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York University
Faculty of Education

ED/FNDS3330.03 D, G, M

Aspects of the Foundations of Education:

Technology, Teaching, and Community

Winter 1997

Course Director: Dr. Ron Owston

Ross S869, Telephone: 416-736-5019 (office)

Internet: ROwston@YorkU.CA

Teaching Assistants: Katherine Rehner and Nicole Benjamin

• About the course
• Course schedule
• Course organization and participant responsibilities
• Electronic seminar themes
• Assignments and grading
• Selected bibliography
• Research tools (search engines, Ministry of Ed., etc.)
• Link to new seminar topics for second half of course

About the course

This course is designed to engage teacher candidates in a critical examination of how digital technology is influencing the social context of education: new stratifications of technological haves and have-nots are emerging; the role, status, and authority of teachers are changing; students' horizons are expanding beyond their neighbourhoods to the global community; and issues of censorship and control of information arise. Candidates will have the opportunity to pursue these and other related issues through a combination of independent research via the Internet, on-line discussion groups, and face-to-face class meetings. In addition, a module on the implications of Ontario school law for classroom practice forms part of the course.

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Course schedule

Below is the tentative course schedule. Note that classes will meet approximately 1.5 hrs/week.

Lecture	York/Glendon date	Bainbridge date	Topic
1	Jan 6	Jan 9	Introduction to course
2	Jan 13	Jan 16	The digital future
3	Jan 20	Jan 23	Societal barriers, equity, and access
4	Jan 27	Jan 30	Censorship, power, and control
5	Feb 3	Feb 6	Schools/universities of the future - today!
6	Feb 10	Feb 13	Virtual communities (Portfolio 1 due Feb 14)
7	Feb 17	Feb 20	Public schooling challenged

	Feb 24	Feb 27	Bainbridge: Practicum Week - no class York-Glendon: Reading Week - no class
	Mar 3	Mar 6	Bainbridge: Practicum - no class York-Glendon: school law class 1
	Mar 10	Mar 13	Bainbridge March Break - no class York-Glendon: school law class 2

8	Mar 17	Mar 20	Literacy and digital technology
9	Mar 24	Mar 27	Pedagogy of technology (Travelogue due Mar 28)
10	Mar 31	Apr 3	Informal learning (Portfolio 2 due Apr 4)
11	Apr 7	Apr 10	Review and evaluation (paper/Website due Apr 11)
		Apr 17	Bainbridge - school law class 1
		Apr 25 **(Friday)	Bainbridge - school law class 2

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Course organization and participant responsibilities

The course will be organized around ten on-line electronic seminar themes. You will be responsible for actively participating in two selected on-line seminars during the course: one for the first half of the course (until your class the week of February 10th); a different one for the second half (until your last class the week of April 7th).

The electronic seminars will form the core of the course. They are not an optional component. You will be expected to contribute regularly to your seminar (i.e., at least two to three times per week on different days). Your contributions must be informed by the suggested readings for the topic, other readings, and your classroom experiences. Our face-to-face meetings will serve to publicly share the discussions that have taken place on-line, to elaborate and expand on issues raised in the on-line discussions, and to deal with any other questions you may have.

Note that a different seminar topic will be highlighted each week of the course in the face-to-face meetings ("lectures"). This will give you an opportunity to learn more about the topic if you are not participating in the on-line seminar on the topic. However, if you are participating in the seminar when it is highlighted in class, you can expect to be called upon to provide a brief verbal summary of what's been discussed on-line and to make an informed contribution to class discussion.

There is also a two session school law module in the course. These sessions will be led by John McNaughton. Throughout the course you are encouraged to post questions you have about the legal rights and responsibilities of teachers in the School Law conference. During the module these and other relevant topics will be discussed. No formal assignments will be given in this module, but it will be expected that you will participate fully in both sessions.

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Electronic seminar themes:


1. The digital future

Suggested discussion topics:

• What scenarios are being presented for the future of society and schools as a direct result of digital technology?
• Is society becoming "de-skilled?"
• Who will benefit and who will not in the digital world economy?
• How is the status quo threatened by digital technology?
• Will machines ever be able to think?
• Do we have a choice about whether we will be part of the new digital economy?

Initial readings:

Negroponte, Tapscott, Mitchell, Miller, Negroponte and Stoll, Gates, Auletta, Gilder, Stoll, Today's events on the Web, Live audio and video from CBC Newsworld

2. Digital technology and literacy

Suggested discussion topics:

• How is technology affecting what it means to be literate today?
• Are there any unique skills that are needed for on-line reading and writing?
• How does word processing affect writing?
• How does electronic communication (i.e., e-mail) different from traditional written communication in style, tone, structure, and mechanics?
• How does hypertext relate to critical theory and postmodern theory?

