Course Syllabus

DIGITAL LITERACIES 1
November 4, 2013 - December 14, 2013 A six-week online course designed for education professionals...
Welcome to your course. As part of its ongoing strategic plan for transforming learning, the San Diego County Office of Education offers educators this seven-week intensive course of professional development designed to improve your digital literacies. You will explore:

Web-based and other electronic tools The grammar of the Internet Ways for using digital information ethically, efficiently, and effectively Advanced online search literacy tactics How to use electronic devices more efficiently Frameworks for digital education literacy Various digital literacy curricula for use with students and other stakeholders

The course is provided by way of Instructure's Canvas learning management system (LMS)--the website you are currently on.
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Please begin by reviewing the course syllabus thoroughly.

LOCATION
Digital Literacies 1 is an asynchronous online course.

INSTRUCTOR CONTACT

Emil Ahangarzadeh, Ed.D. TechSETS.org Add the Digital Literacy Today page to your Google+ Circles Check out Emil's Google+ Profile... Follow Emil on Twitter...
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Office Hours
Office hours (synchronous meeting with instructor) are held virtually via the Conferences feature of the Canvas LMS. Office hours are available from 3pm to 4pm (Pacific) every Friday throughout the courses duration. There is no need to sign up or make an appointment. Simply CLICK HERE APPROXIMATE 5 MINUTES BEFORE THE DESIGNATED OFFICE HOUR PERIOD.

COURSE DESCRIPTION
The goal of the Digital Literacy I class is to provide practicing and pre-service educators as well as others with the tools and knowledge necessary to enhance and enrich the educational experiences of students through digital technologies. Learners will explore ways to utilize web-based and other electronic tools as well as to deepen their understanding of the grammar of the Internet, the vocabulary of technology, and the pedagogical approach required to seamlessly integrate the use of digital tools, digital literacy, and subject-specific content into units of study appropriate for their students. Digital Literacies 1 is part one of a two-part series. There are no prerequisites for either of the courses in the series.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

Appraise and practice the use of a variety of online tools for communication, productivity, collaboration, analysis, and presentation. Demonstrate a more technical understanding of the Internet. Model digital information fluency. Collaborate with colleagues with web-based technologies. Demonstrate appropriate use of technologies to enhance student learning.

PREREQUISITE CHARACTERISTICS & SKILLS

Learners should possess the following prerequisite characteristics and skills:

Independent learner
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Self-disciplined Average to advanced computer skills

COMMUNICATION
Conversations vs. Email:
DO NOT USE EMAIL TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR INSTRUCTOR. Please use the 'Conversations' feature in the LMS to communicate with both your facilitators/instructors as well as your fellow learners. You may access the Conversations feature by clicking the 'Inbox' link in the upper right of the screen when logged into the LMS.

COURSE STRUCTURE
This course will be delivered entirely online through the Canvas course management system. In Canvas, you will access online lessons, course materials, and a variety of multimedia resources. Throughout the course, you will participate in a blend of self-paced and scheduled release (instructor-paced) activities using the Canvas LMS and alternative Internet-based technologies.

TEXTBOOK & COURSE MATERIALS

There is no required print textbook for this course. Everything you need will be available online in the links and text found in this course. Students do not have to purchase any materials, nor will any be sent. An office productivity suite such as Microsoft Office or Apple iWork is recommended but not required. A wider range of free alternatives, such as the Open Office suite of programs, Zoho, ThinkFree Online, and Google Docs, can be used as an alternative. A Google Drive account is required. Learners may create a Google Drive account by directing their browser to: http://bit.ly/creategoogledriveaccount. Additional free accounts with a variety of Web 2.0 tools will be needed as well.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
Required:
The ability to record audio on your computer via a standard microphone

Free online accounts for Google, Vocaroo, Screencast-O-Matic, YouTube and other Web 2.0 tools that emerge in the course Current web browser with appropriate plugins (e.g. Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari) Flash Player- enabled device Adobe PDF Reader- enabled device Java Runtime Environment- enabled devices

Optional: Web cam for expanding your presence within the course File Formats Accepted: DOC DOCX PDF PPT PPTX XLS XLSX PNG JPG GIF MPG4 MOV MPG3

TECHNICAL SUPPORT
For support with using the LMS, please visit the Canvas support site. You also can use the General Forum Discussion to post requests for help to your fellow learners.

