Library and Learning Technologies Course Descriptions

LLT 118 - Introduction to Information Search Strategies and Digital Literacy
Intended for a general education audience, this course explores information search strategies for successful research of student chosen topics. Software applications that support research, such as bibliographic generators, and collaborative Listservs will also be discussed. Furthermore, this course will explore the impact of students’ online presence and help them become more digitally literate to maximize their professional strengths.

LLT 370 - Educational Program of the Library
This course is designed to emphasize the curriculum-related responsibilities of the school library program. Emphasis is placed on library and information skills instruction and curriculum support services. The role of the library and the librarian in the contemporary school program is investigated.

LLT 200/500 - Foundations of Information Science
This course introduces the student to the development, functions, philosophy, ethics, and evolution of libraries and information centers. The primary services and professional practices of libraries and information centers are examined and contrasted. Librarianship as an evolving profession is studied with an emphasis on the diverse professional career opportunities available.

LLT 505 - Perspectives on Instructional Technology and Learning
Students pursuing the M.Ed. in Instructional Technology typically take LLT 505 at the onset of their degree program. LLT 505 provides a historical context for use of instructional technology in the teaching and learning process and introduces students to various designs and strategies to facilitate learning with technology tools. In this course we will discuss learning theory, instructional technology research, instructional design, and current methods for integrating technology into the curriculum.

LLT 310/510 - Information Resources and Services
This course is designed to introduce the basic techniques and materials used by librarians and media specials to provide reference services in a library. The primary emphasis is on the evaluation, selection, and utilization of print and electronic dictionaries, encyclopedias, yearbooks, almanacs, biographical sources, atlases, gazetteers, handbooks, directories, indexes, bibliographies, government publications, and electronic databases. Print and electronic sources will be compared and contrasted with an emphasis on the selection of appropriate media for specific settings.

LLT 515 - Word Processing and Desktop Publishing in Education
Would you like to streamline grading of assignments while still providing detailed feedback to your students? Do you want to design engaging visual literacy materials that draw your students into their work? Do you need to create a recurring newsletter for parents but don't have the time to learn a complex design tool? If the answer to any of the questions above is a yes, then LLT 515 is the course for you. In this class, you will learn how to use modern word processing and publishing tools to streamline your teaching and grading activities and empower your students to create fun and engaging projects.

LLT 317/517 - Integrating Assistive Technology into the K-12 Curriculum
Intended for in-service teachers, this course explores strategies for using technology to assist those who have learning differences and disabilities beyond those addressed by regular instruction and curricula. Developing an awareness of innovative software, apps and hardware that allows for greater flexibility in the learning environment, and development of useful course materials will provide teachers with a toolkit to implement and assess technologies for maximizing students' strengths in the classroom. Although taught primarily online, iPad applications for students' special needs will be explored in two optional hands-on, face to face classes during the semester.

LLT 320WICD/520 - Resources for Children and Young Adults
This course explores the strategies for using literature and related materials for children and young adults. Students will examine the broad range of genres and discuss strategies for incorporating literature into various curricular areas.

LLT 321CPVL/521 - Technologies for the 21st Century Educator
LLT 321/521 is a foundation course that is usually taken by students at the beginning of the Master's sequence. The course is project-based, and provides students with practical, hands-on opportunities to develop technology-based teaching and learning resources to support face-to-face, hybrid and online learning courses. This course is the ideal starting point for newer technology users wanting a broad exposure to PC, Mac, Mobile and Internet teaching technologies.

LLT 324/524 - Librarian's Role in Reading Strategies
School and Public Librarians play a unique role in supporting literacy. Based on the ALA/AASL Toolkit for Reading Strategies, students will engage in a number of activities experiencing the selection of materials for all levels, interests, including the diverse needs of learners and English Language Learners. Course participants will be able to identify resources that serve as tools from interactive think-alouds, to activating background knowledge to make connections, to note-taking, to strategies to address the challenges of reading online. This course provides the librarian with the knowledge to ensure learner success in the ability to effectively use information and promote lifelong learning. 

LLT 525 - Computer Networking for Educators 
LLT 525 is designed to help educators understand and utilize computer networks effectively in their virtual and physical classrooms. In this course, technical jargon is kept to a minimum and networking technologies are explained using plain English terminology and clear examples and analogies. LLT 525 will help you and your students become more effective users of the networking technologies and systems that are now an integral part of K-12 and higher education.

LLT 330/530 - Makerspaces and Technology Enhanced Programming
Makerspaces have been implemented in school, public, and academic libraries as well as in community facilities.  Addressing the national STEM educational initiatives and the Common Core Standards, Makerspaces provide activities to promote problem solving, critical thinking skills, and collaborative experiences through hands-on projects. This course explores the evolution of the Makerspace movement as it applies to STEM and STEAM education.  Students will investigate and actively engage in the facility, tools, resources, and technology as components that translate into creative project-based learning.

LLT 535 - Designing Distance Education for the K-12 Educator
Hybrid and fully online distance learning courses are now a reality in K-12 settings, and opportunities to teach online are becoming more frequent at the K-12 level. LLT 535 provides a solid foundation in distance learning course design. Building on LLT 521, students will learn "best practice" strategies for online course creation. Online learning is different from face-to-face learning and requires a different pedagogical approach for both instructor AND the learner. Role of the instructor, course organization, media selection, online interaction techniques, and course management will be emphasized. Upon completion of this course, students will have a well-structured unit(s) design suitable for development and implementation in the LLT 555 course.

