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Instructor:AlexR.Hodges,AssociateLibrarian/Professor OnlineOfficeHours:OnlineviaGchat/Google+Tuesdays,35pm https://plus.google.com/109530999277649806514/ Phone:cell/text202.210.8850 Email:alex.hodges@gmail.com Classmeetsasynchronouslyonline:May15,2012throughJune28,2012 CatalogCourseDescriptionforEDU596: Thisonlinecourseisanexplorationandcriticalanalysisofsocialmediauseinprimary, secondary,andhighereducationenvironments.Itincludeshowissuesofconstructivistand connectivistlearningarereflectedacrossavarietyofonlineplatformssuchasFacebook, Google+,andothersocialmedia,andcoversthescopeofdigitalliteracyasitcrossesinto transmediaandmobilelearning. RequiredReading: Seecourseoutlineforreadingassignmentsbydate.

ate. CourseGoalsandPurposes: Ourworktogetherasanonlinelearningcommunityrequiresreflection,observationand communication.Togetherwewillexaminebotheducationalsocialmediaanddigitalliteracy. Studentswillapplywhattheylearninthisclasstotheireventualteachingpracticeandtothe developmentoftheircriticalthinkingskills.Carefulevaluationofsocialmediaanddigital platformsalongwithanengaged,conversantdynamicwillaidthediscussionofcurriculum baseddiscoveries.Inordertoachievethesemeans,thecoursewillusecriticaltheoryanda medialiteracyframeworktouncovermeaning,exploredesignandcritiqueonlinelearning throughsocialnetworking.Asacommunity,theclasswill... 1. Experienceanintroductoryoverviewofsocialmediaandtheconceptsofdigitaland medialiteracy. 2. Engagecriticalthinkingskillstoevaluate,discuss,researchandreflectuponreactionsto socialmediainorderto... Viewdigital/medialiteracyasasocialpractice, Engageindebateaboutonlineprivacyandintellectualproperty, Explorethepossibilitiesofmultipleliteracies, Discoversituatedmeaningswithineducationalusageofnetworkingpractices,and Examinethemotivationsofbloggers,onlineeducators,andmediacompanies. 3. Usethelensofmedialiteracyto... Discussandlearnaboutsocialissuessuchasinformationneed,informationaccess, informationevaluation,informationintegration,andinformationethics. Informthefutureteachingofchildrenssocialmediausewhilealsoreflectingupon teachingpracticeandcriticaltheory.
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EDU596:SocialMediaLiteracySyllabus Summer2012AmericanUniversitySchoolofEducation,Teaching&Health

CourseLearningOutcomes: 1. Studentswillcriticallyinvestigatesocialmedialearningenvironmentsinordertounpack theinherentprivacyconcernsandsocialbenefitsofonlinecommunication.Studentswill havebothassignedreadingsandselfchosenreadingsaswellaslearntofacilitateonline learningthroughsocialmediaplatforms. 2. Studentswillcreateandmanagetheirownblogentriesinordertousemultimodal writingasameanstoreflectupon,communicateandsharetheircriticaldiscoveries. 3. Studentswillcritiquetransmediareadingexperiencesthatcommandbothindependent andsocialreadingexercises.Thisabilitytomovereadingexperienceacrossatraditional terrainfromaprinttexttothedevelopingterrainofanonline,socialtextwillrequire activatinginquiryskillsanddialogicliteracythroughlibrarybasedprintandonline research. 4. Studentswillactivateandbuilduponcreativeproblemsolvingskillsinorderto completeproblembasedlearning. 5. Studentswillcreateamedialiteracyanalysisofasocialmediaplatforminorderto provideindepthlinguistic,webdesignandorganizationalanalysis,whichshowshow teachingaboutmultimodalitycaneffectthedevelopmentofmultipleliteracies. 6. Studentswillcreateasocialmediawebsiteandscreencast/videotodisplaythestepsof theanalysisinordertodisseminatetheirreflection,newlycreated/researched knowledgeandmultimodalcommunicationskills.Thissitewillprovideotherstudentsin theclasswithnewknowledgeaboutthesocialandpoliticalmessages/usestoconsider withtheirownfuturestudents.

