CUIN 7358: Educational Uses of Digital Photography & Digital Storytelling

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1 CUIN 7358: Educational Uses of Digital Photography & Digital Storytelling fall 2008 This course is linked with CUIN 7336: Popular Culture in Education Course Syllabus Instructor: Bernard R. Robin, Ph.D. Personal Webpage: Office Location: Room 343, Farish Hall Office Hours: Wednesdays - 2:30p.m. to 4:30p.m, or other times by appointment. brobin@uh.edu Telephone: Mailbox: Dept. of Curriculum and Instruction, 256 Farish Hall Important Note about this course: CUIN 7358 is one of two linked courses. Students enrolled in CUIN 7358 (Class #34405) must also register in CUIN 7336: Popular Culture in Education (Class #18194), taught by Dr. Cameron White. The two courses will meet back to back on Wednesdays during the fall semester. Course Description: CUIN 7358 is a graduate level course in the College of Education's Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Houston. It is an applications course in the Instructional Technology Program and may be taken by masters and doctoral students, as either a required course or an elective. The primary focus of the course is on the application of digital imaging in a variety of educational contexts and combines hands-on experience using digital cameras and computer-based digital imaging software with an investigation of current research and the theoretical framework that informs

2 instructional practice. Students will gain experience with the entire range of digital photography topics from image capture, manipulation and modification to data management, storage, printing and distribution/delivery. Most importantly, students will use photographs they take to create educationally-meaningful digital stories that combine still images, computer graphics, audio, video, animation, and Web publishing. The Rationale for Digital Storytelling: Digital Storytelling can take many forms that result in exciting and effective ways to engage students and has proved to be a powerful educational tool that can be used in multiple content areas at all educational levels. Educators can use Digital Storytelling in several different ways. For example, an instructor could create a digital story that would be used as an anticipatory set or hook for a lesson or to enhance current lesson plans with the use of a digital story within a larger curricular unit. Another effective use of this technology is to teach students to create their own compelling digital stories. Students who design and develop their own digital stories gain valuable skills as they: * Learn to use 21 st century literacy skills to research rich, deep content while analyzing and synthesizing a wide range of information; * Enhance their communications skills by learning to ask questions, express opinions, construct narratives and write for an authentic audience; * Demonstrate mastery and knowledge with cross-curricular content through an authentic context; and * Increase their technology skills using software that combines a variety of multimedia components including: text, still images, audio, video and web publishing. * In addition, educators at both the K-12 level and in higher education have found Digital Storytelling to be a valuable teaching strategy that:

3 * Meets diverse learning needs of their students; * Generates interest, attention and motivation for the digital generation students in today s classrooms as they learn to use multimedia technology in meaningful ways; * Stimulates the creative talents of students as they enhance their research skills as they produce their own stories; and * Provides an opportunity to publish student work on the Internet for viewing and critiquing by others. Goals and Objectives of this Course: This course, like all courses in the Instructional Technology program in the College of Education, prepares instructional technology professionals for diverse leadership responsibilities in Pre-K-12 settings, school district technology administration, higher education, training in industry settings, and all levels of instructional design and development. The IT program at the University of Houston is distinguished from IT programs at other institutions through our strong commitment to the broad representations of our community, individual learning, and the collaboration that strengthens both. The primary goal of the course is to introduce students to the collaborative process of designing and developing a community-based, educationally relevant web site. Students in this course will gain an understanding of many of the critical issues involved in working with local organizations to design and develop a comprehensive method for disseminating online content that will be of interest to students, teachers, administrators, and researchers, as well as members of the general community. Students in this course will explore a wide range of topics related to the design, production and evaluation of large scale, educational web projects including: * Designing and creating online materials

4 * Choosing the best technological tools to create educational web resources * Information architecture and design * How multimedia content can best be delivered online * Managing project deadlines * Testing for web site usability * Understanding and planning for web site accessibility issues * Evaluating web sites as educational resources At the end of CUIN 7358, each student will be able to demonstrate that they can effectively use technology in communicating, collaborating, conducting research, solving problems, designing and developing educational materials. In addition, each student will use a variety of media, presentation, and authoring programs; design and develop projects that require critical analysis and evaluation; and present the products they develop during for the course. Course Format: The course is based upon a constructivist learning approach in which students work collaboratively to develop creative solutions to real-world design problems. During the course, a range of topics will be explored that are related to the design and development of multimedia-rich educational projects. A mixture of demonstration, discussion, and hands-on experiences related to the weekly topics will take place in which: * Students use prior knowledge they bring to class; * Knowledge is constructed uniquely and individually, in multiple ways through a variety of authentic tools, resources, experiences, and contexts;

