Online Course: Professional Development “In-Hand”

Professional Development “In-Hand”
Course Syllabus

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Overview:
Today’s technology is advancing at an incredible pace, and the number one challenge teachers find in keeping up is TIME. Finding TIME to learn about trends in technology, to try out the latest social networking tools, or to even play some of the video games that our students are playing is tough for most teachers.

What if you had access to 24/7 professional development in the palm of your hand? What if you were able to listen to a podcast on better ways to use your SMART board on the drive to work or check your Facebook network at the breakfast table?

The iPod Touch is a powerful, hand-held device that can let you do just that. It’s incredibly simple to use, yet a powerful computing platform that fits in your pocket.

This course is designed with the busy teacher in mind and aims to show you how you can utilize the iPod Touch to open up vast opportunities for professional development in the palm of your hand.

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Course Format:
This is an online course, conducted primarily through Moodle. It is a 30-week course with simple activities each week for participants to complete that will not only teach them how to effectively utilize the iPod Touch, but also expose them to trends in technology and education, tools for professional networking, and ideas for integrating technology into classroom instruction.

It is assumed that each weekly activity would require approximately one hour of time investment. Each week, a new activity will be made available to participants. To earn credit for the course, a minimum of 25 activities must be completed. This is a 2.5 CEU course. Since there are 30 activities in all, this provides participants with some flexibility in what activities they choose to participate. Most activities require that you provide some evidence of completion, usually by sharing your thoughts or work in an associated forum.

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Course Goals:

• Participants will demonstrate proficiency with the basic use and operation of the iPod Touch by providing evidences in course forums.
• Participants will discuss current issues affecting public education by responding in the course forums.
• Participants will discuss current trends in technology that affect classroom instruction and professional development by responding in the course forums.
• Participants will demonstrate the use and awareness of a variety of technology tools such as podcasting, web-based collaborative forums, and social networks, by providing evidences in the course forums.

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Required Hardware/Software:

To complete this course, you will need the following:

• An iPod Touch or iPhone (w/ OS 2.0 or higher)
• A PC or Mac
• iTunes (version 9 or higher)
• A Web Browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, etc.)
• It is highly recommended that you have wireless (WiFi) Internet available at home or work.

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Budgeting Your Time As A Student:
It could be very easy to fall behind in this course. There is flexibility built into the course to make allowances for teachers’ busy schedules. Also, you can go back and complete previously skipped assignments, however, you don’t want to put yourself in a situation where you are cramming multiple assignments in the last few weeks.

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About The Instructor:
My name is Lucas Gillispie. This is my eleventh year working in public education. For the first nine years, I taught high school Biology, but in late 2007, took a position as the instructional technology coordinator for Pender County Schools. I recently completed my Master’s Degree in Instructional Technology from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. I have a passion for education and technology and am a self-proclaimed computer geek and an avid video gamer and virtual worlds enthusiast.

Contact Information:

Email Address: lucas _ gillispie @ pender . k12 . nc . us
Skype: lucas.gillispie
Twitter: PCSTech