Web 2.0 Foundations Syllabus

Course Description

At the heart of this class is the the question: what is learning in the 21st century? We will venture to answer this question through individual and collaborative research using student directed project based research, the exploration, evaluation, and application of social and research based software, applications and Web 2.0 technologies, and a look at the best practices of participatory learning (using these tools for a purpose!). Our central goal is to become fluent thinkers in the realms of 21st century learning (with and without technology).

About Web 2.0 Foundations

Course Research: Overview

This course is an extensive research course situated amidst your daily life and coursework in a traditional high school. The research process you undertake has three main parts.

1. Personal Learning Environment (PLE) and Personal Learning Network (PLN) The You will develop a PLE in this course that highlights your emerging and enduring understanding of personal learning through designing a system that works for blending your learning in face to face and online settings. You will also develop a PLN the does the same for participatory research using a wide variety of social media. As your PLE and PLN develop you will start to utilize the internet in new ways. The PLE and PLN are methods to help you research, evaluate and participate in your project process and daily learning adventures this term (and we hope well past this course). The PLE and PLN you create will support a major Networked Project you will undertake based on your informed research interests.
2. Student Directed Project (SDP) The SDP is the heart of the course and asks the student to find a topic, ask deep questions to guide research and provide answers to significant problems for a wide audience.  The SDP is not a "report" on what you are interested in only, rather the project process give space for you to make a meaningful contribution to the world via learning networks. The SDP approach is dynamic in that the final product of your research can be in multi-media forms or traditional academic writing.
3. Course Participation This course asks for you to take learning beyond the boundaries of "school" as you know it and into the democratic spaces of deliberation, participation, and contribution of your mind and actions.

Course Research: Tools

We will use a variety of eLearning tools in this course to communicate and collaborate on daily work and projects.  These tools will have a direct impact on your future and are widely accepted and practiced in Maine, regional, state, national and international education and research contexts. These tools include:

1. Blogs (Such as Blogger or Tumblr)
2. Social and Collaborative Bookmarking (Diigo, Delicious or Pinboard)
3. Google Apps Suite (Docs, Sites, Google+....)
4. Student Directed Project Based Learning Systems (Project Foundry)
5. Collaborative Learning Environments and/or Learning Management Systems (Canvas)
6. Mobile Learning (iPhone, Android, and other capable devices)
7. Other Web 2.0 tools (Twitter, Evernote, Vimeo/Youtube, Flikr and more)

Texts Required:

All online resources both assigned and recommended will be available through the Modules in Canvas.

About Web 2.0 Foundations

Approach:

Course participation will include synchronous classroom sessions in the Mac Lab, asynchronous activities and one-to-one communication with Mr. S.

Synchronous classroom Sessions:

Participants will have the opportunity of meeting weekly to discuss multimedia under review and experiment with new technologies in a learning laboratory setting. Attending course sessions is recommended

Asynchronous ("Individual") Activities:

A significant portion of the course learning will happen outside of the scheduled, synchronous classroom sessions. Participants will gain experience in social learning processes such as: writing reflective blog posts, reading and commenting on educational blogs from inside and outside of the course, microblogging, reading and writing about technology and learning, exploring social learning tools, and creating networked resources for teaching and learning.

One-To-One Sessions:

One-to-one sessions can be arranged with me. These sessions will be available throughout the semester to deal with any confusion or questions that students have about the course content or processes. These can be mediated through Twitter (steelemaley), Skype (steelemaley), chat, telephone, or face-to-face sessions in office hours.

Instructional Strategies

In this course You will develop a framework for exploring and understanding the foundations of learning and sensemaking in the 21st century. I will encourage you to examine your own interests by building a democratic learning environment, use of information technology, and a major effort will be in providing you with the opportunity to develop your own Personal Learning Environment and Network (PLEPLN) to serve as a springboard for your learning in the 21st century (Assessment: for details, see course Project Descriptions| Course Rubric).

This course is primarily project based.  You will construct one major and extended project over the course including a capstone exhibition of that project that shows your mastery of the course objectives.  In addition to the project there will be weekly activities that range from reading and short written response via a personal blog to many collaborative creations.  All of your work will be archived in your public ePortfolio space.

