Welcome to Technology Methods with Dr. Roopika Risam!

Contact Dr. Risam

Email: rrisam@salemstate.edu
Office phone: (978) 542-2662
Office hours: Mondays 1:00-3:00, Wednesday 2:00-3:00, and by appointment on Zoom. (Click on the Zoom link on the syllabus or in the left-hand menu to catch me during office hours.)

About This Course

Classroom and educational technologies are always changing. Virtually every day, there are new websites, platforms, and software promising to change how we teach. Therefore, this course is not focused on teaching you how to use these technologies but how to cultivate your own approach to teaching with technology that allows you and your students to successfully navigate new technologies as they emerge. Upon completion of the course, you will have thought critically about using technology in your classroom, designed assignments, and developed an emergent philosophy of teaching with technology that will help guide your decision-making as a teacher going forward.

It bears mentioning that with the COVID-19 pandemic, remote learning has become a core dimension of teaching practice. While it's still (if not even more) critical that this course gives you a grounding in the theoretical background of teaching with technology, I have integrated opportunities to discuss your experiences with remote teaching during your pre-practicum. As we develop lessons, activities, and assignments, I strongly encourage you to design materials that you can use in your pre-practicum teaching right now or next semester. Additionally, please see both this class and me as resources to support you during your pre-practicum experience this year, whether during our class or next semester.

Course Modality

This is an asynchronous online course. There are no synchronous (live) meetings for this course. I am, however, available to meet via Zoom to discuss your thoughts and ideas during my office hours or by appointment.

Navigating This Course

To navigate this course, please use the "Modules" link in the lefthand column of the screen. Each module corresponds with a week of our time together. For each week, you will find a welcome note with your tasks for the week, as well as links to the reading and discussion boards.

The course syllabus is available in the "Course Materials" module. The syllabus describes our assignments, grading policy, how to contact me, and how to join Zoom office hours. Details of our weekly work together will be available in the module for each week.

Each Monday, you should begin with the welcome note in the week's module, which gives instructions for our work. Please do not rely on your Canvas to-do list as it may not include all the required work for the course. For the first 8 weeks of the semester, this work entails reading assigned course material and discussing it with classmates on the discussion boards. The goal of the first half of the course is to help you develop a theoretical understanding of where technology fits in your practice as a teacher while exploring your experiences in pre-practicum. During the remaining weeks of the course, you will be applying your philosophy and theoretical understanding to practice as you design assignments, activities, or lessons that incorporate technology.

Technology Requirements For This Course

To participate in this course, you will need to be able to access Canvas from a computer or your smartphone. All readings are available as links or PDFs that are accessible on your computer or phone. All assignments can be completed in Word Docs or Google Docs and can be uploaded when you submit your assignment. To attend office hours, you will need to be able to access Zoom on your computer or smartphone. If you prefer a phone call, however, please drop me a note through Canvas or email and we'll set up a meeting.