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

COURSEREQUIREMENTS
ProfessionalismandParticipation(10Points)
Yourparticipationandcriticalengagementarecrucialforyoursuccessespeciallyinacompletely onlinecourse.Youarerequiredtoparticipatemeaningfullyandcriticallyinallasynchronousdiscussions aswellascompleteallassignedwork.Studentswhoaccrue12misseddiscussionsmayreceiveaone halflettergradededuction(i.e.anAbecomesaB+)fromtheparticipationgrade.Studentswhomiss3 ormorediscussionsmaynotreceiveanyparticipationpoints.

BlogDiscussionPosts(20Points)

Eachstudentwillblogaboutassignedsocialmediaissues.Participationinthisforumiscriticalto attaininggoalsandobjectivesforthecourse.

BloggerviaGoogle

StudentsareexpectedtojointheclassBloggersitethroughapersonalGoogleaccount(seethe instructorforaGoogleaccountifyoudonthaveoneseparatefromAU),andprovidetheclass withtheirresponsestothediscussionprompts. ActiveparticipationwillbegaugedFOURtimes(at5pts.pereachofthefourgradingdate ranges)duringthecourse: May28(gradingdaterangesMay2127) June4(gradingdaterangesMay28June3) June11(gradingdaterangesJune410) June18(gradingdaterangesJune1117) Fullpointscanbeearnedweeklybyprovidingaminimumof3weeklysubstantialposts a)ONEpost(withinthesameweeksMondayFridaytimeline,dueby11:59pmontheFriday ofeachweek)mustbeanindividual,originalresponsetothediscussionquestionprompts, b)TWOotherposts(withinthesameweeksMondaySundaytimeline,dueby11:59pmon theSundayofeachweek)mustreflectonandcontributemeaningfully(in23sentences)to otherstudentsposts.

Project#1(Individual30points):SocialMediaPlatformAnalysis Eachstudentwillanalyzeasocialmediaplatform.Therearemanyplatformsthatcanbechosen forthisassignment,andwewillusethetenetsofmedialiteracytohelpunpackhowthe platformsaresociallyconstructed,nonneutralterrainsthathavepotentialeducationaluses. 1) AnnotatedBibliography(worth10points) Theseresourcesareselfselected.Theyarethebasisforlearningmoreaboutthe educationrelatedusesofyourchosensocialmediaplatform. 2) Essay3ppminimum(worth15points) Thisessayisanevaluationofyourchosensocialmediaplatform. 3) OnlineJingPresentation(worth5points) This2minutemaximumscreencastwillprovideasummaryofyourfindingsaswell asbrieflyoverviewyourselectedsocialmediaplatform. Moreinformationaboutthisassignmentwillbeexplainedduringthesemester.

Project#2(IndividualorGroup40points):Transmedia&Edmodo Individualsorgroups(nomorethan2studentsmayworktogether)willcollectivelychooseone transmediachildrensliteratureoryoungadulttextandcorrespondingmultimediaresourcesto examineindepth.AnEdmodosociallearningsitewillbedevelopedinordertoshowhowa transmediatextcandevelopstudentsinquiryskills. 1) EdmodoWebsite(worth10points) StudentswilldesignasimpleEdmodowebsitethatcollectsandorganizesonline contentforthesocialmediaandtransmediaproject. 2) Essay5ppminimum(worth20points) Thisessayisanevaluationofyourchosentextandlearninggoals.Itwillincludean annotatedbibliographyofothersources/texts.Forthosewhochosetoworkina group,itmustbecollaborativelywritten. 3) OnlineJingPresentation(worth10points) Thisprojectandyourrationaleforitscreationwillbepresentedtotheclassviayour Jingscreencast. Moreinformationaboutthisassignmentwillbeexplained.