21st Century Learning Expectations

The entire course revolves around the necessity for you to take a major part in your own learning process.  You will be completing benchmarks that demonstrate your growth and change in mastering Wiscasset High School’s 21st Century Learning Expectations.  You will grow in many skill areas in this course, but the 21st Century Learning Expectations that the course reinforces are as important as the content knowledge that you acquire.  You will grow and change in:

21st Century Learning Expectations Indicators

        1. Clear and Effective Communication – Written and Oral

        2. Creative and Practical Problem Solving

        3. Self Directed and Lifelong Learning

        4. A Responsible and Involved Citizenship

        5. Collaborative and Quality Work in Team Situations

        6. Integrated and Informed Thinking

Benchmarks

This course will consist of one 18 week semester in which a variety of teaching techniques and individual student responsibilities can be expected.  The Benchmarks that must be mastered in order to receive class credit are as follows:

THESE BENCHMARKS ARE ELIGIBLE SELECTIONS FOR UPLOADING INTO THE PROFICIENCY BASED E-PORTFOLIO OF THE STUDENT.

Ongoing

1: More than Participation (approx.20%)

• Meets 21st Century Learning Expectation 1, 3, 4, 5, 6

2: Course ePortfolio (Includes “formative” and “Term” ePortfolio) (approx.10%)

• Meets 21st Century Learning Expectation 1, 2, 3, 6

Projects

3: PLEPLN (approx. 20%)

• Meets 21st Century Learning Expectation 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

4:  Student Directed Project (SDP) (approx.50%)

• Meets 21st Century Learning Expectation 1, 2, 3, 4, 6

Additionally, students will be assessed using the following school-wide rubrics.

Technological Literacy (Holistic Rubric)

Criterion

The Wiscasset High School graduate appropriately utilizes multiple technologies as tools to acquire, organize, and communicate knowledge and information.

Ratings

• Student independently and effectively utilizes multiple technologies in an exemplary manner, i.e., identifies and utilizes needed technology to acquire, organize and communicate knowledge and information according to standards set in Web 2.0. Exemplar (4 pts)

• Student independently and proficiently utilizes multiple technologies in an satisfactory manner, i.e., identifies and utilizes needed technology to acquire, organize and communicate knowledge and information according to standards set in Web 2.0. Satisfactory (3 pts)

• Student needs some help utilize to multiple technologies in an satisfactory manner, i.e., identifies and utilizes needed technology to acquire, organize and communicate knowledge and information according to standards set in Web 2.0. Not yet up to standard. (2 pts)

Content Area Learning Expectations        

Your work in class will require you to use the following eLearning and Information Studies practices:

1.  Finding, Validating, Leveraging Information
2. Analysing and Synthesizing Information
3. Collaborating with others
4. Problem Solving with authentic real world issues

Units of Study (Essential Questions, Concepts and Skills)

You will sequentially meet the following NETS-S and Common Core Standards

Common Core Standards: Information Technology

NETS-S

Web 2.0 Foundations Overview

UNIT I. Learning Networks

Essential Question: How do you manage information for learning in the 21st century?

Skills (NETS-S 1,5,6) (Common Core W8 9-12, W6 9-12)

1. Read, view, write/create, and deliberate on 21st century learning topics.
2. Become fluent with blended learning framework: Use of Canvas LMS/Google Docs/Blogger/Twitter

UNIT II. Building a PLEPLN

Essential Question: How do we create personal networks for research that are tailored to our interests and focused on the proficiencies we need to finish high school?

Skills (NETS-S 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) (Common Core W7 9-12)

1. Build a Personal Learning Network using Web 2.0 Tools and the Internet
2. Collaborate with educational community to identify topics of interest and learning mentors.

UNIT III. Student Directed Projects

Essential Question: How do I find a topic I am passionate about, ask essential questions about that topic, research and produce an interdisciplinary project on my own?

Skills (NETS-S 1,2,3,4,5,6) (Common Core W5 9-12, W2 9-12)

1. Build a learning resource that exhibits mastery of topic areas through extensive research and participatory learning.
2. Collaborate with networked community to build on PLN.

UNIT IV. Building a Term ePortfolio for Learning

Essential Question: Why is my learning important to me, my community and the world?

Skills (NETS-S 1,2,3,4,5,6) (Common Core  W5 9-12, W1 9-12)

1. Use Canvas ePortfolio as architectural foundation for learning at WHS and life.
2. Put personal work out to the public for exhibition.

