data organizational structure of information, may provide both benefits and detriments to the cognitive development of young people (keywords: hypermedia, hypertext, linear modes, distributed cognition, stories, task analyses, and cognitive flexibility)
4. A fundamental understanding of best practices associated with the use and integration of technology for improved lesson plans and classroom learning
5. A fundamental understanding of safe and acceptable uses of technology in the school, and the development of Acceptable Use Policies.
6. A working understanding of legal (e.g. copyright) issues and the degree of individual and systemic importance associated with these issues
7. A fundamental understanding of working with students to understand the important roles of self-regulation and personal responsibility associated with safe uses of technology
8. A competent understanding of how technology can offer benefits or detriments in the education of culturally and linguistically diverse students
9. A fundamental understanding of equity and the existing digital divide, and how teacher and student practices influence the divide
10. A fundamental understanding of the principle of school renewal, and the potential roles that technology integration can play to enhance or deter any and all components of the process
11. An open-mindedness to how technology can provide new opportunities for negotiation, in the classroom, and/or between teachers, students, administrators, families, and community members.
12. A working awareness of how technology may empower students to self-regulate, learn socially, be creative, think independently, express themselves according to cultural norms, and participate in relevant programs, strive for excellence
13. A working awareness of how technology enables students to have a voice in decisions affecting the context, relevance, analysis, design, and evaluation of instructional content and performance.
14. An open-mindedness of how technology can sustain a common grounding of systems thinking, team understanding, and consistent values in organizational decision-making
15. An open-mindedness to how technology can nourish a protective climate of caring, enjoyment, appreciation, comfort, peacefulness, mutual support, resilience, encouragement, moral conduct, safety, respect, virtue, values, and drug abstinence
16. An experiential awareness and introductory understanding of how to assess the technology competencies of oneself and others
17. A basic awareness of how to use technology for combining multiple standards or competencies in order to facilitate improved learning of complex content in various subject-matter domains
18. A basic understanding of how to assess the value-added dimension of using technology to improve learning across the curriculum
Personal Uses
1. Personal (all age groups)
2. A fundamental awareness of the potential of technology as a cognitive mind tool that affects (potentially positive and negative) cognitive development and performance
3. A fundamental understanding of how what teachers perceive about themselves regarding technology affects the learning of each child
4. A basic awareness of one's computer efficacy affects one's learning and performanc
5. An introductory awareness of flow, the psychology of optimal experience and it's potential relationship with technology
6. A basic awareness of how self-regulatory strategies as well as self-awareness will drive the future uses of technology by younger generations
7. A basic historical understanding of how technology has affected justice, politics, economics, and other spheres of human relations
8. An understanding of how technology supports the development of enriched student learning environments (e.g. highly contextualized problem-based and thematic-based curricula)
9. A basic awareness of how to help oneself and others to deal with the potential for "cognitive overload" or information overload due to uses and/or availability of technology
10. A basic awareness of how to help oneself and others to deal with faulty attitudes and feelings of discomfort or euphoria associated with the uses of technology
11. A fundamental understanding of the differences between real and virtual experiences with using technology
12. An unexaggerated mindset about difficulties associated with learning technology skills; what technology is and is not, responsible for;,and, what it can and can not accomplish with regard to human endeavors. The includes a basic awareness of the rate of technological growth, the regulations and control of technology in business and industry, the ability to know where to find more reliable information regarding technology-related topics.
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