5 * Learning is both an active and reflective process; * Social interaction introduces multiple perspectives through reflection, collaboration, negotiation, and shared meaning; and * Learning is mediated by the learner. Course activities will take place both in class, where students will participate in face-to-face discussions and conduct topic-related activities, as well as online, where students will participate in virtual discussions via an course blog. Some students may work in small, collaborative groups while others will work individually to complete reading, posting, and hands-on assignments throughout the semester. Each face-to-face class session during the semester will include a web page that presents the information covered in that week's class, a description of a hands-on lab activity, and the assignments for the next class. Prerequisites for this Course: It is assumed that students entering this graduate-level course have some computer skills and are familiar with the process of designing instructional materials. Students who enroll in this course should have some basic familiarity with the web and web editing software. Experience designing and developing simple web pages is helpful, however advanced technical skills are not required for this course. Introductory or advanced skills in HTML are not the focus of this course. The focus instead will be on many of the associated skills that are needed to construct comprehensive, educationallyrelevant online resources, such as organization of information, navigation, writing for the web, graphic design and page layout, accessibility and usability issues, and evaluating the educational value of web resources. Other courses in the Instructional Technology program are offered for students who wish to gain beginning and/or advanced web design skills. Please contact the instructor for more information or to discuss which additional courses may be best suited for you. As mentioned, regular use of a computer will be essential for this course. Whether you have a computer at home or are planning to use a computer in

6 one of the computer labs on campus, the most important thing is to have a place you are familiar with where you can use a computer, can install software, and save files. Windows computers will be used in this course and are available in the College of Education CITE computer lab and at other labs on campus. The computers in the CITE Lab, where our classes will be held, will have all of the software needed for this course installed and operational. You can find information about how to set-up an account that will allow you to access the computers in the CITE Lab by going to the College of Education's My Advisor system at: and selecting the Create/Reset Your Account link. Required Course Materials: A textbook is not required for CUIN Reading assignments for this course will come from articles published on the web and occasionally, from handouts given out in class. To access the online readings, students will need to have access to a computer that is capable of connecting to the Internet, as well as a recent version of a common web browser (such as Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, ormozilla Firefox). Web browsers should be configured so that you can access multimedia content online. Below are links to some of the more popular browser plug-ins and helper applications that may be downloaded for free. Adobe Acrobat Reader (to view PDF files) RealPlayer (to hear RealAudio and view RealVideo files) Be sure to look for the link to the Free Real Player, not the free trial version of the version of RealPlayer you must purchase. QuickTime Player (to view QuickTime movie clips) Macromedia Flash Player (to view Flash movies) Windows Media Player 10 or Higher (to view Windows Media movie clips and hear Windows Media audio files)

7 Required Hardware and Software: Digital cameras will be used in this course and students may use their own cameras, or they may check out a camera from the CITE Lab. Software for transferring images from the cameras to the computer, for editing digital images and creating digital stories will be available on the computers in the CITE Lab. In addition, students will be able to choose from a large number of free software programs that will be discussed in class. Data Storage: Due to the large size of the projects created in this course, some files you work with may be quite large. Storage space on a College of Education server will be available for students in this course; however you may also want to have your own back-up copies of files you are using this semester. It is recommended that students transfer their critical work to either recordable CDs or other reliable large-capacity storage options, such as portable external hard drives. Students are also encouraged to purchase a USB Flash memory device, which make it easy to move files from one computer to another. A minimum of 1 gigabyte is suggested, although having more storage space is always preferable and prices for Flash drives continues to drop as storage capacity increases. Time Requirements: Course topics will be demonstrated and discussed in class; however, additional time outside of class is required to complete weekly assignments and the final semester project. A good rule of thumb is that students should expect to spend approximately 1 to 2 hours outside of class for each hour spent in class. Since the class meets for 3 hours per week, students should plan to spend approximately 3 to 6 hours per week completing the reading,

8 posting, and hands-on assignments for that week. Attendance: Regular class attendance and participation in class discussions is expected. Because of the collaborative nature of this course, some students will work within a team environment where each participant contributes to the development process based on their individual areas of expertise. Students are expected to actively participate "virtually" in online discussions both with members of their own team and with other students and the instructor in the course. Weekly Assignments: Course activities will take place both in class, where students will participate in face-to-face discussions and conduct topic-related activities, as well as online, where students will participate in virtual discussions via an online discussion forum. Students will complete weekly reading, posting, and hands-on assignments throughout the semester. Each class session during the semester will include a web page that presents the information covered in that week's class, a description of a hands-on lab activity, and the assignments for the next class. Final Semester Projects: more information will be added soon... Grading Policy: Grades for this course will be based on a 100 point system as described below: 10 DISCUSSION POSTINGS ON THE COURSE BLOG: worth a maximum of 1 point each - a total of 10 points possible 10 POSTINGS ON A PERSONAL BLOG: worth a maximum of 1 point each - a total of 10 points possible

