Course Syllabus

 Harvard University Graduate School of Education

Transforming Education through Emerging Technologies

Syllabus (Fall, 2016)

This syllabus is frequently revised, so students should always access the syllabus online rather than printing this version.

 

T561 Emerging Educational Technologies

Date, Time and Location

Mondays 10:00 - 12:00 Longfellow 320 (Lecture/Discussion)

Mondays 2:00-3:30 Gutman G05 (Section)

 

Instructor

 

Chris Dede

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Office: Longfellow 336
Phone: (617) 495-3839
Fax: (617) 495-9268
Email: Chris_Dede@Harvard.edu
Website/Twitter: http://isites.harvard.edu/chris_dede @chrs_dede

Office Hours: By appointment, face-to-face or virtual.

Teaching Fellows

Pedro De Abreu Joe Reilly

De Abreu, Pedro.jpg

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Phone: (617) 455-9322 Phone: (412) 956-6116
Email: prd338@mail.harvard.edu Email: josephreilly@g.harvard.edu
Website/Twitter: @pedrodeabreu Website/Twitter: @josephmreilly
     Office Hours: By appointment, face-to-face or virtual.     Office Hours: Longfellow 432; By appointment, face-to-face or virtual.

 

Objectives

As a result of this course, participants will be able to:

  • describe a broad spectrum of current leading-edge design-based research on new types of tools, applications, media, and environments in education, and the theories of learning that underlie these studies
  • depict how the "affordances" of information technology (e.g., distributed cognition, situated learning, sophisticated pattern recognition, multisensory immersion, modeling, visualization) aid the educational process
  • delineate the likely evolution of students' media-based learning styles and of information technology in education over the next decade
  • discuss how innovations such as multi-user virtual environments, wireless mobile devices, digital teaching platforms for customizing learning, and augmented realities can support improved teaching and learning
  • describe how the technologies discussed in this course, integrated into a 21st century educational model, can disruptively transform K-20 industrial era schooling
  • articulate ways to overcome barriers in integrating sophisticated learning technologies, given the current context of education practice and policy
  • portray the challenges to educational equity and diversity posed by emerging technologies and strategies for overcoming these problems

Resources

Online readings will be provided by instructors. These reading assignments will be periodically updated on the course website.

Requirements

  • Students who do not attend the first class will not be allowed to add the course
  • Attendance and participation in class sessions, labs, and sections -- whether face-to-face or virtual -- is mandatory, as discussions and shared experiences are important parts of the course. The class schedule may change as the course progresses; changes will be posted on the course website.
  • Each student is expected to complete all readings and class exercises, as well as a project assignment and two reflections.
  • To enable individualization of the course to the needs of each student, special arrangements on requirements and assignments may be negotiated in writing with the instructor. Negotiated assignments typically involve direct, extensive involvement in some project engaged in the design, development, evaluation, or implementation of an emerging technology.
  • Students missing the due date for an assignment must make immediate arrangements with the instructor to fulfill that requirement.
  • If you have a documented disability and wish to discuss academic accommodations, please contact the instructor immediately.
  • Undergraduates must obtain the instructor's permission before enrolling.

Instructional Design

This course will utilize a combination of briefings, media, mini-cases, guest speakers, discussions, hands-on experiences,   and projects to help participants understand leading-edge design-based research and transformative applications of emerging educational technologies.

Some sessions of this class may be filmed for use of the course participants; only T561 students and teaching staff will have access to these recordings. You may choose not to be filmed and may still participate in the class. If you do not wish to appear in the video recording, you must sit in the designated “no film” section. The “no film” section is the only area of the classroom or other course location that will not be filmed. If at any time you choose to sit or move through a section that is being filmed, you are agreeing that your participation in the class may be filmed. If you have any questions or concerns about this class’s recordings, please contact the course instructor, Professor Chris Dede.

Assignments

Each student is expected to complete an-assignment chosen from the menu of possibilities below, or an alternative assignment can be negotiated in writing with the instructor. The assignment grade constitutes 66% of the final grade in the course.. In addition, another 34% of the final grade is based on two individual reflections (due at week 5 and week 9 of the semester) on 1) what you have learned from the course so far and 2) what types of learning you would like to attain before the course ends.

