Greetings Educators,

A few weeks ago my colleague and partner in crime, Matt Koehler and I, published an article in the journal Learning and Leading with Technology, the membership magazine of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).  In this article titled, “Too Cool for School, No Way” (http://tinyurl.com/c6p5ta/), we tried to make the argument that new technologies (such as Facebook, iPhone, Flickr, WordPress, Google Earth, GPS devices, YouTube so on) have the potential to fundamentally change the way we think about teaching and learning.

However, realizing this potential is not an easy task. Merely bringing these tools into the classroom will not lead to change and in fact may be a dangerous distraction. As educators we need to think through how these tools can function with specific pedagogical contexts for teaching specific subject matter. For instance even the same technology needs to be understood and used differently if teaching different subject matter or in a different grade level. For instance, using Google Earth to teach geography (http://www.google.com/educators/p_earth_discovery.html) at the high school level is very different from using it at the elementary level. Moreover, Google Earth does not constrain us to using it just to teach geography.  It can be used fruitfully for teaching mathematics (for instance check out http://www.realworldmath.org), something the original designers of Google Earth clearly did not consider when designing the software program. In the L&L article we have a bunch of other interesting examples that I won’t repeat here. But I do want to make two key points.

First, it is hard to predict what these new tools can do for us. Just as Google Earth could be used to teach mathematics, the educational possibilities of many of these tools is yet to be recognized or identified. A great example I recently came across was a classroom in Italy who used mp3 recordings of the moon landing and an open source audio-editing software program called Audacity to compute the distance to the moon! Who would have thought that Audacity, an audio editing program, could be used as a data analysis tool? You can read more about this fascinating project  at http://tinyurl.com/mqedva/.

Second, the fact that we don’t know which tools could be used for educational purposes makes it really hard to predict what we should teach in our teacher education and professional development programs. Clearly teaching specific technologies is doomed to fail. For those of us who remember the hype about Hypercard or the dreams about Dreamweaver, I wonder what we will think about the twitter about Web 2.0, blogs and wikis a decade from now.

What this means is that our emphasis should be more on developing flexible frameworks that support recognizing the potentials of new technologies and their integration into the teaching of subject matter. This is not a passive approach towards technology integration but rather one that sees teachers as creators of new ways of engaging students with powerful ideas. These are teachers who are designers of learning environments, fluent in their knowledge not just of subject matter, pedagogy and technology but in the way these three things are to work together.

In our master’s program we try to push for such flexible approaches towards educational technology. Through our on-campus, off-campus and online courses we attempt to create a way of thinking, a way of looking at the world that emphasizes these values of life-long learning and creativity, of engagement and play.

As our program is continually evolving and growing, the EduTech Today newsletter is undergoing a few exciting changes. First off, the Director’s column will now be shared between the Director of the Certificate program, Dr. Joseph Codde, and me (the Director of the Master’s program, Dr. Punya Mishra.) Another change to the newsletter is the addition of a few new column categories. We are adding three new categories: MAET News, Job Postings and Grants and other Funding as well as making changes to the Instructor Spotlight. The Alumni Spotlight has been merged with the Instructor Spotlight so we can highlight both our terrific alumni and program faculty.

We are transitioning to a new email service and therefore you may receive two newsletter emails this month. One from our old service and one from our new service, MailChimp. If you do not receive two emails of the same newsletter this month you may want to visit http://newsletter.edutech.msu.edu/subscribe to be sure that you are part of the new email list.

Lastly the number of issues that we will be distributing has changed. With our new format you will be receiving the newsletter bi-monthly (6 issues/year) instead of quarterly (4 issues/year). Many of the new columns that we have added are time-sensitive information that the quarterly format did not accommodate. The bi-monthly format will help you keep up to date with the latest information for job postings, grants and other funding, as well as other great tips and ideas for using technology in the classroom and ways to connect with the MAET program.

So once again thank you for being part of the MAET family. From all of us here at MAET central, all the best as you transition into summer.

Dr. Punya Mishra
Director MAET Program
College of Education
Michigan State University
Web: http://punyamishra.com
Blog: http://punya.educ.msu.edu/blog/

CURRENT STUDENT NEWS
MAET Student Dana Dziedzic who as awarded a $2500 grant for classroom clickers based upon her Dream IT assignment she created for her East Lansing summer cohort class last summer!  Dana says “I was turned down the first time, but resubmitted it in January.  So, if students complain about the assignment, tell them that I will have $2,500 in new teaching tools come next fall.”

MAET REQUIRED SOFTWARE LIST
We have provided a list of commercial software along with free/open source alternatives.  In order to support your individual needs and to make the summer most beneficial to your school/work environment you must have the software in each category, though you are are not required to buy the commercial versions.  All projects can be completed successfully with either commercial or open source alternatives.

An updated list of required software and hardware can be found by visiting:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ah93×5pp2qng_5t4dxbzg3

NP ENDORSEMENT
Upon completion of the 21 Educational Technology endorsement credits (CEP 810, 811, 812, 800, 815 (formerly 801), 820, 822) you will need to apply for the NP endorsement using the following form:

http://www.educ.msu.edu/programs/forms/endform.pdf

FALL 2009 APPLICATION DEADLINE
The fall MAET application deadline of July 1st is quickly approaching!