COURSE SUPPORT
If you have a question about any course expectations, it is likely that many other students will have the same question - please post your question in the General Forum (for course questions). If you need further help to successfully complete assignments or to meet a specific learning objective in our class, please send a message to your instructor(s) as soon as possible. Virtual office hours are available for you on Fridays from 3pm to 4pm (Pacific).

COMPLETION REQUIREMENTS & EXPECTATIONS

ALL ASSIGNMENTS AND QUIZZES MUST BE SUBMITTED IN A TIMELY MANNER. LATE ASSIGNMENTS/QUIZZES WILL NOT RECEIVE CREDIT. LATE ASSIGNMENTS/QUIZZES WILL RECEIVE A SCORE OF ZERO.

Assignments
The Digital Literacies 1 course is a 30-hour (approximate) course of study spanning a six-week period. To successfully complete the course, you must complete all coursework and assignments in accordance with the course calendar. Each assignment has a set of criteria. Course instructor(s) and your fellow learners will review your assignments and provide you with feedback. Please remember to check for feedback comments from your course instructor(s). Each assignment includes an attached rubric. Click on the individual assignments (below) to access its rubric. Participants must complete all assignments by the end of the course (no extensions available). The participants that usually have the most success in this virtual environment set aside a specific time for their work each week. If at any time you are feeling unsure of what is expected for an assignment, refer to the rubric to get the best sense of what to include in the assignment. Also feel free to use the discussion boards to ask the class questions. All assignments for this course will be submitted electronically through Canvas unless otherwise described. Assignments must be submitted by the given deadline or special permission must be requested from the instructor before the due date. If an assignment submission does not meet its specific word count requirement, it will not receive credit (i.e. the assignment will receive a score of zero). If you find that you have any trouble keeping up with assignments or other aspects of the course, make sure you let your instructor know as early as possible. Make sure that you are proactive in informing your instructor when difficulties arise during the course so that they can help you find a solution. Under emergency/special circumstances, participants may petition for an incomplete status in the course, and resume at a later date. Please note that you will be required to review your peers' completed assignments throughout the course (see below). However, if you do not receive credit for an assignment (e.g. late submission or no submission), you will not be assigned to review your peers' submissions for that assignment and therefore, will not be able to get full credit for completing your weekly peer review assignment. Therefore, it is critical that you manage your time and assignments in such a manner that you meet ALL submission due dates for ALL assignments.

Collaborative Group Assignments During the week four module, one of your assignments is a collaborative group project. Project groups are assigned randomly at the start of the week two module. You will receive a message with instructions regarding how to complete your collaborative group project. However, you will not be able to access your week four assignment until week four. Your partner(s) are assigned early in the course so that you may coordinate your communication protocols and processes. As learners in this course, you are expected to adhere to the following guidelines for your collaborative project:

You will make a good faith effort to share contact information with your group members. At the very minimum, you are expected to engage in ongoing communication through the Conversations tool in the LMS. However, it is strongly recommended that you consider other forms of communication to insure your work is completed in a timely manner and that you collaborate with you group members in an appropriate way. Before the week five module commences, you will discuss your shared commitment to the accomplishing your project tasks by identifying for your group mates the skills you will contribute in terms of task and maintenance roles. Further, you will identify skills or knowledge areas you would like to work on during the group work process. You will engage your group members in a thorough discussion regarding the tasks that must be completed in order to submit the group assignment including task quality and the development of specific team process skills (e.g. holding effective meetings for planning). Prior to the week five module, you will identify barriers that may hinder goal attainment (e.g. scheduled weddings, lack of Internet connectivity etc...). As such, you will develop a contingency paln and take an active approach to problem identification and problem solving. Conflict cannot and should not be completely avoided. However conflict must be managed. Therefore, you will identify kinds of issues that might bring group members into conflict and agree beforehand how to deal constructively with those conflicts. For example, a common conflict in asynchronous online courses is the perception that one or more team members are not doing a fair share of the work. This can be the result of unclear or conflicting expectations or of an intentional or unavoidable failure to follow through on assignments or attendance. Either way, by agreeing on the rules of engagement before conflict even arises, groups can manage it more ably if it should arise. You will identify meeting times, meeting protocols, group member roles (e.g. record keeping, meeting facilitation, etc...), notifications, assignment responsibilities, and other task and maintenance issues.

