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EDU596:SocialMediaLiteracy‐SyllabusSummer2012–AmericanUniversity–SchoolofEducation,Teaching&Health

Instructor:AlexR.Hodges,AssociateLibrarian/Professor OnlineOfficeHours:OnlineviaGchat/Google+–Tuesdays,3‐5pmhttps://plus.google.com/109530999277649806514/Phone:cell/text202.210.8850E‐mail:alex.hodges@gmail.comClassmeetsasynchronouslyonline:May15,2012throughJune28,2012CatalogCourseDescriptionforEDU596:Thisonlinecourseisanexplorationandcriticalanalysisofsocialmediauseinprimary,secondary,andhighereducationenvironments.ItincludeshowissuesofconstructivistandconnectivistlearningarereflectedacrossavarietyofonlineplatformssuchasFacebook,Google+,andothersocialmedia,andcoversthescopeofdigitalliteracyasitcrossesintotransmediaandmobilelearning.RequiredReading:Seecourseoutlineforreadingassignmentsbydate.CourseGoalsandPurposes:Ourworktogetherasanonlinelearningcommunityrequiresreflection,observationandcommunication.Togetherwewillexaminebotheducationalsocialmediaanddigitalliteracy.Studentswillapplywhattheylearninthisclasstotheireventualteachingpracticeandtothedevelopmentoftheircriticalthinkingskills.Carefulevaluationofsocialmediaanddigitalplatformsalongwithanengaged,conversantdynamicwillaidthediscussionofcurriculum‐baseddiscoveries.Inordertoachievethesemeans,thecoursewillusecriticaltheoryandamedialiteracyframeworktouncovermeaning,exploredesignandcritiqueonlinelearningthroughsocialnetworking.Asacommunity,theclasswill...

1. Experienceanintroductoryoverviewofsocialmediaandtheconceptsofdigitalandmedialiteracy.

2. Engagecriticalthinkingskillstoevaluate,discuss,researchandreflectuponreactionstosocialmediainorderto...• Viewdigital/medialiteracyasasocialpractice,• Engageindebateaboutonlineprivacyandintellectualproperty,• Explorethepossibilitiesofmultipleliteracies,• Discoversituatedmeaningswithineducationalusageofnetworkingpractices,and• Examinethemotivationsofbloggers,onlineeducators,andmediacompanies.

3. Usethelensofmedialiteracyto...• Discussandlearnaboutsocialissuessuchasinformationneed,informationaccess,

informationevaluation,informationintegration,andinformationethics.• Informthefutureteachingofchildren’ssocialmediausewhilealsoreflectingupon

teachingpracticeandcriticaltheory.

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4. Develop,discoverandshareresearchmethodsandstrategies.5. Respectthediversityofcommunicatedthoughts,experiencesandbeliefsystems.6. Reframetraditionalliteracylearningwithinthemultimodalonlinelearningenvironment.

CourseLearningOutcomes:

1. Studentswillcriticallyinvestigatesocialmedialearningenvironmentsinordertounpacktheinherentprivacyconcernsandsocialbenefitsofonlinecommunication.Studentswillhavebothassignedreadingsandself‐chosenreadingsaswellaslearntofacilitateonlinelearningthroughsocialmediaplatforms.

2. Studentswillcreateandmanagetheirownblogentriesinordertousemultimodalwritingasameanstoreflectupon,communicateandsharetheircriticaldiscoveries.

3. Studentswillcritiquetransmediareadingexperiencesthatcommandbothindependentandsocialreadingexercises.Thisabilitytomovereadingexperienceacrossatraditionalterrainfromaprinttexttothedevelopingterrainofanonline,socialtextwillrequireactivatinginquiryskillsanddialogicliteracythroughlibrary‐basedprintandonlineresearch.

4. Studentswillactivateandbuilduponcreativeproblem‐solvingskillsinordertocompleteproblem‐basedlearning.

5. Studentswillcreateamedialiteracyanalysisofasocialmediaplatforminordertoprovidein‐depthlinguistic,webdesignandorganizationalanalysis,whichshowshowteachingaboutmultimodalitycaneffectthedevelopmentofmultipleliteracies.

6. Studentswillcreateasocialmediawebsiteandscreencast/videotodisplaythestepsoftheanalysisinordertodisseminatetheirreflection,newlycreated/researchedknowledgeandmultimodalcommunicationskills.Thissitewillprovideotherstudentsintheclasswithnewknowledgeaboutthesocialandpoliticalmessages/usestoconsiderwiththeirownfuturestudents.

