Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (C.A.G.S.) in Technology in Education

This program is designed for experienced educators with a Master's degree and background in computers who wish to develop and expand their skills in the varied uses of technology in education. The program includes courses for administrators, curriculum directors, and regular and special education classroom teachers. In addition to courses and other experiences directly related to mastery of the use of technology in education, students are required to take courses that address key issues in the field of education such as diversity, assessment, organizational change and special education.

These courses provide CAGS students with knowledge and understanding of the challenges that face educators in a leadership position, and ways to address these issues. In addition to the courses, the student is required to submit an advanced thesis project. The program is currently offered off-campus in Massachusetts. A similar program is offered in the state of Georgia. Program of study as it appears below is effective September 1, 2007.

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.

ECOMP 8000 - Advanced Professional Seminar in Technology in Education: In this course, students will advance their knowledge of technology in education and examine the students' previously unexplored areas of the profession.

Back

ECOMP 7011 - Bridging Technology Gaps: This course looks at the reasons that there are significant student disparities in performance with, and access to, technology. These disparities are along gender, economic, class, and cultural lines. In this course students will investigate existing on-the-ground strategies to redress these "divides" in the classroom, in the community, and nationally. Students will also explore curriculum and teaching techniques to broaden technology's appeal and engage more students in expanding their learning opportunities by using technology.

Back

EAGSR 7101 - Quantitative Methods I: Statistics for Research: This course is designed to introduce graduate students to basic statistical methods and involves two broad topics: descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. In addition, students are introduced to statistical model building through the technique of regression analysis and correlational analysis. While the course centers on parametric statistical techniques, a brief introduction to nonparametric statistical methods, such as the chi-square test, is introduced.

Back

EAGSR 7103 - Qualitative Research Methods I: This course covers the background and history of qualitative methods and their application to a wide range of fields, ranging from natural science and he social sciences (anthropology, sociology) to the arts. Emphasis will be on the analysis of data gathered by a variety of methods, those of "triangulation," "charting," and other phenomenologically based (meaning-based) approaches will be presented. Students have an opportunity to frame research topics and designs appropriate to their field of interest and to discuss the methods necessary for converting experience in research activities.

Back

ECOMP 7103 - 21st Century Leadership: Supporting All Learners on the Ability Spectrum. This course is a fully experiential, hands-on practice in the design, development, testing and validation of technology-based solutions for students with special needs in complex socio-economic, inclusive/sequestered, low/high technology and reform/traditional educational environments. Students are introduced to pedagogical/technology approaches that address the needs of students across the learning and cognitive disabilities spectrum.

The course addresses: Impact of national legislation and policies on systemic change in education; experimentation and analysis of assistive technology protocols and of Universal Design for Learning(tm) (UDL) protocols; analysis implementation case studies (both existing and student-developed); and bilingual education issues in special education.

Back

ECOMP 6102 - Assessment and Technology: This course investigates uses of technology in conducting and transforming assessment practices. Participants learn about technologies that support both formal and alternative/authentic assessment, e. g.: tests, portfolios, observation tools, self- and whole class assessments. Roles of assessment in student learning and meeting an educational organization's needs will be explored (including current assessments of technology's efficacy). Participants design balanced assessment programs that both prove and improve student achievement and use multiple methods to evaluate uses of technology resources in schools.

Back

ECOMP 7009 - Leadership in Educational Technology: Systemic Program Implementation. Using case studies, Internet-based sources and publications in the market, and participants' professional contexts, this course explores and applies key educational leadership principles in technology use. Participants will analyze these principles in their professional settings and develop a product that has significant value to their educational technology leadership role. Course topics include: shared vision, planning, access, integration into instruction, assessment and evaluation, support, professional development, community relationships, and ethical legal issues.

Back

ECOMP 7008 - Research in Technology in Education (formerly Technology and Teacher Research): This course is an introduction to teacher research, which is a form of action research that is particularly valuable to educators who wish to understand and improve teaching practice. In this course, students will learn and apply the methodology of teacher research to investigate technology-supported practice in their own classrooms and educational settings. Step-by-step, students will design and implement a small-scale research project that concerns technology and learn to share findings with others.

Back

ECOMP 7104 - Technology in Education Thesis Project: The CAGS thesis project course is designed to assist students in developing and implementing a project that will contribute to the field of education. The project also helps to demonstrate that at the end of the CAGS program, students have learned how to conduct research, plan a major initiative, synthesize information and present the work to an appropriate and critical audience.

