All candidates in the Teacher Education Program are required to demonstrate proficiency in technology skill areas. Educational Studies faculty and IWU Information Technology staff have collaborated to design a series of workshops to help you meet the ISBE technology standards for all teachers, the expectations for technological applications in your Educational Studies and Music Education courses, and your final portfolio requirements. Some of these sessions are scheduled outside of class time, and some are arranged as part of your Teacher Education coursework. Announcements of tutorial sessions and registration directions are sent via email to all candidates.

Whether or not you attend IT classes, you MUST provide evidence of having mastered the knowledge and skills they address. Some course assignments may provide you with that evidence’ other evidence is provided by IT assessments.

The IT tutorials cover a variety of topics, which include applying advanced word processing and imaging software skills to education specific situations, using the internet to support teaching and distance learning, the uses of technology to manage classroom data, and digital video uses.

1 - Technology Terminology for Educators

An interactive, to-the-point session covering must-know technology terms and devices. Hardware, operating systems, peripheral equipment, and adaptive solutions for special need students will be covered.

Time: 2 hours Format: Classroom

Skill Indicator Assessment: Students wanting release from this session should be able to effectively describe the following terms using every-day language: RAM; processor; video card; NIC; motherboard; USB; firewire; operating system; application software; drivers; and be able to access the built-in adaptive options for special needs students. You should also be able to identify key components that primarily affect the performance of a computer.

2 – Education and the Information Highway

Creative uses for networks and the Internet will continue to offer more and more resources to educators. Attendees will leave this session with an understanding of networks, intranets, the Internet, browser settings, peer-to-peer file sharing, denial of service attacks, video chat, plug-ins and more.

Time: 1.5 hours Format: Classroom

Skill Indicator Assessment: Students wanting release from this session should be able to sketch and explain the relationship of an intranet, Internet and firewall; provide examples of peer-to-peer sharing and identify the issues involved; describe the effects of denial of service viruses/attacks; clearly explain the purpose of cache, cookies, plug-ins, and helpers within browsers; and define the components of a URL.

3 – Create Powerful Presentations Quickly

Power Point is a popular tool of educators thus this session is focused on maximizing the impact of the message in a minimal amount of time. Students will learn how to customize the templates and use the Slide Master to make broad changes with a few clicks. They will also thoroughly investigate the animation options and practice inserting sounds and videos. Along with the technical information, proper design and layout tips will also be discussed.

Time: 2 hours Format: Classroom

Skill Indicator Assessment: Students wanting release from this session should be able to demonstrate the ability to properly lay out a presentation; build it efficiently; and precisely control the technical elements used.

4 – Posters, Newsletters and More

A workshop dedicated to producing informational documents in a nominal amount of time. Attendees will learn some of the automated options and important tools available in Microsoft Word and Publisher. This session will also explore the Microsoft template website, a source of documents for educators.

Time: 2 hours

Skill Indicator Assessment: Students wanting release from this session should be able to demonstrate solid skills in Publisher and Word. Indications of these skills would include the ability to use alignment tools; tab stops; indents; image insertion; image wrapping; advanced design options; page/section breaks; headers/footers; and multiple columns.

5 – Image Manipulation and Creation

This workshop will identify the primary tools used in image editing software and teach students how to perform typical edits in a minimal amount of time. Attendees will also learn about TIFF, JPEG, GIF file formats and what dpi to use for various situations, as well as have an opportunity to create custom buttons for their web pages. A quick review of flatbed scanners, slide scanners, and digital cameras will be provided.

Time: 2 hours Format: Classroom

Skill Indicator Assessment: Students wanting release from this session should be able to describe the difference between TIFF, JPEG, and GIF files and explain when to properly use each one; identify the correct dpi to use for images to be viewed on paper and those on screen; describe the concept of layers; be very familiar with the clone, smudge, select, crop, rotate, resize and levels functions of image editing software; and be able to create custom buttons for web pages.

6 – Get Your Message Out on the Web

This session will teach students how to plan and create a basic multiple-page web site including text, images and tables. An overview of proper content, web etiquette and the issues surrounding web authoring will also be provided during the process. This class will ensure the students have activated their IWU web accounts and that they can transfer files to the server using FTP or SCP.

Time: 2 hours Format: Classroom

Skill Indicator Assessment: Students wanting release from this session should be able to demonstrate a comfortable ability to plan, create and publish quality web pages that can be accessed from Netscape and Internet Explorer from multiple operating systems.

7 – Advanced Tools to Support Instruction

A session dedicated to the software available to a teacher for managing data in the classroom. Examples of databases and spreadsheets will be explored, and students will have the opportunity to query data sources, chart information, and use pivot tables. Also, students will be presented with real-world situations and how to identify potential solutions.

Time: 2 hours Format: Classroom

Skill Indicator Assessment: Students wanting release from this session should be able to define a database versus a spreadsheet and describe proper uses for each; sort and query datasets; chart information, and create and modify pivot tables. A sample set of real-world situations will gauge your ability to apply a proper technology solution.

8 – Digital Movie Editing

A session focused on teaching students how to shoot, edit and share digital video for individual projects. Layout tips and formatting suggestions will be discussed throughout the workshop.

Time: The technical part can be covered in 2 hours, however, if working on a specific project for a class, actual time spent editing could be substantial.

Format: Classroom & small group

Skill Indicator Assessment: Students wanting release from this session should be able to describe the digital video process and demonstrate the ability to comfortably use the editing tools and output to various formats.