This course is unlike any course – online or face to face – that you may have taken before. This is your course. It is designed and structured to support your independent and self-directed learning.
While the focus is on critical digital literacies, the explorations you conduct will be informed and shaped by your interests, passions, and teachable subject matter. This is your course, so enjoy the learning – and there will be lots to learn together!
This course is structured for adult learning, where you can explore digital literacy interests and prepare yourself for a life-time of professional learning with/about educational technology. This course is designed this way because one, short, nine-week course cannot possibly cover all you’ll need to know about critical digital literacies in teaching and learning. This is a cursory exploration into critical digital literacies in education.
1st There are weekly topics, readings, and activities to focus your learning about critical digital literacies (CDL), with an expectation that you will apply these skills to independent tasks and self-directed readings. Each week you will include your reflections and thoughts on the topic in ONE POST and ONE RESPONSE to a small group discussion space in D2L (or the suggested alternatives e.g. Hypothes.is, Flipgrid, Padlet). These weekly discussion posts and responses are NOT graded. They are assessed using MET / NOT MET YET. If any post or response fails to meet the basic criteria or demonstrate basic competencies, you will have one week to revise, update, and resubmit. This is due by Friday of each week by 9 p.m. More details are listed in the assignment section.
2nd You will participate in two Zoom ‘check-in’ sessions – one in week three and one in week seven. You can sign up for a time that is most convenient to your schedule. You can also sign up to participate in two Zoom GUEST discussions. These will involve a range of teacher educators from around the province who are willing to share their experience and digitally engaging teaching practice with you. This is an opportunity for you to connect with practicing teachers, classmates, and develop your critical digital literacies and understanding. Again these are NOT graded, but evaluated on a MET / NOT MET YET assessment strategy.
3rd There are weekly collaboration tasks that are intended to explore digital tools while building digital fluencies. You should try to complete these early in the week. See the suggested weekly schedule for these activities. These digital explorations and ‘tinkerings’ will also be outlined in D2L and on the course web site. All tasks that MET the criteria will be recorded as completed on your Individual Grading Grid. You will track your own grade and evaluation using a private Google spreadsheet, shared only with Helen. Each task requires varying amounts of time, so time management is crucial. Each week your completed tasks will be reviewed & confirmed by your instructor.
What will I need to do?
Image attribution: Photo by Emily Morter on Unsplash