Back

ECOMP 5022 - Technology and Social Studies: This course gives teachers a chance to explore a variety of ways that technology can be used to support and enhance the social studies curriculum such as developing student-centered projects, inquiry, communication and "virtual learning." Students in this course will investigate and evaluate existing standards-based social studies curriculum; build resources; use new tools; and create new curriculum materials for their own classrooms. They will learn and use the "transformative" power of technology in the social studies.

Back

ECOMP 5003 - Technology in the Mathematics Curriculum: This course explores how technology supported activities can make mathematics both engaging and understandable to students (and teachers). Using simulations, video, web based applets, spreadsheets, visual databases, and software programs, participants carry out mathematical investigations and connect them to standards based content goals through problem solving, reasoning, communications, and connections to the real world. We also consider how experiences supported by technology can help K-12 students make better sense of mathematics.

Back

ECOMP 5004 - Integrating Technology into the Language Arts Curriculum: This course considers current research and best practice in the teaching of language arts using technology as a tool for student writing, reading, and other communication activities. Language Arts includes reading and writing in the content areas. Participants examine how technology can be used at all stages of the writing process-idea generating, drafting, responding, revising, editing, and publishing. Participants explore project-based learning, process writing, literature-based reading, research/writing across the curriculum, and curriculum integration of word processors and other language arts software. Participants explore how the technology, including the Web, can motivate students to read, write, and think critically and to communicate effectively.

Back

ECOMP 5007 - Technology and Special Needs: 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 with 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.

Back

ECOMP 5107 - Evaluating Educational Technology for the Classroom: This course focuses on the assessment and selection of appropriate educational technology applications for use in instruction in a variety of school settings. The course includes an overview of evaluation techniques for software and other instructional technology resources. National and local standards for subject matter content, thinking processes, and technology, as well as pedagogical approach, will inform the evaluation process. Students will develop their own evaluation tools for their own contexts and uses.

Back

ECOMP 6008 - The World Wide Web as an Educational Resource (formerly ECOMP 7007 Telecommunications: Curriculum in a Global Context). 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.  

Back

ECOMP 6009 - Web Site Design and HTML: Web Publishing for Educators: This course focuses on web site development by and for educators, students, and schools. Each participant creates an original site, a process that is supported by the class examination of technical issues (design, HTML scripting, digital imaging, web editors, Internet publication, and site maintenance) and real school examples of teacher and student web authoring. Issues of classroom pedagogy and management, student-centered web development, access, defining one's audience, and school-wide participation will be addressed.

Back

ECOMP 6011 - Database Management Systems for Educational Settings. Today's teachers and administrators use Database Management Systems (DBMS) to a support a variety of purposes, and this is becoming increasingly true as educators adopt data driven decision-making. This course provides the knowledge and experience that educators need to understand, design and implement relational DBMS projects to serve a wide set of goals in educational settings. Course goals and objectives are achieved through group and individual projects that include extensive hands-on experience with Microsoft Access.

Back

ECOMP 6018 (formerly ECOMP 5018) - Introduction to Educational Robotics (face-to-face only). This course introduces the principles of robotics as a subject matter and as a concrete three-dimensional classroom tool to be used in many educational environments. Various types of robots are optimized to illustrate how these educational assistants can impact the learning environment and problem solving challenges for math, science, language arts, industrial arts, activities for disabled or special education students, and events for the gifted and talented. The course utilizes Macintosh computers, PCs using Windows, and all laptops to work with remote infrared programming that is linked to vision, sonar, tactile sensors, speech, pattern recognition, voice recognition, and problem solving challenges.

Back

ECOMP 7010 - Emerging Technologies: Educators experiment with leading edge technologies such as streaming audio and video, GIS, handheld devices, virtual reality environments, web based technologies, and applets to determine their usefulness in teaching, learning, integration into curricula, and matching technologies to students' learning styles. They build knowledge, expertise and experience in identifying the efficacy of future technologies in enhancing student learning and enabling students to learn new topics and ideas previously out of reach.

Back

ECOMP 7017 - Teaching Online: Issues and Design: This course is an introduction to concepts and issues related to online education. Students will advance their knowledge of teaching and learning online including design and implementation of online courses. Issues of pedagogy, methodology, challenges and current state of the field will be examined. With guided practice, students will engage in leading online seminars and designing course content for a mini course.

Back