Educational Technology Certificate
As educators, our foremost responsibilities include engaging students in relevant ways and preparing them for their future lives as adults. With these goals in mind, we must consider that today's students live in a fully wired world, filled with dynamic media, vast information resources, and boundless communication technologies. We must also consider that the generation of children who are entering kindergarten today will enter the workforce in 2025 and beyond, a time when technology will almost certainly be far more pervasive than it is even today.
In order to engage today's students in meaningful ways and prepare them for the future, today's educators have a professional responsibility to be well-versed in the tools, techniques, and social ramifications of emerging technologies. The ED-TECH program at California Polytechnic State University is a focused four-course sequence that serves this need. Candidates who complete this short 16-unit program are certified as Technology Specialists, receiving a Supplementary Authorization in Computer Concepts and Applications and a university issued Certificate in Educational Technology.
Program Notes
- A Supplementary Authorization in Computer Concepts and Applications allows holders of Single Subject, Standard Secondary, or Special Secondary teaching credentials to teach computer-based classes at any grade level, including preschool, K-12, and classes organized primarily for adults. It allows holders of a Multiple Subject or Standard Elementary Teaching Credential to teach computer-based classes in grades 9 and below.
- Only candidates who hold a valid California Teaching Credential are eligible to earn a Supplementary Authorization from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC).
- Those students who do not hold a current California Teaching Credential may still earn the university Certificate in Educational Technology and apply for the Supplemental Authorization in the future, if they earn their credential at a later date.
Educational Technology Program Requirements
To earn a university Certificate in Educational Technology and/or to add a Supplementary Authorization in Computer Concepts and Applications to your California Teaching Credential, candidates must simply complete the 12-unit course sequence in Educational Technology (EDUC 507, 508, and 509) and perform a 4-unit independent study project (EDUC 500). This 16-quarter unit program requires no prior technical knowledge and empowers educators to use modern media technologies as a compelling, creative, and fun medium for K-12 classrooms. The required courses may be counted as electives in most other graduate programs offered by the Cal Poly School of Education, enabling candidates to earn a technology specialization in tandem with other degree goals. The required courses are described briefly below:
- EDUC 507 (4 units) - Instructional Materials and Technology: Provides K-12 educators with the theoretical foundation and practical skills necessary to design and implement effective technology-supported lessons. Explores the pros and cons of technology in the classroom and contemplates the power of modern media to transform the roles of teachers, students, and educational institutions.
- EDUC 508 (4 units) - Digital Moviemaking for K-12 Educators: Explores digital moviemaking as the centerpiece of creative learning projects in K-12 classrooms. Provides hands-on experience with the tools and technologies of digital media, enabling you to design and conduct moviemaking lessons with students of all ages.
- EDUC 509 (4 units) - Robotics for K-12 Educators: Explores the use of ROBOTS as the foundation of constructivist learning projects in K-12 classes. Provides hands-on experiences using low-cost robotic kits, enabling innovative lessons at all grade levels.
- EDUC 500 (4 units) - Independent Study: Allows you to perform an independent project to explore an educational technology of your own choosing. Your project will be self-paced and is mentored through scheduled one-on-one meetings with the instructor.
Scheduling Notes: The four required courses above may be taken in any order so long as EDUC 507 is taken first. A typical program can be completed within a single school year, but EDUC 507 must be taken during fall or winter quarter. In addition, the EDUC 500 independent study requirement may be taken simultaneously with EDUC 507 or EDUC 508.
Admission Notes: No admission process is required for the ED-TECH programs described above. Candidates may take these courses as part of any post-baccalaureate or graduate program at Cal Poly. Candidates who already hold a bachelors degree and are not enrolled in a current degree program at Cal Poly may complete the ED-TECH program through Extended Education.
Project Notes: Independent study projects may be performed in cooperation with the Cal Poly Laboratory for Exhibit Design, a joint program currently being established between the School of Education and the College of Engineering to develop, deploy, evaluate, and refine innovative educational museum exhibits rich in educational technology.
For more information about the ED-TECH program, contact:
Dr. Lou Rosenberg
Program Coordinator
Educational Technology
Cal Poly State University
lrosenbe@calpoly.edu