Initial readings:

Tuman et al, Bolter, Lanham, Goldpaugh, Moulthrop, Postmodern Culture (electronic journal), Landow, Owston et al

3. Pedagogy of technology

Suggested topics:

• Is there a unique pedagogy of technology?
• "Media are mere vehicles that deliver instruction but do not influence student achievement any more than the truck that delivers our groceries cause changes in our nutrition." Do you agree with this statement? Why?
• If students become empowered by using technology in the classroom, what happens to the teacher's power and authority?
• How do constructivist learning theory, anchored instruction, and situated learning theory contribute to our understanding of classroom use of technology?
• Are there any attributes of electronic media that can result in unique learnings?

Initial readings:

Learning with media debate (Clark & Kozma), Learning with software, situated learning (J. Lave), constructivist theory, Resnick (distributed constructionism), computer supported learning environments, anchored instruction (Bransford et al), "celebrities" in cognitive science (Papert, Vygotsky, et al), Impact of Technology

4. Societal barriers, equity, and access to technology

Suggested topics:

• What are the barriers to on-line access and use?
• What evidence is there that we are evolving into society of technological "haves" and "have nots?"
• Many purport that on-line communication is gender and race neutral? Is this the case?
• In what ways has the Internet helped disenfranchised groups gain power?

Initial readings:

Provenzo, Postman, Haraway, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, Balsamo, Hodas, ACNielsen Canada survey, Internet statistics and demographics, Blacks drawn to Web over CIA drug allegation, Toronto and other Web Grrls, Toronto BlackWeb, "No Girls Allowed!"

5. Censorship, power, and control

Suggested topics:

• Should the Internet be censored and regulated? If so, by whom and how could it be accomplished?
• What strategies are open to a teacher or parent wanting to control what a child accesses on the Internet?
• Over the last two years the commercial world has "discovered" the Internet. What are the implications for education of the commercial takeover?
• What role do Internet Newsgroups play in mass communication?
• What is the meaning of publishing in the electronic age?
• The only way to ensure email privacy is to encrypt the message. Should the government hold the key to unencrypt and email message?

Initial readings:

Hodas, Postman, This is Not a Paper (Burbules & Bruce), Lyon, Wexelblat, Electronic Frontier Foundation, TechWatch, American Civil Liberties Union, encryption resource page, The Rights of Kids in the Digital Age

6. Virtual communities

Suggested topics:

• What is a virtual community and what kinds presently exist? Can they substitute for a "real" community?
• Can the case be made that virtual communities offer superior environments for learning compared to face-to-face learning?
• What benefits can a virtual community offer that a "real" one cannot and vice versa?
• Will the Web become a social community?
• How is the emergence of virtual communities affecting human interaction?
• Why do we see role playing and gender swapping on the Internet?
• What are some of the norms and practices of virtual communities?
• How can IRC, MUDs, MOOs, and MUSEs be adapted to create learning environments?

Initial readings:

Rheingold, Harasim, Owen, Owston, & Dickie, Johmann, Riel-The Internet as a Place, MUDs, MOOs, etc., Digital Media Lab links, Teacher Learning Circles, virtual professional communities

7. Universities of the future

Suggested topics:

• How will the rise of "virtual universities" affect traditional universities?
• What is the role of the professor in a virtual university?
• Can the quality of post secondary education be maintained if courses are delivered electronically?
• How prevalent are on-line university courses today?
• Would you rather take part in an electronic course or sit in a very large lecture hall?
• What will learning be like at university by the time this year's freshman class graduates?
• What are the implications of a Website like SchoolSucks and why do some professors want it closed down?

Initial readings:

Noam, Educom Review, NLII, TeleLearning Network, Owston, World Lecture Hall, CMC Magazine

8. K-12 education in the digital world

Suggested topics:

• A relatively small proportion of teachers have had specific training in the use of technology and faculties of education have been slow to provide training to new teachers. Is a this a disservice to the profession?
• What are the implications of the Internet for the curriculum and textbooks?
• How are leading edge schools capitalizing on the capacities of the Internet?
• Are we spending money on technology without asking enough questions?
• Can technology improve student learning? How?

