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Hello and welcome to Digital Literacies II. I’m Emil Ahangarzadeh, Coordinator of Integrated
Technology Services at the San Diego County Office of Education and I will be your course
facilitator. This course is developed as a continuation of the Digital Literacies I course.
Although completing the first course is not a prerequisite for being enrolled in this
one, learners are expected to have a thorough understanding of what it means to be digitally
literate as reviewed in depth throughout the Digital Literacies I course.
In Digital Literacies I, we explored Web-based and other electronic tools, the grammar of
the Internet, what it means to be digital information fluent, advanced online search
literacy tactics, how to use electronic devices more efficiently, and frameworks for digital
education literacy. This course is more about applying the skills
and literacies reviewed in the first course. As such, we will look at the use of Creative
Commons licensing, the use of Web 2.0 tools, and ways to apply Google’s productivity
suite. We’ll also look at using mobile technologies for teaching and learning, techniques for
developing non-linear presentations, and methods for using Quick Response codes in teaching
and learning. You’ll also learn how to develop and publish a website on the Internet.
Additionally, though we tend to think of digital literacy as something done with a computer,
this course will expand that perception as we look at the use of digital cameras and
audio workstations for producing recordings and podcasts.
Although we expect this course to require some 30 contact hours, we determine that,
unlike Digital Literacies I which lasts six weeks, this course will span a 7-week period.
This will give you, working professionals, a bit more time to complete your final project.
Your final project entails creating a presentation on how you can support the digital literacies
of students. You will need to cite specific ways in which you can guide your students
as they hone their skills with the six verbs found in our definition of digital literacy.
For quick reference, digital literacy is defined as:
...using digital technology communication tools and/or networks to access, manage, integrate,evaluate,
create, and communicate information in order to function in knowledge societies.
The second part of the assignment entails composing a screencast of your presentation
slides as you narrate the presentation. . Finally, you will need both upload your presentation
to YouTube and ensure that your narration is captioned. Of course you should be used
to screencasting a narrated presentation by now as you’ve already done one in digital
literacies 1. During this course, you’ll learn how to create closed captions for your
video. Another point of order for those of you who
have completed Digital Literacies I is that there are only three discussion assignments
in this course—during week 3, week 5, and week 7. Since this course is designed for
the working professional, we respect the fact that we can learn from one another as well.
As such, we’ve worked in these discussion assignments and although there are only three
assigned, you can always engage one another through the general discussion forum.
You still need a minimal score of 90% to receive credit for the course work.
Lastly, just like in all asynchronous online professional learning courses and especially
since this course is a bit more technically involved, we will continue to hold weekly
office hours for you on Fridays between 3pm and 4pm.
We’re delighted that you’ve decided to explore and deepen your digital literacies
by taking this course. Here is my contact information. As always, you can contact met
anytime via phone, email, or Twitter. Thanks!