COURSEPOINTS/GRADINGSCALE:

Assignment/Project Professionalism&Participation BlogPosts Project#1 Project#2 TotalAvailableCoursePoints: CourseGrade A A B+ B B C+ C C D F

PointsValue 10points 20points 30points 40points 100POINTS %Value 10094 93.990 89.987 86.984 83.980 79.977 76.974 73.970 69.960 59.900

CLASSSCHEDULESUMMER2012EDU596.E02L
Note:Thesedetailsaresubjecttochange.Beawareofonlineannouncements. Date Lecture/DiscussionTopics&Activities Assignments/ReadingsDue Week1 IntroductiontotheCourse 1) Watch: May Reviewsyllabusandcourseoverview MediaLiteracyinthe21stCentury 1420 Developcommunicationsstructure Classroom o Blackboard Assignments: o Blogsetup Introductions Introtosocialmedia,information Socialmediasurvey literacy,andmedialiteracy Week2 IntellectualProperty:Privacy&Ethics ReadingDue: May Selfpacedreading Coutu,etal(2007) 2127 Classdiscussionanddebate WeGoogledYou,HarvardBusiness WatchvideoonGoogleoverview Review,CaseStudy&Commentary Project#1assigned Watch: GoogleToolsforEducation(2011) Week3 DigitalLiteracy:PanaceaTerm? ReadingDue: May28 ClassDiscussion Jenkins,etal(2009) June3 Selfpacedreading ConfrontingtheChallengesof Classdiscussionanddebate ParticipatoryCulture Week4 MobileLearning ReadingDue: June ClassDiscussion Lenhart,etal(2010) 410 Selfpacedreading PewInternet&AmericanLife, Classdiscussionanddebate SocialMedia&MobileInternetUse AmongTeensandYoungAdults Project#1Due:EmailtoAlexby Sun,June10,11:59pm Week5 TransmediaLiteracy,partone ReadingDue: June ClassDiscussion Thomas,etal(2007) 1117 Selfpacedreading Transliteracy:Crossingdivides Classdiscussionanddebate FirstMonday Project#2assigned Week6 TransmediaLiteracy,parttwo ReadingDue: June Connectingchildrensliterature Choose/readatransmedia 1824 InvestigateEdmodo childrensoryoungadultbookthat Project#2work crossesthetransmedialandscape Week7 Project#2Preparations Project#2Due June Activity:WorktimeonProject#2 EmailtoAlexbyThursday,June28, 2528 11:59pm

AcademicIntegrityCode StudentsareexpectedtoconformtotheregulationsoftheUniversityinregardtoacademic integrity,especiallyinregardtoplagiarism,inappropriatecollaboration,dishonestyin examinations,dishonestyinpapers,workforonecourseandsubmittedtoanother,deliberate falsificationofdata,interferencewithotherstudents'work,andcopyrightviolation.The studentacademicintegritycodeislocatedhere: http://www.american.edu/provost/registrar/regulations/reg80.cfm ResearchAssistance TheUniversityLibraryfacultyprovideassistancewithdevelopingsearchstrategiesforAUs onlineresearchtools.Youcanseekhelpbyvisitingthereferencedesk,bycalling(202)885 3238,orbyinstantmessagingaskaulibraryviaAIM/GTalk/Yahoo!/MSN. UsingAppropriateDocumentationFormats TheSchoolofEducation,Teaching&HealthendorsestheuseofAPAorMLAstyleforresearch citations,footnotes,listofreferences,andlayout,andallwrittenwork.Allstyleguidescanbe foundinprintinthelibrarynexttothereferencedesk. AmericanPsychologicalAssociation.(2010).PublicationmanualoftheAmericanPsychological Association,SixthEdition.Washington,D.C.:AmericanPsychologicalAssociation.(At ReferenceDeskCallnumber:PN147.A72010) Gibaldi,J.MLAHandbookforWritersofResearchPapers.7thed.NewYork:ModernLanguage Association,2009.(AtReferenceDeskCallnumber:LB2369.G532009) NewMediaCenter(LowerleveloftheUniversityLibrary) TheNewMediaCenteroffersstudentsassistancewithadvancedmultimediaproductivity supportservices.Discovertheirofferingshere: http://www.american.edu/library/technology/nmc.cfm EmergencyPreparedness Intheeventofadeclaredpandemic(influenzaorothercommunicabledisease),American Universitywillimplementaplanformeetingtheneedsofallmembersoftheuniversity community.Shouldtheuniversityberequiredtocloseforaperiodoftime,wearecommitted toensuringthatallaspectsofoureducationalprogramswillbedeliveredtoourstudents. Thesemayincludealteringandextendingthedurationofthetraditionaltermscheduleto completeessentialinstructioninthetraditionalformatand/oruseofonlinelearning.Inthe eventofadeclaredpandemicorotheremergency,studentsshouldrefertotheAUWebsite (http://www.american.edu/emergency/)andtheAUinformationlineat(202)8851100for generaluniversitywideinformation,aswellascontacttheirfacultyand/orrespectivedeans officeforcourseandschool/collegespecificinformation.