Thanks to all who have recommended family, friends and colleagues to our program! Application materials can be found by visiting – http://edutech.msu.edu/apply_masters.html

JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORKS!
Our Facebook fan page is at 115 fans and growing! Make sure to join us

at: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=49440874208

In addition to our Facebook group, check our our presence on

MACUL Space:
http://maculspace.ning.com/group/msuedutech

or

LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=1865810&trk=anet_ug_hm

Our courses are taught by an outstanding team of MSU adjunct faculty, many of whom are:

• K-12 classroom teachers themselves who have experience using educational technology in the classroom
• Graduates from our certificate program
• Exceptionally skilled in educational technology
• Winners of awards such as technology Teacher of the Year from the Michigan Association of Computer-Related Technology Users in Learning (MACUL) and the national award of the International Society for Technology in Education

This quarter’s instructor spotlight is . . .

Brandon Blinkenberg, Producer at MSU’s Virtual University Design and Technology, Instructor for the MSU Master’s in Educational Technology, as well as the Educational Technology Certificate Program.

Working with the Virtual University for the last eight years, Brandon has helped faculty in many different colleges and programs select and integrate technologies that transform their teaching.  The bulk of his work has been with faculty in the College of Education helping instructors put their courses online, but he has also worked with faculty and courses in Human Medicine, Business, Family & Child Ecology, Arts & Letters, and Packaging.  He also offers workshops on blended instruction, which combines the best aspects of online and face-to-face teaching opportunities.

Brandon began teaching in the MAET program in the summer of 2005 in East Lansing and has taught CEP800, CEP815, and CEP822 in Plymouth, England for the past two summers.  He will be returning this summer to teach CEP810, CEP811, and CEP812.  This semester he is teaching CEP811 online in the Certificate Program.

In his free time, Brandon enjoys photography, woodworking, and metalworking.  And if you ever find yourself at Woody’s Oasis for lunch you’re very likely to bump into him!

MAET STUDENT NEWS AND SUMMER 2009 DATES HAVE BEEN SET

MAET Student News

MAET student Michael Hughes (Plymouth, England Class of 2009) was appointed to the Apple Distinguished Educator Class of 2008. Michael is an English and Social Studies teacher at Jakarta International School in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Apple Distinguished Educator (ADE) program is a relationship program focused on educational excellence and leadership. ADEs are members of a select group of K-12 and Higher Education professionals possessing an identified expertise in educational technology leadership. This group of over 1200 educators spans the globe with membership in the USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Latin America, and Asia. Congrats Michael!

MAET student Stephanie Peterson applied for and received a grant this fall from the MEEMIC Foundation for the Future of Education. In January, she’ll be receiving $1300 to buy a class set of headsets with microphones. The goal of her project is to increase oral proficiency and listening and speaking skills through the use of innovative and modern technologies. Using the headsets, her students will be experimenting with podcasting, digital storytelling, and will create a digital audio portfolio to showcase their work.  Congratulations Stephanie!

Summer 2009 Dates

Plymouth, England
In Plymouth, England you will earn the master’s degree in Educational Technology from Michigan State University while staying in-residence at the University of Plymouth in southwest England. Studying in Plymouth provides an opportunity for International Baccalaureate (IB), Department of Defense Dependent Schools (DoDDS) and other domestic and international school educators a chance to work, learn and collaborate in a face-to-face setting. The program will run from Sunday, June 28 – Friday, July 24, 2009

East Lansing Summer Cohort – CEP800, CEP815 & CEP822
After completing the Educational Technology Certificate Program, students may apply to the Master’s program to join the East Lansing summer cohort. This hybrid version of the program combines the power of working together in a summer cohort with the flexibility of completing courses during the academic year. Participants come together for two weeks of face-to-face on-campus in East Lansing from June 17 – July 1, 2009 and then meet online from July 2 – July 29. On July 30, 2009 students will reconvene on campus to share final course projects.

Master Student Participates with her Students in the AT&T/MACUL Student Technology Showcase

Students from elementary, middle and high schools throughout Michigan gathered to participate in the eighth annual AT&T/MACUL Student Technology Showcase on November 12, 2008 at the Capitol Building. The showcase was designed to keep legislators apprised of how technology is being used by schools to enhance the education process and help youth successfully transition from the classroom to a career.

Heather Janik, a student in our Master’s of Educational Technology program and a teacher at Mancelona Middle School, participated with her students.  Her students demonstrated their projects which they created using ToonDoo.  Each student created a page to contribute to a grade level comic book on a topic of his/her choice.

Heather explains,

I tried to come up with a project that is engaging and uses digital media.  For the end of the 2007-2008 school year I put together a comic book unit.  This unit was designed, not to focus on the art, as much as it was designed to focus on what makes a comic; the terminology, the parts of a comic, free comic creating resources online, and finally having the kids create their own full page comic.  I found that this was enjoyed by ALL students; not just boys and not just comic readers.

To learn more about Heather’s project please visit http://hmjanik.googlepages.com/finalproject.

To learn more about the event and to see a complete list of participating schools and projects, visit the MACUL Web site at www.macul.org.