T.H.E. Journal, September 1998, p. 75
http://www.thejournal.com/magazine/98/sept/feature5.html
An Illinois university education department professor highlights the changes he made to his curriculum to get K-12 school administrators to learn more about technology and then how to apply it to their daily professional lives.
Administrators and administrators-to-be enrolled in the course were given an initial tour of a Web site set up for the class. Then they were introduced to four key technologies:
- To introduce the concept of PowerPoint presentation software and projectors, the class instructor first used the hardware and software as part of his lecture and then explained the software’s use in a computer lab; students then had to prepare their own presentation and demonstrate it to the instructor.
- Students had to learn how to author Web pages in HTML that linked to other pages on the Web, without the aide of a visual editor. While this was the most difficult concept to grasp for most students, they felt enormous satisfaction at finally being able to produce and understand the workings of Web page design.
- The next software drill focused on E-mail; the instructor sent an unannounced message to students giving instructions on how to receive extra credit on an exam. Students who frequently checked their E-mail accounts were rewarded, while those who didn’t quickly learned their lesson.
- Administrators also received lessons on how to use spreadsheets more frequently and more effectively on projects such as budgeting, enrollment projections, and staff salary calculations.
In addition to these specific technology tools, topics such as technology funding, grant writing, and wiring schools were incorporated into the curriculum.