Document Revisions for Web 2.

0 & Collaborative Research 12 Overview of Revisions The revisions in this document replace the course synopsis, rationale and organization structure sections of the syllabus for Web 2.0 & Collaborative Research 12 course proposal,as submitted to School District #73 (Kamloops Thompson). This course was taught in Spring of 2012 with a small cohort of grade 10-12 students. With student evaluation of the course, instructor reflection and further course work through UBC, the course is in the process of being significantly redesigned. These revisions are part of this process.

Course Synopsis The first eight weeks of the course will focus on the inquiry process for the purpose of writing a persuasive argument. We will examine various social media including Facebook, Twitter and Youtube for positive and negative effects, as well as the concept of a digital footprint and the personal/societal effects of social networks. Students will work with a variety of digital and print reference materials and resources, including journals and databases (Ebscohost, ProQuest and GaleCengage). Students will also begin a personal blog and will follow other students and professional bloggers writing in areas of personal and academic interest. For the final twelve weeks, students will develop a project-based solution to a problem facing teens in another community. The community could be based in North America or could be on a different continent. Students will work in small groups to determine a problem, the create a project that could help raise awareness about the problem in our home community or present a solution to the problem by working with distant community partners. Students will develop personal learning networks and will develop essential research questions that will supply background information to inform project development. Projects will be presented to a panel of nonprofit agency representatives

and are included in the course wiki as a means of sharing with a larger audience for feedback.

Rationale While many courses at the secondary level offer some outcomes included in this course, none of them currently offerthe intensive work with and practice of inquiry, as it is required at the postsecondary and in many careers of the 21st century. Information literacy and the ability to use information technologies to share ideas and problem solve have been identified by the Premier's Council on Technology as essential education for students of this century. Currently, no courses are offered at the secondary level which bring together research, technology and collaborative processes as recommended by learning theorists and education reform experts. This course is designed to implement the socio-cultural cognitive theories of Lev Vygotsky, the situated learning theories of Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger and the distributed cognition theory of Edwin Hutchins. The students are given the opportunity to determine, through survey and on-line lesson, what research and social media skills they possess. Using that information, students and instructor plan for subsequent lessons in inquiry strategies, which are then applied to the practical inquiry students choose to undertake on an individual level. Instructor support is designed to take students through the academic and affective stages of research with feedback at each specific stage, thereby scaffolding the experience of creating a research project. Students create personal blogs to reflect on their learning and the resources they are exploring. The blogs are shared as a class community and students also have the opportunity to discuss in class the ongoing struggles and successes of research. The final group project is designed to have students work collaboratively to apply the skills acquired in the first part of the course in solving a problem. The class wiki is created to allow students to house group research artifacts, forums and final projects. Interaction with the wiki and with blogs allow the instructor to monitor and assist the student learning process. This also allows them to share

ongoing learning and recommend resources for other groups. Regular group meetings are also an opportunity for the instructor to monitor progress and ensure time lines are being met. The live presentation of the group project to a non-profit community panel also gives students practical experience and authentic feedback on their work. Student reflection and peer/instructor evaluation are the final component enabling a deep, personalized and collaborative learning experience.

Organization Structure: 1. Objectives a. Students will develop personal learning networks. b. Students will think critically about personally developed, essential questions c. Students will evaluate information for authority, validity, relevance and currency. d. Students will gather and organize information in a personally meaningful and effective manner. e. Students will create presentations in visual, written and auditory formats using a variety of digital technologies and applications. f. Students will work with peers and the wider community while researching about a personally developed topic. g. Students will evaluate their personal growth (affectively and academically), their peers' efforts and products and their own products.

2. Learning Outcomes It is expected that students will: a. Create and write a blog documenting their personal learning, feelings and interaction with resources they are using for research. b. Identify the components of a digital footprint and the impact of a digital footprint on personal wellbeing and development. c. Write a persuasive essay about a topic related to social media. d. Practise safe use of the Internet.

e. Demonstrate ethical use of information and images. f. Participate in developing and maintaining a class wiki. g. Develop an essential question for research purposes. h. Analyze information for relevancy and accuracy. i. Differentiate between peer reviewed, authoritative articles and periodical articles. j. Synthesize information to determine possible solutions to a problem. k. Work with group members to develop a project solving a selected problem. l. Work with group to create a multimedia presentation demonstrating problem solution. m. Discuss with peers the strengths, weaknesses, and problems faced during inquiry process. n. Complete peer and personal evaluations regarding process and product.