UNL 489: Advanced Topics in Information Literacy Syllabus 8W2 Spring 2011 Instructor: Professor Gregory Bobish Title: Information Literacy Librarian Office Location: LI 107B E-mail:
[email protected] Phone: (518) 442-3591 Fax: (518) 442-3088 Office Hour: Wednesdays 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. or by appointment or chance AIM/Yahoo/Google chat username: infolithelp Instructor: Title: Office Location: E-mail: Phone: Office Hour:
Professor Trudi Jacobson Head, Information Literacy Department LI 107D
[email protected] (518) 442-3581 Fax: (518) 442-3088 Mondays 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. or by appointment or chance
Course: Course Day & Time: Location: Course Blog: Course Wiki:
Wednesday, 10:25 to 12:25 a.m. Section #9782 University Library Basement, Room LI0048 http://liblogs.albany.edu/unl489/ http://unl489.pbworks.com
Description: Explore the burgeoning information environment by examining information’s creation, accessibility, and value, and your participation in creating information for others to use. This course will focus on today’s technologies and their conveyance of information, both in the US and globally. Go beyond the knowledge learned in your information literacy general education course, and grapple with challenging issues that affect our lives daily. Assignments will culminate in team-based projects, creatively presented using appropriate technologies.
Learning Goals: By the end of the course, students will be able to: Identify key types and examples of social media Play with a variety of Web 2.0 resources to discover their value Articulate potential sources of information 1
Use self awareness to select the appropriate, rather than the easiest, information sources Effectively use different tools that are appropriate for different purposes and needs Participate thoughtfully and analytically in the social web Rely upon these habits of thought and action to appraise evolving information tools and situations
Student Responsibilities: Each student is expected to contribute to an environment conducive to the learning of all students. This contribution includes, but is not limited to: Respecting the opinions and work of others Being prepared to participate actively, both in the class as a whole, and in your team Taking responsibility for your learning and progress in the course Helping your team and the rest of the class to learn, and allowing others to help you learn Seeking help from the instructor as needed Students are responsible for knowing and following the policies listed below. Students are also responsible for knowing and following University policies as outlined in the Undergraduate Bulletin (http://www.albany.edu/undergraduate_bulletin/regulations.html).
Policies: 1. It is always the responsibility of the student to know when assignments are due. If you have any questions/problems related to the homework: ask questions in class; see one of us before or after class; call; e-mail; IM; stop in during office hours; arrange a meeting at a convenient time, etc. Get the point? 2. Assignments are due on time. A printer or computer access problem is not an acceptable reason for a late submission, so don't wait until the last minute to start! Late assignments will not be accepted for credit. 3. Do not plagiarize. Cutting and pasting without acknowledging the source is plagiarism. You will fail the assignment that contains the plagiarism and will be reported to the Dean of Undergraduate Studies. Severe cases of plagiarism will result in failing the course. 4. Cell phones must be turned off before class starts; the use of computers during class is restricted to instructional activities; food is not allowed. Water may be brought to class in a re-closeable container. 5. Class attendance is critical. Missing class means that you will be missing experiences that cannot be made up, including all team activities. In extenuating circumstances, it may be possible to make up the individual RAT.