By identifying and agreeing upon ground rules early in the course, group members minimize the risk of conflict and facilitate task completion.

Week Four Collaborative Group Assignment By way of orienting you to what the group assignment holds, below, please review a description of the project (details not included)... You have been training a group of teachers on advanced/academic search skills. For their final assessment, you are posing a search challenge for them to solve. Your search challenge should be submitted as either PowerPoint presentation or Google Presentation. To learn how to work in groups, visit the 'Working in Groups' page in the orientation module...

Synchronous Presentation
Please note that during week four of the course, you will be providing a live (synchronous) presentation on a comparative analysis of search engines. The comparative analysis is conducted during week three. You will have a chance to sign up for your preferred time/date slot for presentation during week three. Presentations are scheduled on days one to three of the week four module. Presentations will be made through Adobe Connect. Your instructor will provide you with the requisite information to use Adobe Connect (free). However, you will be responsible for ensuring you can communicate through your computer using a microphone. You will be provided with access to the Adobe Connect virtual room at least one week prior to your presentation so that you may test your network and audio connection.

Discussions
Throughout this course, you will be engaging your fellow learners in virtual discussions. All discussion assignments should show a thoughtful consideration of the topic. They are expected to be written in standard English, and are typically 150-500 words in length. Your responses must substantively address issues posed (may include questions posed to extend the discussion). All discussion submissions should be devoid of major mechanical flaws (i.e. posts should be written in academic English). Although responding to your colleague's submissions is not required, it is encouraged. All initial discussion assignment submissions that are either less than 150 words in length or more than 500 words in length will not receive credit (i.e. the assignment will receive a score of zero). Please note that your initial discussion submission (for credit) must be written (i.e. cannot be a media message) and posted as online text (not an attachment). However, if you choose to, you are welcome to reply to your colleagues using the media messaging service.
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Re-submission Your course instructor may choose to allow you to resubmit some, all, or none of your assignments in order to receive additional credit for the given assignment. Re-submission is left solely to the discretion of your specific instructor. However, in all cases, submissions and re-submissions MUST be made by the established due date of an assignment.

Peer Reviews
For each assignment, learners will be assigned to review the work of two of their course mates. Peer review assignments are randomly created by the Canvas LMS. However, the course facilitator may manually assign learners to review particular assignments. Peer review assignments will be made approximately one hour after the due date of a given assignment. Each peer review assignment includes a due date. Additionally, each peer review assignment includes a rubric which MUST be used by the peer reviewer. The peer reviewer MUST also provide free-hand comments regarding each assignment reviewed. The quality of your peer reviews should be substantive. That is, although a word count requirement is not provided for your peer reviews, your typed remarks should include at least one of the following elements:

Constructive criticism regarding a subject matter discussed An analysis of relationships mentioned in the submission Evidence that supports your assessment

Finally, please note that your peer review and other assignment dates are irregular for week 6.

Quizzes
All quizzes are graded by percentage. Quizzes vary in number of items.

Learners are encouraged to visit Grades of the LMS and stay abreast of their weekly progress.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Academic integrity is vital in all forms of learning. All assignments submitted must be original work unless otherwise cited. All media must be cited in some way; a specific format may be required by your course instructor(s).
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KEEPING YOUR COURSEWORK

You will have access to your instance of the course for an unspecified period. That is, unless Instructure changes its policies, you will be able to access the course content once the course has concluded. However, you will not be able to interact with the course content. Please be advised that TechSETS reserves the right to terminate your access to the course content at any time.

