[ 213 ]

[ INTRODUCTION TO DIGITAL LITERACIES ]

ENG 213–002 :: Fall 2010

T/TH 9:30–10:45 :: RB 105

Dr. Brian J. McNely

RB 2111
285-8682
bjmcnely@bsu.edu

Ofce Hours :: T/TH 3:30–5:30 and by appointment

[ ABOUT ]
Introduction to Digital Literacies is about people acting with technology; “technologies are both designed
and used in the context of people and desires” (Kaptelinin and Nardi, 2006, p. 10).

Over the next 16 weeks, we will explore such contexts.

[ People ∆ desires ∆ technologies ]

This course is focused entirely on digital literacies, on people acting with technology via their discursive
activities, now and in the near future. At the end of this course you will be able to identify and explain some
of the key rhetorical, social, cultural, ethical, and economic issues related to people acting with technology.

ENG 213 will introduce you to 4 crucial digital literacies:

[ interacting + analyzing + researching + producing ]

Our exploration of these literacies will be grounded in theories of rhetoric, writing, and technical and
professional communication. We will examine the role that language plays in our lives, organizations, and
digital spaces—from our ways of acquiring and expressing knowledge to the ways that we perceive the
world, ourselves, and others.

The culmination of the course will be refected in four distinct, yet integrated deliverables:

[ public writing + code folder + web-based research project + assessment memo ]

[ OBJECTIVES ]
Students will—

Interact with technologies:

• Recognize and categorize important genres (such as blogs, wikis, single-serving sites, etc.) and categories
(such as multimodal, distributed, social, etc.) of new media communication
• Use common tools for multimodal writing production with profciency and resourcefulness
• “Practice looking”

Analyze people acting with technologies:

• Relate traditional print-based communication patterns and purposes with new media production and
explain some of the tensions between them
• Explain rhetorical choices (metacognition) made as a result of both individual and collaborative work
• Analyze digital works, communities, and/or applications to understand rhetorical, social, cultural, and
political implications of emerging media environments

Research digital literacies:

• Use multiple digital tools and print materials to conduct research and to produce digital artifacts
• Recognize appropriateness of diferent sources for producing and researching goals and contexts
• Explore and practice digital writing as a way of thinking, knowing, and being

Produce digital artifacts:

 • Apply rhetorical and design principles to new media production
• Apply principles of fair use, copyright and documentation conventions for print and digital media
• Recognize rhetorical possibilities of diferent modes (alphabetic text, images, graphics, video, audio, etc.)
and make sound rhetorical choices when combining modes
• Plan » Make » Share

[ KEYWORDS ]

[ SOURCES ]
Selected academic journal articles, blog posts, images, and videos
Google Reader
The Medium is the Massage. McLuhan, M. and Fiore, Q. Ginkgo Press, 2005.
Sams Teach Yourself HTM and CSS in 24 Hours, 8th Edition. Meloni, J. Sams, 2009.
Technology and Literacy in the Twenty-First Century. Selfe, C. SIU Press, 1999.
Here Comes Everybody. Shirky, C. Penguin, 2008.
Ambient Findability. Morville, P. O'Reilly, 2005.
The Cognitive Style of Powerpoint. Tufte, E. Graphics Press, 2006.
Thinking with Type. Lupton, E. Princeton Architectural Press, 2004.
[ ASSESSMENT ]
Deliverables

Research Responses (4) 80

Blog Contributions (6) 120
Midterm Examination 150
Code Folder 150
Oral/Visual Presentation of Research Project 100
Web-Based Research Project:
Proposal 50
Project Deliverables 200
Project Assessment Memo 150

Course Total: 1,000

Grading Scale

A 950–1,000
A- 900–949
B+ 860–899
B 830–859
B- 800–829
C+ 760–799
C 730–759
C- 700–729

[ DETAILS ]
Grading Policy

Deliverables are assessed according to criteria distributed through Blackboard.

Storage and Backup

This course will require the consistent use of one or more of the following methods of digital storage and
backup:

BSU iLocker
Dropbox
Drop.io
Google Docs
USB Drive

Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty

Proper citation is a hallmark of good scholarship.

Crediting someone else's work—whatever form that work takes—is a nice thing to do.

It's nice to be nice to people.

Don't use someone else's work without giving them credit. Don't submit work for this class that you did for
another class. If in doubt, see BSU's statement on academic integrity. But mostly? Be nice to people and give
credit where it's due.

Attendance, Withdrawals, and Incompletes

Come to class—it's fun!

