Office Hours:  Posted on AT 210 Door.  (Generally during lab hours but Burris and others intervene.)

Graduate Assistant: Rob Gaugler

Lab Hours: 2-3 PM, Mon. & Wed. 1-5 PM Tues, Thurs, Fri. Also weekends and eves as needed and/or requested. 

Teaching: my attitude:

She says this to her students:

"When you are with us, you belong to us, and we will do everything and anything for you." In that spirit, I pledge to do that for at least the 24 hours you have contracted to be with me.

My goal this semester is to have you ready to fill out the student evaluation of an instructor form with all 5's by the end of the semester. That means I intend to be perfect. I can do so only if you help me be a perfect teacher. I'll do my best--if I don't, please let me know what I should be doing better as soon as possible. Of course, you have to do your work, and I'll do all I can to see that it is good work. I also intend to teach nothing but material meaningful to you and your future classrooms.

I believe technology education is something about which most of you are ignorant. It is at the same time, one of the most important subject areas you will be teaching. One of the reasons you know so little about it is that we are suffering from an identity problem. "Technology," to the general public and to education, has come to mean computers and instructional delivery systems. Technology in this course means the way in which humans deal with the physical world. It is a more comprehensive definition. Technology studies "human innovation in action"  (ITEA). It might use computers in the process, and even teach something about them, but it is about all human productive areas--not just communication devices. In the elementary grades, we often use technology education as a means of connecting all classroom work.

The rest of the ITDPT 364 curriculum is available to you, here, on the web. You should check it out whenever your instructor tells you there is something new there, and at least once a week. Please print it out this week and read it before the next class.

http://www.cs.bsu.edu/homepages/kirkwood/inipo364.htm

If you would like an electronic version of any of the handouts this semester, please bring an IBM-formatted disk to class and I'll attempt to give you the file that class or within 2 days. The files will mostly be in MS Word (I use both IBM--Office 97, and Mac--Office 98) and not readable with earlier versions. Some will contain web links like the above paragraph

Technology education provides experiences and information dealing with the world of work and occupational opportunities. This develops career awareness and provides career exploration opportunities.

Technology education assists in the discovery and development of personal aptitudes, interests, creative problem-solving abilities, self-reliance, sound judgment, resourcefulness, and adaptability. This provides for students' personal needs for living in a technological society.

Technology education is a dynamic program of student activity in a laboratory setting with three major thrusts that bring about: a) attainment of technological literacy, b) acquisition of knowledge of technical occupations and professions, and c) satisfying students' personal needs, including discovery of self as related to technology.

First, from the practical point of view there is too little time to adequately develop and teach the concepts of technology, let alone prepare you to teach these concepts. However, there are already many activities and concepts present in the elementary curriculum that we can group under the heading of technology education to constitute a curriculum for study.

Second, and more important, child psychologists tell us that elementary school children have developmental characteristics relevant to the learning process. One of these characteristics concerns learning style: elementary school children typically learn abstract concepts better if they are first exposed to relevant concrete experiences. Manipulative technology education experiences have rich potential for concrete experiences. Another characteristic is that children learn best when they are physically involved in the process. Technology education activities provide opportunities for children to saw, drill, pound, walk, talk, and otherwise manipulate and make changes in their environment and the materials surrounding them. 

Some children, more specifically children with low verbal abilities or poor motivation, have difficulty achieving when they must learn only through reading and listening. They either cannot or will not read, listen, or talk effectively. Therefore another method of teaching must be used if learning is to occur. Technology education activities provide such an alternate channel for learning—a channel the children have not learned to "tune out.

1. Problem Solving

Urban Transportation Renewal: A one-day project where students develop a community with provided materials. The first problem-solving activity and part of a series of construction technology activities. 

Problem-solving activity: Rocketry!

You will develop a rocket from a used film canister and alka seltzer tablets.  See the design brief from class and then check out the NASA design brief for this activity.

2. Mars Millennium Project

You will develop a teaching/learning activity for First through Third grade students.  This is a group activity for the children and will be produced by groups of two, three or four ITDPT 364 students. The activity must be hands-on, must  be a problem-solving activity, must integrate with at least one other "regular" subject, and must require written documentation and a physical product of the children.  You will be given specific guidelines for this project.  It will be due at the beginning of the fifth week of class, February 7, 2000. You will also re-produce the project for web-based instruction. Some class time will be allowed for this activity.

