Office:  266 Fenton

Ph. D.,  Illinois State University

Phone: 673-3862

M.A.,  University of Illinois at Springfield

Email: susan.spangler@fredonia.edu

B. S. English Education, Illinois State University

Welcome to English 250, Literacy and Technology.  According to the Undergraduate Catalogue, this course “explores the theoretical and practical implications of technology for the nature of literacy” and “presents approaches to helping secondary students improve their literacy through the use of technology.”  This means that we will be experimenting with technology in order to better teach our students how to enter into whatever discourse communities they wish to.  Teacher candidates are expected by the School of Education at Fredonia and by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) to use technology-assisted instruction.  ISTE’s National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) for Teachers define the fundamental concepts, knowledge, skills, and attitudes for applying technology in educational settings.  This class will work to meet those NETS for Teachers.

Website:  Check this for current information about the assignments and schedule:  <www.fredonia.edu/faculty/english/spangler>

Class Web Board: www.nicenet.org.  Add yourself to the roster using the class key given in class.  Go to the Nicenet URL to join the class.  Be sure to enter a name and e-mail address.  You will use this web board to turn in your reading responses.

Office hours:         

By appointment         Please call or email for an appointment.

In person:                   M/W 6:00-6:30 p.m.; T 3-4:30 p.m.; R 3:00-6:00 p.m.

            Virtual:                        SusanSpangler1 (AOL Instant Messenger), pretty much anytime

                                                my computer is on and I’m available to chat.

Required Texts and Materials:

Firek, Hilve.  Ten Easy Ways to Use Technology in the English Classroom.  Portsmouth, NH:  Heinnemann, 2003.

Membership an a professional organization, such as NCTE or ISTE

Your FSU email account. 

Internet access outside of class.

Several ways to back up material:  jump drive, u-drive, cyberspace

Course Goals

In keeping with ISTE Standards for teachers, students in this course will become familiar with technologies useful to English Language Arts classrooms and incorporate those technologies in all aspects of teaching and learning, including lesson planning, instruction, assessment, reflection, and professional development.  Students will also explore social, ethical, legal, and human issues surrounding use of technologies and apply those principals in practice.

Course Requirements

ENGAGEMENT WITH COURSE MATERIAL AND ACTIVITIES.  Part of your obligation to this class is to participate vigorously in the ongoing dialogue we will have about teaching, whether in group activities, in individual activities, or in class discussions.  Engagement includes sharing most of the work that you produce this semester as well as commenting on others' work.  If you don't attend class, you can't participate, so I discourage absences unless absolutely necessary, in which case you notify me prior to your absence and meet with me afterwards.  Perfect attendance is expected.

WEB BOARD POSTING.  An easy way to share your thoughts on the readings and on class discussion is to post your thoughts in a timely manner to the class web board, available at nicenet.org.  You will be posting your reading responses on the web board, and you will also respond to others’ writing during the semester.

CLASS PORTFOLIO.  Your grade for the class will be based on the completion of an electronic portfolio.  Many of these items will be appropriate additions for your professional teaching portfolio.  We’ll discuss these items as well as appropriate assessment of them throughout the semester.  Here are things that will go in it, in no particular order:

• An introduction (well, that should go first, I suppose)
• Evidence of your engagement with class material with introduction to the section
• Lesson plans for teaching demonstrations, reflections and analyses of them
• Curriculum unit plans that involve reading, writing, and technology OR major project
• A conference presentation OR scholarly article based on your research on an issue in technology/pedagogy

General Policies

In the event of an emergency absence, it is your responsibility to check for any missed assignments.  See the office hours above and check with classmates or the website for work missed.  Of course, the information you receive from these sources will be less complete than if you were actually in class.  Just avoid the whole mess and be here.  You’ll find as an effective teacher that it’s just easier to go to school than to miss, and that attitude should be evident here.

I hate grades.  There, I said it.  See the FAQ's for more details.  I try to do as little grading as possible, but I DO love reading your writing.  Basically, I'll assign a grade for your portfolio, which counts for 100% of your grade, at the end of the semester, but I’ll look at drafts of your work throughout the semester to give you feedback.  Any other time you want to talk about your progress in class, come and talk to me.  We won't necessarily talk about your grade, but we will talk about what you are learning in class.

Sadly, computers don’t always work the way we want them to.  It’s an unfortunate fact of life.  You are ultimately responsible for your work, even if the computer fails.   Please avoid saying things like, “My disk broke,” “I couldn’t get online,” “I swear I e-mailed it to you” to me.  Ways to avoid computer problems include 1) printing everything, 2) backing up on disk/jump drive, at home, in cyberspace.

Which leads me to a short discussion of professionalism.  I will expect you to act in a professional manner.   Such behavior means, among other things, always doing your best work, remaining positive in the face of adversity, showing integrity in your actions, joining professional organizations, and reflecting on your teaching (sometimes before the fact).  A question I’ve always found helpful is this:  “Would I do/say this/act this way if my principal/grandmother were standing right here/able to see this?”  You should always be able to be proud of your actions as a professional.  This includes any public forums in which you choose to represent yourself:  Facebook, MySpace, or other venues.

Being a professional also means solely taking responsibility for your actions.  While your parents may be an integral part of your personal life, they should not be part of your professional life.  That is, they may rejoice with you or grieve with you in your professional successes or disappointments, but they should not take an active role in discussing these events with your colleagues or supervisors. 

Acting in a professional manner also means being academically honest (i.e. not plagiarizing anything).  The lines are often blurry, but in general, when you adapt a lesson for use, it’s a good idea to acknowledge or cite the source of the lesson or idea.  It’s professional courtesy, really.  When in doubt of whether or not you are plagiarizing something, either ask me or cite it.

Any student needing to arrange a reasonable accommodation for a documented disability should contact Disability Support Services at 673-3270 (Voice) or 673-4763 (TTY).