Faculty

Senate Document No.4, 2007-2008 UNH Curriculum Change Form APPROVAL FOR: Course or Program Title Foundations in Media Literacy Page 1 Course or Worksheet Number ED 710 3 credits For program, state whether PhD, MS, MA, Grad Certificate, BS, BA, AS, Minor, Concentration, or UG Certificate. Sixth Year Certificate (6YC) Administrative Unit Education Proposing Faculty Member, Name Nancy S. Niemi Tel 203-932-7466 Email nniemi@newhaven.edu Administrative Unit Vote For 9 Against 1 Other .. Date 12/7/10 Approved by Signature Date Administrative Unit1 . College-Level Curriculum Committee . Dean . University UG, or G Curriculum Committee2 . Faculty Senate3 . Provost .. 1 Prior to submitting this form the proposing unit should discuss these changes with all other units that may be affected by the changes. The earlier this is done in the process the better. However, all members of the faculty will be advised by email of these proposed changes when they are put on the University UG or G Curriculum Committee agenda. The proposing faculty member shall keep a list of departments/units likely to be affected and the date of contact and the response of each, which response must be submitted within two weeks. All negatively affected units can bring their concerns to the attention of the proposing unit and/or any of the approving bodies. 2 The UUCC/UGCC and Senate may request B&F review for changes above about $5k. 3 In the case that the senate determines that changes need to be made to the proposal, the proposal will be referred back to the appropriate University Curriculum Committee for consideration of the suggested changes. This form is for UNH approval only. For other approvals, such as professional accreditation, applications to CT DHE, or approvals for out of state delivery, seek guidance from the University Accreditation Officer. An administrative unit does not need to obtain formal approval for those changes to catalog copy that are consistent with an already approved course or program description and that leave the original name and number unchanged. Catalogue Description: Students in this course will consider the Internet and other communication technologies (ICTs) as they shape social and educational systems. This examination will be guided by critical foundational theories to include a focused study of traditional and new media, including social media that attempts to account for the feedback loops between institutions, audiences, and technology. The class will examine 1

foundational research across various media to evaluate how media is as used in K-12 instruction, with an awareness of how these skills will play out in higher education, or in individuals lives. They will also investigate how critical thinking and the Internet shape how we learn. The class will consider the distinct contours of media and information technologies and how these influence current students perceptions of theirs and others realities. Media literacy means not just accepting what is presented, but being an active user, a critical media evaluator, understanding content, systems, application and effect, to be a better informed decision maker. Core Objectives: 1. Students will examine the evolving nature of subject-matter knowledge and the need for constantly acquiring new ideas and understandings within ones discipline, including the impact of technology and information sources on the nature of teaching, communications and development of knowledge. CTTC1: 1C, 1E; ISTE NETS-T2: 3A, 3B 2. Students will design strategic questions and opportunities that appropriately challenge students and actively engage them in exploring the content through strategies such as discourse and/or inquiry- based learning. CTTC: 1C, 1D; ISTE NETS-T: 2A, 2B 3. Students will debate and critique the ethical and legal issues associated with bringing new media technologies and participatory culture practices into the classroom. CTTC: 4A, 4B; ISTE NETS-T: 4A, 4B 4. Students will outline some of the ethical challenges which youth face in their roles as media producers and members of online communities. CTTC: 4C; ISTE NETS-T: 4B, 4C 5. Students will apply their theoretical understandings to the development of curricular resources for use in school or after school programs. CTTC: 2A, 2B, 2C; ISTE NETS-T: 2C, 2D Required Text(s): Potter, W.J. (2010). Media Literacy. Sage Publications, 5th Edition. New York: Sage Communications. Essential Questions: What does it mean to be literate and how has this changed as a consequence of the introduction of new communications technologies? What social skills and cultural competencies do young people need to acquire if they are going to be able to fully participate in the digital future? What are the ethical choices young people face as participants in online communities and producers of media?
1 2

CCCT: Connecticut Teacher Technology Competencies 2001 ISTE NETS-T: International Society for Technology in Education, National Educational Technology Standards Teachers 2008