LLT 340/540 - Management of Information and Technology Center Environments
Librarians and technology specialists don't always think of themselves as "managers" but in reality, they make budget, staffing, and facility decisions every day. Understanding management theory and best practices will enable the librarian to have a transformative impact on his or her library.

LLT 342/542 Public Librarianship
LLT 342/542 exposes students to the organization and operation of the public library. This includes administrative and financial control, governmental relationships, personnel management, administration of services, standards, buildings and equipment, library extension services, current and emerging technologies, resource sharing, fundraising, and public relations.

LLT 345/545 - Problem-based Learning through Instructional Technology
The goal of this course is to prepare educators to effectively integrate instructional technologies into the K- 12 curriculum. Students will work collaboratively in small groups to design solutions to real-world problems that could be encountered in schools and libraries. Using the Pennsylvania Standards Aligned System, students will develop lessons and assessments that effectively integrate technologies that align to PDE and Common Core Standards.

LLT 350/550 - Collecting and Curating Print and Digital Collections
Who gets to pick the books? You do! Librarians are responsible for choosing the books, movies, and online resources that are made available in their libraries and information centers. Often cited as the “most fun” part of the job, librarians utilize professional reviews, surveys, and demographic information to make collection development decisions that best support the needs and wants of the people who use the library.

LLT 553 - Development of Digital and Multimedia Instructional Resources
LLT 553 will help you move your instruction beyond the textbook/lecture realm. In this course you will learn how to create multimedia teaching materials for your classroom using technology such as digital video cameras, movie editors, and screencasting and podcasting tools. In LLT 553, you will learn how to design lessons that enable your students to incorporate these exciting technologies in their classroom work.

LLT 555 - Building Effective Online and Classroom Instruction
LLT 555 is a hands-on follow up course to LLT 535. LLT 555 moves beyond the theoretical and provides students with an opportunity to do online development work in an actual Learning Management System. Students enrolling in this course will develop and implement technology-rich and pedagogically comprehensive learning modules for online delivery. Application of practical online learning tools such as discussion forums, online quizzes, and emerging web technologies will be emphasized to promote collaboration, creativity, and effective online communities. Specific links will be drawn between how one teaches in a face-to-face classroom versus the online environment...including the setting of student expectations, classroom procedures, and assessment strategies.

LLT 360/560 - Organization of Information, Metadata and Library Technologies
This course is an introduction to the theory, concepts, and procedures of analyzing and organizing various formats of information, including print and digital. Knowledge and skills are applied in a practical exercises. Students will also explore the various technologies essential to library programming including hardware, software, and integrated library systems.

LLT 563 - Coding in the Classroom
What is coding and why should you take it into your classroom or library? In this class you will find the answers. You will use visual programming languages to create simple games and animations and to control robots. In LLT 563 you will learn how to design lessons for your students in K-12 that integrate coding via iPod apps, visual programming languages and ROBOTS.

LLT 364/564 - Preservation, Digitization and Archiving
An overview of current best practices of preservation and digitization methods intended to stabilize rare, unique, and/or fragile materials and make them accessible to information seekers. We will also explore, through field trips and case studies, how several local institutions are managing their own archives and special collections when budgetary and facility constraints make best practices unattainable.

LLT 365/565 - Emerging Technologies for Educators
Each year, new Web 2.0 tools appear that teachers can utilize to design creative learning activities addressing Common Core Standards. In this course, you will design engaging lessons that challenge students to collaborate, think, create and share their knowledge using Web 2.0 tools. You will develop several standards-based activities for your students that will encourage the development of 21st Century skills and higher order thinking.

LLT 370/574 - Educational Program of the Library Media Center
This course is designed to emphasize the curriculum-related responsibilities of the school library program. Emphasis is placed on library and information skills instruction and curriculum support services. The role of the library and the librarian in the contemporary school program is investigated.

LLT 575 - Methods of Research
Research Methods is a required course in both the Library Science and Instructional Technology Master's degree programs. It presents the opportunity for you to investigate a "problem" that you have seen in your field or a question that interests you. Are you interested in how eReaders are being used in public or school libraries? Do you wonder how iPads are being used in classroom? After learning about the roles, purposes, and principles of research in the field of library science and instructional technology, including research methodologies and techniques, bibliographical searching, and skills in data collection, analysis, interpreting, evaluating, and reporting of research, you will create a plan for an investigation of the topic of your choice.

LLT 385/585 - Digital Portfolios
LLT 585 is typically taken by students toward the end of their degree sequence. In LLT 585 you develop an electronic portfolio showcasing your coursework. This professional portfolio will reference state and national technology standards and incorporate multimedia and relevant linkages to create an effective electronic portrait of your accomplishments. For working teachers, this portfolio can serve to document your professional development work and promotion potential. For student teacher candidates, your electronic portfolio can serve as a perfect tool for presenting your accomplishments during an interview.

LLT 390/590 - Internship/Practicum
LLT 590 is field placement assignment that is customized to suit the unique educational goals of a particular student. In LLT 590 you will work with an Library and Learning Technologies professor and cooperating teacher or mentor in the field to accomplish specific educational goals designed by you and your professor.

LLT 398/598 - Clinical Experience and Practicum I
Student Teaching I.

LLT 399/599 - Clinical Experience and Practicum II
Student Teaching II.

Comprehensive Portfolio Review and Presentation - Required (Pass/Fail)
The Comprehensive Portfolio Review and Presentation is your culminating assignment in the masters degree sequence.

LLT XXX - Special Topics in Instructional Technology
Occasionally, a special topics electives course will be offered in the department by a lecturer or visiting professor with a specialized area of expertise. Specifics regarding the details of each special topics course will be announced at the time of the course offering.