Using Instructional Technology in Education for Peace

Transcription

1 Online Course Using Instructional Technology in Education for Peace Edgar Salgado-García, Psy.D. 1. Overview of the Course General description: Instructional technology has been around for centuries. From the wax tablets used by Roman teachers and students, dating back some 500 years before Christ, to ipads, laptop computers and mobile phones, it sure has come a long way. Modern-era teaching machines were developed in the XX century by American behaviorists, among them B.F. Skinner, inspired by the pioneering work of Sydney Pressey. But an important turning point occurred when information technology and cognitive psychology came into the picture. Today, computers, networks, and mobile devices are the heirs of ancient technologies, all sharing a common goal: to assist people in learning. This course is about instructional technology and how to use it for the purpose of educating for peace. Unfortunately, most technological innovations have been triggered by the war and military industry. But fortunately, we can set that aside and focus on using technology for attaining better goals. Technology can be our ally for fostering understanding and improving people s quality of life. During the course, participants will engage in activities for designing, implementing, and evaluating learning objects based on their own professional and/or personal interests. We will address contemporary learning theories and use them to design effective and engaging instructional units that can be used in different settings and populations. We will also experiment with various free software applications and learn how to choose the most suitable ones for our teaching objectives. 2. Pre- or co -requisites Students should have the ability to read, understand and analyze complex material and to write in English. They should also have access to a computer and the Internet, and have a basic ability to use , office applications (i.e., editing text documents), and web browsers. However, no computer programming, nor any other complex technological skills are required. 3. Date of the Course January 14 th February 22 th,

2 2 4. Class format 4.1 Number of credits: Number of sessions and length of course: 6 sessions over the span of 6 weeks 4.3 Methodology Taking advantage of the international nature of our online classroom, with students bringing different knowledge and experience, this online course will be a combination of collaborative learning, using participatory methods and independent study, with continuous guidance from the instructor. In a seminar format, participatory and active methodologies will be used. Emphasis will be given to the concept of learning throughout life. The length and nature of this course invites us to utilize many educational opportunities, in which students become the constructors of their own knowledge. Students will have a central role in learning, on deciding how to learn; while the instructor will stimulate and facilitate the learning process. Three instructional interactions will be used: 1) interaction between the professor and students, such as discussions in open forums, 2) interaction between students, such as socializing/exchanging knowledge and experience, and 3) interaction through information resources, such as active reading of selected articles, research assignments in the libraries, or searching the internet. Students will receive frequent feedback regarding their contributions and the quality of their performance; in this way students will be guided to meet their learning outcomes. Feedback will encourage students to keep moving in the course and to learn from their own experience. 5. Course requirements Participation (30%) Students will be expected to participate in each online session, including contributing to forum discussions. Students should respond to each discussion thread started by the professor, either by directly responding to the forum question or by answering their classmates responses. During forums, students will demonstrate familiarity with the assigned readings. It is also important that students respond to the forum questions during the week of the session, as it becomes challenging to maintain a discussion on a topic when the course has moved on to another session. Blogs (20%) Each session will require students to prepare one blog posting based on the discussion questions for that week (see Outline of sessions, below). At the beginning of each week, the instructor will guide you through the process, and will specify which questions you are to answer in the forum, and which ones in the blog. Your blog entry should be posted by each Sunday.

3 Educational technology for peace proposal (50%) Only for students taking the course for credits This assignment is due on February 22 nd, but there are two previous drafts to be submitted before the final deadline (see assessment criteria). It consists of a proposal for a peace education project, using technology. The proposal must consist of: Introduction, including identification of a relevant problem related to peace education, and a rationale for the proposed educational project. Objectives (i.e., what outcomes are to be expected from the implementation of the project, both in terms of personal/social impact, and participants learning). A characterization or profile of the target population at which the project is directed, and how the proposal meets the learning needs of such population. Conceptual model on which the proposal is based (must conduct literature review, using scholarly works, and journal articles). Description of the methodology AND structure of the education for peace program. The project may consist of any of the following: o A multimedia didactic unit or learning object. o A proposal for a collaborative activity using web tools. o A course at any educational level (pre-school, primary, secondary, or higher education) o An adult learning program. o A cultural activity related to education for peace. o A non-academic activity that promotes learning of peace-building skills or attitudes. (The only pre-requisite is that students integrate educational technology as a medium or aid) Conclusion. References. Students taking the course for non-credits, will be given the final grade based on forum participation (50%), blog postings (40%), and a preliminary proposal (10%), for which the instructor will provide the instructions during the course. Students taking the course for credits, will be graded based on the above percent distribution: forum participation (30%), blog postings (20%), and final project (50%). 6. Assessment criteria for grading all assignments Students will be assessed by the relevance of their participation, the authenticity of their contributions, and in fairness with regard to the whole group. 3 Participation: In order to obtain full credit, students are expected to: Make at least one major contribution to the discussion forum per week Focus on the questions proposed by the instructor Elaborate on the week s topics based on their own search of additional material Demonstrate understanding of the assigned materials Reply to at least one peer on a weekly basis Blogs: In order to obtain full credit, students are expected to: Post one blog entry per week Demonstrate critical analysis of the course materials

