Rueckert—Oklahoma City University—Spring 2011—TESL5163—Page 1

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Department of TESOL
Welcome to:
TESL 5413
Technology in the Classroom
Tuesday and Thursday 2:30-3:45 Loefler 208 & 110B
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Dan Rueckert
268 Walker Center
208-5667; drueckert@okcu.edu
Office hours: Wednesdays 2:00-5:30 & Thursdays 11:00-1:00
and by appointment

COURSE DESCRIPTION: A study of technology and its application in the classroom. Educational
theories will be discussed and students will be provided the opportunity to apply those theories through
practical applications.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:
The students will:

o recognize the strengths and weaknesses of existing ESL/EFL websites;

o design assessment material to assess the quality of technology;
o design lessons that integrate technology appropriately to meet class objectives;
o teach their peers using existing technology;
o become familiar with the existing technologies that are available to them;
o be able to use web 2.0 applications to enhance their learning environment;
o learn creativity for unique approaches towards language education.

COURSE MATERIALS:
The following books are suggested for each student:

Richardson, W., (2009) Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

All articles that are assigned reading are available for download on our Desire to Learn site.
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ACADEMIC SUPPORT:
If you need an accommodation due to a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act,
please contact Student Health and Disability Service Office immediately at (405)521-5991 or (405)521-
5090. Advance notice is required for many accommodations. Also, please contact me so that we can
discuss accommodations.

ACADEMIC HONESTY:
The Oklahoma City University Policy reads: Academic honesty is required in all
aspects of a student’s relationship with the university. Academic dishonesty may
not be course-specific and includes falsification or misrepresentation of a student’s
academic progress, status, or ability, including, but not limited to, false or altered
transcripts, letters of recommendation, registration or advising forms, or other
documents related to the student’s academic career at Oklahoma City University or
other colleges or universities. Students are personally responsible for the
correctness and accuracy of information supplied to the university. Any student who
knowingly gives incorrect information to the university is subject to disciplinary
action that may lead to suspension.
Students are advised that cheating and plagiarism are not tolerated. The
university expects all students to maintain a high standard of ethics in their
academic activities. In this context, forms
of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to cheating on tests,
examinations or other class/laboratory work; involvement in plagiarism (the
appropriation of another’s work and/or the unacknowledged incorporation of that
work in one’s own); collusion (the unauthorized collaboration with another person);
misrepresentation of actions; and falsifying information.
For this course: The consequences for academic dishonesty are a grade of 0
(zero) given for the particular assignment that includes cheating or plagiarism and
the lowering of one full grade level on the final grade (i.e. B to C or B- to C-). More
than one incidence of academic dishonesty in this class will result in a failing grade
(F) for the course and the provost will be notified. Please remember that ALL work
in this course is subject to this policy.

CLASS CANCELATION POLICY: Class will be canceled if university classes are canceled due to
weather or other reasons. Otherwise, we will hold class each day listed in our syllabus.

EVALUATION AND GRADING CRITERIA:

A. All assignments are to be turned in at the beginning of class on the days they are due. If they are
not turned in at the beginning of class, they are considered late. Assignments that are up to one
week late will be deducted by 20% of the possible points; assignments that are up to two weeks
late will be deducted by 50% of the points possible. You will receive no credit for assignments
that are more than two weeks late. Of course emergencies happen during the semester. If you
need a special accommodation, you must discuss your situation with Dr. Rueckert before the
assignment is due.
B. All written assignments are to be typed and be grammatically correct with correct spelling and
punctuation. Points will be deducted for errors. Please prepare your assignments ahead of time so
you will have time to proofread and edit. You are not expected to be the best speller or
 Rueckert—Oklahoma City University—Spring 2011—TESL5163—Page 3
grammarian, but you are expected to take responsibility for checking your work in order to
represent yourself well. Please use a “normal,” professional font.
C. You are responsible for attending and participating in class each session. If you miss class, it is
your responsibility to get information from a classmate or contact the instructor so that you can be
prepared for the next class period. Every two absences for whatever reason will result in your
grade being lowered by one full letter grade. Three incidences of arriving late or leaving early
will count as one absence.

D. Evaluation:
Point Value
1. Powerpoint 25 points
2. Matrix 50 points
3. Wiki 50 points
4. Peer Teaching 75 points
5. Web Quest 75 points
6. The Three P’s 15 points
TOTAL 290 points
E. Grading Scale:
Letter Grade Percentage Letter Grade Percentage
A 92.5-100 C 72.5-77.49
A- 90-92.49 C- 70-72.49
B+ 87.5-89.99 D+ 67.5-69.99
B 82.5-87.49 D 62.5-67.49
B- 80-82.49 D- 60-62.49
C+ 77.5-79.99 F Below 60

F. Finality of Grades:
All grades are calculated and assigned carefully by the professor. Please do not come to the office
to dispute grades. The only time that it is acceptable to dispute a grade with the professor is if you
feel he has made a mistake in his math or if you have a specific aspect of the assignment that you
feel was missed in the grading by the professor. If this is the case, please briefly present your case
and the matter will be resolved at the professor’s discretion.