9 10 WEEKLY HANDS-ON ASSIGNMENTS: worth a maximum of 2 points each - a total of 20 points possible MIDTERM ENGINES OF OUR INGENUITY PROJECT: worth a maximum of 20 points FINAL SEMESTER PROJECT: worth a maximum of 25 points FINAL SEMESTER PROJECT REPORT: worth a maximum of 15 points Relationship to the Instructional Technology Program s Conceptual Framework: Courses in the Instructional Technology (IT) Program in the College of Education prepare instructional technology professionals for diverse leadership responsibilities in Pre-K-12 settings, school district technology administration, higher education, training in industry settings, and instructional design and development of all levels of instructional materials. The IT Program at the University of Houston can be distinguished from IT programs at other institutions through our unique philosophy based on a strong commitment to the broad representations of community, individual learning, and the collaboration that strengthens the two. This philosophy is in accordance with the College of Education s conceptual framework, Collaboration for Learning and Leading. Relationship to the College of Education Conceptual Framework: Collaboration for Learning and Leading: Collaboration is cooperative activity, characterized by dialogue and shared effort. Participants will collaborate with peers in classroom activities, projects, and presentations. Learning implies knowledge, skills, and dispositions gained through systematic study, and the modification of behavior as a result of training and experience. Learning in this course is emphasized through the meaningful use of instructional technologies and authentic assessment techniques.

10 Participants will prepare a portfolio demonstrating their learning in this course. Leading involves initiating and promoting positive change. Leading is highlighted in this course as participants prepare and make presentations demonstrating how technologies can be used to support learning. The design, curriculum, and instructional flow of CUIN 7358 is aligned with the learner-centered proficiencies and principles of the Conceptual Framework of the College of Education. Students in this course will continually assess their own growth as they seek to create coherent representations of the knowledge, linking new information with existing understandings in creative, meaningful ways. Relevant, authentic learning tasks involving the integration of technology into the curriculum will be explored in a motivating, hands-on environment. Learning will be facilitated through both face-to-face and online interactions among the classroom community. To ensure that student preferences for learning and expression are honored, a variety of learning modes and strategies will be utilized, including whole-class discussions and debates, face-to-face and online collaborative group work, and individual readings and production. In addition, CUIN 7358 is one of two linked courses. Students enrolled in CUIN 7358 (Class #34405) must also register in CUIN 7336: Popular Culture in Education (Class #18194), taught by Dr. Cameron White. Students will use content from ELED 7325 as the basis for digital media projects that will include writing scripts, developing storyboards and creating digital stories. Alignment with National Technology Standards: Specific competencies for this course are aligned with the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Technology Facilitation Standards (outlined at Activities and assignments in this course attempt to meet the following standards: * TF-I.B. Demonstrate continual growth in technology knowledge and skills to stay abreast of current and emerging technologies. 3. Model appropriate strategies essential to continued growth and development of the understanding of technology operations and concepts.

11 * TF-V.C. Apply technology to increase productivity. 5. Use instructional design principles to develop hypermedia and multimedia products to support personal and professional development. Addressing the Needs of Diverse Learners: Developmentally-appropriate curriculum and best practices in Instructional Technology will frequently be addressed in class. In addition, the diverse learners in the class will discuss the balance between medical education and the exploratory nature of teaching with and learning to use technology tools. ADA Statement: When possible, and in accordance with 504/ADA guidelines, we will attempt to provide reasonable academic accommodations to students who request and require them. Please call the Center for Students with DisABILITIES at ext for more assistance. Statement on Course Materials: Some of the writings, lectures, films, or presentations in this course may include material that conflicts with the core beliefs of some students. Please review the syllabus carefully to see if the course is one that you are committed to taking. If you have a concern, please discuss it with the instructor at your earliest convenience. Academic Dishonesty: The University of Houston defines academic dishonesty as employing a method or technique or engaging in conduct in an academic endeavor that the student knows or should know is not

12 permitted by the university or a course instructor to fulfill academic requirements. Students are expected to do original work, including class assignments, etc. Penalties include failure of the entire assignment and referral to the department chair for consideration of additional action. Special Accommodations: When possible, and in accordance with 504/ADA guidelines, we will attempt to provide reasonable academic accommodations to students who request and require them. Please call for more assistance. About the Instructor: Bernard R. Robin, Ph.D. office phone: brobin@uh.edu Office Location: Room 343, Farish Hall Hours: Wednesdays - 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Other times and telephone calls may be scheduled by appointment.