GRADING AND RUBRICS

Learners must receive a minimal overall score of 90% in order to successfully complete the course. That is, in order to receive your certificate of completion and your digital badge, you must receive an overall score of 90%. Learners grades will be composed of work completed in two categories: AssignmentsQuizzes75% 25%

DATE/DAY REFERENCES
Each week begins at 12:00 a.m. on Monday and is referred to as day 1. Each week ends at 11:59pm on Sunday and is referred to as day 7.

DROP POLICY
As you may know, you can drop this course at any time. However, please note that if you elect to enroll with the San Diego County Office of Education and the San Diego State University for graduate units (CEU), you will need to abide by their drop policies. Additionally, please note that if a learner is not active for a two week period, the course facilitators reserve the right to drop the learner from the course. Activity is measured by graded content submission. That is, logging into the system or viewing pages is not considered activity. To be considered active in the course, at least one quiz or assignment or graded discussion submission must be recorded in the grade book over the course of two modules (two weeks).

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DISCLAIMER
Throughout the course, you will be introduced (and in some cases, re-introduced) to a series of tools and services that have educational value which, when used appropriately, can yield engaging learning and teaching experiences. However, please note that IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO VET THE USE OF THESE TOOLS AND SERVICES THROUGH YOUR DISTRICT'S POLICIES. That is, please review your district's policies and regulations to ensure that the tools and services you are exposed to meet your professional obligations to your local educational agency.

Date Nov 4 Nov 6 Nov 8

Day Mon Wed Fri Course Orientation Orientation Assignment Web Tool Wednesday Webinar Pre-Assessment Office Hours Week One Discussion Comparing Definitions Assignment File Types Quiz Grammar of the Web Quiz Inside the PC Quiz Ports/Networking Quiz The Internet Quiz Web Tool Wednesday Webinar Office Hours Week Two Discussion How Search Works Quiz Reflection on Search Today Assignment

Details 3:30pm to 7pm due by 11:59pm 3:30pm to 4:30pm due by 11:59pm 3pm to 4pm due by 11:59pm due by 11:59pm due by 11:59pm due by 11:59pm due by 11:59pm due by 11:59pm due by 11:59pm 3:30pm to 4:30pm 3pm to 4pm due by 11:59pm due by 11:59pm due by 11:59pm
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Nov 10

Sun

Nov 13 Nov 15 Nov 17

Wed Fri Sun

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Day Search Tips Quiz Office Hours Week Three Discussion Comparing Search Engines Assignment Forming a Search Argument Assignment Search Engine Watch Quiz Week Four Discussion

Details due by 11:59pm 3pm to 4pm due by 11:59pm due by 11:59pm due by 11:59pm due by 11:59pm due by 11:59pm

Nov 22

Fri

Nov 24 Nov 29

Sun Fri

Dec 1

Sun

Advanced Search Quiz due by 11:59pm Better Search Results Quiz due by 11:59pm Developing a Search Challenge Assignment due by 11:59pm Google Scholar, Books, and Other Search Tools Quiz due by 11:59pm Web Tool Wednesday webinar Office Hours Week Five Discussion Creating a Strong Password Assignment Device Efficiency Assignment Site Validation Quiz Snipping & Grabbing Assignment Tracking Domain Owners Quiz Web Tool Wednesday webinar Week Six Discussion Office Hours Comparing Digital Literacy Curricula Assignment 3:30pm to 4:30pm 3pm to 4pm due by 11:59pm due by 11:59pm due by 11:59pm due by 11:59pm due by 11:59pm due by 11:59pm 3:30pm to 4:30pm due by 11:59pm 3pm to 4pm due by 11:59pm
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Dec 4 Dec 6

Wed Fri

Dec 8

Sun

Dec 11 Dec 12 Dec 13

Wed Thu Fri

Date Dec 14

Day Sun Final Review Quiz

Details due by 11:59pm

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