Master of Education in Elementary Education (1-6) and Instructional Technology (All Levels) Leading to Initial Teacher License

This program is designed for students who desire to become technology specialists in their schools in the areas of media and educational technology in elementary education. Students complete elementary education coursework and a practicum. They then complete technology coursework, which includes attention to local school technology issues, hardware and software, and the larger questions regarding current global technology, and a second practicum. Educators are prepared to enhance the teaching and learning process by integrating technology across the curriculum and to identify, evaluate, and apply appropriate media and technologies in instruction, curriculum, and assessment practices. The technology courses are available online.

*Must be completed prior to the practicum
**Must be completed prior to the practicum and include field-based courses
***As early in the program as possible, and prior to the practicum, graduate students and Adult Learning Division students with education minors must complete a 75-hour Early Field Experience in a classroom appropriate to the license sought. In some cases, recent appropriate classroom experience may be used to document this requirement. (This is not a credit-bearing course, and there are no fees required.)
****For current information on state testing requirements for initial licensure programs, Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) test administration dates, and the Lesley MTEL policy, see Lesley's Certification Office web page at www.lesley.edu/certification.html.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

EEDUC 5146 Issues in American Schooling: Contemporary Challenges and Historical Contexts
The course examines diverse contemporary issues in American education through a combination of field-based experiences and investigation of the social and historical forces that shape the character of schooling in a democratic society. The course opens the dialogue about the nature of teaching and learning, and the design of educational programs in the context of societal, political, and economic structures as well as within the diverse cultural values of a pluralistic society.

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EEDUC 5122 Development and Learning: Psycho-social Perspectives in Education
This course focuses upon constructivist-interactionist views of child development, spanning the preschool years through adolescence and young adulthood. Topics include early development, play, children’s art, cognitive development and learning, family systems and social learning, classroom instruction and organization, communication, curriculum and cognition, evaluation and assessment, language development and literacy, moral development, gender differences, and developmental diversity among individuals and across cultures including race, ethnicity, linguistic background, and economic conditions.

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EEDUC 5121 Literacy: The Integration of the Language Arts
This course presents fundamental principles of elementary reading and language arts. Focus is on students understanding the interrelationship of reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Students will also become knowledgeable about current materials, instructional strategies, and classroom-based assessment for emergent reading, beginning reading, and fluent reading.

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EEDUC 5102 Teaching Elementary School Mathematics
Mathematics in the United States has historically been a difficult field because it has not always taken children’s developmental and learning needs into account. In this course, we support learners gaining knowledge needed to teach school-age children and increase competency in the mathematics itself. A variety of materials and models are used to show connections to daily life, and many different approaches to mathematics are investigated. Relevant children’s literature and technology are also emphasized.

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EEDUC 5135 Science in the Elementary School: Thinking With Evidence
In this course, participants develop a scientific stance and conceptual understandings important to teaching inquiry-based science to elementary school students. Participants plan and carry out sustained investigations, reflect on their own learning, and develop strategies for implementing and assessing inquiry-based science in the classroom.

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EEDUC 5136 Integrating Social Studies into the Elementary Classroom
The essence of this course focuses on those methods and materials that facilitate the teaching of social studies in the elementary classroom. Attention will be paid to the integration of technology as an instructional tool, the development of appropriate assessment models, and the synthesis of social studies with the humanities and natural sciences. Selecting, developing, teaching, and evaluating skills, concepts, and resources play an active role in class meetings.

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EEDUC 5104 Literature for Children and Young Adults
This survey of children’s books from preschool through the adolescent years identifies the characteristics of the various literary genres, develops criteria for evaluating children’s books, fosters an awareness and nurtures a consideration of how the developmental and diverse cultural needs of children affect their responses to literature, and shares strategies for integrating literature across the curriculum for enjoyment, learning, and classroom reading instruction.

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EEDUC 6111 Multicultural Curriculum: Pedagogy and Practice
This course will examine the goals, assumptions, and strategies of multicultural education and assist teachers to effectively apply theories of equity to classroom practice. Through a variety of cognitive and affective approaches, students will identify and analyze the cultural and structural factors that have led to unequal academic outcomes for diverse learners and explore practitioner-based strategies, resources, and materials for the development of classrooms that are culturally affirming and inclusionary. Through activities and assignments, students will both explore and demonstrate a developing awareness of how various artistic mediums can be utilized as important aspects in the development of a multicultural curriculum. Reading will be placed within the context of public schooling today in order to develop students’ “cultural consciousness” of the shared societal assumptions that we bring to our teaching experiences. Prerequisite: Completion of a curriculum development course in either early childhood, elementary, or middle school levels.