 COURSE ASSESSMENTS (specific instructions will be distributed separately): 1. Attendance & in-class discussions (10%) Active participation, in this course, is defined as: contributing relevant information to class discussion, demonstrating an understanding and engagement with reading assignments and/or concepts discussed in class, applying reading and other course materials to discussions, and being intellectually present and open throughout each class. 2. Online Discussions & Discussion Director (DD) (15%) Throughout the course you will be expected to contribute in online discussions, along with the in-class discussions during our face-to-face meetings. Each week the discussions will focus on a selected reading for the week and will ask you to have read and then respond to the selection. You will respond online a minimum of one time before our weekly class meeting and one time after our class meeting. During class, we will save time to discuss face-to-face the selection or discussions that have arisen from the literature. The online discussions will be led each week by one of your peers. You are expected to involve yourself in the discussion. You may respond as often as you like, but the minimum you may respond is once before and once after class. The rubric that will be used to assess your involvement in online discussions will be based on a three-point scale. The rubric will assess whether or not you involve yourself in the discussion, attention to the literature, and depth of the discussion. The rubric can be found on the Google Doc containing the class rubrics. Discussions, both in-class and online are a valuable and necessary piece of the profession. Practice in these environments will prepare you for the situations that will present themselves throughout your future Each week all members of the class will be expected to contribute to discussions in the virtual classroom on Google+. One week a semester, you will act as a Discussion Director (DD) for that weeks literature. You will be required to have read the weeks literature and write two prompts that address what you believe the pertinent issues of the literature are. You will post these prompts to the online discussion board the day after our face-to-face class session. As individuals read the literature and respond to your prompts, it is your responsibility to lead a discussion of what you believe to be the essential parts of that weeks readings. In the face-to-face class, you will present a quick synopsis (5 minutes) of the weeks readings and what points came up in the discussion. In class, we will then have time to discuss how the literature affects the greater elements of the course and the effect on instruction. The rubric can be found on the Google Doc containing the class rubrics. In discussion environments, at times you will need to lead a group (of peers or students) in discussion. This provides an opportunity to practice the skills and dispositions needed. 3. Online Collaborative Writing Responses (15%) This assignment will call for you to write collaboratively with you students in class using ICTs such as Wikipedia, Blogger, and Google Docs. You will work on four collaborative writing responses with your peers during the semester. These writing sessions will be conducted in place of the online discussions and DD responsibilities for the week. The rubrics used to assess this assignment are available on the Google Doc containing class rubrics. 4. Defining Media Literacy (20%) You are to identify a concept of media literacy and produce a viral video to place online sharing the findings of your research to the general educator. This video should be of high quality, and still 3

represent scholarly research. Your video will be uploaded to the 6YC IT-DML Wiki and 6YC IT-DML YouTube Channel. 5. New Media Challenge (20%) For this assignment you will use media literacy currently available online, along with your growing skills in the use and development of online assessments to build a new media challenge. This challenge will ultimately be uploaded to the 6YC IT-DML Wiki for the purposes of being fully available online to educators. You should approach this using a Critical Literacy perspective and include the appropriate theoretical perspectives you also chose to guide your work. You may work collaboratively on this project, but the resultant project should represent your collaborative efforts. 6. New Media Learners (20%) The final project for this class calls for you to complete a scholarly paper/project of your own design (with guidance from the instructor) in which you make a contribution to the research base on new media literacies and their place in the classroom. You must use your experience as a classroom teacher, your experiences in this Program, as well as your growing experience working with media literacies to develop an informative paper/project that details an aspect of media literacy, and its pedagogical affordances. This paper/project will be uploaded to the IT-DLE Wiki. GRADING SCALE: Education Department Grading Scale, effective fall 2010 Number grade Letter grade equivalent A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- F GPA 4.0 3.7 3.5 3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.0 According to the UNH Graduate Grading Scale, an A grade represents superior work, a B grade represents above average work, and a B- represents average work. Students whose work falls at the C+ level or below this grade are required to repeat the course, as per University Graduate School Policy. In the Internship program, students will be required to pay for the repeated course. Incompletes will only be considered for students who experience serious extenuating circumstances. Please see the instructor immediately if such a situation occurs. The assignment of an

95-100 90-94 87-89 84-86 80-83 77-79 74-76 70-73 Below 70

incomplete grade is completely at the discretion of the instructor. The incomplete grade will not be given to simply allow the student to raise a grade. Attendance: On-time attendance is required for all face-to-face class sessions. For video webinars, you must be on time, and present for the entire meeting. In the case of discussion forums you must be involved in the discussion at the beginning, follow the discussion throughout the weekly cycle, and contribute at the end of the weekly cycle. Rubrics are available and will be used to determine activity and participation during the discussions. You cannot make up discussions and analyses for which you were not present. More than one missed class will result in a lower course grade. Missing more than three classes will result in a failing grade for the course. If you have serious extenuating circumstances, see the instructor immediately. Assignments: Assignments are due at the beginning of the class. Late assignments will be accepted at a reduced grade, at the discretion of the instructor. If you are unable to meet a deadline, please contact instructor prior to class. Student Code of Conduct: Students are expected to uphold the rules outlined in the UNH Student Code of Conduct http://newton.newhaven.edu/students/booklet.pdf. Students who attempt to cheat or turn in another person's work as their own will receive a zero on that assignment or test and may result in a failing grade in the course. University policy will be followed. Student Disability Statement: Students with documented disabilities are encouraged to share, in confidence, information about needed specific course accommodations. Students with documented disabilities are also encouraged to make individual appointments with the Director of Disability Services & Resources, Ms. Linda Copney-Okeke, who can be reached by phone 203.932.7331 or by email: lcopney-okeke@newhaven.edu so that you can be informed of the full range of student services available at the University. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Bennett, W. L. (2009). "Changing Citizenship in the Digital Age" in W. Lance Bennett (Ed.), Civic Life Online: Learning How Digital Media Can Engage Youth. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Bruns, A. (2008). "Educating Produsers, Produsing Education," Blogs, Wikipedia, Second Life, and Beyond: From Production to Produsage (New York: Peter Lang, 2008), pp.337-356. Buckingham, D. and Domaille, K. (2003) Where have we been and where are we going? Results of the UNESCO Global Survey of Media Education, pp. 41-52 in Von Feilitzen, C. and Carlsson, U. (eds.) Promote or protect UNESCO Children,Youth and Media Yearbook Goteborg, Sweden: Nordicom Boyd, D. (2009). "Why Youth Social Network Sites: The Role of Networked Publics in Teenage Social Life," in David Buckingham (Ed.) Youth, Identity and Digital Media. Cambridge: MIT Press.

