1

EDUCATION 6818 Digital Media Practicum

We do not learn from experience We learn from reflecting on experience. ~ John Dewey

Welcome to EDUC6818, Digital Media Practicum. This course is an opportunity for masters

candidates to engage in a practical exploration of the concepts, theories, and ideas covered in the

Digital Media, New Literacies, and Learning program. The practical exploration for each student

will be selected in a negotiation between the student and the instructor. The exploration is

intended to complement, build upon, and support masters level research courses offered through

the School of Education.

Get To Know Your Professor

Dr. Jeremy Price

Office: Education 315 | 304.333.3686

Email: jeremy.price@fairmontstate.edu

Graduate students are made of skin and bones even if the course is

virtual. Feel free to visit me during my student drop-in hours if you

are on campus:

Monday Wednesday Friday

10-12am 10am-12pm 10-12am

or schedule an appointment with me at:

https://jeremyprice.youcanbook.me/

2

Course Introduction and

Expectations

3

Course Throughlines

Throughlines describe the most important understandings that students should develop during an entire course. Throughlines are the big ideas that we will be exploring and developing understandings around over the semester.

This course seeks to help educators explore the following throughlines:

How do I see the relationships between education, technology and me?

What are some of the roles technology can play as a tool for education?

How do I see my role as an educator with technology?

The Language of Intentional Teaching

Using vocabulary of the profession is important and will help you communicate with your professors and colleagues in a precise

and professional manner. We will therefore be using the ideas and language of the Teaching for Understanding (TfU) framework.

According to TfU, throughlines describe the most important understandings that students should develop during an entire course. Throughlines are the big ideas that we will be exploring and developing understandings around over the semester.

Universal Learning

I am committed to the principle of universal learning. This means that our virtual spaces, our

practices, and our interactions be as inclusive as possible. Mutual respect, civility, and the ability

to listen and observe others carefully are crucial to universal learning.

Any student with particular needs should contact the coordinator of Disability Services at the

start of the semester. Services are available to any student, full or part-time, who has a need

because of a [documented] disability. It is the student's responsibility to register for services

with the coordinator of students with disabilities and to provide any necessary documentation to

verify a disability or the need for accommodations. The coordinator of Disability Services can

be reached at (304) 367-4686 or (800) 641-5678 Ext. 8. You and I can work out the details of

accommodations for the course.

Course Expectations and Activities

I view the learning process as an interactive endeavor in which you and I both have

responsibilities. My roles are to design an engaging, relevant, productive course, facilitate class

activities that I believe will be effective in the learning process, to assess your work in a fair,

timely manner, and create a safe, supportive space in which everyone can be who she or he is

and freely contribute to the class. Your role in the learning process is to engage with the course

work regularly, complete all of the assignments fully and to the best of your ability, and to

participate in class discussions and activities.

Practicum Products and Structure

I expect you to write cases based on your own personal experience or by working with another

educator to figure out some good scenarios that can form the basis of good cases. The number of

cases you will write will be negotiated on an individual basis.

4

You will also be asked to contribute to online discussions and think about these cases within the

framework of Douglas Rushkoff's Program or Be Programmed: Ten Commands for a Digital

Age. That is, how do these experiences connect with the larger ideas that Douglas Rushkoff

writes about? How have relating these experiences to these larger ideas helped you to think

differently about these experiences, whether they are your own or you are helping to bring them

out from colleagues.

Each month, from September to December, we will cover between 2-4 "commands" from

Douglas Rushkoff's book, giving you the opportunity to consider these ideas in specific contexts.

The month's overview and discussions will be available on the 15th of the previous month (with

the exception of September's). That is, October's discussions will be available on September 15,

and November's discussions will be available on October 15. I expect you to contribute to the

discussions periodically during the month. That is, for October, I expect you to contribute

periodically between October 1 and October 31. For each Command or module, I will post a

summary of key take-aways as well as some starter questions for discussion. These discussions

should be oriented towards helping you with your project and/or cases, not as a way to "show

what you know" (although demonstrating that the readings and discussions have made you think

is important).

Summary of My Intents for Products

I am working to balance structure with deep reflective thinking on experience. With that in mind,

it is important for me, as your teacher, that you:

Learn to identify, extract, and document salient technology in education scenarios

in the form of cases that can be used for learning for you, your colleagues, and

future educators;

Think about real-world experiences using Douglas Rushkoff's "Ten Commands"

as the provide solid grounding for the use of technology and as frames for you to

consider your written cases, hence participation in discussions (which can take the

form of reflections as well as dialogue).

Participate in online discussions and discourse.

The readings and online discussions are meant for you to deepen and focus your thinking

around your written cases, not just to show me that you have done your reading. You may

therefore, ask your coursemates and me questions about the relationships between the readings

and your own cases, as well as reflect on how your cases relate to the readings.

