The goal of this course is to ensure that students in the credentialing program have the basic knowledge and skills necessary to integrate technology into the classroom.

Integration includes using computers technologies with your students as a classroom activity, using it to present learning materials to them, or using it to enhance your efficiency and effectiveness as a teacher.

This course looks at:

• the nuts and bolts of computer hardware and software, maintenance and terminology
• the rich resource of educational materials and teacher tools available on the Internet
• how to organize and store those materials
• how to present them using applications such as Word and PowerPoint
• what constitutes appropriate use of technology for teachers and students

We cannot completely cover the enormous amount of information on this subject. This course seeks rather to create awareness, and a level of comfort and competency with technology that will enable you to recognize the technology surrounding you and to begin thinking about how you might use these tools to enhance the classroom experience and to continue exploration on your own.

It is suggested that you work through the five lessons in order. Take time to visit the linked resources and do some exploration on topics that interest you. Follow the instructions for completing and turning in each assignment carefully. Email your questions and concerns to me. I will post questions and solutions to problems that arise, as well as general FAQ's, on the Help page, so be sure to look there first if you are having difficulty.

Goals and Objectives

After completing these lessons, students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate a solid understanding of the appropriate use of computer technology in educational environments.
2. Resolve basic computer problems.
3. Understand basic computer and information technology terminology.
4. Use a word processing program to create hard copy documents for educational purposes.
5. Use a slide show application to create presentations for educational purposes.
6. Use e-mail to communicate with other people.
7. Use the appropriate criteria and analysis to evaluate educational technology material.
8. Demonstrate an adequate understanding of copyright, privacy, security, and safety issues related to the use of computer technology in an educational environment.
9. Communicate with others with the use of Web-based communication applications.
10. Utilize the appropriate technology resources in educational lesson plans