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CS 4660/6460 Georgia Institute of Technology
Educational Technology
Spring 2019 Instructional Center 205 T/Th 3:00-4:15pm
Teaching Team
Instructor: Dr. Ben Rydal Shapiro
Office Hours: Wednesday 2-3pm, TSRB 220
TAs: Karthik Bhat, Edwin Zhao
Course Overview
Students explore contemporary educational theories and their applications to educational technology design across diverse contexts—including schools, universities, museums, MOOCs, and online communities. The course combines discussion, design challenges, assignments, and interactive lectures to develop competencies in understanding educational theory, determining design implications, and critically assessing technology.
Learning Objectives
- Understand basic assumptions, concepts, and principles of different educational theories
- Apply theoretical frameworks to educational technology design decisions
- Compare theories across varied educational settings through critical analysis
Grading
Participation (25%)
Attendance, peer evaluations, discussion contributions
Individual Assignments (30%)
- Educational technology analysis (10%)
- Concept analysis (10%)
- Personal learning geography (10%)
Team Project (45%)
- Design Review I: Proposal & lit review (10%)
- Design Review II: Concepts & prototypes (10%)
- Design Review III: Final presentation (25%)
Course Schedule
Week 1
1/8 — Introductions & course overview
1/10 — Personal learning design activity (Complete background survey)
Week 2
1/15 — Framing teaching
- Cohen, D. "Teaching and its predicaments" Chapter 5
- Canvas discussion post due
1/17 — Framing learning
Week 3
1/22 — Learner Centered Design
- Guzdial, M. "Learner centered design for computing education" Chapters 1-2
- I Won't Learn from You - Kohl
1/24 — Educational design approaches
- Creativity & Puny Ideas that Work - D. Owens (video)
- Canvas discussion post due
Week 4
1/29 — Team assignments DUE: Assignment 1
1/31 — Team assignments
- Canvas discussion post (project ideas)
Week 5
2/5 — Making/the Maker Movement
- We Are All Makers - Dale Dougherty (video)
- Making Through the Lens of Culture and Power - Vossoughi et al.
2/7 — Constructionism in & out of schools
- Mindstorms Introduction - Papert
- Build a School in the Cloud - Sugata Mitra (video)
Week 6
2/12 — Constructionism & music
- Pianos Not Stereos - Resnick, Bruckman & Martin
- Canvas discussion post due
2/14 — Digital Mapping I
- Review: Social Explorer, Siftr, or Story Maps
Week 7
2/19 — Project Discussion
- Bring 2-3 peer-reviewed articles relevant to project
- Bring 3 comparable educational technologies
2/21 — Digital Mapping II (Re-Shape)
- Mobile City Science (video)
- Counter Mapping the Neighborhood on Bicycles - Taylor & Hall
Week 8
2/26 — Design Review I
- Project proposal & literature review due
2/28 — Site visit to design context
- Canvas discussion post due
Week 9
3/5 — Framing teaching & learning at scale
- Fighting for Technology Equity - J. Reich (video)
- A Teaching Assistant Named Jill Watson - A. Goel (video)
- Skim: Learning @ Scale Conference
3/7 — Online Learning
- Analyze 1 video from Modern Poetry (Coursera)
- Analyze 1 programming video from Udacity
- Canvas discussion post due
Week 10
3/12 — Project ideating/prototyping DUE: Assignment 3
3/14 — Interest driven & connected learning
- Connected Learning Report - Ito et al. (pages 1-32)
- Canvas discussion post due
Spring Break
3/18-3/22 — No Classes
Week 11
3/26 — Project Prototyping
- Email professor with 1-paragraph prototype update
3/28 — Design Review II
- Team concept analysis & prototypes due
Week 12
4/2 — PBL: A BME Perspective
4/4 — Games & Education
- Bring most meaningful game you've learned with
- A Recipe for Meaningful Gamification - Nicholson
- Gamification is Bullshit - Bogost (skim)
Week 13
4/9 — Education data science
- Situating Education Data Science
- Data Science Education Dilemma
- Canvas discussion post due
4/11 — Learning & design in museums
- Digital Exhibit Labels in Museums - Roberts et al.
- Personal Curation in a Museum - Shapiro & Hall
Week 14
4/16 — Lab Atlanta Visit
- Read one Lab Atlanta Field Note of interest
- Bring prototype to share with Lab Atlanta students
4/18 — Guest Visit: K-12 Edtech Integration
Week 15
4/23 — Design Review III & Course Conclusion
- Final presentation & design implementation due
Readings & Resources
Foundational Theory
- Cohen, D. "Teaching and its predicaments" Chapter 5
- How People Learn, Chapter 1
- Teaching, as Learning, in Practice - Lave, J.
- Guzdial, M. "Learner centered design for computing education" Chapters 1-2
- I Won't Learn from You - Kohl, H.
Constructionism & Making
- We Are All Makers - Dale Dougherty (Video)
- Making Through the Lens of Culture and Power - Vossoughi et al.
- Mindstorms Introduction - Papert
- Build a School in the Cloud - Sugata Mitra (Video)
- Pianos Not Stereos - Resnick, Bruckman & Martin
- Hackers, Computers & Cooperation - Ames (optional)
Digital Mapping & Geography
- Social Explorer
- Siftr
- Story Maps - ArcGIS
- Mobile City Science (Video)
- Counter Mapping the Neighborhood on Bicycles - Taylor & Hall
Learning at Scale & Online Learning
- Fighting for Technology Equity - J. Reich (Video)
- A Teaching Assistant Named Jill Watson - A. Goel (Video)
- Learning @ Scale Conference
- Artificial Intelligence in Education Conference
- Modern Poetry - Coursera
- Connected Learning Report - Ito et al.
Games & Problem-Based Learning
- Building a Better BME with Problem Based Learning
- A Recipe for Meaningful Gamification - Scott Nicholson
- Gamification is Bullshit - Ian Bogost
- Video Games & Education - Squire (optional)
- Glitch Game Testers - DiSalvo (optional)
- Games & Learning: Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis - Clark (optional)
Data Science & Museums
- Situating Education Data Science
- Data Science Education Dilemma
- Quantified Self Movement & Educational Technology (optional)
- Digital Exhibit Labels in Museums - Roberts et al.
- Personal Curation in a Museum - Shapiro & Hall
Academic Resources
Team Project
Teams of 4-6 develop projects addressing authentic educational contexts, with focus areas including Georgia Tech campus initiatives and digital mapping applications. Three design reviews provide structured feedback throughout the semester.