Assessment

Incorporates standards concerning Responsible Citizenship and Collaborative and Quality Work

Projects, and Writing Assignments account for _50_% of the grade                                                                                                            

Participation accounts for _20__% of the grade  

Personal Learning Environemnet and Network Creation accounts for 20% of the grade

ePortfolio accounts for 10 % of the grade

Writing in Web 2.0 Foundations

The primary writing assignment in Web 2.0 foundations is the Blogging Component of your PLN.  The specifics including rubric for this assignment can be found here: Web 2.0 Blog Assignment

All writing assignments are assessed with rubrics that include the Wiscasset High School Writing Score-sheet.

Oral Presentation in Web 2.0 Foundations

All oral presentation assignments are assessed with rubrics that include  the Wiscasset High School Oral Presentation Score-sheet.

Expectations

You should be aware that in the my view you are the only person responsible for your education. You must take an active part in that process and act responsibly. I hope to challenge you, at times to guide you, and to provide you with as much intellectual stimulation as our abilities permit, but learning requires autonomy and initiative, and this you must provide. I expect you to challenge and to question my assumptions. In the process I expect to learn at least as much from you as you may chance to learn from me.  

Late Work and Plagiarism

A Web 2.0 Foundations learner will never be penalized for moving ahead in their studies.  As stated above the ability for Learners to create and develop their passions for learning collectively and individually is a central tenet of Web 2.0 Foundations.  As a community of learners we will hold ourselves to the following policies.

LATE WORK

If work is late, this is an issue for all involved and will not be tolerated. Work as listed in your sylabi, In Canvas or as given by a Mr. Steele-Maley, a  Network Partner or fellow Web 2.0 participant is to be completed by 12:00am of the day it is due.  If  Mr. Steele-Maley finds that work has not been turned in you will receive a "Does Not Meet Standard" on the assignment and it will be up to me as to when they will assess the late work.  To be a member of our academic culture you must dig deep into your passion for learning and stay on top of it also.

ACADEMIC HONESTY

Faith in your academic integrity is vital to all we do.  It should go without saying that we expect that all work submitted for assessment will be the product of the learners own labor and imagination. Of course, you are free to speak with others about your work and share ideas and perspectives (indeed this is part of your course). In writing, multimedia creation, collaboration and all project construction, though, you are developing your own ideas and arguments. You can incorporate the ideas or words of others in your own work, but to do so you must properly cite your sources. Turning in work that attempts to pass off the words or ideas of others as your own constitutes plagiarism. Like other forms of cheating, plagiarism is a contamination that pollutes our environment. Learners who knowingly turn in work that involves plagiarism or is marred by other forms of cheating will not progress in their course of study, though more severe penalties may be recommended for egregious cases (see WHS Handbook).

One can understand the temptation to turn in illegitimate work: Learners working under intense pressures may turn to cheating as an easy way out. But to do so, you not only steal the work of others, you cheat yourself and your fellow learners as well.  A diploma from any program cannot be obtained through looting. If you are worried about your ePortfolio or completing an assignment, please talk to Mr. Steele-Maley. I can work with you to help you get over the hurdles and make it possible for you to get something positive out of your time.

Materials

Laptop Computer, Internet Capabilities, Cell Phone, Smart Phone or iPad (SUGGESTED BUT *NOT* REQUIRED)

Texts To be Used 

All course materials will be available in open format online and linked to Canvas.  

Syllabus Dates and Schedule

Week 1

Introduction/Blogging 101

Week 2

Introduction/PLN 1

Week 3

Introduction/PLN 2

Week 4

Introduction/PLN 3

Week 5

PLN 4 Directed Project Introduction

Week 6

PLN 5 Student Directed Project

Week 7

PLN 6 Student Directed Project

Week 8

Student Directed Project

Week 9

Student Directed Project

Week 10

Student Directed Project

Week 11

Student Directed Project

Week 12

Student Directed Project

Week 13

Student Directed Project/Experience 2

Week 14

Student Directed Project

Week 15

Student Directed Project and Peer Review

Week 16

Student Directed Project

Week 17

Student Directed Project/Term ePortfolio

Week 18

Exhibition and Term ePortfolio

Week 20

Term ePortfolio Review (Summative)