Designed to assist students in exploring and developing expertise with a variety of publishing tools to include word processors, desktop publishers, and idea processors. Emphasis is placed on using these tools to communicate. Attention is paid to design and layout principles, the appropriate use of images to facilitate communication, and the ways in which K-12 teachers can design opportunities for students to learn these concepts. In addition, the course assists students in exploring and developing expertise with a variety of tools commonly used as part of 'computational science' and mathematical modeling. These tools include programming languages such as LOGO, calculators, spreadsheets, probeware, and graphing calculators.
Attention is paid to understanding the difference between hypermedia and multimedia.
In addition, the course examines a range of educational technologies expected to become important applications within the next three to eight years such as virtual reality and disturbed learning. New assumptions about learning, instructional technology, and organizational development are explored as a foundation for planning how schools can use technology to evolve beyond conventional approaches. Capstone course of a three-course sequence on the theory and practice of instructional design. Students apply the ideas developed in prior courses to complete a major instructional design project. Leading-edge ideas in the evolution of instructional design are also discussed.