ProtectionofHumanSubjectsCatalog Anyresearchinvolvinginterviewing,surveying,orobservinghumanbeingsissubjecttoreview andapprovalbytheUniversityInstitutionalReviewBoard(IRB)andinformationaboutthe universitysIRBprocessisoutlinedathttp://american.edu/irb/index.cfm.TheuniversityIRB liaisonisMatthewZembrzuskiandhisemailiszembrzus@american.edu. AcademicandDisabilitySupportServices Appropriatemodificationstoacademicrequirementsmaybenecessaryonacasebycasebasis toensureeducationalopportunityforstudentswithdisabilities,andindividualfacultymembers mayneedtomodifyspecificcourserequirementstopermitequalparticipationbystudents withdisabilities.Awiderangeofservicesisavailabletohelpyoumeetcourserequirements: AcademicSupportCenterhttp://www.american.edu/ocl/asc/index.cfm DisabilitySupportServiceshttp://www.american.edu/ocl/dss/index.cfm CounselingCenterhttp://www.american.edu/ocl/counseling/index.cfm IncompleteGrades Facultymembersmustapprovestudentrequestsforanincompletegrade,andmustdoso beforetheendofthesemester.StudentsmustcompleteandsubmitanIncompleteContract Formtothefacultymember.Incompletesaregivenonlyincasesofsevereemergencies,or special,welldocumentedcircumstances,etc. AdditionalInformationforstudents AmericanUniversityAcademicRegulations http://www.american.edu/provost/registrar/regulations/academicreg.cfm TheStudentHandbook http://www.american.edu/ocl/upload/student_handbook.pdf StudentEvaluationofTeaching Neartheendofthecourse,youwillhavetheopportunitytoevaluatethisonlineclassandyour learningexperiencebycompletinganonlineStudentEvaluationofTeaching.Theevaluation containsthesamesetofquestionsusedinassessingclassroombasedcourses,withthe additionoffourquestionsspecificallyapplicabletoonlinelearning.Aswithanyotherfaceto facecourse,youarestronglyencouragedtoparticipateinthisevaluationofyoureducational experience.AhighparticipationrateiscriticaltoAUsabilitytocontinuallyimproveand strengthenthequalityoftheUniversityslearningopportunities.

PhilosophyoftheSchoolofEducation,Teaching&Health(SETH) ThefacultyoftheSchoolofEducation,Teaching&Healthiscommittedtoexcellencein advancingeducationaltheoryandpracticethroughtheinitialandcontinuingdevelopmentof reflective,dedicatedandproficientteachers,administratorsandresearchers.Graduatesare equippedtomeetindividualneeds,tonurturethestrengthsandtalentsofthoseindividuals, andtoinitiateandprovideleadershipinclassrooms,educationalinstitutions,andinthepublic policyarena.ThemissionoftheSETHisderivedfromthefaculty'ssharedconvictionthatthe fundamentaltaskofschoolinginAmericaistheadvancementofthewelfareofchildren.The SETHfacultywantsourteachereducationprogramstobeknownforpreparingeffective teacherswhounderstandandmodelacommitmenttoexcellence,equity,communityand diversity. TheSETHfacultyandstaffarecommittedtocelebratingdiversityandbuildingacommunityof learners.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.

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