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Instructional Methods: This class will incorporate active learning techniques and will require a high level of student participation. Teams will be established on the first day of class, and will work together throughout the course. Preparation for class material will take place before class, and several times during the quarter, we will be giving readiness assessment tests (RATs), checking your preparation for class. These tests will be taken first individually, and then as a team. Students will be responsible for taking part in class and team discussions. There will be little lecture during the course. Class readings and assignments as well as supplementary materials will be available through Blackboard. Most individual writing assignments will be submitted through the course blog, and teams will be using a wiki to present their work. The format of the final team project will be at the discretion of the team. Because of the structure of the course and your team’s reliance upon every member, you need to attend regularly in order to do well. Course Discussion Forum Posting Assignments (6 posts: 3 responses, 3 new): A blog will be used in the course to highlight information literacy issues in the news. We will be posting about relevant breaking news stories or information on Websites that pertain to or extend what we are examining in this course. You will be responding either to one of our posts, or one of your classmate’s posts, on a weekly basis (your choice). Grades will be based on the quality and depth of your posts. You will earn more points if you effectively respond not only to the initial discussion posting, but also respond to others’ comments. You will also bring three such information literacy-related news stories to the attention of the class. These posts will be due March 30, April 6, and April 13. When you alert the class to a news item, you also need to comment perceptively on it, relating it to issues we’ve discussed in class, as well as asking thoughtful questions for your classmates to respond to. Thoughtful, in-depth posts will probably be in the range of two paragraphs. Brief, perfunctory, or unoriginal responses will earn few points. Please be civil and considerate in your messages. There is a sample of a good student post in Blackboard.
Final Project: Your team project will be the creation of a remix focused on an aspect of the theme of “participation,” as focused on new information technologies. Your team will be able to decide on the content of this project. Your goal: To create an informative and engaging product that will appeal to other students interested in the theme, using multiple information sources. Path to the final project: We will be exploring a variety of new information technologies in this course, and your team will be selecting items relevant to the particular aspect of the theme, and posting them on the wiki. Class time will be set aside for teams to work on the final project. Course Readings: Required and suggested readings for this course are available through Blackboard. Videos and other course materials are also located there.
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Grading and Course Requirements:
Scale Blog Posts Journal Entries In-class Team Activities RATs (50% individual, 50% team) Peer Assessments Team Remix Project
15% 15% 10% 20% 15% 25%
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A
1000-926
A-
925-896
B+
895-866
B
865-826
B-
825-796
C+
795-766
C
765-726
C-
725-696
D+
695-666
D
665-626
D-
625-596
E
595 and below
Class 1, March 16: Introductions: professors and students Poll: your information sources Team formation process and explanation of team-based learning Review of syllabus Readiness assessment test (individual and team) (RATs) Intellectual property, copyright, and fair use Introduction of Participation theme and team brainstorming Assignments due March 23: Readings: The Web and You: A Guide to Participation Truth Be Told: How College Students Evaluate and Use Information in the Digital Age, pages 1-23 and 35-41 Lessig: Reforming Law & Reforming US (chapters from Remix) Respond to blog post Class 2, March 23: Readiness assessment test (individual and team) Comparison of information sources Introduction to wiki; team focus, post topics and top sources Remix analysis Assignments due March 30: Readings: Johnson: Section of Platform chapter from Where Good Ideas Come From 5 items about Twitter/Facebook revolutions Journaling about source comparison Respond to blog post AND post something you identify Class 3, March 30: Readiness assessment test (individual and team) Mid semester course evaluation Primary information: Finding experts via blogs and Twitter Teams embed Twitter accounts and blog(s) on Wiki Team reports on primary sources Team member feedback
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Assignments due April 6: Readings/Videos: WikiLeaks founder Assange talks to '60 Minutes' 60 Minutes Overtime— Julian Assange: The "60 Minutes" Interview Dealing With Assange and the WikiLeaks Secrets, Bill Keller, New York Times Magazine Post an item you find about WikiLeaks, preferably with a notable viewpoint, to the blog Journaling about expert identification
Class 4, April 6: Teams create focused Wiki pages on primary sources Team reviews of Wiki pages with reports Preliminary remix work Assignments due April 13: Readings/Videos: Data visualization Hans Rosling: The Joy of Stats David McCandless: The Beauty of Data Visualization Information is Beautiful blog entries: Data, Information, Knowledge, Wisdom? 8 Great Infographics No.11 Post a news item you identify to blog Class 5, April 13: RATs Data visualization Remix project work time Assignment due April 14: Peer assessment Assignment due April 27: Respond to a blog post Class 6, April 27: Twitter discussion contribution Remix project final touches Present remix to class
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