EDUC310

EDUC 310: Computers in Education

This page highlights changes to the course and “fresh evidence” produced since my first pre-tenure review. Please refer to materials from the 2009 e-portfolio for additional materials from this course.

On page 11 of my 2009 case-making statement, I expressed that one of my goals for improvement involved “integrating material in my Computers in Education course more closely with material in other Education courses” and stated further that “I need to reach out more to my colleagues in the department to make this happen.” I have followed through with this goal since 2009.

Pat Shea, who teaches the Educational Assessment course, indicated that our students need some experience with technological assessment tools. Her suggestion led to the addition of the “Assessment Spreadsheet” assignment in the 2009-2010 year. The Assessment Spreadsheet work sample showcases the assignment description, the scoring rubric used in evaluating the assignment, and samples of student work judged to be strong, average, and weak. (Note that the work sample is a PDF file, while the student spreadsheets themselves are Excel files. The Excel files are linked to within the PDF.)

The “Independent Project” assignment was created in order to cater to the varying needs of students across multiple majors (e.g., English majors, history majors, science majors, etc.). For example, Katie Hanson requested that I push English majors toward creating WebQuests (a modern alternative to the traditional high school research project) for their Independent projects, while I felt that my mathematics majors would benefit from developing web-based, dynamic geometric objects. Students across multiple content areas have developed an array technological creations that are pertinent to their specific discipline via this Independent Project. One such example is an animated and narrated Google Earth file developed by a history major that highlights both the geography and the politics of the Cuban Missile Crisis. This Google Earth example, an example of an English major’s WebQuest, and an example from one of my mathematics students is included (along with assignment description and rubric) in the Independent Project work sample. (Note that the work sample is a PDF file, while the original student work are html webpages and a Google Earth file. The original student work is linked to within the PDF.)

Mike Egan

Assistant Professor of Education

Augustana senior Angela Pisani using the SMARTBoard during a student-teaching lesson in a Bettendorf elementary school. Angela first encountered the SMARTBoard in EDUC 310.