Digital literacy course 'in session'

Description

In this course students will be required to demonstrate the ability to efficiently and effectively navigate the Internet using digital tools to achieve specific goals and tasks. Digitally literate citizens and workers organize, understand, evaluate, and analyse information using digital technologies while behaving ethically, especially with respect to the security and intellectual property rights of themselves and others. There are 5 areas of study:

1. Identity, citizenship & safety
2. Communication
3. Collaboration
4. Creating & publishing products
5. Personalizing your learning /Your inquiry & search for information/ Real-life and learning-dedicated tools

Organizational Structure

Unit/Topic	Title
Unit 1 Identity, citizenship & safety	Students will be able to… Demonstrate skills essential for safety and security in the digital world; protection of passwords, personal privacy, privacy of others etc., Analyze and evaluate their digital footprint and continue to develop it at a level that is appropriate to their current developmental stage Identify and manage their personal barriers to access including: online distractions created by the manufacturers and sellers of ideas and products. Explain that their online presence is a form of media, the central unifying concept of media education being that the media do not reflect reality but re-present it using symbolic or sign systems. Protect and respect the intellectual property rights of themselves and others. Use online citation tools
Unit 2 Communication	Students will be able to…   Demonstrate transliterate competency - using language appropriate to the audience and/or tool – i.e. abbreviations for texting, one paragraph format for email etc. Express personal views and perspectives of themselves as an online author. Participate in online discussions or post to comments Seek out and engage mentors and experts
Unit 3 Collaboration   Student will build personal networks of learning, for the purpose of sharing, collaborating and contributing to the learning of themselves and others.    Learning effectively in the digital environment requires students to generate and share original thinking and perspective development via the social construction of knowledge and understanding as reflected through a dynamic portfolio.   Social networking literacy involves the use of networking tools for the purpose of developing a community and within communities to then connect, share and collaborate.	Students will be able to… Analyze a task, need or goal and determine whether social networking is required   Use a variety of social networking tools for their intended purposes   Create products that demonstrate types of online collaboration (coordination, cooperation, co-planning, co-implementation, co-creation and co-evaluation) using online collaborative tools (e.g. Google Docs).
Unit 4 Creating & publishing products	Students will be able to… Create and express themselves effectively  using storytelling and presentation tools Demonstrate an understanding of  the impact that design has on visual presentations Demonstrate respect for the intellectual property of others
Unit 5 A)    Personalizing your learning	Students will be able to… Identify their personal digital learning profile/persona  - as it reflects personal learning styles and preferences Adapt an inquiry plan to own learning style  Articulate and evaluate the effectiveness of their preferred tools for learning, collaborating, sharing, networking  in relation to a learning goal Use the available learning management system to maximize the learning cycle
B)    Personalizing your inquiry & search  for information	Students will be able to… • Demonstrate effective personalized research skills, including: accessing information, assessing information, collecting data, evaluating data • Access a range of online information on personally selected topics, including sources •           From a range of online media types (e.g., traditional in proprietary databases (e.g. radio, newspapers, books), and social media including: collaborative projects (e.g., Wikipedia), blogs and micro blogs (e.g., Twitter), content communities (e.g., YouTube), social networking sites (e.g., Facebook), virtual game worlds (e.g., World of Warcraft), and virtual social worlds (e.g. Second Life). Technologies include: blogs, picture-sharing, vlogs, wall-postings, email, instant messaging, music-sharing, crowdsourcing and voice over IP,) •           From a range of online publishers and stakeholders, including mainstream, alternative, and special interest groups •           Representing a range of perspectives •           That qualify as primary (e.g., original documents, interviews, surveys, court documents) and secondary (e.g., books, articles, reports, summaries) •           Explain the importance of accessing and considering a range of information sources (e.g., to acknowledge and challenge own beliefs and biases, to represent a range of viewpoints) Explain the central unifying concept of media education that the media do not reflect reality but re-present it using symbolic or sign systems.
C)   Real-life and learning-dedicated tools   Students will learn about interactive tools while following through on their inquiries.	Students will be able to…     Analyze, evaluate and select the appropriate digital tools for a particular stage of inquiry   Curate information from various sources to develop a personal “infosumption” profile   Compare and evaluate a variety of learning tools for their intended purpose and as they reflect personal learning preferences – think, process, create, investigate, organize, evaluate, curate, synthesize, collaborate and communicate