Think of this course and these materials as the beginnings of a tool box. You will not only learn about many educational technology tools, but more importantly, when, where, and why to use them in your teaching. It contains tools to use in successfully engage your students in their learning during this new 21st century. EDT3470 is only meant to be a start of a collection of tools for your toolbox and like any good craftsman, you can expect to add many

We also know that learners have many different needs and styles of learning, thus through the use of both audio and video multimedia, lectures, graphics, individual and group learning exercises, and hands-on experiences, we are trying to recognize some of the many different ways in which people learn. In reviewing this course and these materials, please consider the question "how do I learn best." Which of these forms of learning works best for you, and equally important "how can I create multi-learning styles for my future students, who will come to me with many different learning needs and styles." (See Week 1). Thus, you have an opportunity in this course to also experience how to learn in different ways, some of which may make you uncomfortable. Opportunities to interact through the use of e-mail, discussion groups, chat and personal contact with instructors as well as peers in the Instructional Technology Lab are also designed to appeal to your unique style of learning and interaction with others. In addition, technology does not always work as planned or some times it does not work at all. Computer programs that crash, slow Internet connections, down servers, and broken links will happen, and often at the worst time, thus creating an opportunity to also learn patience and how to deal with frustration, two skills required to work with young learners.

This educational program has been developed and sponsored in part by a US Department of Education's Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology (PT3) grant. It is designed to help ensure that you meet or exceed the National Educational Standards for Teachers (NETS) for integrating technology into the classroom. Please see the ISTE NETS for a full description of the ISTE standards for teachers.

NETS Standards

Most of the information that you will need for this course can be found on this web site. This web site is designed to help you meet the National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS) as part of the a future teacher certification requirement. To view the documents that will serve to guide much of your learning within this class web site, click here.

Depending upon your previous experiences with technology and teaching, you may find the amount of your learning required to bring you up to the ISTE Standard level to be overwhelming and perhaps even stressful. However, please remember that you are not alone. Your instructors are here to help you, and as future teachers your classmates who may be more technologically experienced and/or knowledgeable should be eager to help. There are also other university resources such as the Instructional Technology Lab located next between Waldo Library and the Computer Center on the second floor of the WMU Clock Tower to help you master the technology skills that you will need to demonstrate in the completion of this course. Warning, you may need to spend additional time and effort to meet both the requirements of this course as well as the ISTE standards. Many of the skills and tools that you learn in this course should also prove to be valuable in improving both the efficiency and quality of your learning and learning assignments for your other courses and course work. So think of the time and energies that you put in this course as a prudent investment into your future as both a learner and a teacher. The skills that you acquire in the successful completion of this course are skills that should significantly increase your value as a future employee for recruiters from enlightened 21st century schools.

Requirements for using this program include a Pentium class or better personal computer system with a CD-ROM drive that is connected preferably with a higher speed connection to the Internet. While it is possible to use a 56 K modem with this program rather than a higher speed connection, you may find the response time to be especially slow and downloads may take a long time and tend to be unreliable. The audio and video files may require that you listen and view them on PC with a higher speed connection, such as those located in the university labs, but to keep the noise in the lab to minimum, plan on bringing some mini-plug ear phones along.

Some of the files in this class web site require that you have special programs loaded on your computer to either hear and/or view. This program includes both video MP3 files for the supplemental audio lectures and Adobe Acrobat .pdf files for viewing tutors. If you do not already have the computer media player Apple Quick Time, you can download a free copy at the Apple Quick Time Player download site. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader already installed on your computer, you can download a copy by going to the Adobe download site There is also several Microsoft Power point, Word and Publisher files that you may not be able to read if you do not have an XP pro version of MS Office. However, all of the labs on campus should be equipped to provide you with an alternative to using your personal computer to viewing these files.

Supplemental Audio Lecture:

ISTE NETS for Teachers: Identifying Performance-Based Assessment Measures by Thomas, Barrett, Ropp, and Daniell
( See if you need to download a Quick Time player to hear this and the other MP3 formatted lectures)