Activity to be put on the web

Based on what they have learned from the two problem-solving activities, students will develop a problem-solving activity for the Mars Millennium project. The activity must be integrated with math, language arts, science or social studies. It must also teach something about technology. It need not be a game, nor does it have to involve competition, but it must engage children as active learners. All three-dimensional products must be constructed, at least in part, in the AT 210 laboratory. They can be made from a variety of materials, some of which can be found in the lab, some may have to be brought in from home. The activity will be demonstrated to your peers and digital photographs will be made to document the activity.

You will write your paper to a PC disk using Microsoft Word for Windows or for Mac. (Macs read PC disks, but PCs don't read Mac disks, therefore always use an IBM-formatted disk!  You will use a web designer program (probably Netscape Composer) to create a web-page file from your paper. You must include graphics, drawings, scans, digital photographs, etc. with it.

Burris observation:

Each student will observe two elementary school classes at Burris. An observation report is due one week after your second observation. Pay attention to the curriculum, the students' maturity and abilities, the classroom itself, the teacher's characteristics that enhance learning. Please feel free to ask me, the technology teacher at Burris, the Burris classroom teacher, or the children about anything. Your report will follow a format I will hand out to you.  

This laboratory class is different from a lecture class. You will not be handed abstract material which you are to learn by rote. (I hope that brings a smile to your face.) You will be learning practical information and skills independently, in a hands-on, research-type of environment which is different from the way you usually learn. Not everything will be spelled out completely before you begin working. Demonstrations of tools, materials and techniques must often be given in a somewhat sketchy, outline form. In order to learn how to do an activity that is manipulative, you must take the information given in demonstrations and put it to use. I don't expect that you will understand perfectly how to do something until you have tried it yourself, asked questions of me or the graduate assistant or your classmates, and successfully carried out a procedure or used a tool or material. Don't be afraid to ask for help. That is when I can do the best job of teaching--when I can work with you one-on-one.

2. Please leave your coats and big book bags, etc. in the lockers each time you enter the lab. The lab is crowded--there is no room for bookbags or coats on tables, chairs, and floors. Please respect the rights of others by not using up space that way.

3. The class meets for 16 weeks. 

4. Class attendance is mandatory. See University policy on attendance, below.  My policy for this semester:  Two excused absences are permitted in a night class, four excused absences are permitted in a day class. More than those absences, excused or not, will subtract one full letter grade from your final evaluation. Each additional two hours absence will subtract another letter grade. For example, if you have two excused absences for a night class or four excused absences for a day class, your grade will not be lowered.  Let's say, however, that you overslept another class, or even had an excuse for a third miss.  In either case you have missed 20% of the class and will therefore be docked a letter grade. If you are unclear about this, it is your responsibility to see me to explain it further.
 

5. Three tardies will count as one absence.

6. Leaving class early without permission will count as an absence.

7. The final meeting is most important and failing to attend it will count as two absences. Don't make other plans for the final meeting!  There will be no exceptions for weddings, family vacations, etc.  Last semester, the 3 pm class had finals on the Saturday of exam week! Please check exam schedules now so that you aren't surprised in May!!!!!  I'd hate to see you miss your own wedding.

8. If you miss class, it is your responsibility to find out if there was a quiz and what to do about it; what work you missed and how to make it up, if possible; and what assignments were made. It is necessary to call or make an appointment with your instructor well before the next class meeting.

9. It should be noted at the beginning that this is a laboratory class. This means that although there are reading assignments, there will also be laboratory work to be accomplished. PA 210 is the laboratory for this class and will open for a minimum of 10 hours each week, increasing in time when there is an expressed need. A schedule of open lab times is noted above, and the most recent schedule will be posted and be on the door of PA 210. The instructor or graduate assistant will be present at the time to help you with your work. Repeat: If you perform lab work for this class in some other location, prior approval is necessary otherwise I will consider it plagiarism.

10. Please learn your section number and use it on everything you hand in, including project work. It will not get graded otherwise! 

11. All written work will be printed on a laser writer or typewriter (throw away worn-out ribbons or cartridges). No exceptions. It will not be accepted if handwritten.
 

12. It is your responsibility to be ready to work during assigned lab time. Bring your materials so that you are always ready to do manipulative work. Lab time is not time to socialize, write letters, do homework or study for another class, or even to do library or book research for this class (that should be done outside of this class). Lab time is a time to roll up your sleeves and get to work. If you receive permission to work on your project at home, let your instructor know what you plan to do and let him see your work as it progresses. And then don't forget to bring your project to class during assigned lab time.

14. Laboratory clean-up is your responsibility. This includes class time as well as open lab hours. Please take an active part in helping to keep your lab clean, the tools in good order, and the materials organized.

15. Please respect other people's materials and projects.