Don't be late—you'll miss important stuf!

If you miss more than 3 classes—for any reason—your fnal grade will be lowered by one step for each missed
class beyond the limit (for example, 4 absences will result in a reduction from a B+ to a B).

Let me know early in the semester if you will miss class for university business or religious holidays.

Please see the University Catalog for more information on withdrawals and incompletes.

Writing Center

The Writing Center ofers free one-to-one assistance on all of your writing projects for all of your classes.
Also? The Writing Center is full of awesome people.

They are located in RB 291, and are open 10 am to 8 pm, Monday–Thursday, and 10 am to 2 pm on Friday.

Students Needing Accommodations

If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have emergency medical
information to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated,
please make an appointment with me as soon as possible. My ofce location and hours are listed on the frst
page of this document.

For additional information, please contact Larry Markle, Director of the Ofce of Disabled Student
Development, at lmarkle@bsu.edu or 285-5293; TTY 285-2206. The DSD ofce is located at Student Center
116.
[ CALENDAR + SCHEDULE ]
Important Dates

Midterm Examination 10.14

Proposal 11.2
Code Folder 11.30
Presentations 12.2 :: 12.7 :: 12.9
Web-Based Research Project 12.16
Project Assessment Memo 12.16

[ Complete the readings before the class for which they are assigned, and prepare to interact in class. ]

Week 1
8.24 Did Pencils Make Us Dumber?
On the New Literacy
Tech Support Cheat Sheet
Birdwell Swimwear

8.26 Is Google Making Us Stupid?

Does the Internet Make You Smarter?

Week 2
8.31 McLuhan 1–87
Meloni Ch. 1
Geek Workshop

9.2 McLuhan 88–157

Meloni Ch. 2
Geek Workshop

Week 3
9.7 Drucker, P. “The Coming of the New Organization.” [BB]
Spinuzzi, C. “What do We Need to Teach about Knowledge Work?”
Research Response

9.9 Brummett, B. “Three Meanings of Epistemic Rhetoric.” [BB]

Freedman, D. “The Aggressive Egg.” [BB]
Meloni Ch. 3

Week 4
9.14 Emig, J. “Inquiry Paradigms and Writing.” [BB]
Boroditsky, L. “How Does Our Language Shape the Way We Think?”
Research Response

9.16 Selfe Introduction & Ch. 1

Meloni Ch. 4
Week 5
9.21 Selfe Ch. 2 & Ch. 3
Research Response

9.23 Selfe Ch. 4 & Ch. 5

Meloni Ch. 5

Week 6
9.28 Selfe Ch. 6 through Ch. 8
Research Response

9.30 Selfe Ch. 9

Meloni Ch. 6

Week 7
10.5 boyd, d. “Social Media is Here to Stay... Now What?”
Shirky Ch. 1 through Ch. 3
Blog designing :: “Practice Looking”

10.7 Shirky Ch. 4

Meloni Ch. 7

Week 8
10.12 Shirky Ch. 5 & Ch. 6
Meloni Ch. 8
Midterm Review

10.14 Midterm Examination

Week 9
10.19 Shirky Ch. 7 & Ch. 8
Meloni Ch. 9

10.21 Shirky Ch. 9 & Ch. 10

Blog Post

Week 10
10.26 Shirky Ch. 11 through Epilogue

10.28 Lupton pp. 7–24

Meloni Ch. 10
Blog Post

Week 11
11.2 Morville Intro and Ch. 1
Lupton pp. 25–59
Proposals Due

11.4 Morville Ch. 2

Meloni Ch. 11
Blog Post
Week 12
11.9 Morville Ch. 3 & Ch. 4
Meloni Ch. 12

11.11 Morville Ch. 5

Lupton pp. 60–79
Blog Post

Week 13
11.16 Morville Ch. 6
Lupton pp. 80–109

11.18 Morville Ch. 7

Meloni Ch. 13
Blog Post

Week 14
11.23 Thanksgiving :: No Class!
11.25 Thanksgiving :: No Class!

Week 15
11.30 Tufte (all)
Meloni Ch. 14
Code Folder Due

12.2 Lupton pp. 110–129

Meloni Ch. 15
Blog Post :: Presentations

Week 16
12.7 Lupton pp. 130–173
Meloni Ch. 16
Presentations

12.9 Meloni Ch. 17

Presentations

Final
12.16 — 9:45–11:45

Final Web-Based Research Projects

Project Assessment Memos