Feedback and On-Going Assessment

I personally believe in the benefits of on-going assessment and feedback. How you do in the

course, then, will reflect two elements:

Your Final Products (Cases and/or Project): If you are involved in a particular

project, the final outcome (or near final outcome) will be reflected here as well as

your cases. If you are not involved in a particular project, then your final draft of

5

your cases will be reflected here. I will be posting a rubric to let you know what I

will be looking at.

Your Use of Process: If you engaged in discussions and dialogue to gain

feedback on your cases and/or projects rather than to "show what you know"

about the readings then you will do fine :-) I will post some questions for you to

respond to in order to help you connect the reading with your work. To get your

badge you must:

Respond with your own thinking to the question(s) I pose;

Respond to at least one of your coursemates.

When we complete each module (Rushkoff's Ten Commands as well as the stand-alone module

on Cases), I will award you each a badge. I will also give you feedback with my own reflections

on your participation. I will give you feedback particularly oriented towards helping you get the

most out of me and your colleagues in the class to help you with your cases and/or project.

Required Resources

We will be using one book for this course in addition to short readings that can be found online or supplied on

Schoology: Program or Be Programmed: Ten Commands for a Digital Age by Douglas Rushkoff. This is an

excellent exploration of the hiddenand not so hiddenrelationships between technology and the world. It will help us structure our thinking around our experiences. This book is enjoyable to read and is available in the campus

bookstore as well as through online and independent retailers.

You will be required to use TaskStream to submit your Project/Cases.

Acknowledgments

I have adapted the ideas and language from the work of several educators for this syllabus, and I appreciate their

contributions to this syllabus. I am indebted to the support and guidance of my fellow faculty member at Fairmont

State University, Dr. Denise Lindstrom. The language concerning Universal Learning is courtesy of the

Accessibility Statements on Syllabuses on the ProfHacker blog (http://bit.ly/1bAXeDN). The language concerning the respective responsibilities of professor and students is courtesy of Dr. Terry Murray of the State University of

New York at New Paltz. Language concerning definitions of Teaching for Understanding terms is from the Harvard

Graduate School of Education Active Learning Practice for Schools website (http://learnweb.harvard.edu/alps/tfu/).

The Unit Maps are based on the graphic organizer in the Teaching for Understanding Guide by Tina Blythe and

Associates. All comics panels are from the XKCD webcomic series by Randall Munroe (http://www.xkcd.com/ ).

6

Course Schedule

7

Unit Schedule

Unit Date Range

Cases August 21-October 31

Change and Purpose August 21-October 15

Time, Place, Identity, and Social September 15-November 15

Choice, Complexity, and Scale October 15-December 12

Final Case Drafting November 1-December 12

Final Cases are due December 12

8

Appendices

9

Fairmont State University

School of Education Conceptual Framework

The mission of the Fairmont State University School of Education (FSU SoE) is to prepare reflective and responsive

educators who possess the knowledge, skills, and

dispositions to help all students learn. The FSU SoE mission

is integrated across the curriculum, field experiences, clinical

practice, and assessments of candidates. The conceptual

framework (CF) provides the structure and guiding principles

that are necessary to accomplish this mission. The five West

Virginia Professional Teaching Standards (WVPTS) and

their respective functions undergird the knowledge, skills,

and dispositions that candidates must possess in order to

facilitate learning for all students. Diversity and technology

are included in the CF representing themes that are integrated

throughout the units programs. Demonstrated competencies in the standards/functions empower candidates to function as

reflective and responsive educators. The CF is based on

research about effective teaching and learning best practices

that apply to teacher candidates at the initial level as well as

accomplished teachers at the advanced level. The CF and the

WVPTS also are central guiding elements of the FSU

Professional Development School (PDS) Partnership that

provides a critical structure and context for teacher education

and educator professional development.

Fairmont State University Policies

Academic Integrity: Fairmont State values highly the integrity of its student scholars. All students and faculty members are urged to share in the responsibility for removing every situation which might permit or encourage academic dishonesty. Cheating

in any form, including plagiarism, must be considered a matter of the gravest concern. Cheating is defined here as: the obtaining

of information during an examination; the unauthorized use of books, notes, or other sources of information prior to or during an

examination; the removal of faculty examination materials; the alteration of documents or records; or actions identifiable as

occurring with the intent to defraud or use under false pretense. Plagiarism is defined here as: the submission of the ideas, words

(written or oral), or artistic productions of another, falsely represented as one's original effort or without giving due credit.

Students and faculty should examine proper citation forms to avoid inadvertent plagiarism.

Disability Services: Disability services are available to any student, full or part-time, who has a need because of a documented disability. It is the students responsibility to register for disability services and to provide any necessary documentation to verify a disability or the need for accommodations. Students must provide their professors with a copy of their

academic accommodation letter each semester in order to receive accommodations. Faculty, students, and the Office of Disability

Services must cooperate to ensure the most effective provision of accommodations for each class.

The Office of Disability Services is located in suite 316 of the Turley Student Services Center 333-3661. For additional

information, please visit the Fairmont State University Office of Disability Services webpage at www.fairmontstate.edu/access or

call (304) 333-3661.