EDU 506 - Computer Applications for Educators is a projects-based course in instructional technology which provides learners with the opportunity to enhance their skills and understanding of the use of varied media to present, record, and share information by engaging them in the creation and application of electronic technologies in their educational settings. These include, but are not limited to the use of electronic mail for communications with other professionals, staff, parents and students, the use of electronic spreadsheets for grades and budgets, the use of HTML authoring systems and presentations software to develop instructional materials, to organize educational experiences for learners to use these tools to facilitate and demonstrate their own understanding, and to develop online resources which can be integrated into the regular curriculum and will provide access beyond the physical constraints of traditional practice.

Through demonstration teaching and hands-on exercises, students will be introduced to instructional applications of the computer's unique characteristics as a multipurpose tool for teacher and student use.

Projects and presentations will provide participants with opportunities to explore newer technologies and receive constructive feedback from instructor and peers. Assessment strategies will be used to promote self-correcting performance and evaluation of understanding. This course contains significant writing and technology components. Clinical experiences in fundamentals of computer use for novices will be available in the Technology Training Center during open lab hours.

There are FIVE major components of EDU 506:

Project One -- Electronic Mail:  Hotmail, Hotmail, the world's largest provider of free Web-based email, is the program selected for EDU506's email projects. Hotmail provides email access that is easy and possible from any computer connected to the World Wide Web.

Project Two -- Finding Information on the World Wide Web:  Because the Web is not indexed in any standard manner, finding information can seem difficult. Without a clear search strategy, using a search engine is like wandering aimlessly in the stacks of a library trying to find a particular book. A "Finding It Online" Tutorial is available.

Project Three -- Powerpoint Presentations:  These PowerPoint Presentations have been built by the EDU 506 graduate students to illustrate the capabilities of Microsoft Office 97's PowerPoint software program. A PowerPoint Tutorial by ChalkSoft is available.

Project Four -- SpreadSheet Exercises:  These SpreadSheet Exercises have been designed for the EDU 506 graduate students to illustrate the capabilities of Microsoft Office 97's Excel software program. An Excel Tutorial by ChalkSoft is available.

Project Five -- WebQuests:  WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which most or all of the information used by learners is drawn from the Web. WebQuest is a model developed and designed in early 1995 by Dr.Bernie Dodge, Professor of Educational Technology at San Diego State University, and Tom March. WebQuests are designed to use learners' time well, to focus on using information rather than looking for it, and to support learners' thinking at the levels of analysis, synthesis and evaluation. The model is outlined in Some Thoughts About WebQuests. Using the available template to guide the students/teachers through the process of creating a short-term, single discipline WebQuest, the EDU506 graduate students designed webpages that could be used immediately in their classrooms. Some samples are available for viewing and comment, as well as thorough instructions for creating your own interactive webpages for students and parents. Instructions for both Windows-PC and Macintosh operating systems are provided for Netscape Communicator's Composer.

Contact Dr. Bruce Lewis for further information or to make suggestions.
This page was last modified on February 3, 2000, @ 3:15 PM (CST).