Flanagin, A., & Metzger, M. (2008). "Digital Media and Youth: Unparalleled Opportunity and Unprecedented Responsibility,"In Andrew J. Flanagin and Miriam J. Metzger (eds.), Digital Media, Youth, and Credibility (Cambridge: MIT Press/MacArthur Foundation, 2008), pp. 5-28. Hayes, E. (2008). "Girls, Gaming, and Trajectories of IT Expertise," in Yasmin B. Kafai, Carrie Heeter, Jill Denner, and Jennifer Y. Sun (Eds.) Beyond Barbie & Mortal Kombat: New Perspectives on Gender and Gaming. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Jenkins, H. (2008). "What Wikipedia Can Teach Us About the New Media Literacies," Journal of Media Literacy. Kafai, Y. (2008). "Gender Play in a Tween Gaming Club," in Yasmin B. Kafai, Carrie Heeter, Jill Denner, and Jennifer Y. Sun (Eds.), Beyond Barbie & Mortal Kombat: New Perspectives on Gender and Gaming. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. McLuhan, M. (1997). Understanding media: The extensions of man. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. (Original work published 1964). Mraz, M., Heron, A. & Wood, K. (January 2003). Media Literacy, Popular Culture, and the Transfer of Higher Order Thinking Abilities. Middle School Journal, p. 51-56. COURSE CALENDAR: Week Week One Topics/Assignments What is Media Literacy? Google+: Log on to Google+. In the appropriate section on the discussion board within Google+, introduce yourself. Share some information about yourself, where you will be teaching, and a significant experience you have had with reading/writing instruction and/or assessment. Finish for homework. Edit class rubrics. Five Key Core Concepts and Questions Google+: First DD posting. Read & respond to the supplemental readings. The Medium of Choice: Television Google+: Second DD posting. Read & respond to the supplemental readings. Readings Potter, Ch. 1

Week Two

Potter, Ch. 2 Bruns (2008)

Week Three

Potter, Ch. 3 Bennett (2008)

 Week Four

Radio and the Sounds of Media Google+: Third DD posting. Read & respond to the supplemental readings. Assignment: Bring in work next class on Defining Media Literacy assignment. A workshop will be provided to allow for feedback and suggested revisions.

Potter, Ch. 3 Flanagin & Metzger (2008)

Week Five

Films and Film Appreciation Assignment: Bring in work on Defining Media Literacy assignment. A workshop will be provided to allow for feedback and suggested revisions. Google+: Fourth DD posting. Read & respond to the supplemental readings.

Potter, Ch. 4 Hayes (2008)

Week Six

The Photograph Images and Visuals Assignments: Defining Media Literacy assignment due Google+: Fifth DD posting. Read & respond to the supplemental readings.

Potter, Ch. 5 Kafai (2008)

Week Seven

Advertising Part 1 Reminder: New Media Challenge assignment due next week. Google+: Sixth DD posting. Read & respond to the supplemental readings.

Potter, Ch. 6 Mraz, Heron, & Wood (2003)

Week Eight

Advertising Part 2 Google+: Seventh DD posting. Read & respond to the supplemental readings. Assignment: New Media Challenge assignment should be completed and uploaded to 6YC IT-DML Wiki by the end of class.

Potter, Ch. 7 Jenkins (2008)

Week Nine

Stereotypes and Identity Google+: Eighth DD posting. Read & respond to the supplemental readings.

Potter, Ch. 8 McLuhan (1997)

 Week Ten

Media Ownership Assignment: Bring in materials for your New Media Learners Assignment to class. You will have a workshop in class. Google+: Ninth DD posting. Read & respond to the supplemental readings. Politics and the Media Structure

Potter, Ch. 9

Week Eleven

Potter, Ch. 10

Assignment: Bring in materials for your New Media Learners Assignment to this class. You will have a workshop in class. Google+: Tenth DD posting. Read & respond to the supplemental readings.

Week Twelve

The New Media and its Implications Assignment: Bring in materials for your New Media Learners assignment to this class. You will have a workshop in class. This is due next week. Google+: Eleventh DD posting. Read & respond to the supplemental readings. Final Project and Presentation Reminder: Assignment: New Media Learners assignment due this week. All materials, plans and written pieces need to be uploaded to Google+ by the end of the semester. For class you will need to have a presentation prepared outlining the research and argument you make in your research review and present to the class using any tools needed.

Potter, Ch. 11 Buckingham & Domaille (2003)

Week Thirteen