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COURSEREQUIREMENTSProfessionalismandParticipation(10Points)Yourparticipationandcriticalengagementarecrucialforyoursuccess–especiallyinacompletelyonlinecourse.Youarerequiredtoparticipatemeaningfullyandcriticallyinallasynchronousdiscussionsaswellascompleteallassignedwork.Studentswhoaccrue1‐2misseddiscussionsmayreceiveaone‐halflettergradededuction(i.e.anA‐becomesaB+)fromtheparticipationgrade.Studentswhomiss3ormorediscussionsmaynotreceiveanyparticipationpoints.BlogDiscussionPosts(20Points)Eachstudentwillblogaboutassignedsocialmediaissues.Participationinthisforumiscriticaltoattaininggoalsandobjectivesforthecourse.

BloggerviaGoogleStudentsareexpectedtojointheclassBloggersitethroughapersonalGoogleaccount(seetheinstructorforaGoogleaccountifyoudon’thaveoneseparatefromAU),andprovidetheclasswiththeirresponsestothediscussionprompts.ActiveparticipationwillbegaugedFOURtimes(at5pts.pereachofthefourgradingdateranges)duringthecourse:

• May28(gradingdaterangesMay21‐27)• June4(gradingdaterangesMay28‐June3)• June11(gradingdaterangesJune4‐10)• June18(gradingdaterangesJune11‐17)

Fullpointscanbeearnedweeklybyprovidingaminimumof3weeklysubstantialposts—

a)ONEpost(withinthesameweek’sMonday‐Fridaytimeline,dueby11:59pmontheFridayofeachweek)mustbeanindividual,originalresponsetothediscussionquestionprompts,b)TWOotherposts(withinthesameweek’sMonday‐Sundaytimeline,dueby11:59pmontheSundayofeachweek)mustreflectonandcontributemeaningfully(in2‐3sentences)tootherstudents’posts.

Project#1(Individual‐30points):SocialMediaPlatformAnalysisEachstudentwillanalyzeasocialmediaplatform.Therearemanyplatformsthatcanbechosenforthisassignment,andwewillusethetenetsofmedialiteracytohelpunpackhowtheplatformsaresociallyconstructed,non‐neutralterrainsthathavepotentialeducationaluses.

1) AnnotatedBibliography(worth10points)Theseresourcesareself‐selected.Theyarethebasisforlearningmoreabouttheeducation‐relatedusesofyourchosensocialmediaplatform.

2) Essay‐3ppminimum(worth15points)Thisessayisanevaluationofyourchosensocialmediaplatform.

3) OnlineJingPresentation(worth5points)This2‐minutemaximumscreencastwillprovideasummaryofyourfindingsaswellasbrieflyoverviewyourselectedsocialmediaplatform.

Moreinformationaboutthisassignmentwillbeexplainedduringthesemester.

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Project#2(IndividualorGroup‐40points):Transmedia&EdmodoIndividualsorgroups(nomorethan2studentsmayworktogether)willcollectivelychooseonetransmediachildren’sliteratureoryoungadulttextandcorrespondingmultimediaresourcestoexamineindepth.AnEdmodosociallearningsitewillbedevelopedinordertoshowhowatransmediatextcandevelopstudents’inquiryskills.

1) EdmodoWebsite(worth10points)StudentswilldesignasimpleEdmodowebsitethatcollectsandorganizesonlinecontentforthesocialmediaandtransmediaproject.

2) Essay‐5ppminimum(worth20points)Thisessayisanevaluationofyourchosentextandlearninggoals.Itwillincludeanannotatedbibliographyofothersources/texts.Forthosewhochosetoworkinagroup,itmustbecollaborativelywritten.

3) OnlineJingPresentation(worth10points)ThisprojectandyourrationaleforitscreationwillbepresentedtotheclassviayourJingscreencast.

Moreinformationaboutthisassignmentwillbeexplained.

