University of North Texas
College of Information
The Graduate Academic Certificate prepares students to provide collaborative school leadership in the curricular integration of information literacy, teaching, and technology. Four courses of instruction delivered by collaborating faculty from LIS/LT provide content that addresses the pedagogical and practical aspects of leadership in integrating technology and information literacy in 21st century schools. These courses will provide extended professional development on technology integration while infusing practical learning experiences to enhance the ability of librarians and teachers to cultivate the 21st century skills of students, teachers, administrators and parents.
Library and Information Science Professionals: Master’s degreed library and information science professionals or teachers who want to develop expertise in integrating technology and information literacy in 21st century schools by taking additional graduate level courses to receive an academic credential.
Other Professionals: Bachelor's or Master's degreed individuals who want to develop or enhance their knowledge and skills in integrating technology and information literacy in 21st century schools by taking graduate level courses to receive an academic credential.
Potential and practicing education professionals who foresee being in a position to integrate technology and information literacy in 21st century schools.
No particular prerequisites for this GAC. However, courses listed under the GAC may have prerequisites that need to be satisfied. Students should consult the instructors prior to taking the individual courses.
CECS 5030 Foundations of Learning Technology. 3 hours. Introduction to learning technologies that includes an analysis of computer use, applications and pedagogy in education. Topics include software (including open source) and hardware evaluation, planning computer education curricula and facilities, technology integration, information literacy elements, mobile technologies and the convergence between home and school contexts. Attention will be paid to the range and limitations of technological opportunities in a diversity of socio-economic school districts and student populations. Includes instruction on how to collaborate (social networking for the introvert) and a module on two aspects of knowledge management: engendering student responsibility for personal and life learning, and management of digital resources developed and/or used within the school (for example, learning object repositories). Assignments include collaborative projects for instructional partners.
SLIS 5960.031 Digital Citizenship. 3 hours. Examines the nine elements of digital citizenship: digital access, digital commerce, digital communication, digital literacy, digital etiquette, digital law, digital rights and responsibilities, digital health and wellness, and digital security. Describes the productive and responsible use of digital technologies, and enables school librarians and teachers to recognize appropriate and inappropriate technological behavior, devise strategies for reinforcement and intervention, and evaluate Acceptable Use policies as they relate to digital citizenship. This knowledge will be delivered through collaborative activities, reflective analysis, research and practice, discussion, and modeling. Instructional partners will identify and utilize tools to construct a Digital Citizenship framework for their school or district.
CECS 5500 Computer Applications for Curriculum and Instruction. 3 hours. Designed for elementary and secondary teachers and school librarians, instruction will focus on the skills and methods necessary to implement computer and digital applications within the curriculum. Methods for managing the computer in the classroom such as courseware implementation, word processing, databases, e-books, spreadsheets, and telecommunications within the classroom will be addressed and the use of “free” resources such as open-source software, the National Science Digital Library (NSDL), the International Children’s Digital Library (ICDL) will be emphasized. Instruction on integrating these technologies and resources into the major content areas (i.e. English language arts, science, math, social studies), engaging community resources (i.e. museums, archive collections, and research facilities), and collaborative projects utilizing curriculum instruction will be a major aspect of the course which will reflect the needs of the participants and their schools and use the constructivist philosophy of learning. Prerequisite CECS 5030.
SLIS 5960.041 – Leadership in Technology. 3 hours. Serves as a catalyst and action plan for collaboratively implementing school reform using technology. Empowers the participants with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to effectively implement the products of the coursework. These products will consist of: a collaboratively developed wiki that summarizes current research about emerging and educational technology, a local technology needs assessment, a collaboratively developed workshop that may be presented at a conference or within a school, and a fully developed grant application. By completing these activities, students will learn how to increase their productivity and to facilitate learning experiences that help other educators, students, and parents to apply technology. They will also learn how to address fiscal concerns that can hinder the implementation of technology, including the advances in technology integration that can be made in the face of limited resources. The emphasis on collaborative processes will help the participants understand how to collaborate and the benefits and importance of all educators working as a team to achieve common goals. Prerequisites CECS 5030, CECS 5500 and SLIS 5960.031.
Students must be admitted into the University of North Texas Graduate School and are required to submit the following application materials:
Graduate Academic Certificate applicants do not need to submit standardized test scores such as the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), letters of recommendation, or statement of purpose, etc., for admission. Students who are awarded Academic Certificates and later apply for admission to the Master's program will be required to submit these materials.
Once admitted, you will be assigned an advisor who will assist you in getting enrolled for classes and beginning the Graduate Academic Certificate Program.
Note: If you are a current LIS Master’s student and you are applying for a GAC, you must also complete the Application for Concurrent Graduate Academic Certificate Programs so your academic certificate program will list on your transcript. If you do not complete the form before your graduating semester, the Toulouse Graduate School will not accept your request for the certificate.
Once you complete your course work, please follow these instructions to receive your certificate.
For information regarding gainful employment data, click here.
| Title | Contact | |
|---|---|---|
| Director: | Dr. Barbara Schultz-Jones | Barbara.Schultz-Jones@unt.edu |
| Academic Advising: | Toby Faber | CI-Advising@unt.edu |
| Department Chair: | Dr. Suliman Hawamdeh | LIS-Chair@unt.edu |
Additional contact information
This page was last modified at 11:39AM on Thursday, June 7, 2012
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