The Educational Technology Certificate Program Goes Virtual and the LESA Summer Cohort Shares their Experiences

If you haven’t already participated in the MSU Educational Technology Certificate Program, what is stopping you? If you are like most educators it comes down to not having enough time. That is why we schedule our face-to-face program on Friday evenings and Saturdays to accomodate your busy schedules. With the Certificate going virtual we have made it even easier for you to fit our courses into your schedule.

Starting in January 2007 the Educational Technology Certificate Program will be offered virtually in addition to the face-to-face classes. We will bring you more information in the December issue of the newsletter but wanted to make you aware of the new offering.

Speaking of new offerings, our first summer cohort at the Livingston Educational Service Agency was a great success this year. Although it was a lot of hard work condensed into a short 4 week program, the teachers formed a wonderful “learning community” and learned new ways of incorporating technology into their curriculum. You can hear more about their experiences at http://geek-ed.com. Scroll down to the Special Edition episode and click on “Download The Show”.

We have already set dates for next summer’s program at the LESA. They are June 18-21,25-28; July 2,3, 9-12,16-19,23,24. When taking the program in this accelerated format you must register for all three classes.

As always if you are interested in getting the program offered in your school district, please contact Carrie Albin or Brook Thompson at 517-432-9259. You only need 14 other teachers to sign up for the program and we will help you with the promotion. We are scheduling for Winter and Spring classes now.

–Carrie Albin, Outreach Coordinator and Co-Editor

We are excited to bring our program to some new locations this fall. We already have 8 sites currently set to begin in September/October and are looking to add a few more to the fall lineup. We will continue to offer our program in Dewitt, Birmingham, and Traverse City and have added Pennfield, Mancelona, Flint, Grand Rapids, and Wayne to our schedule. For dates and locations please see the Location Information column below.

If you are looking to earn 9 graduate credits before next fall, check out our accelerated summer programs in Traverse City and the Livingston Education Service Agency. There are still a few spots left for both of these programs. We will accept applications through June 19th.

The LESA program was featured in the Geek-Ed podcast from Pinckney, MI. You can listen to the podcast to find out more. Episode 27, May 21, 2006

As always if you are interested in getting the program offered in your school district, please contact Carrie Albin or Brook Thompson at 517-432-9259. You only need 14 other teachers to sign up for the program and we will help you with the promotion. We are scheduling for Fall and Winter classes now.

–Carrie Albin, Outreach Coordinator and Co-Editor

Educational Technology Certificate Program Being Offered This Summer at the Livingston Educational Service Agency

The MSU Educational Technology Certificate Program is providing K-12 teachers a chance to earn 9 graduate level credits in an accelerated 3-course Educational Technology program offered at the Livingston Educational Service Agency this summer. The series of courses will begin on June 23 and run through July 21.

The educational technology courses focus on how to use technology as a tool for teaching and learning and as a manager of instruction. The courses include instruction in the use of these tools so that participants can begin the Certificate without extensive knowledge of technology beforehand. Among other topics, participants learn to use the Internet and general productivity software as tools and resources for classroom learning. Additionally, a strong focus is put on teaching teachers how-to use technology as a tool that students can learn with and not just from.

All three courses in the Certificate series are regular Master’s level offerings and can be applied to Michigan State University’s Master of Arts in Educational Technology East Lansing or Traverse City Summer 2007-2008 degree programs. Other summer programs are being offered in Traverse City, Dewitt, and Birmingham.

In CEP 810, Teaching for Understanding with Computers, you will learn about software tools and innovative technology such as the World Wide Web and how they apply to the educational environment. You will begin to develop your own portfolio of products and strategies showing how you would use these tools with students and in educational settings. (3 credits)

In CEP 811, Adapting Innovative Technologies to Education, you will learn to apply instructional principles and methods to educational problems and to develop hypermedia applications, including Web-based materials, for use in a professional setting. You will continue to work on your own portfolio. (3 credits)

In CEP 812, Applying Educational Technology to Problems of Practice, you will define, implement, and evaluate technology-based solutions to educational problems and opportunities in school settings. Building on the work completed in CEP 810 and 811, you will again add to your portfolio of applications of technology in the educational setting. (3 credits)

Don’t miss out on this great educational experience.  Call Brook Thompson today at 517-432-9259 or email her at Brookt@msu.edu and reserve your spot today. Visit http://edutech.msu.edu/ for more information.