COURSEPOINTS/GRADINGSCALE:Assignment/Project PointsValue

Professionalism&Participation 10pointsBlogPosts 20pointsProject#1 30pointsProject#2 40pointsTotalAvailableCoursePoints: 100POINTS

CourseGrade %ValueA 100‐94A‐ 93.9‐90B+ 89.9‐87B 86.9‐84B‐ 83.9‐80C+ 79.9‐77C 76.9‐74C‐ 73.9‐70D 69.9‐60F 59.9‐00

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CLASSSCHEDULE–SUMMER2012–EDU596.E02LNote:Thesedetailsaresubjecttochange.Beawareofonlineannouncements.Date

Lecture/DiscussionTopics&Activities

Assignments/ReadingsDue

Week1May14‐20

IntroductiontotheCourse• Reviewsyllabusandcourseoverview• Developcommunicationsstructure

o Blackboardo Blogsetup

• Introtosocialmedia,informationliteracy,andmedialiteracy

1) Watch:MediaLiteracyinthe21stCenturyClassroomAssignments:IntroductionsSocialmediasurvey

Week2May21‐27

IntellectualProperty:Privacy&Ethics• Self‐pacedreading• Classdiscussionanddebate• WatchvideoonGoogleoverview• Project#1assigned

ReadingDue:Coutu,etal(2007)WeGoogledYou,HarvardBusinessReview,CaseStudy&CommentaryWatch:GoogleToolsforEducation(2011)

Week3May28‐June3

DigitalLiteracy:PanaceaTerm?ClassDiscussion

• Self‐pacedreading• Classdiscussionanddebate

ReadingDue:Jenkins,etal(2009)ConfrontingtheChallengesofParticipatoryCulture

Week4June4‐10

MobileLearningClassDiscussion

• Self‐pacedreading• Classdiscussionanddebate

ReadingDue:Lenhart,etal(2010)PewInternet&AmericanLife,SocialMedia&MobileInternetUseAmongTeensandYoungAdultsProject#1Due:EmailtoAlexbySun,June10,11:59pm

Week5June11‐17

TransmediaLiteracy,partoneClassDiscussion

• Self‐pacedreading• Classdiscussionanddebate• Project#2assigned

ReadingDue:Thomas,etal(2007)“Transliteracy:Crossingdivides”FirstMonday

Week6June18‐24

TransmediaLiteracy,parttwo• Connectingchildren’sliterature• InvestigateEdmodo• Project#2work

ReadingDue:Choose/readatransmediachildren’soryoungadultbookthatcrossesthetransmedialandscape

Week7June25‐28

Project#2‐PreparationsActivity:WorktimeonProject#2

Project#2DueEmailtoAlexbyThursday,June28,11:59pm

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AcademicIntegrityCodeStudentsareexpectedtoconformtotheregulationsoftheUniversityinregardtoacademicintegrity,especiallyinregardtoplagiarism,inappropriatecollaboration,dishonestyinexaminations,dishonestyinpapers,workforonecourseandsubmittedtoanother,deliberatefalsificationofdata,interferencewithotherstudents'work,andcopyrightviolation.Thestudentacademicintegritycodeislocatedhere:http://www.american.edu/provost/registrar/regulations/reg80.cfmResearchAssistanceTheUniversityLibraryfacultyprovideassistancewithdevelopingsearchstrategiesforAU’sonlineresearchtools.Youcanseekhelpbyvisitingthereferencedesk,bycalling(202)885‐3238,orbyinstantmessagingaskaulibraryviaAIM/GTalk/Yahoo!/MSN.UsingAppropriateDocumentationFormatsTheSchoolofEducation,Teaching&HealthendorsestheuseofAPAorMLAstyleforresearchcitations,footnotes,listofreferences,andlayout,andallwrittenwork.Allstyleguidescanbefoundinprintinthelibrarynexttothereferencedesk.AmericanPsychologicalAssociation.(2010).PublicationmanualoftheAmericanPsychological

Association,SixthEdition.Washington,D.C.:AmericanPsychologicalAssociation.(AtReferenceDesk–Callnumber:PN147.A72010)

Gibaldi,J.MLAHandbookforWritersofResearchPapers.7thed.NewYork:ModernLanguage

Association,2009.(AtReferenceDesk–Callnumber:LB2369.G532009)NewMediaCenter(LowerleveloftheUniversityLibrary)TheNewMediaCenteroffersstudentsassistancewithadvancedmultimediaproductivitysupportservices.Discovertheirofferingshere: http://www.american.edu/library/technology/nmc.cfmEmergencyPreparednessIntheeventofadeclaredpandemic(influenzaorothercommunicabledisease),AmericanUniversitywillimplementaplanformeetingtheneedsofallmembersoftheuniversitycommunity.Shouldtheuniversityberequiredtocloseforaperiodoftime,wearecommittedtoensuringthatallaspectsofoureducationalprogramswillbedeliveredtoourstudents.Thesemayincludealteringandextendingthedurationofthetraditionaltermscheduletocompleteessentialinstructioninthetraditionalformatand/oruseofonlinelearning.Intheeventofadeclaredpandemicorotheremergency,studentsshouldrefertotheAUWebsite(http://www.american.edu/emergency/)andtheAUinformationlineat(202)885‐1100forgeneraluniversity‐wideinformation,aswellascontacttheirfacultyand/orrespectivedean’sofficeforcourseandschool/college‐specificinformation.