All assignments are due on dates specified in the syllabus and are to be submitted via the appropriate Canvas Dropbox under the Assignments tab, using the instructions posted on the online syllabus. For assignments done by teams of students, a proportionately larger level of accomplishment is expected, and all students will receive the same grade.

While not a formal assignment that is part of grading, in order to build a virtual learning community, students are urged to make frequent, thoughtful contributions to the Google Community discussions and course Twitter Chats.

 Propose one of the assignments below.

 A. Preparing a Research Synthesis

This assignment involves selecting an emerging educational technology for detailed analysis; scanning the research literature and related materials for studies about this technology; experiencing hands-on usage of a typical application (if feasible); and preparing a scholarly paper synthesizing its merits, barriers to implementation, and likely impact and evolution. This and this and this and this and this and this are exemplary illustrations.

Here is a template for what should be included in the final paper. To request this assignment, please submit a one-page description of the technology you propose to study, sketching an initial response to various areas of the template and using your last name as the initial word in the file name and assignment letter A in the file name.

Research Project Assignments

B. Aiding with Virtual World and Augmented Reality Experiences for Learning Ecosystems Science (EcoXPT, EcoMOBILE, EcoMOD).

EcoXPT is a federally funded project to design and study innovative curricula that use immersive technologies. This assignment involves:

  • participating as part of a research team designing and implementing virtual world curricula for middle school students learning ecosystems science and complex causality. Opportunities are also available to work on our augmented reality curriculum, EcoMOBILE. For more information about the knowledge/skills needed, please see this overview. The people supervising this assignment are Drs. Shari Metcalf and Amy Kamarainen. EcoLearn powerpoint
  • Further, we have opportunities to work with EcoMOD, a prospective elementary school ecosystems science curriculum that involves computational modeling. The person supervising this assignment will be teaching fellow Joe Reilly.
  • preparing a mid-semester update and a final report that present what you accomplished, what you learned, and any ways we could have improved the learning experience for you

To be considered as a candidate for this assignment, please submit the requested project application, using your last name as the initial word in the file name and assignment letter B in the file name.

C. Participating in a Study of College Board Online Professional Development for Advanced Placement Courses in Science.

This assignment involves:

  • Analyzing the College Board’s Advanced Placement Online Teacher Community: Join HGSE researchers in a longitudinal study of the College Board’s online community for Advanced Placement teachers of Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. Analyze quantitative and qualitative data sources to understand how participation in the online community contributes to increased teacher and student outcomes. Check out our blog post in Ed Week for a brief overview.
    For more information about this project, please see this description. The person supervising this assignment is doctoral student Kim Frumin.

  • preparing a mid-semester update and a final report that present what you accomplished, what you learned, and any ways we could have improved the learning experience for you.

To be considered as a candidate for this assignment, please submit the requested project application, using your last name as the initial word in the file name and assignment letter C in the file name.

Design Project Assignments

D. Aiding Adult ESL learners with Initiatives in Improving Education via Social Media and Mobile Learning.
This assignment involves:

  • Developing learning exercises for adult ESL students using their mobile devices. For more information about this project, please see this description. The person supervising this assignment is Heidi Larson at EDC.
  • preparing a mid-semester update and a final report that present what you accomplished, what you learned, and any ways we could have improved the learning experience for you

To be considered as a candidate for this assignment, please submit the requested project application, using your last name as the initial word in the file name and assignment letter D in the file name.

E. Helping to Develop StarLogo simulations for Elementary School Science

This assignment involves:

  • Providing assistance in designing and building StarLogo simulations of science concepts for grades 4 and 5, as part of a NSF-funded study about model-based reasoning. The person supervising this assignment is Daniel Wendel from Professor Eric Klopfer's Lab at MIT.
  • preparing a mid-semester update and a final report that present what you accomplished, what you learned, and any ways we could have improved the learning experience for you

To be considered as a candidate for this assignment, please submit the requested project application, using your last name as the initial word in the file name and assignment letter E in the file name.