G. Incomplete Grades:
The policy for incomplete grades is as follows: Incomplete grades should only be given if
extraordinary circumstances (beyond the student’s control) occur that preclude the student from
completing the course. They should not be given to students who have not completed assignments
because of their own propensity to procrastinate.
 Rueckert—Oklahoma City University—Spring 2011—TESL5163—Page 4
GENERAL RUBRIC OF EXPECTATIONS FOR ASSIGNMENTS:
This rubric delineates the general expectations for all assignments; please refer to the Assignment
Descriptions section for specific assignment criteria.

Academics, Satisfactory Unsatisfactory

Organization, Above Expectations (A) Meets Expectations (B-C)
and Form
Focus/Cohesion of Issues/topics on syllabus clearly
Assignment identified and discussed in
length. Main ideas are clear
and related. Clear relationship
among sentences within
paragraphs. Overall structure of
paper coherent.
Development of Well-developed, complete
Ideas response. Assignment is
organized and progresses
logically. Uses appropriate
examples and effective
situations.
Issues/topics on syllabus
partially identified, but not
discussed thoroughly. Writing
almost always coherent.
Relationships among sentences
in paragraphs usually clear.
Main ideas mostly flow together
smoothly.
Most ideas are developed. May
be a lapse of organization and
progression of ideas. Examples
somewhat effectively presented.
Below Expectations (D-F)
Assignment lacks focus. No
clear message or discussions
emerge. Writing unclear.
Sentences have no clear
relationship to each other on
main idea. Paragraphs do not
build on topic of assignment.
Ideas are introduced but not
developed. Assignment is
uneven and details and ideas are
unelaborated.

Current Knowledge Ideas presented reflect current Ideas include conventional Little evidence ideas reflect
knowledge. Uses appropriate knowledge. Not fully supported current knowledge of research
references and ideas from class through current research and and practice.
and other sources. practice.

Spelling, Grammar, Words are spelled and used
Punctuation and correctly. No grammar
Capitalization mistakes. No more than three
capitalization and punctuation
errors.
Almost all words are spelled and
used correctly. Few
grammatical errors. No more
than five capitalization and
punctuation errors.
Paper contains many
misspellings along with many
grammatical, punctuation and
capitalization errors hindering
comprehension.

ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTIONS:
1. Powerpoint
You will create a Powerpoint presentation that will teach me about a hobby that you have. You will
demonstrate your ability to make a quality presentation by using the tools available to you. You will
create a presentation that will have the following characteristics.
• A background color/picture for the presentation (2 pts.)
• A font that is easy to see and aesthetically pleasing for the reader. (2 pts.)
• Images mixed with text. (2 pts.)
• Text and object animations that will enhance the presentation without being distracting. (5 pts.)
• A presentation that will advance automatically with the appropriate amount of time set for each
slide. (5 pts.)
• Slides with limited text. (4 pts.)
• Demonstration of your ability to embed music, video and hyperlinks. (5 pts.)

2. Matrix
You will design a matrix to assess the quality of websites. You will thoughtfully create criteria to rate
when assessing websites. You will also create criteria to facilitate your assessment. All matrices should
 Rueckert—Oklahoma City University—Spring 2011—TESL5163—Page 5
focus on utility. You should design a matrix that will be useful to you and provide you with a fair
assessment of your chosen websites.
Rubric:
Evident depth of thought: Criteria should be chosen carefully and deliberately. Points 20 points
assigned to each criteria should reflect the importance of the criteria being assessed.

Utility: This matrix should make the evaluation process easier for you once you go 20 points
about assessing sites. The matrix should provide you with valuable information that will
facilitate your decision making about the site being evaluated.
Completeness: Have you considered many criteria that should be considered, and have 5 points
you designed your matrix in such a way as to get your desired result?
Organization: Is the definition clear and well organized? 5 points
50 Points
Possible

3. Wiki
You will create a learning activity using a wiki. You will create your own wiki page and use it with a
group of students to teach an element of English. This assignment will consist of an initial plan to teach
using a wiki, a link to the wiki and a self-assessment as to how the wiki worked for the instruction. You
should also include in your self-assessment the modifications that you would make to improve the use of
your wiki in a learning environment.
Rubric:
An initial plan to use a wiki. This should consist of objectives to be achieved and your clear plan to 15 points
achieve those objectives. There should be evident depth of thought to your objectives and your plan.
The wiki page: this will be the actual wiki that was used for the instruction. There will be evident use by 10 points
the students as well as meaningful feedback given by you as the instructor. The instructions to the
students will be clear and easy to follow. It will illustrate the plan that you prepared initially.
Self assessment: You must speak to the success and failures of this project that you encountered. Why 15 points
were you successful? Why weren’t you successful? What modifications would you make in the future?
Completeness: You explain clearly and completely the elements of this rubric. Your responses are 10 points
insightful and informative.
50 Points
Possible

4. Peer Teaching
You will teach the class for 20 minutes using any of the forms of technology that we have discussed in
this course. You will use the technology appropriately in a way that will facilitate the learning process.
You will treat the class as if they were your target audience and teach how you would if you were in your
own classroom.