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ProtectionofHumanSubjectsCatalogAnyresearchinvolvinginterviewing,surveying,orobservinghumanbeingsissubjecttoreviewandapprovalbytheUniversityInstitutionalReviewBoard(IRB)andinformationabouttheuniversity’sIRBprocessisoutlinedathttp://american.edu/irb/index.cfm.TheuniversityIRBliaisonisMatthewZembrzuskiandhisemailiszembrzus@american.edu.AcademicandDisabilitySupportServicesAppropriatemodificationstoacademicrequirementsmaybenecessaryonacase‐by‐casebasistoensureeducationalopportunityforstudentswithdisabilities,andindividualfacultymembersmayneedtomodifyspecificcourserequirementstopermitequalparticipationbystudentswithdisabilities.Awiderangeofservicesisavailabletohelpyoumeetcourserequirements:

AcademicSupportCenter‐‐http://www.american.edu/ocl/asc/index.cfm DisabilitySupportServices‐‐http://www.american.edu/ocl/dss/index.cfm CounselingCenter‐‐http://www.american.edu/ocl/counseling/index.cfmIncompleteGradesFacultymembersmustapprovestudentrequestsforanincompletegrade,andmustdosobeforetheendofthesemester.StudentsmustcompleteandsubmitanIncompleteContractFormtothefacultymember.Incompletesaregivenonlyincasesofsevereemergencies,orspecial,well‐documentedcircumstances,etc.AdditionalInformationforstudents‐‐

AmericanUniversityAcademicRegulationshttp://www.american.edu/provost/registrar/regulations/academicreg.cfmTheStudentHandbookhttp://www.american.edu/ocl/upload/student_handbook.pdf

StudentEvaluationofTeachingNeartheendofthecourse,youwillhavetheopportunitytoevaluatethisonlineclassandyourlearningexperiencebycompletinganonlineStudentEvaluationofTeaching.Theevaluationcontainsthesamesetofquestionsusedinassessingclassroom‐basedcourses,withtheadditionoffourquestionsspecificallyapplicabletoonlinelearning.Aswithanyotherface‐to‐facecourse,youarestronglyencouragedtoparticipateinthisevaluationofyoureducationalexperience.AhighparticipationrateiscriticaltoAU’sabilitytocontinuallyimproveandstrengthenthequalityoftheUniversity’slearningopportunities.

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PhilosophyoftheSchoolofEducation,Teaching&Health(SETH)ThefacultyoftheSchoolofEducation,Teaching&Healthiscommittedtoexcellenceinadvancingeducationaltheoryandpracticethroughtheinitialandcontinuingdevelopmentofreflective,dedicatedandproficientteachers,administratorsandresearchers.Graduatesareequippedtomeetindividualneeds,tonurturethestrengthsandtalentsofthoseindividuals,andtoinitiateandprovideleadershipinclassrooms,educationalinstitutions,andinthepublicpolicyarena.ThemissionoftheSETHisderivedfromthefaculty'ssharedconvictionthatthefundamentaltaskofschoolinginAmericaistheadvancementofthewelfareofchildren.TheSETHfacultywantsourteachereducationprogramstobeknownforpreparingeffectiveteacherswhounderstandandmodelacommitmenttoexcellence,equity,communityanddiversity.TheSETHfacultyandstaffarecommittedtocelebratingdiversityandbuildingacommunityoflearners.Asweworkincollaborationinandoutoftheclassroom:♦ Webelievethatrespectingeachother'sdifferencesandopinionsleadstoapositiveand

openenvironment,♦ Webelievethatopendiscoursepromotesreflectiveandthoughtfuleducators,♦ Webelievethatequitabletreatmentofeachotherisnecessaryforapositive,sustained,

andworkingcommunity,and♦ Webelievethateachandeverymemberofthecommunitycanmakeavaluable

contributiontothecommunity.♦ Thesebeliefsinactionprovideforallstudents,staff,andfacultyasafe,productive,and

positiveeducationalcommunity.

EDU 596: Social Media Literacy – Summer 2012 Syllabus by Alex R. Hodges is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.