Initial readings:

Gates , The Learning Highway, TeleEd Proceedings, Papert, Owston, Reinventing School: The Technology is Now!, Shank-Engines for Educators, Web66, EdWeb, Classroom Connect, Busy Teachers' WebSite, Impact of Technology

9. Public Schooling Challenged

Suggested topics:

• Beyond the custodial function of schools, are they still really needed in light of what technology can offer?
• Given the choice would you send your child to a public school (that has a 1:12 computer/student ratio) or to a private school where each child has their own computer? Why?
• It's argued that schools contribute to the development of student social skills, yet scant attention is paid to them in the curriculum. Can students develop these skills just as well on their own at home?
• How does the rise of the Internet challenge k-12 schools?
• The Internet has given home schooling a boost. Is this trend likely to seriously erode public schooling?

Initial readings:

Home schooling links, Homespun Web, Nechako Electronic Bus, BC Open Learning Agency

10. Informal learning with digital technology

Suggested topics:

• Why do we pay so much attention to what goes on in school when 80% of a student's time is spent learning outside of school?
• What contribution do video games make to children's learning?
• What values do they teach?
• How are women portrayed in video games?
• How can the schools compete with the excitement and multimedia experience of video games?
• Manufacturers of electronic devices play a major role in education. What is this role and what are its implications?

Initial readings:

Chandler, Turkle, Turkle (2), Provenzo, Norman, Cesarone, Stallabras, Interactive Entertainment, Games at Yahoo!,

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Assignments/Grading

Grades for the course will be awarded on the basis of your contribution to the course and the assignments you submit.

To Receive a Grade of C+

You must:

1. Submit two Portfolios

Copy excerpts of the best five or six on-line contributions you believe you made during each half of the course and paste them into a FirstClass note. Mark the "subject" of the FirstClass note either Portfolio 1 or Portfolio 2. Make sure the context of your contributions is clear by the content of the excerpt, or if it is not, add a brief note explaining the context. Also add the date of each contribution. Send this portfolio to either the course director or the teaching assistant you are assigned to in class.

When submitting the portfolios, keep in mind that you will be evaluated on evidence of your understanding of the topic, the extent to which your contributions have been informed by course readings, and if you've made regular sustained contributions.

Portfolio 1 will be due February 14th

Portfolio 2 will be due on April 4th

2. Participate fully in on-line conferences and all classes.

- To Receive a Grade of B

You must:

1. Complete all of the requirements for a C+ grade, plus

2. Submit a Web Travelogue no later than Mar 28th.

This is an electronic diary of where you've traveled on the Web to research your seminar themes. The Travelogue will give the URLs of sites you visited, brief descriptions, critical thoughts and reflections on those sites, and an overview of the strategies you followed to locate resources (e.g., search engines, directories or "hot lists" used).

- To Receive a Grade of B+

You must complete all of the requirements for a B exceptionally well.

- To Receive a Grade of A

You must:

1. Complete all of the requirements for a B, plus

2. Submit a Major project that deals with one of your electronic seminar themes no later than April 11th. The project may be in the form of:

A traditional research paper.This paper should be a synthesis of your thinking and reading on a seminar theme. You will be expected to have used the Internet for some of your research, through a combination of searching bibliographic databases, reading on-line articles, participating in Internet newsgroups, using e-mail, or doing electronic surveys. You should begin the report with a clear statement of the problem or issue being discussed, including the limitations and scope of your discussion. You should next critically discuss the major trends or subthemes pertinent to your topic. All sources, including on-line references, should be fully cited using APA style. Approximate length 3000 words.

or

A Website. If you are proficient or want an opportunity to learn the skills needed to construct a Website, here's your chance! The Website you construct should contain links to key readings and resources on your theme and critiques of those readings and resources. You should also include an overview and explanation of your Website. Please note that you will be graded mainly on the content and organization of the Website, so do not spend unnecessary time on the graphical design of your site.

Your project will be submitted electronically as a FirstClass note. You are urged to do all of your writing off-line and then copy and paste it into FirstClass. If your project is a Website, you need only submit the URL of your site once it's completed.

- To Receive a Grade of A+

You must complete all of the requirements for an A exceptionally well.

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Research Tools

The following links will take you to tools that you may find useful in researching your seminar themes:

• York University's library
• Recommended directories: Yahoo! Canada, Yahoo! (general), Magellan (see rated sites)
• Recommended search engines: AltaVista, HotBot, Lycos, Infoseek
• MetaCrawler at the University of Washington- a search engine of search engines
• ERIC online
• Ontario Ministry of Education
  

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