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EEDUC 6118 Multicultural Issues in Education
A comprehensive interdisciplinary study of the impact of culture and language on the curriculum, relationships, and pedagogy in schools. The course provides a rigorous theoretical and experiential exploration of cultural pluralism in school settings. Intercultural interaction such as cross-cultural enrichment, inclusionary practices, discrimination, racism, ethnocentrism, development of cultural identity, and cross-cultural transition is a central focus. The manifestation and implications of these issues are studied on the individual, group, and systems levels. Prerequisite: Early field experience or equivalent.

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EEDUC 7733 Practicum and Seminar in Elementary Education (1–6)
Full-semester, full-time practicum in an elementary (1–6) classroom under the supervision of a supervising practitioner and University program supervisor. Practicum is accompanied by a seminar addressing issues in the field. Prerequisites: Completion of a 75-hour early field experience, required pre-practicum courses, and MTEL requirements. Permission required.

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ECOMP 5100 Computers, Technology, and Education
This course presents an overview of computers in education, including productivity tools such as word processing, spreadsheets, databases, and graphics. Students survey examples of educational software, explore the internet, conduct online learning, and practice APA writing style.

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ECOMP 6016 Teaching and Learning with Multimedia
The focus of this course is media literacy and digital video editing using stills, video, and audio. There will be discussions and examples of how visual images and sound are used to convey messages and persuade viewers in advertising and in the news. Media literacy classroom applications and techniques will be addressed. Legal and ethical issues will be examined along with the role of visual media within the word-centered tradition of present curricula. Formerly: ECOMP 6010 Video as an Educational Technology.

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ECOMP 6106 Designing Curriculum That Integrates Technology
This course focuses on the integration of computers and other new technologies into the academic curriculum. Teachers at all levels of the educational system are under pressure to meet the dual demands of integrating new technologies into teaching and helping their students achieve high standards. Participants will use the TFU Framework to design curriculum that addresses state and national content standards. Participants will put theories of learning and teaching with technology into practice. Formerly ECOMP 5016.

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ECOMP 6101 Technology: Impact on Society and the Schools
Through discussions, readings, group work, and class activities, the course focuses on current social and political issues in educational technology, issues of effectiveness, and the process of leading change in educational institutions. Students analyze current practice and evolving issues with varied perspectives. Students lead a seminar on one of the course’s controversial topics and develop a plan for change in their own classrooms, schools, or communities.

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ECOMP 6008 The World Wide Web as an Educational Resource
Through hands-on experience and readings, participants develop skills in using World Wide Web (WWW) resources to communicate and collaborate with others locally and globally, evaluate and access information, conduct research, develop web sites, and apply what is learned to schools, classrooms, and graduate studies. Responsible use of the WWW, issues related to educational uses of WWW, and the changing role and nature of WWW use will be examined and evaluated. Formerly ECOMP 7007 Telecommunications: Curriculum in a Global Context.

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ECOMP 7100 Fundamentals of Computer Structure
This course investigates technical aspects of the computer balancing between hardware and operating system. Methods of maintenance, troubleshooting, and repair are demonstrated and experienced. The goal is to demystify the computer, not create technicians. Students learn basic technical language and concepts to communicate about, prevent, and solve basic technical problems, enabling them to function more effectively in educational settings with computers. This includes being able to make technically informed decisions regarding the purchasing and upgrading of computers.

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ECOMP 5007 21st Century Teaching: Supporting All Learners on the Ability Spectrum
This hands-on course teaches the application of technologies to the special needs curriculum. Participants develop the knowledge and skills to support special needs learners using technologies—understanding the learning characteristics of special needs students, developing customized hypermedia, selecting and evaluating appropriate software, experimenting with and using software and adaptive technologies, discussing special needs research and national legislation, investigating the latest issues of using technology for special needs learners, and integrating technology into the curriculum. Formerly:  Technology and Special Needs

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ECOMP 7101 Practicum and Seminar in Instructional Technology
Full-semester, full-time practicum; minimum of 150 hours at each of any two of the following levels: PreK–6, 5–8, and 8–12, which meets the requirements in MA for an Initial teacher license in Instructional Technology. Practicum is accompanied by a seminar addressing issues in the field. Prerequisite: Completion of 75-hour early field experiences, required pre-practicum courses, and MTEL requirements. Permission required.

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Lesley University reserves the right to unilaterally add, withdraw, or revise any course offering in the above-mentioned program of study, including policies, provisions, requirements, and fees.

Lesley University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity institution and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, religion, color, creed, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, handicap, or disability in its education programs, employment, or in admissions to, access to, or treatment in its programs or activities.