–Carrie Albin, Outreach Coordinator and Co-Editor

Reserve Your Place Today for the Educational Technology
Summer Study Abroad Program in RUSSIA

The MSU Educational Technology Certificate Program is providing K-12 teachers an unparalleled opportunity to study abroad in a multi-cultural society that spans two continents.  For four weeks (June 18 – July 16) you will explore Russia’s fascinating ethnic diversity, art, and history while learning how educational technology can enhance your teaching. The graduate credits you earn while on this trip will lead to our certificate in educational technology and can later be transferred into MA Programs in Educational Technology and in Curriculum and Teaching.

The program combines the “hands on” teaching of technology tools (e.g., Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, FrontPage, and others) with an emphasis on how to use and adapt these tools to address content standards in social studies, history, language arts, mathematics, and science.  A specially designed set of experiences on Russian history and culture will be integrated into the Certificate coursework in Volgograd and will serve as “content” in the development of technology mediated curricular materials. You will also have an opportunity to meet and talk with Russian teachers enabling you to build a learning community that spans the globe.

While in Russia you will visit three unique and beautiful cities.  Moscow is often called the heart of Russia: a cosmopolitan, modern administrative and business center, as well as a treasury of Russian history and Orthodox tradition with over 850 years of history.  We call St. Petersburg a city of the tsars and “Northern Venice”, featuring a beautiful river, its canals running through the city, world famous palaces, parks, cathedrals, and museums.  We come here during the season of the famous white nights, when the sun almost never goes down.  Volgograd, formerly Stalingrad, is a unique experience for those interested in the history of the World War II, and it also serves the purpose of getting outside the capitals and experiencing Russian life and culture in a smaller provincial city. 

In all three cities we visit the best shows, including ballet, opera, folk, circus and more.  While our goal is to provide the highest quality experience, we proudly find ourselves within one of the cheapest study abroad programs in the country, taking advantage of our eight years of experience and the favorable exchange rates in Russia.

Don’t miss out on this unique and educational experience.  Call Brook Thompson today at 517-432-9259 or email her at Brookt@msu.edu and reserve your spot on this exciting learning adventure. Visit http://edutech.msu.edu/russia/ for more information.

–Joseph Codde, Associate Professor and Director

A Success Story: MSU’s Educational Technology Certificate Program

The Educational Technology Certificate Program is one of the most successful programs ever offered at Michigan State University. Over 2,000 teachers in Michigan and around the world have completed this three-course, nine-credit graduate program. Completion of this sequence results in the receipt of a Technology Certificate (http://edutech.msu.edu). The aim of this sequence is not only to help individuals use the hardware and software generally available in their organizations, but also to help them use it in ways resulting in observable gains in student learning. Because of the constant changes in technology, the Certificate courses are continually being updated to reflect the technology currently available in schools.

To foster critical thinking regarding appropriate uses of technology, there has been a continual focus on educational research and what such research says about improving teaching and learning. To give the participants ready access to the research, the Certificate Program has made use of Dr. Larry Lezotte’s Correlates of Effectives Schools. Lezotte identified seven correlates which must be present in order for a school to be effective. For the past 14 years, Lezotte has been publishing abstracts of key research studies. Presently there are more than 1100 abstracts in an on-line database (http://esrlink.com). Each abstract defines what the researchers did, what they found, and the implications of the research for the educational setting.

Program participants are provided access to this database to guide them in identifying key problems and technology-based solutions for their own school settings. Such solutions are defined in a formal proposal and submitted as part of the course sequence. A technology-based proposal writing guide is used in the development of such proposals. It is noteworthy that a number of these proposals eventually have been funded, providing a double payoff for the work done by the participants.

For more information, contact us at 517-432-9259 or visit our website at http://edutech.msu.edu.

–Norman Bell, Co-Editor