F. Propose an Alternative Assignment.

Alternative assignments typically involve direct, extensive involvement in some project engaged in the design, development, evaluation, or implementation of an emerging technology.

Please submit the requested project application, using your last name as the initial word in the file name and assignment letter F in the file name.

Grading

You may take the course for a letter grade or with a satisfactory/no credit designation. Grades are based on completion of course requirements and on the scope, quality, and creativity of the assignments. At mid-semester, as indicated on the syllabus, all students will submit a progress report on their assignment; ungraded feedback will be provided. The assignment grade constitutes 66% of the final grade in the course. In addition, another 34% of the final grade is based two individual reflections (due at week 5 and week 9 of the semester) on 1) what you have learned from the course so far and 2) what types of learning you would like to attain before the course ends.

The expectation for workload in this course is that students will spend approximately eight hours per week outside of class. Incompletes in the course are given only under unusual extenuating circumstances.

I strongly encourage you to be creative and provocative in your thinking and to experiment with ideas. However, it is important that you clearly distinguish your work and ideas from knowledge and information derived from sources (lectures, websites, journal articles, books, etc). Students are responsible for learning proper forms of citations. Harvard College Expository Writing Program published a great resource, Writing with Sources: A Guide for Harvard Students and Writing with Internet Sources. This publication is included in your registration packet. Information on Harvard's strict plagiarism policy and access to Harvard's writing resources can be found in your Student Handbook.

 

Syllabus (Subject to Change via Revisions on Course Website)

 

Date

Topics

Readings/Assignments/Notices

Prior to First Class  

 

Assignments for 8/31:

  • Skim i-phone tech history graphic
  • Read the assignment section of the syllabus carefully and think about which type of assignment you might like to do and what questions you have about it.
  • If you would like information about Canvas, please look at Welcome to Canvas for Students
  • Please post about social media and tools you use for professional interaction and collaboration, using the Discussion tab.
  • Please sign up for Twitter, follow the #HGSET561 hashtag, and begin any tweeting you wish to do
  • Please accept the invitation to join the T561 Google Plus community (will arrive after you enroll in the course) and begin any posting you wish to do

8/31

 

Introduction to the course

Conceptual framework for emerging technologies

Analyzing a vision about the role of digital technologies in life

Role of cooperative learning

Roles of the Google + Community and Twitter Chats

Role of the Section meetings

Description of Research Synthesis assignment

Description of the Alternative Assignment

Powerpoint for Class 1


Section Meeting 2-3:30

Descriptions of the Research Project options

Questions on any of the assignments

 

Readings for 9/12:

Assignments for 8/31-9/12:

Submit Applications for any type of project by 9/6-- use Assignment Tab.

Please participate in the Canvas discussions tab about online tools and media you find useful for professional interaction and collaboration

Please begin participating in the T561 Google+ Community

9/12

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New Technologies and New Educational Models

Fishman & Dede Handbook Chapter Framework

Technology and Social Justice -- Michele Pellam, Headmaster, Boston Public High School Another Course to College

Powerpoint for Class 2


Section Meeting 2-3:30

Meetings about assignments

 

 

Readings for 9/19:

Please examine the question of the week, available in Google Community, and provide responses or add additional questions if you wish

9/19

 

Immersive Learning

 

Dr. Jeffrey Jacobson on Emerging Technologies for Immersion

 

Jacobson Ppt

 

Virtual Reality and Virtual Worlds as Learning Environments

 

Powerpoint for Class 3

 

Section Meeting 2-3:30

 

Dr. Amy Kamarainen - Research Studies on EcoMOBILE

EcoMOBILE Ppt

 

Readings for 9/26:

  • Please examine the question of the week, available in Google Community, and provide responses or add additional questions if you wish

 

9/26

Mobile Learning

Mobile Learning and Augmented Reality

Connected Learning

Powerpoint for Class 4



Section Meeting 2-3:30

Meetings about assignments

 

 

Readings for 10/3:

  • Submit an individual Reflection on your learning in the course so far. All submissions Due 10/2; use the Assignment Tab.
  • Please examine the question of the week, available in Google Community, and provide responses or add additional questions if you wish

 

 

10/3

Going to Scale in Education

Scalability Framework

Professor Jim Honan will teach a case on scaling up (essential you read this in advance)

Scaling Up via Technology

Powerpoint on scaling up


Section Meeting 2-3:30

 

Meetings about assignments

 

Readings for 10/17:

  • Please examine the question of the week, available in Google Community, and provide responses or add additional questions if you wish
 
10/10

No Class or Section -
Columbus Day Holiday

 1st course twitter chat 10/11, 8 pm

10/17

Students as Designers and Makers

Drs. Chris Rogers and Ethan Danahy  from Tufts discussing new methods for learning design thinking and engineering education

Ethan's Ppt


Section Meeting 2-3:30

Hands-on experiences with Tufts materials

Readings for 10/24:

Please examine the question of the week, available in Google Community, and provide responses or add additional questions if you wish 

Notices for the week of 10/17-10/24:

  • Submit either a Research or Design Team Assignment Progress Summary (mid-semester update) or a partial draft of of the Research Synthesis paper(template) or a partial product for any other type of assignment you are doing. All submissions Due 10/22; use the Assignment Tab.
 

10/24

 

Disruptive Innovation via Online Learning

The Evolution of Higher Education

Online and Blended Learning

Massive Learning

 Ppt for Class 7

 



Section Meeting 2-3:30

Meetings about assignments

Readings for 10/31:

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  • skim Balanced Design Guide
  • skim Valerie Shute on Stealth Assessment
  • Please examine the question of the week, available in Google Community, and provide responses or add additional questions if you wish

 

10/31

 

Artificial Intelligence

Charles Fadel from the Center for Curriculum Design will contrast human learning and machine learning

Big Data in Education

Diagnostic assessments formative for learning and instruction

Charles Fadel ppt

Eric Klopfer ppt

Big Data in Education ppt

Course Overview

 


Section Meeting 2-3:30

MIT Professor Eric Klopfer - Diagnostic assessment in games

 

Readings for 11/7:

  • Submit an individual Reflection on your learning in the course, during the time since you submitted your first reflection. All submissions Due 11/6; use the Assignment Tab.
  • Please examine the question of the week, available in Google Community, and provide responses or add additional questions if you wish

 

11/7

Fostering and Sustaining Learning Communities

Guest Experts (Online):

Al Byers and Flavio Mendez, National Science Teachers Association

NSTA Ppt



Section Meeting 2-3:30

Meetings about assignments


 

Readings for 11/14:

---------------------------------------------------------

  • Please examine the question of the week, available in Google Community, and provide responses or add additional questions if you wish

 

11/14

Personalization and Digital Teaching Platforms

Dr. Adam Seldow from Facebook on Personalization

Digital Teaching Platforms

Online Professional Development for Personalization

Section Meeting 2-3:30

Dr. Justin Reich from MIT will discuss social media

 T561 Twitter Compilation 1

T561 Twitter Compilation 2

Readings for 11/21:

 

11/21

 

 

Assignments

Individual Project Reports in Small Groups

List of Groups and Meeting Rooms

 

 

Section Meeting 2-3:30

Meetings about assignments

 

 

Readings for 11/28:

Required Readings for Cases

Optional Readings for Cases

From the four cases below, prepare only one of your choice. We will do all of these cases on 11/28 by dividing the class into four groups based on your choices.

 

11/28

Digital Equity

Guest Expert (Online):

Wycliffe Otieno, Chief of Education, UNICEF, Office for South Africa

UNICEF-Digital Equity

Final Synthesis Ppt


Section Meeting 2-3:30

No meeting; Work on assignments

 

Due (via Assignments Tab)

Final Research Team Assignment Summary (final report) due (via the Assignment Tab) by 12/16; Research Synthesis projects instead submit final Research Synthesis paper (template) or the final product for any other type of assignment you are doing.

 

 

 

 

 

Course Summary:

Date Details Due