4 4 Conduct research in scholarly web sites and/or electronic journals, so as to go beyond the materials provided, to complement the blog entries Reply to their peers contributions, so as to establish academic debate and reflection Final project: In order to obtain full credit, students are expected to: Turn in a first draft containing the identified problem or need (topic) to be addressed, and an outline of the project Turn in a second draft with at least 50% of the required sections completed Turn in a final version of the proposal, incorporating the feedback from both the instructor and peers Make sure the proposal is compliant with the rubric in the final project guide that will be sent by the instructor Plagiarism will not be tolerated in this course, and will be penalized with a 0% grade in the corresponding assignment. University policies will also be enforced, which may result in additional penalties. All postings and assignments are subject to examination with an online plagiarism detector. To avoid plagiarism, students need to ensure that all written assignments, including forum and blog posts, as well as any other submission (i.e., Power Point presentations, learning objects, etc.) are properly cited and referenced, and that they are the sole author of the work. Submissions must follow APA formatting (see 7. Intended learning outcomes 7.1 Learning Objectives Upon satisfactory completion of this course, participants will understand: How information and communication technologies (ICT) can be used in educational settings How ICT can aid in promoting education for peace How to evaluate and select technological applications for educational purposes, according to contemporary theories of learning How to design a technology-based education for peace proposal

5 5 8. Outline of Sessions Week Start date 1 14 Jan 2 21 Jan 3 28 Jan Session and lesson objectives Description and forum questions Assignments The context of technology and Students will address the following Blog entry its uses in education questions in the forum and blogs: Forum discussions > Discuss the nature of instructional technology and its > What is instructional technology? > What uses does technology have in education today? role in contemporary educational > Does technology really have an practices > Describe the latest technological developments in education and emerging impact in teaching practices and students learning? > How will technology affect teaching and learning in the years technologies that will change the to come? picture in the short term Using technology in education Students will address the following for peace questions in the forum and blogs: > How can technology help in >Discuss major areas of promoting attitudes, knowledge, application of instructional and skills related to peace? technology to peace education > What features of instructional > Identify a problem area in the technology are more relevant for field of peace education (related different peace-building learning to their own interests and/or goals? professional experience), and propose an idea for addressing it using technology Designing and implementing technology-based programs for education >Infer the steps needed to design an education program that integrates technology > Analyze some instructional technology projects related to peace education, with regard to their design, implementation, and evaluation Students will address the following questions in the forum and blogs: > How would you go about designing a technology-based educational project for the problem and/or needs that you detected in session 2? > What are some education for peace projects that have been carried out, and what are their common goals and/or features? > Can you come up with an innovative way of using instructional technology for peace education? Forum discussions First draft of proposal due

6 6 4 4 Feb 5 11 Feb 6 18 Feb Instructional technology and constructivist approaches to learning > Analyze and compare major learning theories and their relevance for instructional technology applications > Describe the main components of a constructivist approach to learning (i.e., teaching for understanding) Cognitive psychology and multimedia design > Evaluate learning objects according to the principles of multimedia and cognition > Design a basic learning object related to peace education Collaborative learning and Web 2.0 > Identify the major web-based tools for collaboration and their application for different learning goals > Propose a basic activity directed at promoting peacerelated attitudes or skills using Web 2.0 tools Students will address the following questions in the forum and blogs: > How do people learn? > Does everybody learn the same way? Why and how? > Is it true that people can learn all by themselves, without the help from a teacher? Why or why not? > What is meant by understanding, and how can technology help in achieving it? Blog entry Forum discussions Generative questions for this week Blog entry are: Second draft of proposal > What makes for a good due (effective) multimedia material for learning? > How can we design a multimedia learning unit using free online tools? Generative questions for this week are: > How do people learn collaboratively? > Which collaborative tools are suitable for peace education initiatives? Education for peace proposal (final project) is due on February 22 nd,. 10. Instructor s Bio Edgar Salgado-García has a professional doctorate in psychology, a Master of Science in behavior analysis and therapy from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and a post-graduate degree in psychology from the University of Costa Rica (UCR). He received his Bachelor of Science degree with a major in psychology and a minor in anthropology at Florida State University. He is also certified in e-learning project management and online teaching from the National Technological University of Argentina, and in computer technology from the Latin American University of Science and Technology (ULACIT). During the past 15 years, he has been an instructor in psychology and education at different universities in Costa Rica. Currently, he is a professor in the University Curriculum and Teaching Masters program at ULACIT in San José, Costa Rica. He has been a consultant for the National System for Higher Education Accreditation of Costa Rica in the writing and validation of the Official Manual for Accreditation of Distance Education Programs, and has taught numerous online courses for universities and international organizations in Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, Panama, and Ecuador.