Rubric:
You fulfill the time requirements and the presentation is clear and professional. 20 points
The technology is used appropriately and the objectives of your lesson are met. 20 points
The quality of the technology used facilitates the learning process and strives to address goals of multiple 20 points
intelligences and/or sociocultural learning.
Self evaluation: You must reflect on you teaching and explain your strengths as well as the modifications 15points
that you would make for future use.
75 Points
Possible
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5. Web Quest
You will create a web quest for you students. You will choose a topic to teach and create a website that
will be useful to teach that topic. Each website should provide links to helpful technology sources that
meet your objectives. The site should be organized in such a way as to create activities that progress from
one to another in an organized fashion. You will need to link to multiple sites and provide information to
transition students from one activity to the next in an organized and well thought out manner.
Rubric:
Aesthetics: The site looks good and is appealing to the user. Buttons are labeled correctly and all links 15 points
are functional. Unnecessary buttons are removed.
Organization: The site is easy to navigate. The instructions of the web quest are clear and easy to follow. 20 points
Transition information makes the progression from one site the next logical and helpful.
Sites: The sites used are of a high quality and meet the objectives of the overall web quest lesson. The 20 points
sites are appropriate for language learner in terms of difficulty and ability to navigate the sites.
Utility: This web quest is easy to use and practical for a language class. In other words, I would like to 20 points
use this and can do so without great difficulty.
75 Points
Possible

6. The 3 P’s: (Preparation + Participation = Professionalism)

Points for professionalism will be awarded for arriving to class on time, being obviously prepared
and actively participating in class activities. Awarding points for professionalism allows you to benefit
from your willingness to be responsible as a student and teacher. It is important that you are prepared for
each class session and that you make thoughtful contributions to class discussions and activities that go
beyond just showing up .
Make sure you’ve read the assignments thoroughly enough so that you can converse about the
main ideas. This may mean reading them more than once, taking notes, or using other content area
reading strategies.
Rubric:
Almost always prepared for class and almost always participated fully 12-15 points
Usually prepared for class and usually participated fully 9-11 points
Sometimes prepared for class and sometimes participated fully 5-8 points
Rarely prepared for class and rarely participated fully 1-4 points
 Rueckert—Oklahoma City University—Spring 2011—TESL5163—Page 7

TENTATIVE Schedule
Topic Readings (completed before class)
DATE ASSIGNMENTS DUE
Week 1 Introductions/Syllabus/Discussion
Tuesday, Jan. 11
Week 1 Powerpoint Gardner: Can Technology Exploit
Thursday, Jan. 13 Our Many Ways of Knowing
Week 2 Powerpoint
Tuesday, Jan. 18
Week 2 Virtual Worlds Gardner: Multimedia and Multiple
Thursday, Jan. 20 Intelligences
Week 3 Virtual Worlds
Tuesday, Jan. 25
Week 3 Virtual Worlds Powerpoint is Due
Thursday, Jan. 27
Week 4 Virtual Worlds Kim: The Effects of Text, Audio
Tuesday, Feb. 1 and Graphic Aids in Multimedia
Instruction on Vocabulary
Learning
Week 4 Smart Boards
Thursday, Feb. 3
Week 5 Smart Boards
Tuesday, Feb. 8
Week 5 Smart Boards
Thursday, Feb. 10
Week 6 Smart Boards
Tuesday, Feb. 15
Week 6 The Internet
Thursday, Feb. 17
Week 7 The Internet
Tuesday, Feb. 22
Week 7 The Internet Matrix is due
Thursday, Feb. 24
Week 8 Web 2.0 Socio-Cultural Theory
Tuesday, March. 1 Norton: Changing Perspectives on
Good Language Learners
Week 8 Web 2.0 Begin Wikis
Thursday, March 3
Week 9 Web 2.0
Tuesday, March 8
 Rueckert—Oklahoma City University—Spring 2011—TESL5163—Page 8

Week 9 Web 2.0

Thurs. March 10
Week 10 No Class – Spring Break No Class – Spring Break
Tuesday, March 15
Week 10 No Class – Spring Break No Class – Spring Break
Thurs. March 17
Week 11 Web 2.0 (Wikis)
Tuesday, March 22
Week 11 Web 2.0
Thurs. March 24
Week 12 Web 2.0
Tuesday, March 29
Week 12 Web 2.0 Begin Webquest project
Thursday, March 31
Week 13 Web 2.0
Tuesday, April 5
Week 13 Web 2.0
Thursday, April 7
Week 14 Web 2.0 End Wiki
Tuesday, April 12
Week 14 Peer Teaching
Thursday, April 14
Week 15 Peer Teaching
Tuesday, April 19
Week 15 Peer Teaching
Thursday, April 21
Week 16 Peer Teaching
Tuesday, April 26
Week 16 Peer Teaching
Thursday, April 28
Finals Week 2:00 Webquest is due
Tuesday, May 3